Puppet Emperor, the Empress Wields All Power and Calls a Deer a Horse

Chapter 14 An Army of Three Thousand King Realms

The Great Zhou Dynasty, Imperial Study.

Gu Changsheng’s expression was stern as he reviewed the memorials in his hand. He had just received the news of the Li family’s extermination, but his face showed no emotion.

In the past, he had given Li Yang, the Minister of Revenue, a chance in the imperial court. Unfortunately, the other party did not cherish it.

Therefore, he could not be blamed for being ruthless and merciless in his actions.

He intended to use this matter as a warning to the officials of the court, to make an example of them and deter the entire court.

The Empress Dowager held great power, dominating the political landscape, but he was not someone to be trifled with either.

In the future, if the officials continued to oppose him, they would have to carefully weigh the consequences.

As he thought of the Minister of Revenue, Li Yang, and his tragic fate—his entire clan executed due to their crimes—Gu Changsheng remained calm.

Suddenly, a notification from the system rang in his mind:

[Ding! The Li family has been exterminated, causing a shock in the imperial court, changing the plot. Host receives 10,000 plot points!]. [Ding! The death of Chen Zhan, commander of the City Defense Force, has caused the Empress Dowager to feel threatened, changing the plot. Host receives 10,000 plot points!].

Hearing this, Gu Changsheng was stunned, his face filled with surprise.

He hadn’t expected that eliminating Li Yang and the Li family would bring such an unexpected reward—two batches of plot points.

In the original storyline, the Minister of Revenue Li Yang and his family were only eliminated after the former emperor came out of seclusion.

Now that Gu had acted early to exterminate the Li family, he had effectively altered the plot.

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As for the death of Chen Zhan, commander of the City Defense Force, this was a rare opportunity for him.

With Chen Zhan dead, the position of commander in the City Defense Force was now vacant.

This was his chance to intervene and seize control of the military power of the City Defense Force.

It was important to note that the City Defense Force, with its hundreds of thousands of soldiers, was responsible for guarding the imperial city.

These soldiers were the most elite in the Great Zhou Dynasty. When compared to ordinary troops, they could easily fight one against a hundred.

One could imagine the importance of the City Defense Force.

With this thought, Gu Changsheng began to calculate his next move.

In the original storyline, Lu Tao, the deputy commander of the City Defense Force, was a righteous and loyal man, dedicated to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

However, due to Chen Zhan’s frequent suppression, Lu Tao’s position had not been easy.

Gu Changsheng thought that he could pull Lu Tao to his side to counterbalance the Empress Dowager.

Thinking of the 20,000 plot points he had just gained, Gu Changsheng decided to use them and see if he could draw any treasures.

[System, spend 20,000 plot points for two draws.].

Gu silently commanded in his heart, and soon the 20,000 plot points were consumed.

[Ding! 20,000 plot points consumed. Beginning the draw…]. [Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Imperial Path Technique!]. [Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Noble Army!].

Excellent!

It seems that I have drawn something good.

In the next moment, a stream of golden text appeared in Gu Changsheng’s mind. He immediately closed his eyes and began to carefully comprehend it.

After some time, Gu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, his face brimming with joy.

The Imperial Path Technique, a divine-level cultivation method, was perfectly suited to complement his Emperor’s Divine Physique, as if it was tailor-made for him.

He already possessed the Emperor’s Divine Physique, which allowed him to cultivate by leveraging the fortunes of the dynasty.

Now, with the Imperial Path Technique, his cultivation speed would increase exponentially.

With his heaven-defying physique combined with the Imperial Path Technique, even if he followed the usual pace of cultivation, it would take only a few years for him to break through to the King Realm.

To put it into perspective, for even the most prodigious talents, breaking through to the King Realm usually took centuries.

The enormity of Gu Changsheng’s talent was unimaginable, and the news would shake countless powers across the Shen Zhou.

Aside from the Imperial Path Technique, he also drew the Noble Army.

According to the system’s introduction, the Noble Army consisted of 3,000 men, all nobles in their own right, and their leader was a mighty expert from a high-level martial world.

The 3,000 noble soldiers were the elite of the elite in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty, and no other army could rival them.

Furthermore, if these 3,000 nobles worked together and unleashed their battle formation, even a peak expert of the Great Expert Realm would be forced to retreat.

Currently, the Imperial Guard and the military power of the City Defense Force were both under the Empress Dowager’s control.

But now that Gu Changsheng had the Noble Army, he was confident in his position.

The most important thing was that, like the Royal Shadow Guards, the 3,000 noble soldiers could also cultivate.

Given enough time, these 3,000 noble soldiers could become 3,000 powerful experts, and even 3,000 Kings in the future.

By that time, if Gu Changsheng wanted to sweep across the Shen Zhou, no one could stand in his way.

However, Gu Changsheng didn’t let pride cloud his judgment. He knew that even though the Noble Army was strong, the Shen Zhou was vast, full of hidden talents and powerful figures.

He still needed to bide his time and continue building his power.

Now that he had the Noble Army, Gu Changsheng planned to replace the Imperial Guards with his own men.

At that moment, with a single thought from Gu Changsheng, a tall, burly middle-aged general in golden armor appeared in the Imperial Study.

“Greetings, Your Majesty!”

The general saluted respectfully, cupping his fists towards Gu Changsheng.

Gu took a look at him, and a stream of information appeared before his eyes:

[Name: Zhao Lei]. [Age: 33]. [Physique: Heaven Calamity Body]. [Cultivation: Seventh level of the Great Expert Realm]. [Introduction: Commander of the Noble Army, capable of leading 3,000 nobles into battle, their combined power rivaling that of a peak Great Power expert!]. [Loyalty: 100].

The combined battle strength of the 3,000 noble soldiers was comparable to a peak-level expert in the Great Expert Realm.

It’s truly terrifying.

Gu Changsheng smiled with satisfaction, unable to contain his joy.

“Zhao Lei, from now on, you will lead the Noble Army to replace the Imperial Guards and protect the palace. Eliminate all of the Empress Dowager’s spies within the palace.”

Gu Changsheng’s expression was solemn as his gaze fell on Zhao Lei. He gave the order earnestly.

Currently, the eunuchs, maids, and even the Imperial Guard in the palace were all the Empress Dowager’s spies.

His every move was under her watchful eye.

Now that he controlled the Noble Army, Gu Changsheng would not sit idly by. He planned to strike back, clearing the palace of spies and planting his own loyalists.

At this point, even if his actions were drastic and attracted attention, the Empress Dowager wouldn’t dare to act rashly until she fully understood his power.

The more strength he revealed, the more mysterious and daunting he would seem in her eyes.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Zhao Lei bowed respectfully, accepted the order, and withdrew.

Watching Zhao Lei’s departing figure, Gu Changsheng’s expression remained deep in thought as he lightly tapped the armrest of his dragon throne.

Now that he had the Noble Army, the Empress Dowager’s plan to control the palace through the Imperial Guard was effectively thwarted.

However, Gu Changsheng knew that to consolidate his power, he still needed to gain control over both the Imperial Guards and the City Defense Force.

Military power was not something the Empress Dowager could be allowed to control.

With this in mind, Gu Changsheng narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile full of amusement and calculation. His gaze deepened as he looked in the direction of Cining Palace, where the Empress Dowager resided.

What kind of expression would she have when she learns that the Li family has been exterminated and that Chen Zhan, the commander of the City Defense Force, has fallen?