The Empress Kneels in Her Palace to Admit Her Mistakes After Slaying Her Ways in the Female-Oriented

Kyoto, Imperial Palace, Fengtian Hall.

The octogenarian Duke of Zhenguo knelt beneath the imperial steps, his white hair pressed against the cold ground. His tone was sorrowful, filled with resentment.

"Your Majesty, how can our great Yu state, so powerful and mighty, stoop so low as to make peace with barbarians through marriage? Would you rather personally arrange a marriage alliance with Tuoba Xiangtai?"

"The barbarians are a different race, and have never been of our kind since ancient times. Their hearts are bound to be different. This act will surely plunge our Great Yu into dire straits, and our ancestral lands will be lost!"

"The world is in chaos now. Two hundred thousand troops have risen up in the south and are heading straight for the capital. Bandits are rampant in the northern borderlands, and barbarians are tyrannizing Shanhe City. The world is about to change."

"For the sake of the nation and its people, we implore Your Majesty to rescind your decree, sever the marriage alliance with the barbarians, select a virtuous and capable leader, and quell the chaos throughout the land!"

Such desperate remonstrances have been repeated countless times during this period, but His Majesty remains in the deep palace and ignores them, leaving only his heartfelt loyalty echoing in the empty hall.

The Duke of Zhenguo's eyes were bloodshot.

There is still absolutely no solution.

As a last resort, he shouted, "Your Majesty, you absolutely cannot allow the barbarians to attack Yunji City! Shanhe City has already been lost. If the barbarians take Yunji City as well, the northern border defense line will be completely empty, and the barbarians can march south at any time."

"Our Great Yu is truly doomed!"

……

Inside the Imperial Study.

Dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, Xiao Mingzhao, with a face that could launch a thousand ships, was full of tender affection as she slowly wrote on the imperial edict.

It seemed that every word was a testament to her affection; she wrote very slowly, and her radiant face never wavered in a smile.

"Young Master Tuoba, I am ready and await your arrival to marry me..."

"Young Master Tuoba, Yunji City is guarded by Ren Tianye. His love for me is no less than yours. Unfortunately, he never understood that his love for me was only a small love."

"But my love for you is the greatest love."

"Ren Tianye doesn't understand his own little love. He should give way to my greater love and desperately guard Yunji City to get my attention. I am worried but helpless."

"But no matter what, he was truly devoted to me. I hope that after you take Yunji City, you will grant him a proper burial and a complete body."

After pouring countless thoughts of love onto the paper, Xiao Mingzhao finally put down her pen. Her bright, sparkling eyes reflected her dreams of her future wedding.

Then a young eunuch stumbled in.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhenguo is crying and shouting again in the main hall."

"His voice was deafening, and he said that if His Majesty still refused, he would carry his own coffin to remonstrate next time."

Xiao Mingzhao's good mood vanished instantly.

His brows furrowed slightly, and his face showed dissatisfaction and helplessness.

"Duke Zhenguo, my pillar of strength, my golden beam spanning the sea, how can you not understand even the slightest bit of my painstaking efforts?"

"Enough, enough. Summon him to offer his advice."

"Yes."

The young eunuch went to deliver the imperial decree, and a moment later, the Duke of Zhenguo strode in and knelt down upon seeing him.

However, before he could speak, Xiao Mingzhao spoke first, saying, "My dear minister, the Great Yu Dynasty has endured eight hundred years of turmoil and upheaval. You must be aware of the history of our Great Yu Dynasty, right?"

The Duke of Zhenguo was taken aback when Xiao Mingzhao asked him these questions right away. He thought Xiao Mingzhao wanted to learn from history, so he immediately said, "Although this old minister is not well-read, he remembers the affairs of our ancestors clearly."

"Very well, then I will ask you." Xiao Mingzhao stood with his arm around the dragon table and said calmly, "During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, the barbarians were fierce and repeatedly invaded the border."

"Emperor Xiaowen suppressed the pro-war faction internally and made peace with the barbarians by marrying them and paying tribute, which caused constant criticism in the court. The barbarians became more and more aggressive, and border raids occurred frequently."

"Are you aware of this?"

The Duke of Zhenguo immediately said, "This old minister naturally knows that Emperor Xiaowen endured for twenty years, which gave the Great Yu time to recuperate and multiply its population, making the national treasury full."

"Only then could we have carried out the subsequent great feat of attacking the northern barbarians and recovering lost territory!"

Xiao Mingzhao nodded and continued, "During the reign of Emperor Xiaohui, the fiefdoms of the vassal kings were forcibly abolished, and military power was taken back, which triggered the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms. The Central Plains fell into twenty years of civil war, the people suffered, and foreign tribes rose up everywhere. Do you remember?"

"Of course I remember," said the Duke of Zhenguo. "Emperor Xiaohui was farsighted. He used the chaos of the time to break up the power of the vassal kings and strengthen the authority of the court. After that, the administration of the Great Yu was stable and all sides submitted to him. It was a golden age."

Xiao Mingzhao nodded in satisfaction and continued, "During the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, the entire nation was mobilized for years of war. A stone tablet was erected at the foot of Shanhe City that read, 'Barbarian tribes are forbidden within the territory of Dayu.' This allowed him to wage war recklessly and levy exorbitant taxes."

"This caused the people's taxes to double, leading to widespread displacement, an empty treasury, and frequent riots."

Do you remember?

"I remember!" The Duke of Zhenguo sensed something was amiss, but still said, "But Emperor Xiaowu defeated the main force of the barbarians, expanded the territory by three thousand li, opened up the trade routes in the Western Regions, and completely reversed the balance of power between the two sides."

"He was a great emperor throughout history!"

"Very good!" Xiao Mingzhao commented with a smile: "The late Emperor Xiaoxuan implemented reforms with thunderous measures, abolishing the hereditary stipends of aristocratic families, causing officials to weep all the way, the court to be in turmoil, and the world to be in unrest."

"did you know?"

"Of course I know!" said the Duke of Zhenguo. "But Emperor Xiaoxuan broke the monopoly of aristocratic families, allowing children from humble backgrounds to enter the court. As a result, the government was efficient and the people's livelihood was restored. The granaries were full and the people lived in peace and prosperity."

"Such achievements can be called a revival."

He paused, then looked at Xiao Mingzhao and asked, "Your Majesty, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Xiao Mingzhao flicked his dragon robe and said, "Since you know all this, how can you not understand my good intentions?"

"Now, the Great Yu Kingdom is prosperous and powerful. It is time to establish a great empire and plan for the world. The barbarians and the Yu people have been enemies for generations, and they are irreconcilable. But as long as I marry the third prince of the barbarian tribe, the world will be at peace."

"At that time, the Great Yu Dynasty will usher in an unprecedented golden age!"

"I still remember my father's earnest teachings when he was alive, saying that as an emperor, one should do the work of one generation."

"My task in this generation is to achieve universal harmony, uniting all peoples, including barbarians and Yu people, into one family!"

"Everything that the sun and moon shine upon is the land of Yu!"

"However, the person I married happened to be the one I loved, yet you all tried every means to stop it, which has greatly disappointed me!"

The Duke of Zhenguo's eyes widened.

He found the idea absurd and outlandish, full of fantasy yet completely implausible, and immediately knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, how could you possibly have such an idea?"

Please, look up at me.

"The world is on the verge of chaos. War is raging in the north and south, and ambitious forces within the Great Yu territory have all raised arms. The world is doomed; where is the prosperity to come from?"

Xiao Mingzhao smiled, his face calm: "Great governance will naturally face obstacles, overreactions, bloodshed, and trials of bloodshed."

"But I will learn from the spirit of the late emperors."

"Undeterred by hardships and obstacles, we forged a glorious era, a world of great harmony that surpasses even the achievements of our ancestors!"

"The Great Yu Dynasty will reach an unprecedented peak under my rule!"

Without giving the Duke of Zhenguo a chance to speak, he said, "My dear minister, you should carefully understand my meaning."

"I hope that you will always be my trusted advisor, my vanguard, and the one who clears away all obstacles to my reforms!"

"Oh, right..."

"I have ordered the Third Prince of the Barbarians to attack Yunji City. If things go as expected, Yunji City will soon fall to the Barbarians!"

……