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

"Cheating is impossible."

Shen Qingci looked at Chen Shao intently.

"I don't know why you value Huang Chao so much, but if he really has the ability, he wouldn't write such nonsense; he would have unique insights."

"If he's not capable, it's useless for you to promote him."

"This is your first imperial examination since your ascension to the throne. If you make a fool of yourself, it will severely damage your reputation."

"The imperial examination system is for selecting officials for the country. If you take the lead in granting special privileges... the consequences will be unimaginable. If you want to promote him, there are many ways: grant him the title of Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), appoint him to an official position by special decree, or fill vacancy through hereditary privilege. Which path is not possible?"

Why bother?

...What do you know? Was Huang Chao an ordinary person?

That's a talent with a 98 in domestic affairs and a 150 in ambition.

Only a top scorer could extinguish his ambition of reaching 150 points...

However, Chen Shao knew her temper and was too lazy to argue.

Huang Chao's talent should be unquestionable, so it's no wonder he kept failing the imperial examinations: he criticized exam questions, argued with examiners, acted like a typical literary youth, and was extremely reckless.

And this is exactly the kind of person I'm selecting this time.

Moreover, he could have someone secretly hint at the exam questions for Huang Chao.

"Alright, Lord Shen, you have the final say, but remember the core of this exam I told you."

"Know."

......

The sky is vast and the fields are boundless; the wind blows the grass low, revealing cattle and sheep.

Although there are many cattle and sheep, there are even more warhorses here.

The fertile grasslands are the cradle of horses, and therefore, the grasslands have always been a nightmare for the Central Plains.

When autumn is high and the horses are fat, they march south to plunder – a pattern that has remained unchanged on the grasslands for millennia.

Swish!

The arrow was swift and fast, striking a wild wolf that was running wildly.

One arrow to the head!

Before the wolf could react, it collapsed to the ground and couldn't get up.

Helian Yunni put away her bow.

Cheers immediately erupted from behind.

"good!"

"Your Majesty is a master archer!"

The weather was nice today, and Helian Yunni was in a great mood, so she came out to hunt.

This arrow was just an ordinary shot.

She wasn't particularly happy.

Unlike the cheering crowd, Helian Xiong behind him remained sullen.

This number one warrior of Northern Mang has been in this state ever since he returned alone from the Central Plains.

Feeling down again...

Helian Yunni sighed softly.

Helian Xiong was the most reckless man under her command, and she could not afford to lose him.

The empress turned her horse around.

"Helian Xiong".

"Your subordinate is here..." Helian Xiong cupped his hands and lowered his head.

"What, still thinking about the Central Plains? Your face is as long as a horse's."

Helian Xiong dared not speak; he had always been proud, but had suffered repeated setbacks in the Central Plains.

He now has two titles on the grasslands: one is the Golden Juice War God, which is good, and he is proud of it.

But another one is called: "Always lose when facing Shaoxing."

He felt deeply ashamed.

The complete annihilation of his five thousand elite soldiers left him speechless in the face of his elders.

You have to understand that the Empress defeated 500,000 with only 50,000. If you convert that to another number, 5,000 would also defeat 50,000.

"If you are defeated by a temporary setback, you are not worthy of being a warrior of Northern Wilderness."

The Empress offered earnest words of advice and comfort.

"For a general, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war."

Upon hearing this, Helian Xiong was visibly shaken.

I took this opportunity to ask what I most wanted to know.

"Your Majesty...when will you head south?"

They live on the grasslands, moving with the water and grass.

After grazing on fresh grass for two seasons, the warhorses are now plump and strong.

The autumn sky is clear and the air is dry, so the bowstring is taut and strong.

This is the time.

If you miss this autumn, you'll have to wait another year.

This is a question that not only he wanted to ask.

All the generals held their breath and stared intently at the Empress.

Helian Yunni did not answer immediately.

Instead, he accepted the prey brought to him by the soldiers.

It was the wolf whose head had been blown off by that arrow.

"Do you see that wolf?"

Helian Xiong, though puzzled, nodded.

"The people of the Central Plains are like this wolf."

"When they come together, they are invincible; a pack of wolves can kill tigers and lions, they can kill anything."

"But what if we separate?"

"They would only die by arrows, at the mercy of others."

After saying that, he threw the wolf to Helian Xiong.

"Here you go, eat it today."

Helian Yunni looked into the distance.

The grasslands stretch to the horizon, where the horizon meets the blue sky. A red sun shines down, making it impossible to tell whether it is in the sky or on the ground, creating a magnificent scene.

The last battle revealed the true strength and weakness of the Central Plains.

Today, she is just as ambitious.

She longed to rule the Central Plains more than anyone else. At an age when she should be dreaming of spring, her dreams were filled with the scenery of Jiangnan, the fertile plains of the Central Plains, and the magnificent landscape of the Great Yan.

"Currently, internal strife is gradually breaking out in the Central Plains."

"The new emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty has ascended the throne, but his foundation is unstable. Powerful families and clans each have their own agendas, and there is infighting between civil and military officials, as well as mutual distrust between the emperor and his ministers."

"The eight major warlords are eyeing us with covetous ambitions, and now the Yellow Turbans are raising an army to besiege and suppress them."

"Going south is not in a hurry for us."

"What we need to do now is train our men well, and once they've fought to a standstill, we'll head south to capture the dragon!"

Helian Xiong looked disappointed.

He could understand what the Empress was saying, but the flames of revenge burning in his heart were simply too great.

This pent-up anger had nowhere to go, which was truly frustrating.

"Alright, stop being so stubborn."

The empress spotted another wolf, spurred her horse on, and charged forward like an arrow.

"Lulong is currently unstable. Take two thousand men and go raid it."

It wasn't until the Empress's silhouette turned into a black dot that Helian Xiong suddenly realized what was happening.

He dismounted and knelt on one knee on the grass.

He clenched his right fist and slammed it hard into his left chest.

His eyes shone with the most loyal light.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

......

Cangshan County.

The city gate was breached in the morning, and the county government office had just been burned down.

General Digong led his troops ahead, and wherever he went, he acted decisively and ruthlessly.

At this moment, tens of thousands of people in Cangshan County, regardless of age or gender, were all gathered in the open space in front of the county government office.

All around were soldiers wearing yellow turbans.

The Earth God General stood in the very center, with the magistrate of Cangshan County beneath his feet.

Almost everyone has arrived.

He chopped off the head of the magistrate of Cangshan County with a single stroke and held it in his hand.

"These are the officials who govern Cangshan County!"

"He kept eighteen wives in the city, living a life of luxury, and the silver in his storeroom went moldy!"

"Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the streets, frozen corpses lie!"

"We, the Yellow Turbans, act on behalf of Heaven, and we kill these corrupt officials!"

Behind him was the county government office, which was engulfed in flames.

In the firelight, the sight of him holding up a human head was quite spectacular in front of the many honest and simple people!

Of course, the people have become somewhat numb to it.

In this world, whether you kill me or I kill you, it's all the officials' business.

Nobody cared whether they lived or died.

Today it's just... another change in the local official.

If they have any conscience, they are fortunate.

If it's brutal killing... then they're just unlucky and can only accept their fate.

As one of the three leaders of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, how could General Digong be an ordinary person?

He came from a humble background and understands the thoughts of those at the bottom of society best.

So, he lost his head and took out a steamed bun from his pocket.

Raise it high.

"Fellow villagers, do you know how much a steamed bun like this costs in the capital?"