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

......

Su Ruolan sneered inwardly.

What a tyrant! A complete tyrant!

She felt no remorse whatsoever for killing such a person.

To entrust the fate of a nation to a Taoist priest of unknown origin?

Neither father nor son is any good.

The Great Yan Dynasty has truly run its course!

After chatting about this and that for a while, Chen Shao got up to take his leave, and as he passed by, he patted the little Taoist boy's bottom.

"Taoist priest, come back to the palace with me."

All four parties involved felt they had gained something from the meeting.

Han Cao: Although there was a slight hiccup, everything went exactly as planned, and we made a huge profit!

Master Guo: Not only did he acquire so much wealth, but he also became the emperor's elder brother. He made a fortune.

Su Ruolan: Now that I've infiltrated the emperor's inner circle, the title of the world's number one assassin is just a formality.

Chen Shao: Whether you guys make money or not, I've made a fortune! Not only did I get two entries, but I also got a courtesan to warm my bed. More importantly, it seems that the defense of the city is finally secured.

......

After returning to the Imperial Study, Chen Shao lay half-reclined on the dragon throne.

He squinted at the curvaceous young Taoist boy.

"By the way, I haven't asked for your Daoist name yet?"

Oh no, I forgot to consider that! Su Ruolan had a sudden inspiration and made up a random guess.

"This humble Taoist priest...this humble Taoist priest is Biyang."

Chen Shao chewed it repeatedly for a while, then praised it:

"Good name."

"Now that I have taken you, you are mine."

"I have some little quirks. Daoist priest, are you prepared for this, having arranged for you to serve me?"

"Wh...what preparations..."

"Go wash up, and serve me tonight."

"what?"

Su Ruolan's mind went blank.

She subconsciously put herself in the shoes of the Taoist boy.

Just thinking about it makes me want to kill this tyrant right now.

But after thinking about Helian Xiong, I decided against it.

Pervert, dead pervert, dead pervert who likes men!

No wonder he wasn't moved by my dancing last time.

In the end, they said they didn't feel anything.

They still considered him a gentleman who could remain unmoved even with a woman in his lap.

After all that, it turns out the woman remained unmoved.

Vulgar and shameless!

"His Majesty..."

Su Ruolan's acting was excellent; her face was filled with shame, indignation, and a desire to die.

"What, you don't want to?" Chen Shao raised an eyebrow.

"Once you enter the palace, you will have no control over your own life. If you are unwilling, then I will have no choice but to make you a eunuch."

"Disciple...Disciple is a monk."

"From today onwards, you are renounced your vows."

Su Ruolan felt that she had acted out her role well enough.

Suppressing his anger, he meekly squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth:

"yes..."

...

Chen Shao watched her awkwardly leave the imperial study and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The ancients' methods of disguise were so outrageous!

Hi, can you play CF with me?

Change F to C to cover it up.

He was enjoying himself when the door was suddenly pushed open with a bang.

Judging from the voice, it must be either Shen Qingci or Yu Qi'an; only the two of them would dare to do this.

Chen Shao looked up and saw Yu Qi'an striding towards him in a great hurry.

He hadn't even taken off his helmet, and his face was full of menacing intent!

"Your Majesty! We are ready to fight to the death at the front, why..."

Forehead...

Yu Qi'an almost said the wrong thing because he had read too many historical novels.

But that's the gist of it.

"Why would you go see that charlatan Taoist priest!"

"Hey, you're really well-informed."

Upon hearing this, Yu Qi'an's heart sank to the bottom.

If that's the case, then His Majesty has admitted it.

Just like the rumors said, he wanted to find that Taoist priest to guard the city!

"Your Majesty, if you believe in this, why would I bother training the Iron Fist Army? Why not just have a Taoist priest draw some talismans and stick them on the wall? We could just open the gates and surrender, and die sooner rather than later."

Chen Shao asked suspiciously, "How did you know that?"

"It's not just me who knows; the entire capital probably knows already!"

"This is Han Cao's scheme. He'd love for all the people in the world to point their fingers at you and curse you as a tyrant!"

What do the people think about this?

"Look closely!"

Yu Qi'an was furious.

Just two days ago, I thought this emperor was a rare and wise ruler.

In an instant, everything changed.

Not only did he gain a firm foothold in the palace, but he also firmly controlled the Embroidered Uniform Guard, even pulling out two of Han Cao's front teeth.

But why did he suddenly become like he was possessed, seeking out those unorthodox methods?

"The people are all talking behind your back now."

Yu Qi'an tried to awaken Chen Shao with the harshest yet least defiant language.

"If you really do that, you will be unable to escape the title of a tyrant."

"Your Majesty, if you pull back from the brink, there is still hope!"

"It's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost!"

Chen Shao waved his hand.

"Lord Yu, I don't know if Master Guo can summon the Six Ding and Six Jia, but I certainly can!"

"..."

Yu Qi'an was stunned for a full three breaths.

Then he became furious, his eyes reddening with anger.

He disregarded the proper etiquette between ruler and subject and slammed his hand on the imperial desk.

"Your Majesty, what time is it? Why are you still joking around here!"

"Do you know that once the city falls, everyone else might survive, but you will undoubtedly die!"

"I value my life, how could I joke like that? My lord, do I look like a ruler destined for a fallen kingdom?"

Yu Qi'an scrutinized him for a moment, then nodded emphatically.

"Damn..." Chen Shao chuckled, "You actually agreed?"

"I am speaking the truth."

"Alright, stop dwelling on this matter. Anyone in this world might abandon the Great Yan, but I will not."

"I haven't lived enough yet. If I say I have a way, then I have a way."

"You should obediently do as I say, and recruit and train soldiers properly."

"Think about it carefully. If I were truly that incompetent, what would be the point of investigating military pay, confiscating property, and having you train troops?"

"It seems so," Yu Qi'an nodded blankly.

"Alright, let's get down to business. How's the recruitment going?"

"smoothly!"

Yu Qi'an gave a thumbs up: "His Majesty's rhetoric, though heartless, is really effective."

"Many young people are lining up, and they're even advising others not to value money so much. I truly admire them!"

"We have now been able to muster 30,000 usable troops."

"Although most of them lack battlefield experience, they are sufficient for defending the city."

Chen Shao nodded: "What about the provisions?"

"The transport of supplies went very smoothly, after all, so much money had been invested."

"Where are the Northern Mang troops outside the city?"

"Helian Xiong was injured by His Majesty, so they became timid and hesitant, and it was impossible for them to organize an attack."

At this point, Yu Qi'an finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Indeed, such a big change has occurred without us even realizing it.

His Majesty said he knows the Six Ding and Six Jia, which is quite possible.

Chen Shao then asked:

"What's the movement of the loyalist army?"

Yu Qi'an's face darkened again.

"We can't count on them. These regional warlords are all harboring their own ulterior motives and watching from the sidelines."

"Especially Zhao Wang Chen Du, who, under the pretext of suppressing bandits, stationed troops two hundred li south of the capital; his intentions are despicable!"

At this point, Yu Qi'an said with deep concern:

"Your Majesty, this is all a mess left by the retired emperor. Even if we manage to defend the capital region, it will become too powerful to control in the future."

The revolution is not yet complete, comrades must continue to strive...

Chen Shao sighed inwardly. The regional military governors were strong while the imperial court was weak; this was a path to disaster.

It seems that nowadays everyone harbors the ambition to use the emperor to command disobedient subjects.

"These are all things for the future; let's focus on winning the battles at hand."

Chen Shao suddenly became serious:

"Lord Yu, I am not knowledgeable in military affairs. Could you analyze the prospects of this battle and what our chances of victory are?"

The preliminary work has been mostly done; the question is how far we can go in achieving our goals.

Chen Shao had absolutely no confidence.

"Your Majesty, with our meager force of 30,000, it's absolutely impossible to annihilate the Northern Barbarians in one fell swoop!"

"Unless a loyalist army arrives, which is currently highly unlikely."

"What we can ensure is that the capital will not fall. Now it is almost August and the weather is hot. If the Northern Mang army cannot take it after a long siege, their food supplies will run out and they will suffer from acclimatization problems, so they will naturally have to withdraw."

"The premise is that we can survive this period."

Chen Shao paced back and forth in the main hall.

Yu Qi'an's analysis was very logical and reasonable.

But he still felt that this wasn't quite safe enough.

What if the Northern Barbarians adapt to the local climate and water? What if they sustain themselves through war?

Although the capital city has plenty of grain and provisions, how long can it last?

If the city is besieged for a long time, who knows how many traitors will emerge.

"Minister Yu, I think we need to add a little something extra to them."

"Add what?"

"Send some clever scouts on horseback to ride out of the city, circle around to the rear of Northern Mang, and infiltrate Northern Mang territory."

"Why don't you spread some rumors to sow discord among them?"

Yu Qi'an smiled bitterly:

"Your Majesty may not know this, but the Empress of Northern Mang is a ruthless woman."

"She was ruthless and had long ago killed off her brothers, sisters, and even uncles and nephews who posed a threat to the throne."

"I have considered the strategy of sowing discord, but I am afraid it will be difficult to succeed."

"You'll only know if it works by trying."

Chen Shao beckoned to him and whispered in his ear:

"The rumors have to be outrageous, so let's make a scandalous rumor about her and me."

"What?"

Yu Qi'an had been an official for many years, and this was the first time he had ever heard of something so outrageous!

That's an insult to my ears.

What is this?

"Lord Yu, Helian Yunni led the army of 500,000 to victory against the Great Yan. The morale of the country must be at its peak now."

"We could easily wipe out 500,000 people, but we couldn't even take down a single isolated city. It's hard to guarantee that the Northern Barbarians won't become suspicious."

"As the saying goes, 'three men can make a tiger,' and with my own erotic rumors circulating, I'm not afraid they won't cause chaos."

"Besides, as long as there's even a sliver of hope, we must do it!"

"This is a battle for survival!"

Yu Qi'an stared blankly at the young emperor, then suddenly looked up at the sky and sighed.

"If Your Majesty had ascended the throne a few years earlier, there would have been no shame of Shuangmu City!"

......

The two discussed for a long time, and by the time Chen Shao returned to his palace, it was already deep into the night.

Su Ruolan had obediently lay down on the bed.

Chen Shao chuckled:

"Master Biyang, I have arrived."

Su Ruolan clutched the brocade quilt tightly with both hands, tears streaming down her face.

She only realized later that the Taoist name she had casually mentioned sounded so awful.

Hearing Chen Shao shout now, he felt even more ashamed.

Chen Shao and she were old acquaintances, so he pounced on her.

But then I felt something poking me from below.

"Why do you carry a dagger to bed?"

Chen Shao asked suspiciously:

"Are you perhaps planning to assassinate me?"

Damn!

Su Ruolan was shocked. What should she do? Had she been exposed?

Fortunately, she was quick-witted.

He hurriedly explained:

"Your Majesty, that...that was me...I was born with extraordinary talent and a precocious talent..."

"Really?"

Chen Shao knew it was a dagger, but he didn't care.

They've become sworn brothers, so I have absolute control over her.

In any case, it's impossible for me to hurt myself.

Still a familiar recipe.

...

Su Ruolan had been looking for an opportunity to make her move.

I searched all night, but there was no chance at all.

Chen Shaohe at this moment was completely different from the last time.

Did he drink some kind of nourishing soup?

They're really good at causing trouble.

Despite being covered in poison and equipped with hidden weapons, Su Ruolan was powerless to use them.

My body simply wouldn't obey my commands.

My bones are numb.

This tyrant is no human being!

Until dawn...

Su Ruolan slowly woke up.

Chen Shao has disappeared without a trace.

"Truly a gifted individual..."

Two lines of tears flowed down her cheeks again.

Su Ruolan felt like dying.

The assassin didn't advance, wow, two assassination attempts.

I lost my virginity twice...

"What a tragedy!"

...

For the next two days, everything proceeded as planned.

Chen Shao personally oversaw every aspect of the preparations.

Recruiting and training soldiers, stockpiling provisions, forging weapons, boiling gold syrup, rolling logs and stones... even constructing altars.

He personally oversaw everything, big or small.

The entire capital was filled with an atmosphere of impending doom.

On the evening of the third day, a scout came to report.

The Northern Barbarians' 50,000 iron cavalry will be at the city gates at dawn the day after tomorrow.

Early the next morning.

Yu Qi'an, fully armed and riding a horse, was in the palace.

Behind him were rows of new recruits.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Chen Shao stood on the imperial steps, wearing a twelve-tassel crown, a black dragon robe, and an emperor's sword at his waist.

The Imperial Guards lined up in a row, with Bai Bingbing at the head.

Such a display speaks volumes.

Chen Shao is making final preparations for the great battle today.

Blood must be drawn!

In case he's fighting a bloody battle on the front lines while his home front is in turmoil.

As the eunuch read the announcement, the officials filed in.

Upon seeing such a spectacle, everyone's heart pounded.

What's wrong with this little emperor...?

Before the officials could speak, Chen Shao spoke first.

"My beloved ministers, tomorrow, 50,000 iron cavalry from the Northern Barbarians will be at our gates."

This was already common knowledge and didn't cause much of a stir.

"I hope you ministers are not used to things being done this way today."

"I am not used to it either, but I am really heartbroken."

Chen Shao abruptly changed the subject and angrily said:

"I never imagined that there would be a Northern Mang traitor within the Great Yan court!"

"They attempted to surrender the city to the Northern Barbarians... It's heartbreaking, it breaks my heart!"

Chen Shao will naturally not touch Han Cao today.

But we should take this opportunity to pull out one of Yuwen Bone's teeth.

As for whether there is evidence...

This is too simple.

They could easily slander one of Yuwen Huagu's trusted confidants and force him to prove he wasn't an inside agent; he was who he was...

It's harder than death!