If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

Su Mingyue hummed in agreement, placed the teacup on the tray carried by the maid beside her, and looked up at Zhou Ming.

His gaze was indifferent, no different from when he was being ordered to do chores in the past.

But Zhou Ming always felt that there was a hint of inexplicable interest hidden in her eyes.

She didn't rush to speak, first slowly straightening her cuffs, and then said unhurriedly:

"Dongmei said you're very good at speaking."

Zhou Ming's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head even further.

"I just made up a story and told it to Sister Dongmei. It's all made up and I don't dare to call it a 'storybook'."

Su Mingyue glanced at him, her gaze calm and indifferent, yet Zhou Ming felt as if someone had lifted the back of his neck.

"Tell me the story you told this morning again."

Zhou Ming subconsciously glanced at Dongmei.

The young woman was standing behind Su Mingyue, winking and making faces at him.

Raise your left eyebrow, raise your right eyebrow, and twitch the corners of your mouth upwards—that's the expression you get.

I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. The young lady also likes reading storybooks, so you'll have to figure it out yourself.

Zhou Ming cursed Dongmei repeatedly in his heart.

He had only told the story to Dongmei that morning in order to avoid doing the horse stance exercise, never expecting that Dongmei would turn around and tell Su Mingyue.

To everyone's surprise, Su Mingyue actually came to the training ground in person to listen to his speech.

Isn't the young lady usually very busy?

Why do you have to learn how to manage the household, how to do needlework and embroidery, how to read account books, and how to meet with the steward? Why do you have to do so many important things instead of listening to a servant tell stories?

He grumbled inwardly, but dared not show the slightest negligence on the surface. He cleared his throat and began honestly to tell the story from when the female protagonist was ten years old.

He repeated what he had told Dongmei that morning.

With the rehearsal in the morning, he spoke more fluently this time, his rhythm was more precise, and the details were richer.

Su Mingyue sat upright in the chair, her expression still indifferent.

The teacup rested on my lap, the lid tilted at an angle on the rim, and a few wisps of very faint white steam drifted out from the gaps in the gaiwan.

But Zhou Ming noticed that the hand that was originally on the armrest had been put down at some point and was now resting on her knee, with her index finger tapping lightly in rhythm.

The rhythm was so light that probably only she and Zhou Ming could detect it.

The maids and servants behind her were not so subtle.

Chunlan, who had been looking down as if contemplating her own thoughts, raised her head as she listened, her lips slightly pursed, as if she were enduring something or perhaps wanted to say something.

The heads of several second-class maids drew closer and closer, exchanging glances, almost starting to discuss amongst themselves.

Even the guards standing on the periphery were so engrossed in listening that their eyes darted around. One of them even had his mouth open and forgot to close it, only snapping back to reality when his colleague next to him elbowed him in the ribs.

Zhou Ming continued his story.

When the urgent military report arrived from the border, it was said that a coalition of northern nomadic tribes had invaded the south, causing shock throughout the court and the country. The emperor summoned the empress to the palace overnight to seek her advice.

He had just gotten to the crucial point where the female lead said, "Give me half of the military power, and I will keep the border peaceful for ten years," when he suddenly realized that his throat was extremely dry, and even swallowing made his throat sore.

He paused, then subconsciously raised his hand to touch his throat.

Just then, with a thud, a water bag fell onto the muddy ground in front of him.

Zhou Ming looked down.

The water pouch was made of leather and was finely crafted. The opening was plugged with a wooden stopper, and a few drops of water that hadn't been wiped dry were still hanging on it.

He looked up and followed the direction from which the water bag had flown, and his eyes met Dongmei's stern face.

Dongmei kept a straight face and pressed her lips down, but the fine smile lines at the corners of her eyes just wouldn't go away.

His eyes slanted outwards, his expression a mixture of disdain and urging: "Hurry up and drink, then continue your story."

Zhou Ming picked up the water bag, pulled out the cork, and tilted his head back to drink several large mouthfuls.

The water was cool, with a slightly bitter taste from being steeped in bamboo leaves. It felt so good as it slid down his throat that he almost cried out.

He drank about half a sachet of water, put the cork back in, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and continued speaking.

He tells the story of how the female protagonist seizes military power.

This couldn't be taken away so easily. He sifted through the political intrigue plots he had read in his previous life, and devised a series of carefully planned schemes for the female lead.

The female protagonist first took advantage of her position in charge of the reform to remove several spies planted in the army by powerful families, replacing them with people she had recruited during her time in prison.

She then petitioned for the establishment of a temporary military government on the border, under the pretext of delegating military power and unifying command, to concentrate and reorganize the troops scattered along the line.

The most crucial step was that she personally went to see the old general who had remained neutral.

This man commands half of the border troops, and he doesn't listen to anyone, not even the emperor.

The female protagonist talked with the old general all night, neither offering him high-ranking positions nor using the imperial edict to pressure him.

Instead, she discussed the border situation with him for three hours, presenting the suffering of the border people that she had personally witnessed during her visits to various places, the terrain intelligence she had obtained from merchants from enemy countries, the military books and strategies she had been familiar with since childhood, and the current loopholes in the border defense.

After listening, the old general only said one sentence: "In my forty years of military service, I have never heard of any official in the capital who understands the mountain passes and passes on the border better than the commander at the front. I will listen to you."

No one spoke, but every face Zhou Ming caught out of the corner of his eye seemed to convey the same word:

Enjoyable.

Su Mingyue sat up straight at some point, her back, which had been leaning against the back of the chair, straightened up.

She placed her hands on her knees, the tea had gone completely cold, but she didn't drink another drop.

From Zhou Ming's perspective, the corner of her mouth seemed to twitch slightly.

It's not laughter, but the transition zone between not laughing and wanting to laugh, which is extremely subtle and almost invisible.

But she didn't laugh out loud. She just moved slightly to suppress the emotion and returned to her composed demeanor.

Only her gaze remained fixed, her phoenix eyes now shining with a light Zhou Ming had never seen on her face before.

It wasn't the usual cold scrutiny, nor the chilling killing intent of fighting enemies in Xishan, but rather an almost fervent focus.

Zhou Mingqing cleared his throat, glanced at the sky, and saw that the sun was already setting.

But the young lady didn't tell him to stop, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue.

After the allied forces of the northern nomadic tribes were defeated, the female protagonist's prestige in the army reached its peak.

The reforms she spearheaded have begun to show results. The new laws have been implemented more smoothly than expected in several pilot prefectures, and the tax reform has increased the court's annual revenue by 30% in just two years.

The old emperor was frail and his sons were vying for the throne, leading to a turbulent and unstable political situation.

After defeating several rivals in succession, the female protagonist finally stood at the pinnacle of power.

She deposed the last emperor, changed the name of the country, established a new capital, and ascended the throne as empress.

Zhou Ming spoke with particular enthusiasm about the enthronement ceremony.