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

......

After leaving the palace and passing through several palace gates, Chen Shao arrived at a side hall.

Several fully armed Imperial Guards stood guard outside the palace.

A man from Heifeng Village, dressed in a short brown robe, was squatting nearby.

They were chatting and laughing.

Upon seeing Chen Shao arrive, they were all terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

Chen Shao waved his hand dismissively.

"You guys continue. Officials and bandits are all in the same boat. Just do what you're supposed to do."

Black Wind Stronghold henchmen: "???"

Imperial Guard: "???"

Chen Shao ignored them and pushed open the door.

Qin Ling Shuang, the leader of Black Wind Stronghold, was sitting by the window inside the house.

He was still dressed as a man, holding a book in his hands.

She didn't even look up when she heard footsteps.

"Your Majesty has kept his word. The bet has been fulfilled, and I haven't received a single penny for the five thousand warhorses. Now, are you here to let me leave?"

"Of course, a person cannot stand without integrity, let alone a ruler like yourself."

Chen Shao stood before her: "I deeply admire Chief Qin for keeping his promise and staying here."

"However, I would like to make another bet with you."

He already knew the power of the [Parental Transfer].

They wanted to squeeze every last drop of value out of Chen Yuan.

Otherwise, half a million soldiers... half a million families, the cost would be too small.

Qin Ling Shuang finally glanced at him.

"Your Majesty has become addicted?"

"Forget it, I admit I'm no match for you, I can't beat you."

After saying that, she closed the book and got up to leave.

Chen Shao changed the subject: "What if I don't let you go?"

Qin Ling Shuang paused, her beautiful eyes immediately filled with mockery.

"You can choose not to release it, as long as you can bear the consequences."

"Without my control, the tens of thousands of Black Wind Stronghold henchmen would probably turn the capital upside down."

"What's worse is that Black Wind Stronghold will defect to the Yellow Turbans. With our wealth and warhorses, the Yellow Turban army will be even more powerful."

"At present, the Northern Barbarians have only temporarily retreated. Chen Yuan has just returned, and there are undercurrents in the court. It is unknown how many more days His Majesty can sit on the throne."

A blatant threat, yet every word was true.

Chen Shao was not angry; instead, he clapped his hands and laughed.

"Chief, don't take it seriously. I was just joking."

"I don't have time to play games with you. You be your emperor, I'll be my chieftain. You're an official, I'm a bandit. We're natural enemies, we're not that close."

"Chief Qin, don't be anxious."

Chen Shao blocked her way.

"Last time we fought, neither of us really exchanged a single blow, so my victory was not honorable."

Qin Ling Shuang was also quite curious about this.

Her family's martial arts skills are extremely powerful, and she has never been defeated since her debut.

They had already made a great name for themselves.

There's a street running between the south and north of the city; ask around and find out who's the father.

Absolutely no exaggeration.

But he couldn't even defeat Chen Shao in a single blow, which doesn't make sense.

She looked at Chen Shao with great interest.

The more you look at him, the more he seems like a complete idiot who knows absolutely no martial arts.

Strange.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Today, I wish to have a true contest between men with Chief Qin!"

"How shall we compete? If my skills are inferior, I, Qin Ling Shuang, a hero of the martial world, accept defeat and will not fight you again."

"Do you have any weapons?"

Qin Ling Shuang's hand dipped slightly, and with lightning speed, she pulled a dagger from the side of her thigh.

The moment the dagger was drawn, the entire room became chillingly cold.

Chen Shao subconsciously took a step back.

Qin Ling Shuang scoffed:

"Don't worry, it's for self-defense. It won't kill you."

Killing you will not do me any good for the time being.

"That's fine then. Is the dagger sharp?"

Qin Ling Shuang said proudly:

"This dagger was struck, burned, and hit repeatedly with an eight-pound hammer at least eighty-one times."

"As long as the charcoal fire burns out and the hammer keeps striking, it is forged in one go."

"It's a keepsake left to me by my mother, the White Tiger Dagger. It can cut hair in an instant and slice iron like mud."

"Moreover, it kills without shedding blood."

Chen Shao knew nothing about this thing and had no idea what it was.

It doesn't matter what kind of dagger it is.

"That's good. A contest between men is naturally a fight to the death."

"We each took a dagger and stabbed ourselves."

"One person, one knife. The first to shout 'Stop!' loses. How about it?"

Even though Qin Ling Shuang had been in the underworld for a long time, was ruthless, and had countless lives on her hands, the assassin couldn't help but shudder.

So cruel!

She prided herself on having courage far surpassing that of any man, yet even she was now deeply shaken.

"Such gambling, which even puts lives at risk, what are the stakes?"

"You win, and the Great Yan Dynasty will concede the prize. If you don't want it, you can choose any other terms."

"You lose. Black Wind Stronghold will be collectively recruited into my Iron Fist Regiment. As for you, the position of Grand General awaits you."

What is the most precious thing in the Great Yan Dynasty? Talented people!

Chen Shao's army, at most, only had one military general, Yu Qi'an.

Not enough, far from enough.

If you can't draw the [Training Card], you'll just have to work hard on your own.

Qin Ling Shuang's martial arts level is as high as 146. If she were to pledge allegiance, it would be like getting a bachelor's degree from a junior college!

"Is this not a staged performance?"

Qin Ling Shuang, who has always been proud of her martial arts skills, became even more confident when she realized that she was not going to compete with him.

She trained rigorously in the coldest and hottest winters, until her muscles were as taut as iron.

In contrast, Chen Shao was weak and powerless, more like a bookworm.

She's been through the wringer, dancing in mass graves—what hasn't she done?

How could they possibly be afraid of such a frail and pampered royal?

The first rule of Black Wind Stronghold: seduce the eldest sister-in-law, and you'll be stabbed three times and have six holes pierced in your body.

A mere dagger is nothing to worry about.

Chen Shao answered decisively:

"I never lie!"

"You've got guts."

Qin Ling Shuang still couldn't quite believe that an emperor would do such a foolish thing.

She looked at Chen Shao and blurted out:

"How old are you exactly?"

"eighteen."

"I asked you your age!" Qin Ling Shuang glared angrily.

I hate people who are glib and smooth-talking.

Eighteen.

"oh."

At eighteen years old, he has such courage!

Chen Shao's actions also aroused Qin Ling Shuang's competitive spirit.

"Very well! You, the ruler of a nation, a woman of noble birth, are playing such a big game with a peasant from Black Wind Stronghold like me!"

"If I, Qin Ling Shuang, were to be afraid of you again, I would truly be ridiculed by the world."

"If you win, my Black Wind Stronghold will submit to the imperial court."

"If I win, first, you hang Han Cao's head on the city gate; second, Chen Yuan must die; third, you, Chen Shao, can continue to be emperor, and I will secretly enter the palace."

He gave Chen Shao a cold look and said, word by word:

"Ruling from behind the curtain!"

"It's a deal!"

......

Xiangfu.

After Chen Shao left, the atmosphere here changed drastically.

Han Cao personally locked the back door with three locks and ordered his trusted servants to guard all the passages, not even allowing a fly to get in.

Inside the study, Chen Yuan was invited to sit at the head of the table.

The crowd below knelt down.

They were all his trusted confidants.

"Your Majesty, you have suffered so much."

All the ministers were in tears, deeply grieved.

There is no greater saying than "a subject dies for his ruler's disgrace."

"Your Majesty has suffered such a great humiliation in Northern Mang, yet we, your subjects, have been unable to share your burdens. We deserve to die a thousand deaths."

Inside the study, only the sounds of kowtowing and weeping remained.

Chen Yuan sat upright at the head of the table, gently stroking his beard and nodding slightly.

He hadn't enjoyed being the center of attention like this in a long time.

This tastes so good!

At the same time, he sneered inwardly.

This rebellious son's methods are ineffective; after all this time, these officials are still on his side.

Han Cao stood aside, waiting for the crying to subside.

He coughed lightly and gestured with his hands to signal everyone to be quiet.

He bowed deeply to Chen Yuan.

"In the few days since His Majesty left, Chen Shao has committed numerous crimes."

"Firstly, they arbitrarily altered ancestral rules."

"The Three Great Camps were personally established by Emperor Taizu, but Chen Shao abolished them with a single word and established the so-called Iron Fist Army instead. This is unfilial."

Secondly, the abuse of the Imperial Guard.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard is the emperor's personal army. Chen Shao used Bai Bingbing as his henchman to confiscate property and arrest people without going through the three judicial departments. The two officials, Qian Zhengde and Li Wencai, were unjustly imprisoned and their bodies are still warm. This is inhumane."

Thirdly, he favored and trusted evil Taoist priests.

"Guo Xuanzhen used his charlatanry skills to bewitch the emperor, and Chen Shao actually set up an altar on the city wall to perform rituals, using supernatural powers to govern the country. This is utterly unwise."

Fourthly, he abused his ministers...

Fifthly, they humiliated their ruler and father...

"Sixthly, she engaged in debauchery within the imperial harem..."

Chen Yuan coughed and glared at him.

I still have a sense of shame.

"This is optional."

"Your Majesty! This is essential!"

Han Cao argued that if Chen Yuan were to restore the monarchy, it would be best to execute the Empress Dowager as well.

The Yuwen family's influence is too strong.

"The empress had an affair with Chen Shao. Knowing that His Majesty was being humiliated under the city walls, she gloated and refused to send troops to his aid. Her crime is unforgivable."

"Chen Shao is unfilial, unbenevolent, ignorant, unjust, and disloyal; he is unworthy to be a ruler."

The officials were outraged and echoed their sentiments.

Everyone turned to look at Chen Yuan.

The room erupted in a flurry of kneeling protesters, who all shouted in unison:

"We beg Your Majesty to reclaim the throne! We beg Your Majesty to reclaim the throne!"