In the novel "Joy of Life," the protagonist wakes up at Li Chengze's residence.

Chapter 237 The past is the present, and the present is the past.

Tao Jingyang walked up to Haitang Duoduo, raised his hand and gently patted her shoulder, a faint smile curving his lips. "Stop pretending. We went to Xihu before you, so we already knew what you were doing."

When Li Chengze was raising military equipment, the spies he used were from the Xihu tribe.

They had no last card left, and now they stared silently into Tao Jingyang's eyes, their hearts filled with despair.

"Master, I reckon the last wish you entrusted to me can't be fulfilled now."

She knew perfectly well that the State of Qi was now at its wit's end and had no more leverage to contend with it.

"Is it true that nothing escapes your eyes?" Haitang Duoduo's voice was full of weariness.

Students who stayed up for three days and three nights to catch up on holiday homework, and those who stayed up for seven days and seven nights for performance reviews, only to find that their company went bankrupt and they didn't even get N+1.

They haven't even received last month's salary.

After asking that question, she stopped struggling and, dragging her leaden legs, slowly followed Tao Jingyang outside.

Flowers bloom in abundance in the garden, with crabapple blossoms being the most eye-catching, clustered together and vying for attention.

A gentle breeze blows, and petals flutter down, carrying a subtle fragrance.

Crabapple, crabapple.

Despite its name, Haitang Duoduo has no heart to appreciate the scenery around it.

Tao Jingyang casually raised his pinky finger and flicked the flower-shaped hairpin on the forehead.

"Haven't you heard? I'm a fortune teller." She said casually, glancing at Haitang Duoduo, not caring whether the other believed it or not, and continued, "If you want your fortune told, you can exchange it for something."

That sounds like something a sea witch would say, trying to entice a mermaid to trade her voice for legs.

Haitang Duoduo paused, "Ah? Can you really foresee fate?"

Tao Jingyang raised his chin, casually stroked a non-existent beard, and said with a hint of feigned profundity, "I cannot fathom the will of Heaven."

"...Then what am I to you?"

"Can't you even bear to see someone die?"

After hearing this, Haitang Duoduo looked speechless and raised her hand to rub her forehead. "Can't you just put these two sentences together?"

"Besides, I've seen plenty of charlatans. How can you prove you can see into people's lives?"

Tao Jingyang stopped, turned his head, and slowly uttered a shocking statement: "The emperor is a woman."

The sound was light and airy, yet it was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, suddenly slapping Haitang Duoduo on the forehead.

Haitang Duoduo's head buzzed when she was slapped, her vision blurred instantly, and she saw stars.

The emperor is a woman, so it can't possibly be referring to Emperor Li Chengze of the Southern Qing Dynasty, can it? Isn't this clearly referring to Zhan Doudou?

However, the young emperor was disguised as a man from birth, and his every move and word was different from that of ordinary women.

Unless someone personally strips Zhan Doudou naked to see, no one else could possibly know.

Upon hearing this, Haitang Duoduo felt her blood rushing upwards and her heart pounding.

In contrast, Tao Jingyang acted as if nothing had happened after he finished speaking, continuing to stroll leisurely as if he were visiting his own garden.

No, this looks like her backyard.

Haitang Duoduo paused for a moment, unconsciously starting to think about everything related to Tao Jingyang.

The day after he woke up, the new emperor personally came to his door to hire him as the tutor of the country.

On his first court appearance, he managed to intimidate the ministers, followed by the abolition of slavery, land reform, and the imperial examinations for women...

This whole process was swift and decisive, without any hesitation or delay.

According to reports from spies of Northern Qi, at the beginning of the implementation of the new policies, there were waves of opposition from both the court and the general public, and there were also quite a few people resisting.

Without exception, all of these people were swiftly suppressed and their homes confiscated by the imperial court.

One revolution can kill countless people, and after several revolutions, the number of deaths becomes even more countless.

Even when Haitang was in Xihu, just hearing these things sent chills down her spine: "Isn't the Southern Qing royal family afraid of incurring public wrath and being overthrown?"

I dare ask you, in all the world, this Tongtiandai is so powerful that he's practically on the international server, who else is so blind as to dare to raise their voice at Tao Jingyang?

Yes, there really was one, from the Northern Qi dynasty.

......

Didn't Tao Jingyang take care of that while we were at it?

Haitang Duoduo remained silent for a long time, sighing inwardly, wondering why such a brilliant and talented person had not appeared in Northern Qi.

Just because their emperor is a woman? Actually, the little emperor doesn't look much different from a man... (Haitang was filled with regret).

"Does everyone in Nanqing know about this?" Haitang Duoduo asked softly.

If this news were to reach the capital, the emperor of Northern Qi would surely be in grave danger.

By then, even if the emperor, the empress dowager, and she themselves tried their best, they would not be able to withstand the combined power of the nobles and officials.

In an instant, a cold glint pierced straight into the heart of the crabapple blossoms.

She clenched her fists instinctively, her palms instantly becoming soaked with sweat, and her breathing became rapid and heavy.

At this moment, a terrible thought swirled in her mind: Could it be that this escort of the princess for the marriage was a trap set by Tao Jingyang to lure the tiger away from the mountain?

The more she thought about it, the more horrified she became.

In a daze, it seemed as if I really saw Zhan Doudou being stripped naked by the guards and thrown out of the main hall in a sorry state.

The dark bricks exuded a chilling aura, and countless officials surrounded her in layers, vehemently accusing her of the "sin" of being a woman.

Everyone had to examine—the two sexual characteristics on her body that were different from those of a man.

"Oh no!" Haitang Duoduo exclaimed in surprise, turned around abruptly, and walked away resolutely.

She must return to Northern Qi immediately; she cannot allow the nightmare to become a reality!

As if he had seen through Haitang Duoduo's thoughts, Tao Jingyang flashed and grabbed her, "I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, no one else knows about this except me."

She disdained spreading other people's trivial matters, especially those involving life and death.

Haitang Duoduo lowered her eyes and remained silent. Seeing her like this, Tao Jingyang asked again, "Why are you so afraid? She is, after all, the ruler of a country."

"Heh." Haitang Duoduo let out a short, cold laugh.

“A monarch… a weak monarch is not a master, but a slave.”

The late emperor of Northern Qi had no sons, and the empress dowager single-handedly supported the precarious empire. Amidst the covetous eyes of a group of ambitious courtiers, she disguised her daughter as a man and risked her life to protect the throne.

To put it simply, it's about a widow who lost her job and is raising a young girl.

He also has to navigate the complex web of uncles and elders who are eager to divide up the empire, vying for what he calls "the greatest family fortune in the world."

The hardships and difficulties involved are hard to understand unless you experience them firsthand.

Thinking of this, a complex and unreadable expression appeared on Haitang Duoduo's face.

"Our war against Nanqing is actually an attempt to emulate your approach to implementing the system, to seize the seeds, and to create some achievements for the emperor."

Tao Jingyang keenly seized on the word "merits," his eyes gleaming, "Your emperor wants to become an empress?"

Haitang was shocked. "You even know this?!"

Tao Jingyang remained silent; she knew immediately.

Women from neighboring countries are already holding official positions, while she, the emperor, still has to disguise herself as a man to attend court. No one would feel at ease in that situation.

And this time, Zhan Doudou didn't have any red bean rice for daughters either...

If she doesn't become empress herself, who will inherit the throne?

Tao Jingyang casually strolled over to a clump of withered flowers, gently fiddling with the wilted petals, and changed the subject, "Implementing a system has nothing to do with merit."

She casually replied, "I did it by killing people. Anyone who disagreed was executed, and that's how the system was implemented."

"...Actually, I've always been curious, doesn't your Southern Qing have any historians?"

“Yes,” Tao Jingyang scoffed, snapping off a wilted flower and tossing it into the soil as fertilizer. “But I don’t care what the historians write, who cares what that stinking ink says?”

She tilted her head slightly, gazing at the overcast sky, and said in a leisurely tone, "Haven't you heard the ancient saying, 'I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me'?"

"If you can't be a hero, be a tyrant. Just never be a cowardly bear who lives in fear and pretends to be a cowardly and honest person every day."

Her gaze swept over the crabapple blossoms, each word like a knife.

Kind words cannot persuade people; only grief and indignation can motivate them to fight back.

Sure enough, those harsh words pierced Haitang Duoduo's heart.

Her tone was different from usual, perhaps she was a little angry that she had been called a bear, "As you said, what else can we do now that things have come to this?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the leaden sky suddenly darkened.

The wind was slightly damp and a little chilly. Gray clouds gathered together, and there seemed to be wisps of purple lightning drifting among them.

Tao Jingyang looked up at the sky, the wind rustling his clothes.

She turned to leave, her cool voice drifting on the wind, "Just be a little more unrestrained."

“How dare you…” Haitang Duoduo murmured, her heart filled with confusion.

Never mind, I'll just repeat it to DouDou; maybe she'll understand.

She frowned in thought, and after a moment, she caught up with Tao Jingyang.

The wind picked up again, making it almost suffocate Haitang as she spoke. "You're so powerful, don't you want to overthrow the Li family and become an empress?"

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, so Tao Jingyang simply stopped and used his inner energy to block the torrential rain.

"Empress?" She chuckled softly. "Don't you think it's too small?"

She gave Haitang a meaningful look. "I told you, fortune-telling requires something in exchange."

Haitang was stunned. "Exchange...what do you want?"

She stared blankly as Tao Jingyang drew closer and closer to her. "Faith."

A bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, illuminating Tao Jingyang's face.

Accompanied by a rumbling sound, Haitang Duoduo repeated, "You want faith, do you want to start a sect?"

Not wanting to waste her inner energy on "holding an umbrella," she let the cold rain soak her through.

Tao Jingyang shook his head upon hearing this, "I will not establish a religion, but I can take on disciples."

Haitang was even more confused, but she could still figure out what was going on. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "You want me to become your disciple?"

Tao Jingyang shook his head.

"So you want our emperor to become your disciple!?"

She nodded and gave a kind smile. "As your master, I can protect you no matter what you want to do."

Tao Jingyang expanded the range of his "True Qi Umbrella" to include Haitang as well. "This is not an exchange, but an olive branch extended to you by me."

Haitang Duoduo sensed the fluctuations in her inner energy and caught a glimpse of her indifferent gaze. She instinctively looked away as if staring at the blazing sun.

After a long pause, she finally asked, "From which period of ancient times did the saying 'I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me' originate?"

"The past and the present."

"what?"

"Both in the past and in the present."