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

Prime Minister's House.

The atmosphere in the study was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

A dozen or so civil officials dressed in their official robes were crammed into the room. They hadn't even had time to change out of their robes before coming here from the palace.

The Minister of Personnel, looking anxious and puzzled, bowed to Gan Qing, who was sitting calmly at the head of the table sipping tea, and said, "Prime Minister! Why do you suddenly want to retire and return to your hometown? What should we do now that you're gone?"

"Yes, Prime Minister! If you were not here, would we civil officials ever have a chance to rise in rank? How could our five noble families ever prosper?"

"Prime Minister, please reconsider!"

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, their words filled with fear of the future.

Gan Qing slowly put down his teacup, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and spoke softly.

"Are you done arguing?"

Everyone immediately fell silent.

Gan Qing snorted coldly: "Have you forgotten what the young emperor said in court yesterday about your affair?"

Do you really think he's threatening us?

No, he's warning us!

He found out about the theft of the red cannon!

hiss--

These words plunged everyone into an icy abyss.

"No! Impossible!" an official screamed. "The red-coated cannon is a national treasure. If he knew what we did, why didn't he attack on the spot? Why was there no punishment?"

"Yeah! That doesn't make sense! Those are red-coated cannons!"

The crowd echoed their sentiments; they were unwilling and dared not believe this terrifying conjecture.

Gan Qing looked at their panicked appearance and sneered.

"Ever since the Wolf Kingdom breached the northern border and besieged the city, have you seen that young emperor suffer even the slightest loss?"

Upon hearing this, the entire study fell silent instantly.

Everyone was stunned and began to think back carefully.

From mobilizing the Imperial Guards to beheading the Minister of War, and then forcing the Seven Wolves to retreat, the young emperor seemed to always be in control and never made a mistake.

They... had never seen him suffer a single loss.

Before anyone could react, Gan Qing said in a low voice:

"Since there is no punishment, there are only two possibilities."

First, the red cannon you went to great lengths to steal is fake.

Secondly, it was that young emperor who deliberately let us steal it!

In an instant, a sense of crisis arose in everyone's hearts.

It was as if they had fallen into that little emperor's trap once again!

Moreover, it's yet another trap that they are completely unaware of!

"Prime Minister, please save us!" The Minister of Personnel knelt down with a thud.

"What should we do, Prime Minister!"

The others also knelt down, seeing Gan Qing as their last lifeline.

Gan Qing looked at the people kneeling on the ground, a look of disgust flashing in his eyes, but his tone softened somewhat.

"What's the panic? Get up, everyone."

Right now, all you need to do is honestly fulfill your duties as subjects of the Great Liang, and don't think about or do anything else.

Even if that young emperor is incredibly powerful, I don't believe he can withstand the 100,000-strong army of the Wolf Kingdom with just a few new weapons.

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts, which had been in their throats, finally settled down a little.

An official stood up, gritting his teeth, and said, "The Prime Minister is right! Once the Wolf Kingdom's army enters the city, I'll see how arrogant they can be then!"

"To be honest, I really hope the Wolf Kingdom people can hurry up and chop that little emperor up!"

"That's right! Being his subjects is simply unbearable; they never get a good night's sleep! It's torture!"

"Shh-"

Gan Qing suddenly raised a finger to his lips and said with a look of disappointment.

"Silence!"

He lowered his voice and said, word by word, "Even I don't know if this Prime Minister's residence is absolutely safe now."

Everyone froze, and the little bit of courage they had just mustered vanished instantly.

They looked around in terror, as if countless emperors' eyes were hidden in the darkness.

The next moment, they didn't even dare to say goodbye, and scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing the Prime Minister's residence in a panic.

Looking at the empty study, Gan Qing's face showed helplessness.

Just then, a servant hurried in and respectfully handed over a folded piece of paper.

"Sir, it was sent by that distinguished guest."

Gan Qing took the note and slowly unfolded it.

After reading the contents, he frowned slightly and casually crumpled the paper into powder.

"knew.

"I will make the arrangements."

……

On the city wall of the Great Liang Imperial City.

The cold wind howled, and the banners fluttered in the wind.

Meng Qianshan, fully armored, was patrolling back and forth on the city wall, constantly issuing orders in a loud voice.

"Increase the number of stones rolled from the western section of the city wall by another 30%! Quickly!"

"Take another inventory of the gunpowder depot and make sure it's dry! Any discrepancies will be dealt with according to military law!"

"All archers must have at least three hundred arrows on hand. If you're even one short, you'll be punished!"

A young lieutenant followed behind him, watching the soldiers below busily carrying various defensive equipment, his face full of doubt.

"Commander Meng, we've prepared so many rolling stones, kerosene, and molten gold... Will there be a major battle in the next two days?"

Meng Qianshan paused, glanced back at him, and said in a deep voice, "His Majesty's decree is something we only need to carry out; there's no need to ask any questions! Go and supervise the defenses of the South Gate!"

"Yes!" The lieutenant dared not ask any more questions and immediately accepted the order and left.

After the deputy general left, Meng Qianshan's brows furrowed tightly.

Your Majesty, are you really not going to make a mistake in your judgment?

He already felt he had lost a chance to fight because he hadn't let them pursue the defeated Seven Wolves.

Now, without any warning, he is being made to prepare for a fierce attack by an army of 50,000.

This... really didn't make him understand.

Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure it out, a messenger came running up quickly.

"Reporting to the Commander! Prime Minister Gan, who has retired to his hometown, has sent someone to request an audience, saying he has important business to discuss!"

Without a second thought, Meng Qianshan waved his hand, his tone tinged with impatience.

"not see!"

The Meng family was already unhappy with the five powerful clans controlling the world, so how could they possibly agree?

The messenger looked hesitant, but still added a sentence despite his reluctance.

"Commander, someone from the Gan residence has come to report that the Wolf Kingdom's army is about to attack the city!"

Meng Qianshan paused in his departing steps.

Is the Wolf Kingdom's army besieging the city?

Meng Qianshan was shocked. This matter coincided with His Majesty's secret decree!

He was silent for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice.

"Let him in."

"yes!"

The messenger responded and went down to the city wall. Before long, he brought a servant boy with him.

"So you were sent by that old dog Gan Qing? What do you want? Speak!"

The servant, trembling, said, "General... this is something Prime Minister Gan instructed me to give to you personally, saying it's related to the movements of the Wolf Kingdom's army."

Meng Qianshan glanced at the letter, but instead of reaching out to take it, he said, "Open it and read it aloud."

Upon hearing this, the servant could only open the letter with trembling hands and read it aloud word by word: "I recently captured a spy from the Wolf Kingdom. I have learned that the Wolf Kingdom is gathering an army of 50,000 to storm the city. I hope the general can put aside his reservations and guard the city well. If you want the Wolf Kingdom spy, you can come to my residence for interrogation."

Meng Qianshan was stunned, and his heart was filled with shock.

"It really worked! It's exactly the same as the 50,000 troops in His Majesty's imperial edict!"

"Your Majesty is indeed a celestial being descended from heaven!"

After his initial excitement subsided, Meng Qianshan looked at the servant and said, "Drag this servant away, give him twenty lashes, and then throw him back to that old scoundrel Gan."

The two responded, "Yes!"

The servant was quickly dragged away amidst his pleas for mercy.