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

......

Chen Yuan was too weak to even kill a chicken, so how could he be a match for a few palace maids?

The belt choked hard into the flesh of his neck.

The choking caused his eyes to roll back, and his tongue to stick out like a dead fish.

His legs were thumping loudly on the bed.

The noise gradually subsided.

He was about to kick the bucket.

Just then, the door creaked open a crack.

Yuwen Gu's enormous head poked out.

He lowered his head shyly.

"Your Majesty, after some thought, I believe it is best to handle the detoxification process myself."

"Anyway, it's all the same whether you close your eyes or not."

"They might not be clean at all..."

He slowly looked up as he finished speaking.

But then he saw four palace maids: one riding on Chen Yuan's lap, one pressing down on Chen Yuan's shoulder, and one holding down Chen Yuan's wrist.

Another one was tightly choking him.

Chen Yuan's face had turned a deep liver color.

"You slutty, cheap whore!"

Yuwen Gu roared and charged forward like a wild bull.

A few palace maids could only manage to deal with Chen Yuan; they were no match for Yuwen Huagu.

He was knocked to the ground in no time.

Yuwen Gu patted Chen Yuan on the back:

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, wake up! I am too late to save you, I deserve to die!"

Chen Yuan coughed for a long time, his face covered in tears and snot.

He slowly came to his senses.

"Great General...I...I almost didn't get to see you again..."

Han Cao rushed over upon hearing the news, and immediately knew what had happened upon seeing the situation inside the house.

Your Majesty is truly having a run of bad luck; you almost became the first emperor to be strangled to death by a palace maid. Unbelievable...

His cold gaze swept over the palace maids.

"Guards, drag these four treacherous lowly maids out and beat them to death with sticks, then feed them to the dogs!"

"etc."

Chen Yuan looked at the girls with a pained expression.

"You lot, I have treated you well, why do you want to kill me?"

"What benefits did Chen Shao give you?"

The leading palace maid showed no fear, and gave a cold smile:

"Has the Emperor Emeritus treated us well?"

"Yes, you didn't hit or scold us, you just made us go to collect dew before dawn. So many sisters froze to death in the back garden."

"You just can't control yourself when you're drunk, like a stud, beating any woman who doesn't get pregnant to death."

"You just listened to the words of the sorcerer and made us take medicine to promote blood circulation and induce menstruation, and used menstrual blood to make elixirs. Many women have suffered severe bleeding and died in bed."

"Chen Yuan! You're such a good person!"

"Since we're going to die anyway, we might as well fight to the death!"

Chen Yuan was puzzled. These things were true, but they had been going on in the palace for a long time.

I didn't see any palace maids causing trouble.

Why would you take action in the Prime Minister's residence, knowing that the General was guarding outside?

What are their difficulties?

As the saying goes, a dying man's words are often good.

Having suffered repeated setbacks, Chen Yuan has become less aggressive and more compassionate towards women.

He waved his hand dejectedly.

"Alright, alright, send them all back to their hometowns, give them some money, and let them go."

"They are also pitiful people, forced by Chen Shao."

Four palace maids were dragged out.

Han Cao bowed and said, "Your Majesty is truly a benevolent ruler."

General Yuwen raised an eyebrow: "Does Your Majesty still need to detoxify?"

Chen Yuan was almost laughing in anger.

What's wrong? You, General Yuwen, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, are you a little glutton?

How much Wushi Powder did he take?

The air fell silent again.

Just as Chen Yuan was wondering how to refuse this fool's kindness, the prime minister's steward stumbled in.

"Your Majesty, Your Excellency, something terrible has happened!"

"Your Majesty...no, no, no, Chen Shao went on a killing spree in the court, slaughtering everyone in the Censorate!"

The three of them were all shocked.

"What?!!"

Chen Yuan immediately turned pale and began to tremble.

"Rebellious...rebellious son...he's about to make a move...he...he's going to kill his father..."

Yuwen Gu stamped his foot: "Damn it, I'm going to the palace right now to kill him!"

Of the three, Han Cao was the most composed.

He glanced at Yuwen Gu: "Whose mother are you calling a bastard?"

"Damn it!" Yuwen Huagu was furious. Even at this point, this bastard was still finding fault with what he said.

He turned to Chen Yuan and said, "Your Majesty, let's rebel!"

"Now is not the time."

Han Cao gestured to the two of them not to be nervous.

He stroked his beard lightly, his face showing a confident and composed expression.

"Chen Shao now has Yu Qi'an's 30,000 Iron Fist Regiment under his command, which is not so easy to deal with."

"We still need to recruit more people and win over key figures."

"His killing of the censor today is a declaration of war against us; he is beginning to control the court."

"Time, time is the most precious thing right now."

The other two fell silent, staring intently at him.

Chen Yuan: "What instruction does Chancellor Han intend to give me?"

Yuwen Huagu: "Can you stop beating around the bush and just spit it out!"

"Make things difficult for Chen Shao, so that he has no time for court affairs or the affairs of the retired emperor."

Chen Yuan frowned:

"Now that the Embroidered Uniform Guard is in his hands, how can we cause him trouble?"

"The reason I'm still alive is because he didn't want to bear the name of patricide and cause me trouble. When a dog is cornered, it really will kill its father."

Han Cao's lips curled slightly, revealing a cunning and calculating smile:

"Disaster situation."

"The army of King Zhao Chen Du is now stationed two hundred li south of the capital."

"As long as the Emperor Emeritus sends a secret letter, Prince Zhao can send men disguised as bandits to plunder a few towns and burn a few granaries."

"If the wealthy and powerful collude to hoard grain and drive up prices, grain prices will skyrocket, and starvation will immediately spread across the land."

"Tens of thousands of disaster victims are homeless and resorting to cannibalism. Should Chen Shao divide his troops and provide disaster relief?"

Chen Yuan's eyes lit up when he heard this.

Only Yuwen Huagu hesitated slightly:

"Isn't this too harsh on the people? They are...they are living, breathing human beings too..."

Chen Yuan gave him a disdainful look.

This idiot, with his womanly compassion at this time, is unlikely to achieve anything great.

Han Cao immediately sneered:

"For the sake of the Emperor Emeritus's grand cause, we can only let the common people suffer for now."

"Wouldn't it be better to treat them better after the Emperor Emeritus ascends the throne?"

"Forehead..."

Han Cao ignored him and bowed to the Emperor Emeritus.

"This old minister will go to court now and inform him of the disaster."

"I didn't even write a secret letter..."

"It's not too late to report the disaster first, then let it happen."