Chapter 126

In the ninth year of the Jingyuan era, Du Guanliu, the former Minister of Personnel, joined forces with Ruan Xiangsong, commander of the southern army, and led a force of one hundred and fifty thousand troops in rebellion in Shu. To quell the uprising, the Son of Heaven, Tu Shanjin, decided to lead the expedition personally.

The common people lined the roads to see them off. The emperor led his troops southward, and after a month, they finally arrived at the borderlands of Shu.

“Blegh!!!”

The moment Yun Yaoyao’s feet touched the ground, she found a clean patch of earth and gave the flowers and grass a nutritious watering.

Niu Xiu’er hurriedly handed her a handkerchief, her face full of worry. “Your Majesty, you’ve already suffered through the exhaustion of the journey. Must you really go around fooling the local people at every stop? You need to think about your health too!”

“Fooling them as a Goddess descended to earth… blegh! …isn’t fooling them. It’s winning the people’s hearts, following the people’s wishes, and… blegh! …bringing blessings to all beneath Heaven!”

“Your Majesty!” Niuniu stamped her feet anxiously.

A large hand gently patted Yun Yaoyao’s back. Tu Shanjin’s voice, full of concern and heartache, sounded beside her. “You don’t need to do so much for my sake. I’m eighty percent certain I can quell the rebellion in Shu. I can handle it alone.”

“It’s not only for your sake.” Yun Yaoyao took the handkerchief and wiped her mouth before waving her hand. “It’s also for my sake, and for the sake of the common people. Once war breaks out, innocent bystanders suffer. The ones who bear the greatest hardships are usually ordinary people.”

If they wanted to end the war as soon as possible, they had to eliminate those two scourges, Du Guanliu and Ruan Xiangsong.

At a time like this, Yun Yaoyao’s identity and reputation could play an enormous role.

Since ancient times, it was said that whoever won the people’s hearts would win the world. What was more, Yun Yaoyao was a Goddess descended to earth, and the name of the Great Blessing of Yan-Chi had already taken deep root in people’s hearts. After the rumors branding her the Calamitous Demon Consort, her reputation had become practically unassailable.

However, in ancient times, when transportation and communication were inconvenient, reputation was much like a Wi-Fi signal: centered on oneself, it weakened as it radiated outward.

Thus, on their journey south from the capital, Yun Yaoyao stopped in every region and brought along her army of public-opinion specialists—marketing accounts, influencers, paid promoters, and public-relations experts—to give speeches to the local people. In short, she brainwashed them. Then she added fantasies about a beautiful future—in other words, promises of pie in the sky—and finally offered them tangible benefits.

And so, the people along the route were moved to tears of gratitude one after another. They praised the emperor’s benevolence and regarded the Goddess as their very own faith, practically itching to do something for her with their mortal bodies.

As a result, statues of the Goddess sprang up one after another along their route south.

Yun Yaoyao was both gratified and exhausted.

It was also during this extremely fulfilling journey south that Yun Yaoyao realized something. Though she was always chanting, “Between working hard and slacking off, I must steadfastly choose to work hard while slacking off,” she had never actually neglected anything that needed doing. She slacked off intermittently, but worked hard continuously.

The diagnosis was in: Yun Yaoyao was a true career woman!

Hopeless Romantic Workaholic No. 2, Tushan Jin, was not having an easy time either.

One secret report arrived after another, and one secret report was sent out after another, stirring up an already turbulent situation.

Tu Shanjin’s daily rest grew shorter and shorter. His face, once plump and glowing thanks to Yun Yaoyao’s careful nurturing, now bore faint dark circles beneath his eyes.

Unwilling to make her worry too much, Tu Shanjin had not told her about the current situation. He only said that he already had a plan.

Yet the assassinations and ambushes they encountered on their journey south had become increasingly frequent and dangerous, while the grave expressions on the faces of those delivering the reports grew more and more pronounced. Yun Yaoyao could therefore guess part of the truth.

The situation was more perilous than she had imagined.

“The Shu roads are difficult—more difficult than reaching the heavens. The ancients truly weren’t exaggerating!” Yun Yaoyao sighed.

That night, Tu Shanjin led his troops to camp at Xunyang, on the border of Shu.

The night was silent and still. Inside the command tent, a group of people discussed their plans for what came next.

Candlelight flickered, illuminating the map of Shu spread flat across the table. Everyone gathered around it.

Tu Shanjin lightly tapped the map, his expression cold and solemn. “Du and Ruan’s main forces are stationed in these locations. Shu is rich and abundant, so they have no need to worry about provisions. The longer this becomes a war of attrition, the more disadvantageous it will be for us. We must settle this quickly…”

“Our first battle will be at Foping!”

Ning Ying and Lin Qingti followed the movement of his finger across the map. Beside them, a burly man with a scar across his face let out a cold snort, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

This man was Long Liang, the general commanding the campaign to pacify the Shu rebellion. When Longcheng fell and General Ning was captured, he had gone to the borderlands and held back the Xiongnu’s attack.

General Long said, “Your Majesty, Traitor Du has been shouting insults and issuing challenges precisely to force you to fight in person. Back when Your Majesty was still a prince, you already led troops to repel the Xiongnu. Later, you suppressed the remnants of the former dynasty at Hanlan. Your Majesty is both valiant and wise. Traitor Du’s scheme is bound to fail!”

Yun Yaoyao quietly studied Tu Shanjin’s profile.

She had never expected that he had led troops into battle before becoming emperor—and in such important campaigns, at that. No wonder his body bore so many old wounds from blades and arrows.

To rise step by step from an unfavored prince to the throne of the Son of Heaven, he must have suffered a great deal.

Sensing Yun Yaoyao’s gaze, Tu Shanjin took a moment to extend one hand and tuck both of hers into his embrace to warm them. Then he continued discussing the plans with everyone else.

Tu Shanjin’s gesture was so natural and practiced that General Long and the others stared blankly for quite some time.

The dignified Son of Heaven was actually warming a woman’s hands by placing them inside his robes. It was rather unbecoming, and even seemed like a breach of proper hierarchy.

But then they remembered that the woman was the Goddess Empress.

In that case, there was no problem. If the emperor warmed the Goddess’s hands, then by strict reckoning, it could even be said that the emperor was the one marrying above his station.

The group continued their discussion, while Yun Yaoyao silently listened. She was no good at commanding armies or fighting wars, but when it came to scheming and using underhanded tactics, she was passable at best.

Ning Ying frowned slightly. “The terrain of Shu is naturally dangerous, easy to defend but difficult to attack. It can raise a dragon, but it can also trap one. It will be difficult for our army to fight its way in, but it will be equally difficult for their army to break out. If only…”

“If we could establish a foothold in Hanzhong, we would have a greater chance of victory.” Lin Qingti voiced the thought in Ning Ying’s mind, pointing toward Hanzhong.

“Exactly. According to our intelligence, there is a wealthy merchant in Hanzhong named Hua Bufang. He owns the largest privately operated shipyard in the south and specializes in waterway transportation. I hear he has recently been considering expanding northward. He may be willing to join our side.” Ning Ying continued, “He could be persuaded.”

“The people of Shu are fierce and unruly, and the great clans are entangled with one another. They have no fear of the imperial court. This will not be easy,” General Long said.

A wealthy merchant… with the surname Hua… Why did that sound familiar?

Yun Yaoyao remembered.

Wasn’t this the same fat merchant from Jiangnan whom Gao Dexiang had offered up in an attempt to reconcile with Du Guanliu, only for her to ruin everything on the spot and scare him right out of the Du residence?!

She had heard that the very next moment after leaving the Du residence, her lucky cat, Pei Qianhuo, had intercepted him.

They were practically old acquaintances!

“I believe I know this man. Leave the task of recruiting the Hua merchant to me.” Yun Yaoyao revealed a sinister smile, as though victory were already within her grasp.