If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

"Hahaha"

Zhao Yu suddenly burst into laughter.

The sudden laughter startled everyone in the hall.

Zhao Yu slowly stood up, his smile vanished, and he looked sharply at everyone.

"What a fine prime minister of Liang! What a loyal minister of Liang! What a man who serves the people of Liang!"

Three resounding "good"s, each word ringing out powerfully!

"Although I am young, I am still able to understand my position and plan for the future!"

If the wolf army truly breaches the imperial city, I will hang myself in front of the palace to preserve the last shred of dignity for the Great Liang!

"My king of Great Liang, when the monarch dies for the state, the Son of Heaven guards the nation's gate!"

boom!

The last eight words, like eight thunderclaps, struck everyone's hearts hard.

The entire court was taken aback.

A look of surprise flashed in Gan Qing's cloudy old eyes.

The emperor guards the nation's gate...

This kid actually has such a spirit!

Is this still the little emperor he personally trained?

Ignoring the shock of the crowd, Zhao Yu stared intently at Meng Qianshan, who was in the prince's presence.

"Meng Qianshan!"

A loud shout instantly brought Meng Qianshan back to reality from his daze.

He was startled and immediately knelt on one knee.

"Your subordinate is here!"

"I hereby appoint you as a First-Rank Protector-General, overseeing all military affairs of the Imperial City, repairing fortifications, and defending the capital to the death!"

Zhao Yu acted swiftly and decisively.

Without the slightest hesitation, Meng Qianshan cupped his hands and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Your subject would gladly die a thousand deaths!"

Zhao Yu nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the ranks of civil officials.

"Minister of Rites"

In the queue, an elderly man with gray hair and beard stiffened, hesitated for a moment, and then walked out shakily.

"Your humble servant... is here."

"I hereby proclaim to the world that I will stay in this imperial city and will not go anywhere else!"

"If any of those scoundrels from the Wolf Kingdom dare to stick their filthy heads out, I will not hesitate to chop them off!"

hiss--

Upon hearing this, a collective gasp filled the hall.

This is an imperial edict! How could it contain such explicit language?

The Minister of Rites, his forehead slightly sweating, bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, are such words... perhaps too harsh?"

Zhao Yu looked at him and spoke calmly.

"If you miss even one word, I'll chop off your head."

The Minister of Rites' legs went weak, and he almost fell.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty accepts the imperial decree!"

Zhao Yu withdrew his gaze, gave the assembled entourage one last look, and spoke coldly:

"The defense of the imperial city is a matter of life and death for the Great Liang Dynasty. Anyone who dares to obstruct it..."

"Exterminate their entire clan!"

Those three words instantly brought the atmosphere in the hall to a freezing point.

All the ministers were deeply shaken and dared not utter another word of dissent.

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

[Ding! Rebuked the court officials, upholding imperial authority; performance score increased by 0.07.]

[Reward obtained: Imperial Weapon - Human Emperor Sword!]

The Emperor's Weapon, the Human Emperor's Sword?

The basic information about the Human Emperor Sword appeared in Zhao Yu's mind.

The Emperor's Sword uses the nation's fortune to enhance the user's power.

The Emperor's Sword relies on the status and position of its wielder; only when the wielder is the emperor can the sword's full power be unleashed.

The prerequisite is that the user has internal energy.

Internal energy?

He doesn't have that.

It's okay, we'll be fine once it's available.

now.

Li Fu'an stood to the side, his forehead already covered in sweat.

He quickly seized the opportunity and shouted in a high-pitched voice.

"Dismiss the court!"

Then everyone bowed and left in an orderly fashion.

……

outside the temple.

Several civil officials immediately gathered around the old prime minister Gan Qing, lowering their voices and looking anxious.

"Prime Minister, why has the Emperor's temperament changed so drastically today? Why is he insisting on defending the capital to the death?"

"Yes, if we hold out to the death, and the Wolf Kingdom breaches the city, how will we, the civil officials, survive?"

Gan Qing did not stop walking. His aged face showed no emotion, but he left behind a meaningful sentence.

"We all receive salaries from the Liang Kingdom. Now that the Liang Emperor is determined to defend it, how can we have any disloyalty?"

Having said that, he leaned on his cane and left.

Several civil officials were left standing there, bewildered.

"What's going on today? It's one thing for the young emperor to have such a drastic change in temperament, but why is even the prime minister behaving this way?"

……

Inside the quiet study.

"You little beast! How dare you! Do you really think we wouldn't dare kill you!"

Li Fu'an could no longer suppress his anger. His face contorted, and his shrill voice almost pierced people's eardrums.

He never expected that this lowly commoner he had picked up from a pile of beggars would be so audacious as to throw a tantrum in the imperial court, completely disregarding his orders.

Zhao Yu smiled faintly, his previous submissive demeanor vanishing, and said:

"Eunuch Li, you really don't dare to kill me. If you kill me, the Emperor will surely die too, won't he?"

"What?!"

Li Fu'an's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes became more wary.

"What...do you know?"

"hehe."

Zhao Yu chuckled, sat down in the main seat, and picked up the teacup.

"The Emperor wants to play the 'golden cicada shedding its shell' trick, leaving me, the fake emperor, in the capital to deceive the Wolf Kingdom's army, so that he can go south and start anew, giving himself plenty of time."

By having General Meng defend the capital to the death, haven't I just bought the Emperor more time?

Conversely, if you kill me, without me, the living "Zhao Yu," then all eyes in and out of this place will be free to look.

At that time, who can guarantee that the real "Zhao Yu" won't be discovered?

A look of horror flashed in Li Fu'an's eyes.

"You're not a beggar! Who are you?"

Zhao Yu shrugged and put down his teacup.

"Who I am is not important. What's important is that you serve the Emperor well, and I can enjoy these few days as the Emperor. Isn't that good?"

Li Fu'an stared intently at him, his heart churning with turmoil.

This kid is something else!

Not only did he discern the Emperor's plan with just a few words in court, but he also deceived the entire court with a eloquent speech!

What should we do about our family?

Li Fu'an narrowed his eyes and began to think.

Reason told him that he should eliminate this uncontrollable variable immediately.

But when he thought of how the Emperor had solemnly summoned him and entrusted him with this important task, how could he possibly fail to live up to the Emperor's grace?

The plan has begun, and this "fake emperor" is now the most crucial part of the plan; it absolutely cannot go wrong!

Thinking of this, Li Fu'an took a deep breath.

"Alright! We'll do as you say!"

But you better remember this: if I ever discover even the slightest sign of disloyalty towards His Majesty, I will send you to the Yellow Springs immediately!

"Of course," Zhao Yu shrugged indifferently.

Just then, shouts came from outside the door.

"Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!"