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“Has the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty been kicked in the head by a donkey? He actually wants to marry the Empress of our Great Zhou? He should take a good look at himself in the mirror. Does he even deserve it?”

Wu Zhao felt a wave of satisfaction and couldn’t help but slap the Dragon Throne, her phoenix-like eyebrows raised.

“Exactly, does he deserve it? Not to mention, as the ruler of Great Zhou, I cannot marry out. Besides, he’s more than ten years older than me. I’ve heard that this man is promiscuous, leaving behind a bunch of illegitimate children every time he travels incognito. He’s completely shameless.”

Yang Yi was the only one who dared to voice his anger so openly.

Although the other ministers were also enraged after reading the letter, none of them dared to speak their minds.

Hearing Yang Yi’s outburst, they felt a sense of relief.

Xu Jingzong, who stood to the side, stroked his beard.

“The reason why this Emperor Qianlong is so arrogant and domineering is that the Qing Empire has been developing and recovering for several decades. The Qing Empire is not weak now. This man has always been conceited, comparing himself to his ancestors. He must be ambitious, wanting to expand his territory and create a legacy. He’s been coveting other countries’ lands for a long time. Compared to the other major countries in the Central Plains, our Great Zhou has just ended a war with the Turks and suffered several disasters that have weakened our national strength. It’s no surprise that he has set his sights on us…”

“This national letter may seem like a proposal for an alliance through marriage, but it’s actually an attempt to force our Great Zhou into conflict with them. This way, the Qing Dynasty will have an excuse to pressure us!”

Having navigated the political arena for many years, Xu Jingzong immediately recognized the reason behind the Qing Dynasty’s arrogance.

Wu Zhao coldly replied,

“So what? Is our Great Zhou afraid of them?”

Li Yifu, standing nearby, smiled bitterly.

“Your Majesty, the treasury is empty. It might be difficult to support another war against a foreign country.”

Wu Zhao immediately fell silent, her grip on the Dragon Throne so tight that her knuckles turned white.

If it weren’t for Great Zhou’s numerous financial needs over the past two years, how could she endure such humiliation? She would have sent troops to attack the Qing Dynasty the moment she received the document.

“Are you suggesting that I endure the humiliation of this scoundrel?”

After a moment of silence, the Empress’s icy voice resounded.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned as cold as frost, and a deadly silence fell.

Everyone exchanged glances. They all knew that the Empress was displeased, but the power disparity between them and the Qing Dynasty was obvious.

If it really came to a fight, the treasury wouldn’t be able to support it.

Li Yifu felt extremely uncomfortable, as if the Empress was questioning him directly.

At that moment, a young voice rang out.

“Your Majesty, if the ruler is humiliated, the ministers must die. This old scoundrel has insulted our Great Zhou so much that we absolutely cannot just submit. People always pick the softest persimmons to squeeze! If our Great Zhou shows weakness, we won’t just face one wolf from the Qing Dynasty, but a pack of wolves surrounding us! The Qing Dynasty’s provocation must be met with a strong response—a very strong response!”

Everyone was stunned and looked toward the speaker.

It was none other than Yang Yi.

Xu Jingzong shook his head.

Young people are still too hot-headed.

Li Yifu frowned and said in a deep voice,

“Minister Yang, that’s easy for you to say. You don’t know how hard it is to run a household. Do you know how much money is left in the treasury? If we go to war with the Qing Dynasty, we won’t be able to maintain it for long. The military expenditure is not a small amount.”

Yang Yi raised an eyebrow.

“So, according to Minister Li, we should just smile and welcome those who trample on us? To endure such humiliation and still wipe our faces clean? I can’t think of anyone who would do that, except maybe eunuchs and Minister Li.”

Li Yifu’s face turned crimson with anger.

This bastard actually dared to insult me like this. Comparing me to a eunuch? Isn’t that basically calling me one?

The other officials exchanged glances, surprised by Yang Yi’s boldness.

They hadn’t expected him to be so confrontational. Despite Li Yifu’s weak stance, his words held truth—courage alone wouldn’t be enough; strength was also necessary.

By this point, Wu Zhao had calmed down, her clear, dark eyes sweeping over Yang Yi with a mix of emotions.

Faced with such provocation, she was furious to her core, but she also knew that going to war with the Qing Dynasty was unwise. However, reason is reason, and emotions are emotions.

Yang Yi’s defense of her brought a certain comfort. After all, he was a trusted confidant she had personally groomed.

Sensing the tension among her ministers, Wu Zhao spoke calmly.

“Minister Yang, if our Great Zhou were to go to war with the Qing Dynasty, even a small-scale conflict would require considerable funds. If we had the resources, it wouldn’t be impossible to fight the Qing Dynasty and show them the spirit of our Great Zhou! Do you have any brilliant strategies?”

After speaking, she looked at Yang Yi with anticipation.

Over the past few months, Yang Yi’s ingenious strategies had greatly impressed her—especially the incident in Hangzhou, which had been nothing short of a divine move, leaving everyone in awe.

If Yang Yi could come up with a brilliant strategy now, she could certainly teach that arrogant Qianlong a lesson.

Li Yifu, still seething, looked at Yang Yi with a cold smile.

There’s no way this kid can come up with a solution to deal with the aggressive Qing Dynasty, he thought.

Xu Jingzong and the others instinctively turned to Yang Yi. Although they didn’t believe he could solve the problem, his past methods had taught them not to underestimate him.

Yang Yi stroked his chin, met the Empress’s gaze, and blinked.

“I don’t have a brilliant strategy…”

The room deflated with disappointment. Li Yifu sneered, a smug smile tugging at his lips.

I knew this kid was just bluffing.

Wu Zhao felt a twinge of disappointment but remained composed.

“No matter, our Great Zhou is currently—”

Before she could finish, Yang Yi interrupted.

“I don’t have a brilliant strategy, but I do have a cunning plan that might just disrupt their harmony.”

Yang Yi added with a mischievous smile.