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

Chen Shao did not wait for the Empress Dowager to react.

He continued:

"It seems the Empress Dowager has a lot of opinions about me. Very well, I will find another way."

"But before that, I have a few words to say to the Empress Dowager."

"What are you saying..." Empress Dowager Yuwen's mind was already blank.

"Clouds remind me of her clothes, flowers of her face; the spring breeze caresses the balustrade, the dew is heavy."

"If we don't meet on the summit of Mount Qunyu, we'll meet under the moon on the Jade Terrace."

"what?"

The Empress Dowager exclaimed in surprise, "This...this...is this a sentence that could exist in the human world?"

"Your Majesty, this was written when I was in the battle to destroy Liaocheng. I suddenly thought of Your Majesty's beauty and was moved to write it. Today, I present it to Your Majesty."

"I...I feel like I...am not good enough for..."

"I don't care what you think, I care what I think. If I think you're worthy, then you are worthy."

At this point, we shouldn't continue this topic. The poem left room for her to imagine, and now... it's time to play the victim.

Chen Shao bowed to the Empress Dowager.

"Your Majesty, this poem is presented to you. My purpose for today has been achieved. As for the rest, I will now devise a solution."

After Chen Shao finished speaking, he turned to leave.

Even though they were almost out of the palace, the Empress Dowager still didn't call him back.

Chen Shao had a question in his mind.

Just as they were wondering whether to turn back, the Empress Dowager's melodious voice suddenly rang out.

"etc..."

Chen Shao wanted to slap himself. How could he be so stupid as to not understand the reason?

The Yuwen family's thinking was always a step slower than others.

It was only at this moment that the Empress Dowager realized what was happening, which was normal.

If you react quickly enough, you might have already been possessed.

"Is there anything else, Your Majesty?"

"Silly child, tell me what's wrong. I've seen more than you've walked."

"This...isn't that a bit inappropriate..." Chen Shao feigned reluctance.

"What's good or bad about it? In this palace, in this Great Yan, in this world, who else is as close as the two of us?"

"Cough cough."

Chen Shao returned and said solemnly:

"Your Majesty, the situation in the Great Yan is gradually stabilizing, but we are suffering from a lack of funds. Taxes from all over the country cannot reach the capital, and with hundreds of thousands of troops... if we cannot pay their salaries, they will mutini. I need to raise money."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's eyes widened.

"This...this is just waiting for the rice to cook! Silly child, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"The Empress Dowager is a person of pure cultivation and should not be troubled by such worldly matters. I already feel indebted to her, so how can I bring this up today?"

"What a sensible child! But no matter what, I am the Empress Dowager. Those soldiers outside are risking their lives for the court; shouldn't I contribute some money?"

Chen Shao quickly waved his hand:

"That won't do. It's a man's business; women shouldn't have to worry about it."

These words, like a sharp arrow, pierced the Empress Dowager's heart instantly.

She stared blankly at Chen Shao, her expression softening further.

What a wonderful man.

He's far superior to that deadbeat Chen Yuan.

Not only is he highly skilled, but he also loves women so much.

For the sake of the Great Yan, they risked their lives, and even felt embarrassed to ask a woman like themselves for help.

That's so manly.

"Don't worry too much about this money. Over the years, I've saved up some personal savings in the palace. I don't want it for anything else, I just hope it can be used where it's needed."

"No, the court is in trouble now, and you need money. If I were to keep this money hidden away, that would be truly unreasonable."

"Consider it as me paying for the people of the world."

Chen Shao waved his hand again, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but it is no small sum. I need five million taels."

The Empress Dowager was taken aback at first, then chuckled softly:

"How much should I pay? Five million taels, I'll cover it."

???

This time it was Chen Shao's turn to be stunned. Five million taels of silver? A small amount?

How much has the Empress Dowager amassed over the years...?

Chen Shao was so moved that he almost cried.

"The Empress Dowager has been incredibly kind to me."

The Empress Dowager was amused by his appearance, but she didn't hold back her words:

"Alright, alright, stop with the formalities. Just remember that there's someone in this palace who cares about you, and that's more important than anything else."

Then, she gently read Chen Shaofang's poem again:

"Clouds remind me of her garments, flowers of her face; the spring breeze caresses the balustrade, heavy with dew..."

"Such a beautiful sentence is the first time I've ever heard it in my life."

Chen Shao remained unfazed:

"It was merely a spontaneous expression of my feelings in remembrance of the Empress Dowager's beauty."

"Then when will you teach me your poetry skills?"

"When I return from my campaign, I will certainly impart all my knowledge to you."

The Empress Dowager blushed, clearly understanding the implication.

Just thinking about Chen Shao's two legendary divine skills.

My whole body immediately felt hot.

"If you... if you could impart all your knowledge to me, then I... would repay you tenfold..."

Chen Shao: "..."

That's even stranger.

She coughed lightly, hastily finding an excuse:

"Your Majesty, Chen Yue dares to covet your beauty. This is simply touching my sore spot. There are important matters in the army. I will come another day."

"Go ahead and do your thing, we'll talk about everything later."

"..."

......

That night, Chen Shao left the city and headed straight for Zhigu.

In the darkness of night, a dozen or so merchant ships were scattered around the nearshore waters.

The middle boat is modeled after a donkey.

Although it looks comical, no one should underestimate it, because the Great Flame Dragon Flag hangs on it.

Chen Shao stood at the bow of the boat, his hand on the gunwale, letting the sea breeze tousle his robes.

Behind and to the left and right, Dian Wei stood like an iron tower, while Li Jinglong puffed out his chest, striking a pose of loyal protection of his lord.

"Full speed ahead."

Chen Shao waved his hand, and the ship trembled slightly, the sails creaking.

More than a dozen ships raised their sails one after another and headed out to sea.

Dian Wei scratched his head, trying to hold back, but he couldn't help himself:

"Your Majesty, the sea is different from the land. Although we brought meat powder, we don't have enough fresh water to last long. If we stay at sea for too long, the brothers may not make it before the battle even starts."

Li Jinglong snorted coldly and rebuked:

"You fool, what do you know! His Majesty is all-powerful, able to conjure soldiers from beans and summon wind and rain. A little water is nothing; if you want some, just have His Majesty make some!"

Dian Wei ignored him and only uttered one word:

"roll!"

Chen Shao laughed heartily and patted Dian Wei on the shoulder:

"Li Jinglong is right this time. I am indeed all-powerful and can summon wind and rain."

Dian Wei still didn't understand, "Is the rain summoned from the sea salty or fresh?"

Ok?

Faced with this soul-searching question, Chen Shao was genuinely dumbfounded.

Yes, is the rain at sea salty or fresh?

He really didn't know.

"unimportant."

He faced the sea breeze and gazed at the dark horizon in the distance.

In the distance, the sky and sea meet, stretching to the horizon.

It is a vastness that no other landmass can match.

A sense of pride, unlike anything he had ever felt before, rose in Chen Shao's heart.

"Once the imperial edict is issued, its power shakes the four seas, all gods obey its command, and all evil forces flee in terror."

He paused, then pointed at the sea and burst into laughter:

"This world is bound to change eventually. All the lands illuminated by the sun and moon will one day belong to our Great Yan Kingdom!"

The next day, the sky was bright.

The good news is that the sea is calm and the surface is like a blue silk cloth.

Bad news, where are we now?

Dian Wei moved closer to Chen Shao:

"Your Majesty, didn't you say that since we're flying the dragon flag, the pirates will think our ship is carrying imperial treasures and will attack us on their own?"

"But a whole night has passed, and we haven't seen a single pirate ship, let alone any pirates. What's going on?"

Chen Shao was also completely baffled.

He had seen the nautical charts; on this route, pirates were not just in large groups, but in huge numbers.

They made a living by robbing passing ships.

But his method of "letting the sheep into the tiger's den" failed to attract a single person?

Evil door!

Or has the world changed, and pirates have reformed and learned to farm?

Damn it, what a pathetic bunch. Why did you have to be a pirate before?

Dian Wei, standing nearby, pressed on with another question:

"Your Majesty, what should we do now? We can't just sit here at sea and wait, can we?"

"If they don't come, we'll go find them. The pirates are our military supplies; we must deal with them first."

Dian Wei's eyes remained wide open.

"Where...can we look?"

Yes, where to look? Chen Shao looked at the vast sea and was also at a loss.

Li Jinglong couldn't help but scold him from the side:

"Dian Wei, why do you ask so many questions! His Majesty is perfectly capable; do you need to ask him?"

Dian Wei didn't even turn his head:

"roll!"

After a long while, Dian Wei couldn't hold back any longer:

"Your Majesty, since you steered the ship all night, which direction are we heading?"

Chen Shao was taken aback.

"Which direction?"

"East, west, south, north, where are we now?"

Chen Shao's expression gradually froze.

Yesterday I was too pretentious and got carried away, so I grabbed the steering wheel.

I stayed up all night in a daze.

He turned his head to look at the sea.

The nautical chart I had memorized a few days ago did not match the sea area in front of me, which had no reference points at all.

Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?

Li Jinglong also noticed something was wrong.

"Your Majesty, you wouldn't... have driven recklessly, would you?"

Chen Shaoqian coughed and said seriously:

"I call this going with the flow and following the will of Heaven. When it comes to matters at sea, it all comes down to fate."

Lost, Chen Shao thought to himself with a wry smile.

On the very first day at sea, the "lost" statistic was triggered.

Chen Shao quickly summoned the helmsman and had him regain control and correct the course.

Continue along the direction where the pirates are known to frequent.

Suddenly, a soldier shouted:

"Your Majesty, there seems to be an island ahead!"

The three of them looked up at the same time.

He shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand and looked ahead.

Sure enough, as the sea fog dissipated, the outline of a small island appeared faintly.

The island is half green and half yellow, and from a distance, it looks as if smoke is rising from chimneys.

Behind the smoke from the chimneys, a large flag stood tall, fluttering in the wind.

On the banner, a huge white skull looked extremely ferocious!