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

Undercurrents were swirling in the capital, with various factions plotting and preparing.

In Jiankang City, on the second floor of a restaurant, a young man stood with his hands behind his back in front of a half-open wooden lattice window, looking down at the armored soldiers coming and going on the street, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

He was tall and straight, wearing a blue long robe. The material wasn't particularly expensive, but he exuded an indescribable air of nobility.

His features are handsome and his demeanor is outstanding. There is a unique aura between his brows, which is a blend of wisdom, martial spirit and nobility.

"Oh……"

"Why are there such frequent troop movements as soon as I arrived in Jiankang?"

"Miss Qinghui, do you know what has happened?"

Fan Qinghui slowly walked to the man, glanced outside, and uttered four words: "A storm is coming!"

Oh?

The young man's eyes narrowed, and his lips twitched slightly as usual: "Then I'll have to stay and watch the show."

Fan Qinghui hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Young Master, should we...?"

"No need."

Before he could finish speaking, the young master waved his hand and said, "Let the Shen family make a scene."

"The more chaos they cause, the more beneficial it will be for the Sui Dynasty!"

"Come, tell me about the current situation in Nanchen."

The young gentleman returned to his seat, picked up the wine pot, calmly filled a cup, and took a sip with elegant grace.

Fan Qinghui sat opposite him, not answering directly, but instead voicing her doubts: "Young Master, if our Buddhist sect were to assist us, wouldn't the Shen family have a better chance of success?"

"Why you...?"

Before she could finish speaking, the young man waved his hand: "Do you think you can force Southern Chen to submit by holding the emperor hostage?"

"Miss Qinghui, how do you think Chen Shubao rose to power?"

"It was the seven great families—Lu, Gu, Yu, Shen, Su, Wei, and Xie—who supported him to the throne!"

"Although the Shen family members saw that the Southern Chen dynasty was declining and were also influenced by Jingzhai, they had already secretly submitted to the Sui dynasty."

"But the other six are still around..."

"Even if Chen Shubao is gone, there are still Prince Chen Shujian of Changsha, Prince Chen Shuying of Yuzhang, Prince Chen Shuqing of Jian'an, and so on..."

"They can support a new ruler at any time!"

Fan Qinghui nodded in sudden realization: "Qinghui understands now. That tyrannical emperor is just a figurehead; he can be replaced at any time."

"And... what about the Shen family?"

"Does the young master think they have a chance of success?"

The young master waved his hand: "It's hard to say, but whether it succeeds or fails, it's just a minor disturbance."

"What is truly important to my Great Sui Dynasty..."

At this point, he made a sword-like gesture with his hand, dipped it in a little wine, and wrote two words on the table.

"Dongyang?" Fan Qinghui's eyes sharpened, and she roughly understood what was going on.

"That's right." The young master nodded: "Although most of the Shen family members have already pledged allegiance to the Sui Dynasty, Prefect Shen Xun of Dongyang is stubborn and has not yet expressed his opinion."

"If the Shen family members were to perish in the capital..."

"Heh... what will this old fogey do?"

Fan Qinghui's pupils contracted, and she said in a deep voice, "Raise an army in rebellion against Chen!"

"Exactly." The young master smiled. "Let's create chaos in the backyard of Southern Chen first."

"The more chaotic they are, the more advantageous it is for the Sui Dynasty."

"Once the threat from the north is completely eliminated, it will be time for us to march south and pacify the Southern Chen!"

"Miss Qinghui, can you speak now?"

"Oh." Fan Qinghui then realized that she hadn't answered yet, and quickly began to speak in a respectful manner.

This lecture lasted a full half hour.

"Is such a thing possible?"

Upon hearing this, the young master was both surprised and couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Haha, hahahahaha..."

"Okay, okay, okay!"

"What a tyrannical and incompetent ruler!"

He paused, then chuckled dismissively, his tone full of disdain: "With this incompetent ruler in power, the fall of the Southern Chen dynasty is not far off!"

yes…..

Fan Qinghui nodded silently. Chen Shubao was incompetent and foolish, and the Southern Chen aristocratic families were extravagant. Meanwhile, the Sui Dynasty was at its zenith, producing many heroes and fierce generals.

Such as Gao Jiong, Yang Su, Han Qinhu, Changsun Sheng, Li Yuan, etc...

Plus……

Fan Qinghui raised her beautiful eyes, glanced at the young man, and thought to herself, "Whether it's the civil and military officials, or the hearts of the people, they are not on the side of Southern Chen..."

"This is the trend!"

"No one can change that!"

Oh, right...

She suddenly remembered something and turned to ask, "Young master, with your invaluable possessions, why would you venture into such dangerous territory, deep into the borders of Southern Chen?"

"If I don't come, how can I clearly see the state of Southern Chen's defenses, its national strength, and the morale of its people?"

"And what about the mountains and rivers?"

The young master asked several questions in succession, and said, "I came here this time to thoroughly investigate the background of Nan Chen."

"Has the young master figured it out?"

"It's not clear yet..."

"All we can see right now are four words... utterly rotten!"

"alright."

He waved his hand and said, "That's enough for today."

"Come with Miss Xiuxin tomorrow night and see how Madam Shen puts on a show, how she makes that good-for-nothing scramble around."

"Yes."

Fan Qinghui responded with a slight bow, then gracefully departed.

As she stepped out of the room and reached the corner, just as she was about to go down the stairs, a person suddenly rushed out from the side and bumped into her.

Bang!

Fan Qinghui felt as if she had bumped into a Vajra pillar, and a slight burning pain came from her shoulder.

"Girl, are you alright..."

She frowned slightly, her gaze sweeping over, and saw a tall man in a blue robe, as imposing as a solitary mountain peak, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open.

This person had pale skin and exceptionally handsome features, but the way he stared at her with a dazed look in his eyes made Fan Qinghui feel a little disdainful.

Oh……

Men in this world are all so vulgar; they can't resist a pretty face...

"Young lady, are you alright?" After a long while, the man in the blue robe finally came to his senses.

"fine."

Fan Qinghui replied coldly, then strode away down the stairs, disappearing from his sight in no time.

The man in the blue robe was still staring intently in the direction she had left.

"Celestial Beings..."

"This is a beauty possessed only by celestial beings..."

He muttered a few words to himself, reluctantly turned his gaze away, and walked towards his private room.

As soon as they arrived at the door of the private room, a handsome man walked out.

Seeing his absent-minded appearance, the other person asked curiously, "Brother, what's wrong with you?"

"what?"

"Oh, oh...it's nothing."

"Song Zhi, what's been happening in the capital lately?"

Song Zhi glanced around and tugged at his elder brother's sleeve: "Come in and talk."

After the two entered the private room and closed the door, he lowered his voice and said, "Since this morning, the Five Cities Garrison, the Imperial Guards, and the Black-Clad Guards have been frequently mobilized."

"Given the recent shifts in political climate between North Korea and China, I predict that something earth-shattering will happen in the next few days!"

……

At this moment, at the Wang family's blacksmith shop.

"Gentlemen."

Wang Zheng looked at the group of blacksmiths in front of him and said in a deep voice, "This is all the old man has to offer. Divide it among yourselves and then go your separate ways."

After saying that, he picked up the long sword that had accompanied him in battle for many years, stepped out of the gate, and walked towards the outside of the city.