I really don't want to be a traitor

Dachu, Pengcheng.

Yaoguang surrendered to Emperor Jiajing. This shocking turn of events almost scared Xiang Chong to death!
In the previous court, civil and military officials petitioned Xiang Chong to come to court to discuss matters.

"Go to court?"

"With all the civil and military forces in the dynasty, who can defeat Jiajing? Who can make Yaoguang surrender?"

"I won't go to court!"

"Is there any point in going to court?"

"I'm going to see the Queen Mother!"

Xiang Chong left behind a group of eunuchs and palace maids, and regardless of the emperor's majesty, he ran into Empress Dowager Li's palace.

"Mother!"

"It's over, it's really over this time!"

"What are you talking nonsense about?" Empress Dowager Li held a cup of tea and took a calm and elegant sip.

The Queen Mother took good care of herself.

Ten years have passed, and the charm of MILFs is still there.

Coupled with the most noble palace attire, it seems that she has the appearance and style that a queen mother of a country should have.

"Mother, haven't you looked at the celestial mirror?" Xiang Chong's face turned pale and he was sweating like rain. "Our patron Yaoguang, she was defeated! She bowed her head to Emperor Jiajing in front of the people of the world!"

"If you lose, you lose." Queen Mother Li said leisurely: "What's all the fuss about?"

Xiang Chong was shocked.

When a disaster is approaching, why is the Queen Mother so calm?
Unless she already has a solution?

"Mother, if you have any idea, please tell the emperor quickly!" Xiang Ning said excitedly.

Queen Mother Li did not speak.

Instead, it was Eunuch Chen on the side, bowing his body like a shrimp, holding a cup of tea and handed it to Xiang Chong.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea first."

Xiang Chong was stunned.

The old eunuch was Empress Dowager Li's confidant, and every move she made had profound meanings. It was by no means as simple as offering tea casually.

Helpless, Xiang Chong could only pick up the tea cup and swallowed it like a donkey drinking water.

"now it's right."

Queen Mother Li finally spoke.

"Your Majesty, you are the Ninth Five Emperor, and you are also the bloodline of Taizu Overlord."

"As the emperor of Chu, you should not change your color even if the mountain collapses in front of you!"

"Don't make a fuss or be surprised just because things in the world have changed."

The Queen Mother's tone was extremely confident, and she seemed to be in control of the overall situation and sitting firmly on the Diaoyutai.

When she finally finished speaking, Xiang Chong found out in embarrassment that it was all empty words and clichés, with no practical information at all?

"Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is wise and has a way to break the situation."

Eunuch Chen is like a flatterer.

Some words, if spoken by the Queen Mother herself, would be somewhat self-praising.

But when it came out of Eunuch Chen’s mouth, it was just right.

"The Queen Mother means that if one of our patrons falls, we can find another one."

Xiang Chong seemed to understand.

He wondered: "Looking for another supporter? Is there anyone in this world who can compete with Emperor Jiajing?"

Eunuch Chen said with a smile on his face: "No one can compete with Emperor Ming, so let's ask Emperor Ming to be the backer of Your Majesty and the Queen Mother. Wouldn't that be enough?"

"What!?"

"You want me to betray the alliance and take Da Chu to formally join the Ming Dynasty?"

"What should the emperors of Wei, Han and Wu do?"

"Aren't Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan all my allies...?"

As Xiang Chong spoke, his voice became weaker.

He really didn't care about allies or anything like that, he just said what he just said based on common sense.

Eunuch Chen laughed again.

"Your Majesty, please remember."

"Man is by nature, and always will be, a selfish animal."

"Human nature is to pursue personal interests."

"In most cases, pure justice is only a negative virtue." Xiang Chong was stunned!

Although the words spoken by the old eunuch were easy to understand, every word was precise, and Xiang Chong had no words to refute!

"I...didn't I see that Eunuch Chen is actually a well-educated man? In just a few words, he is more profound than what many Confucian scholars have learned in a lifetime?"

Xiang Chong's face really overflowed with a look of admiration.

But the more he looked like this, the more embarrassed Eunuch Chen became.

"Your Majesty." The old eunuch seemed hesitant to speak.

"hold head high?"

"The words that my servant just said are from "The Wealth of Nations" and "The Theory of Moral Sentiments" published by Jin Gong Fan Li three years ago. These two sets of books have been widely circulated, doesn't your Majesty know about them?"

Xiang Chong's face instantly turned red.

"Why would I read a book about a traitor... a traitor?"

The old eunuch also felt that he was talking too much.

Over the years, Xiang Chong has never read even half a page of any of Fan Li's works, even those of famous Confucian scholars.

"Yao Guang has surrendered to Emperor Jiajing, plus our country of Chu is not that many."

At this time, Queen Mother Li finally spoke.

"If people in the world want to scold Yao Guang for betrayal, they will scold Yao Guang first. This is one of them."

"Secondly, if Emperor Jiajing wants to unify the world, his enemies should be the remaining three Mahayana emperors, Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan."

"We, the Great Chu, cannot threaten him. To surrender is to surrender sincerely. Emperor Jiajing has no reason to refuse."

Xiang Chong also felt that it made sense.

However, I still feel a little unwilling in my heart.

"The whole country surrenders to the Ming Dynasty?"

"Mother, are we going to become ministers of the Ming Dynasty in the future?"

"The feeling of living under someone else's roof...it's really uncomfortable."

The issue of remuneration has become Xiang Chong's biggest worry.

As for the shame of begging for surrender, he didn't take it too seriously to his ancestors and the country.

"Silly boy."

Queen Mother Li laughed.

"Surrendering doesn't mean you have to go to Ming Dynasty."

"We ask ourselves to abolish the title of emperor and change our title to the lord of the country, or the king of the princes. We follow the story of the Spring and Autumn Period and regard the Ming Dynasty as the orthodoxy of the world."

"In the land of Chu, please ask His Majesty Jiajing to grant it to us as a feudal fiefdom."

"Can he still refuse to agree to this request?"

Xiang Chong suddenly realized.

After making trouble for a long time, all I need to do is give up the false reputation of emperor, so that I can continue to live in peace?
"wonderful!"

"It's really wonderful!"

"Mother! The emperor is willing to give up his imperial title and call himself King of Chu, Duke of Chu, or Marquis of Chu."

"As long as Emperor Jiajing agrees, my son is willing to guard Chu for the Ming Dynasty for generations to come."

After hearing this, Queen Mother Li nodded with satisfaction: "This boy is teachable. He is really a good boy from the Ai family."

The two of them were happy, but Eunuch Chen thought of someone.

He sighed with some disappointment: "It's just that Fan Li still holds the power. I don't know what the result will be if he sends troops to show mercy this time."

"Humph!"

Xiang Chong sneered.

"Even if Yao Guang loses, he will only lose to Emperor Jiajing."

"How much does Fan Li weigh? How dare he challenge the majesty of Daci?"

"Not to mention that Daci has 300,000 troops, and my queen is personally in charge."

"Wuzhui has been sleeping for ten years and has not woken up. With the queen's current cultivation, who under Fan Li is her opponent?"

The voice just fell.

A young eunuch, a confidant of the Queen Mother's palace, ran in from outside the palace panting.

"What kind of behavior is there for disobedience in front of the palace?" Eunuch Chen glared at the young eunuch and said coldly: "No matter what happens to you, I will drag him out and give him twenty sticks in a minute."

"But...but..." The little eunuch looked aggrieved. "There was a military report that the Duke of Jin led an army to attack Chaoge Imperial City. Daci's soldiers and civilians all surrendered. The empress escaped not far from the city and was killed by Han Yue, the Holy Master of Swords!"