Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

Yuwen Xingye was initially flustered, realizing that he was at fault no matter how he looked at it.

But when they saw Chen Yuan's appearance clearly, their panic instantly turned into calm.

Chen Yuan's cheekbones were flushed, and his face was painted with rouge, but it still looked dull and withered. His eye bags were puffy and loose, and his whole body looked like he had been soaked in water.

This is called Yang deficiency with water retention.

Most cases involve depletion of kidney water and deficiency of kidney essence.

If you give in today, you can forget about ever having that kind of life again.

Feeling guilty turned into feeling self-righteous.

She looked directly into Chen Yuan's eyes. "Is the Emperor Emeritus angry about what happened on the city wall?"

It doesn't matter who calls him the Retired Emperor, except for Yuwen Xingye.

Chen Yuan's anger intensified:

"and you?"

"If the Emperor Emeritus is angry with me because of this, I am truly disappointed."

"Has the Emperor Emeritus considered the consequences if I had actually opened the city gates that day?"

"The consequence would be that the retired emperor would not only be humiliated, but would also have no chance of survival!"

"Once the Northern Barbarians enter the city, you will lose your value, and they will surely raise their swords."

"Oh!"

Chen Yuan sneered, "It's been a while, and your tongue has gotten quite sharp."

"So you think you're right? Is it better for me to suffer humiliation beneath the city walls?"

"It was the Northern Barbarians who humiliated the Emperor Emeritus, it was you, not your concubine."

"I did this for the good of the Emperor Emeritus, and even more so for... the good of the Great Yan."

"I am a woman in the deep palace, but I have read a few books of sages and know that this city does not belong to the Chen family alone, but to all the people of the world."

"If the city gates were opened to save one person, even if I, your servant, were willing, the state would not; even if the state were willing, our ancestors would not."

"If Your Majesty blames me for this, I... am powerless to help."

Chen Yuan grabbed a pillow, intending to throw it at them.

These words struck a chord with him.

He himself was not very magnanimous, and even now that he needed to use the Empress Dowager, he couldn't help but feel angry.

With a ferocious expression, he roared...

"You've never read any Confucian classics! Your stupid brain could never have come up with all this. Did that rebellious son teach you?"

...This was clearly my own idea! Yuwen Xingye was also furious. With Chen Shao around, she was the most honored person in the royal family.

As long as Chen Yuan is around, she will forever be confined to the harem, and she will also have to guard against the sly vixen who might pop up from time to time.

The choice is obvious.

The difficulty in managing interpersonal relationships stems from the reluctance to break ties.

So...she's about to explode!

"Yes, yes, he's the one who taught me."

"I forgot to tell you, a few days with him are more enjoyable than half a lifetime with you."

puff--

Chen Yuan was consumed by rage, as if flames were burning in his chest, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood.

"You! You!"

This is even more humiliating than the sheep-leading ceremony.

What does that mean?

In this era, it was quite normal for sons to succeed their fathers and for brothers to succeed their brothers.

But the key question is... why use the word "happy"?

"You bitch!"

When women get ruthless, men are no match for them. Seeing this, Yuwen Xingye had a sudden inspiration: why not just anger Chen Yuan to death?

She is currently quite content with her life.

With absolute power in hand, regardless of whether he uses it or not, or whether he is capable of governing the country, all the officials in the court must listen to him.

She enjoys this visible power.

"Your Majesty, you're getting old. Don't just occupy the position without doing your job. Bah! You should give more opportunities to young people to take over."

"Chen Shao is strong and healthy. Look at you, you already have age spots. I'm only thirty!"

"Shut up!!!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Chen Yuan desperately hurled everything he could grab at Yuwen Xingye.

"Shut up, you bitch!"

"The retired emperor can't refuse to admit he's getting old..."

At this moment, the two old ministers outside also heard the commotion and rushed in.

The room was in a complete mess.

Han Cao was speechless and scratched his head helplessly. How did such a good opportunity turn out like this again?

Emperor Emeritus, Emperor Emeritus, couldn't you just be a little more patient and try to please this woman first?

"Your Majesty, please calm down." He rushed over and patted Chen Yuan on the back.

Yuwen Gu glared fiercely at his younger sister.

"What blatant nonsense are you spouting! You've angered the Emperor Emeritus to this extent!"

"snort!"

Yuwen Xingye turned and left.

Yuwen Gu then rushed to Chen Yuan and wailed:

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry. The doctor said the poison could easily relapse."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan shuddered in fright.

They immediately stopped being angry.

"General Yuwen, your sister is siding with outsiders!"

"Your Majesty, to avoid suspicion, I have almost no contact with the Empress Dowager."

Chen Yuan ignored him and grabbed Han Cao's hands.

"I'm going to take action! Take action!"

"Since that's the case..."

Han Cao acted decisively, "Once Chen Shao enters the palace, we'll ambush him at Xuanwu Gate and kill him. His Majesty can then enter the inner palace and summon all officials to court. The matter will be settled!"

Han Cao comforted Chen Yuan back to his bed, then winked at Yuwen Huagu.

The two left to prepare themselves.

As soon as I stepped onto the veranda, the steward approached and reported in a low voice:

"Your Excellency, a man claiming to be His Majesty's close attendant requests an audience and has been waiting in the side hall for quite some time."

Han Cao paused, his brows furrowing slightly.

His Majesty's close attendant? He knew everyone around Chen Shao.

"Is it Eunuch Wei or Bai Bingbing?"

The manager replied, "It seems to be a woman dressed as a man, but it's definitely not Bai Bingbing."

Chen Shao was taken aback, and then suddenly understood.

Your Majesty's attendant... This is Her Majesty the Empress of Northern Mang, and the envoy from Northern Mang has arrived.

His pupils contracted slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he calmly said:

"Please come to the study."

...

When Han Cao stepped into the study, he saw two figures standing there with their hands behind their backs.

When others arrive, one should be neither humble nor arrogant, but rather offer a slight bow.

One of them even laughed and said:

"Does Prime Minister Han intend to rebel?"

Han Cao's expression changed drastically, and he shouted coldly:

"Insolence! I am a veteran of three dynasties, utterly loyal to the Great Yan. How dare you slander me like this! Guards!"

The person who spoke was none other than Wu Xingyun.

She showed no sign of panic, but instead smiled faintly:

"Prime Minister Han, there's no need to be nervous. It was just a joke."

"I am speaking in this way only to show Prime Minister Han my sincerity. The fact that I am standing here and talking to you means that I am fully aware of your recent plans."

"Since there are no outsiders here, I'll be frank. Her Majesty the Empress has sent me to assist Prime Minister Han in seizing power."

"Chen Shao is a wolf in sheep's clothing, ruthless and vicious. Her Majesty the Empress does not like her neighbor being such a tyrannical ruler."

"If the retired emperor can regain the throne, our two families can continue to reconcile."

Oh, so you're one of Helian Yunni's people.

Han Cao narrowed his eyes, surprised that Helian Yunni had such a bold woman by her side.

"Please have a seat, both of you."

The three sat down, and Han Cao asked in a deep voice:

"How should we help?"

Wu Xingyun turned to the side and pointed at the person next to him.

"This is the reinforcement I painstakingly brought to Han Xiang."

"Qin Ling Shuang, the leader of Black Wind Stronghold."