I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Splash! Splash! Splash!

After the generals' corpses were ruthlessly dragged away, someone quickly brought several buckets of water and poured them on the ground to wash away the bloodstains on the city wall.

After the smell of blood dissipated, the Empress waved her hand dismissively in front of her nose and turned back to sit down.

It's as if none of this ever happened.

Zhuge Yu, who was already terrified, was pinned down and forced to kneel on the ground with his arms twisted, his eyes still wide open.

During this time, he had come to his senses and understood.

What exactly is the Empress's scheme?!

This time, the war between Northern Mang and Great Zhou was instigated by the Regent!

The regent wanted to use this national war to gain more prestige and support in defeating his niece and ascending the throne!

Knowing she could not stop the regent from starting a war, the empress chose to play along.

She feigned a winning streak in the early stages to distinguish which of her subordinates were the regent's men.

As for Jin Ge and the two princes, it was the Empress who deliberately allowed them to be captured alive by the Great Zhou, which led to today's battle.

While eliminating the regent's second son, Murong Lie, they also had to wipe out all the generals who had already pledged allegiance to the regent.

This not only avenged the grudge of the Regent Prince helping the powerful minister humiliate the Empress Mother, but also shattered the Regent Prince's dream of becoming emperor!

"Your Majesty, your plan was perfect, but the only flaw is that everyone knows you led this war. Now that the war has been lost, the people of Northern Mang will treat you very badly when you return home..."

Qin Li crossed his arms and stroked his chin. He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already clear.

The regent may use this as an excuse, and the empress's prestige is not what it used to be.

This is called "hurting the enemy a thousand, but losing eight hundred of your own!"

The Empress smiled slightly, showing no concern whatsoever. "Therefore, I need a scapegoat to take the blame for losing the national war."

As the Empress finished speaking.

Qin Li couldn't help but turn his head to look at Zhuge Yu.

Zhuge Yu was taken aback.

What does that mean?

I?

I'm the one who took the blame!

Zhuge Yu hurriedly looked at the Empress who had already sat down, wanting to kneel and step forward, but the Ironclad soldiers on both sides who were subduing him did not give him a chance at all, twisting his arms so painfully that they were about to break at any moment.

Despite the excruciating pain, Zhuge Yu hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, tell me this isn't true?"

Zhuge Yu's eyes were full of pleading.

The empress did not look at him, but simply rested her snow-white chin on two fingers.

Without saying a word, Zhuge Yu understood the Empress's meaning.

He was both angry and incredulous, his voice hoarse, "Your Majesty, even if I have no merit, I have worked hard. Throughout this battle, how many times have I been the one to come up with the ideas for Your Majesty?"

So that's why.

Qin Li couldn't help but laugh and said, "Everyone knows that all the battles we've fought along the way were your ideas for His Majesty, and the fact that we lost this battle was also your idea. It's most suitable for you to take the blame, and everyone trusts you."

"Besides, didn't you just suggest that Murong Lie go into battle?"

"Otherwise, how could Murong Lie have died?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yu's breathing became rapid, increasingly rapid, until he could barely breathe.

He understood, he understood!

Hahaha, hahaha...

So, it turns out he had been tricked all along...

He was already the scapegoat chosen by the Empress.

He even thought he had met a wise ruler and was prepared to devote all his knowledge to serving the Empress.

Who knew that in the end, in the end...

Zhuge Yu has gone mad, completely mad.

He looked up and laughed loudly, tears streaming down his face.

The laughter contained a complex mix of emotions: anger, resentment, regret, hatred...

"Let's drag it out."

After waving her hand, the Empress ordered her men to drag Zhuge Yu away.

I don't want to see him, and I don't want to hear his voice.

From the very beginning, she had chosen Zhuge Yu as the scapegoat.

Therefore, at this moment, she felt no reluctance, nor did she feel that she had done anything wrong.

Besides, Zhuge Yu was not entirely loyal to her. Based on her understanding of Zhuge Yu, she knew that after returning to the country, Zhuge Yu could not resist the temptations and the olive branch extended to him by the regent.

Rather than raising an ungrateful child, it's better to let him realize his full potential now.

Even if Zhuge Yu died this way, his death would still have value!

After the man was dragged away, the Empress turned her gaze to the outside of the city, "Where exactly did I slip up, allowing you to see through my scheme?"

Qin Li turned around and sat down, waving for a cup of tea.

Unaffected by what had just happened, he said, "There are plenty of places where things slipped up."

"For example, Jin Ge is a peak ninth-rank expert. I think His Majesty must have made two preparations. In case I don't do what His Majesty wants, Jin Ge can still protect the two princes and escape without losing his life."

The Empress smiled, which was taken as tacit agreement. "I did make two preparations. I deliberately let thousands of troops be captured by you. I took a huge risk. They are the only family I still care about in this world."

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub; Your Majesty has succeeded!"

Qin Li said with a wry smile, "Even though I saw something amiss back then, I still had to do as His Majesty planned, because that was the optimal solution for our Great Zhou!"

"But I can't help but wonder, what exactly does Your Majesty want? Losing this battle doesn't seem to be a good deal for Your Majesty."

The Empress said, "Who said that? What I want has never been the territory and cities of your Great Zhou, because if those things fall into my hands, they will soon be taken over by the Regent. I will have done all the work for someone else."

"What I desire is the entire population and wealth of the Nine Provinces in the northern border region of your Great Zhou! I will take them all back as my private property!"

"These things are alive. It won't be so easy for the Regent to steal them. Even if I hide them, the Regent won't be able to find them anytime soon."

Nodding, Qin Li understood; so that's how it is.

For the Empress, after returning to the country, she would be subject to the Regent in every way.

Any good things they have, the regent always snatches them away.

Needless to say, the territories and cities that were conquered were also captured.

It will be snatched away by the regent before it even gets warm.

However, population and wealth are different.

These are alive; they can move.

The Empress can hide them.

It's like Qin Li obtaining the dragon vein of the previous dynasty in the Jiuyi Mountains.

Unless Qin Li hands it over voluntarily, no one can get their hands on it.

"I have received so much from your Great Zhou, yet you don't seem angry?" The Empress looked at Qin Li with some curiosity.

To be honest, she was like a bandit, plundering the entire northern border of the Great Zhou, leaving only empty cities behind.

"What's there to be angry about?"

Qin Li said frankly, "This is what His Majesty deserves. Who made our Great Zhou's northern border defenses so weak, resulting in a complete defeat? In this world, the strong rule!"

"Besides, I'll reclaim all the cities one by one, which is a windfall for me. I should thank Your Majesty!"

"After conquering the northern border and returning to the capital, I will be made crown prince, and offering His Majesty three cups of wine would not be excessive!"

The Empress smiled sincerely, "If I have the opportunity, I will definitely attend in person to drink the wine offered by the First Prince."