Villain: After I died, all the heroines cried themselves to sleep.

Thick, inky clouds hung heavily over the city, while a light, sorrowful rain silently blanketed the land.

In the tranquil Xianyang Palace, Zhao Ji and Xia Ji stood on tiptoe under the eaves.

Beyond layers of rain and green tiles and red walls, gazing into the distance.

The palace courtyard not far away.

Bao Ji sat quietly under the pavilion, listening to the rain.

Suddenly, he felt a sense of unease and looked up towards the outside of Xianyang City.

All that could be seen was a gray, misty rain.

A group of people slowly walked out.

……

"It's truly a rare sight to see rain in Guanzhong at this time of year."

Luo Zheng sat in the car, looking at the sky outside and talking to himself.

It was as if I could sense his depressed mood.

The celestial phenomena throughout the Liang Kingdom became heavy and oppressive.

The meeting between Liang, Tang, Wei, and Zheng at Mianchi a few days ago ended unhappily.

Outside the valley, the battle between the Liang Kingdom's elite troops and the Wei-Zheng allied forces was stopped by Ma Fujun leading the Tang Kingdom's border cavalry.

As they cautiously entered the valley, the alliance came to a complete end.

This chaos, aside from the dead retainers and guards.

The King of Wei was seriously injured and fell into a coma.

Zheng Guoxiang Xu Ping was killed by assassins.

Liang also suffered casualties among its guards, but thanks to Luo Zheng's presence, the number of casualties was minimal.

As for Lady Zhuang of the Tang Dynasty...

At that time, everyone rushed to rescue the Tang Emperor and the Prince of Anling, and only a few guards protected her as she got into the carriage.

As a result, he was taken advantage of by the assassin and unfortunately struck by a poisoned arrow.

I couldn't stick with it.

Luo Zheng couldn't help but recall Zhuang Ji's last moments.

Zhuang Ji was pale, but she still gazed tenderly at Luo Zheng, her hand trembling as she reached out and gently stroked his face.

That hand was so cold and pale.

"Zheng'er...you've finally come to pick me up..."

She endured the pain and, with her last bit of strength, murmured softly.

She expressed her affection for Luo Zheng, revealed how much she missed him after he left, complained that he hadn't come to pick her up soon, and couldn't help but want to go find him herself...

There was also jealousy towards Zhao Ji and Xia Ji...

Finally, with tears welling up in her eyes, Zhuang Ji revealed a relieved smile.

"Zheng'er... From now on, you don't need to have any more reservations... Next time, it will be my turn to pick you up..."

After saying this, Zhuang Ji lowered her hands and slowly closed her eyes.

She lay forever asleep in Luo Zheng's arms.

"..."

"Is my brother missing Lady Zhuang?"

Song Wan's voice interrupted Luo Zheng's thoughts.

Luo Zheng opened his eyes and glanced at Song Wan, whose face showed concern.

"The meeting at Mianchi is over, so there's no need for you to come back to Xianyang with me."

"Brother Wang saved my life, how can I just leave like this? I must at least accompany Brother Wang to the end of this journey."

Song Wan said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Upon hearing this, Luo Zheng gave Song Wan a deep look.

Song Wan spoke as if it were a grand and dignified speech, full of consideration and care.

If you don't know the truth, you might actually be deceived by the other person's concern and be deeply moved.

Unfortunately, Luo Zheng already knew Song Wan's true nature from her predetermined fate.

Everything the other party did was for the sake of the Song state.

Luo Zheng then gave a calm reply.

"Don't worry, I'm not as fragile as you think, and the relationship between Liang and Song will not change because of this."

"I was just concerned about you, Brother Wang, but I didn't think that much about it."

I'll take that as the truth.

Luo Zheng neither confirmed nor denied the statement.

However, Song Wan's words just now made him realize something.

The turning point in fate that the system previously warned about most likely refers to the choice between Song Wan and Zhuang Ji.

Thinking of this, Luo Zheng couldn't help but curse the system in his heart as despicable and shameless.

This is the classic life-or-death question: if your girlfriend and mother both fall into the water at the same time, who do you save first?

Force yourself to make a choice.

What happened to not getting the short end of the stick?

Unless there is a reversal.

Or it may possess power that transcends the world.

Otherwise, Zhuang Ji's death would have been almost irreversible.

……

Upon returning to Xianyang Palace, Song Wan disembarked and left before entering the palace.

Upon entering the inner court, Zhao Ji and Xia Ji, having received prior notice, braved the rain to greet Luo Zheng.

"Your Majesty (Zheng'er)!"

Upon seeing Luo Zheng, the two immediately approached him with delight, showering him with concern and greetings.

I could feel the deep maternal love emanating from the two of them.

Luo Zheng felt much better.

The advantages of having three mothers are evident here.

Suddenly, Luo Zheng felt a gaze from the corner.

Looking up, I happened to see a corner of the skirt disappear from there.

However, Luo Zheng recognized that style of ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress).

Bao Ji has come too...

"Your Majesty, how did this alliance meeting go?"

At this point, Zhao Ji inquired about the situation of Luo Zheng's alliance meeting.

Unlike Xia Ji, who only had eyes for Luo Zheng, Zhao Ji, who had been a queen for several years, had a much broader perspective.

"...Let's talk about it when we get back."

Luo Zheng forced a smile and led the two to the inner palace.

He did not hide anything and told the two of them about Zhuang Ji's death.

Upon learning this devastating news, both Zhao Ji and Xia Ji were extremely shocked.

After the initial shock came an overwhelming sadness.

Zhao Ji and Zhuang Ji were on good terms, and Xia Ji even lived in Zhuang Ji's house for ten years with Luo Zheng.

They couldn't help but shed tears of sorrow for Zhuang Ji's death.

But compared to their sadness, they were still more concerned about Luo Zheng.

Xia Ji immediately hugged Luo Zheng and comforted him.

"Zheng'er, you must be very sad... Don't be sad, Mother will always be with you from now on..."

"Mother, I think you are the one who should be crying. Don't ruin your health..."

Luo Zheng shook his head.

Seeing Xia Ji sobbing, tears streaming down her face.

He could only comfort her in return, wiping away Xia Ji's tears with a handkerchief.

Even Zhao Ji couldn't help but say a few words.

"Xia Ji, you always treat the King like a child, but I think the King has already grown up. In front of the King, my sister seems very young and needs to be taken care of."

"Sister is joking..."

Xia Ji blushed, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

……

In the days that followed.

Luo Zheng did not give up, but quickly took over the accumulated government affairs.

At the same time, he announced in court that he would instruct his ministers to prepare for Zhuang Ji's funeral.

He wanted to honor Zhuang Ji as Empress Dowager and bury her with the rites due to an Empress Dowager.

None of the ministers dared to utter a word of complaint.

We can only obey orders and prepare according to the ancestral temple rites.

Inevitably, they had to ask Zhuang Ji for information, but Luo Zheng didn't know much about her either, so he went to ask Zhao Ji and Xia Ji.

As a result, Zhao Ji and Xia Ji knew most of the answers, and they couldn't even answer who Zhuang Ji's husband was.

It makes one wonder if they are just superficial sisters.

In any case, the funeral was held smoothly.

Luo Zheng observed a period of mourning for this for thirty-six days.

During this period of time.

Zhao Ji and Xia Ji were worried that Luo Zheng was upset, so they often went to see him to check on him or let him stay overnight in the palace.

To Luo Zheng's dismay, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The two felt neglected and quite jealous of his single-minded devotion to mourning Zhuang Ji.

Xia Ji once even expressed her slight resentment with a sour look.

"I am clearly Zheng'er's mother..."

Besides.

Surprisingly, Bao Ji also took the initiative to come over and comfort Luo Zheng.

"When Your Majesty went into mourning, I felt the same way. I felt that although the world was vast, there was nowhere for me to go. Although there were many people in the world, no one cared about me anymore. Everything in the world was so desolate and boring..."

"Even so, now, I have finally emerged from this predicament..."

"For no other reason than that I have discovered I am not alone; there are always people who accompany and care for me..."

Bao Ji stared at Luo Zheng.

Luo Zheng and Bao Ji looked at each other, both greatly surprised.

For so many years, Bao Ji had been passively accepting his teasing.

He forced me to do many things I did against my will.

He even cried a few times.

This was the first time the other person had taken the initiative to talk to me.

Are you sick?

Luo Zheng couldn't help but ask.

Could it be Stockholm syndrome?

"..."

Bao Ji's expression froze.

She immediately tensed her face and turned her body to one side.

They're ignoring me.

"Okay, just kidding..."

Luo Zheng chuckled and went to coax Bao Ji.

Bao Ji continued to twist her body, resolutely refusing to accept Luo Zheng's explanation.

When Luo Zheng went east, she turned to the west; when Luo Zheng went west, she turned back to the east.

The two of them started having a little tiff...

……

Until the end of the mourning period.

Luo Zheng completely rallied.

He had been somewhat complacent and underestimated this villainous role.

Clearly, this world also hides truths that are not mentioned in the predetermined fate.

Zhuang Ji's death is related to the truth of the world.

If you want to find out the truth.

To avenge Zhuang Ji.

Luo Zheng only has one thing to do now.

That is.

Sweeping across nine kingdoms, establishing dominance over the world.

He abandoned his usual nonchalant attitude and surveyed the assembled officials below.

There's nothing left to worry about.

"I desire to destroy the feudal lords and establish an empire, unifying the world. Now, only the Tang state stands in my way, therefore I intend to wage war against the Tang state to seize the land of Shangdang."

When the ministers learned of the outcome of the Mianchi meeting, they had anticipated that this day would come.

They all cupped their hands in greeting and said in unison.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The meeting at Mianchi ended in discord, and the death of Zhuang Ji further enraged you. This intense anger ignited your greed and ambition, leading you to blame the chaotic world and decide to launch a national war to clear the last obstacle on your path to unification.

Objective: Launch the Battle of Shangdang and decisively defeat the Tang Dynasty.

[Rewards: The evaluation for conquering nine kingdoms and establishing dominance over the world will be greatly improved; the evaluation for gathering beauties and treasures from ten kingdoms will also be improved.]

[Penalty: All mission objective ratings will be lowered, and the final overall rating will not exceed S.]

[It wasn't [the person] who ruined you, it was this chaotic world that ruined you! —Aman who likes young women]