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

Unlike the gloomy atmosphere in the Li and Lu families, the Zhang family mansion was filled with joy.

Zhang Wenyuan was full of vigor, as if he could already see the day when he would be made a king and a prime minister.

"Master, we can't keep fighting like this."

An elderly family member with white hair and beard spoke with a worried expression.

"We're outmaneuvering the Li and Lu families, and our warehouse is empty. We're barely surviving by buying on credit from various businesses."

"Shortsighted!"

Zhang Wenyuan waved his hand dismissively.

"What's this little investment? Once we bring down the Li and Lu families, their assets will be at our disposal."

He's now completely absorbed in his dream of becoming a king of a different surname, and he can't hear the words of these fools at all.

"The Mandate of Heaven rests on my shoulders, on the Zhang family, and on His Majesty! The Li and Lu families are nothing but grasshoppers in autumn, their days are numbered! They are traitors, destined to fail!"

"Report—"

A servant rushed in.

"Master, the Dong family and the Xia family have sent word that they... they also can't afford to pay and want to... want to temporarily suspend the alliance."

"fool!"

Zhang Wenyuan flew into a rage and kicked over the chair next to him.

"A bunch of short-sighted fools! They can't even withstand this little storm; they deserve to be second-rate families forever!"

He cursed a few times, then sneered.

"It doesn't matter if they're not there. I've already asked His Majesty for help, and the money should be on its way. When the time comes, don't blame the Zhang family for eating the meat and leaving them nothing!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another servant rushed in, panting and looking flustered.

"Master! There's a message from the palace... from the palace!"

Zhang Wenyuan's anger instantly turned into smugness.

"How is it? Has the money His Majesty allocated arrived? I knew it..."

"No...no..."

The servant knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling.

"The Ministry of Revenue has sent word...that the national treasury is frozen and there is no money or grain to be allocated for the time being, and that...the head of the household should resolve the matter on his own."

"Solve it yourself?"

Zhang Wenyuan's smile froze.

The mansion fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop.

He stood there, stunned, his previous high spirits vanished without a trace.

A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to the top of my head.

Not right.

Something's really wrong.

An invisible storm has been gathering and taking shape over the capital city without anyone noticing.

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

The royal palace's back garden.

Inside the pavilion, the charcoal fire in the brazier burned brightly, and a delicate copper pot bubbled with steam, swirling with white mist.

Zhao Yu leaned leisurely against the cushion, and the palace maid beside him used silver chopsticks to pick up a piece of freshly cooked tender mutton, dipped it in the secret sauce, and put it into his mouth.

The garden is vibrant with winter scenery, and beautiful women dance gracefully, creating a truly delightful atmosphere.

This sense of ease seemed like a completely different world from the upheaval that had taken place outside the palace in the Great Liang Dynasty.

Chief eunuch Wei An hurried over with small steps, stopped outside the pavilion, and bowed.

"His Majesty."

"explain."

Zhao Yu didn't even look up, savoring the tender mutton in his mouth.

Wei An spoke in a low voice, giving a concise report on the struggles between the Zhang family and the Li and Lu families in the court this week.

The three families nearly broke off relations in the imperial court, completely disregarding their status and exchanging insults about each other's ancestors, while their memorials recommending each other piled up like a small mountain.

After hearing the report, Zhao Yu waved his hand, signaling the palace maids to stop feeding the children.

"It seems they've worn it down enough. If we let them keep fighting, they'll have used up all their troops, and then it'll be hard to end the situation."

After having the palace maid wipe his mouth, Zhao Yu took a small sip of tea to rinse his mouth.

"Besides, after so long, even the most foolish core members of the Li and Lu families should have noticed something was wrong by now."

Wei An lowered his head and respectfully echoed, "Your Majesty is wise."

Just then, a young eunuch ran over quickly and knelt down outside the pavilion.

"Your Majesty, Princess Xiaoyue Bei'er of the Wolf Kingdom requests an audience outside the garden."

"Oh?"

Zhao Yu became somewhat interested.

The Wolf Kingdom's reparations arrived long ago, but the beauties they offered in response to the compensation, including Xiaoyue Beier, still need some time to be raised.

Zhao Yu wasn't worried that they would break their promise, so he gave them more than a week, but they didn't expect it to be over now.

"Let her in," Zhao Yu said calmly. He also wanted to see just how beautiful the number one beauty of the Wolf Kingdom would be.

The servant acknowledged and withdrew.

Before long, a petite figure timidly walked into the pavilion.

Zhao Yu raised his head, his movements pausing slightly.

The person who came was a little girl, only a little over 1.6 meters tall, with a round face and a bit of baby fat.

She was wearing a white wolf-patterned coat, the fluffy collar making her face appear even smaller.

She clutched the hem of her clothes nervously with both hands, her head bowed, looking exactly like the girl next door.

Zhao Yu was somewhat amazed.

It's incredible that such a rugged and unrestrained place like the Wolf Kingdom could produce such an endearing woman.

Xiaoyue Beier walked to the middle of the pavilion, secretly raised her face, and met Zhao Yu's gaze. She was so frightened that she quickly lowered her head again, her cheeks turning red.

Zhao Yu's lips curled up; he found it somewhat interesting.

He commanded, "Lift your face up."

Xiaoyue Beier trembled slightly, not daring to disobey, and could only nervously and slowly raise her face.

Zhao Yu then got a clear look at her.

A round face, paired with a pair of big, watery eyes, looks a bit silly and simple-minded.

How old are you?

Zhao Yu asked casually.

"This servant...this servant has just turned eighteen."

Xiaoyue Beier's voice was very soft, with a slight tremor.

Zhao Yu nodded.

It's good that they're adults; it makes things easier to do them.

However, this girl looks naive and innocent, so she must have been well protected by the Howling Moon Clan.

"Will you warm my bed?"

Zhao Yu suddenly asked.

Xiaoyue Beier froze completely.

Before he came to Daliang, the old woman in his family had told him that the purpose of the women sent by the defeated country as compensation was to "warm the bed," which meant sexual relations. She then explained the sexual relations in detail.

She was both scared and ashamed when she heard it, never expecting that she would have to go through something like this so soon.

But now she is a prisoner, her life and death are in the hands of others, and she has no room to resist.

She bit her lower lip, her cheeks flushed red as if they were about to bleed, but finally nodded gently.

"Then tell me, how do you warm the bed?"

Zhao Yu leaned forward slightly, looking at her with a half-smile.

Xiaoyue Beier's face flushed bright red, and her voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's hum.

"First... first take off your clothes... then... then kiss..."

As she spoke the last two words, her large eyes welled up with tears, and she looked like she was about to cry.

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Zhao Yu felt a surge of mischievous pleasure.

"Kiss what? You wolf country people kiss even when warming the bed, that's rather interesting."

Xiaoyue Beier looked somewhat bewildered after hearing Zhao Yu's words.

But Zhao Yu then looked at the palace maid serving beside him.

"You tell her how Da Liang warms the bed."

The palace maid immediately bowed and began to explain.

"Your Majesty, the characteristics of a warm bed are 'warm,' 'soft,' and 'fragrant.'"

"First of all, it should be 'warm.' The body temperature should be used to warm every inch of the bed just right. It shouldn't be too hot or too cold. The owner should feel no coldness as soon as they crawl in, only the most comfortable temperature."

"Secondly, it should be 'soft'. A warm bed and a soft, fluffy blanket should not feel oppressive or restrictive when covering the body."

"Finally, there is the fragrance. Before serving the emperor, one must bathe with a specially made precious medicine to enhance one's body fragrance. When warming the bed, one must remove one's clothes and use a specific posture to allow the fragrance to spread evenly to every corner of the bed. Too much will be cloying, and too little will be weak."

"The combination of these three elements constitutes the way to warm the bed."

Zhao Yu nodded. In the past few days, he had experienced various styles of palace maids warming his bed, and the fragrance of the women brought out by the medicinal baths was also different for each of them.

Believe it or not, I've never had this kind of experience in my past life.

Xiaoyue Beier was dumbfounded.

She then realized that she had completely misunderstood.

A huge wave of shame washed over her, and her cheeks, neck, and even her two small ears turned pink.

Zhao Yu smiled with satisfaction.

"Stay by my side and learn properly first."

"Yes...yes."

Xiaoyue Beier responded weakly, her face flushed red, and stood awkwardly to the side.

After experiencing the palace maid's massage for a while, Zhao Yu slowly stood up.

"Let's go, we have a distinguished guest scheduled for today."

And so, a simple and unpretentious afternoon tea came to an end.