Yuwen Huai'an, Who Had Calculated Everything

Yuwen Huai'an clapped as he spoke. "Not bad, soldiers. Very united."

Bai Fan's eyes were filled with confusion. He could not understand Yuwen Huai'an's purpose.

"Why did you do this?"

A faint smile hung on Yuwen Huai'an's lips. "The outcome is good, so why bother asking about my purpose? I believe you will honor your promise."

Bai Fan recalled the course of events. Two weeks earlier, Yuwen Huai'an had sent people to contact Bai Fan and the others.

He claimed that he could help Bai Fan dismantle the Sylvis Kingdom from within, allowing them to take the kingdom without losing a single soldier.

In exchange, Bai Fan only needed to give Yuwen Huai'an a ship and let him leave.

Yuwen Huai'an stood there calmly, waiting for Bai Fan to make his decision.

"Give me a reason to let you go."

"This was what you promised from the start."

"I never said we were people who kept our promises. We've become rebels already. Breaking our word and going back on our promises—isn't that perfectly normal?"

Bai Fan's shameless words did not stir the slightest ripple in Yuwen Huai'an's calm expression.

"A reason? I grew tired of this empire, tired of that damned woman."

Yuwen Huai'an's voice trembled.

"I, Yuwen Huai'an, am already so outstanding. Why would that bitch still betray me?"

"Why could those lowly black-skinned people make that bitch betray me with just a crook of their fingers?"

"What I, Yuwen Huai'an, can never tolerate most in my life is betrayal. Since she chose to betray me and covet the pleasures of the flesh, then let her descend into hell along with this lowly empire!"

Bai Fan felt deeply sympathetic. He suddenly thought of his three daughters from his previous life, and his brows furrowed tightly.

"Were those three really my biological daughters?"

As he thought about it, Bai Fan let out a relieved laugh. "They're all dead, so what am I thinking so much for? Even if they weren't mine, wouldn't I still have had to raise them? Men aren't protected."

"Yuwen Huai'an, if that's the case, why didn't you just divorce her and continue living your noble life?"

"You think I didn't want to? Every time I saw her, I felt sick. But she is a close relative of the imperial family, so I could only swallow my grievances."

"The Heaven Dou Imperial Family is full of scum. But then again, it was fortunate that Emperor Xue Ye was an idiot. Otherwise, it really wouldn't have been easy for me to leave Tiandou City."

Yuwen Huai'an spoke vividly, and Bai Fan sighed. "Go."

To Bai Fan, that concession was not only letting Yuwen Huai'an go, but also letting go of his former self, who had likewise been restrained.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yuwen Huai'an boarded the large ship behind him that belonged to him, eager to escape this empire.

Bai Fan struck while the iron was hot, leading his warriors toward the Sylvis Kingdom to establish a new order there.

Under Yuwen Huai'an's control, the great ship raised its sails and set off. After traveling several kilometers, densely packed small boats came into view.

Young children sat in the small boats. With Yuwen Huai'an's help, all of them boarded the large ship—more than three thousand in total.

"Children, I promised your parents that I would keep you safe. From now on, we will head to a new continent and forge a future that belongs to us."

These children were less than seven years old on average and lacked the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Yuwen Huai'an would be their first teacher.

Yuwen Huai'an looked out at the boundless sea, his eyes bright. "From now on, I, Yuwen Huai'an, will live only for myself."

Meanwhile, Bai Fan's group arrived at the Sylvis Kingdom as they had wished.

The desolate sight there was horrifying. Corpses and bones could be seen everywhere in the outskirts.

Those who had survived were all from middle-class families. The truly poor had died during the early stages of the unrest.

Da Niu asked in confusion, "Boss, why aren't there any children here? What is that Yuwen Huai'an up to?"

At this moment, Bai Fan understood everything. He praised him from the bottom of his heart. "Sure enough, no one who can become a noble in an empire that devours people is a fool."

"Yuwen Huai'an, you truly calculated everyone."

"So be it. Since ancient times, no nation has ever endured forever. A proper external threat is necessary too."

It turned out that from the very beginning, Yuwen Huai'an had known what he wanted. He had investigated Bai Fan's group in advance, understood Bai Fan and the others' goals, and deeply analyzed Bai Fan himself.

He then used benefits to strike a deal with Bai Fan. He firmly believed there were no absolute enemies, only eternal interests.

He had won his gamble. Bai Fan had not insisted on killing him, a man with no family, nor had he killed this noble who hated the Heaven Dou Empire.

"All personnel, heed my command. Begin taking over the Sylvis Kingdom."

Everyone accepted the order and began carrying out their respective duties. It was worth mentioning that Bai Fan had also arranged for several clever people to learn commerce.

Since ancient times, scholars, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants had formed the social hierarchy, with merchants ranked at the bottom. But in Bai Fan's view, merchants were an indispensable foundation and a necessary part of the economy's operation.

Outside the Heavenly Screen.

In the Heaven Dou Empire's imperial court.

Emperor Xue Ye was so furious that his eyes nearly spat fire. This time, he did not directly hold Yuwen Huai'an accountable.

It was not that he did not want to pursue the matter. He simply had no way to do so.

Yuwen Huai'an's descendants all held posts in the imperial court, yet none of them resembled Yuwen Huai'an. His four sons were all good-for-nothings.

Emperor Xue Ye had not thought much of it before, but now, looking at the four Yuwen Family boys with entirely different appearances—one of whom even had dark skin—he slammed his hand down on the dragon throne in rage.

"Seize the Yuwen Family's four bastards and execute them immediately."

"From this day forth, if any woman of the imperial family is found to be unfaithful, I will show no mercy. Skin her alive and tear out her tendons at once!"

This time, Emperor Xue Ye was truly enraged. An outstanding minister had been driven onto the path of rebellion by a woman.

As soon as Emperor Xue Ye finished speaking, most of the ministers present immediately knelt.

"Your Majesty, please uphold justice for me!"

The ministers knelt neatly on the ground and spoke of the shameful matters in their homes.

Most accused their wives of infidelity, while a small number wept bitterly, their snot mingling with their tears.

"Your Majesty, I hope you can help me divorce her. Wild men have already sprung up all over my house."

"I am willing to never marry again for the rest of my life and devote myself to the empire from this day forward."

Seeing most of his ministers kneeling on the ground and accusing the same thing, Emperor Xue Ye was so enraged that his blood surged. His already unhealthy body could no longer endure it, and he fainted.

Most of them were speaking out because the imperial women were arrogant and overbearing, and they seized this opportunity to bring it up.

That small group, meanwhile, consisted of more emotional men. They truly loved their wives, but their wives looked down on them and even made them cuckolds. Overwhelmed with emotion today, they finally spoke out.

Truthfully, nobles usually each did as they pleased. Unless someone was an extreme germaphobe, no one would bring such matters up.

But this was an empire, a feudal society. Male nobles inherently enjoyed privileges. They did not want to be suppressed by women. They could allow themselves to take concubines, but they would never allow their wives to take lovers.

As an empire developed, women's status would gradually rise and approach balance. Yet because of their physical disadvantages compared to men, they would continuously seek to expand their privileges.

Once a certain threshold was reached, the nobles would feel that their rights had been infringed upon. Women would begin pushing their luck, and conflict would erupt. This was an inevitable pattern.

Everything that happened today had thus followed its natural course. These nobles did not purely seek to accuse their wives. Their deeper purpose was to cast off the shackles imposed on them by the imperial family and free themselves from the arrogant imperial women in their homes.

Just as Bai Fan had said, nobles were never simple, and none of them were fools.