Reborn to marry, she no longer wants to be the young master's mother

As she left, the afterglow of the setting sun gradually faded, and night fell quietly, shrouding the entire palace in darkness. The palace lanterns lit up one by one, and the warm and dim light tried to dispel the coldness and loneliness hidden in the dark. However, for Queen Xie Chaochao, this light seemed unable to illuminate the haze in her heart. Her desire for freedom and yearning for true love were like a bird tightly bound by chains, longing to fly but unable to do so.

Empress Xie Chaochao, wearing a luxurious gown embroidered with gold and phoenixes, with her hair dotted with dazzling jewels, slowly paced in the magnificent palace. Her affectionate eyes inadvertently caught the back of Emperor Chu Heng as he left, which seemed to contain an indescribable heaviness and uneasiness. Chu Heng's steps were hurried, completely different from his usual calmness. His brows were furrowed, as if he was carrying a heavy burden on his heart, and even his back revealed a sense of oppression.

Xie Chaochao suddenly felt an inexplicable worry in her heart. She was keenly aware that the atmosphere in the palace today seemed different from usual. There was a subtle tension and subtlety in the air. She opened her red lips slightly, wanting to call the servants to ask, but she held back. Her intuition told her that this matter might be serious and should not be made public.

So, she made a decision to follow him in person and find out what was going on. She turned around lightly, told the maids around her to continue taking care of the trivial matters, and quietly followed Chu Heng, her steps light, like a deer shuttling through the woods, keeping a distance while ensuring that she would not lose sight of the target.

Passing through the winding corridors and bypassing the intricately carved pavilions, Xie Chaochao followed Chu Heng to a remote corner. Here, far away from the hustle and bustle, there were only a few lonely pine and cypress trees swaying in the night wind, making rustling sounds, as if telling unknown secrets.

Chu Heng stopped and turned his back to Xie Chaochao. He stood in front of an ancient stone tablet with some unclear words engraved on it, which seemed to record a dusty history. The moonlight shone through the sparse clouds and sprinkled on his body, outlining his lonely and resolute outline. Xie Chaochao held his breath and tried to read more information from Chu Heng's back, but everything seemed so confusing.

At this moment, Chu Heng suddenly turned around, his eyes were deep and complex, as if he had traveled through time and space, looking directly into the depths of Xie Chaochao's soul. When their eyes met, the air seemed to freeze, and time became unusually slow at this moment. Xie Chaochao's heartbeat accelerated involuntarily, and she felt that what was about to be revealed might be a secret related to the fate of the entire dynasty...

Emperor Chu Heng walked slowly into the heart of the Forbidden City, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, in the morning light. The ambergris in the hall rose in the air, interweaving with the rising sun outside the window to create a golden and magnificent scene, setting off his majestic and profound face. In the hall, the air seemed to freeze, waiting for the upcoming national events.

Soon, several ministers in court robes filed in, their steps were somewhat anxious, as if they had important news to report. The leading minister, Li Mufeng, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, took a few steps forward with an ivory tablet in his hand, and his voice was slightly trembling: "Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the border. There is a force in the foreign realm that claims to be friendly to our Great Chu and wants to send an envoy to discuss cooperation matters."

Chu Heng frowned slightly when he heard this, his eyes were like torches, penetrating the layers of light and shadow in the hall, as if he could see into people's hearts. "Cooperation? Humph, there is no goodwill without reason in this world, especially from an unknown place. This sounds quite strange, and I feel uneasy." His voice was low and powerful, and every word was like a stone falling to the ground, echoing in every corner of the hall.

Li Mufeng saw this and bowed quickly, speaking in a more respectful tone: "Your Majesty is wise. When I first heard about this, I also found it hard to believe. But after multiple investigations, I found that this force is indeed extraordinary. They have mastered advanced smelting technology, and the weapons they make are extremely sharp. They also have extraordinary people who can control wind and rain and manipulate the power of nature. If we can form an alliance with our Great Chu, it will undoubtedly greatly enhance our national strength, which will be of great benefit to resisting foreign enemies and expanding our territory in the future."

After hearing this, Chu Heng's eyes flickered, as if he was weighing the pros and cons. The hall fell into a brief silence, and only the occasional bird song outside the window broke the solemnity. After a moment, Chu Heng slowly spoke, with a hint of amusement in his voice: "Oh? You have such ability? This has aroused my curiosity. But curiosity is curiosity, and only by acting cautiously can you last long. Li Qing, you must make preparations immediately and arrange spies to go and find out the truth. Be sure to act carefully and don't let the enemy take advantage of you."

Li Mufeng took the order and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that although the emperor had doubts, he had already become interested in this unknown cooperation. A game concerning the fate of the country quietly kicked off in silence. In the Yangxin Palace, the flickering candlelight reflected Chu Heng's unfathomable eyes, as if foreshadowing that the upcoming adventure would be full of unknowns and challenges, and all of this would profoundly affect the future of Da Chu, causing everyone who heard about this to have waves in their hearts that were difficult to calm down.

Emperor Chu Heng sat on the magnificent dragon throne, his eyes like torches, scanning the ministers kneeling below. In the hall, the candlelight flickered, reflecting on the tense and solemn faces of each minister. The air seemed to be frozen, and only the occasional whistling of the night wind could be heard outside, forming a sharp contrast with the solemn hall.

"My dear ministers," Chu Heng spoke slowly, his voice full of unquestionable majesty, "I have something to discuss with you. I heard that the situation on the border is becoming increasingly tense, and foreign tribes are ready to make a move, and seem to be interested in forming an alliance. I want to know whether you agree to cooperate with foreign tribes to resist foreign enemies together?"

As soon as these words came out, a murmur suddenly sounded in the hall, and the ministers looked at each other with different expressions. After a moment, an old minister with white hair and beard slowly stood up. Although his voice was slightly trembling, it was firm and powerful: "Your Majesty, I think that this matter needs to be handled with caution. The minds of foreign races are difficult to guess. If they have ulterior motives, our dynasty may be in an irreparable situation. However, if we rashly refuse, we may anger them and trigger a war. At present, our dynasty is short of troops, and the border garrisons are even more stretched. It is not appropriate to start a war lightly."

Chu Heng heard this, frowning, his eyes deep as the abyss. He knew very well that what the old minister said was true. In recent years, there have been constant internal struggles in the court, coupled with frequent natural disasters, an empty treasury, a serious shortage of troops, and weak border defenses. Once a war breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous.