With the cannon fodder script in hand, it is easy for the king to change his fate

The State of Chu has fallen into chaos. Some powerful families, seeing that the State of Chu is doomed, have begun to plan their escape routes. If they cannot escape themselves, they must preserve their family bloodline and send their people away as quickly as possible.

Some people didn't care about anything anymore and fled overnight. To them, the Chu Kingdom was about to perish and was in complete chaos. As long as they weren't caught, Emperor Yuan Cheng had no power to do anything to them.

Others pledged allegiance to Azhen, hoping to find another way out. Originally, they aspired to obtain an official position in the new Canglan King's dynasty, believing that by contributing a portion of their family fortune and joining Yunzhou at this time, they could succeed.

After all, in their view, establishing a new dynasty was not so easy.

Unexpectedly, A-Zhou actually had no shortage of such things. When these families came forward, A-Zhou had them prepare evidence of the despicable deeds they had committed in secret over the years. Anyone whose actions were particularly egregious was executed.

Those who now seek refuge with Azhen are either looking for a way out or yearn for Yunzhou, wanting to realize their ambitions.

After all, everyone knows that as long as they don't violate the rules set by the Canglan King and live their lives peacefully, she won't make things difficult for ordinary people. During the war, they can just stay at home and wait for the outcome.

For those who haven't done anything wrong but want to secure a future for themselves and have offered enough leverage, A-Zhuang will give them a chance to prove themselves; making the best use of them is a good thing.

She just needed to break some established rules, not wipe out everyone in that class—she wasn't that brutal. She just needed to make these people understand what she was going to do and that they had to follow her rules.

If you can't accept it, then run away quickly and go to a place outside her territory.

When such news spread, some aristocratic families in Chu realized that Yunzhou's spies had spread throughout Chu and probably had already figured out their background long ago.

If Yuan Cheng doesn't leave, and Empress Dowager Dou Yuexin doesn't leave, then they have to run away quickly.

At the morning court session, Yuan Cheng looked at the Golden Palace, which had many empty seats, and couldn't help but smile wryly.

"Your Majesty, why don't we leave too?" a minister suggested. "That way, at least we'll have a chance to make a comeback. Being alive is better than anything else."

Yuan Cheng's face was ashen: "Go? Where can we go? Even if we survive by chance, can we really make a comeback? How confident are you in saying this, my dear minister? The news that has been coming back recently is that the cities of my Chu Kingdom are being captured by the King of Canglan one after another, and the number of battles is not many. Every time the two armies clash, my Chu army is defeated and flees in panic."

"When the Chu army harmed the people last time in an attempt to smear the Canglan army, the Chu Kingdom had already lost its reputation and the hearts of all its people."

"I heard that when the Canglan army attacked, they were orderly and did not damage the streets at all. They were polite to the people of Chu, and if they saw someone fall down in the chaos, they would help them up."

"In just two days after entering the city, the Canglan army was able to calm down the entire population of Chu. The people accepted them and became supporters of King Canglan."

"Now all the people in the world know that they have a good life following King Canglan."

"Why couldn't we do these things before?" Yuan Cheng's voice suddenly rose. Long ago, he also had great ambitions. Although he couldn't do what King Canglan did, he still hoped that the Chu Kingdom would be strong and the people would live in peace and prosperity.

Now, he is about to become a king who has lost his country. Before this, he even had wicked thoughts. If it weren't for his mother's advice, he would probably be infamous for eternity.

Seeing the entire court silent, Yuan Cheng also felt powerless.

"Neither you nor I have the ability to make the Chu Kingdom strong."

"The court is adjourned. At the current rate, the Canglan army will be attacking the capital in a few days. Those of you who want to escape, then escape. I will not pursue the matter further."

Without waiting for the court officials to say anything more, Yuan Cheng got up and left.

The entire court watched his retreating figure, bowed, and quickly dispersed. In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

Yuan Cheng stopped attending court and going to the inner palace for pleasure. In fact, a few days ago, after discussing it with Dou Yuexin, he released the palace servants. Those who wanted to leave could leave, and he would not keep them.

The palace is now quite empty.

Yuan Cheng would have meals with Dou Yuexin every day, the meals were simple, and their days were unusually peaceful.

"Mother, there's something else I forgot to tell you. It's not a big deal, but I just suddenly remembered. We don't have many days left to live, so I wanted to tell you."

Dou Yuexin was somewhat surprised: "What is it?"

With the state of Chu on the verge of destruction, it seems like nothing else matters anymore.

Yuan Cheng smiled, a rare occurrence: "That Canglan King, the first time he sent someone to negotiate peace, he even brought back news saying that the Canglan King and the Imperial Sister look exactly alike."

"What?" Dou Yuexin was genuinely surprised. "Really?"

"Yes, the news hasn't spread, so I don't need to explain further. I'm sure you know what the court is thinking, and I think the same way. At that time, Chu and Liang were going to cooperate to deal with Yunzhou, and we were afraid that if this news got out, it would be detrimental to the cooperation between the two countries."

"As time went by, I forgot about it."

"Few people have seen the imperial sister, so this matter remains unknown to outsiders."

Dou Yuexin paused for a moment before asking, "Was it because of this that you sent a letter to Liang Kingdom to inquire about Zhen'er last time?"

At that time, she thought that Cheng'er was worried about her younger sister because of the situation.

“Yes, I just wanted to verify it. Although it’s impossible, and it seems outrageous, we still had to ask about it. As it turns out, it’s just a resemblance. How could the Prince of Canglan possibly be the princess’s sister?” Yuan Cheng laughed.

Dou Yuexin chimed in, "Yes, although Zhen'er is quite skilled in martial arts, she won't become the Canglan King."

“My sister’s health is poor, and she is currently recuperating in the Liang Kingdom’s palace. This is what Li Gufang said in his reply.” Yuan Cheng continued, then suddenly fell silent. After all, everyone knew that my sister and Li Gufang had some history, and it was probably difficult for her to be comfortable in Liang Kingdom if he insisted on sending her there.

Li Gufang was the emperor of Liang. He only learned this not long after his younger sister went there.

Based on their past relationship, he didn't believe that Li Gufang would treat his sister well after bringing her to Liang.

Dou Yuexin also fell silent, clearly having thought of this, and her face showed a hint of sorrow.

"Mother, are you regretting it? If you had known it would turn out like this, you should have let my younger sister try, right?" Yuan Cheng said self-deprecatingly, "Now that I think about it carefully, it seems that I, the emperor, am not as courageous as my younger sister."

Dou Yuexin thought to herself, "It's all in the past, so let's not dwell on it."

"Mother has always been a strong-willed person. I know you must regret it."

The mother and son fell silent, eating their food in quiet contemplation. (End of Chapter)