Chapter 1 The Ruler's Harem

As the ruler of a nation, especially a fatuous one, Zhao Shun had a full six palaces: four in the imperial city, one in the summer palace in the western suburbs of the capital, and one in the hunting palace in the southern suburbs.

The summer palace was for escaping the summer heat, while the hunting palace was for hunting, sightseeing, and general merriment.

The four palaces in the imperial city were similarly built according to the needs of the four seasons. The summer palace was built by a man-made lake shaded by vegetation, while the winter palace, the one currently on fire, faced south to receive sunlight 24 hours a day.

The spring palace was located next to the imperial garden, and the autumn palace was on a low hill in the West Garden, making it easy to admire the autumn scenery.

Now that the winter palace had been burned down, it was uninhabitable. The imperial guards of the Imperial City Division escorted Zhao Shun in a grand procession to the summer palace by the artificial lake.

Originally, the commander of the Imperial Guards disagreed, because the assassin who had just escaped was clearly a water ghost, and living by the lake was like putting one's neck in front of the enemy, which was too dangerous.

But His Majesty insisted, and as subjects, they could only obey.

Inside the brightly lit and lavishly decorated palace, no less luxurious than the winter palace, Zhang Yuanqing lay with his hands behind his head, staring blankly at the crisscrossing beams of the roof.

He replayed the current plot of the dungeon in his mind.

The Northern Dynasty had subdued the foreign tribes on the grasslands and launched a large-scale southward invasion, attempting to destroy the Southern Dynasty. At this critical moment, the fatuous ruler Zhao Shun favored the Empress and, against the opposition of the old aristocratic Zheng family, appointed Yang Ce as commander.

This made the Zheng family feel a great threat. After all, Empress Zheng had passed away many years ago, and Empress Yang was favored. Once Yang Ce defended Linxia City and returned to the capital with great military achievements, the positions of the Zheng and Yang families would inevitably be reversed.

Therefore, they simply colluded with Tuoba Guanghe, the marshal of the Northern Dynasty, to assassinate the emperor and usurp the throne.

As long as the Zheng family helped Tuoba Guanghe defeat the last defenders of the Southern Dynasty, the Southern Dynasty would be at their mercy. At that time, whoever Tuoba Guanghe supported would be the emperor of the Southern Dynasty.

But doing so was too risky, tantamount to entrusting their lives to the enemy. What good could come from seeking skins from a tiger?

Although Zheng Longtu said that Tuoba Guanghe wanted to raise bandits to gain self-importance, even Zhang Yuanqing found it unreliable, let alone the head of the Zheng family, who had been floating in the officialdom for so long?

Therefore, the Zheng family had other reliance that allowed them to collude with Tuoba Guanghe with confidence.

This reliance should be the National Preceptor (Guoshi).

"The main quest is indeed very clear. The enemy on the battlefield is the army of the Northern Dynasty, while the enemy on my side is the Zheng family and the National Preceptor. I just don't know where the National Preceptor comes from."

However, there were still some things he didn't understand. Why would his teammates turn against him? Was it simply that the dungeon wanted to increase the difficulty?

Zhang Yuanqing felt that it was unlikely. High-difficulty dungeons usually had solid plot lines.

"Well, it may also be that the fatuous ruler has caused widespread resentment, and the rebel forces behind them want to assassinate the fatuous ruler. If that's the case, I hope the rebel forces are just a background prop, otherwise it will be too difficult..." Zhang Yuanqing sighed.

Regaining his composure, he sat up, summoned a palace maid, and instructed:

"The night is long and I have no desire to sleep. Go and invite Consort Wan over. I want her to attend to me tonight."

"Consort Wan?" The personal palace maid was stunned for a moment and carefully reminded, "Your Majesty, Consort Wan attempted to assassinate you today and was rescued by her accomplices..."

"Not her." Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand. "I'm talking about another Consort Wan."

Another Consort Wan? Another Consort Wan! The palace maid seemed to remember something, and for a moment she couldn't control herself, revealing a ghostly expression.

Then came an expression of collapsing faith.

"What's with that expression? Guards, drag her out and behead her at the Meridian Gate!" Zhang Yuanqing stared at her displeased. "Do I need to repeat myself?"

He had just been assassinated, and the imperial guards of the Imperial City Division were guarding outside the palace. There might be spies from the Zheng family among them. Summoning Consort Wan for no reason would definitely arouse suspicion.

Therefore, attending to him was a seamless reason. Zhao Shun had once been saved by Consort Wan. Now that he had been assassinated, he lacked a sense of security and craved the broad shoulders of the person who had once saved his life to rely on. It was perfectly reasonable.

She stammered, "Yes, yes, this servant will go and invite her..."

She lowered her head and hurried away.

"If the palace maid is a bit of a blabbermouth, I'll be socially dead in the palace. But it doesn't matter, my pot is Zhao Shun's pot, and Zhao Shun's pot is not my pot."

Zhang Yuanqing yawned tiredly and fell asleep without realizing it.

Until he heard a muffled call in his ear: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, your concubine has arrived..."

Then, a large hand "gently" pushed his shoulder.

Zhang Yuanqing woke up with a start, his eyes sharp. After seeing the stout figure kneeling by the bed, he relaxed his tense muscles with relief and said amiably:

"Consort Wan has come!"

Consort Wan, with a square face and eyes like copper bells, lowered her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, your concubine has come to attend to you."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing silently shifted his gaze away from Consort Wan's Eastern aristocratic face—her face always reminded Zhang Yuanqing uncontrollably of terracotta warriors.

"Ahem!" Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat and said loudly, "Everyone withdraw. I want to frolic with Consort Wan."

The palace maids and eunuchs in the outer hall were shocked and retreated one after another.

After everyone had left the palace, Consort Wan bounced on her knees, strode to the bed with her thick legs, and sat down.

Zhang Yuanqing moved back imperceptibly and said, "Consort Wan, what are you doing?"

Consort Wan revealed a "憨厚 (hān hòu - honest and simple)" smile: "Your concubine has come to attend to you, Your Majesty. As the saying goes, walls have ears, but when speaking on your dragon bed, no one can hear."

"Then just sit by the bed and don't move. If you dare to mess around, I'll call for help!" Zhang Yuanqing suddenly regretted his rash move, but remained calm on the surface and said:

"Where are those three female assassins?"

Consort Wan replied, "The three assassins have been suppressed by me at the bottom of the lake. I have set up a barrier, and their lives are not in danger."

"Consort Wan, walls have ears." Zhang Yuanqing reminded the manly woman to speak softly, and then asked, "Have you extracted the mastermind behind them?"

Consort Wan shook her head. "They didn't confess. Without Your Majesty's permission, your concubine dared not use torture. However, under your concubine's guidance, Consort Chu revealed the reason for assassinating Your Majesty."

"Speak quickly!" Zhang Yuanqing urged.

Consort Wan said, "Consort Chu has already confessed that she was the culprit who poisoned Your Majesty a few days ago. Unexpectedly, Your Majesty was lucky enough to survive. That day, Your Majesty went to inspect the harem, and she was very guilty, fearing that her plot would be exposed. Therefore, she wanted to take advantage of attending to you and assassinate you again."

Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment and said, "What about after the assassination?"

Consort Wan shook her head. "Consort Chu is a blockhead and not very scheming. She couldn't say what to do after the assassination. Your concubine doesn't understand. Who would send such a foolish person to assassinate Your Majesty?"

"Sent by the Lingjing Xingzhe dungeon..." Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but complain.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, gently tapping his knee with his fingers, and fell into deep thought.

Consort Chu only knew that she had poisoned the emperor, but she didn't know who the mastermind behind it was, which meant that after entering the Lingjing, the information she obtained was "Consort Chu failed to poison the emperor", nothing more.

There was probably a side quest: Assassinate the fatuous ruler.

Therefore, when Consort Chu discovered that the fatuous ruler was inspecting the harem, she panicked. Part of the reason she agreed to attend to him was that it coincided with the side quest, and part of the reason was that she was worried that if she didn't act, she would be investigated by the Imperial City Division, by the fatuous ruler.

At that time, she would be dead.

With this sense of crisis and the side quest, the three beauties didn't think that the "fatuous ruler" who was naturally on the opposite side was a Lingjing Xingzhe teammate.

After all, this was a team dungeon, not a factional confrontation dungeon. Teammates in the dungeon could not become life-and-death enemies in the plot.

It was also for this reason that Zhang Yuanqing was happy to invite the three beauties to attend to him, but he almost capsized in a gutter.

Jiang Jingwei's confession suddenly opened up Zhang Yuanqing's thinking and made him understand many doubts.

In addition, although Green Tea Consort Wan and Wang the Singer were tight-lipped, Jingwei's confession was to some extent also their confession, because the assassination attempts of the three beauties coincided, and they were also....

Zhang Yuanqing boldly guessed that these two guys had also participated in the poisoning of the fatuous ruler.

At the thought of this, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly thought of what Li Changshi had said: Zhao Shun was poisoned by a strange poison mixed with multiple poisons. The medicinal effects were fierce, but they restrained each other, so he would not die immediately.

And tonight, Zheng Longtu blurted out part of the truth in his elation: The strange poison you refined didn't kill you. Who came up with the ingenious plan of using poison to counteract poison? The imperial physicians in the palace don't have this level of skill.

The information matched.

"I've almost sorted out the plot..." Zhang Yuanqing breathed out a sigh of relief. What he feared most when entering a dungeon was not the strength of the enemy, but the obscurity of the plot.

If the plot was obscure, it was possible to miss key information. If key information was missed, it was easy to crash.

And there was no room for error.

"Consort Wan, no, Imperial Concubine Wan, do you know the National Preceptor?" Zhang Yuanqing, who had sorted out the plot, began to inquire about information.

Linxia City, barracks.

Fu Qingyang woke up in a daze, only to feel a splitting headache and his muscles all over his body seemed to be torn apart. Every cell was wailing.

He endured the pain, frowned and sat up, seeing Xiahou Aotian squatting in the corner to cook medicine, Ling Jun picking herbs, and Demon Eye Heavenly King standing in front of the map, pondering.

"How long have I been asleep?" Fu Qingyang asked weakly.

"You should say: When did I fall unconscious." Ling Jun looked up at him.

Fu Qingyang thought about it, but couldn't remember.

Ling Jun啧啧 (zézé - tsk tsk) said, "After you pierced Tuoba Guanghe with your sword, you stood there motionless. The guards were cheering for you. I thought you were acting cool, but after the Northern Dynasty retreated, I found out that you had fainted."

Fu Qingyang remembered and said lightly, "If I didn't do that, how could I scare away Tuoba Guanghe? The Enchantment Demon is cunning and despicable, and the battlefield is about using any means necessary. If Tuoba Guanghe broke the bet, we would definitely lose."

So he fainted while standing, without even closing his eyes.

The Demon Eye Heavenly King next to him turned his head: "Just say Tuoba Guanghe, the Enchantment Demon didn't provoke you."

Xiahou Aotian, who was next to the stove, commented, "You're not the protagonist, why are you showing off?"

After speaking, he picked up the hot medicine pot with his bare hands and said, "The medicine is ready. Drink it while it's hot. I guess you don't want to waste Life Source Elixir either."

Ling Jun virtuously opened the bowl, poured the medicinal soup, and even blew on it for Fu Qingyang.

Fu Qingyang didn't refuse and announced after drinking the medicine:

"I seem to have comprehended a new swordsmanship."

Are you a pervert! The three of them had this thought at the same time.

Ling Jun sighed, "It's an insult to compare you, Young Master Qian, with the three of us good-for-nothings. In the future, there will only be three young masters officially. Young Master Qian is removed."

Xiahou Aotian squinted at Young Master Hua: "Three of the four young masters have been promoted to Dominator (Zhuzai). Shouldn't you be the one who is removed?"

Ling Jun shrugged, "I'm a good-for-nothing, but I never rely on others. It's more decent than some people who lie down and get promoted to Dominator."

Xiahou Aotian was furious, feeling that Young Master Hua's ridicule was even more despicable and serious than Han Xin's humiliation.

The Demon Eye Heavenly King looked at Fu Qingyang: "To what extent has your Skill Approaching Dao (Jìjìnhūdào) improved?"

Fu Qingyang shook his head slightly: "It's not the improvement of swordsmanship, but the sword intent. Skill Approaching Dao is already comparable to rules, and it's difficult to improve further. My slash has a fatal flaw: the sword energy is limited in strength. Even with the cloak blessing, I can't support myself in fighting beyond my level. When encountering enemies with a higher level than me and who are good at defense, even if every sword can hit, it can't hurt the enemy."

Ling Jun sighed, "After all, not every swordsman is called Fu Qingxuan."

The Demon Eye Heavenly King recalled the sharp sword light that pierced Tuoba Guanghe tonight and frowned:

"What is the price for such a strong sword intent?"

Fu Qingyang glanced at him: "Wasting Life!"

This sword intent overdrafts spiritual power, essence, and burns lifespan.

Ling Jun: "..."

The Demon Eye Heavenly King clapped his hands and applauded: "Wonderful! In the future, you will be the Life-Wasting Heavenly King under the Lord of the Sun."

"When did you become Yuan Shitianzun's lackey?" Xiahou Aotian was greatly shocked.

The Demon Eye Heavenly King touched the sports headband on his forehead and smiled: "I only serve my ideals."

Fu Qingyang said lightly, "Before serving your ideals, serve me first. Ling Jun, what time is it now?"

"It's almost dawn," Ling Jun said.

Fu Qingyang immediately said, "Rest for a day, and tonight we will launch a surprise attack on the enemy camp of the Northern Dynasty army."

Ling Jun's eyes lit up: "Wonderful. Tuoba Guanghe just promised not to attack the city for three days. In the eyes of the Northern Dynasty army, we will definitely relax our vigilance and rest for three days. This trick goes against the grain and can catch them off guard."

The Demon Eye Heavenly King shook his head: "Although Tuoba Guanghe was injured by you, with the Enchantment Demon's recovery ability, he has already recovered. It is already difficult to defend the city. Taking the initiative to go out of the city is tantamount to seeking death."

Fu Qingyang's face was stern:

"Xiahou Aotian, I need you to make something that can fix six torches on a piece of wood. Demon Eye, after dark, you lead five thousand troops out of the city quietly, each carrying six torches, and attack the right wing of the Northern Dynasty's camp. Remember, make a lot of noise and let the Northern Dynasty's scouts discover you in advance.

"Thirty thousand troops will leave the city for a surprise attack. Tuoba Guanghe will definitely lead his troops to meet us in person. You have to delay him for twenty minutes. I will lead the main force to attack the front of the Northern Dynasty's camp."

The Demon Eye pondered for a few seconds and said, "If you delay him for twenty minutes, it is estimated that five thousand soldiers will die."

Fu Qingyang said coldly, "In battlefield battles, you must not only pay attention to using troops like a god, but also pay attention to using troops like mud. Tonight, I want the Northern Dynasty's 400,000 troops to suffer heavy losses."

Next, he began to explain the detailed deployment, including arrangements such as setting fire to the grain, slaughtering horses, and destroying siege equipment.

After the three had chewed and digested it, Fu Qingyang said, "Summon the senior generals of the Southern Dynasty to the war room for a meeting."