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

Bai Bingbing's face turned green. She quickly straightened her clothes and gritted her teeth as she squeezed out a few words:

"Shen Qingci, you're so despicable!!!"

"It's just a physical body, why make such a fuss?"

"Then why don't you use your own!"

"Bai Bingbing".

Shen Qingci asked in surprise:

"You think someone like me would be reluctant to part with it? Isn't it because he wants to experience the charm of Jiangnan?"

After saying that, she grabbed her clothes and tore them open with all her might.

The outer robe, which was already on the verge of falling apart, ripped apart in an instant.

The silk blouse slipped off her shoulders, revealing a bright red bodice and a large expanse of dazzlingly white skin underneath.

She stood in front of Chen Shao with her clothes open and her hands on her hips.

There was not a trace of shyness or seduction on her face.

Only the tragic heroism of someone who has no other choice but to risk everything.

"You just like these two pounds of meat, right? Come on, I'll let you play to your heart's content, let you have your fill! Can we stop wasting people's money and resources? Can we stop going to Jiangnan?"

"I, Shen Qingci, am begging you on behalf of all the people!"

She was a pure person, someone completely detached from vulgar interests.

Chen Shao labeled her again.

But he hadn't yet escaped his base desires; Chen Shao's gaze lingered on her chest.

Wow, that's huge!!!

He didn't look away, and cleared his throat:

"Lord Shen, please mind your appearance."

"You are the Minister of Revenue, a high-ranking official of the second rank. How can you behave like this? Put your clothes on and let's talk this out."

"Are you going to agree or not? If you don't, I won't wear it!"

"Oh, then don't wear it."

Shen Qingci's eyes widened.

He stood there stunned for a long time before suddenly bursting into a tirade of curses:

"A tyrannical ruler!"

"In that case, you might as well just die, to save the world from suffering."

In a fit of anger, she dragged Chen Shao off the bed.

He held her tightly in his arms.

Chen Shao's face was buried in that light red bodice, and he could hardly breathe. His hands were flailing wildly in the air.

"Since you're determined to die, I'll just suffocate you right now!"

"At least you'll have a whole corpse, a more dignified death, so you won't be chopped into mincemeat by Chen Yue and Qian Guiren!"

Bai Bingbing watched the show from the sidelines.

He sneered:

"Are you suffocating him, or rewarding him?"

"Or is it that you, Shen Qingci, have fallen ill on your own?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci finally came to her senses.

Her ears turned bright red instantly.

My eagerness to save the world was too hasty; how could I have done something so foolish?

She quickly released Chen Shao, glanced at him, and became even angrier.

"You actually enjoyed it?"

Chen Shao gasped for breath and it took him a while to calm down.

"Alright, alright, put your clothes back on. I'll tell you the truth, okay?"

"You, Shen Qingci, also claim to be extremely learned, but your brain is just so dense!"

Chen Shao said in a low voice:

"The trip to Jiangnan is a hoax."

"The words I spoke in court were not for your ears, but for the people of the world."

"Let everyone think that I am going to take action against Jiangnan and deal with Chen Yue and Qian Guiren."

"The real plan is a surprise attack on Hedong!"

"Hedong is a natural horse breeding ground, and I must take it over. However, Hedong has a strong army and horses, and it would be too costly to take them head-on. I can only try to divert their attention."

"Lord Shen, can you even understand what I'm saying?"

"what?"

Shen Qingci stood there, stunned. Her bright red bodice was still open, but she didn't care about that anymore.

His mind raced over Chen Shao's words.

"So you deliberately created a smokescreen, and your killing of those families was also a smokescreen?"

"It's half true and half false. Those families hoarded rare goods and drove up grain prices in the capital in order to make me submit. They deserved to have their property confiscated."

Shen Qingci slapped his forehead, making a crisp cracking sound.

"Good heavens, it has to be Your Majesty! Your feints and deceptions have completely fooled me!"

"You're not calling Chen Shao this time?"

Shen Qingci's smile froze for a moment. She coughed twice, then lowered her head to put on her clothes.

"If you can really be a good emperor, I'll call you godfather every day."

"But speaking of which, what about Northern Mang? If you attack Hedong, won't Helian Yunni take the opportunity to move south? Can we hold off both Hedong and Northern Mang at the same time?"

"So we have to be quick, so quick that Helian Yunni won't even have time to react before Hedong is captured."

Shen Qingci remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

His clothes were put back on and his belt was fastened.

She regained her dignified and capable demeanor as a female minister.

She bowed solemnly:

"Your Majesty is wise; I have offended you greatly just now."

"Your Majesty, I will go back immediately to prepare a plan for the allocation of provisions. When the army moves, provisions must be sent first; not a single day can be wasted."

"No, no, no, you don't need to prepare any supplies. Just pretend nothing happened."

"By the way, I'm very curious, what exactly is your illness?"

Chen Shao had heard about Shen Qingci's illness several times from Bai Bingbing.

I've always been very curious.

But Shen Qingci immediately broke down, her face turning slightly red, and her eyebrows furrowing in an instant.

"none of your business!"

After saying that, he turned and left, his footsteps disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Chen Shao looked at Bai Bingbing.

"What exactly is wrong with her? Why is she so reluctant to seek medical help?"

Bai Bingbing said expressionlessly:

"It's a disease that can drive men crazy."

"Spring illness?"

"no."

"Clogged pores prevent growth?"

"no!"

"What exactly is that?"

"If Your Majesty has nothing else, I will take my leave."

"I think you're sick too! All you do is pander to people's tastes, isn't that it!"

......

The Jingxiang Military Governor's Office.

Chen Yue sat in his study, with two urgent documents in front of him.

He had read it over and over again, and each time he read it, his brows furrowed even deeper.

"They've become arrogant and are about to make a move against Jiangnan."

Across from me sat a middle-aged scholar dressed in a blue robe.

He was Chen Yue's chief advisor.

He pondered:

"Old Master Dong, everyone knows this boy's ambition."

"The fact that the court disregarded the opposition of the officials and took action against our Jiangnan aristocratic families is a signal."

"Our arrival could very well be our annihilation."

"But on the other hand, it might not be a bad opportunity either."

"The Second Prince is now in our hands. If he dares to act forcefully, we will issue a proclamation in his name to 'purge the court of corrupt officials,' saying that Chen Shao has been deceived by treacherous ministers and has harmed loyal officials. The Second Prince has raised an army to defend the emperor in accordance with the edict of the Retired Emperor."

"At that time, the gentry of Jiangnan will surely rise up in response, and Qian Guiren will certainly stand with us."

"Taking the capital is not impossible."

Chen Yue nodded slightly.

But doubts still remain.

"The situation is currently turbulent. Although the Northern Barbarians have temporarily retreated, their strength remains. Why is Chen Shao so eager to take over Jiangnan? This is illogical."

"Haha, Dongweng, this might not make sense for others, but for Chen Shao, it's perfectly reasonable."

"The Northern Barbarians had just withdrawn their troops when he dared to seize Huaiyuan Prefecture and depose the Prince of Zhao."

He even went to the north and wiped out the Xiao family of Lulong in one fell swoop.

"The war has not yet been quelled, and they are already eager to implement new policies that will anger the people of the world."

"Judging from his behavior, he's practically a madman."

"This man has great ambitions; he wants to become an emperor for all time."

"It's just a pity that they were too eager for quick success and instant benefits."