My chat group is full of female losers

Chapter 327 Unexpected Gain?

As expected, the situation deteriorated rapidly.

The allied forces of the Great River Kingdom charged forward like a mad beast, offering no respect whatsoever to the defending troops along the way, who abandoned their armor and weapons at the mere sight of the flags. The enemy was now close enough to reach the capital.

Inside the Prime Minister's residence, a secret report from the border, delivered by the Ministry of War with utmost urgency, lay open on Shen Shi'an's table. After reading it, he gently closed the report.

His expression was solemn.

—It's about time.

"Prepare the sedan chair," he said softly, "to Commander Huo's residence."

The atmosphere in Huo Qi's residence was oppressive and silent. He was staring at the huge map of the capital's defenses on the wall, his finger tracing patterns on it as if trying to carve out a way out. Hearing that the prime minister had arrived, his brows furrowed even more.

What is he doing here at this critical juncture?
Despite his doubts, Huo Qi strode out to greet him and asked bluntly, "What brings you here so suddenly, Prime Minister Shen?"

"For the sake of this country and the nation, and for the sake of the millions of lives in this capital!" Shen Shi'an's voice was not loud, but it was full of compassion, as if he were a saint or a bodhisattva incarnate.

He grabbed Huo Qi's arm and said with great distress, "General Huo, look outside! The enemy is at the gates of the city, and the people of the capital are in a state of panic. If we don't do something soon, you and I, along with the millions of people in this capital, will all die without a burial place!"

Huo Qi nodded, his expression equally grave: "I understand that, of course. But... I wonder what brilliant plan the Prime Minister has?"

"A brilliant plan?" Shen Shi'an sneered, his eyes flashing with venom. "The root of the chaos lies on that dragon throne. If you eliminate the root, what need is there for a brilliant plan!"

Huo Qi's expression changed drastically, and he questioned sharply, "Prime Minister Shen! What do you mean by this?!"

Shen Shi'an looked at Huo Qi without fear, met his gaze, and said word by word, "It was he who first plotted that insane blood sacrifice array, which angered the Great Jiang Kingdom and the Great Liang Kingdom!"

It was him who caused the current chaos in the capital! I have already investigated and found out that he deliberately did not resist, allowing the capital to descend into chaos, so that when the enemy army arrived, he would sacrifice the enemy army, you and me, and all the people of the city to fulfill his supreme demonic power!

So, General Huo, do you understand now? The current emperor is the root of all chaos!

Upon hearing this, Huo Qi was utterly bewildered, his shock even overshadowing his anger.

"Prime Minister Shen... what kind of nonsense are you spouting?" He felt as if someone had grabbed his tongue, a feeling quite foreign to him. "How could you... say such nonsense..."

"This matter is absolutely true! I'll stake my head on it!" Shen Shi'an interrupted him, his old face almost touching his nose, every word he uttered slapping him in the face. "General Huo, now is not the time to play dumb! If we want to save this world, if we want to save these people, we only have one path—change the dynasty!"

"Insolence!" Huo Qi shook off his hand as if stung by a scorpion, staggering backward, his anger rising. "Shen Shi'an, how dare you plot rebellion!"

"I'm doing this to rid the world of that tyrannical emperor! This is called acting on behalf of Heaven!" The prime minister roared even more fiercely than him, poking Huo Qi's chest with his finger. "General Huo, put your hand on your heart and tell me, does the emperor sitting on the dragon throne, who treats us like ants, deserve your loyalty?"

Huo Qi's face was cold and his tone incredibly stubborn: "Serving the emperor with loyalty is a duty, a matter of course! It's none of your business whether or not one is worthy!"

"And what about the people of the city? What about the toddlers and the elderly who are on their deathbeds?" Shen Shi'an's voice was as shrill as a night owl's. "They deserve to die? They deserve to lose their lives for that madman's ambition?!"

These words struck Huo Qi like a sharp sword. A crack appeared in his rock-solid expression, and a hint of wavering crept into his eyes.

Seeing this, Shen Shi'an was overjoyed and immediately wanted to press his advantage.

"Enough!" Just then, Huo Qi seemed to wake up from a nightmare and shouted, "Stop talking!"

Seeing Huo Qi's wary expression, Shen Shi'an knew he had missed his chance; there was no point in saying anything now. He let out a long breath and said quietly, "I understand. General, think it over carefully. That's all I have to say."

After the prime minister left, Huo Qi stood alone in the center of the hall. After what seemed like an eternity, as if he had made up his mind, he strode out of the gate and roared to his servants, "Prepare the horses! I'm going to the palace!"

# # # # # # #
At the same time, in the imperial palace, in the imperial study.

Chu Lu was giving instructions to A Sheng, the guard with the pointed head.

"...That's the whole story, do you understand?" Chu Lu asked.

Asheng was completely bewildered, his eyes vacant, but he still thumped his chest loudly: "Your Majesty, rest assured! Then let me ask you, do you think I, Asheng, am unreliable? Ah, do you think I'm fat? If you think I'm fat now, then let me ask you, is the top of your head pointed?"

"..." Chu Lu's lips twitched, and he took a deep breath. "I believe you. Now, let's go."

After Asheng left in high spirits, another Imperial Guard quickly entered, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

Chu Lu looked up and recognized the other person. He was also part of the fake rumor plan, but at a higher level than the others.

Why did he come here?
"What is it?" Chu Lu picked up his teacup, preparing to take a small sip.

The imperial guard's face flushed red with suppressed excitement as he reported, "Your Majesty, it's done! The task you assigned us has been accomplished! We've found the mastermind behind the Empress Dowager's rumors!"

Chu Lu's teacup froze in mid-air, nearly spilling. He looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with disbelief, and he stood up abruptly, his voice trembling: "What did you say?! Say it again! What did you confirm?"

The imperial guard was startled by his display of force and quickly repeated himself, stammering.

Chu Lu's expression instantly became extremely strange, a mixture of ecstasy, bewilderment, and a sense of absurdity that "this actually works." He slowly sat back down, muttering to himself, "It worked? It actually worked? This is too..."

But the next second, he shook off these chaotic thoughts. Finding it was a great thing! He called out, "Someone come here!" The eunuch waiting outside the door responded and trotted in.

"Go and summon Huo Qi to me!"

The eunuch had just bowed to accept the order and hadn't even had time to turn around.

An announcement rang out from outside the hall: "Your Majesty! General Huo Qi, Commander of the Imperial Guards, requests an audience outside the hall!"

Chu Lu was taken aback, surprised by the coincidence, but finding the mastermind overshadowed everything else. He waved his hand and said, "Perfect timing! Let him in!"

Huo Qi strode into the hall, bowed first, and then said, "This humble general has something to report."

"Please wait a moment," Chu Lu waved his hand, interrupting him, "I have a matter of utmost importance here that you must handle."

Huo Qi naturally could not refute the emperor, so he could only suppress his anxiety and bow, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, please speak."

Chu Lu said, "There's been progress on that rumor! I've caught the real culprit! Without further ado, mobilize all the Imperial Guards and have them arrest him!"

This lousy mess again! Huo Qi was annoyed, but he still maintained a respectful expression and cupped his hands, saying, "This subordinate understands, and will take care of it immediately."

Just as he was about to reveal the prime minister's plot to rebel, Chu Lu spoke up again: "This matter is extremely important. There can be no mistakes whatsoever. Success is the only option! Every single Imperial Guard in the palace must be dragged out!"

Huo Qi was shocked upon hearing this, exclaiming, "All of them?! Not a single one left?!"

"Yes!" Chu Lu's voice was firm and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation. "You must surround that area completely, not even a fly can get out! Then, send another team of trusted men, with their ears plugged, to communicate via hand signals, to the designated place to arrest the designated people! Remember, if necessary, you are allowed to go on a killing spree! In short, absolutely no one can escape!"

Huo Qi could hardly believe his ears. He thought the emperor before him had gone mad. He blurted out, "Your Majesty! Are you serious? You're not joking with me?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"But the capital is already short of troops. What you're doing will only make the situation worse! What if the people are frightened... Your Majesty, have you considered the consequences?"

"Catching the mastermind is the most important thing!" Chu Lu waved his hand, as if sweeping all of Huo Qi's concerns into the trash heap. "Everything else, step aside!"

These words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely shattering the wavering balance in Huo Qi's heart. The color drained from his face, turning ashen. He remained deathly silent for a while before slowly speaking: "Your Majesty, just now, Prime Minister Shen came to see me. He said some treasonous things."

"Oh?" Chu Lu responded, sounding uninterested. "What did you say?"

"Your Majesty," Huo Qi raised his head, his eyes a jumble of thoughts, staring intently at Chu Lu, "The Prime Minister said that the reason the Great Jiang Kingdom's allied forces attacked was because you set up that blood sacrifice formation, which angered them."

He added, "You are currently ignoring the war and allowing chaos to ensue in the capital, all so that you can sacrifice us all, along with the enemy army, to enhance your supreme demonic power when the enemy is at the gates."

With each word he uttered, his voice deepened, and the last few words were almost squeezed out: "He advised me to join forces with him to change the dynasty!"

After hearing this, Chu Lu raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, "It's gotten to this point too?"

Then he looked at Huo Qi and said, "Ignore such nonsense. The prime minister is probably senile. Just take care of your own business. Go down."

Huo Qi stood rooted to the spot like an iron tower, staring intently at him as he said, "This humble general originally thought it was madness. But now... I don't think so anymore."

"What do you mean?" Chu Lu's face turned cold.

"Your Majesty!" Huo Qi suddenly stepped forward, his emotions finally overwhelmed. "If it weren't for that blood sacrifice array, if you didn't truly intend to use the entire city as sacrifices, how could you have issued such a foolish order?!"

Chu Lu frowned upon hearing this; there was no way to explain it. He could only say vaguely, "Once we catch them, everything will come to light, and you'll understand."

"This humble general does not believe it!" Huo Qi roared, "Unless you retract your order now and discuss with this humble general a strategy to repel the enemy!"

"Impossible." Chu Lu refused without even thinking.

"Then I cannot comply!"

"Huo Qi! You want to rebel?!"

"This humble general dares not! This humble general simply does not wish to continue aiding and abetting evil, nor does he wish to have his name etched on the pillar of shame, to be infamous for ten thousand years!" Huo Qi's eyes were bloodshot, as if he were risking his life.

When Chu Lu saw his demeanor, he knew that, like Shen Shi'an, his mind had been completely consumed by the rumors about the female lead.

Arguing any further would be like talking to a brick wall, and given the urgency of the situation, delay could lead to unforeseen complications. If things continue to drag on, who knows if the strong female lead might discover something and run away before they know it.

So he made a decisive decision.

He stood up from the dragon throne and said, "Fine. Since you are unwilling, then I will do it myself."

Huo Qi was stunned upon hearing this.

(End of this chapter)