Li Molin leaned his entire body against Liuli, who was so heavy she could barely support him. But seeing how weak he was, Liuli had no choice but to suppress her resentment and try her best to support him.
Li Molin looked up at the demons gathered in a circle, his voice low and hoarse, and said in a deep voice, "Except for Ji Jue, the rest of you should go back to Prajna Lake first and properly bury the bodies of your clansmen. After that, you should continue to spread out to various parts of the Central Plains and keep an eye out for signs of the emergence of rare treasures. If there is anything unusual, notify me immediately!"
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison, cupped their hands in greeting to Li Molin, and soared into the sky, flying southwest.
Someone outside the tent in the distance glanced up and was startled by the chaotic black light. After telling the people around them, a great deal of panic immediately spread.
Li Molin didn't notice the commotion at the tent. He only felt extremely exhausted, so he turned around, opened his arms and hugged Liuli, putting all his weight on her and resting his head on her shoulder.
Liuli was taken aback by Li Molin's audacity and was about to explode in anger when she heard him whisper in her ear, "Liuli, I'm so tired..."
His voice was low and husky, with a languid quality, and even a hint of coquetry.
Liuli muttered, "So you do know what tiredness is? If you're tired, why did you play for so long?"
“I…” Li Molin frowned with his eyes closed, his voice becoming increasingly languid as he whispered, “I’m tired, Liuli, I want to sleep.”
"Okay, okay..." Liuli muttered softly, "Have you gone mad from being beaten? You're acting like a little kid."
Liuli yawned and said sleepily, "Let's sleep, I'm sleepy too."
Li Molin released Liuli, lay back on the grass, closed his eyes, and soon fell into a deep sleep, seemingly exhausted.
Seeing this, Ji Jue sat down cross-legged to the side. Ahua jumped off his shoulder and lay half-reclined on the grass, looking around for a while. Her eyelids drooped little by little, and after a while, she simply curled up into a ball and fell asleep again.
Liuli was exhausted from not sleeping all night. She lay down next to Li Molin and closed her eyes, but her brows furrowed slightly. After a while, she suddenly sat up, turned to look at Li Molin, and muttered, "With so much blood on him, is he injured?"
As she spoke, she reached out her small hand and began to examine Li Molin's body, carefully looking at the areas with more blood or where his clothes were too tattered. Only after confirming that he was not seriously injured did she lie down again and close her eyes.
It was unclear whether Li Molin was asleep or not, but the contours of his face gradually softened, his eyebrows and eyes became gentle, and the corners of his lips curved slightly, revealing a tender smile.
On the fifth day of the second month, Li Molin, Ji Jue, Liu Li, and A Hua returned to the guest courtyard of the Grand Commandant's mansion, travel-worn. Yu Ke came out to greet them and first asked Li Molin, "Is Young Master alright?"
Li Molin had changed into a clean set of black clothes. He had not been injured to begin with, and there was not a trace of injury on his body. He shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I am fine. How is the court? Is there any trace of the Imperial Seal?"
Yu Ke shook his head and said, "This subordinate has not found any trace of the Imperial Seal. As for the rare treasure, has the young master obtained any?"
"No." Li Molin's face was ugly, and he sneered, "The bald monks of Buddhism are obviously biased. They might as well just send the treasure to the temple and give it to that so-called destined person. I, Li Molin, admire them for being true scoundrels!"
Yu Ke was taken aback. He glanced at Ji Jue over Li Molin and saw that Ji Jue also looked indignant. He changed the subject and said, "Young Master, please go sit in the main hall."
Li Molin nodded and walked past Yu Ke toward the main hall.
Yu Ke walked half a step behind Li Molin, saying as she walked, "Young Master, a major event has occurred in the court these past few days."
Li Molin asked, "What is it?"
Yu Ke's expression was strange as he replied, "The Emperor wants to depose the Empress and make Jiang Tao'er the new Empress. The court officials are in an uproar, with almost 70% opposing it. However, the Emperor is determined to do as he pleases. I have seen that he has already drafted the imperial edict."
"Oh?" Li Molin smiled sarcastically and said indifferently, "What grave mistake has the Empress made?"
“No.” Yu Ke shook his head and said, “It is precisely because the Empress has done nothing wrong that the Emperor wants to depose her for no reason that it has provoked opposition from the court officials.”
Li Molin walked into the main hall and sat down in the main seat. Yu Ke and Ji Jue sat to his right, while Liu Li sat to his left, listening to their conversation with A Hua, feeling rather bored.
Li Molin poured himself a cup of warm tea, took a sip, and said in a low voice, "Since the Empress has done nothing wrong, why should she be deposed?"
Yu Ke smiled and shook his head, saying, "Jiang Tao'er used tricks."
Li Molin gave a mocking smile and said ambiguously, "This Liang Yihan is quite capable and has a good plan."
Yu Ke's expression turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "With such a foolish ruler, I'm afraid the Great Sheng Kingdom will soon be overthrown."
--
Emperor Rui's empress was originally his crown princess. She bore him one son and two daughters. Moreover, the empress was virtuous and kind, and managed the harem in an orderly manner. She should have been rewarded, let alone committed any crimes. However, Emperor Rui ignored the advice of his court officials and brazenly deposed the empress and banished her to the cold palace.
Not long after Emperor Rui deposed the Empress, he made Lady Peach Blossom Empress. After Lady Peach Blossom became Empress, Emperor Rui spent all his time in the inner palace and neglected state affairs. The Grand Commandant held power in the court, and the political situation became increasingly chaotic.
The national treasury, which had just been replenished in the later years of Emperor Yan's reign, could not support Emperor Rui's extravagant spending. At this time, the national treasury was already empty. So, on the recommendation of the Grand Commandant, Emperor Rui appointed Qian Ying, who was said to be most skilled at accumulating wealth, as the Minister of Grain Supply, in order to replenish the national treasury so that he could squander it.
Upon assuming office, Qian Ying, in an attempt to achieve quick results, first increased taxes, inciting widespread public resentment. He then implemented state monopolies on salt, iron, and alcohol, channeling the enormous profits into the national treasury. He also imposed exorbitant property taxes on all merchants, driving many to desperation and ruin. He even openly sold titles at exorbitant prices, resulting in a proliferation of absurd ranks in the court.
After Qian Ying implemented a series of measures, the national treasury did indeed become much fuller, but what followed was chaos in various parts of the Central Plains. Because of the high land tax, people were unwilling to farm, and because of the high property tax, merchants dared not do business. People everywhere complained.
As the saying goes, "What the superiors do, the inferiors follow." Seeing that even the Emperor Rui was so greedy, officials in various regions revealed their own greedy nature and became increasingly ruthless in exploiting the people.
In this situation, the first to rise up was the nomadic people of the north of the Central Plains, the Northern Rong. Their leader, Yelü Yan, reclaimed the title of king and led 30,000 cavalrymen southward, conquering a large area of land in just a few days.
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