Chapter 176: One More Pinch Should Wake Him Up

Qiao Mai silently watched the two of them interact, silently ate a meal with them, silently finished the dog food they scattered, and only then went to the Guest Rooms to rest.

Late at night, she stepped out of the Guest Rooms and glanced around.

The entire Keren was free of hidden people; she leapt onto the roof in a single bound and sped toward the Imperial Palace.

Ancient Imperial Palaces are much like modern ones; whether in architecture, naming, or the main hall, the placement of the east, south, west, and north palaces differs greatly.

She easily passed a series of hidden sentries and arrived at the emperor's sleeping hall.

Dressed in black, with a brimmed hat, she sat quietly before the Old Emperor's bed.

All those attending him collapsed to the ground.

Qiao Mai is not a doctor and cannot take pulses, but she has cultivated a divine sense that lets her see the Old Emperor's internal structure.

All his organs are beginning to deteriorate, vitality slowly fading—this is a sign of impending death.

"Old man, I'll provide you with a year's worth of food; don't disappoint me, or the consequences will be beyond what you can bear."

The emperor sent her out, and upon seeing this, immediately regarded Qiao Mai as a deity.

Looking at his age—around forty, not that old—this country has been governed into such a state; his face really looks huge.

"Female Knight-Errant, feel free to state any request; just try it."

She wants a peaceful sleep, but outside won't allow it.

The sky grew darker; Qiao Mai rode Winter Jujube northward at a steady pace, while the assassins behind her proceeded cautiously, never making a move.

This time she doesn't intend to use pearls; they're too costly—a decent pearl costs several taels of silver, enough for an ordinary family to last two or three months.

"I have this power; shall we give it a try?"

There's a tail behind the butt, faintly exuding a hint of murderous aura.

Watching the Old Emperor's body gradually recover, she curled her lip and thought, "Now a pinch again should wake him up, right?"

She didn't hesitate and pinched his arm again; this time the Old Emperor stirred, letting out a snort before even opening his eyes.

After speaking, Qiao Mai took a notebook from her bosom and tossed it to the emperor.

Qiao Mai left the main hall, gazed at the open area, and with a thought, moved the hundreds of thousands of dan of food in the space out of there.

"Do I have to thank you?"

"Nonsense. The concubines in your harem spend tens of thousands of taels on jewelry, while your ministers indulge in debauchery, embezzle and accept bribes. If there's no silver, why not take it from them? Killing a few corrupt officials would solve everything."

Ah, still a famous female assassin.

"Kill corrupt officials, let the Bian Guan generals use silver to purchase grain themselves. I'll tell you, if you kill the wrong one, I'll take you as a question."

"As long as you don't get poisoned, living a few decades is no problem."

Seeing that night was falling and the city gates were about to close, she only then led Winter Jujube out through the North Gate, onto the Guan Dao, letting Winter Jujube trot.

The emperor's eyes brightened, and he asked in surprise.

"Damn it," Qiao Mai pinched the emperor's arm.

"Only deities, respect deities, obey deities' words, exactly!"

"Damn, I didn't want to save you, but if you die, your sons will fight over this position, causing suffering to the common people."

If the emperor earlier had been unwilling, being commanded by a woman and losing his dignity, then now the emperor venerates Qiao Mai as a deity, obeying whatever she says.

"You, you are the first person who dares speak to me like this."

"How do you know about the Golden Dragon Guard left by my ancestors?"

My god, if she hadn't come, the Old Emperor wouldn't have lasted a few more days before dying.

Qiao Mai stood up, "Remember what I say: govern diligently and love the people; do not arbitrarily favor others just because of personal preferences. If you act unjustly, I will come again to deal with you."

Under the moonlight, she saw a vacant patch beside the road; she flipped off the horse.

The next day, after getting up, Qiao Mai led Winter Jujube out of the stable, and pulled the carriage into her own space.

"Me, me, me—shut up."

For an entire day, she wandered around Jingcheng, buying nothing, and almost toured the whole city.

At this moment, the emperor looked left and right; the eunuchs and palace maids were all lying on the ground. He looked at Qiao Mai, and only then came to his senses.

"Understood!"

"Hm?"

"Just that little skill, you can't escape my eyes. On the roof of this house there are five, their waist tags read Golden Dragon Guard; I'm not blind, I've put them all to sleep."

She bit her molars, "Save?" She truly didn't want to save; not saving? When the court is in chaos, the common people will bear the brunt.

"How daring, who dares pinch me?"

The murderous aura behind grew denser, indicating more people; those assassins, without horses, relied solely on their Lightness Skill, cautiously pursuing Qiao Mai from behind, waiting for a chance to strike.

Who can, with a single wave of the hand, fill the square with grain?

The Old Emperor didn't even frown; she sighed, slipped a Detoxification Pill into his mouth, to see if he was poisoned.

Qiao Mai reached out and pinched his neck, "Dog Emperor, if you don't want to die, shut your filthy mouth."

"Ouch," she thought, "Last time I acted, it attracted attention. This is the one who has been guarding the Wangfu all along, finally caught me?"

She wasn't in a hurry, casually took a fruit from the space, and began to gnaw it slowly.

"Not bad, you know the times!"

Hm? Looking at his organs again, they started to gradually revive, and she gave him another.

"Female Knight-Errant, no, female deity, is my illness now cured?"

She had been ill for several days, growing weaker, and now, thriving like a dragon, she credited it to the blessings of this Female Knight-Errant.

"It is my negligence."

She deliberately dawdled; she had originally planned to buy something and head back, but now she wasn't in a hurry.

"Use the Golden Dragon Guard left by your ancestors to kill corrupt officials, which aligns with the dynasty's principles. Additionally, I'll give you a plan: quickly address the floods; following this plan can prevent over sixty percent of disasters."

Seeing the snack shop's rice cake and osmanthus pastry, I ordered five portions of each.

Qiao Mai vanished into the night at a speed invisible to the naked eye; Old Emperor rubbed his eyes, stretched his muscles, and only then began to call out.

No matter what the emperor does, she did what she wanted, returned to Shun Qin Wangfu, slammed the door, and went back to her space to sleep.

"What about the grain? Even if I follow your advice and govern immediately, it will still take time. With so many soldiers, what will we do? Let them starve?"

Sure, I'm bored to death.

"This is a flood‑and‑drought control plan. This year Beifang suffered a snow disaster, exempting a year's taxes; Nanfang as well. Let the common people catch a breath."

Qiao Mai, on the horse's back, kept glancing around and saw ten freshly roasted ducks, a round banquet.

"I am not a deity,"

"Audacious assassin, how dare you try to assassinate me?"

"Let me tell you, if I can come to save you once, I can also come to kill you once. If you don't like being this emperor, get out quickly. Even if you find someone to take over your position, it must be a prince who is good to the people; otherwise, I will annihilate your entire Li Family and change the surname to govern this country."

"Good, protect yourself; come here later to fetch me, I'll deal with them first."

After a pause, with no response, he slipped a Flesh-Generating Pill into him.

Old Emperor hurriedly corrected himself, "I will do my best!"

When his eyes opened, he saw a man in black clothing wearing a brimmed hat.

She rode her horse to Zixing Court; the Little Prince had already gone out, Ru'er was still asleep, and she left a remark before departing the Wangfu.

"Thank you, thank you."

While shopping, she began to feel something was off.

"I also want to be a good emperor, but the south is suffering, Beifang has a snow disaster, there's trouble here and there, and the treasury remains empty."

"Hmph, I want to see results within a month,"

She must muster some resolve, keep it and donate it.

"Yes, yes, I will definitely be a good emperor."

Qiao Mai gave the horse a pat on its rear; Ma'er let out a whinny and raced north. The assassin kept his eyes on her; seeing the person stay behind, Ma'er ran without pursuing.

Seeing her reach that open ground, many assassins didn't know what she intended.

Qiao Mai finished the remaining apples, tossed them to the side, and waved at the assassins in the darkness.

"Come, come, all of you—whoever runs away is a grandson!"

(End of Chapter)