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

A short while later.

"Your Majesty, Miss Shen has arrived."

Lu Zuo, who was reading the "Yellow Emperor's Yin Fu Jing", looked up and was immediately taken aback.

Is this still Shen Luoyan?

Once a stunning beauty, she has become thin, haggard, and her eyes are dull and lifeless, losing all their former radiance. Her once black hair has also turned silvery.

It seemed as if in just a few short months, she had aged more than ten years...

"Miss Shen."

Lu Zuo rose from his seat and quickly went to greet him, asking, "Why do you look so haggard?"

"His Majesty……"

Shen Luoyan looked at him, her voice slightly hoarse: "The gang leader is dead, and many others are dead."

Lu Shiyu is dead?

Lu Zuo's heart stirred, and the image of that elegant and graceful young man naturally came to mind.

"What exactly happened?"

Shen Luoyan smiled sadly, tears glistening in her eyes: "We originally thought that after going to the Great Sui Dynasty, there would be a new world."

"I never expected..."

"For people like us who come from humble backgrounds, it's all the same no matter where we go."

"The gang leader..."

"Just because of a trivial matter, those wealthy and powerful families..."

"Luo Yan and some of his brothers from the Hundred Trades Gang were also implicated as a result."

"We have nowhere else to go but to serve Your Majesty. We hope Your Majesty will take us in."

As he spoke, he knelt down, tears streaming down his face, sobbing uncontrollably.

Lu Zuo helped her up: "Get up first, and tell me the details."

.......

A moment later...

Lu Zuo shook his head: "The foundation of this world is like this. What difference does it make whether it's the Sui Dynasty or the Chen Dynasty?"

I learned from Shen Luoyan that after the Hundred Trades Gang parted ways with me, they went to the Great Sui Dynasty.

Without him...

In the eyes of Lu Shiyu and others, the Chen Kingdom was rotten to the core and beyond saving, while the Sui Dynasty was at its zenith, peaceful and prosperous, a scene of a golden age.

But when they arrived in the Sui Dynasty, they realized that although the golden age was indeed a golden age, it had nothing to do with ordinary people of humble origins!

The so-called peaceful and prosperous times only exist in wealthy and powerful families.

Its exploitation of ordinary people was no less severe than that of the State of Chen!

The scene of the rich feasting on meat and wine while starving people lay on the streets was a common sight.

However, the Hundred Trades Gang had already abandoned its roots in the Chen Kingdom and moved here, so it could only settle in the Sui Kingdom.

Afterwards, Lu Shiyu was killed for saving a starving refugee who had fainted in front of his house.

It turned out that the refugee was a runaway slave from the Cui family of Qinghe.

Lu Shiyu went to the street to buy medicine for him, and when she returned, she found that Cui's servants were beating a runaway slave.

At the time, he was unaware of the situation, so he stepped forward and taught the Cui family's servants a lesson, driving them away.

But less than half a day later, a large number of soldiers arrived, threw him and the runaway slave into prison, fabricated a crime, and were about to be executed.

Upon hearing this, Shen Luoyan and the others decided to break into the prison and rescue the prisoners.

Although the prison break was successful, they ultimately failed to escape. Most of the Hundred Trades Gang disciples died tragically, and Lu Shiyu was also captured and taken back. Only a few people, such as Shen Luoyan, managed to escape.

Afterwards, fearing retaliation from these skilled martial artists, the Cui family of Qinghe sent out experts to hunt them down and eliminate them completely.

After her conversation with Lu Zuo that night, Shen Luoyan was unwilling to go to the Great Sui Dynasty with the gang leader.

Now that such a change has occurred, he has returned to the State of Chen and is serving the emperor.

"What are your plans next, Miss Shen?"

"I don't know..." Shen Luoyan shook her head: "We'll leave it to His Majesty's arrangements."

Theoretically speaking, Shen Luoyan and others are all traitors.

Read the full text of Chapter 99 for free tonight! There's bound to be a big show to watch! Link:

But Lu Zuo didn't feel much blame.

Firstly, it was Lu Shiyu's idea to join the Sui Dynasty.

Secondly, they were forced into a corner in the State of Chen, and seeing that the State of Chen was on the verge of collapse, they went to the State of Sui.

After all, when I first proposed recruiting him, he was just a puppet.

A country destined for destruction, a monarch destined for ruin, and a powerless puppet—who would want to die with you?

Far from blaming her, he was delighted by Shen Luoyan's arrival.

Shen Luoyan is resourceful, good at management and business, and also proficient in military strategy.

The disciples of the Hundred Trades Gang are all craftsmen by trade, possessing not only martial arts skills but also exquisite craftsmanship!

What does Lu Zuo lack most right now?

Talent!

"Luoyan, I intend to appoint you as the Assistant Prefect of Nantong, responsible for assisting the Prefect in handling all affairs of Nantong."

"Would you be willing?"

Shen Luoyan was taken aback: "Prefectural Magistrate?"

She originally just wanted to come back and follow Lu Zuo, and become a secret agent or something.

Unexpectedly...

The emperor's word was to entrust someone with an important task!

"Your Majesty, do you really trust Luo Yan so much?"

Lu Zuo nodded: "When we were in the capital, I saw that you had the talent to govern a region."

Thump...

She suddenly knelt down, cupped her hands in gratitude, and said, "Shen Luoyan thanks Your Majesty for your trust!"

.......

After Shen Luoyan left, Lu Zuo took out the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden's Touring Token and silently infused it with true essence.

As the runes lit up one by one, the surrounding space distorted, and he arrived in the wilderness of the Great Qin from the back hall of the prefectural governor's mansion.

"Eighteen days have passed. I wonder how things are going on Qin Shi's side?"

"Was Chao Nu Yao ousted from the stage by Ji Wuye, Zhang Kaidi, and the others?"

.......

A few days later, in Xinzheng City.

On a high-rise building, a man and a woman stood gazing at the general's mansion not far away.

"It seems that Ji Wuye is starting to lose his temper."

Zi Nu brushed her hair, which had been ruffled by the breeze, and whispered something.

Wei Zhuang scoffed: "Overnight, the general's mansion was filled with armored soldiers, with the troop strength exceeding several times that of the past, and generals of all ranks were frequently coming and going."

"If I'm not mistaken, Ji Wuye will launch a palace coup tonight!"

Zi Nu nodded: "After all, given his personality, how could he possibly obey that woman?"

"Moreover, Zhang Kaidi and others were also dissatisfied with Chao Nuyao's rule."

"If Ji Wuye were to launch a palace coup, they would not stand in his way."

"Hmph." Wei Zhuang sneered, "Just wait and see, there's bound to be a big show tonight!"

……

Inside the royal palace, in the main hall.

Since the Chao Nv Yao took power, she has been met with dissatisfaction from various forces.

Although Lu Zuo killed Bai Yifei, she took the opportunity to install her confidants to command Bai Yifei's army.

Unexpectedly, seeing that both the civil and military factions in the court were dissatisfied with Chao Nu Yao, this confidant switched sides and joined Ji Wu Ye's forces.

Tap, tap, tap...

Chao Nu Yao paced back and forth, her face gloomy, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her heart filled with unbearable regret.

"Lu Zuo, Lu Zuo, you've really got me killed this time!"

She never expected that a woman in power would provoke such a strong backlash from both the civil and military factions!

But the person who orchestrated all of this behind the scenes, who had promised to return within a few months, has been nowhere to be found for half a year!

Otherwise, how could the situation have become so critical?