You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

The problem Lu Zuo faced was never as simple as him, the puppet emperor, dying at the hands of Li Chengan and Shi Wenqing at any moment.

The feeling of being a deposed monarch is a hundred times more miserable than being a fake emperor!

This is what makes him feel most powerless...

Because, faced with the threat from the Sui Dynasty, he saw no hope of winning!

"well……"

"Right now, the only thing we can do is accumulate strength so that when those two bastards make their move, we might have even the slightest chance to retaliate!"

In this world, while individual combat power may not be enough to determine the course of a nation, it can sometimes change many things.

"Remove Ren Zhong from his post," Li Cheng'an suddenly transmitted his voice.

Lu Zuo immediately obeyed orders, waving his hand to stop the chaos below, and said in a deep voice: "Ren Zhong, as the General Who Guards the South, you have no manners, daring to storm the court with bloodshed and curse the fate of the nation!"

"I think you've lost your mind today!"

"Today, I hereby strip you of your title of General Who Guards the South!"

"Guards, strip him of his official robes and throw him out of the hall!"

A chorus of "Your Majesty is wise!" erupted from below, interspersed with Ren Zhong's angry roars.

Immediately afterwards, Li Cheng'an transmitted his voice again: "Appoint me as General Zhennan, and I will go to Nanxu in ten days to guard the border."

Does this old eunuch want to further control the military?

Although Lu Zuo knew that once he had military power, the process of taking action against him would be much faster, he had no other choice but to obey orders.

Immediately, some people stood up to object, and most of them were members of the Shen family of Wuxing.

However, given Lu Zuo's tough stance, his opposition was ineffective.

Then, the civil and military officials discussed several issues concerning people's livelihood, and the morning court session was declared over.

.......

After returning to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Lu Zuo continued his secluded cultivation.

But instead of practicing all day long as before, he would take some time to stroll around the Imperial Garden and flirt with the palace maids.

That very night, he even slept with five graceful, fair-skinned, and beautiful palace maids, bestowing upon them the title of "Talented Lady".

In the morning, after the five newly appointed talented women happily withdrew, the golden characters appeared right on time.

[Missed the morning court session; internal strength +3.]

[Employing a villain will increase your lifespan by 20 years.]

[Enchanted by beautiful women, physique +2.]

[Removing a loyal minister grants an additional reward: Swordsmanship +3. Note: Swordsmanship is related to the speed of swordsmanship training and aptitude for swordsmanship.]

[Excessive indulgence, bonus rewards: Dance +100, Calligraphy +30.]

"It seems Su Yanzhi really does know martial arts!"

Lu Zuo's actions last night were precisely to verify his previous guesses.

Now it can be concluded that the Jade Consort must have had some ulterior motive in choosing to conceal her martial arts skills!

"So..."

"What exactly is she planning to do, going to such lengths to infiltrate the palace?"

"Assassination?"

"wrong……"

"If you wanted to assassinate someone, you should have done it that night."

"A spy? A honey trap?"

"Regardless of what it is..."

"For me, it might not be a bad thing!"

Right now, what's giving Lu Zuo the biggest headache is that he doesn't have a single person he can rely on!

Wherever he went, he was under the surveillance of Li Chengan and Shi Wenqing.

The only option is to fight those two bastards head-on when they make a move.

But who knows when that day will come?

Who knows if I'll be able to beat them when that day comes?

Shi Wenqing was one thing, but the old eunuch's cultivation was unfathomable!

He must have his own power base, or at least have someone to cooperate with!

"Su Yanzhi..."

"Hopefully you can be a breakthrough."

Lu Zuo stood up and suddenly felt a strange sensation within his body.

He quickly cleared his mind of all distractions, calmed his concentration, and carefully sensed the strange fluctuation within his body.

Gradually, a warm, pulsating sensation spread deep within his dantian, as if...

Another seed that had been dormant for a long time was quietly awakened, radiating the warmth of spring sunshine melting snow.

A warm feeling flowed slowly, soaking into his lower dantian and permeating every inch of his muscles, bones, skin, and blood.

"How much have your meridians expanded?"

"Moreover, it felt as if invisible shackles had been removed from my limbs and bones, giving me a sense of lightness and clarity?"

"Why did it suddenly turn out like this?"

He narrowed his eyes and thought carefully, realizing that this was not the effect of practicing the "Nine Yang Returning to Origin Great Method".

Because he had had similar feelings before.

It was just that it was so subtle at the time that it was almost imperceptible, which is why we didn't notice it.

"It's because of improved physical condition!"

The first feeling was when he first gained physical attributes!

"This physique not only represents an increase in strength, but also strengthens the body's foundation, allowing for a transformation from the inside out?"

"What a pleasant surprise..."

Lu Zuo's eyes lit up, and a strong sense of excitement welled up in his heart!

They have even more confidence to turn the tide!

"Not bad, not bad..."

"As my physical condition improves, my cultivation speed will also increase."

"But why didn't I react this strongly before?"

Lu Zuo opened his character panel and looked at the Constitution attribute column: "11?"

"Could it be that one needs a constitution level of 10 to trigger a transformation?"

"Keep an eye on it from now on."

Immediately, he closed the character panel and shouted towards the outside of the hall, "Someone, come and change your clothes."

"I want to leave the palace!"

......

A short while later, in Jiankang City.

This city is located near Zhongshan Mountain, covering an area of ​​about ten miles in circumference.

The city is crisscrossed by bluestone streets, with rows of red buildings on both sides, and wine flags and tea banners swaying gently in the breeze.

The area was bustling with people: merchants from the Central Asian countries leading their horses, peddlers carrying loads on their shoulders, and wandering travelers with steady steps...

This time, the eunuch who came with Lu Zuo was replaced by one named Xiao Dezi.

He still informed Li Cheng'an first, and only after receiving permission did he summon the Black-Clad Guards and leave the palace with Lu Zuo for an incognito tour.

But this time, Lu Zuo didn't plan to go outside the city.

Instead, he planned to stage a ridiculous scene for Shi Wenqing and Li Chengan to see.

at the same time……

Since women who know martial arts can gain cultivation, we can use that lackey named Kong Fan to our advantage.

"You bastard!"

"How dare you obstruct the lady's carriage?"

Lu Zuo looked in the direction of the sound and saw a magnificent four-horse carriage blocking the road.

The carriage was made of rosewood, with lotus scroll patterns carved on the walls, light blue crepe gauze hanging from the windows, and delicate silver bells hanging from each of the four corners. It was clear at a glance that the owner of the carriage was either rich or noble.

Several ragged beggars knelt before the carriage, their hair disheveled and faces dirty, holding broken bowls and shouting, "Honorable ones, please give us some food!"

"We haven't eaten for three days."

In front of the carriage, an old man in a gray robe frowned and shouted, "Disperse them!"

A dozen fierce-looking guards stepped forward, rolled up their sleeves, and were about to beat the beggars.

But just then, something unexpected happened!

Suddenly, a beggar's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He then kicked off the ground with both feet and shot forward, heading straight for the carriage!

"kill!"

At almost the same time, the other beggars also suddenly rose up and started a fight!