Quick Transmigration: Hosts, We're Only Responsible for Counterattacking

Chapter 113 Turning the Tables to Become King (26)

However, Xia Yuliu, who was previously seen as accepting all comers, surprisingly refused them all, and even took Mu Changxue to the morning court, letting her sit next to him.

This action caused quite a stir in the court. Everyone looked at each other, and finally their eyes were focused on an old man with gray hair. The old man had no choice but to step forward.

He was the one who advised Xia Yuliu to enter the harem more often.

Scratching his head in frustration, the old man forced a smile and said, "The empress dowager is not allowed to interfere in politics. Your Majesty's actions seem inappropriate."

In truth, the old man had been unhappy ever since Xia Yuliu ascended the throne. He had a keen eye for people; Xia Yuliu was not capable of shouldering this responsibility, and ultimately, he would only choose himself over the country.

However, the winner takes all, and besides, he had no chance to refuse.

They had hoped that with the help of these veteran officials, things would be alright.

To everyone's surprise, Xia Yuliu simply smiled and said, "It's alright. Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. This way, the affection between me and Consort Xue can be shown."

The people below whispered and were about to speak when the old man took a deep look at the two people on the dragon throne, shook his head as if sighing, "Your Majesty is absolutely right. It was this old minister who was being pedantic."

Those around him who heard him speak were very surprised; even they could not accept the appearance of a woman from the imperial harem in the court.

Those who knew the old man's temperament were somewhat uneasy. Recklessness was not in his nature, unless... The group exchanged glances and already had a guess in their hearts.

The morning court session was unusually quiet, without the usual admonitions. Xia Yuliu smiled smugly, said "the court session is adjourned," and then pulled Mu Changxue away.

Mu Changxue did not feel happy about this honor. Instead, she felt that the man in front of her was a complete stranger, so unfamiliar that it terrified her.

She even wondered if she had been bewitched when she did those things.

After waking up, 2345 felt deep remorse for his dereliction of duty. As a diligent and conscientious system, he had actually neglected his responsibilities.

But repentance is only temporary. For 2345, a small system that has never seen the world, resisting temptation is really difficult.

In early February, Xia Yuliu ordered the Ministry of Works to carry out a major renovation of the palace, which cost tens of millions of taels of silver, depleting the national treasury. The increased taxes caused considerable resentment among the people.

When the palace was completed, the main supporting beam suddenly broke, burying the Vice Minister of Works and several workers who were inspecting it below. When the people carried them out, they were no longer breathing and their bodies were ice cold.

This matter spread far and wide, eventually leading to the conclusion that the emperor was unrighteous and incurred divine punishment.

Xia Yuliu tried to control the rumors, but with little success. In the end, he could only make an example of someone and arrested a few people who were talking about the matter in a teahouse and were executed in the street.

Before they died, the men did not beg for mercy, but instead mocked Xia Yuliu and lamented the hopelessness of the dynasty.

This measure did have some effect. Walking on the street, there were almost no people to be seen, except for some people who were forced to work to make a living. After asking, I learned that they were afraid that if they accidentally said the wrong thing, they would end up like those people.

Because she needed to contact the original owner's former subordinates, Shen Yun didn't notice the commotion for a moment. When she came to her senses, she was stunned. This was going too smoothly. She had originally been thinking of discussing a time to rebel, but now she realized there was no need to discuss it. Let's just do it. Opportunities are always reserved for those who react quickly.

As she tugged at her hair and chewed on her pen to write a letter, 2345, engrossed in a melodramatic urban mother-in-law/daughter-in-law story, suddenly shuddered and said somewhat guiltily, "[Host, someone has rebelled.]"

Shen Yun continued writing, unconcerned. "Am I not rebelling right now? Don't rush me."

2345 explains, "[No, the one who rebelled is someone else.]" *Bang!* Shen Yun slammed his hand on the table, his face so dark it was almost dripping with water. "Which reckless fool dares to challenge me for the throne?"

With a thud, the table shattered into eight pieces under her palm, and the dust that rose up stained her dress.

Upon seeing this, 2345 began to reflect, realizing that it shouldn't have told the host this message.

[Zhao Yan.]

"Say it again, which bastard is it?" Shen Yun said expressionlessly, indicating that the wind was too strong and he hadn't heard clearly.

Speaking of Zhao Yan, didn't we agree to rebel together? Why are you going back on your word?

What's most infuriating is that her pretext for rebellion was copied; Mu Changxue is like a brick, used wherever needed.

Shen Yun couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Men's words were indeed untrustworthy. He had been so sincere earlier, saying he wanted to cooperate and create a better future together, but then he turned around and stole her idea. He was undoubtedly a big, burnt pig's trotter.

2345 chuckled, "[It might be a misunderstanding. Why don't you go and ask, host?]"

Shen Yun sneered, "Hmph, of course I'll go."

It's a shame she ate it; otherwise, she'd be a complete idiot.

Zhao Yan raised an army in rebellion and led tens of thousands of soldiers to quietly capture six border cities. By the time Xia Yuliu learned of this, it was too late to turn back.

They had no choice but to hastily send men to fight back. Unfortunately, since the Mu family came to power, the other military generals in the court had no room to perform. As time went on, laziness replaced daily drills. When the army attacked, they could only delay the time and could not resist the enemy.

When the common people saw this, and considering that it happened after the construction of the palace, they all clapped and rejoiced, believing that this was the will of Heaven that could not be defied.

Even when the army was outside the city gates, civilians would come at night to secretly open the gates for them.

In just two months, Xia Yuliu lost half of his kingdom.

In his anxiety, Xia Yuliu re-employed the remaining troops of the Mu family and recalled the generals he had demoted, ordering them to prepare immediately to lead 80,000 soldiers to resist Zhao Yan's army.

Unfortunately, the soldiers lacked morale, and the people were not very supportive, so the situation was not much better than before. On the advice of several important ministers, Xia Yuliu hesitated for a long time, but still felt that it would be better to personally lead the army to boost morale.

He ate and lived with his soldiers and personally went to the battlefield.

This move indeed won back the hearts of many people. Upon hearing the news, many people immediately changed their minds and vaguely felt that changing dynasties was not a good idea now that the current emperor was no longer incompetent.

Without Mu Changxue's pretext, Shen Yun could only lead by example, possessing an extremely strong spirit of dedication, transforming personal love into universal love, linking her own death with the greater good of the nation and the emperor's cruelty, and formally reuniting with Shen Mo and her subordinates sent to various places.

Xia Yuliu was not in the capital, but the guards in the capital were not lax; in fact, there were even more people patrolling than before.

Shen Yun, who originally wanted to tie up Mu Changxue and beat her up, had to give up. After all, given Mu Changxue's current luck, even if she were tied up, the most likely outcome would be that she would escape danger. She wasn't out of her mind, so why bother confronting her head-on?

However, whether Xia Yuliu did it intentionally or not, the guards in the capital were mortal enemies of the Mu family.

(End of this chapter)