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

Inside the Imperial Study, the smoke from burning sandalwood rose straight up.

After Qiu Ping entered the room, he stopped three steps away from the dragon desk, his face solemn, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your Majesty, there is something unusual at the Imperial Hospital."

"speak."

This morning, a servant named Miyamoto from the Imperial Medical Academy suddenly displayed his medical skills.

He used three silver needles to cure the chief imperial physician's hemoptysis, which had been unresolved for half a month, in less than fifteen minutes.

Subsequently, Miyamoto engaged in a pharmacological contest with the chief physician.

In the three stages of identifying the medicine, administering acupuncture, and determining the prescription, Miyamoto won with an absolute advantage.

Currently, the chief imperial physician has handed over the seal and token of the Imperial Medical Academy to Miyamoto, and all the imperial physicians in the academy obey his every command.

Zhao Yu's hand, holding the vermilion brush, froze in mid-air.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on Qiu Ping's lifeless face.

"Miyamoto?" Zhao Yu repeated the name.

"Yes, Miyamoto," Qiu Ping replied.

Zhao Yu's eyes narrowed, and a rare hint of killing intent appeared on his face.

As a time traveler, he was perfectly aware of the meaning behind this surname.

According to the historical records of Daliang, there was no Ying Kingdom here originally. More than 500 years ago, Ying Kingdom suddenly declared its establishment and revealed the bloodline of the Water Dragon.

But as a man of the 20th century, he had no idea what this Sakura Country was all about.

Miyamoto is the most common surname among samurai in Sakura Province.

A man from the Sakura Kingdom, who had been lurking in the Imperial Hospital for many years, chose to seize power in such a high-profile manner at a critical moment when the Lady of Zhennan was embroiled in a scandal and rumors were rampant in the capital.

This is by no means a coincidence.

Zhao Yu tapped the location of the Imperial Hospital on the map lightly with his finger.

"Besides seizing power, what other moves has he made?"

Qiu Ping spoke without hesitation:

"After Miyamoto took over the Imperial Medical Academy, he immediately ordered the medicine storehouse to be sealed off and rearranged the list of imperial physicians who would accompany him to the prayer ceremony three days later."

The five originally selected senior imperial physicians were all replaced with those personally chosen by him.

A slight smile appeared on Zhao Yu's lips.

"Openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass. So he's just a nobody." Zhao Yu muttered to himself.

The opponent's combination of punches was very well executed.

First, he used Ji Yue's affair to create a royal scandal in an attempt to sow discord between him and the Prince of Zhennan.

He thought Zhao Yu wanted to use the Prince of Zhennan to deal with him, and then secretly use the physician to launch a fatal attack!

The emperor does not need a physician for the prayer ceremony three days later, but physicians are generally required for these outings.

After learning about the situation at the morning court, Zhao Yu most likely instructed the physicians to prepare to take action, which is why he seized power in such a high-profile manner.

"Interesting." Zhao Yu turned to look at Qiu Ping. "How do you think a physician would deal with me?"

"Based on calculations, poisoning is the optimal choice."

But His Majesty is at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, and there are so many people around, ordinary poisons cannot penetrate his body.

Therefore, I speculate that the most likely plan is to create an opportunity for Your Majesty to poison you when you are alone.” Qiu Ping analyzed objectively.

Zhao Yu nodded; he thought so too.

"Qiu Ping, convey my decree."

Zhao Yu walked to the table, spread out a blank sheet of yellow silk, but instead of using a brush, he dipped his finger in the cooled tea and drew a few circles on the table.

"First, don't touch Miyamoto. Let him continue to be the head of his Imperial Medical Academy. If he wants to replace someone at the prayer ceremony, let him replace them."

Qiu Ping nodded and recorded the instructions in the core logic.

"Second, issue an edict to the commander of the Imperial Guards, ordering him to immediately disrupt all existing patrol formations of the Imperial Guards."

Do not divide them into camps; break them up and regroup them by drawing lots.

I want to ensure that no one within the Imperial Guard knows anyone else, and that no one can conspire in secret.

Zhao Yu's eyes deepened. "In these reorganized teams, three skilled members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard are secretly placed in each team."

Their objectives were twofold: to conceal and not transmit the arrangements of their Imperial Guard unit.

"Understood," Qiu Ping replied.

"Go ahead and do it," Zhao Yu waved his hand.

"Yes." Qiu Ping bowed slightly, turned around and left.

Zhao Yu's eyes narrowed.

Since Zhao Yu was using a feint to secretly advance his own plank road, he would counter Zhao Yu's plan.

Take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate that spy, the "General"!

Chang Le Fang in the capital.

As dusk settled, the restaurant was bustling with activity. The storyteller's gavel pounded loudly, and the diners cheered incessantly.

Unlike the bustling atmosphere downstairs, a quiet room at the far end of the second floor was so peaceful that the crackling of the candlelight could be heard.

The room was small and simply furnished, with the only eye-catching feature being a huge map of the capital city hanging on the wall.

A young man dressed in fine clothes stood in front of the map, holding a glass of wine in his hand, his gaze fixed on the location of the palace on the map.

He is Zhao Yu.

"A coffin maker thinks he can rest easy after pulling the plug?"

Zhao Yu sneered, his fingertips dabbing at the wine, and drew a wet line on the map from the palace to the Buddhist temple in the eastern suburbs.

"Innocent."

Zhao Yu smirked, extremely pleased with himself.

"This character is the last meal I'm giving you before your execution. The prayer ceremony three days from now will be the day you, the beggar emperor, die."

He seemed to enjoy the feeling of being in control, and turned to explain his plan to Eunuch Hai, who was standing behind him with his hands at his sides.

"Miyamoto has already made the arrangements."

He planned to create chaos during the prayer ceremony, allowing Miyamoto to approach and unleash his poison.

Zhao Yu's voice was full of smugness.

"His poison skills are useless if Zhao Yu even touches them, hehe."

Grandpa Hai kept his head down and did not agree.

The dim candlelight cast deep shadows on his wrinkled face, making him look obscure and inscrutable.

"Your Highness."

"This old servant has a feeling that something is not right about this."

The smile on Zhao Yu's face faded slightly.

"Something's not right?"

"Given Zhao Yu's style of doing things, he's definitely not the kind of person who would participate in the sacrificial ceremony."

Grandpa Hai raised his head, a thoughtful glint in his cloudy eyes.

"Those fancy rituals are not in line with his usual style."

He only knows how to get things done, whether it's repelling the Wolf Kingdom's military threat or eliminating the major threat from powerful clans.

Zhao Yu frowned, put down his wine glass, and paced back and forth.

"You mean, he might have figured out our plan?"

"This old servant dares not make a definitive statement." Eunuch Hai shook his head, then, as if remembering something, continued his analysis.

"This old servant is wondering... if that coffin maker has already defected to us..."

The indoor air became stagnant.

Before Hai Gonggong could finish speaking, he contradicted himself.

No, that's impossible.

Ji Yue was, after all, the wife of the Prince of Zhennan and the former princess of Sun Kingdom, a woman of noble status.

How could she possibly seek refuge with a fake emperor who was originally a beggar?

This doesn't make sense.

"Oh."

Zhao Yu sneered and picked up his wine glass again.

"She doesn't dare."

His tone was confident, with a condescending disdain.

"Only I, the king, can obtain the antidote for her brother."

"She dares to betray me; her brother must die."

Grandpa Hai was not convinced. He looked at Zhao Yu and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Your Highness, given her status, she really shouldn't have sought refuge with us."

As for the antidote... Although Zhao Yu is now a fake, he is still the emperor who holds real power in the Great Liang.

Given the tactics he's recently displayed, he might very well be able to obtain the antidote from the Sun Kingdom.

"He won't get it!"

Zhao Yu smiled dismissively and blurted out, "Because the antidote isn't with Sun..."

The words came to an abrupt halt.

Zhao Yu suddenly shut his mouth, his fingers holding the wine glass tightened involuntarily, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He made a slip of the tongue.

An eerie silence fell over the sealed room, with only the candlelight flickering softly in the corner.

The noise from the diners downstairs drifted in through the crack in the door, making the room feel even more oppressive.

"Clatter".

A drop of scalding hot wax dripped from the candlestick and landed precisely at the location of "Imperial Hospital" on the map, forming an ugly black dot.

Grandpa Hai lowered his eyes, as if he hadn't heard anything at all, and bowed his body, his posture even more respectful than before.

Zhao Yu's chest heaved violently as he forcibly suppressed the panic in his heart.

He finished the remaining wine in his glass, waved his hand, and his voice returned to its usual calm.

"Go and test Ji Yue."

"Let's see what her stance really is."

He emphasized his words.

"Remember, don't alert the enemy."

"Yes, this old servant obeys."

Grandpa Hai bowed in agreement, then quietly withdrew and closed the door.

Inside the secret room, only Zhao Yu remained.

He stared intently at the drop of wax that had solidified on the map, his face so dark it seemed to drip water.

He muttered to himself, his voice so soft that only he could hear it.

"This matter must not be known to anyone..."