If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

"Unlike the Li and Lu families, whose ancestors were founding heroes and served as officials for generations, they have long forgotten the suffering of the common people."

Zhao Yu put on an indignant expression and gritted his teeth, saying:

"They only care about power and profit; they have no regard for the people."

Zhang Wenyuan was deeply moved and had a vague idea of ​​what was going on.

Sure enough, the next moment was just as he expected.

Zhao Yu sighed, a helpless expression on his face, and said, "I have lost control of this recruitment drive. I know that the major clans will inevitably use this opportunity to expand their private armies and carve out their own territories. At that time, I, the Emperor of Great Liang, will also become a caged bird!"

Zhao Yu suddenly looked up at Zhang Wenyuan and said passionately, "But I don't want to see the people of Daliang living in misery because of this."

"I need someone, someone who truly understands the hardships of the people, to quell the powerful clans."

Zhang Wenyuan's breathing quickened. Could it really be as he thought?

Seeing his excited expression, Zhao Yu knew the time was right and slowly spoke.

"I intend to support a king of a different surname to share the throne and rule the world with me."

"boom!"

These words struck Zhang Wenyuan like a bolt from the blue, leaving his mind blank.

A king of a different surname?!

To share the throne?!

Zhang Wenyuan's voice was trembling.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, do you mean...?"

Zhao Yu adopted a sincere look and stared at Zhang Wenyuan, saying:

"I've made it so clear, don't you understand?"

"In my opinion, among these five great families, only your Zhang family is worthy of this responsibility."

"Go ahead and do it, as long as you don't harm people's livelihood or disturb the people, I will turn a blind eye."

Zhao Yu's voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight.

"I might even secretly lend you a hand."

Zhang Wenyuan's heart pounded like a drum, and an image involuntarily surfaced in his mind: himself wearing royal robes, standing shoulder to shoulder with the emperor, looking down upon the world.

"Your Majesty... what virtue or ability do you possess...?"

Zhang Wenyuan instinctively wanted to be polite, but immediately knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with emotion, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go through fire and water for you, even unto death!!"

Zhao Yu saw through his act but didn't expose it. He stepped forward, helped him up, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Do a good job, I'm waiting to see your performance."

"Remember, the people are the foundation; this is my only requirement for you."

After saying that, Zhao Yu turned and left, leaving Zhang Wenyuan trembling with excitement.

As he watched that sacred figure disappear into the distance, Zhang Wenyuan's eyes gleamed with fervent light.

A king of a different surname!

He, Zhang Wenyuan, actually had the opportunity to become a king of a different surname!

To be on equal footing with the emperor and jointly govern the world!

He took deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

Now that His Majesty has given him this opportunity, he must seize it!

So what about the Li family and the Lu family?

What's wrong with tearing off all pretenses and turning against each other for the sake of a king of a different surname!

Zhang Wenyuan strode back to the handover point. This time, he stood up straight, his expression full of confidence.

Upon seeing this, the heads of several small families who had married into the Zhang family quickly came forward to greet them.

"Brother Zhang, how did it go? That 500,000 taels..."

Zhang Wenyuan simply nodded solemnly and raised his hand to interrupt them.

"It is not convenient to talk about this here. You may come to my residence later for a chat."

The group exchanged glances, but seeing his expression, they dared not ask any further questions and could only agree.

On the other side, atop the imperial carriage.

Zhao Yu lifted the curtain and looked at Zhang Wenyuan, who was surrounded by a crowd in the distance, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

The performance was quite good.

Zhang Wenyuan has taken the bait.

Wei An spoke in a low voice from the side.

"Your Majesty, do you really intend to win over the Zhang family head?"

Zhao Yu smiled faintly.

"All this talk of winning them over is just paving the way for the final step."

He lowered the curtain, and the light inside the carriage dimmed.

What he wanted was not to weaken the power of the aristocratic families.

Instead, we should solidify their military power.

Or rather, it allows the illegitimate sons of powerful families to have some initial control over the soldiers in their hands.

And the fastest way, of course, is to fight a war!

Although the troops currently held by the major families are not even considered militia, they are still capable of fighting.

"Return to the palace." Zhao Yu closed his eyes and said no more.

Departure—

................

Zhang Mansion.

The mansion was already decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and servants were going in and out, preparing for the evening banquet to celebrate the patriarch's successful acquisition of the armory.

But even before the banquet started, the main hall was already full of people, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.

It was the heads of those small families who had married into the Zhang family.

One of the family heads, surnamed Wang, spoke first, his face full of worry.

"Brother Zhang, isn't it a bit too arrogant of you to host such a grand banquet for all the scholars in the city?"

"The Li and Lu families suffered such a huge loss at the auction, and they were already holding their breath."

"If we provoke them like this now, it will probably provoke a fierce counterattack from them."

The other family heads nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Brother Zhang, in my opinion, the most urgent task now is to keep a low profile, consume that batch of armor and weapons as soon as possible, then refine more armor and train elite troops. That is the right thing to do."

"Making a fortune quietly is the true path to success, Brother Zhang!"

Everyone was offering advice, after all, the Li and Lu families were among the five oldest and most prestigious families, and over time they had left a deep impression on them.

Zhang Wenyuan slowly sipped his tea, showing no concern whatsoever for what he had done.

After setting down his teacup, he said, "Don't worry, everyone. I dare to snatch food from the mouths of the Li and Lu families, so I naturally have the confidence to stand up to them."

"Oh?"

"What do you mean by that, Brother Zhang?"

Zhang Wenyuan piqued everyone's curiosity.

Zhang Wenyuan's lips curled up, and he pretended to be farsighted, saying, "Taking the armor is actually just the first step in my plan. My real purpose is to get... to get His Majesty's attention to me."

Today, while Zhang was handing over the money, he convinced His Majesty to take action against the Li and Lu families, and even promised that the court would secretly assist Zhang in doing so.

Zhang Wenyuan attributed the matter to himself without batting an eye, as he also needed some achievements to stabilize the other families.

"What?!"

"What?!"

"......!"

Everyone was taken aback.

One of the family heads immediately said, "Wouldn't that be the same as the Gan family, siding with the emperor?!"

"Hey! What do you mean by 'surrendering to the emperor'? This is called 'judging the situation'!" Zhang Wenyuan immediately explained, displeased.

"Daliang is neither too big nor too small. You all know how domineering the Li and Lu families have been for many years. Now that I, Zhang, have finally managed to secure this benefit, if this matter is successful, we can all hope to achieve the title of one of the five great families in the future."

Upon hearing this, everyone hesitated.

They had been envious of the five powerful families and their comfortable lives for countless years.

Now that an opportunity has fallen into their laps, they naturally hesitate.

"Brother Zhang, putting everything else aside, now that our two families are related by marriage, my Dong family has no choice but to accept it!"

"My family is the same!"

"Me too!"

"..."

Several families readily pledged their loyalty, and Zhang Wenyuan, stroking his beard, said, "In that case, let's not hold back on future expenses..."

Just then, a servant came running to deliver the news.

"Master, something terrible has happened! The Li and Lu families have arrived with their men."