He has been reincarnated through countless worlds, adorned with billions of mythological terms!

Yun Yi turned his head to look at her.

Moonlight fell on her face.

That round face still had the features of a six-year-old child.

But the light in his eyes and the expression on his face when he said those words didn't seem like those of a child at all.

"When did it start?"

"From the age of two," Yunling counted on her fingers, "I first bribed the eunuchs around my mother and had them relay messages for me in the palace."

"When I was three years old, I met a purchasing manager in the Imperial Household Department through that eunuch, and asked him to help me deliver the letter out of the palace."

"When I was four years old, I had someone outside contact several mid-level officials who were not successful in the court. I gave them some ideas to help them make an appearance at the right time and get promoted."

"At the age of five, I was already able to control about 30% of the officials in the court."

"Right now, it's down to 60% and up to 90%."

After she finished speaking, she turned her head to look at Yun Yi, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Pretty unbelievable, isn't it?"

Yun Yi remained silent for a moment.

He was indeed surprised.

In front of him, Yunling always acted like an ordinary child.

She would snatch osmanthus cakes, jump around, and call him "Brother 101" in that crisp voice.

He had known she had a problem for a long time, but he hadn't expected it to be this serious.

"Why are you going through all this trouble?" he asked.

Yunling did not answer immediately.

She glanced down at her fingers; her fingertips were covered with tiny crumbs of biscuit, which appeared pale white in the moonlight.

Then I looked up at the few cold stars in the night sky.

"I want to live this world a different way."

"I'm not going to rob it anymore."

"I will assist you."

She turned her head, and in her round eyes was an expression that Yun Yi couldn't quite tell whether it was seriousness or exhaustion.

"You become the emperor, and I'll be your strategist."

"You just need to stand in front, and I'll take care of everything else."

"May I?"

Yun Yi stared at her for a long time.

The night breeze swept through the courtyard.

The lantern under the eaves swayed, its light and shadow flickering between the two people.

"Can."

Yunling's eyebrows curved slightly.

The smile was faint, carrying a hint of relief.

"Then it's settled."

She patted her skirt, stood up, and stretched.

"As for the remaining ten percent—they are all old stubborns whose fighting skills are too high for me to handle."

"But these should all be minor issues for you, right?"

Yun Yi thought for a moment and nodded.

"That's true."

"That's good." Yunling turned and walked towards her room, but stopped after a couple of steps, turned back to look at him, and said, "Oh, right, there's one more thing."

"My father's military strength might be a bit beyond our imagination."

"But it shouldn't be a problem for you."

After saying that, she walked into the guest room without looking back.

The door closed with a soft click.

Yun Yi sat on the stone steps, not getting up immediately.

The wind was still blowing in the courtyard, the lantern light was still swaying, and the distant mountains and forests remained silent in the night.

He ascended the throne.

He did the same thing in the first world.

He sits in the highest position, managing the country and ruling over all people.

But this time is different.

This time, he really wanted to do something.

The next morning, after resting overnight at the post station, the group set off again.

The snow stopped overnight, but before dawn, thin snowflakes began to fall again, sprinkling the official road like fine salt.

Yunyi sat in the carriage, holding a cup of hot tea in his hands.

My gaze fell on the snow-covered mountains and fields outside the window.

His expression was calm, as if he was thinking about something, or as if he wasn't thinking about anything at all.

Consort Rou sat opposite him, holding the hand warmer in her arms.

She didn't lift the curtain to look at the scenery outside like she did yesterday; she just glanced at Yun Yi every now and then.

There was something very complicated in his eyes.

She barely slept last night.

Lying on the hard bed in the inn, I tossed and turned, thinking about many things.

I wonder when he started practicing.

I wonder where he learned all those skills.

I wonder what he will become in the future.

What I think about most is the image of his back as he stepped out of the carriage on the mountain road.

So small, so frail.

But she felt more at ease than all the guards combined.

"Yi'er," she finally spoke.

"Um."

"After returning to the palace, what will you... do?"

Yun Yi turned to look at her and remained silent for a moment.

"Maybe I'll do some small things."

"But I won't put my mother in a difficult position."

Consort Rou looked at him, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.

That smile held a sense of relief, but also a hint of unspoken worry.

"Mother is not afraid of making things difficult for you. Mother is afraid that you will bear it all by yourself and refuse to speak up."

Yun Yi nodded gently: "I understand."

The carriage continued forward.

The wheels crunched and groaned as they rolled over the snow.

In the carriage behind, Yunling was dozing off on the cushions.

His head bobbed up and down with the swaying of the carriage, like a sleepy kitten.

She went to bed very late last night.

After talking with Yunyi, he returned to his room and spent most of the night writing—making lists, sorting out relationships, and planning the next steps.

The people we needed to win over have already been won over.

It's time to clean up what needs cleaning.

All that's left is to wait for Yunyi to get in place.

She slightly opened one eye, glanced at the snow scene outside the car window, and then closed it again.

The corners of her mouth curved into a smile.

The group arrived at the imperial city in the afternoon.

As the wheels rolled over the familiar bluestone pavement once more, Yunyi glimpsed the continuous eaves of the palace walls through the gaps in the carriage curtain.

The outline of the imperial city remains solemn.

The snow on the city wall had been swept clean by the palace servants, but icicles still hung from the eaves, reflecting a shimmering light in the winter sun.

The gatekeeper checked the token and let him through.

The carriages filed in, passed through the Meridian Gate, and drove along the palace road into the depths.

When I returned to my courtyard, there was still a book on the stone table that I hadn't had time to take away that day.

A few pages were blown open by the wind, and a thin layer of dust settled on them.

Yunyi closed the book and put it back in the study.

I glanced again at the two ancient trees in the courtyard.

The snow on the trees is slowly melting in the afternoon sun.

Water droplets slid down from the branches and hit the stone slab, making a soft, crisp sound.

That night.

Most of the candles in the courtyard had gone out, with only one lamp still lit in the study.

Yun Yi sat at his desk, with a map of the Yunming Empire spread out in front of him.

Mountains, rivers, cities, and passes are all depicted with fine lines, and the place names and the number of troops stationed are marked next to them.

Yunling sat opposite him, with a roll of paper spread out in front of her.

The names were written in dense, along with notes following them—who was usable, who needed to be cleaned up, and who was a fence-sitter and could be left alone for now.

She didn't bring all the papers, only a few key ones.

List of officials, troop deployment, and grain reserves in various regions.

She glanced at the map in front of Yun Yi and said, "I have already confirmed the alliance between the Northern Law Empire and the Divine Wind Empire."

"It was signed last autumn, using a clandestine method of communication, leaving no trace in the open."

"Their plan is to spend two years infiltrating the Yunming Empire, and then launch a two-pronged attack once the internal conflicts have reached a critical point."

"So those assassins were just testing the waters?" Yun Yi asked.

"Yes, a test." Yunling tapped the list with her finger. "The people they sent aren't very powerful; the highest they've reached is the peak of the Meridian Opening stage. Their real killing move is yet to come."

"If they find that the Yunming Empire can't even withstand a test of this level, they will send even stronger people next."

"If they find they caught it—and caught it beautifully—"

She paused, then looked at Yun Yi.

"They would raise the threat level of the Yunming Empire and then launch a war ahead of schedule."

"What will they find?"

Yunling smiled.

"They will find that the assassination attempt failed."

"The entire assassin team was wiped out; there were no survivors, no prisoners, and no clues left behind."

"They don't know who did it, or what kind of forces within the Yunming Empire are protecting the royal family."

All they got was a blank page.

"The more blank the field, the less likely I am to take action."

Yun Yi nodded, his gaze returning to the map.

"Let's put external problems aside for now."

"What about inside?"

"I've basically finished things on the internal side. I've bribed those who needed to be bribed and won over those who needed to be won over. There's still a small group left to eliminate—they're all old-timers with high combat skills."

Yunling pushed the roll of paper forward. "These people can't be won over with benefits alone. We either need to deal with them directly, or show them a stronger force."

"I'll go see them tomorrow."

Yunling blinked.

Are you sure?

"Um."

"Okay then." She leaned back, a smile playing on her lips.

"No more delays, let's get right to it."