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

Seeing Chen Shao turn around, Yuwen Chen raised the water vat again, so that his well-developed biceps were facing Chen Shao sideways.

Yuwen Gu, standing next to him, also stood up. He had somehow acquired a nunchaku and was now squatting in a horse stance, humming and hawing as he twirled it with impressive skill.

"Your Majesty...this old minister feels the same way."

Thus, Chen Shao returned.

He slapped Yuwen Chendu's shiny, muscular body a few times.

"Those muscles are really solid."

"But just now I saw you all looking pale and weak, how come you've become so strong in such a short time? Have you really recovered? Don't let it be just a last burst of energy before death."

Yuwen Chen said urgently:

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? I am... I am simply basking in the grace of Heaven, and my illness has vanished on its own."

Yuwen Gu immediately added:

"Yes, this is clearly due to His Majesty's great fortune; even a minor illness requires him to give way."

Chen Shao pressed on Yuwen Chendu's pectoral muscles again.

"Do you know why I have come?"

The father and son exchanged a glance, both seeing the excitement of "Here it comes, here it comes!" in each other's eyes.

"I do not know."

Chen Shao sighed:

"As you all know, I just took Hedong."

"After much deliberation, I have found that the horse farms there are vast and produce the finest steeds in the land."

"For years, our Great Yan has been unable to hold its head high in front of the Northern Mang, allowing foreign tribes to ride on its head and defecate. In the end, it's all because we don't have good horses."

"Now that Hedong has been pacified, it is not stable. I originally thought of sending my cousin Chen Du to Hedong, but that place is bitterly cold and far from the capital. I am afraid that my cousin will not be able to endure the hardship."

Chen Shao waved his hand as he spoke.

"Enough, enough. I'll find someone else. The Yuwen family are my closest relatives. How can I bear to let you suffer like this?"

Yuwen Chendu knelt down with a thud.

The floor tiles shattered instantly.

"Your Majesty! I can endure hardship! I've taken cold baths in winter and ridden horses in the sweltering summer since I was a child. What hardship haven't I endured!"

Chen Shao thought to himself, "You call that being arrogant and bullying the good people in the capital? Is that what you call suffering?"

Yuwen Gu also came over:

"Yes, Your Majesty, my son may not be good at much else, but he is strong, obedient, and hardworking."

Chen Shao declined a few more times.

The father and son, however, became even more enthusiastic, and even wanted to make a pledge on the spot.

After several rounds of arguing, Chen Shaocai solemnly said:

"In that case, I will speak frankly. I will appoint my cousin Chen Du as the head steward of the Imperial Horse Administration in Hedong, in charge of horse administration in Hedong."

The smiles on the faces of both father and son froze simultaneously.

The head steward of the Imperial Horse Stables... What is this?

"So... so he's just a stable boy..." Yuwen Gu muttered.

Chen Shao was furious.

His eyes widened, and his voice deepened.

"What? You look down on it? You think this job is insignificant?"

"Let me put it this way: whether the Great Yan can march north, avenge its fallen soldiers, and crush its warhorses all the way from Hedong to the Northern Mang royal court depends on how well this mission is accomplished!"

"What '弼马温' (Bima Wen, a lowly official in charge of horses)? That sounds awful. Let me be frank: this trip to Hedong is merely for prestige. Whoever succeeds in this mission will return to the capital two years later, and I will personally lead their horse and whip them, appointing them as the Grand General of the Heavenly Strategy, and granting them the authority to establish their own government!"

Chen Shao got up and left.

"If that's the case, and you and your son still think the position of弼马温 (Bima Wen, a minor official in charge of stables) is too lowly, then I've misjudged you!"

Yuwen Chen suddenly stood up straight and slid down to his knees in front of Chen Shao.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to go!"

"Your Majesty, a good man should have ambitions beyond his hometown. Chen Du really wants to go. Please give him a chance."

"Do you dare to sign a pledge?"

"certainly!"

After receiving the military order, Chen Shao immediately sent the keywords "infallible" and "ignores race" to Yuwen Chendu.

Chen Shao looked at the father and son and was suddenly startled. Why did he feel that they were both handsome?

He even felt a little impulsive.

He thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead.

The entry for "[Longyang Zhi Hao]" was sent to Yuwen Huagu.

Although it was somewhat wasteful, it did save those three hundred songstresses.

......

Han Cao was quite efficient; overnight, the capital city became bustling with activity.

The taste seems to have changed.

The people gathered in twos and threes, heads close together, their expressions showing a kind of inexplicable bewilderment.

"Last night, someone heard a woman crying from the old well outside Xihua Gate. She cried intermittently for more than half an hour."

"Old Zhang, the night watchman, mustered up his courage and took a look. There was no one in the well, but a few palace clothes were floating on the surface of the water. They were bright red and quite eerie."

A burly man who looked like a porter squatted on the stone steps, speaking with such vivid detail that it seemed as if he had witnessed it himself.

The person next to him immediately waved his hand:

"What's so special about that? I heard that all the lanterns in the palace went out for no reason last night."

"Many people suddenly developed scratches on their bodies, just like human scratches."

That night, many strange things happened in the city.

This was even more alarming for the people who believed in supernatural powers and strange phenomena, especially since Chen Shao was now in a position of great religious authority, and they were extremely reluctant to discuss ghosts and spirits.

Behind all these events lies a terrifying rumor...

An elderly man, leaning on a cane, said shakily:

"Do you think this is all just a fuss over nothing? I've lived for over sixty years, and I've seen a bit of life. What could this be for? It's nothing but..."

He pointed to the sky, then shook his head.

"You old codger, don't just say half of what you mean!" someone immediately urged.

The old man then whispered:

"I've heard that the Emperor Emeritus wasn't recuperating at Yongshou Palace at all; he actually passed away long ago... It was that one..."

He gestured towards the palace with his lip and made a throat-slitting gesture.

"These ghosts are the people who died unjustly in the palace, demanding justice. The emperor's ascension to the throne was illegitimate... Heaven is about to punish them."

"Otherwise, how could so much trouble have erupted in the capital, including the palace, overnight?"

"Barbarians are rampant in the north, river bandits are rampant in the south, horse thieves are rampant in the west, and Japanese pirates are rampant in the east... This world is in complete chaos."

Upon hearing this, everyone around paled.

"Old man, you mustn't say such things! If the Imperial Guards hear you, you'll lose your head."

The old man snorted, "I'm practically in my grave, what am I afraid of? Just you wait and see. If you don't clear my name, you'll keep making a scene until justice is served."

The crowd fell silent.

But this eerie atmosphere is like the dew on a late autumn night, making you feel sticky and cold, and it won't go away.

This scene played out and gained traction throughout the capital.

The emperor was tyrannical; he murdered his father and wife. Heaven punished him, and supernatural events occurred...