I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 488 An Extraordinary Event
It was Yi Zhen's voice.

Looking at the young man kneeling motionless and silent in the hall, Chu Liuzheng swallowed the orange pulp with a gulp, raised his hand to rub his ears, and wondered if he was hallucinating.

But then even more sounds flooded into my ears.

[This one isn't handsome enough. Take it from the side, you know how to shoot a profile shot, right? Pay attention to the lighting and composition!]

[This one is alright, but it would be better if the camera were positioned a little lower.]

These are the three I want. Please save them for me.

[System, please take a picture of that beautiful lady over there too. It's a rare opportunity to visit the palace; I want to have a souvenir.]

[She must have been one of the emperor's concubines, right? What was her title? Could you check for me?]

[Not banned?]

What?! She's the infamous concubine who won the tyrant's favor and brought ruin to the country!

Chu Liuzheng: "..."

[Holy crap! I'm not hallucinating. Yi Shusheng also has a system, and I can even hear him talking to the system. Is this some kind of audio interference?]

Hearing the inner voice, Xiao Jingfan was startled, and his wandering thoughts were instantly pulled back.

Yi Zhen actually has a system too!

Unaware that she had connected with Chu Liuzheng, Yi Zhen was still talking to the system.

[System, the tyrant's show of force has been going on for far too long. I at least gave him a chance to ascend the throne; surely he won't repay kindness with enmity and kill me?]

[Commander, you can't just stand by and watch someone die!]

[You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! When did I ever fail to complete the task? No deductions allowed! Come on, let's have a serious talk.]

My mission is to save this chaotic world. Is the Great Sheng Dynasty in chaos now?

"It'll be chaotic from now on. No, how will it be chaotic? Think about it, what was the catalyst in the timeline where Xiao Jingfan's tyrannical rule, exploitation of the people, and constant warfare led to widespread suffering?"

[Of course it's not because he's a warmonger! Did you even look at the timeline carefully?! It's the death of Princess Xiao Jinshu, the fact that Prince Rui was tortured to the point of near death by the villain Yin Lanci and turned into a worm nest, the Empress Dowager's attempt to poison Xiao Jingfan to distance herself from the Xie family, the corrupt officials' collaboration with Yin Lanci to create a living hell for their own selfish desires, and the treacherous ambitions of the Western Xia kingdoms as they relentlessly press forward!]

Look at him now, how many of those conditions that drove Xiao Jingfan crazy are left?

[The villainous camp: the Dragon Shadow Guards are wiped out, the remaining forces of the Yong Dynasty have collapsed, even the major villain Yin Lanci is dead, and the source of the living hell, Thousand-Foot Cliff, has been burned down, becoming a giant tomb. Prince Li is imprisoned, Prince Cheng has gone mad, Guiyun City and Dasheng have reconciled, Yue City and Dasheng have reconciled. Tell me, where did the internal strife begin?]

On Xiao Jingfan's side, Princess Xiao Jinshu and the young prince are both alive, having escaped the treacherous schemes within the inner quarters. Prince Rui, lively and energetic, is leading his army to seal off brothels, making it impossible for him to become the source of the insect hive and Xiao Jingfan's nightmare again.

[Prince Xiao, under the guise of a tour, secretly collaborated with censors from various regions to investigate and uncover several wrongful convictions, leading to the downfall of dozens of corrupt officials. Even Xiao Jingfan's insomnia was cured without medication. How could you expect him to go mad? How could he lose his mind?]

Yes, there is also the Empress Dowager, but her poisoning of Xiao Jingfan was merely the last straw. Even if the Empress Dowager still targets Xiao Jingfan for the sake of the Xie family's future, he won't lose his composure and suddenly resort to tyranny because of this incident.

"Tong, face reality, stop struggling. If things continue like this, Dasheng won't even fall into chaos. Can we just treat this as a publicly funded vacation? We'll go back when our time is up; it won't affect your performance. It's a win-win situation for everyone."

[System, stop playing dead!]

[What do you mean it's all my fault for not doing anything? You, this savior system, can't even issue a decent mission. You're quite good at shifting blame, aren't you? Why don't you issue me a mission then!]

[System? System!]

【Playing dead again, huh? Where's the complaint button? I want to complain about you!!】

Forced to eavesdrop, Chu Liuzheng blinked rapidly. [Holy crap! This is a lot of information! I think I've learned something incredible.]

She glanced at the emperor, eating an orange to calm her nerves while sorting through the information.

Hey, that pretty girl seems to be staring at me. Should I smile at her?

Don't be angry, I was just kidding. I would never dare to cuckold a tyrant.

Yi Zhen moved his numb legs and secretly discussed with the system that if the emperor wanted to kill him, he should remember to give him painless treatment.

"Rise." Xiao Jingfan waved his hand and ordered someone to offer him a seat.

When Yi Zhen stood up, he stumbled slightly, and Xiao Anzi stepped forward to help him sit down in a chair.

Yu Zhui brought in tea, and Yi Zhen accepted it and thanked her.

Seeing that he seemed quite at ease, Xiao Jingfan said, "I am deeply grateful for your help five years ago."

"I dare not accept Your Majesty's title of 'sir.' My surname is Yi, and my courtesy name is Xiaoyao. If you do not mind, you may call me by my courtesy name," Yi Zhen said. "You possess the aura of a golden dragon, and I am merely following its lead."

Xiao Jingfan readily agreed, "I have something I would like to ask Xiaoyao for guidance on."

Yi Zhen: "Your Majesty, please speak."

Xiao Jingfan looked at him and asked, "The purse from back then contained the seal of the Thousand-Handed Scholar. I wonder what your relationship is with the Thousand-Handed Scholar?"

"It's alright," Yi Zhen said. "I found the purse on the street and slipped a note inside. I didn't know there was a seal inside."

[Tsk, I don't believe you! You're the one who slipped the stamp and note in.]

Chu Liuzheng secretly pursed her lips; she had finally figured out the relationship between them.

If Yi Xiaoyao truly was a transmigrator tasked with saving the chaotic world, yet he passively completed his mission and secretly aided the tyrant, then his act of impersonating the Thousand-Handed Scholar to deliver clues to the tyrant would make sense.

On one hand, it allows them to expose Yin Lanci, the true Thousand-Handed Scholar, to the public in advance, serving as a warning to the tyrant. On the other hand, Yi Xiaoyao can use the Thousand-Handed Scholar's identity to conceal himself, preventing the tyrant from discovering him and jeopardizing his carefree life.

Listening to his inner voice, Xiao Jingfan's gaze towards Yi Zhen deepened, "Xiaoyao, do you know that I am looking for you?"

"I was unaware of this before," Yi Zhen said. "After escaping from Wangyue Island, I was kidnapped by bandits and taken to their stronghold. Fortunately, His Highness Prince Rui rescued me. It was only from His Highness Prince Rui that I learned His Majesty had ordered local officials to post notices searching for me. May I ask what His Majesty is looking for me about?"

[See? This is where it comes in handy. The tyrant sought out the Thousand-Handed Scholar; what does that have to do with Yi Xiaoyao?]

Chu Liuzheng peeled another orange and heard the emperor speak slowly, "I would like to ask you to help me predict what natural disasters and man-made calamities will occur in the Great Prosperity within the next five years."

Yi Zhen: "..."

[Holy crap! Tyrant, that's a cheat code! Isn't that a spoiler? The important thing is, Yi Xiaoyao really knows the timeline!]

In his excitement, Chu Liuzheng choked on a mouthful of orange juice, coughing until his eyes were filled with tears.

Siyue quickly stepped forward to pat her back, and Chu Liuzheng took the opportunity to get up and walk out. Curiosity killed the cat, so she decided to go to the side hall to watch the system's live broadcast, so that even if lightning struck, it wouldn't hit her.

Xiao Jingfan first ordered someone to send a bowl of lung-soothing pear soup to the side hall before looking at Yi Zhen.

Yi Zhen: "..."

He really didn't want to lie, but opportunities to cheat and swindle always seemed to come his way.

(End of this chapter)