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

Abudu was almost scared to death by Shen An.

All he wanted now was to save his life: "Lord Shen An, if you promise me you'll give me my freedom after I tell you everything, I'll tell you everything!"

"Okay, I agree!" Shen An nodded.

Abudu breathed a sigh of relief and then revealed the Western Barbarians' entire plan.

After listening, Shen An breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The Western Barbarians appeared to be a formidable force, but in reality, their country was divided into two factions.

The siege of Yangnan Prefecture has lasted for nearly a month without success. The pro-war faction has been given an ultimatum by the pro-peace faction: if they cannot occupy the entire territory of Yangnan Prefecture within seven days, they must withdraw completely. Otherwise, when the reinforcements from the Great Liang Dynasty arrive, their 30,000 men will surely die.

They looked down on Qingyang County from the start, so they only sent less than two thousand people, and the rest were sent to other counties.

If they are unable to capture other counties within seven days, they will have to retreat from the entire county.

Given the defensive capabilities of the other counties and Li Huaiyi's decision to abandon Qingyang County and reinforce other counties, it is impossible for the Western Barbarians to divide their forces into several groups and eliminate all the counties within seven days.

Ultimately, it will most likely turn out that seven days later, the Western Barbarians will withdraw their troops, and Qingyang County will not be attacked by the Western Barbarians!

Even so!

Shen An did not truly relax his vigilance; he continued to arrange for people to reinforce the city walls and other defensive works.

Besides preventing the Western Barbarians from changing their minds.

Now that he has captured Qingyang County, it belongs to Shen An.

He absolutely will not hand it over!

Anyone who disagrees will never leave!

"Lord Shen An, I've told you everything. Um, could you please give me my freedom?" Abudu asked.

"Of course, I, Shen An, keep my word!" Shen An said with a smile, and immediately ordered his men to untie Abudu's ropes.

Abudu was overjoyed. Even though his legs were broken, he could still move around using his hands.

Just as he was about to leave, Shen An called out to him, "Abudu!"

Abudu turned around and saw Shen An pointing his crossbow at him.

"Lord Shen An, didn't you say you'd give me my freedom? Why are you still trying to kill me? You can't go back on your word to your subordinates! Otherwise, who will want to follow you in the future!"

"I did say I'd give you freedom, but I didn't say I wouldn't kill you! There seems to be no connection between freedom and killing you, right? Don't worry, once you're dead, I'll throw your body out and let you be completely free, returning to nature!" As Shen An spoke, a crossbow bolt shot out, hitting Abudu right between the eyebrows.

"My lord, well done!" Liao Bing's face was extremely excited. He really thought Shen An would let Abudu go. Shen An's actions were so satisfying!

"Cut off Abudu's head and hang it on the city wall so everyone can see the consequences of invading my Great Liang!" Shen An ordered.

"Here you go!"

As Abudu's head was hung on the city wall, everyone was extremely excited, and the soldiers shouted Shen An's name wildly!

At this moment, in their eyes, the county magistrate Zhu Shigui, the military governor Li Huaiyi, and even the distant Emperor of Liang were far inferior to Shen An!

Night fell in the county government office.

Shen An called Dugu Meng over and told her, "From now on, you don't have to pretend to be mute anymore."

"Aren't you afraid someone will recognize me? The person who wants to kill me is Li Huaiyi!" Dugu Meng asked.

"As long as I control this place, what can Li Huaiyi do?" Shen An said.

Dugu Meng's heart skipped a beat; he felt that Shen An's words were incredibly domineering.

A sense of anticipation welled up inside her: "Are you going to become Li Huaiyi's enemy for my sake?"

"You're overthinking it. Just because I told you not to be mute doesn't mean you have to be an enemy of Li Huaiyi. I'm in control here now, how can I easily let others pass on your information to Li Huaiyi? Besides, I didn't say you had to stop disguising yourself as a man, and they might not even be able to find out that you're the person Li Huaiyi wants to arrest," Shen An replied truthfully.

Dugu Meng was deeply disappointed. How much she longed for Shen An to defy heaven and earth for her sake!

"Furthermore, I also want to know, what exactly is your identity?" Shen An lowered his voice, staring directly at Dugu Meng. "I hope you can tell me the truth, otherwise, I will think you are not on my side, and it's possible that I will abandon you in the future!"

Dugu Meng frowned. In the past, she would never have revealed her true identity.

But now that she has spent time with Shen An, she feels that even if she tells Shen An...

Shen An wouldn't harm her like others would.

On the contrary, revealing her true identity might even make Shen An interested in her.

"I am actually the Emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty, traveling incognito, and was being hunted down by Li Huaiyi and other rebels!"

Upon hearing this!

Shen An looked completely bewildered: "Dugu Yue, do you think I'm stupid for saying these things? Everyone knows the Emperor of Liang is a man, how could you, a woman, possibly be one?"

"I've always been disguised as a man in the palace, I'm not lying to you!" Dugu Meng immediately explained.

But for Shen An, this was utter nonsense. In the long history of China, no emperor had ever been a woman disguised as a man. Inheriting the throne was no child's play; it required rigorous selection and assessment. If she were a woman, in the vast palace, under the watchful eyes of so many people every day, it would be impossible for her to keep the secret.

Shen An's face darkened, and he voiced his thoughts.

Dugu Meng wanted to tell Shen An the truth: back then, in order to protect her secret, the late emperor killed almost everyone who got close to her!

That's how the secret was kept.

But now Shen An simply doesn't believe it, so Dugu Meng has given up.

She laughed and said, "I was just joking with you. I am actually a princess of the Great Liang Dynasty. I came here this time hoping that my brother, the emperor, would send me on a private visit."

"I've looked into it, and there isn't a princess named Dugu Yue in Daliang!" Shen An said.

"How could you possibly know?" Dugu Meng was very confident about this. There were many secrets of the royal family that ordinary people couldn't possibly know. Many princes and nobles in history weren't even recorded. "Don't try to fool me! You should think carefully. If I weren't a member of the royal family, would I have attracted Li Huaiyi's pursuit? He wouldn't even dare to post a wanted poster for me!"

Shen An was indeed bluffing her; what she said was quite reasonable and without any flaws.

"Fine, I believe you!" Shen An nodded. "Then, if I have the chance, I'll send you back. In return, you'll need to report your ordeal to the Emperor and have Li Huaiyi killed!"

"If you can really escort me back, I will definitely kill Li Huaiyi!" Dugu Meng's emotions also became agitated.

"However, Li Huaiyi is still in control of Yangnan Prefecture. The attack by the Western Barbarians has led Li Huaiyi to block the road to the east. If you want to go back, you will have to wait until the war with the Western Barbarians is completely over before you can think of a way," Shen An said.

"Of course!" Dugu Meng nodded, then tentatively asked, "Shen An, I've seen your abilities, which are far beyond those of ordinary people. If you're going to escort me, why not come back to the capital with me to meet the Emperor? I think you'll definitely be given an important position, which is far better than staying in this small county town!"

Shen An stood up and looked at the half-moon: "Your suggestion is not bad."

"So you're willing?" Dugu Meng asked happily.

"Just because I say it's okay doesn't mean I'm willing. I need to see how things develop before I decide."

"But no matter what the situation, going to the capital is a better prospect than staying here."

"No, after listening to what you just said, I feel there's something wrong."

"What's wrong with this?!"

"First of all, I believe you are a princess. But if you are a princess and you've been trapped here for over a month, why hasn't the emperor sent anyone to rescue you? There are two reasons: one, the emperor doesn't take you seriously at all; two, the emperor actually doesn't have much power in the capital, and may even be a figurehead!"

Although Shen An's analysis was completely different from the facts, Dugu Meng's heart sank.

Yes, it's been over a month. How could her subordinates not have noticed the problem? They should have sent someone to pick her up long ago.

With the abilities of her trusted confidants, breaking through layers of defenses to get here was as easy as it could be.

According to this schedule, they should have arrived long ago, but they haven't!

There's only one reason: her people were eliminated by other forces!

The fact that there has been no news of a coup d'état yet does not mean that those treacherous officials have done nothing!

Perhaps once they have completely eliminated their influence, the opportunity for a coup will arise.

If she were to return now, without any foundation, she would have no chance of turning the tide. She might even be killed by those ambitious traitors as soon as she arrived in the capital.

Thinking of this, a chill ran through Dugu Meng's heart.

She felt that the probability of this situation was extremely high. If she took Shen An back, it would be tantamount to taking Shen An to his death.

We definitely need to observe the situation further; we absolutely cannot act rashly!

Dugu Meng nodded in agreement: "Shen An, you're right! We do need to observe further."

"I was just guessing, and things might not turn out the way I think. I'll still do my best to get you back." Shen An smiled again.

Dugu Meng had longed to go back before, but now she was afraid.

"Shen An, there's no rush to go back. Could you find someone to inquire about news in the capital? Like, find that Luo Li?" Dugu Meng said.

"Yes, this woman must know a lot about the capital that we don't. It's just that she hasn't come to see me recently, but her subordinates come from time to time."

"Alright, I'll ask her subordinates when they arrive; they should know quite a bit of information."

"good!"

Five days passed quickly.

The news that the Western Barbarians had failed to conquer Yangnan Prefecture and were withdrawing their troops quickly spread throughout the prefecture.

Qingyang County, within Longteng Mountain, inside Heilongzhai!

Zhu Shigui was fishing with Long Tian, ​​the leader of the bandits in the village.

Long Tian, ​​who was feared by others, bowed and scraped before Zhu Shigui.

The reason is simple: Zhu Shigui had originally supported the establishment of Black Dragon Village, and he made a lot of money by robbing and plundering with them.

Zhu Shigui was willing to give up his position as county magistrate and run away because he had this stronghold as a safety net. Even if he didn't become a county magistrate, once things were peaceful in the future, he could use the money he earned from banditry to buy an official position in the capital or prefecture.

The two had just caught a golden carp.

Long Tian immediately flattered him, "Oh my, brother, a golden carp is an auspicious omen; good news is sure to follow!"

"Grandpa, Grandpa, there's really more good news! The Western barbarians have retreated, and we can return to Qingyang County. You can go back and continue being your county magistrate!" Qian Guangzhi ran over, excitedly reporting the news.