Mad Emperor
Lu Yun Chu, dressed in the general's robe bestowed by the emperor, stepped into the capital city she had been away from for so long. If she were a man, she would surely be returning home in glory, but she was a woman, even a prodigy among women. Upon arriving in the capital, the first thing she heard was not praise, but a proverb: "Promotion, wealth, and the death of one's husband—who can compare to Lu Yun Chu? The Prince's body is not yet cold, and five generals from the border have already entered her tent."
After Chu Chengchao was killed by Chu Chengan, he was given the title of King Lin. However, Chu Chengan privately called his only brother who was good to him "Turtle King," implying that he was an incompetent man who was angered to death by his wife. He also said that if King Lin were to be reborn and see his wife building her career on the border by stepping on his own corpse, he would probably be angered to death again.
Lu Yunchu completely doubted that Chu Cheng'an had made up this proverb himself. He seemed to really like stories of men being driven to their deaths by women, and he saw himself as the nemesis of cowardly men, while Chu Chengchao was the most shameful coward.
She wasn't angry at all, just found it laughable. Chu Chengchao seemed to have never truly sacrificed anything for her, and he couldn't possibly be driven to death by her. Even setting aside the fact that she hadn't done anything, given his personality, he wasn't the type to be driven to death by anger; he would definitely ask for clarification first. And while those five generals were indeed worthless, they didn't deserve to be included in his harem. This Chu Chengan had truly lost his mind.
When she first heard the poem, she laughed until tears streamed down her face, finding it utterly shameless and laughable. Rumors circulated in the capital that she had risen to power through her martial arts skills, that she was a nine-tailed fox demon. Remembering her sister's past, she felt these people couldn't even come up with a new story.
She didn't care how these people talked nonsense; their mouths were no cleaner than a toilet. She just couldn't stand their insults to Chu Chengchao and Su Lang. The other four were utterly worthless. At least Su Lang had some humanity and had always deeply loved his wife, yet he was humiliated like this. Chengchao was even more innocent; he hadn't done anything wrong, yet he was persecuted, and not only that, his reputation was ruined after his death.
She wanted to see Mu Xin and Mu Sheng but didn't dare. Seeing them reminded her of Chu Chengchao, and she really didn't want to think about it. She just asked people to take good care of them, and thankfully, they didn't want to see her either. She didn't want to see or hear anything about Chu Chengchao; the thought of him pained her.
She went to see her aunt, who said that the women in the harem always belittled her, but Su Xike always spoke up for her and even fought with several concubines for her sake.
When Lu Yunchu learned about it, she was filled with mixed feelings. She didn't know how to help her. She wanted to go see her, but her aunt said it was better not to see Su Xike. Two notorious women getting together would only bring more trouble.
My aunt said that Consort Xiao also spoke up for her, forbidding her subordinates from being disrespectful. Consort Xiao was at Fengming Temple, but the emperor kept a close watch on her, making it impossible for her to meet with her friends at any time.
Leaving her aunt's palace, she encountered an old acquaintance on the palace road: Chu Cheng'an, who was still incredibly beautiful but even more sinister.
Upon seeing Lu Yunchu, his first words were: "My dear Lu, you've worked hard at the border. Now that you're back in the capital, you should rest well and enjoy your retirement. This fighting and killing isn't a woman's long-term solution. My harem is a peaceful place to recuperate. Look, you still have many of your sisters. I'm so bored; let's play house together..."
He enthusiastically counted how many of Lu Yunchu's old acquaintances were in the harem. Lu Yunchu found it absurd to see him, and getting angry at such a person was pointless.
She raised her hand to wipe away her tears and sighed, "Seeing you reminds me of A-Chao, and I just can't stop crying..."
Chu Cheng'an pretended to wipe his eyes, but his lips were practically smirking. He suddenly leaned closer, chuckling in a low, high-pitched voice, "Oh, really? I'd be so happy if I were you. With your husband dead, no one to care for you, you could do whatever you want, no need to suffer the pain of childbirth, and you could even achieve great things. If he were still here, would you be doing well now that you're old and faded? Good riddance! Good riddance! Don't be afraid, we're all wicked women, and I love bad women like you~"
He winked, then resumed his serious demeanor and walked away with his hands behind his back. Lu Yunchu stood there, stunned, unable to respond for a moment.
She suddenly remembered Chu Chengchao saying that Chu Chengan, in his youth, often loved to wear a fiery red wedding dress, stand with his hands behind his back in front of the beacon tower, and say that he wanted to marry the country, to be the most beautiful, shameless, and wanton woman in the world, to be the complete opposite of his mother, and to live a carefree and unrestrained life. He had loved beauty and dressing up since he was a child, and wanted to be a bride. At that time, everyone thought he was a fool, but little did they know that he would actually realize his wish.
My aunt said that Chu Cheng'an never favored any of his concubines. He only liked to ask them one question: "Am I the most beautiful person in the world?" Sometimes when he was in a good mood, he would dress them up and do their makeup; when he was in a bad mood, he would make sarcastic remarks. Sometimes he called his concubines "sisters," and sometimes he called them "toys." His unpredictable temper was terrifying. The palace servants also said that he often secretly dressed in women's clothes and danced in front of the mirror, touching and even kissing his reflection.
But this madman was extremely diligent in his duties at court, achieving countless accomplishments. Those legends, of course, were never spoken aloud; everyone simply feared and dreaded him.
However, these arguments can indeed be used for one's own purposes...
She had barely returned to the capital when Chu Qin found her and said that the rumors of Chu Cheng'an being a woman with a man's appearance and a demonic nature had begun to spread. Since such a demon could ascend the throne, then women could even more so. And unexpectedly, Chu Cheng'an did not quell the rumors; on the contrary, he seemed to enjoy them. Whenever he heard someone say that he was a woman or a demon, he would just smile and remain silent.
Chu Qin said that Chu Cheng'an hated men, thinking they were dirty, vulgar, and frivolous, with no loyalty whatsoever; while women, though weak, were more loyal. He liked Su Xike the most because Su Xike loved him to the point of madness and trusted Chu Qin and Chu Ling the most. The two of them always pretended to love their husbands deeply, which moved him greatly. When he heard that Chu Qin's nominal husband was frivolous, he found a crime to imprison him. He felt very sorry for Chu Qin and even cried loudly, even though his tears were the most worthless thing in the world.
Chu Qin believes that Chu Cheng'an may indeed think of himself as a woman because of his prejudice, the kind he imagines. But because of this, he is more harsh on women and imposes unprecedentedly strict prohibitions on them.
Even under these circumstances, Chu Qin still sought a way out. Together with the great shaman Azhi, she replaced the entire Imperial Observatory with women and secretly developed new types of cannons.
Meanwhile, Chu Qin secretly contacted women in the capital and even more distant prefectures who refused to be controlled by fate, gathering them in secret locations for training. Chu Ling, on the other hand, established trade routes and made contact with foreign lands, forging secret alliances with the powerful Yun Kingdom in the north and the rising Rong Kingdom in the western regions. Especially with the Rong Kingdom, she used caravans as cover to continuously send them superior weapons and provisions, supporting their independence and their break away from the control of the western and northern deserts.
The situation in the Rong Kingdom was quite unique. Its most valiant and skilled general was Ashqi, the eighteenth concubine of the Rong King. Born of humble origins, she had established a high reputation in the army through her exceptional bravery and wisdom. The Rong King both feared her growing power and the threat she posed to his authority, yet he had no choice but to rely on her to defend against foreign enemies and expand his territory. Ashqi was no longer content to be subservient; she longed to become queen herself. Meanwhile, in the Yun Kingdom, Princess Murong Mingyue, renowned for her virtue and ambition, was also secretly recruiting soldiers and accumulating strength, waiting for the day she could stir up trouble.
Lu Yunchu explained most of the construction progress of the Women's Alliance to Chu Qin, but secretly left herself a backup plan. The two worked together to expand the alliance's territory. Ashqi and Princess Mingyue had already deployed female soldiers, and Lu Yunchu planned to do the same in the future.
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