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

So abstract...

Huh? Chen Shao's eyes lit up.

When the spear was less than a centimeter from his throat.

He mustered all his strength and shouted, "Giddy up!"

The next moment, a miracle happened.

The lazy donkey's four legs were off the ground, and with a whoosh, it charged forward like an arrow released from a bow.

He narrowly escaped being shot.

Immediately afterwards, dust billowed three zhang high behind them, and the donkey cart pulled a long, rolling dragon as it sped along.

Ahead was a bend in the road; the donkey tilted to one side, its four hooves shoveling across

The car and its rider created an arc-shaped wall of smoke at the bend.

The Northern Mang cavalrymen reined in their horses, getting mouthfuls of dust.

"This...this is a donkey?!"

The Empress was also quite surprised, but she only paused for a moment before swinging her spear, the tip of which gleamed coldly.

"There's no escaping them, chase them!"

......

Chen Yuan sat in the carriage, lifting the curtain and anxiously looking back.

Everywhere you looked, the dust kicked up by horses' hooves blotted out the sky.

The Northern Mang army is getting closer and closer.

"What should we do..."

He lowered the curtain, leaned against the back of the carriage, and looked bewildered.

"Your Majesty, the Northern Barbarian horses are strong and powerful. At this speed, I'm afraid we'll have little chance of escape..."

Outside, the general guarding the emperor spoke urgently.

Chen Yuan looked around the carriage.

It was already a place of bare walls and empty carts.

He threw away everything he could, including his son.

If we still can't escape, then there's really no other way.

"If all else fails... just vote."

"If I offer generous rewards and cede more land, I think the Northern Barbarians won't make things too difficult for us."

He rolled his eyes and said, "Quickly turn back, capture Lao Liu and hand him over to the Northern Barbarians. Tell them that I am willing to be a hostage on the grasslands, as long as they let me leave."

Using a prince as a hostage was an extremely significant compromise.

After all, this essentially gave the Northern Barbarians a legitimate reason to send troops at any time.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

"What time is it?!" Chen Yuan roared in anger.

"Your Majesty..." A cry of alarm suddenly came from outside the carriage.

"What, are you going to disobey the imperial decree?"

"No... Your Majesty... Look!"

Although Chen Yuan was angry, he couldn't push people too hard at this moment, so he lifted the curtain again.

Looking back.

"!!!"

Not far behind the carriage, Chen Shao was galloping towards them at such a speed that even the Northern Mang cavalry behind him could only look at his back.

What is he riding? How can it be so fast?

Chen Yuan rubbed his eyes.

Donkey cart?!

He no longer cared how the donkey did it.

As Chen Shao drew closer, Chen Yuan was overjoyed.

He leaned halfway out and waved frantically at his beloved son.

"My son! Quick! Come to my rescue!"

But the ecstasy on his face didn't last three seconds before it froze.

Chen Shao's donkey cart sped towards them at an incredible speed, yet it didn't stop for a second when it passed the horse-drawn carriage.

With a whoosh, the man and the donkey vanished in a blur.

The dust that rose up splashed all over Chen Yuan's face.

Chen Yuan spat a few times, spitting out the mud from his mouth, and could hardly believe his eyes.

"My...my son?"

Only when he saw the donkey cart driving further and further away did he finally realize what had happened.

Shouting at the top of his lungs:

"My son, come back and save me! When we return, I will make you the crown prince! I keep my word!"

"Come back! Please come back soon!"

"My son is destined to be a sage king like Yao and Shun!"

"I cannot die. I am your father. The Great Yan cannot be without me. I still have the country to protect, and I still have my concubines..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shao did not turn his head back and did not slow down at all.

But he waved his hand and said, "Father, rest assured, I will take good care of you! Giddy up!!!"

The donkey cart sped up again and drove away.

"Beast! Treason!"

Chen Yuan's eyes were blazing with fury.

How could a person...

He was about to unleash a torrent of curses when a silver spear was already pressed against his throat.

Then he saw a beautiful, aloof face.

With a downward thrust of the spearhead, Chen Yuan was thrown off the carriage.

The Empress raised her gun and shouted:

"Emperor Chen Yuan of the Great Yan Dynasty has been captured by my Northern Mang!"

......

......

The capital city, the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The dragon throne was empty, and behind the curtain, the empress, dressed in plain clothes, hung the curtain.

Chancellor Han Cao and General Yuwen Huagu, the two most powerful ministers in the empire, gathered in the palace.

That's how it is.

Chen Shao bowed respectfully towards the Empress behind the curtain... oh, she's probably about to become the Empress Dowager.

"Your Majesty, I tried my best to save you, but it was all in vain. Now, I fear that you have fallen into the hands of the Northern Mang bandits. Alas."

The complete annihilation of an army of 500,000 and the capture of the emperor were so outrageous that they were unheard of and utterly appalling.

The two high-ranking officials exchanged a glance.

Then...overwhelmed with grief, he looked up to the sky and wept bitterly.

"It's over! It's all over!"

"With the ancestors of the Great Yan Dynasty above, we, your subjects, cannot escape our guilt even at the cost of ten thousand deaths!"

"This situation is a tragedy for the Great Yan Dynasty and a result of our incompetence as subjects."

"Your Majesty, I must immediately muster the troops and rush to your rescue!"

Both of them are high-ranking and powerful, and quite shrewd. It's truly rare to see them both break down in their defenses...

Chen Shao muttered a curse to himself.

Of course, neither of them were good people either.

Controlling the government and eliminating dissidents were commonplace for them.

It's somewhat like crocodile tears, a case of feigned compassion.

"Alright." The Empress's cool voice came from behind the curtain.

"What's the use of crying and wailing? The emperor has been captured, and the Northern Mang army could march south at any moment. The situation is already precarious; we should be thinking about how to deal with it!"

The two ministers' weeping stopped abruptly.

Chancellor Han Cao wiped away his tears.

"Your Majesty is right. At this critical juncture, I believe... the Northern Barbarians may seize the Emperor to command the other lords. If Your Majesty is held hostage, our Great Yan will be controlled at every turn, and the nation will be in grave danger!"

Yuwen Huagu immediately echoed, "I think so too."

Han Cao continued, "With 500,000 troops wiped out, the Northern Barbarian cavalry could march south and besiege the capital at any time."

"With the emperor's throne so high up, it's hard to guarantee that the regional princes won't harbor rebellious thoughts."

"The Yellow Turban rebels are becoming increasingly arrogant and may take the opportunity to cause chaos."

"The only solution now is to establish a new ruler to quickly resolve this mess."

There was a moment of silence behind the curtain, followed by a choked sob:

"Your words are reasonable, my two ministers. This is indeed the best course of action."

So, here's the problem.

Who should be made emperor? Chen Yuan has a whole bunch of sons.

The two powerful ministers each harbored their own ulterior motives, and the Empress was not immune to having her own thoughts as well.

Chancellor Han Cao was fond of wielding power, and he not only controlled the censors and officials in charge of remonstrance, but was also the leader of the civil officials.

He dreamed of usurping the emperor's power and ruling the world on his behalf.

General Yuwen Huagu was even more exceptional.

He was the Empress's older brother and wanted to help her ascend the throne, so that the throne would naturally fall to the Yuwen family.

The Empress naturally wholeheartedly supported him.

"Alas," Chen Shao sighed. "With these three men, how can the country not perish?"

I have absolutely no interest in their discussion.

At this point, he was more interested in his system.

[The Shining Stars System.]

This system gathers the wisdom of five thousand years of shining stars, dedicated to helping its host become an emperor for all time.

[Complete the system's tasks to enhance the nation's fortune, and you can draw affix cards; the card pool features emperors and generals from the past five thousand years.]

[The entry cards are divided into Emperor Cards, General Cards, and Training Cards.]

[Emperor Card: Imperial entries from China's 5,000-year-old brilliant civilization, available for you to draw.]

[General Cards: Characters related to generals and ministers from China's 5,000-year-old brilliant civilization are available for you to draw.]

[Training Card: Allows for basic recruitment after use.]

[Note: Unlocked after becoming emperor.]

[Host: Chen Shao.]

Age: 18.

Combat ability: 60 (50 represents the level of a normal adult.)

[Ambition: 10.]

[Current host's evaluation: A nobody in the Great Yan Dynasty, disliked by both humans and dogs.]

[Note: A strong national fortune increases the probability of winning gold. All attribute cards are divided into gold and other.]

Main Quest: Become a Greatest Emperor in History.

[Side Quest: A strong nation cannot exist without a solid economic foundation. Even an emperor can be brought down by a mere penny. Start from the basics and earn your first pot of gold. Current progress: 0/100 taels!]

In Chen Shao's mind, the stars are now shining brightly.

Amidst the starlight, the figures of emperors appeared one after another, dazzling the eye.

Along with this came all sorts of extravagant and exaggerated terms:

[Meteor Falls into Camp] [Time Traveler] [Good Wife] [Enduring Hardship and Vengeance] [Specifically Stabbing Her Godfather] [Body Lying Lying Down]...

After reading the introduction, Chen Shao felt a toothache.

To draw cards, do you have to become an emperor first?

His maternal clan was powerless, his birth mother died early, and he was usually just a lucky charm. He probably wouldn't even get the throne if it were given to a dog.

Moreover, the Great Yan has now lost its main force, and is beset by the Northern Barbarians on the outside and the Eight Great Warlords and the Yellow Turban Army on the inside.

There were also two powerful ministers and an empress who ruled from behind the curtain.

This situation... truly leaves Cao Pi's father-in-law speechless and Zhen Ji's father speechless!

The emperor is a thing that can kick the bucket at any moment; I wouldn't even be a dog.

Just as they were pondering, the discussion inside the hall seemed to have ended.

The woman behind the curtain spoke again:

"Shao'er, from this day forward, you are the Emperor of Great Yan."

"Um?"