I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

Upon hearing the laughter, Wang Long was first taken aback, then overjoyed, and couldn't help but burst into laughter as well.

The hearty laughter outside the hall belonged to none other than Wang Bao.

Everyone knows that during this period, Wang Bao often climbs onto the roof to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Anyone with common sense knows that Wang Bao has three options.

One option is to continue drowning one's sorrows in alcohol, neither supporting nor opposing Wang Long's actions.

The second point is anger, decisively rebelling against the capital and severing ties with Wang Long, this traitorous official.

The last one is to laugh heartily, accept the status quo, help Wang Long ascend the throne, and contribute to the success of the dragon's ascension.

Clearly, Wang Bao chose the last path, which was also the one Wang Long most wanted him to choose.

"Quickly, help me up. I want to go and greet my third brother myself."

Wang Long waved happily, signaling for someone to help him up.

Before anyone could help him up, Wang Bao swaggered across the threshold and into the main hall.

The first thing Wang Bao did upon entering was to kneel on one knee, cup his hands in greeting, and say, "Greetings, elder brother."

Wang Long was overjoyed and raised his hand in the air, saying, "Third brother, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise."

After Wang Bao stood up, Wang Long asked, knowing the answer already:

"Third brother, what happened that makes you so happy? Tell me so your elder brother can be happy too."

Wang Bao didn't spell it out clearly, only saying:

"Some time ago, my third brother was foolish and imprisoned himself, which was really wrong of him and made his elder brother worry."

Wang Long waved his hand: "It's great that you can figure it out yourself. With you and me working together, what in the world can't we accomplish?"

After saying that, Wang Long burst into laughter again.

Just when he was worried that the 200,000 Liangzhou cavalry wouldn't obey his orders, Wang Bao suddenly figured it out.

This is like adding wings to a tiger; little Qin Li has truly become a ruthless villain.

"Big brother really thinks too highly of his foolish younger brother."

"Oh, what do you mean?"

Wang Long asked curiously.

"Actually, it wasn't something I figured out on my own, but rather something that a wise person guided me through."

"Oh?"

Wang Long immediately became interested and asked, "Which expert could you introduce me to someone?"

Everyone has seen Wang Bao's performance these days.

It's not that no one tried to persuade them, but that nothing worked.

This wise man's guidance helped Wang Bao understand things, and he truly deserves the title of wise man.

If he can recruit them into his ranks, he will be one step closer to his great cause.

"I also know this expert."

"Who?"

Wang Long's interest grew even stronger, and he couldn't wait to find out.

"Your Majesty, Pei Qingluan."

Wang Bao said a name.

Upon hearing this, Wang Long's smile instantly froze on his face, and he couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

Is it her?

Has the sun risen in the west? Pei Qingluan actually helped him persuade Wang Bao; it just doesn't seem possible.

It seems I'll have to have a proper meeting with this empress when I have time, and see what she really means.

"It's good that you've figured it out, it's good that you've figured it out."

Wang Long was so happy that he slapped his thigh and ordered, "Men, bring a table of fine wine and food. Today, I, the King, will drink with the Marquis of Guanwai until we're both drunk."

"Yes."

……

late at night.

After watching Wang Bao get drunk and be carried back to rest, Wang Long reached out and rubbed his aching forehead.

"Your Highness, you must be tired after a long day. Let us help you back to rest."

Wang Long's three trusted confidants were present and together they helped him back to rest.

"No."

Wang Long raised his arm and said casually, "I have an important matter to attend to. I can go back to rest after I finish it."

"Eldest brother and third brother, then don't come along. Second brother, just accompany me."

Upon hearing this, Judge Wu and the Shadow Snake couple couldn't help but exchange a glance.

Judge Wu frowned. What was it that prevented him and Night Owl from going along, and instead specifically ordered Shadow Serpent to go?

Night Owl was simple-minded and didn't think too much. He did whatever Wang Long asked him to do. He took the initiative to reach out his hand and left with his arm around Judge Wu's shoulder.

Before long, Wang Long had him carried to the outside of the Empress's main hall.

After setting it down, Wang Long said to the people behind him, "You all step back and let Shadow Serpent push me in."

"Yes."

The servants responded and all withdrew.

Shadow Snake came up behind Wang Long, pushed the heavy wheelchair, and slowly pushed Wang Long inside.

"Your Highness, this is the Empress's bedchamber. Isn't it a bit improper to come here so late at night?"

Shadow Snake couldn't help but ask.

Ultimately, Wang Long is not yet the emperor; he is merely a subject.

A foreign official visiting the Empress's bedchamber late at night would not have a good reputation if word got out.

Wang Long was still rubbing his forehead, he had drunk quite a bit with Wang Bao earlier.

He said slowly, "The Great Zhou will soon belong to me, why would I care about these things?"

Upon hearing this, Shadow Serpent had nothing more to say and could only shut up and slowly push Wang Long inside.

Deep within the palace, before an exquisitely crafted phoenix chair, Empress Pei Qingluan seemed to have known Wang Long was coming and had been waiting for a long time.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Pei Qingluan clasped her hands together, pressed them against her lower abdomen, and nodded slightly in greeting.

Wang Long, sitting upright in his wheelchair, bowed his head and replied, "It is Your Majesty the Empress that I have met you."

"I wonder what brings Your Highness here so late at night?" Pei Qingluan asked after sitting down on the phoenix chair.

Wang Long rested his arm on the armrest of his wheelchair, propped his cheek with one hand, and said with a half-smile, "Your Majesty the Empress is a clever woman, an exceptionally clever woman. How could she not know why I have come so late at night?"

Pei Qingluan feigned ignorance and gently shook her head: "I really don't know about this. Perhaps Your Highness could enlighten me?"

Wang Long did not answer immediately, but instead gently and rhythmically tapped the handle of the wheelchair with the fingers of his other hand.

After a while, he said, "Your Majesty the Empress is very curious as to why she would help me."

Pei Qingluan asked, "Is Your Highness referring to Wang Bao's matter?"

Wang Long nodded.

If it weren't for this incident, he wouldn't have come so late at night.

Pei Qingluan laughed and said, "This is not helping the prince at all. I am clearly helping myself, helping the Imperial Concubine, helping the Prince of the Frontier, helping the Prime Minister, and helping all innocent people."

Wang Long switched hands and propped his cheek up: "But you are all Li Ze's men. It's hard for me not to suspect that Your Majesty has ulterior motives for doing this."

"What do you mean by 'heartfelt intentions'? What is Your Highness saying? I don't understand at all." Pei Qingluan shook her head slightly, feigning ignorance.

Wang Long bluntly stated: "Your Majesty, this is helping the traitor Li preserve his strength. One day, when the traitor Li returns with his troops, you will turn against me and stab me in the back."

Upon hearing this, Pei Qingluan suddenly laughed, covering her mouth as she laughed.

"Hahaha, Your Highness is joking. The entire capital is now in Your Highness's hands. Whoever Your Highness wishes to die will die. We are all powerless, how could we possibly rebel?"

"So weak you can't even kill a chicken?"

Wang Long laughed as well: "Not long ago, Her Majesty the Empress gave this subordinate of mine a good scolding."

Pei Qingluan glanced at the Shadow Serpent standing behind Wang Long and flicked her wide sleeves.

"It's just a self-defense technique, nothing special."

Upon hearing this, Shadow Serpent nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

If Pei Qingluan's martial arts skills are not up to par...

Then wouldn't their martial arts skills be like chickens and dogs fighting?

Little did they know, being humiliated by Pei Qingluan wasn't the end of it.

The next moment, she heard Wang Long say:

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. It is my poor skills that have caused this!"

Even now, Shadow Snake still doesn't understand why Wang Long didn't allow Judge Wu and Night Owl to come, but instead specifically asked her to come. What was his purpose?

"Does Her Majesty the Empress truly not intend to betray me and stab me in the back?"

Wang Long asked again.

While asking this question, Wang Long kept a close eye on the changes in Pei Qingluan's expression.

Words can lie, but facial expressions do not.

"Why doesn't Your Highness trust me? I'm just a weak woman with some rudimentary martial arts skills. Others are not as good as me. Our lives in the capital depend entirely on Your Highness's word."

"I am aware of the battle situation at the Great Reed Sea. If His Majesty were to die there, I must find a way out for myself and others."

Upon hearing this, Wang Long nodded; he couldn't tell that Pei Qingluan was lying.

But it's impossible to get him to completely trust Pei Qingluan.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Long suddenly commanded, "Shadow Serpent, kneel down now!"

The Shadow Serpent standing behind Wang Long was taken aback.

kneel down?

Whom should we kneel to?

Kneeling before the Empress?

Why should she kneel before the Empress?

He hasn't settled the score with the Empress yet.

The queen killed her precious child and gave her a severe beating.

The shadow snake neither obeyed nor spoke.

Wang Long turned his face, his gaze fierce: "Are you taking my words as mere whispers in the wind? Kneel down now!"

Taking a deep breath, Shadow Snake didn't know what to do.

Kneeling was not her intention.

But if she didn't kneel, she couldn't withstand Wang Long's pressure.

In the blink of an eye, a large hand suddenly slapped her across the face.

Before Shadow Snake could react, it received a solid slap.

Snapped!

The sound was loud, echoing throughout the empty hall.

Shadow Snake covered his face with his hands, staring incredulously at Wang Long, who had slapped him.

He actually slapped the Empress just for her sake?

"Why aren't you kneeling down?"

Wang Long shouted again.

Shadow Snake was so aggrieved that she was about to cry, and she tightly pursed her lips.

"Why aren't you kneeling down?"

Wang Long raised his palm again.

With a thud, the Shadow Serpent finally knelt down.

Wang Long's expression immediately changed, and he said to Pei Qingluan with a smile:

"Please forgive her for what happened last time, Your Majesty. You are a magnanimous person, so please don't hold it against her."

"As for Her Highness the King of Jiang, I will bring her to visit and apologize another day."

Pei Qingluan asked, "Is Your Highness trying to curry favor with me? I cannot accept a reward without merit. What does Your Highness want me to do?"

"Her Majesty the Empress is truly a wise woman."

Wang Long did not hold back his praise, saying, "Since Her Majesty the Empress wants to secure a way out for herself and others, how could I refuse?"

"There are many who do not submit to me in this capital, but they are hiding beneath the surface, and I really can't tell them out for the time being. So please help me, Your Majesty."

"Of course, of course."

Pei Qingluan readily agreed.

Soon after.

Shadow Snake pushed Wang Long away.

As soon as the two left, Xiao Xue'er and Qin Han came out from around the corner.

"Sister Pei, are you really going to help him?"

Xiao Xue'er asked as soon as she arrived.

In her view, she couldn't help, not even if it meant death.

Wang Long is a traitorous scoundrel who deserves to be torn to pieces.

Pei Qingluan did not answer her question, but instead looked at Qin Han and asked:

"What does Your Highness, the King of Jiang, think?"

After resting for so many days, Qin Han is fine, but he will need a long time to recover to his peak condition.

He coughed twice before saying, "The Empress's loyalty to His Majesty is as clear as day."

"If you're not going to help, why did Sister Pei make such a scene?"

Xiao Xue'er was filled with doubts.

Pei Qingluan flicked her wide sleeves again and said:

"If we don't make this scene, we'll be stuck in the palace, with very limited options. I need to leave the palace."

"What's the point of leaving the palace? We can't even leave the city," Xiao Xue'er said casually.

Now that the capital is in Wang Long's hands, Wang Long will not allow Pei Qingluan to leave the capital.

Actually, leaving the palace wasn't easy.

"Don't worry about it. Telling you might just make things worse."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xue'er was very displeased.

Isn't this indirectly saying she's stupid?

"By the way, Your Majesty, based on my observation just now, I believe that the Shadow Serpent could also be a breakthrough point."

"King Qin Han suddenly said."

"Do you think we can turn her to our side and make her work for us?" Pei Qingluan asked.

Qin Han gently shook his head: "We can turn them to our side, but they won't work for us."

Shadow Serpent is not one of Wang Long's confidants and could never be used by them.

But through his observation, he realized that Wang Long's actions today had alienated Shadow Serpent from him.

We could try to manipulate the situation so that Shadow Serpent betrays King Dragon.

"If Shadow Serpent can be turned, then so can Judge Wu. I'll leave this matter to you," Pei Qingluan said.

Qin Han cupped his hands in greeting: "I will certainly not fail in my mission."

"And what about me? What about me?"

Xiao Xue'er was waiting for Pei Qingluan to assign her a task, as she wanted to do something to help.

"you."

Pei Qingluan thought for a moment, but really didn't know what to send her to do.

But not wanting to disappoint Xiao Xue'er too much, he could only say:

"We may have forgotten one person who can be of great use in a critical moment."

"Who?"

Xiao Xue'er asked impatiently.

"Our nominal father, Emperor Xuan!"

……

At this moment, Emperor Xuan was still awake.

He lay on the soft couch, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The people around him have changed time and again, and he can no longer find a confidant to talk to.

Unable to sleep, Emperor Xuan simply sat up and ordered someone to change his clothes.

"Your Majesty, it is late. We have to attend the morning court session tomorrow."

The old eunuch kindly offered this reminder.

But the old eunuch's good intentions were seen as an order by Emperor Xuan.

What do you mean by attending the morning court session? He's nothing but Wang Long's puppet.

"Bang!"

Emperor Xuan kicked the old eunuch kneeling by the bed to the ground and pointed at his nose, cursing:

"Do whatever I say!"

"I said, help me change my clothes!"

The old eunuch was terrified and quickly scrambled to his feet.

No longer daring to say another word, he hurriedly helped Emperor Xuan change his clothes.

Pushing open the door to the main hall, wind and snow rushed in.

As night fell, the wind and snow intensified.

The entire palace was covered in silver, creating a wonderful atmosphere.

However, rows of soldiers stood under the corridor.

Emperor Xuan knew that they were all sent by Wang Long to monitor him.

"Your Majesty, we cannot go any further!"

Seeing that Emperor Xuan was about to walk forward, two soldiers quickly stretched out their arms to stop him.

The old eunuch, with his whisk tucked in his sleeve, watched the spectacle from behind.

They waited for Emperor Xuan to kick them all to the ground, one kick each.

After all, that's exactly what Emperor Xuan had done to him.

However, a long time passed, and Emperor Xuan did not do so.

The old eunuch was taken aback and slightly opened his mouth.

No, on what grounds?

Why are they treating people differently?

Emperor Xuan sighed and calmly addressed the two:

"You don't need to stop me. I'll sit here for a while and then go back."

The two soldiers exchanged a glance, slowly withdrew their arms, and stepped back.

Emperor Xuan took two steps forward and sat down on the steps.

Emperor Xuan tightened his not-so-thick robe, raised his head, and quietly watched the wind and snow.

It snows in the capital every year, but Emperor Xuan has never sat down to properly appreciate it.

Sitting down tonight and looking at this, he had many feelings.

After watching for a while, Emperor Xuan got up and went back.

Watching Emperor Xuan's departing figure, everyone was completely baffled.

Just as everyone was wondering why the Emperor Xuan would do this, a scream suddenly came from the hall, along with the sound of someone falling to the ground.

The soldiers exchanged a glance and immediately charged in, weapons in hand.

If anything were to happen to the Xuan Emperor, they would all be doomed.

Rushing into the hall, the first thing that came into view was Emperor Xuan and a young eunuch, both lying on the ground, wrestling together.

The little eunuch pulled out a dagger from somewhere and began frantically stabbing Emperor Xuan.

Emperor Xuan was old and weak, and could not defeat the young and strong eunuch. He was soon stabbed several times and bled profusely.

The soldiers dared not delay and immediately rushed forward, hacking at the eunuch with their knives until they finally subdued him.

Before long, Wang Long arrived upon hearing the news, and even Empress Pei Qingluan came over.

Palace maids came and went, and the copper basins were full of blood.

"How is Your Majesty? Is your life in danger?"

The first thing Wang Long did upon arriving was to question the imperial physician.

The imperial physician hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Highness, although His Majesty was stabbed several times, no vital organs were injured."

Upon hearing this, Wang Long finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His great cause was not yet accomplished, and he still needed to use Emperor Xuan to do many things.

If Emperor Xuan dies now, it will be extremely disadvantageous for him.

He waved the imperial physician away, telling him to hurry inside and bandage the Emperor.

Looking at Pei Qingluan who had just entered, Wang Long said in an annoyed tone:

"Is this what Her Majesty the Empress meant by finding a way out?"

Pei Qingluan was taken aback at first, and her tone was not very good: "Does Your Highness suspect that I hired someone to assassinate His Majesty?"

"Isn't that right?"

Wang Long countered with a question.

Pei Qingluan not only did not back down, but stepped forward and raised her snow-white neck, "If Your Highness insists that I hired someone to assassinate His Majesty, I am right here now. Please execute me immediately."

Looking at Pei Qingluan's expression, Wang Long didn't know what to say.

Wang Long couldn't figure out who it could be if it wasn't Pei Qingluan who had hired them.

"Your Highness, the assassin is still breathing."

At this moment, someone whispered a reminder from the side.

Wang Long glanced at him and said coldly, "Then bring the assassin up here."

Soon, the blood-covered eunuch was seized by the soldiers and thrown to the ground...