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

Qin Ling Shuang stood with her arms crossed.

Seeing Chen Shao stop his carriage, he couldn't help but make sarcastic remarks.

"You're really stupid. You knew Han Cao was eager for you to leave the capital to make room for the retired emperor, yet you just swaggered off like that?"

Chen Shao had indeed given this question a lot of thought.

Currently, within the capital city, only the Imperial Guards under the control of Yuwen Huagu and the Empress Dowager, as well as the Five City Garrison, remain, along with his 30,000-strong Iron Fist Regiment.

Actually, he himself is the strongest.

Moreover, having just won a battle, he enjoys extremely high prestige among the people. If the retired emperor wanted to usurp the throne, it wouldn't be as simple as issuing an edict to depose him.

He can only kill himself.

Death can be sudden, typhoid fever, or drowning—any accident can happen.

All of these prerequisites require you to kill yourself.

Otherwise, they would not have been able to successfully usurp the throne, neither in terms of strength nor in terms of prestige.

Even if we take a step back and assume that Yu Qi'an betrays him, all military power will fall into Chen Yuan's hands.

It's best to escape beforehand.

This Great Yan Dynasty was truly not worth it.

Chen Shao didn't explain much to her.

He simply smiled and said, "Isn't that what you're here for?"

Qin Ling Shuang raised an eyebrow slightly. You trust me that much?

"What does the matter in Huaiyuan Prefecture have to do with Black Wind Stronghold?"

A thin layer of anger instantly appeared on Qin Ling Shuang's pretty face.

"My brothers from Black Wind Stronghold only act on behalf of Heaven."

"I also think that you, Qin Ling Shuang, would not do such a thing."

"You didn't come here just to waste time talking nonsense, did you?"

Qin Ling Shuang gave a cold snort.

With a flick of his wrist, a token landed squarely in Chen Shao's hand.

A black token with a tiger engraved on the front and large black characters on the back.

Are they afraid others won't know they're involved in organized crime?

"I, Qin Ling Shuang, still have some influence in the martial arts world. Since you are traveling alone, you should take this token with you; it might bring you unexpected benefits."

Chen Shao didn't stand on ceremony, tucked the token into his pocket, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards her:

"Thank you, Master Qin. As for the situation in the capital..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Ling Shuang had already mounted her horse, spurred it on with her legs, and shot back towards the city gate like an arrow.

Chen Shao stared at that retreating figure, his lips twitching slightly.

"This guy really knows how to act cool."

Shen Qingci had been watching the two chat, and suddenly spoke up.

It's rare to find one that doesn't have any hidden agendas.

"Although I don't know what happened between you two, she will definitely keep her promise."

Are you very familiar with her?

Shen Qingci shook his head: "A scholar will die for one who understands him."

"For a king to believe in a bandit is simply a fantasy."

Even if she's proud at heart, she'll cherish this trust, at least... in this matter.

"Chen Shao, are you really sure it's just the two of us going?"

"No, actually it's just me. You're just here to serve me."

Shen Qingci was furious:

"Then why didn't you send Eunuch Wei?"

"There are some things he can't handle."

Shen Qingci was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening.

He chuckled and said:

"I see. I happen to have fifty coins on me. If you need someone to serve you, I'll go find some bandits for you."

She abruptly changed the subject and said sternly:

"I don't have time to joke around with you. Be serious, are you really sure about what you've decided?"

"Indeed! I must go in person. There are some things I cannot explain to you, but you only need to know that I am fully capable of handling any unexpected situation."

"blow..."

Shen Qingci wanted to refute, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that...

It seems that's really the case.

This guy always has all sorts of strange methods or luck to handle the most difficult things.

"You understand my current predicament, don't you?"

"I am now like a thong."

"What?"

"Surviving in the cracks."

"What kind of pants were they again?"

"You'll see later. I must go there myself now. No one but me can provide relief for this disaster."

Chen Shao was about to raise his whip.

But then I saw a small blade of grass stubbornly taking root and sprouting in a crack in the stone, just the width of a fingernail.

He pointed to the tender bud:

"Did you see that?"

"The stone thought it was hard enough, but it didn't know that if the grass wanted to live, it could push it aside."

"The same goes for me."

Having said that, Chen Shao flicked the donkey whip, "Giddy up!"

The donkey seemed to have divine assistance, its hind hooves kicking out with a whoosh, leaving a trail of air as it whistled through the air.

Swift as a feather.

Shen Qingci clung to the carriage curtain, peering behind her.

"Look, that little weed, if no one shelters it, it can be crushed by a car wheel."

Chen Shao was speechless. "I'm being so inspiring, and you have such a foul mouth."

If it were Eunuch Wei, he would definitely say: "Your Majesty is really tough!"

"If you can't speak, you don't have to."

......

The donkey cart continued south, and the closer it got to Huaiyuan Prefecture, the more bleak the scenery became.

At first, only small groups of disaster victims were carrying their belongings and heading north.

Later, they traveled more and more, bringing their families, the elderly, and children with them.

Further on, you begin to see corpses lying dead by the roadside.

Some were covered with straw mats, while others lay naked, unburied.

The two remained silent the entire way, but the anger in their eyes grew ever stronger.

The donkey cart was extremely fast, and it arrived in Huaiyuan Prefecture just as dusk was falling.

Upon entering the city, the two were even more dumbfounded.

There were no lights or cooking smoke in the city; only the occasional howl of a stray dog ​​broke the deathly silence.

Nine out of ten houses along the street are empty.

Occasionally, one can see hunched-over villagers amidst the ruins.

They were rummaging through the rubble.

An old woman knelt before a charred ruin, digging at the earth with her hands, her fingernails broken and her hands covered in blood, but she was oblivious, just digging on and on.

Chen Shao was furious. If this was truly a disaster maliciously orchestrated by someone to lure him out of the capital.

That's just too ruthless!

Chen Shao stopped the donkey cart and walked up to an old man who was picking up scraps under the eaves of a collapsed house.

Upon seeing a stranger, the person immediately screamed and ran away.

But then he saw two taels of silver thrown at his feet.

He picked it up, bit it in his mouth, and then quickly turned back.

"Master?"

"Old man, what exactly happened in Huaiyuan Prefecture? Have bandits arrived?"

The old man raised his head, his face deeply lined with wrinkles and filled with dust.

He looked around and lowered his voice:

"Who knows? It's true that there are bandits in these mountains, called the Dragon Subduing Gang, but in my sixty-plus years of life, I've never seen anyone dare to cause such trouble."

"Shortly before you arrived, there was a huge, dark mass of people."

"They rode into the city on horseback, carrying torches, looting grain, killing people, and burning houses."

"That scene was terrifying; I only escaped by hiding in the cellar."

How many people?

"It must be two or three thousand."

Chen Shao's heart sank. Two or three thousand? And they were riding horses?

With such great strength, the mountain bandits would have long ago followed the example of the Yellow Turban Rebellion and launched an uprising.

At this moment, his murderous intent surged instantly. Was it the work of the local guards, or was it the work of Zhao Wang Chen Du, who was watching from the side of the river nearby?

Whichever one it is... damn it!

"Where is the prefectural government office? Where are the guards?"

According to the regulations of the Great Yan Dynasty, a prefecture typically has 500-1500 militiamen for military service.

It was placed under the overall coordination and allocation of the prefect.

The old man shrank his neck and lowered his voice even further.

"The Prefect? ​​He's been holed up in his office for ages, the gates are locked tight."

"Those bandits weren't so audacious as to attack the government office."

He sighed:

"These days, even the emperor can be a sheep thief, so who cares about the lives of ordinary people?"

After saying that, he shook his head, hunched over, and walked away. After a few steps, he turned back and gave another word of advice.

"Young men, you'd better hurry up and leave. You've got a beautiful wife with you, are you afraid someone won't snatch her away?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci immediately grabbed a handful of black ash and smeared it on her face.

"What should we do now?"