This scholar is a bit cruel

Chapter 246 Rewards Nine Times
Should we shout "Long live the Emperor?"
Since ancient times, there has only been the title of king or emperor, never "long live the queen or empress".
What does this queen mean?
At this moment, Luo Zijun's mind was in turmoil, filled with doubt and uncertainty. She didn't know if the Queen was joking on purpose, or... if she really had other ideas.

But in this situation, given the difference in their status, how could the other person possibly make such a joke with him?

As for having other ideas, that doesn't seem right either.

Even if the other party really had other ideas, how could they tell him so openly?
What exactly does that mean?
Was he testing his loyalty to a certain identity, or something else?
Luo Zijun was puzzled and lowered her head, not daring to speak.

At this moment, the graceful figure in the long robe inside the room seemed to have turned around, her majestic gaze looking at him through the beaded curtain, and she spoke again: "What, didn't you hear what I said?"

His tone was authoritative and cold, with a chillingly threatening quality.

Upon seeing this, Luo Zijun immediately made up her mind.

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Whatever her intentions, the entire Liang Dynasty is now in her hands. Who would dare to disobey her?
Long live the Emperor!

He hurriedly and respectfully said, "This humble subject, Luo Zijun, wishes Her Majesty the Queen a long life, a long life, a long life!"

It's not a form of address, but a blessing, so there shouldn't be any problem.

"Be bold!"

Unexpectedly, as soon as these words were spoken, a cold shout suddenly came from the inner room.

The figure spoke in a chilling tone: "Luo Zijun, how dare you! You have no father or ruler, and dare to call me, a mere woman, 'Long Live the Emperor'! This is treasonous, do you want your entire family executed?"

Luo Zijun: "..."

He cursed inwardly, but calmly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I was merely wishing Your Majesty a long life. I was not disrespectful or treacherous."

"Wow..."

The beaded curtain rustled.

The figure from the inner room emerged, trailing her skirt, and looked at him coldly, saying, "Since ancient times, only those who wish their king long life have done so. What sinister intention do you have in wishing me long life?"

Luo Zijun bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I have no malicious intentions. I simply feel that since our King can live to be ten thousand years old, Your Majesty should also live to be ten thousand years old with him. Only in this way can we have harmony and good weather, and together we can bestow blessings upon the people of our Great Liang."

The room fell silent for a moment.

The Queen snorted coldly, her previously chilling tone seemingly softening: "You're quite good at making excuses."

Luo Zijun lowered his head and said, "As a scholar, I only know facts and reason, and I do not know how to argue."

"Humph!"

The Queen snorted again, her captivating peach blossom eyes scanning him up and down for a few moments before she walked to a nearby bench, her long skirt trailing behind her. She picked up her teacup, parted her red lips slightly, and gently blew on the hot tea inside, saying calmly, "I summoned you here today to ask you a question: was Lord Bai's discourse on the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms truly yours?"

Luo Zijun looked at the ground and said respectfully, "These are just my casual words, and I hope Your Majesty will not take them seriously."

The Queen raised her misty eyes and looked at him, saying, "How can matters of state be discussed casually? You said that the Wu and Chu states' attack on Zhao was a pretense, and their real intention was to launch a surprise attack on our Great Liang. How confident are you in that?"

"This……"

Luo Zijun hesitated and dared not answer.

The Queen said calmly, "Just answer, and I will forgive you."

Luo Zijun dared not say more, only saying, "Seventy percent certain."

"Seven points?"

The queen's eyes flickered, and she stared at him for a while before lowering her head to take a sip of tea, a thoughtful look on her face.

"In war, even if you only have a 50% chance of winning, let alone a 70% chance, it's worth the risk."

The Queen put down her teacup and looked at him again, saying, "Then, Young Master Luo, what do you think our Great Liang should do now?"

If Luo Zijun didn't have something to ask of him, he would never dare to casually discuss such a matter of national survival.

After a moment's hesitation, he respectfully said, "This humble subject believes that our Great Liang should mobilize the entire nation now to immediately transport sufficient grain and supplies to Lin'an. At the same time, all the other unimportant garrison troops should be recalled to defend Xiayi and Jingbi, forming a pincer movement with Lin'an in preparation for battle. The elderly, weak, sick, and disabled in the city should be immediately relocated to Xingyang or Luoyang for refuge, so as not to waste soldiers' grain and various supplies when the battle intensifies and the enemy besieges the city..."

"and many more."

The queen interrupted him and asked, "Do you think the enemy army might break through the city walls and besiege my Lin'an?"

Luo Zijun lowered her head and said, "Yes."

Seeing his certainty, the Queen frowned slightly: "Is my Great Liang army so easily defeated?"

Luo Zijun said, "It's not that the Liang army is weak, but that the Wu and Chu armies are brave and skilled in battle. They are also at the beginning of their campaign, and they will perish if they don't win. Therefore, their morale is high. Not to mention my Liang army, even the Great Yan army would probably be no match for them in this battle."

The queen's expression shifted several times before she looked at him and asked, "Then how much food do you think we would need if the enemy besieged the city?"

Luo Zijun said, "We need at least three months' worth of food."

The Queen's expression changed: "Three months? Is it that long? Yujing has already received news that the army will arrive in Luoyang soon. If the enemy really intends to attack our Great Liang, the Great Yan army will come to our aid very soon. What is the meaning of the three months that Young Master Luo mentioned?"

It seems that there were some things that my father-in-law didn't dare to say.

Now that Luo Zijun had already gone this far, she naturally wouldn't hide anything anymore. She lowered her head and said, "As I just said, the enemy's forces are at their peak when they started their rebellion. Even if Yujing sends troops to quell the unrest, they will likely only stay in Luoyang and Xingyang and won't leave to come to the rescue. After all, the Zhao army and other armies might directly attack there... and..."

"What else?"

The queen narrowed her eyes.

Luo Zijun said, "Recently, Yujing has been seizing the territories and power of various vassal kings. Our Great Liang is the richest, and although it hasn't started yet due to the Empress Dowager, it has certainly been brewing for a long time. Now that the Wu-Chu allied forces are invading, it's a perfect opportunity for our Great Liang to act as the vanguard and weaken our strength..."

The Queen was silent for a moment, then looked at him and said, "If Yujing really does that, aren't you afraid that our Great Liang will also rebel?"

Luo Zijun said, "The late king and the emperor were brothers, and Great Liang has always been loyal to Great Yan, especially with the queen still alive. Moreover, those seven kingdoms will never trust Great Liang. Even if we really rebel, we'll probably still be facing the Great Yan army alone, so..."

"So Yujing is convinced that we won't rebel, right?"

The queen's gaze was icy cold.

Luo Zijun lowered her head and said, "Yes."

Outside the window, the sun, which had been directly overhead, gradually began to set in the west.

At this moment, the Queen suddenly took out a letter from her sleeve and looked at him, saying, "Actually, this morning, the Seven Kingdoms sent a letter urging our Great Liang to join them in purging the court of corrupt officials… If the late King were still alive, they naturally wouldn't dare trust us, but now that the late King is gone, the Seven Kingdoms still know that at this crucial moment, they need to win over our Great Liang, let alone Yujing?" Luo Zijun looked at the letter in her hand, pondered for a moment, and said, "What the Queen says is true. The late King is gone, which is a change. I estimate that the letter from Yujing will arrive soon, and they will also try to win us over, promising our Great Liang various benefits, and asking us to cooperate with Yujing's army to attack Zhao from the side. But if the Wu and Chu armies attack us first, the army from Yujing will definitely not rush to our aid immediately. They will probably appease us while watching the two sides fight from the sidelines, and at the same time, gather their army in Luoyang to guard against us…"

The Queen's expression shifted for a long time before she looked at him intently and asked, "Young Master Luo, what do you think we should do? Or rather, whom should we help?"

Luo Zijun's heart skipped a beat.

For the queen to ask such a question at this time...

"I need to always be in control of the main structure."

The queen stated her intentions directly.

Luo Zijun fell silent, not daring to answer.

The queen stared at him for a while, then suddenly stood up, walked up to him, and with a slender finger, lifted his chin, commanding in a majestic voice, "Raise your head and look at me!"

Luo Zijun's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at her.

The face before me was cold and dignified, yet also alluring and beautiful, especially those misty, dreamlike peach blossom eyes that were captivating.

"I need you to answer: whom should I help to ensure that I can always control the Great Liang!"

The queen's tone was aggressive and forceful.

"You must answer, or your entire family will be executed!"

Luo Zijun remained silent for a moment before saying, "Then the Queen can only try to get the Wu-Chu allied forces to really join forces with the other five allied forces to attack Luoyang. When the two sides are locked in a stalemate, they will send people to win over our Great Liang with greater benefits. At that time, the Queen can take the opportunity to propose conditions to both sides. Then we will delay and help whoever wins first."

"Of course, the premise is that we must start recruiting soldiers and expanding our army from now on, training our troops to strengthen the country..."

"Because in that case, regardless of who wins, they will both cause us trouble. But if we become strong, the victorious side, having just experienced a major battle, will certainly not attack us for the time being. They will fulfill their promises and appease us first, and then settle scores later once they have recovered their strength. However, during that period, we can rapidly develop our strength..."

He paused, looking into those alluring, mesmerizing eyes, and said, "Actually, this is very dangerous. After all, our Liang Kingdom is too small. No matter who we offend, I'm afraid..."

"Are you scared?"

The queen stared intently at him, her body very close to his, her ample bosom almost touching his chest, and he could clearly smell the delicate fragrance emanating from her.

Luo Zijun dared not lower his head, nor dared he stare into her alluring eyes. His gaze could only linger on her pert nose as he said, "This humble subject..."

"From now on, you will be my advisor, and you may refer to yourself as your subject."

The Queen produced a phoenix-shaped jade pendant and handed it to him, saying, "Take this jade pendant. You can come to the palace to see me anytime in the future, and no one will dare to make things difficult for you."

Upon hearing this, Luo Zijun immediately took a step back, lowered her head, raised both hands, and respectfully accepted the gift, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Queen stared at his handsome face for a few more moments and said, "In a few days you will know whether your ideas are right or wrong. If you guess right, I will give you a reward that will satisfy you."

Without further hesitation, Luo Zijun immediately knelt on one knee, bowed her head and said, "Your Majesty, I have a request."

The queen paused for a moment, then said, "Speak."

Luo Zijun revealed the corrupt dealings between officials and merchants at the Paradise Manor, including their numerous evil deeds, and disclosed that the Prince of Nanhe was the mastermind behind it all.

After listening, the Queen said indifferently, "I thought it was something important. Why would you ask for something so trivial? That Prince of Nanhe is a good-for-nothing. I took away his military power a few days ago. I was going to confiscate his property anyway. Since he has committed such a heinous act, I will not forgive him."

She paused, then added, "Tomorrow... no, in two days, I will send people to help you. You will personally lead the people to wipe them out. Whether to capture or kill them is up to you."

Luo Zijun was overjoyed and quickly said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

The Queen looked down at him and suddenly said, "I don't like this title. You can call me that in front of outsiders, but when it's just the two of us, I hope you can call me 'Your Majesty'."

Luo Zijun remained silent.

The Queen snorted coldly and said, "What, you don't want to be my servant?"

Luo Zijun remained silent with her head down.

The queen gave him a few more cold looks and said, "Then call me Your Majesty. Your Majesty or Your Highness, you can choose one."

Luo Zijun remained silent for a moment before respectfully saying, "Your Majesty."

"Humph."

The Queen snorted coldly, and seeing that it was almost dark outside, she said, "Alright, go. If even a single word of what we said today gets out, you should know the consequences."

"I don't dare."

Luo Zijun bowed and withdrew, drenched in sweat.

When he stepped out of the attic, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Who would have thought that the Queen would want to emulate Wu Zetian and ascend the throne as Empress!
It was already dark outside, and Miss White must be getting impatient.

He quickened his pace.

at the same time.

In front of a window in the attic, the queen, dressed in a bright red robe, watched his departing figure with a flickering gaze.

After his figure disappeared into the distant garden, she suddenly spoke up: "Qing'er, get ready. Since he is talented, handsome, resourceful, and so obedient, then tonight, I will reward him... nine times."

Upon hearing this, the girl behind him twitched slightly at the corner of her mouth and respectfully replied, "Yes."

When she lowered her head, biting her pink lips, and left the room, her fair and delicate face was already flushed.

When Luo Zijun arrived at the main hall and saw Miss Bai, the palace maid who had come with him suddenly said, "Young Master Luo, Miss Bai, you may leave the palace now."

Luo Zijun was taken aback: "Has the Queen not seen Miss Bai?"

The palace maid said, "It's gone."

Bai Meixue, who had been waiting there all afternoon, narrowed her eyes upon hearing this.

By this time, night had quietly fallen.

(End of this chapter)