Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 38 Since they won't budge, then don't eat at all! (Please continue reading!)
"I'm so sorry, Lord Wang, His Majesty is unwell today and will not see anyone," said the eunuch guarding outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Is the Emperor unwell?

Wang Yuanzhi frowned, but since that's what they said, he couldn't force his way in. So he could only take a deep look at the Hall of Mental Cultivation before turning around to find Xuanjizi.

When he arrived, he was turned away again.

The eunuch said that the immortal master had received a secret decree and had left the palace on business, and his return date was uncertain.

Something is wrong!
Something is very wrong!

Why did the emperor fall ill at this particular time of year, when he could have fallen ill earlier or later?
And then there's Xuanjizi, who was sent out at this exact moment of all times, of all times.

All of this made Wang Yuanzhi feel extremely uneasy.

After a moment's thought, he immediately left the palace and headed straight for the Cui family.

After meeting Cui Lang, the head of the Cui family, Wang Yuanzhi recounted the events of the day.

After listening to Wang Yuanzhi's account, Cui Lang frowned.

"There is something fishy about this matter. How could that tyrannical emperor Yang Zhao suddenly fall ill? And how could Xuanjizi happen to be out of the palace at this exact moment on a secret imperial decree?"

Wang Yuanzhi said anxiously, "Brother Cui, that's exactly what I'm worried about. Our plan has reached its most critical moment, and we can't afford any mistakes. So, has Yang Zhao noticed something?"

“It shouldn’t be that bad.” Cui Lang put down his teacup, a shrewd glint in his eyes. “If he really had such cunning, how could Da Zhao have fallen to this state? But to be on the safe side, we still need to investigate.”

After saying this, he summoned his trusted aide and whispered a few instructions.

Within half an hour, the confidant hurriedly returned, bringing back news from the palace.

"Reporting to the patriarch, the palace spies say that His Majesty did indeed summon Immortal Master Xuanjizi last night. The two had a long private conversation in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and no one else was allowed to approach. As for when the Immortal Master left, no one knows. This morning, His Majesty did indeed say that he was feeling unwell and needed to rest for a day, and would not see any guests."

After hearing these words, Wang Yuanzhi's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

"So, everything makes sense now."

Cui Lang nodded. "It seems we were overthinking it. Yang Zhao must have been too excited by Xuanjizi, and indulged himself to the point of exhaustion, which is why he fell ill."

At this point, the two exchanged a smile, as if they could already see the immense wealth and power that awaited them in the future.

Night falls again.

Chen Ye returned to the palace in his old eunuch form. After sneaking into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he transformed back into the supreme Emperor of Zhao.

"Someone is coming."

"Your servant is here." A young eunuch scrambled over.

"Issue my decree." Chen Ye's voice regained the majesty and hoarseness that belonged to Yang Zhao. "Those women who were recruited to refine pills for me must be well-protected. Make sure they have adequate food and drink, and that no one harms them. If anything goes wrong, they will be executed without mercy!"

"Whoo!"

After dealing with this matter, Chen Ye slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. He sat on the dragon throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrests, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

He was well aware that although his current status was prestigious, it was merely an empty shell.

None of the officials and powerful families in the court were truly loyal to him, the emperor. To survive in this chaotic world, and even to turn the tide, he needed his own strength.

And within and outside the imperial city, the only thing he could truly control was the Imperial Guard, which was known as the emperor's personal army.

"Summon the Commander of the Imperial Guards to an audience."

A moment later, a burly, resolute middle-aged general strode into the hall, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a booming voice.

"This humble general, Tong Lei, greets Your Majesty!" This man was none other than Tong Lei, the commander of the Imperial Guards.

A general whom Yang Zhao had personally promoted from the bottom ranks, he was exceptionally capable. More importantly, he came from humble origins and had no connection with any powerful families in the capital, making him a truly isolated official.

"Rise." Chen Ye's voice was unreadable.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Tong Lei stood up, his hands at his sides, but his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the emperor on the dragon throne.

For some reason, he felt that His Majesty was different today than usual. His eyes were no longer murky and mad, but rather frighteningly clear, as if they could see right through people's hearts.

"Tong Lei, let me ask you, how is the Imperial Guard's training going?"

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Guards train day and night without the slightest slackening!" Tong Lei replied fluently.

"Hmm," Chen Ye nodded, a hint of interest suddenly appearing in his tone, "Words are no proof. Issue my decree to assemble the Imperial Guards. I wish to inspect them personally!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Lei was immediately stunned.

Inspecting the Imperial Guards?

It should be noted that although this emperor valued the Imperial Guard, he only cared about whether this force could protect his safety. He never really cared about the specific matters such as the army's training and combat effectiveness, let alone personally inspected them.

Is the sun coming out in the west today?

Despite his doubts and uncertainties, Tong Lei dared not disobey the emperor's order and immediately bowed to receive it: "This humble general obeys!"

On the west side of the palace, the vast drill ground was brightly lit, as bright as day.

Thousands of Imperial Guards soldiers, clad in armor and wielding halberds, stood solemnly in the cold wind, forming neat square formations.

When Chen Ye's figure appeared on the high platform of the training ground, a roar like a tsunami erupted from below.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

Most of these Imperial Guard soldiers were from respectable families, and they naturally held a sense of awe and loyalty towards the emperor.

Being able to see the emperor in person was an immense honor for them, and they were all so excited that their faces turned red.

Of course, there were also some different kinds of gazes mixed in with the crowd.

Some soldiers looked at the figure on the high platform with complicated expressions.

Clearly, the emperor's absurd act of gathering a thousand young girls to refine elixirs some time ago has shaken their loyalty.

Chen Ye took in all of this.

He looked down at the seemingly strong and well-equipped army below, but inwardly shook his head.

A mere showpiece!
The formation appears neat, but it is actually loose; the morale seems high, but it is actually superficial.

Such an army might be able to swagger around the capital and suppress unarmed civilians, but if it were really taken to the battlefield and faced those ferocious steppe cavalry, it would probably collapse completely with just one charge.

However, Chen Ye never expected to rely on this army to fight the grassland barbarians head-on.

His purpose was clear from the beginning.

There was only so much food, and the powerful families ate until their mouths were greasy, not even leaving a bone or scrap. Forget the common people, even the emperor himself was almost out of food.

Since that's the case, let's just flip the table and nobody eats!

And this Imperial Guard was the hand he used to overturn the table!

(End of this chapter)