The bells of Chang'an rang out, playing the ceremonial music for the new emperor's ascension to the throne. This marked the day that Liu He, the Prince of Changyi, would finally don the dragon robe adorned with the twelve imperial symbols that he had always dreamed of wearing. He had been beaming with joy at the grand court assembly.
In the court, deafening shouts of 'Long live the Emperor!' rang out, and all the officials bowed their heads. Although Huo Guang remained expressionless while watching the new emperor scratch his head and eagerly leave to choose concubines in the harem, the last trace of doubt in his heart vanished.
However, at this grand celebration of power, the person who should have been at the centre of attention — Liu Bingyi, the eldest grandson of Crown Prince Wei — had mysteriously disappeared.
'Your Majesty is wise! Long live the Emperor!' While the officials knelt before the new emperor in the Weiyang Palace, Liu Bingyi pushed a creaking wooden cart along a muddy road on the outskirts of Chang'an. Xu Pingjun sat in the cart, accompanied by several seemingly honest, but actually hot-tempered, peasants.
[God-Level Mimicry: A Disheartened, Reclusive Member of the Imperial Clan (Continuously Effective)]
[System Feedback: The last three high-ranking spies deployed by Huo Guang have withdrawn. Assessment result: Host threat level reduced to zero."
'Bingyi, are we really leaving like this?' Xu Pingjun looked back at the majestic walls of Chang'an, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
'Good riddance.' Liu Bingyi patted the dirt off his hands, his eyes calm. 'The stage is too crowded. Let Liu He perform for a few days first. We need to find a new battlefield to sharpen our dull blades.'
'Boss!' Lei Zhen and Chi Lian were already waiting there. Behind them were two hundred soldiers dressed in coarse linen and carrying heavy crossbows. Liu Bingyi accepted the black robe that Chi Lian handed to him, casually draping it over his shoulders. His previously humble peasant aura vanished instantly, replaced by an unfathomable, terrifying pressure.
[System Command: Activate 'Drill Ground' Mirror Function]
[Host's All Attributes Increase: 300%]
[Due to Liu He's 'self-destructive behaviour' in the main hall (favourability decreased), the host gains 'Public Resentment Conversion Points' +8,000.]
'Liu He sows "silver" in the palace; we sow "life" here.' Liu Bingyi pointed to the muddy mountain path ahead and coldly ordered his private soldiers, 'From today onwards, your task is not to wield hoes, but swords. I want you to silently slit the throats of three thousand Imperial Guards in this quagmire on the day Liu He is deposed.'
[Special Training Skill: Netherworld]
Step (Loading)
[Weapon Upgrade: Cicada Short Sword – Mass Production Type (already issued to core squad).
Whenever night falls and all is quiet, the surrounding farmers can only hear a series of rumbling sounds, like muffled thunder, cutting through the air. They think it is mountain demons causing trouble, unaware that the sharpest shadow of the Han Empire is waging a life-or-death battle.
At this time, just as Liu Bingyi had predicted, Weiyang Palace has fallen into an absurd state. Liu He has been on the throne for less than ten days, yet he has already issued more than three hundred outrageous edicts. These include granting official positions to cooks in his fiefdom and converting the imperial garden into a cockfighting arena. Even more outrageously, when Huo Guang reports on state affairs, he actually hides... He plays hide-and-seek with palace maids behind the dragon throne.
Huo Guang trembled with rage and the officials groaned in despair. In such circumstances, thoughts turned to Liu Bingyi, who was "honestly farming" in the suburbs. 'If only it were that imperial grandson... perhaps it wouldn't be so absurd?' This sentiment spread like wildfire through the whispers of the court.
Late at night in his thatched hut, Liu Bingyi studied a meticulously detailed map of the changing of the guard at Weiyang Palace by lamplight. He had already infiltrated every corner of the palace, disguising the assassins of the Dark Fragrance Pavilion as vegetable deliverymen and operating under the guise of 'farming'.
[System Prompt: During the host's period of seclusion, reputation points increased exponentially. Growth! Achievement: The Arrival of Public Opinion.
'My lord, news has come from the Huo family. Huo Guang has smashed a teacup in the secret chamber for the third time,' Chi Lian reported in a low voice. 'He has started sending people to inquire about the growth of your "land".'
Liu Bingyi's lips curled into a cruel smile. He traced 'Chengming Hall' on the map with his fingertip and said, 'Tell them that my vegetables are growing very well, especially those "heads"; they're almost ripe.'
He turned to look at himself in the mirror. Though he hadn't put on the dragon robe yet, in that moment he was the sole judge of the great Han dynasty.
"Bingyi, the rice seedlings have been planted crookedly." Xu Pingjun rolled up her trousers; stray hairs clung to her sweat-drenched face, but she still smiled brightly. 'It's good that they're crooked. Crooked like a down-on-his-luck imperial grandson who can't farm.'
Liu Bingyi stood up, brushed the mud from his face and said:
In the distance, several furtive figures flickered in the woods — the last remaining spies of the Huo family. Deliberately knocking over a bucket of water, Liu Bingyi elicited a contemptuous laugh from the sentries before quietly disappearing.
[System Feedback: The target has been evacuated; the current security level is 'extremely high'.' The moment he stood up straight, the naivety in his eyes vanished completely. He threw his hoe forward and, with a bang, it sank right into the bluestone.
[Live update: Liu He's self-destructive progress]
Day 11 of ascension: Men were sent to loot the Imperial Garden in Chang'an and pluck and roast rare peacocks.
Day 13 of Ascension: He held a lavish gambling event at Weiyang Palace and used the late emperor's sacrificial gold artefacts as stakes.
Day 15 of Ascension: He publicly questioned Huo Guang's daughter, Huo Chengjun, about her marital status in court, using vulgar language.
'Your Majesty, Huo Chengjun is causing a scene at home,' Chi Lian chuckled, covering her mouth. 'Hearing that you're farming in the countryside, she secretly hid three cartloads of fine cloth and healing medicine, intending to send them here, but Huo Guang stopped her.'
Liu Bingyi looked at the distant mountains and said calmly, 'Let her send them. The more Huo Guang stops her, the more rebellious she becomes. The more he is tormented by Liu He, the more he'll miss the submissive woman he knew."
[Ding! Due to Liu He's extreme loss of popular support, the host's expectation value as the 'legitimate hope' has increased!] Obtain Hidden Reward: Hidden Dragon's Trail – Large-Scale Fog Array! Effect: Activates around the southern suburban base. Within a ten-mile radius, outsiders will only see desolation and will be unable to detect the military camp's presence.
Chi Lian, instruct our spies in the palace to fan the flames for Liu He. Doesn't he like beautiful women? Tell him that there are several stunningly beautiful courtesans in the Guangchuan Prince's mansion and encourage him to go and take them. That will ignite the fire within the imperial clan.' Liu Bingyi's fingertips traced the bowstring of a heavy crossbow.
Night fell. Liu Bingyi sat in his thatched hut as the oil lamp flickered. He knew that Huo Guang's patience had finally run out. This powerful minister, who had controlled the Han dynasty for decades, had never felt so defeated. The puppet ruler he had personally chosen was destroying the prestige of the Huo family.
'My lord, urgent news from Chang'an!' A Shadow Dragon Guard burst through the window and knelt on one knee. 'Lord Bing Ji has departed with Huo Guang's secret envoy. The carriage is speeding towards Zhongnan Mountain. Huo Guang wishes to invite you personally to 'discuss state affairs'."
Liu Bingyi blew out the oil lamp, a cruel yet elegant smile curving his lips. 'Pingjun, go and boil a pot of water. Our 'distinguished guest' is coming to beg me to become emperor.'
A fine drizzle fell on Zhongnan Mountain, turning the dirt roads of the southern suburbs into treacherous mud. An elaborately decorated carriage, exuding a chilling aura, came to a halt in front of a low thatched hut, accompanied by several elite cavalrymen.
Inside, Grand Marshal Huo Guang — the powerful figure who had held sway over the court and deposed and installed emperors — sat with a dark expression, staring at his mud-caked black boots. 'My lord, the Grand General is here again.' Meanwhile, Liu Bingyi sat on a large rock, patiently trimming a basket of freshly cut pig feed with a chipped sickle. He seemed oblivious to the imposing convoy and did not even raise his head.
[God-level Mimicry: A recluse content with poverty and detached from worldly affairs — Full Power]
Huo Guang, supported by Bing Ji, stepped down from the carriage. The old man, who had controlled the fate of the Han dynasty for over a decade, now had dark circles under his eyes. Liu He's reign of just over ten days had already shortened his lifespan by ten years.
'Liu Bingyi,' said Huo Guang in a hoarse voice that carried the weariness of a ruler. 'That fool is about to tear the Han Dynasty to shreds, and you're here cutting pig feed?'
Liu Bingyi seemed startled, almost cutting his finger with the sickle. He stood up awkwardly and gave a simple, honest smile.
But did the other one actually compare the throne to an old sow?
[Ding! Violent fluctuation in Huo Guang's emotions detected! Blood pressure soaring! Reputation points: +3,500 (for successfully breaching the defences of a powerful top-tier minister).
Unlock reward: Immovable Mountain Domain (while the host feigns ignorance, any pressure directed at them will be transformed into a sense of defeat for the opponent).
"Liu Bingyi, listen carefully!" Huo Guang suddenly stepped forward, splashing mud all over Liu Bingyi, who paid no heed. 'Liu He is dissolute and tyrannical. I have already decided to depose him. I've come today to ask you: is the blood of Crown Prince Wei only fit to feed pigs?"
Liu Bingyi lowered his head and remained silent. In that instant, a faint, chilling mockery flashed in his eyes through the [Instant Temperament Switch], which Huo Guang caught precisely. Huo Guang's heart skipped a beat. He's doing this on purpose! He's forcing me to bow down!'
"General," said Liu Bingyi, raising his head and regaining his composure. "I know nothing of the affairs of state, only that some wanted me killed in the palace and some wanted to steal my wife. If becoming emperor doesn't allow me to protect those I want to protect, then I'd rather not be emperor.'
These words were a blatant bargain: he didn't want the throne, only absolute autonomy. Huo Guang closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the cold, fresh air from Zhongnan Mountain. He knew he had lost this psychological battle completely. He needed a legitimate heir to clean up his mess, and Liu Bingyi was his only option.
'As long as I remain on the throne, Lady Xu will be the sole Empress of the Han Dynasty, and the Huo family will be your strongest shield,' promised Huo Guang, his words deliberate and his teeth clenched.
"Since the general says so..." Liu Bingyi casually tossed his sickle aside. The broken tool arced through the air and embedded itself precisely in a distant wooden pillar.
'Then this humble servant will make a trip to Weiyang Palace.'
At that moment, the docile aura surrounding Liu Bingyi receded like a tide, and an Emperor's Sword Qi so faint that even Bing Ji trembled at it appeared. Huo Guang looked at the youth, who suddenly seemed unfamiliar, and a strange chill rose in his heart. 'Did I invite back a puppet, or a god of death?'
[Ding!]
[Main Quest Unlocked: "Deposed in Twenty-Seven Days, Emperor Ascends the Throne for the Ages".
[Reputation points calculated: 15,000. Level increased to 'Master of Political Intrigue'.'