Golden Ranking Appears, My Empress Turns Out to Be Wu Zhao

Yuan Dynasty, Imperial Palace.

"Khan, this is a secret report just intercepted from Prince Tolui Mansion!"

The newly appointed Golden Wolf Hall Master handed a piece of intelligence to Temujin.

"Prince Ruyang! Tolui!"

"What a Prince Ruyang, he actually betrayed me! Unforgivable!"

Staring at the secret letter in his hand, Temujin was seething with rage.

He tore the letter into shreds on the spot.

Originally, he had felt a sliver of guilt for falsely accusing Prince Ruyang and even exterminating his entire clan.

But after seeing this letter...

That sliver of guilt instantly vanished into thin air.

It was immediately replaced by intense killing intent and hatred.

He had placed such great trust in Prince Ruyang in the past, and merely wronged him once.

When an Emperor commands a subject to die, the subject has no choice but to obey!

That is the true loyalty of a good subject.

But now?

He actually turned traitor?

Hearing Temujin's bitter and resentful words, the Golden Wolf Hall Master below couldn't help but fall silent.

You wiped out the entire clan of Prince Ruyang and almost killed him too.

How could he possibly remain loyal to you?

Betrayal is only natural, isn't it?

In fact, one could say it's a fight to the death now!

And you even have the face to be angry?

The one who should be angry is Prince Ruyang, Koke Temur, and the whole Zhao Min family!

Still, the Golden Wolf Hall Master didn't care.

They were enemies anyway.

Enemies he would have to eliminate sooner or later.

"To think that Tolui actually colluded with Guo Kan, Prince Ruyang, and even Yelu Chucai, plotting rebellion?!"

"Khan, could this be a scheme secretly orchestrated by the Ming Dynasty to drive a wedge between you and Prince Tolui?"

Hearing that, Temujin regained his rationality.

But in his heart, suspicion of Tolui had already sprouted.

"Whether it's true or not, Tolui must not remain in power!"

"Pass my order. Strip Tolui of all his military power and positions. Confine him to his residence and have him reflect in isolation!"

"And arrest Guo Kan immediately!"

"Use harsh interrogation to find out if he has truly colluded with Prince Ruyang."

"Also, investigate whether Yelu Chucai and Tolui were involved!"

The more highly Temujin had once regarded Tolui, the more he now feared and suspected him.

In fact, not only Tolui, but the other Princes were also next on his ranking.

"Yes, Khan!"

"And from now on, monitor the actions of all Imperial Court officials closely!"

"That includes every Prince."

==========

Yuan Dynasty, Capital.

Prince Tolui Mansion.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

"Just now, the Khan issued an order stripping you of all military power and even placing you under house arrest!"

"The new Golden Wolf Hall Master slandered you in front of the Khan, falsely accusing you of rebellion!"

"What? Impossible! I have always been loyal to Father Khan. How could I possibly rebel?"

"Prince Tolui, in the past, before the Khan personally led the campaign against the Southern Song Dynasty, he might have believed you. In fact, even if you had ambitions, he might have welcomed it."

"He would have seen you as someone with drive and potential, a successor worth grooming."

"But things are different now."

"After his failed campaign, the Khan lost much of his prestige and pinned all the blame for defeat on Prince Ruyang."

"His mindset has already changed. Toward you and the other Princes, he no longer shows the same care, only deep suspicion and fear."

"As long as you remain in power, the Khan will not sleep peacefully."

"He worries that you or the other Princes might seize power or even commit regicide to claim the throne!"

"Your Highness, the Khan is no longer the heroic Genghis Khan of the grasslands!"

"Guo Kan, stop trying to sow discord. Father Khan is not like that!"

"Your Highness, facts speak louder than words."

"Right now, the Golden Wolf Hall Master is targeting me, but soon he will fabricate charges of rebellion."

"Then, his next targets will be you and Prime Minister Yelu Chucai!"

"Whether you are truly loyal or not, the Hall Master will paint you as conspirators!"

"I have already received information that the Golden Wolf Hall Master is colluding with one of the Princes."

"His goal is to eliminate obstacles for that Prince to become the Crown Prince of the Yuan Dynasty."

Prince Tolui trembled upon hearing this.

As for his elder brothers, he trusted them even less.

There really might be someone among them working with the Golden Wolf Hall Master to frame him.

When that happens, even if he's innocent, he won't be able to explain himself.

Even if he didn't betray anyone, he would still be falsely accused of rebellion.

And then, he would die with no burial.

If it were the wise and mighty Genghis Khan of the past, he might not have worried.

But now...

He truly had no such confidence.

Father Khan might even turn a blind eye, pretending not to know the truth.

"Guo Kan, what should I do now?"

"Divert the disaster!"

"Thoroughly muddy the waters of the Imperial Court!"

"Drag the other Princes into this mess!"

"Right now, you're all alone, isolated and powerless."

"But if you involve Prince Jochi, Prince Chagatai, and Prince Ogedei, the Khan's attention will be divided!"

"Especially Ogedei. I believe he is the one colluding with the Golden Wolf Hall Master!"

"Your Highness can petition the Khan, pointing out the unusual relationship between Ogedei and the Golden Wolf Hall Master. Sow discord between them."

"Only then will we have a 30% chance of survival!"

A gleam flashed in Guo Kan's eyes.

Schemes and plots rapidly formed in his mind.

Since Temujin wanted him dead, he had no choice but to stir up chaos in the Yuan Dynasty.

Only then would he have a chance to survive.

If he did nothing, death would be the only outcome.

He still had grand dreams to achieve.

He still wanted to enter the Nine Provinces Golden Ranking and be remembered in history!

Now, all under heaven was in upheaval.

This was an era of great strife.

Since Temujin was no longer viable, then he would seek a new master.

But first, he had to survive this immediate crisis!

==========

Yuan Dynasty, Capital.

A secret underground chamber.

"Greetings, Lord Divine Marquis!"

"So it's Iron Courage Divine Marquis Zhu Wushi?"

"Wasn't he imprisoned by the Emperor?"

"You don't know this, but he was released long ago."

"Moreover, during the war where the Ming Dynasty destroyed the Qing Dynasty, the Iron Courage Divine Marquis rendered great service. The Emperor pardoned part of his crimes."

"He's now allowed to redeem himself through meritorious deeds."

"Who would have thought that this plan to split the Yuan Dynasty would be led by the Iron Courage Divine Marquis!"

"Be careful later. This is a ruthless man. If you get on his bad side, it'll be trouble."

"I'm still trying to earn more merit points to strengthen my cultivation!"

"This is a joint operation. Not just Zhu Wushi and the spies from Dragon Guarding Manor, but also the Six Doors, the Embroidered Uniform Guard..."

"Even our Azure Dragon Association is involved!"

"Don't disgrace the Azure Dragon Association. If we mess this up, Lord Dragon Head won't forgive us."

"This is intense."

"Is this operation meant to destroy the Yuan Dynasty?"

"Impossible. The Emperor just destroyed the Qing Dynasty and hasn't fully consolidated power yet. He hasn't prepared, nor has he mobilized the army."

"This plan is only to weaken the Yuan Dynasty and prepare for the future campaign to destroy them."

Looking at Zhu Houzhao seated at the head, the personnel from each department began whispering among themselves.

"Lord Divine Marquis, what should we do next?"

"The plans to sow discord between Yelu Chucai and Temujin, as well as between Tolui and Temujin, have already succeeded."

"What's the next step?"

"Force the Fourth Prince Tolui into rebellion, and the larger the scale, the better!"

"But Lord Divine Marquis, with Tolui's current strength, he cannot possibly succeed."

"Temujin's prestige may have waned, but he is still the Founding Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. A rebellion would be doomed to fail."

"With just one word from him, Tolui would likely surrender."

"You're right. Tolui alone won't succeed. But what if we add the other three Princes?"

"Also, the current Golden Wolf Hall Master by Temujin's side is aligned with the third Prince Ogedei."

"Even Prime Minister Yelu Chucai, who appears close to Tolui, is actually on Ogedei's side."

"Temujin is still in the dark about all of this."

"If we plan this carefully..."

At this point, the intention of the Iron Courage Divine Marquis was crystal clear.

The internal weaknesses of the Yuan Dynasty were everywhere.

Everyone present was a master of intrigue and manipulation. In their minds, multiple schemes instantly formed and linked together.

"Lord Divine Marquis, this plan is still risky. The success rate is less than 30%."

"If we fail, it'll be hard to answer to the Emperor."

"In a critical moment, I will contact the Dark Guard to support us!"

"The Emperor had already made arrangements in the Yuan Capital when he was still Crown Prince!"

"In that case, the success rate might reach 50%. But it's still not enough!"

"Each of the Princes has Ming Dynasty spies planted near them. They'll be useful when the time comes!"

"Still not enough. The chance of failure is too high!"

"What if there are some commanding generals under the four Princes who are actually people of the Ming Dynasty?"

As Zhu Wushi said this, everyone present was shocked.

The Emperor had even planted pieces in the Yuan Dynasty's military ranks.

That level of infiltration was terrifying.

As for who those people were, the smart ones knew better than to ask.

But with so many hidden cards, perhaps the plan to divide the Yuan Dynasty really could succeed.

"If that's still not enough, then let me add one more thing."

"Even in the Imperial Guards of the Yuan Imperial Palace, we have people!"

"Now, can the plan proceed?"

"Yes, it's more than enough. We await your command, Lord Divine Marquis!"

"Good. Then let us begin carefully discussing the next phase of the plan."

"This mission must succeed. Failure is not an option."

"Naturally. If we fail, even if we survive, we'll be severely punished."

"This mission, we cannot fail, and we dare not fail!"

Hearing everyone's responses, Zhu Wushi nodded.

Then, he began a detailed discussion with everyone present.

These people had all been handpicked by Zhu Houzhao, elites among elites.

Each one would play a vital role.

Zhu Wushi intended to utilize their abilities to the fullest.

If they still failed, it would prove that these people were utterly useless.

At the head, Zhu Wushi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The deeper he got involved, the more he realized how terrifying his nephew Zhu Houzhao truly was.

Fortunately, the Emperor never saw him as a threat.

Otherwise, he would already be worse off than dead.

As for the ambitions hidden deep in his heart, they had long been buried at the very bottom.

Perhaps, they would stay buried forever.

Or perhaps, one day, they would rise again.

If that day came and he failed, there would be no second chance.