"A woman? You're actually a woman?!"
"Good heavens! Women are actually joining the army in our country! This is utterly absurd!"
"Women joining the army is utterly absurd!"
Hua Mulan coldly looked at everyone, without any intention of refuting. She looked at the emperor sitting above, who was looking at her with a hint of lewdness!
Hua Mulan's face darkened, and she couldn't help but speak, "I beg Your Majesty to pardon Hua Mulan for the crime of deceiving the Emperor! I am willing to give up all fame and fortune!"
The emperor then came to his senses, coughed lightly, and said, "General Hua's great achievements cannot go unrewarded. As for the lack of women in our dynasty who can join the army, I hereby issue an edict that from this day forward, all unmarried women may join the army and serve the country!"
Hua Mulan was overjoyed and immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"However..." The Emperor squinted at Hua Mulan, "General Hua, you are the only one to set a precedent for women joining the army. I'm afraid it will be difficult to convince the ministers and officials..."
Hua Mulan's expression changed, and her look turned cold.
"Why don't you send General Hua to the palace today to be the mother of the harem? What do you think?" the emperor said with a smile. "I think that if General Hua were to manage the harem, it would surely bring prosperity to our dynasty!"
Hua Mulan looked coldly at the emperor, and was immediately filled with anger.
She conquered the world, and now she wants her freedom and her own body! How shameless!
Mulan clenched her fists. She couldn't agree, but she had no choice...
Wang Jian and Hei Song lowered their heads upon seeing this, not daring to speak again.
Seeing that Mulan did not agree, the emperor narrowed his eyes and asked, "General Hua, what do you think?"
Hua Mulan swallowed hard, raised her head to look at the emperor high above her, and spoke without fear:
"I only joined the army in place of my father, and only achieved this by luck. Your Majesty's wish to make Mulan the mother of the country would be undignified."
The emperor's gaze turned slightly cold, but he said nothing. Mulan continued to speak.
“However… if our king truly loves Mulan, the people dare not disobey!” Mulan said, her eyes narrowed.
The emperor immediately smiled and said, "Very well! Then I will choose an auspicious day..."
"Please wait a moment!" Mulan raised her head and looked at the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I once swore an oath that the man I marry must unconditionally protect me and my entire family for the rest of his life! Furthermore—he must love only me!"
"If my king is willing to abolish the harem, favor Mulan alone, and proclaim to the world that men and women are equal, and that women can enter the court to participate in politics and join the army, I am willing to give everything for the country and the nation, including—my entire life!" Mulan declared loudly.
As soon as he finished speaking, all the ministers began to criticize him:
"This is utter nonsense! How can such a grand matter of the realm be interfered with by a mere woman! My king, this is absolutely unacceptable!"
"That's right, the harem is a symbol of imperial power and the foundation for a dynasty to continue its lineage. How could it possibly be abolished!"
"What about gender equality? That's utterly absurd!"
Hua Mulan quietly looked at the emperor. His brows were furrowed, and he already had a hint of resentment towards her words, let alone any interest in her anymore!
Hua Mulan respectfully said, "What Mulan said is indeed absurd, please forgive me, Your Majesty. However, Mulan is afraid she can no longer stay by Your Majesty's side! Mulan has decided to lay down her arms and return to the countryside to take care of her elderly father!"
Upon hearing this, the emperor slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "I have said that I will reward those who have rendered meritorious service. If you want nothing, where will that leave my dignity?"
Hua Mulan quietly looked at the emperor and said, "I have already given you the reward you requested. I only wish to return to my hometown..."
Before Mulan could speak, the emperor interrupted her, "I have already given you what you wanted. Now I am going to reward you, and you must accept it!"
Mulan's eyelids twitched; she had a bad feeling.
"I hereby bestow upon you the title of Consort Lan, granting you the authority of a queen. From now on, my empire will be yours!" the emperor declared resolutely.
Hua Mulan's heart sank. She finally understood why Wang Qiankun had left so decisively with Hua Yue!
In this world, people's hearts are unpredictable, and good and evil are even more difficult to distinguish! It's better to give up than to possess!
Hua Mulan slowly stood up and said, "Mulan swore an oath that she would never share a husband with another woman. My heart cannot bear the trivialities of the world. Mulan... has failed my king! And even more so, has failed my father's kindness in raising me!"
Seeing the emperor's cold gaze, Mulan continued, "I implore my king, to allow Mulan to lay down her arms and return to her farm!"
The emperor spoke harshly, "You dare to disobey my decree?"
Before Hua Mulan could say anything more, Wang Jian quickly pulled her back and gently shook his head.
Hua Mulan looked at the emperor's gloomy face, pursed her lips, and said nothing more.
"I'm giving you a chance to be my beloved concubine. No room for argument! Court adjourned!" With that, he turned and left.
The crowd looked at each other, then bowed respectfully to Mulan and said in unison, "Greetings, Your Highness!"
"I hope Your Majesty will not hold my previous rudeness against me."
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Mulan's face was pale, her eyes somewhat vacant, and she said, "I...I don't blame anyone..."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they heard Mulan speak.
"This humble subject takes his leave..."
Everyone turned and left, and in the blink of an eye, only Hua Mulan and the others remained in the vast palace.
"General Hua, I know you feel sorry for Young Master Mo..." Wang Jian stopped mid-sentence, seeing Hua Mulan already in tears, and sighed. But he still finished speaking, "Young Master Mo is dead. General Hua, your life must go on. You... you should accept your fate and forget about him!"
Mulan gave a bitter smile. "Forget him? How could that be? His blood flows in my veins, his heart resides in my soul, how could I possibly forget him?"
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