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

Shen An was startled by Dugu Meng's sudden question.

His girlfriend in his past life had said the exact same thing.

Even this statement was made before their last meeting.

At that time, Shen An did not give an answer.

But when he returned, his girlfriend had been kidnapped by the enemy and was being forced to reveal his secret.

She refused to surrender and was beaten to death by her attackers...

This incident became a lifelong regret for Shen An.

At this moment, their figures overlapped once again.

A desire to make up for the regret welled up in Shen An's heart.

"I..."

"Speak up! Speak up boldly!"

Dugu Meng, on the contrary, became the one who took the initiative more.

His girlfriend in his past life also encouraged Shen An in the same way.

He didn't say it at the time, but when he looked at Dugu Meng again, Shen An's desire to speak became even stronger.

"I, I..."

Dugu Meng clenched her hands, waiting for Shen An to speak.

In the end, Shen An still let out a heavy sigh.

These words made Dugu Meng's heart sink.

She knew that Shen An was unwilling.

How can I win this man's heart?

Dugu Meng was quite sensible; she looked up and smiled, "I was just joking with you, don't take it seriously!"

Shen An breathed a sigh of relief; he had almost blurted it out.

But a voice inside him told him that the woman in front of him was not a substitute for his girlfriend from his past life, so he agreed.

That's even more unfair to her.

Furthermore, given the current situation, it's uncertain how long he'll live, so he has no right to talk about love.

Fortunately, Dugu Meng was joking, otherwise he would have hurt another girl's feelings.

"Haha, it was just a joke. Come on, let's have a drink!" Shen An said, raising his glass.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Dugu Meng's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure, raised her glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

Shen An got completely drunk on the city wall and fell asleep on the ground there.

Dugu Meng's alcohol tolerance is better than Shen An's.

Looking at Shen An, who was completely drunk, her eyes filled with a kind of infatuation. She muttered to herself, "Are you heartless? How can I win your heart? I've been so proactive, but you're still as solid as a block of wood! Hmph!"

However, once I, Dugu Meng, set my sights on a man, I will definitely get him.

If I were to return to the palace and become emperor again, my first order would be to have you brought to the palace!

If you refuse, I will force you!

At this point, Dugu Meng smiled, her mood instantly improving. She had no intention of going back. Even though it was cool outside, with Shen An by her side, she didn't want to leave, even in the freezing cold. She snuggled up to Shen An and fell into a deep sleep.

When Dugu Meng woke up, Shen An was gone. Looking up, she saw Shen An leading the soldiers of the city's defense camp in drills.

The boxing routine was completely different from that of the soldiers of Daliang; Shen Xiaoqi had previously mentioned that it was called military boxing.

This boxing style is highly versatile, with each move targeting vital points, and its power far surpasses that of their military methods.

Looking again at the rows of repeating crossbows on the city wall, Dugu Meng became even more eager for Li Huaiyi's army to arrive.

She wanted the whole world to know about her fame and the man she had set her sights on!

Li Huaiyi didn't keep them waiting too long.

Feng Zihuan did not return to report on his duties for many days, and no one delivered the money he demanded!

Li Huaiyi immediately dispatched his trusted confidant, Yang Ke, the military commander, to investigate.

Upon seeing Feng Zihuan's head hanging above the city gate, Yang Ke immediately went to report the news.

into the night!

Li Huaiyi was drinking wine in the military camp.

He was surrounded by five women, each vying for attention with their beauty.

He remained calm and composed in the face of danger, and coupled with his righteous appearance, those who didn't know him might have thought he was a loyal and patriotic official who was indifferent to women.

In reality, as Feng Zihuan said, Li Huaiyi had long been impotent. These concubines who dreamed of being with him—it wasn't that he didn't want to touch them, but rather that he was incapable of doing so...

"Go away, go away! I need to read the battle report. Don't loiter around me!" Li Huaiyi said impatiently.

But what he didn't know was that none of his concubines truly liked him. If they didn't like him, they didn't like him. Why pretend?

If Li Huaiyi hadn't been a military governor, they would have started cursing him long ago.

After sending them away, Yang Ke, the trusted confidant who had been sent there, relayed the message.

"How dare you! You actually killed one of my men!"

Li Huaiyi smashed the teacup on the table to pieces.

"They must think we've been ambushed and can't attend to them, that's why they're so arrogant!" Yang Ke said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, I'm willing to lead troops there and kill all the rebels!"

Li Huaiyi was furious, but he also found the matter suspicious: "There's no need to act rashly. They dare to be so blatant; they might have something to rely on. Send someone to investigate further!"

"Your Excellency, why take a mere county so seriously?" Yang Ke, with the arrogance of a military commander, said, "Just go and kill them!"

"You fool, better safe than sorry. I heard they even repelled the Western Barbarians back then, so their army must be far larger than we expected. You should go and check it out first before making a decision."

"Your Excellency, it has to be you, so thoughtful."

Stop flattering me and go right now.

"yes!"

Another day passed, and Yang Ke returned and told him everything he had found out.

Li Huaiyi crushed the teacup in his hand: "What a Shen An! He's got some skills. He actually managed to control Liao Bing and Liu Wenyuan, and secretly recruited more than six thousand people without anyone noticing."

"However, he overestimated himself. With only six thousand men, he dares to openly declare himself invincible against us. He's truly courting death!" Yang Ke, as if he himself had been insulted, volunteered again, saying, "To deal with this ragtag army, just give me five thousand men, and I will take Qingyang City in a single day! I beg you, Governor, give me the troops!"

"Heh, Commander Yang, don't be rash. They drove the Western Barbarians away back then; their true fighting strength is probably not comparable to our regular army." Deputy Military Governor Cui Tianhe walked in from outside the tent, stroking his beard, and said, "If you take five thousand men now, I'm afraid you won't return!"

This man was one of Li Huaiyi's strategists, and his eyes were full of calculation. Yang Ke was clearly at odds with Cui Tianhe: "Vice Envoy Cui, you think too highly of them. I have already investigated. This group of people has more than 6,000 men, while the Western Barbarians only had more than 1,000 men to attack the city. They were able to defeat the Western Barbarians purely because of their numerical advantage."

"These useless fools, five thousand men are more than enough to take them down! I beg you, Governor, give me five thousand soldiers, and I will surely take Shen An's head!"

Li Huaiyi achieved his current position entirely through utmost caution.

He found both of their arguments to be reasonable.

After some thought, he gave a safe answer: "Here are ten thousand men; take them down!"

"Five thousand is enough, no need for ten thousand!"

"Ten thousand for me, or else I'll send someone else!"

"Ten thousand it is!"

Yang Ke reluctantly agreed. In his view, fighting a ragtag army with a larger number of troops would only make a laughing stock if others found out.

However, he had to obey Li Huaiyi's orders.

"Brother Cui, do you agree to my arrangements?" Li Huaiyi looked at Cui Tianhe with a smile.

"Your Excellency, the arrangements are excellent. With 10,000 elite troops, plus Yang Bing's superb military skills, dealing with those bastards in Qingyang City will be a piece of cake."

"But the betrayal of such a despicable person as Shen An might not necessarily be bad news," Cui Tianhe said, stroking his beard.

"Oh? What other benefits are there?" Li Huaiyi became interested.

Cui Tianhe waved his hand, signaling Yang Ke to leave.

"Commander Yang, you can go out now." Li Huaiyi waved his hand.

"Your Excellency, what is it that I, Yang Ke, cannot hear?"

"Listening to too much won't do you any good. As a military general, all you need to do is lead troops into battle! Get out!" Li Huaiyi's voice turned cold.

Yang Ke then glared at Cui Tianhe before turning and leaving.

"Vice Envoy Cui, you sent Yang Ke away, you wouldn't be trying to tell me about the hunt for the Emperor, would you?" Li Huaiyi asked.

"Yes, apart from this matter, there's no need for anyone else to hide anything from Commander Yang." Cui Tianhe said, leaning closer to Li Huaiyi and pressing his body down. "A few months ago, our people lost track of her in Qingyang County, and there's still no news of her returning to the capital, which means she's still in Qingyang County."

It's just unknown how they hid it.

"The pressure from the capital is intense. We were helpless before because we couldn't find her, but now even if we can't find her, we have a chance to eliminate her!"

"What exactly is this opportunity?" Li Huaiyi asked, shaking his teacup.

"Hmph, if Shen An and others rebel, we can report it to higher authorities as a rebellion by all the people of Qingyang County, and say that they are all traitors!"

So once Yang Ke leads his troops to deal with Shen An and the others, he will have a reason to take action against the common people.

When the emperor takes action against all the people, she will try to escape, which will force her out and kill her.

Even if she doesn't come out, she will die naturally as long as we kill everyone!

"I wonder, Your Excellency, would you be willing to accept my suggestion?"