If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

Zhao Yu picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine in the palace was not spicy; on the contrary, it was very smooth. It slid down the throat and into the stomach, and it even had the effect of promoting the growth of internal energy.

Without a doubt, it's another rare treasure that's hard to find in the martial arts world.

Zhao Yu poured another full cup, then stood up, raised it high, and spoke loudly.

"Today, my uncle has come from afar, and on top of that, our Great Liang has defeated the Wolf Kingdom. This is truly a double celebration! Let us drink this cup together!"

"Gentlemen, cheers to Daliang!"

Inside the hall, all the Qian family members stood up in unison, their movements synchronized with the sound of their movements.

They raised their glasses, their shouts merging into a torrent.

"For the sake of the Great Liang!"

Everyone tilted their heads back and drank their wine in one gulp, instantly pushing the atmosphere to its peak.

The complex emotions from before were completely washed away by this surge of heroic spirit.

The music started again, even more joyful and exciting than before.

The dancers' movements became light and graceful, and the entire banquet hall was filled with joy.

The Qian family members completely let loose, clinking glasses, laughing and talking loudly, creating a constant commotion.

The Empress Dowager looked at the lively scene with a smile on her face, but the smile did not last long. As if she had thought of something, she showed a worried expression.

She put down her wine glass, turned to the side, and asked Zhao Yu in a soft voice.

"Yu'er, I heard that you've delegated the power to recruit soldiers to those powerful families?"

Zhao Yu was picking up a piece of chicken when he heard this, and nodded naturally without stopping.

"That is indeed true."

The Empress Dowager frowned and said in a heavy tone:

"Yu'er, do you know what this means?"

"Once the power to recruit soldiers is delegated, and those major families completely seize military power, the taxes in this country will never be collected again!"

The saying that civil and military officials should be separated since ancient times is because they were afraid that the military would become too powerful and rule their own territories!

You may trust them, but whether they can do it or not is not important. What is important is whether they can actually do it!

Once a separatist regime forms, your uncle will eventually have to lead troops to quell it, inevitably leading to internal strife and conflict. Relations between nations are currently strained, and our Great Liang cannot withstand further turmoil.

The Empress Dowager spoke earnestly.

"Yu'er, listen to my advice and rescind this decree."

Zhao Yu put down his chopsticks, picked up a silk handkerchief to wipe the corner of his mouth, and gently shook his head.

"Your Majesty is overthinking this. I have my own considerations. There is no need to bring this up again."

He certainly understood the emperor's mind, and he was even more aware of the difference between having a sword in hand and not using it, and having no sword in hand at all.

Right now, agreeing to their demands in exchange for a precious window of opportunity is the best solution.

Besides, who says they'll necessarily be able to hold onto military power in the end?

Seeing his resolute attitude, the Empress Dowager knew that further persuasion would be useless, and could only helplessly turn to her younger brother for help.

At this moment, Prince Qian Zhentian of Zhennan was holding a roast chicken, his mouth wide open, aiming clearly at the chicken's rear end, about to take a bite.

Feeling his sister's gaze, he froze in mid-air, stunned for a moment.

He then burst into laughter, patted his chest, and assured them:

"Don't worry, sister! I support Yu'er! He's the emperor, and he's smarter than us! If he really needs my help, it'll be a piece of cake!"

After saying that, he ignored everything else and took a big bite of the golden chicken's rear end.

Oily juice dripped down the corners of his mouth.

Looking at the couple, one stubborn and opinionated, the other simple and unrefined, the Empress Dowager could only shake her head helplessly and sigh.

"I'm old and can't understand these intricate schemes in your court anymore."

She turned back to look at Zhao Yu, her expression becoming serious.

"Yu'er, you should be more careful."

"As long as I live, the Qian family will always stand by your side!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yu respectfully cupped his hands to the Empress Dowager.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will remember it in my heart."

But he knew perfectly well what was going on in his heart.

Apart from the Empress Dowager, Prince Qian Miao, and at most this seemingly honest Prince Zhennan, the rest of the Qian family are not of his mind.

What's even more crucial is that even the Empress Dowager and Qian Zhentian are not loyal to Zhao Yu.

They support the real emperor, Zhao Yu.

He was nothing more than a fake emperor, wearing this face and taking the throne in place of the emperor!

The Empress Dowager stopped dwelling on politics and turned to look at Qian Zhentian, changing the subject.

"Zhentian, you've been guarding the southern border for so many years, has the border remained peaceful?"

"Is the Sakura Kingdom still causing trouble?"

Qian Zhentian spat out a chicken bone with a "pfft" and shook his head nonchalantly.

"That damned Sakura Kingdom, they've long been terrified of us by the combined might of me and Sun Kingdom!"

"Now they're all holed up in their territories, putting together some kind of 'Dragon Rule Reform,' trying to imitate others and change their appearance."

"I heard they've been making preparations for that seven-nation business war lately, jumping around and trying to seize the title of 'Business World'."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager frowned once again, her face showing obvious worry.

"This second Water Dragon Kingdom that suddenly appeared is indeed far too brutal."

"Where their army goes, not a single person can survive. If they were to actually seize the title of Emperor of the Shang Dynasty, I'm afraid the other countries would all have a hard time in the future."

Zhao Yu listened silently from the side, but was taken aback.

Sakura Country?

The name itself is repulsive.

But no matter what, they left nothing but desolation in their wake, slaughtering even the common people; they were truly the worst of the worst.

At least the Wolf Kingdom knew to capture people and use them as slaves and laborers.

This act of pure slaughter has completely extinguished humanity.

But there was one word that Zhao Yu paid particular attention to.

Business is everywhere!

He had absolutely no idea what it was.

However, judging from the reactions of the Empress Dowager and the Prince of Zhennan, this "Shang Tianxia" (商天下) is extremely important and can even affect the stability of various countries.

We need to find out what's going on as soon as possible.

Zhao Yu was not one to hesitate. Thinking of this, he immediately cupped his hands and asked, "Empress Dowager, Uncle, I also wish to lead the Great Liang to compete for the title of 'Shang Tianxia' (the title of the world's leading merchant state). What do you think?"

As soon as he finished speaking, both the Empress Dowager and the Prince of Zhennan were stunned, looking at Zhao Yu with some surprise.

The Empress Dowager spoke first: "Yu'er, we, the Great Liang, cannot compete with the Shang Dynasty. Among the seven kingdoms, only the Great Qian, Sun, and Qin have the strength. We are far too far away from dealing with them."

Qian Zhentian laughed and retorted, "Sister, that's not right. How can we, the Qian family, be content to be inferior to others? As long as you want to, we'll give it a try, regardless of the outcome!"

After saying that, Qian Zhentian seemed to remember something and explained, "Yu'er has been on the throne for a long time and is also troubled by governance. I suppose he has become somewhat estranged from our Qian family, which comes from a merchant background. He probably only knows one aspect of the affairs of the world. Would his uncle like to explain it to him?"

Zhao Yu raised an eyebrow, glanced calmly at Qian Zhentian, and nodded.

But in his heart, a storm was brewing.

This cheap uncle probably doesn't know my true identity, right?