[Now, when the heroes of the realm saw the Heavenly Screen's assessment, they all deemed Yang Feng a grave threat, a dagger aimed at their hearts. They clamored for Liu Zhang of Yizhou to dispatch troops at once and exterminate this fiend, eliminating future trouble.]
[Yet Heaven's will was unfathomable.]
[None knew that Yang Feng, hailed as the "one emperor in a thousand ages," had already laid a scheme in Yizhou that none could unravel, despite being imprisoned.]
[This man had always loved the elegant arts. During his years in Yizhou, he often entertained himself with poetry and prose, producing fine works one after another.]
[Take his "Qingping Tune": "Clouds call to mind her robes, flowers call to mind her face; spring breezes brush the balustrade, dewdrops glisten thick." These lines captured the utmost beauty of a woman, captivating countless young ladies of Yizhou.]
[Or his "Riverside Town: Recording a Dream on the Night of the Twentieth Day of the First Month, Yimao Year": "Ten years, the living and the dead, both lost in boundless haze; though I do not dwell on you, forgetting comes not of itself." These lines exhausted the anguish of longing, bringing tears to the eyes of so many lovesick men and grieving women.]
[His poems had long since traveled without legs, spreading throughout the Land of Shu.]
[Among his admirers were two women of unusual standing, whose admiration for Yang Feng and his talent knew no bounds.]
[They were none other than the daughters of Fa Zheng and Li Yan.]
[These two peerless local beauties not only disregarded appearances, but often exchanged verses with Yang Feng over wine, considering him a kindred spirit.]
[Outside busybodies even claimed that both women had long since pledged their hearts to their beloved Yang. Sharing one husband, they showed no rivalry or jealousy, but were as close as sisters, living in perfect harmony.]
[Historians of later ages commented: From this one corner of his domestic affairs alone, one could already glimpse the ability to govern a nation of Yang Feng, the founding emperor of the Great Yang Empire.]
[Thus, when the Heavenly Screen descended, shocking the realm and turning everyone toward killing Yang Feng, these two women's hearts burned with anxiety.]
[They immediately sent messages of the utmost urgency to their respective fathers, Fa Zheng and Li Yan.]
[They argued strenuously that Yang Feng was an extraordinary talent capable of ordering Heaven and Earth, by no means as worthless as the Heavenly Screen claimed.]
[Accompanying their letters were collections of Yang Feng's poems, copied out by their own hands.]
[When Fa Zheng and Li Yan saw these poetry collections, their initial puzzlement gave way to shock, and finally to profound admiration.]
[Historical records stated that after reading the collections, the two men actually straightened their robes and headgear on the spot, then knelt and performed a full bow toward the manuscripts, murmuring to themselves in awe of such heavenly talent.]
[Afterward, Fa Zheng and Li Yan met in secret and immediately hit it off.]
[Not only did they have no intention whatsoever of harming Yang Feng, they immediately devised an earth-shaking plan to help him establish a firm foothold in Yizhou.]
[To this end, both men made the same decision.]
[They would marry the pearls of their palms to Yang Feng as his wives at the same time.]
[And next, this founding emperor of the Great Yang Empire would stage a grand drama in Central Shu that would be celebrated for ages.]
[History called it: Draped in the Yellow Robe, the Yizhou Discourse.]
The golden light on the screen abruptly froze there.
The entire hall fell deathly silent.
Seated on the dragon throne, Yang Feng was utterly dumbfounded.
He stared blankly at the final four characters on the Heavenly Screen, his brain seemingly struck by a thunderbolt and crashing completely.
No...
Wait.
Something's wrong with this script.
After all my painstaking plotting, I end up taking Yizhou by relying on two women?
After all that, I turn out to be living off women?
The corner of Yang Feng's mouth twitched as an exceedingly absurd yet familiar feeling welled up in his heart.
Why does my opening script look so familiar?
Wasn't there a fellow surnamed Zhu in the history of the Great Ming Dynasty who also got his start with the core followers his wife's family gave him?
Right, that man seemed to be called Zhu Chongba. Later generations all called him Zhu Laoba.
Good grief.
Did I get Zhu Yuanzhang's script?
No wonder the Heavenly Screen called me the one emperor in a thousand ages. So that's where it all comes from.
As Yang Feng ranted inwardly, the civil and military officials below finally recovered from their utter shock, and whispers spread like a plague.
"Is... is this true?"
"His Majesty's rise to power was actually because of... because of two women?"
"And Fa Zheng's and Li Yan's daughters, at that?"
"Heavens, doesn't that mean our one emperor in a thousand ages rose to power through petticoat connections?"
Yan Xiang and Ji Ling exchanged a glance, both looking rather grim.
Seeing the officials whispering into one another's ears with peculiar expressions, they immediately knew trouble was coming.
If these rumors spread, wouldn't their new lord's prestige plummet a thousand fathoms?
Yan Xiang immediately gave a heavy cough, sweeping the hall with a piercing gaze as he barked, "All of you, hold your tongues!"
"Those who accomplish great things do not fuss over trifles!"
"What's wrong with relying on women?"
He took a step forward, his voice ringing with conviction. "Wasn't Chen Ping, who served under Emperor Gaozu, once so poor that his home had nothing but four walls? Didn't he get his start through a wealthy widow, gaining the means to follow Emperor Gaozu and eventually rise to chancellor?"
"You officials have all steeped yourselves in books. Have you forgotten the principle of 'who says women are inferior to men'?"
"Besides, the Heavenly Screen stated it perfectly clearly!"
"In the end, it was because our emperor's literary brilliance surpassed the world and his poetic talent shook the heavens that he won over those two fellows, Fa Zheng and Li Yan, whose eyes sit above their heads!"
"This is relying on talent! An open stratagem! Do you understand?"
Ji Ling immediately stepped forward as well, his tiger-like eyes wide as he echoed, "Lord Yan is absolutely right!"
"As subjects, instead of thinking of ways to ease our lord's burdens, you stand here wagging your tongues! What sort of conduct is this?"
Backing each other up, the two finally managed to forcibly suppress that pernicious tide of gossip.
Yet after rebuking the officials, both were privately wondering.
Just how would Fa Zheng and Li Yan help our lord take Yizhou?
Could they... do the same as we did, hauling someone out of bed under cover of a dark and windy night, then forcibly draping him in a yellow robe?
Surely those two aren't just as wild in their methods?
They were not the only ones puzzled. On the dragon throne, Yang Feng's thoughts were an even greater tangle.
Draped in the yellow robe again?
His heart lurched as he looked at those four glaring characters on the Heavenly Screen.
You've got to be kidding, guys.
Are you Three Kingdoms bros really this short on creative ways to get things done?
Why do you drape someone in a yellow robe at the drop of a hat? Can't you try something new?
Please, anything but that.
Yang Feng screamed inwardly.
He was genuinely starting to panic now.
Last night's stunt had already offended Emperor Xian of Han and Cao Cao beyond repair. Both probably wanted nothing more than to flay him and tear out his tendons.
And now, wonderful-the Heavenly Screen had outright announced that his next move would be to swallow Liu Zhang's territory.
Wasn't that the same as issuing Liu Zhang a declaration of war before the eyes of the entire realm?
Good heavens.
Just one day on the throne, and I've already thoroughly offended Cao Cao and Liu Zhang, two of the foremost great warlords of this age.
Isn't this opening difficulty a little too hellish?
This game really is getting hard to play.