You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

Bianliang City, Flower Street.

The rows of vermilion lanterns illuminated the entire long street as brightly as day.

The buildings on both sides are lined with pavilions, colorful silks flutter under the eaves, and carved doors and windows are all open, revealing warm tents and soft couches inside.

A rich, sweet scent of perfume mingled with the aroma of alcohol wafted from every door, permeating the night breeze.

The streets were congested with carriages and horses, and wealthy young men and merchants came and went in an endless stream, many of them already somewhat drunk, their steps unsteady, laughing and making a ruckus.

Various sedan chairs and palanquins filled the alleyway, surrounded by servants. From the brothels and theaters along the street, the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, interspersed with the delicate singing of women and the cheers of guests.

Many women dressed in light gauze dresses and adorned with flowers in their hair leaned against doors with charming smiles or beckoned on the street, their eyes sparkling and their voices like nightingales.

Ragged vendors weaved through the crowd, hawking various snacks and hangover soups.

The entire street was bustling with noise and steaming with heat, a scene of decadent extravagance and debauchery.

"Speaking of which..."

"I haven't yet accomplished the feat of having the emperor visit brothels."

As Lu Zuo strolled along the bluestone street, he pondered silently while his eyes constantly scanned his surroundings.

After a long while, a beautifully crafted three-story embroidered building caught his attention.

Lu Zuo stopped and looked at the plaque reading "Zui Xing Lou" hanging under the eaves: "This should be the place."

He walked slowly inside. As soon as he stepped through the door, a woman dressed in bright colors and with graceful bearing, who looked to be around thirty years old, came towards him.

"Oh, what a handsome young man!"

She moved gracefully with light steps and a swaying waist, arriving in front of Lu Zuo. After looking him up and down, she smiled and said:

"What a pity, our Zui Xing Lou has been booked out by a distinguished guest today."

"Young master, please return."

Lu Zuo glanced inside and saw that the hall was empty, while dozens of men with calm demeanor, sharp eyes, and holding sharp blades stood at the staircase and on the second-floor corridor.

It's confirmed now; that bastard Emperor Huizong of Song is inside.

"That's really unfortunate."

Lu Zuo smiled, turned around and left.

……

A short while later, inside the Drunken Apricot Pavilion, in an exquisitely decorated room.

Li Shishi sat alone before her dressing table, her exquisite face reflected in the bronze mirror.

She wore a long, moon-white dress, her figure was slender and graceful, her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes were like autumn waters, her nose was delicate and her lips were cherry-like, and her skin was as white as snow, like a fairy under the moon.

"well....."

She sighed softly to herself, "This day..."

"It finally came."

"What 'selling art but not the body' and 'pure prostitute' are just tactics used by mothers to raise their value and wait for a higher price."

"In this Drunken Apricot Pavilion, which woman can truly remain chaste for a lifetime?"

"Those princes, noblemen, and literati who used to fawn over you were only after something new and an unattainable, empty fame."

"Now this 'distinguished guest' has booked the entire Zui Xing Lou, making such a grand spectacle, and my mother has specially asked me to dress up meticulously..."

Her fingertips unconsciously traced the teeth of the comb, and the last vestige of hope in her heart gradually faded away.

"It seems it's now too late to refuse..."

Li Shishi knew that her beauty was both her greatest asset and her greatest shackle in the world of romance.

In the past, she could still protect herself by relying on her skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and her aloof demeanor. But tonight...

What can we do?

"So be it, it's destined, there's no escaping it..."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, her eyes were calm, but beneath that calm lay a hint of unspeakable, resigned anxiety and bewilderment.

"Shishi, are you done yet?"

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and the madam of Zui Xing Lou walked in from outside, her face beaming with smiles.

"That distinguished guest is getting a little impatient."

Li Shishi looked up at her and said, "That's all."

Perhaps sensing a hint of impatience in her tone, the madam slowly walked up to Li Shishi and patiently advised, "Shishi, you should know the truth in your heart."

"Since I came to this Drunken Moon Pavilion, I was bound to take this step sooner or later."

"Your mother has always doted on you. Tonight's patron is no ordinary person. You just need to serve him well..."

"From now on, let alone living a life of luxury, we might even be able to hope for a life of wealth and honor that others can only dream of!"

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many sisters would kill for. You must not be willful; you must put in your utmost care and serve her well, understand?"

She paused, leaned closer, lowered her voice, and spoke with a hint of warning and reminder:

"Mom knows you have high aspirations, but this important person... we absolutely cannot afford to offend him."

"You are a smart child, so don't do anything foolish at this time and cause trouble for no reason."

"Hurry up and get everything ready, don't keep our important guests waiting."

Li Shishi nodded, her tone flat: "I understand."

Seeing this, the madam said no more, turned and left the room, gently closing the door behind her.

Just then, something unexpected happened!

Bang!

With a muffled thud, Li Shishi felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and lost consciousness, her body collapsing to the ground.

Before she even landed, Lu Zuo pulled her into his arms and helped her up again.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Liu Ruyan stood to the side, sizing up Li Shishi, and clicked her tongue, saying, "Truly worthy of being the number one courtesan of Bianliang, she is indeed a beauty that could topple kingdoms." (The system has matched you with infinite categories from various heavens. Click here.)

In the blink of an eye, she had transformed into the appearance of Li Shishi.

Forcibly abducting Emperor Huizong of Song and replacing him with Liu Ruyan would not have been difficult for Lu Zuo.

However, this will inevitably arouse suspicion and bring all sorts of unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, after learning that the emperor had come to visit a brothel, Lu Zuo began to devise a plan.

First, have Liu Ruyan disguise herself as Li Shishi and meet with Emperor Huizong of Song, then knock her unconscious.

When the time is right, I will take Li Shishi there and take Emperor Huizong away with me.

At this time, Liu Ruyan had already transformed into Emperor Huizong of Song and could swagger back to the palace.

This kind of clever substitution can be done without anyone noticing, and it won't arouse suspicion from others...

Soon, Liu Ruyan, disguised as Li Shishi, pushed open the door and left.

Lu Zuo carried Li Shishi out of the window and waited on the roof of Zuixinglou.

……

Time flew by, and about 15 minutes had passed.

In a room at Zui Xing Lou, Liu Ruyan had already knocked Emperor Huizong unconscious and replaced him with his appearance.

Lu Zuo also brought Li Shishi to the scene and laid her flat on the bed.

"After I leave, wake her up, but don't give anything away."

Lu Zuo pushed open the window, with Emperor Huizong tucked under his arm, gave an order, and then shot out, disappearing into the vast night.

Liu Ruyan, disguised as Emperor Huizong of Song, smiled faintly, closed the window, and then sat on the edge of the bed, channeling a wisp of true energy into Li Shishi.

"Um……"

With a soft moan, Li Shishi slowly awoke, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion as she looked at the 'Emperor Huizong' before her: "Young Master, who are you...?"

"How did I faint here?"

Liu Ruyan feigned a gloomy expression and snorted, "Hmph, who knows what's going on with you?"

"After entering my room, she suddenly fainted."

"Perhaps you don't want to serve me?"

Li Shishi: "I..."

"Fine, fine, you've ruined all my fun."

"What a disappointment!"

Liu Ruyan gave a cold snort, got up and left the room, leaving Li Shishi sitting on the couch looking completely bewildered.

What exactly happened?

……

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Emperor Huizong slowly awoke from his coma, suffering a sharp pain in the back of his head and still feeling somewhat dazed.

Upon realizing he was in an unfamiliar, dilapidated house, and seeing Lu Zuo standing coldly before him, he was filled with shock and anger. He struggled to sit up and shouted sharply, "You audacious madman!"

"You...do you know who I am?"

"How dare you treat me like this! This is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family!"

Lu Zuo glanced at him coldly: "Who is it?"

"He was nothing but a corrupt and tyrannical dog emperor who brought disaster to the country and its people."

Clang!

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of light appeared on his blade.

Lu Zuo suddenly held a long sword in his hand, its blade tracing a cold arc.

Emperor Huizong felt a chill on his neck, his vision suddenly went upside down and swirled, and blood splattered, staining the ground red.

"Now that we've dealt with this Song emperor, it's An Yunshan's turn."

Lu Zuolai's sole objective in his attempt to usurp the Song Dynasty is to make money!

How could they possibly let An Yunshan go?

but……

We'll have to wait for Liu Ruyan's response before we proceed.

After all, he could kill An Yunshan, but he couldn't take away so much treasure in one go. He needed the Imperial Guards to cooperate in confiscating the property and sealing up the gold and silver so that he could retrieve them later.

With this in mind, Lu Zuo first destroyed Emperor Huizong's body to cover up the crime, then left the place and returned to the inn to await news.

.......

The next morning, in the Golden Palace.

Inside the hall, civil and military officials were already lined up, with heads bowed and standing solemnly. Their crimson and purple robes and various types of headdresses created a dignified atmosphere.

On the imperial steps, Liu Ruyan, dressed in an ochre-yellow dragon robe and wearing a crown reaching to the heavens, sat on the throne, her gaze sweeping over those below, her heart filled with excitement.

Is this what it feels like to be in charge of the world?

She turned to the eunuch beside her and said in a deep voice, "Proclaim the imperial decree."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, the old eunuch standing beside the throne bowed in response, then stepped forward, unfurled a bright yellow silk scroll, and proclaimed in a high-pitched, drawn-out voice: "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

"I, the Emperor, previously indulged in personal pleasure by extensively collecting flowers and stones, calling it the 'Treasury Transport,' which in fact exhausted the people of the southeast and depleted the local resources. I deeply regret this."

"Effective immediately, the collection of tribute for flowers and stones throughout the land shall be suspended. Those already collected and en route shall be sealed on the spot, and those not yet collected shall be exempted from collection."

"The relevant officials should quickly convey my intentions, comfort the wounded, and let the people know my heart of repentance."

"Furthermore, in the past I admired the superstitious and the virtue of loving life, which became mere formalities."

"I once released strange creatures into the countryside with the intention of praying for blessings, but it has instead become a scourge to the people. As a result, poisonous snakes and fierce beasts have disturbed the villages, injuring people and livestock. This was due to my oversight."

"Imperial Edict: The Jingzhao Prefecture and the Six Doors shall immediately patrol the area within and outside the capital region. All ferocious beasts and poisonous insects that were previously released or will be released privately in the future, and that are causing harm to the people, shall be captured and killed immediately to eliminate the scourge on the people."

"A proclamation was issued, both domestically and internationally, so that everyone may know."

"So be it."

Upon receiving the imperial edict, all the civil and military officials in the court looked surprised and bewildered.

Your Majesty...

Why did you change your temper today?