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

Shen An received the message.

The emperor himself issued an edict: the poll tax within the territory of Daliang shall be two taels per person; those who fail to pay shall be executed!

Officials under his jurisdiction who fail to collect taxes will also die!

The sudden imperial decree caught Shen An completely off guard.

Two ounces per person—that's practically taking the lives of ordinary people.

If they didn't collect the money, the officials would be killed, which practically forced a conflict between local officials and the people to erupt.

Was this emperor brain-dead?

Do you want the officials to force the people to revolt?

But when Shen An told Dugu Meng the news...

Dugu Mengdai frowned.

How could she, as the emperor, not know about this edict?

This made her realize that the palace must have been completely controlled by the enemy.

Their use of her name to issue this edict was utterly malicious; on the one hand, they wanted to make money, and on the other hand, it seemed they wanted to ruin her reputation among the people of Daliang.

If they were to depose the emperor and establish a new dynasty in the future, it would seem like they would have a reason to do so!

Dugu Meng realized their sinister intentions, and his heart sank to the bottom.

Shen An noticed her unusual mood and asked, "What's wrong? Are you worried about the people? Or do you think your brother has gone too far?"

Dugu Meng sighed heavily and said, "Shen An, things are not as you think."

"Then tell me exactly what happened?"

"It all starts with my identity. Only when you believe my true identity will you understand the reasons behind it," Dugu Meng said.

"Aren't you a royal princess?"

"I have never said that I am a royal princess."

Shen An raised an eyebrow and carefully recalled that Dugu Meng had indeed never said that she was a royal princess, if he remembered correctly.

Dugu Meng claimed that she was the reigning emperor!

He just didn't believe it at first, and later thought she was a princess of the royal family.

"Don't tell me you're the emperor, do you?" Shen An asked.

"Yes, I am the emperor! The edicts issued from the capital today are being used by someone who has taken control of the palace and is being issued in my name."

Dugu Meng replied with a serious expression.

Shen An took a step back; Dugu Meng didn't seem to be joking at all: "Really?"

"Yes, absolutely true!"

"But you are a woman! I've heard that the emperor is a man. Besides, if you were the emperor, what would you be doing in this poor and remote place?" Shen An questioned.

"Alas... The late emperor lost his male ability for some reason in his early years. I was his only daughter. In order to ensure that his bloodline would succeed to the throne, the late emperor made me dress as a man and appear as a man."

This visit to Yangnan Prefecture was an incognito trip to see if the world was really as the ministers described.

As a result, my whereabouts were exposed, and the rebels in the court joined forces with Li Huaiyi to hunt me down.

If I hadn't met you, I might already be a corpse.

At this point, Dugu Meng's expression became increasingly complex, a mixture of gratitude, anger, anxiety, and resentment.

Shen An re-examined the woman in front of him.

Her emotions couldn't be acted out.

No one in this world would dare to impersonate the emperor.

Given their months of interaction, Dugu Meng had no reason to deceive him.

Thinking back to the first time he saw her in the mass grave, she referred to herself as "I, the Emperor."

That was emitted from her subconscious mind, which further confirms her identity.

It seems she really is the current emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty.

Shen An shook his head.

He actually encountered such an extremely rare event.

Now that her identity is confirmed, everything will be different.

"Shen An, given the current situation, it's only a matter of time before they cripple me."

Next, in order to find me, they will definitely go on a killing spree.

Therefore, I cannot drag you down with me. A look of dejection appeared on Dugu Meng's face.

She had originally held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that she still had people in the capital no matter what, but the fact that this imperial edict could be issued smoothly meant that her people must have been completely eliminated.

Even if there are still some people who support her, they are probably just peripheral figures and cannot be compared with the power of the rebels.

Even if she goes back, she has no chance of winning.

After saying that, Dugu Meng got up and left the house, going to the courtyard.

Shen An chased after Dugu Meng and called out, "Don't go! No one else can protect you, but I will!"

"I will only bring you trouble. Although they are hunting me down and looking for me everywhere, I am now the nominal emperor, so they will restrain themselves and be wary. But once they depose me, they will intensify their efforts! If they find me here, they will definitely label you a traitor."

"At that time, we will attack you from all sides, and everything you have worked so hard to build will be gone." Dugu Meng said, turning around.

"So what if they deduct it? We can always fight them!" Shen An said nonchalantly.

His plan was to rebel. He claimed that he was not an enemy of the royal family, but that was only because no one in the Great Liang territory, whether prince or warlord, dared to openly oppose the royal family.

But the future will be different.

A poll tax of two taels per person would incite many warlords and even feudal lords to rebel.

If they have the ability to collect so much money from the people, why don't they keep it for themselves? Why hand it over?

At that time, the Great Liang will truly be in chaos.

So what if he's labeled a traitor?

and!

Dugu Meng still holds great value. At the appropriate time, without waiting for them to come looking for her, he can take the initiative to reveal Dugu Meng's identity, saying that she is the real emperor and that the capital is a bunch of treacherous officials causing chaos.

Presumably, the enemies of those traitors who caused trouble in the capital will try to contact and cooperate with them.

of course!

The biggest reason Shen An was willing to keep Dugu Meng was that he had seen Dugu Meng's body before.

He secretly vowed to send Dugu Meng back, but now that she would surely die if she went back to the capital, what he should do was protect her life and death.

Besides!

How could it be so easy to discover her existence?

Who knows, even if he reveals Dugu Meng's identity in the future, they might not know that Dugu Meng is in his hands.

Dugu Meng was stunned.

After a long silence, she sighed again and said, "Shen An, if you keep me here, the enemies you will face in the future will not be ten thousand or twenty thousand, but an army of thousands!"

"So what if there's a thousand troops? I, Shen An, say I'll protect you, and I will!" Shen An became domineering, pressing Dugu Meng against the wall: "Woman, listen to me!"

Dugu Meng's heart trembled.

It wasn't that she was afraid of death, but Shen An's words were so domineering that she couldn't resist them, and they also gave her a strong sense of reliance, making it impossible for her to refuse Shen An.

"Okay, then! I won't leave."

Shen An felt a sense of relief.

At that moment, snowflakes began to fall again.

"It looks like the snow is going to get heavy again. Go back inside and warm up first, then we'll shovel snow together in a bit," Shen An instructed.

Dugu Meng nodded obediently.

Upon entering the house and feeling the warmth of the fireplace once more, Dugu Meng's sense of reliance on Shen An grew even stronger.

It seems that all worries have disappeared.

But at this moment, Liu Wenyuan rushed over in a hurry, because this time he had received an imperial edict from the court.

The information Shen An had previously received was obtained through inquiries by Hei Lao Liu.

"My lord, what should we do? The emperor is probably trying to test the attitudes of the various warlords and princes. Anyone who doesn't cooperate will likely be labeled a traitor," Liu Wenyuan said worriedly.

"We're just small fry right now. The real headache is people like Li Huaiyi," Shen An replied calmly, sipping his hot tea.

"Then, will we still charge you?"

"Although we won't accept the bribes, we still need to let the people know about the imperial edict. More importantly, we need them to know that we helped them withstand the pressure. Then they will be even more loyal to us, and if the imperial court comes to suppress us, even more people will be willing to stand with us against the common enemy!" Shen An instructed. "But we must not let this incident make us forget that our biggest enemy right now is not the imperial court, but Li Huaiyi!"

"I understand! I will post this edict now to put pressure on the people first, and then when the time is right, I will tell them that we would rather be beheaded than force them to pay!" Liu Wenyuan said.

Shen An was very satisfied. In the past few months, Liu Wenyuan had become much smarter than before. Later, he learned from Hei Laoliu that Liu Wenyuan now thought things through before making a decision.

In retrospect, it really didn't hurt to think more.

"Then let's do as you say."

After Shen An dismissed Liu Wenyuan, Dugu Meng walked up to him and asked, "Shen An, do you think I still need to contact Princess Gaoping? You agreed to let Bai Moli recommend you to her, and three months have passed, so there should be results soon."