In a chaotic and famine-stricken era, I picked up an empress to be my wife.

Shen An already knew who Luo Li's father was.

That was a notorious villain in the imperial court, a notorious traitor known to all.

If you can follow him and use him as a springboard, your future will be limitless.

But Shen An had no interest.

Following him would mean you'd have no military power and would only earn you the reputation of being a villain and treacherous official.

It's better to build your own career, have soldiers, money, and supplies; that's what a real future looks like.

If you want to conquer the world, you must follow his path, instead of running to the imperial court and outwitting others.

Moreover, Dugu Meng is still with him, and he doesn't know whether Luo Li's father was involved in the pursuit of Dugu Meng.

If we get involved, wouldn't we become enemies?

However, this opportunity could be used to inquire about the current situation in the capital from Luo Li.

What she knows is likely more accurate and detailed than what they received.

Shen An sighed and said, "Miss Luo Li, thank you for your kind words, but I am not one to leave my homeland and I don't have any great ambitions. I just want to take back my own little piece of land."

Luo Li couldn't understand: "Shouldn't men be ambitious? Why do you insist on guarding your own little corner of the world? Besides, if you go to the capital and become a general, Li Huaiyi and the others won't dare to bully you anymore."

"To be honest, what I really want is to protect the people of this region. I was born and raised here, and since I have some ability, I should protect them." Shen An sighed, "Fame and fortune are things every man desires, but there are some things that are more important than fame and fortune."

Luo Li still didn't understand, but she didn't pressure Shen An to make a decision: "There's no rush. My father said that his door is always open for you. You can go anytime you want!"

These words made it difficult for Shen An to refuse outright, so he softened his tone and said, "Then I'll contact you once I understand."

"That's more like it!" Luo Li pinched Shen An's cheek and said, "I'm here representing the Helian Merchant Alliance. How much merchandise have you brought today?"

"They're all outside the village, but um, please don't call me 'good sister' when we're out there! Men, you know, we all care about our image!" Shen An said awkwardly, scratching his head.

"I understand, I understand!" Luo Li did give Shen An face this time, and did not call Shen An her good friend when she was checking the goods outside.

Luo Li was very happy when she saw the tens of thousands of kilograms of blood residue charcoal.

Including the skincare products from this transaction, Shen An received 38,000 taels of silver.

The Helian Merchant Alliance was indeed wealthy and powerful, checking the goods on the spot and settling the accounts with cash immediately.

After the transaction was completed, Shen An invited Luo Li to dinner and asked her to stay, inquiring about various news in the capital.

Luo Li had no suspicion of Shen An.

Shen An asked her why, and she would answer without hesitation.

After some discussion...

Shen An received some truly astonishing news!

Luo Li said that the emperor had always stayed in the palace and had never gone out, and he had never missed a morning court session.

If Dugu Meng is clearly with him, then who is the emperor in the palace?

Shen An thought of the human skin mask.

Could it be that the Divine Dragon Society has already had someone impersonate Dugu Meng and become the emperor?

"Are you sure the emperor hasn't missed a single morning court session?"

"No, not long ago, I even strolled through the Imperial Garden with my father and him!" Luo Li said, pulling out a piece of paper from her chest. Unfolding it revealed a poem written on it—the very same poem Shen An had composed when they first met in Qingping County. "I showed this poem to His Majesty back then, and he praised your literary talent and even stamped it with his seal!"

Upon closer inspection, Shen An indeed saw the emperor's reign title on it.

This means that after Dugu Meng began her incognito visit, the Divine Dragon Society may have already sent someone to replace her.

No wonder there's been no movement in the capital; no wonder everything seems to be going on as if nothing happened.

It turns out they had already replaced the emperor.

The emperor was replaced just like that!

How many members of the Divine Dragon Society are actually in this imperial court?

Just how capable are they?!

"Shen An, what's wrong? His Majesty praised you, aren't you happy?"

"Haha, of course I'm happy! I'm just too happy to believe it!" Shen An laughed loudly.

"His Majesty also said that he will hold a special imperial examination next year, open to all scholars from across the land, even someone like you who has already become a county magistrate. He really hopes you'll participate! Even if you don't become a general under my father, serving the country as a civil official is a great option!" Luo Li said expectantly, then she grabbed Shen An's arm and swung it back and forth. "Then we can see each other often, drinking and singing together—life will be so pleasant!"

"Haha, I'm looking forward to that day, but this imperial examination doesn't test poetry, so I'm not sure I can do it."

"Hmph, you say you're no good again. Tell me, is it because you don't want to get close to me that you're unwilling?"

"You're overthinking it. I'm simply not good enough. Miss Luo is so beautiful and charming, how could I not want to get closer to you!"

Shen An's compliment made Luo Li overjoyed.

The drinking session lasted until mid-afternoon when Luo Li remembered that she had other important matters to attend to, and thus bid farewell to Shen An.

Upon returning, Shen An did not conceal anything and told Dugu Meng everything that Luo Li had said.

All of this seemed like a bolt from the blue for Dugu Meng.

She remained calm, stood up, looked out the window, and said, "Actually, I thought of this as soon as I saw the human skin mask of the Divine Dragon Society, but I wasn't sure. Now I am."

Her laughter carried a hint of bitterness: "I thought it was a treacherous minister in power trying to overthrow the imperial authority, but I never expected it to be the Divine Dragon Society, which I had never heard of before. As an emperor, I deserve this fate."

The throne means nothing to me, but to hand over the century-old foundation of the Great Liang Dynasty like this, I have no face to face my ancestors!

After saying this, Dugu Meng drew her sword and was about to commit suicide in front of everyone.

It's clear that while she appeared calm, her heart was in turmoil, and she felt powerless to turn the tide.

Shen An promptly knocked the sword out of her hand: "Death is not the solution!"

"What else can I do if I don't die? The capital should be under the control of the Divine Dragon Society now. They've already taken the throne. Even if I appear in front of them, who will acknowledge me?" Dugu Meng's eyes were now devoid of any life.

"No, no, no, you're completely wrong to think that way. From what we've seen now, that head tax is the work of the Divine Dragon Society and imposters. Once this tax is levied, the number of people in the entire Great Liang who don't know about it will only increase."

Once we have some strength, you can stand up and say that the emperor in the capital is fake, and that you are the real one!

At that time, the oppressed will naturally begin to have doubts.

Once you discover that the other side has a problem, even if they still control the capital, many people will come to support you.

These people are not loyal; they are simply supporting you, which is more in their interest!

Therefore! Even if your status as emperor falls into the hands of ordinary people, it is still extremely valuable, and you still have hope of turning things around!

And I, Shen An, am willing to be your ally, to help you reclaim the throne!

Shen An said firmly.

Of course, Shen An did all this for his own benefit, and in the future, his career would also rise accordingly.

Even so, his words seemed to contain immense energy for Dugu Meng, restoring light to her lifeless eyes.

At that moment, she felt that Shen An was shining with a kind of radiance.

Tears streamed down her face. She felt incredibly lucky to have met Shen An.

She couldn't help but throw herself into Shen An's arms.

Shen An did not refuse her.

Right now, she desperately needs a warm embrace.

But Dugu Meng noticed a unique woman's fragrance emanating from Shen An.

Even now, after experiencing great emotional highs and lows, she is even more determined to stay with Shen An and reclaim the throne in the future.

But upon smelling another woman's scent, Dugu Meng still looked up at Shen An with extreme wariness and asked, "Shen An, why do you smell like a woman?"

"The scent of Luo Li."

"Her scent... Are you two so close? Are you a couple?" Dugu Meng became nervous.

Why are you so nervous?

"No, I'm not nervous, I'm just curious."

"How could we be a couple? Let me tell you!" Shen An awkwardly explained the whole story.

Dugu Meng's heavy and tense heart finally relaxed, and she covered her mouth and laughed, "This is really funny."

Shen An was extremely embarrassed and immediately changed the subject: "Well, let's think about when we can let you reveal your name."

Dugu Meng's smile immediately vanished: "Actually, I have absolutely no chance of getting anywhere with these things. I still want to hear what you say."

"Then we'll see how things go. The best time will be when we have enough people to oppose that fake emperor and we have the strength to fight against the court! For now, let's focus on the struggle between Yuwen Qin, Li Huaiyu, and Yuwen Bingyu."

"Perhaps if we defeat them, we'll be qualified to challenge the imperial court!" Shen An said. "And what we need to do now is wait for the ice and snow to melt, and then we can compete with Yuwen Qin!"

"Um!"

Dugu Meng nodded emphatically. Even though she was still far from her goal, as long as Shen An was there, she felt that she possessed unlimited power and that she still had a chance!

One day later.

The real Yuwen Qin received the letter that Shen An had sent, delivered by Jiang Laowu, who was impersonating him.

After reading it, Yuwen Qin stretched.

At this moment, the float on the fishing rod of the awning boat he was on was bobbing up and down.

"Haha, the fish has taken the bait!"

Yuwen Qin was overjoyed. With a strong pull, he scooped up a golden carp weighing at least five pounds.

The surrounding subordinates beamed with joy and stepped forward to congratulate him: "Governor, this is truly a double celebration! Not only did Shen An believe that imposter today, but you also caught a koi fish! This means your plan is sure to succeed!"