In Douluo Continent, I am the mastermind behind the scenes.

"No problem." Ou Ze agreed without hesitation. "I only need a result. I won't interfere with the process. But... Your Highness, please don't forget your identity or your position. If you have any difficulties, please speak up, and I will do my best to help you."

After saying that, Ou Ze didn't even glance at Mo Lian and walked straight backstage.

Backstage, Ou Ze grabbed a teacup from the table and took a sip of tea. He found the tea was cold. At that moment, he could no longer suppress his emotions and smashed the jade teacup to pieces.

"Bastards! Idiots! A bunch of idiots who should be in a museum! What kind of time is this to be putting on airs like this? Put on your grandma's airs!"

After venting his anger, Ou Ze sprawled out on the sofa, his face contorted in extreme pain.

"That bastard Zhang Long! He's over seventy years old, and he can't even keep a secret. It's one thing for you to look down on the Douling Royal Family, but why did you have to say it out loud? Even an animal would stay away from you if you treated it badly, let alone a human. Really..."

Ou Ze was so angry that he was trembling all over. If he hadn't been a Super Douluo, he probably would have been so angry that he would have died.

Don't you understand the principle of "if the lips are cold, the teeth will perish"? Once the Douling Empire falls, the armies of the Sun Moon Empire and the Ningyun Sect will no longer have any chance of being cut off from their retreat, and can then march south and directly attack Shrek City.

No, we can lose Lingdou City, but not now. It's best to wait three to five years.

Ou Ze quickly sat up, took out a communication jade slip from his pocket, and was about to contact Shrek City for help, but in the end... he did not activate it, but instead put the communication jade slip back into his pocket.

Since Tiandou City did not offer any assistance to Xue Jingshu, it would be redundant for the Sea God Pavilion to send more people over. After all, no one knew what kind of people the Sea God Pavilion sent. If another Zhang Long were to appear, the already precarious situation would only worsen.

He didn't understand why Tian Dou City didn't help Xue Jing Shu when the Dou Ling Empire was already in turmoil. Even if they couldn't quickly conquer the entire Dou Ling Empire, they could occupy some cities near the far north and use them as springboards for attacking Ling Dou City later. This was something that would be more beneficial than harmful, so why didn't Zhu Ning Yu do it?

This has put Ou Ze in a difficult position, unable to move forward or backward. As an assistant, with Zhang Long's precedent, if he dares to interfere in the internal affairs of the Douling Empire again, what will the other members of the Douling royal family think?

Regardless of the matter at hand, Ou Ze felt uneasy. He wasn't afraid of Mo Lian and Xue Qingfeng turning against him, but he was afraid of the other people in Lingdou City. He feared that one night, while he was sleeping peacefully, a group of people would suddenly rush into his room and tie him up.

Thinking of this, Ou Ze sighed and quickly summoned his deputy, instructing him to stay by Mo Lian's side and gather intelligence under the pretext of assisting with the defense of Lingdou City. Regardless of whether he cared or not, he needed to know the latest information first, as many things required advance preparation.

……

Meanwhile, in the military camp outside Lingdou City.

Xue Jingshu waited and waited in the main tent, but then someone unexpected appeared before her.

That person didn't walk into the main tent, but was carried in. Or rather... he must have had a health problem and was no longer able to walk. If it weren't for the resources provided by the royal family to prolong his life, he would probably have died long ago.

Indeed, the person who came was none other than Xue Lingzhu, the current emperor of the Douling Empire, and Xue Jingshu's eldest nephew.

"Decades have passed, and you still look like a young girl, while I... am already halfway to the ground."

Xue Lingzhu slumped on the soft-bed recliner, his withered old face devoid of any life. His words seemed to be a sigh, or perhaps a veiled reference.

"You may all leave."

Xue Jingshu waved her hand, and in less than a minute, only the aunt and niece remained in the entire tent.

Xue Jingshu completely ignored her nephew, resting her legs, encased in silver-gray pantyhose, on the armrest of the chair, sipping tea while flipping through the illustrated book, "Liuli Sacrifices Himself to Revitalize the Sect."

Ah this...

Although Xue Lingzhu is no longer involved in affairs, as the nominal leader of the Douling Empire, he is not completely ignorant of the outside world. At the very least, he must know what kind of book "Liuli Sacrifices Himself to Revitalize the Sect" is.

Xue Lingzhu touched her nose and said awkwardly, "Aunt, you taught me from a young age that I must always be in control of the situation and not let my trusted subordinates become disloyal. But now... I can't see where the future of the Douling Empire lies."

Hearing this, Xue Jingshu put down her storybook and said quietly, "Xiao Zhu, although you have lived in the palace for a long time, you are very clear about the situation outside. Take the farmers' association set up by Tian Dou City as an example. Putting aside everything else, just the fact that it helps villagers of the right age to awaken their martial souls will provide the empire with a considerable reserve of soul masters every year. This is clearly a win-win situation."

"Leaving aside the Sea God Pavilion, if we were to implement the farmers' association system now, would everyone accept it?"

"Impossible." Xue Lingzhu shook her head and said, "Broadly speaking, we are all human beings, but in detail, humans can be divided into men and women, rich and poor, those in power and merchants, and so on. Everyone's physical structure is different, their family backgrounds are different, and even their education is different. No matter how good the policy is, it can only be approved by 90% of the people, and it can never satisfy everyone..."

At this point, Xue Lingzhu couldn't continue. He had already understood Xue Jingshu's unspoken meaning: whether they knelt before the Sea God Pavilion or followed the so-called will of Heaven to destroy the Tang Dynasty, no matter which path they chose, they would not gain everyone's approval.

It was obvious that Xue Jingshu chose the latter.

After a moment of silence, Xue Lingzhu slowly spoke, "Aunt, I understand your thoughts, but... how am I supposed to explain this to those officials when I return to the city?"

"An explanation?" Xue Jingshu chuckled lightly, "Just doing business as usual. What else could there be? You came here to persuade me to surrender, not to ask me for advice. Do you think I need to teach you something like this?"

After saying that, Xue Jingshu stepped out of the tent and called to her nephew's confidants to carry their master back to Lingdou City.

After Xue Lingzhu left, the tent returned to its initial slightly somber atmosphere.

"Your Highness, His Majesty... he still hasn't changed his mind and is determined to grovel before the Sea God Pavilion?"

A young general stepped forward from the middle of the left-hand column and bowed respectfully towards Xue Jingshu, who sat in the main seat. (End of Chapter)