Turmoil Erupts in the Hundred Flowers Kingdom

Ten years into the reign of the Rose Emperor, the old emperor of the Hundred Flowers Kingdom passed away, and a new emperor ascended the throne.

Han Yu stood on the top floor of the All Under Heaven Pavilion, her eyes calm but with an indescribable indifference, as if the common people walking in Hundred Flowers City were ants in her eyes.

"Miss, everyone is here. Please give your instructions."

Han Yu turned around and looked at the crowd standing behind her. She nodded slightly and said, "Pass down the order: the cities of Peony, Heavenly Fragrance, and Pink Blue are to be completely cut off from supplies. In addition, the resources suppressed in the areas of Gold City and Blue Charm City can be unleashed. The new emperor's position is not yet secure; this is our best opportunity."

"Yes!"

In March of the same year, merchants from the three cities of Mudan, Heavenly Fragrance, and Pink Blue rebelled, and the already scarce grain was driven up to 100 taels per catty, causing large numbers of people to run out of food and the disaster victims to scatter.

Thousands of people starved to death, with famine victims fighting with wild dogs for food, and piles of bones littering the ground.

Meanwhile, a rebellion broke out in the cities of Gold City and Blue Charm City near the border. In just over a month, the number of rebels reached a staggering 100,000. Despite their outdated equipment, they quickly captured several surrounding cities.

In the palace of the Hundred Flowers Kingdom, the new emperor, dressed in a robe embroidered with red peonies, angrily overturned the table in front of him.

"Are you all eating shit?! Why aren't the problems in Gold City and Blue Charm City being reported?! Why?!"

"And what about you bunch of fat pigs sitting in the imperial court? Why don't you pay attention to the merchants who hoarded land before? Are you all brainless decorations?!"

"Land is the foundation of food production. Now, merchants are buying up land but not planting crops, causing a large number of people to become displaced. This is a calamity that could lead to the downfall of the nation!"

Growing increasingly enraged, Li Shi grabbed a sword from a nearby guard and slit the throat of a kneeling civil official.

The other civil officials immediately fell silent, kowtowing and saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

"Calm down? You're telling me to calm down!" the new emperor roared like a madman, "If you can't come up with a solution today, I'll kill you all one by one, confiscate your property, exterminate your entire family, and execute your entire clan!"

Upon hearing this, the kneeling civil officials trembled even more. After about a minute, an elderly man with a white beard and aged face, dressed in a red official robe, seeing the emperor becoming increasingly agitated, hurriedly crawled forward a few steps, disregarding the blood on the ground, and said, "Your Majesty, this humble subject has a way to resolve the current predicament."

The new emperor glanced at the old man on the ground, his anger undiminished. "Minister Cheng, you are an old man who assisted Father Emperor in ascending the throne. Father Emperor often praises your unparalleled strategies. Tell me your plan."

"Your Majesty, the rebels are not a major concern right now. Although they are scattered, with General Lü, suppressing the rebellion is only a matter of time."

"However, if the refugees are not dealt with properly, they will become another large rebel force."

"I know, stop with your nonsense and just tell me the solution," the new emperor said angrily.

"Your Majesty, it's like this. Since these problems stem from the merchants, let these refugees direct their anger at them. Besides, it's not that there's a complete lack of food; rather, those merchants are hoarding grain to sell at high prices for profit. We can simply have the refugees raid and kill those merchants."

"This whole mess was caused by those businessmen, so in the end, we'll just use their lives to quell the people's anger."

The new emperor frowned and said, "Letting the disaster victims go to the merchants' homes is clearly telling the world that the laws of our Hundred Flowers Kingdom are invalid. It's hard to say how many of the disaster victims are actually victims. This will breed evil in people's hearts, and if it expands, it will cause a disaster more serious than the rebellion, and the Hundred Flowers Kingdom may even perish because of it."

Those who can inherit the throne are no ordinary people, and the dangers this poses to the new emperor are obvious.

"Your Majesty, since we can't let them take action, let's send troops to raid the homes of these merchants, starting with Hundred Flowers City. These merchants have stockpiled a large amount of supplies, which can be used to appease the refugees," Cheng Gelou suggested.

"Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Cheng's plan is brilliant. Although it will cause the country to stagnate temporarily, once we overcome this crisis, under Your Majesty's divine power, the country will return to prosperity in less than five years."

"Touch those merchants?" The new emperor shook his head and said, "It seems you're all wearing pig heads. From now on, none of you need to attend court anymore."

The three men were stunned. Did this mean they were being fired?

Grand Secretary Cheng reacted quickly, kowtowing and saying, "Your Majesty, it is of no concern for me to retire to my hometown, but the world is in great turmoil right now, and I am worried about Your Majesty's safety and the stability of Your Majesty's empire. I beg Your Majesty to keep this old minister here so that I may do my part."

Grand Secretary Cheng banged his head repeatedly, even his forehead becoming bloody and mangled, but he didn't care. He seemed to be showing some genuine emotion, but whether it was truly genuine or not, no one knew.

"To offer a little help?" The new emperor said with a sneer, "Very well, then I'd like to ask Grand Secretary Cheng to share all your wealth; that's all the meager contribution you can make for me."

Upon hearing this, the remaining two were stunned. His Majesty was not targeting the cholera merchant but instead targeting his own minister. This was utterly disheartening. They had dedicated their lives to the Hundred Flowers Kingdom, only to end up with their homes confiscated and their homes turned upside down.

But the other party is the ruler, and they are the subjects. As the saying goes, if the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die. Now that this ruler wants to confiscate their property, they cannot voice any objection.

Grand Secretary Cheng sighed, his entire demeanor seemingly aging twenty years in an instant, resembling an old man on the verge of decay.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to offer all my possessions to help you overcome your current predicament."

"Although our family's wealth is meager, we can still offer it to Your Majesty, hoping that Your Majesty will soon escape your predicament and rise to a high position," the other two said in unison, kowtowing.

Only then did a smile appear on the new emperor's icy face, "My beloved ministers, after this matter is over, I will not treat you unfairly. I guarantee that you will all have land to cultivate and money to spend in your later years."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

After dismissing the civil officials, the new emperor summoned the generals who were still in Hundred Flowers City and offered them many benefits. After all, the suppression of the rebellion still depended on them, so the new emperor naturally wanted to win them over.

As for the commander of the Imperial Guards, the new emperor directly granted him the title of marquis. The Imperial Guards are now his last line of defense, and he must ensure that he holds this protective umbrella firmly in his own hands.

The situation is changing every day, and he has just ascended the throne with an unstable foundation. He is unable to make correct judgments and decisions on many things, which makes him very uncomfortable. He feels that his talents are being hindered by the lack of information.

Afterwards, countless corrupt officials in the Hundred Flowers Kingdom's court fell from power, and some notorious Aristocratic Clan families in Hundred Flowers City and surrounding towns were uprooted by the new emperor and his army. All their wealth was used to purchase food for disaster relief.

Overall, the new emperor's series of measures did manage to salvage some of his reputation among the people.

At the All Under Heaven Pavilion, Han Yu sat upright on a phoenix throne, looking somewhat haggard. "It seems I truly underestimated this new emperor. He actually managed to suppress his hatred for merchants and turn his blade against his own ministers; he's quite a character."

According to Han Yu's original plan, after the new emperor took action against the merchants, her people would form an alliance with other merchants to restrict the flow of all daily necessities into the hands of the people. At that time, public resentment would surely boil over, and refugees and rebels would rise up everywhere. When the prestige of the Hundred Flowers Kingdom Kingdom's court became dispensable, she would then take action to bring this flower into her own hands.

But the new emperor didn't go as she had planned. However, the situation isn't so bad... it might even be alright.

While the anger of the officials may not be as great as that of the common people, and they dare not openly confront the new emperor, they are most adept at secretly plotting against him. The new emperor has now threatened their interests, and before he turns the court into his personal fiefdom, this is considered heresy. They will do everything in their power to restore order, and perhaps in the end, a regular army will rebel.

"It seems some arrangements were made ahead of schedule, new emperor. I'd like to see how you plan to salvage this."

A chilling voice echoed in the empty room, seemingly carrying a hint of struggle.

In October of the same year, the major Aristocratic Clan of Jasmine City raised 50,000 refugees to rebel. This army was not the ragtag army of Gold City, which was unarmored. Every soldier wore rattan armor and carried a spear, greatly enhancing both their combat and defensive capabilities.

The suppression of the rebellions in Gold City and Blue Charm City was only halfway through when Jasmine City rose up in rebellion. It was like a drop of cold water being poured into hot oil, and ambitious people in various places also took the opportunity to start their own rebellions.

Now, the Kingdom of White Flower is in chaos from top to bottom. Rebellions have broken out everywhere, and these rebels have caused many people to lose their homes and become displaced due to burning, killing, and looting.

In an instant, the entire Hundred Flowers Kingdom was filled with cries of sorrow and piles of corpses. Even the neighboring countries were eyeing it covetously, since the Hundred Flowers Kingdom was just a small country with no powerful cultivators behind it.

Of course, the vast majority of countries do not have the support of cultivation sects behind them; only a few relatively powerful countries or countries with cultivation sects within their borders will have the shadow of such sects.

However, although there are no sects of cultivators, these countries generally have three to five Rogue Cultivator. They may not be very strong, but they are still figures that ordinary people can only look up to.

In the eleventh year of the Rose Calendar, in early spring, General Lü Liang, the Grand General of the Hundred Flowers Kingdom, was drugged by his subordinates, dressed in a yellow robe, and pushed onto the dragon throne. The next day, the Grand General led an army of 100,000 to rebel.

In the palace of the Hundred Flowers Kingdom, Emperor Li Shi was furious and killed hundreds of death row inmates with his sword to vent his anger.

"Damn it, you bastard!"

"Immortal Master, could you please rid me of that ungrateful scoundrel?"

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Li Shi, burning with anger, pleaded with the white-haired man before him.

This person is a celestial master worshipped by the Hundred Flowers Kingdom, named Jiang Chuan. Sixth Layer of Qi Refining of Qi Refining and is now over seventy years old, but he does not look old at all and looks like a middle-aged man.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. I can help you get rid of the person, but if I leave, things might change in the palace. Who will protect Your Majesty's safety then?" Jiang Chuan said calmly, not caring at all about the anger on the other person's face.

After a moment of silence, Li Shi looked up at Jiang Chuan and gritted his teeth, saying, "Immortal Master, you need not worry about my safety. Just help me eliminate the rebel generals like Lü Liang, and I will handle the rest myself."

"The Hundred Flowers Kingdom is currently facing severe internal and external troubles, and it will be difficult for us to suppress them on our own. In order to protect our kingdom, I request a marriage alliance with the Flowing Cloud Kingdom. The Flowing Cloud Kingdom will help us."

"By now, my queen should have already entered the pass and will arrive here in less than three months. When the wedding takes place, I, as a vassal state, will request the border troops of the Flowing Cloud Kingdom to enter the pass. By then, these troubles will be nothing more than a bunch of grasshoppers in autumn."

"Your Majesty's move is quite ingenious. The Flowing Cloud Kingdom is backed by the Immortal Sect, and it also has a vast territory and great strength. Their border troops are even more formidable. Even if the Hundred Flowers Kingdom is in complete chaos, they can still conquer it."

"Since Your Majesty has already made up your mind, then I have no more worries. I will set off on a chosen day, and within a month, the heads of Lü Liang and his accomplices will be delivered to Your Majesty."

Li Shi bowed and said, "Thank you, Immortal Master. When you return, I will not only celebrate your victory, but also have hundreds of stunning beauties waiting for you."

Jiang Chuan smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, let's skip the celebration. As for those beauties, just send them to my residence."

The following month, Lü Liang was beheaded by a Daoist priest amidst a sea of soldiers while leading his army to attack Peach Blossom City. Several other generals in the army were also beheaded in the same way.

In an instant, the entire rebel army collapsed and disintegrated, and countless small units scattered throughout the city.

Since then, the Hundred Flowers Kingdom has been able to catch its breath, and the various armies have begun to cooperate and fight back, driving the rebels from other directions into hiding.

If this situation stabilizes, it's only a matter of time before these rebels are eliminated. But can the Hundred Flowers Kingdom's internal affairs really afford to wait?

On the rooftop of the All Under Heaven Pavilion, Han Yu rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. The past year of remotely controlling various rebel armies and engaging in a battle of wits with the new emperor Li Shi had left her physically and mentally exhausted.

Due to the disparity in equipment, the rebels were no match for the regular army. Basically, if they encountered a cavalry charge from the regular army, they would be thrown into complete chaos.

However, under Han Yu's control, these rebels were not only not wiped out by the army's encirclement and suppression, but instead grew stronger and larger with each battle.

"Miss, the princess has already arrived in Peony City, which is 800 miles away, and is expected to arrive in Hundred Flowers City in another month. Should we make some preparations?" Feng Wuhen asked respectfully.

The person in front of him wasn't particularly strong, but over the past year, her wisdom and resourcefulness had earned Feng Wuhen's utmost respect. Therefore, when facing her, Feng Wuhen unconsciously adopted a more humble tone.

"I understand. Make the arrangements so that by the time the princess arrives in Hundred Flowers City, all the smoke of war will have cleared up. At the same time, spread the word that the princess is a phoenix descended from heaven, and that she has absorbed the flames of war that have scattered across the land, restoring peace to the people."

"At the same time, summon the thousand assassins we've trained to Hundred Flowers City to cooperate with the princess's actions."

"By the way, has all the grain we sent to the Flowing Cloud Kingdom to purchase been delivered?"

"Right at the border, this amount of grain could feed 300,000 people for a month, but for the refugees today, it's a drop in the ocean."

That's enough.

Han Yu did not explain to Feng Wuhen that it seemed there was not enough food now, but there would be enough by then, and even if there was a shortage, it wouldn't be by much.