Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 147 Deduction: Borrowing Fortune to Become a Demon, the Empire is Like a Dream (Part 2)
In the ninety-ninth year, you buried Xue Ling's remains at White Tiger Ridge.

...

In the year 109, you were performing in Chongqing when you encountered a severely wounded painted-skin ghost.

You teach it to be grateful.

You have obtained the method to become a demon, and have borrowed its power to become a demon.

In the 110th year, you traveled to the capital.

Having traversed mountains and rivers, I have witnessed firsthand the desolation of the people's lives.

Powerful families and wealthy landowners levied exorbitant taxes, while mountain bandits and river pirates robbed and plundered along the way.

Only ordinary people, like crops in the field, are harvested again and again, struggling to survive.

You have been performing operas all over the world for many years and have long been accustomed to it. However, you feel that in recent years, the opera scene has become increasingly desolate, with civil unrest breaking out in various places.

But upon arriving in the capital, one finds a scene of peace, prosperity, and grandeur.

It's like two different worlds.

Excellent!

In the 111th year, you settled in the capital.

Beijing truly lives up to its reputation as the capital of a nation and the most virtuous city in the world, but it is also a first-rate den of iniquity.

You see many monsters mingling here, from all walks of life, from the most righteous to the most wicked.

You remained aloof, observing without participating, and instead carefully selected the princes of the time.

If you wish to use luck to become a demon, you must choose a potential candidate for the throne.

...

In the 113th year, you chose the Fifth Prince.

After three years of observation, you are convinced that he is the most likely candidate to ascend to the highest position.

His mother is the current empress, his maternal grandfather is a hereditary duke, several of his uncles lead troops in the field, and several of his in-laws are in charge of civil and military affairs. Their influence is deeply entrenched and spread throughout the court.

If the emperor dies, he has the best chance of succeeding to the throne.

You've decided to seek refuge with him and hitch a ride.

In the 114th year, you diligently cultivated relationships, hoping to gain entry into the Fifth Prince's household.

...

In the 120th year, you successfully joined the Fifth Prince's faction.

To act as an accountant for the companies under his name.

That year, the fifth prince was appointed crown prince, becoming the heir apparent of the country.

Give yourself a thumbs up for your good taste.

...

In the 130th year, you were promoted to manager of one of His Highness the Crown Prince's shops.

Ten years have passed, and you still haven't seen the Crown Prince even once.

You dare not use sorcery, or even approach the Crown Prince's residence, because the Crown Prince possesses the imperial dragon aura, as intense as the sun, which can subdue all demons and monsters.

However, if one can share a wisp of dragon energy, one's cultivation can be greatly enhanced.

This may explain why so many demons, knowing the dangers of the capital, still linger there.

...

In the 140th year, the emperor was in his prime. He held a selection of concubines in the palace, taking in sixty beauties who gave birth to thirteen princes and princesses.

The Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince.

...

In the 150th year, the emperor was still vigorous and showed no signs of aging.

The Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince.

You've heard an interesting story: the fifty-sixth prince had an affair with the concubine Xiang Fei in the harem.

The emperor was furious and ordered the Fragrant Concubine to be executed. The sixteenth prince was demoted to a commoner and banished from the capital.

You took a special look from afar; the demoted prince was no different from an ordinary person, no longer protected by the dynasty's imperial aura.

...

In the 160th year, you served as the manager for 30 years.

His performance in all areas was excellent, but he just couldn't get promoted to the position of steward in the Crown Prince's Palace.

You watch helplessly as old people die and new people take over, and many who once worked under you eventually rise above you.

Because you have no connections.

You are not in a hurry, but patiently wait for an opportunity.

Because there is no crown prince who reigns for thirty years.

The current crown prince is not a patient person.

...

In the 170th year, the emperor fell seriously ill, and the crown prince took over the reins of government.

Your opportunity has arrived.

You secretly sent a letter urging the Crown Prince to stage a coup and seize the throne, presenting him with the best, middle, and worst strategies.

This is the strategy you devised for him to seize the throne after fifty years of seclusion and careful consideration.

You firmly believe that if he aspires to the throne, he will surely invite you for a talk.

Over the years, you have learned some evil magic and sorcery, which can temporarily resist the dragon aura of the dynasty and allow you to briefly engage in combat with it.

As you predicted, the Crown Prince received the letter as if it were a priceless treasure and summoned you for an audience.

You've been preparing for fifty years, and finally... your brilliance has been revealed!
The Crown Prince and you had a very pleasant conversation; it felt like we had known each other for a long time.

You have traveled the world for over a hundred years, tempering your heart in the mortal realm. You often see through the affairs of the world with a single sentence, which impressed the prince.

However, the dragon's aura of the dynasty is most effective against demons; close contact with them is like being in a fiery hell.

You persist, solely for the sake of becoming a demon!

The Crown Prince summoned you for three consecutive days, and you gained a great deal. Before parting, he hinted to you that when he ascends the throne, he will grant you the position of Prime Minister.

That night, the Imperial Guards launched a surprise attack on the Eastern Palace, their shouts of battle shaking the heavens.

You were terrified and tried to escape, but a Taoist priest grabbed you and you couldn't break free.

He laughed at you, saying, "You mere demon, how dare you disrupt the government? You truly don't know your own limitations!"

A month later, the emperor, on the grounds of "colluding with demons, being incompetent and foolish, and forming a faction to rebel," deposed the crown prince, dismissed hundreds of civil and military officials, stripped them of their titles of duke, and implicated tens of thousands of people.

Several Taoist priests performed a ritual to remove your disguise, revealing your true form and confirming the prince's crime of "colluding with demons."

【you are dead. 】

……

"As expected, supporting the dragon court is not an easy task."

Liu Sheng rubbed his temples, feeling a terrible headache.

Throughout history, the succession struggle has been extremely difficult, with a success rate of less than one in ten thousand.

But in order to become a demon, there is only one path to follow to the end.

He took a deep breath, moved to a different location, and continued his deductions.

But in the next dozens of attempts, no matter what strategies he used, he ultimately failed.

The old emperor's imperial skills were unparalleled; his control over the court was impregnable.

He was in good health and could still sleep with several women every night even when he was over a hundred years old, outliving seven crown princes.

This situation seems unsolvable.

To be on the safe side, he changed the location every time he performed a simulation.

He had almost used up all the earth-遁符 (earth-遁符, a type of talisman used for escaping

However… “there is a way to get involved directly.”

After moving to another location, Liu Sheng rubbed his hands together, hesitated for a moment, and decided to take a gamble.

then--

In the ninety-ninth year, you buried Xue Ling's remains at White Tiger Ridge.

...

In the year 109, you killed the Painted Skin Demon and obtained the method to borrow power to become a demon.

[In the 110th year, you travel to the capital.]

...

In the 150th year, the emperor was still vigorous and showed no signs of aging.

The fifty-sixth prince was demoted to a commoner and banished from the capital for having an affair with Consort Xiang.

You followed behind.

Three hundred miles from the capital, the sixteenth prince was robbed and in imminent danger. You rescued him and killed all the robbers.

You and he talked all night amidst piles of corpses and blood, one a demon and the other a human, pointing to the sky and swearing an oath, making a pact to never betray each other.

You helped him ascend the throne, and on the day he became emperor, he appointed you as the national advisor.

You ensure his safety, settle him in the suburbs of Beijing, and instruct him to write letters to the emperor during festivals, expressing remorse and repentance.

Although the fifty-sixth prince was demoted to commoner status, he still had channels to send messages to the palace.

...

In the 160th year, the 56th prince was summoned back to the capital.

He wrote to the emperor continuously for ten years, and finally achieved results, which made him ecstatic.

You instructed him to keep a low profile after returning to Beijing and cultivate a "filial piety" persona.

Over the years, with his active assistance, you have gradually refined some fragments of the dynasty's dragon energy, greatly advancing your cultivation.

...

In the 170th year, the emperor fell seriously ill, and the crown prince took over the reins of government.

You have the fifty-sixth prince enter the palace to serve you medicine.

The crown prince's rebellion failed and he was deposed, and the power of the Eastern Palace vanished.

The fifty-sixth prince's filial piety was deeply ingrained in the people's minds, and he was bestowed the title of Prince of Tianshui.

...

In the 173rd year, you instructed the King of Tianshui to submit a petition to assume your fiefdom.

The Emperor granted the request and bestowed a great gift.

In the same year, the ninth prince was named crown prince.

In the 174th year, you and the King of Tianshui arrived at your fiefdom.

Tianshui is a remote and harsh border region, but its people are known for their fierce and untamed nature, and various ethnic groups live together there.

You served as the Chief Secretary of the Prince's Palace, planning the foundation of the Tianshui Prince's empire, developing water conservancy projects, encouraging childbirth, recruiting soldiers, and simultaneously suppressing Taoism and Buddhism, thus gathering many demonic forces.

...

[In the 213th year, the King of Tianshui had been enfeoffed for forty years.]

You and the demons worked together to transform a barren land into a prosperous and powerful region, where the people are wealthy and the army is strong.

The old emperor has been capricious in recent years, dismissing seven crown princes in succession.

You planted spies in the capital to secretly guide public opinion and cultivate the image of the Prince of Tianshui as a "wise prince."

...

In the 220th year, the old emperor fell seriously ill and issued an edict summoning the Prince of Tianshui to the capital.

Judging from the unstable situation in the capital, you ordered your men to disguise themselves as barbarians and invade, and the border was in dire need of help.

Taking advantage of the situation, the King of Tianshui wrote a letter to the capital, requesting aid, troops, and provisions, while secretly mobilizing troops to the capital.

You sent many demons to infiltrate the capital as inside agents.

A month later, the old emperor died, and the princes fought amongst themselves, leaving the throne undecided.

The King of Tianshui appeared outside the capital with his troops. With the help of demons within the city, he led his army into the city and seized the throne.

However, instead of receiving the imperial edict appointing you as the "Imperial Advisor," you received a decree to exterminate demons, stating that "humans and demons cannot coexist."

Many demons who had assisted the King of Tianshui were brutally slaughtered.

Many Taoist priests and Buddhist monks have joined forces to kill you and claim the reward.

Little did you know, you had already taken precautions forty years ago to prepare for what is happening today.

Of the 500,000 elite troops, most are nothing more than puppets manipulated by you.

Many civil and military officials in the court were also secretly harmed by you.

In order to become a demon, you began weaving your net on the day you entered the capital more than a hundred years ago.

A vast net that covers the capital and extends across the land, capable of helping you transform into a demon through sheer luck.

That night, you escaped the "certain death" trap set for you by the King of Tianshui and successfully fled the capital.

A few days later, the King of Tianshui ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, adopting the reign title "Yongqing," and granted a general amnesty.

Emperor Yongqing, who had been a "wise prince" for decades, finally let go completely.

He indulged in wine and meat, reveling day and night, and even took potent drugs.

Several months later, he had sex with several women and died from exhaustion.

Back then, you saw through his lustful nature; the longer you suppressed it, the stronger the backlash became.

So for decades you have been instructing him to abstain from sex and sexual activity.

Once they are out of your control, their true nature will be exposed, and they will indulge in unrestrained desires.

And they are the noose around his neck.

A few days later, the seventh son of the Yongqing Emperor ascended the throne, adopting the reign title "Wuchang." The political transition was smooth and uneventful.

...

In the 223rd year, Emperor Wuchang ordered the suppression of Buddhism.

Buddhist temples across the country were destroyed, monks were forced to return to secular life, and temple property was confiscated, enriching the national treasury.

In the 226th year, Emperor Wuchang ordered the suppression of the road.

With the overwhelming force of humanity and the deadly aura of military strategists, Taoist temples across the land suffered calamities, and countless Taoist traditions were destroyed.

From then on, the Taoist priest secluded himself in the mountains, and the monks closed their doors and went out.

Demons and monsters flourished.

In the 240th year, Emperor Wuchang issued an edict appointing you as the Imperial Preceptor.

By then you had returned to the capital and were hiding in the beam of the Golden Palace.

Whether it's the emperor on the dragon throne or the princes and ministers below, they are all puppets you manipulate with strings.

By imperial decree, what you perceive as mere chatter from an actor is no different from their garbled speech.

For a century, the country has been a stage, and the emperor and his ministers have been mere puppets; in the end, it has all turned into a great show.

The moment the imperial edict was read, the surging imperial dragon energy surged in, transforming into abundant spiritual energy.

The demonic power within you surges like a tide, your body expands violently, your claws and teeth become sharper, and your spiritual senses become more acute, enabling you to perceive the six desires and manipulate people's hearts.

The mortal world tempers the heart.

He attained enlightenment after a hundred years.

Look at that vast land,

Like a dream.

Today I'll only update twice, totaling 5 words. I originally wrote almost 7 words of cursing, but I cut a large section later, which wasted time. I need time to optimize the setting of the Six Desires Puppet Spider.

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(End of this chapter)