"This time the drought, Qin Nan Wangs fiefdom Yaozhou also has some areas affected... Gao Taibao will inform Sima Jiao of the news he received, thinking for a moment and then saying: There is another thing, Qin Nan Wang recently summoned a son-in-law for his only daughter, this person was born as a commoner, ordinary and unremarkable."

  "Huh?" Sima Jiao thought for a moment and said: "Qin Nan Wang is very fond of his only daughter, I reckon its because his daughter insisted on marrying him, otherwise with Qin Nan Wangs proud and arrogant personality, he probably wouldnt be willing to take in such a son-in-law."

  Gao Taibao nodded: "Your Majesty is right, the daughter of King Qin Nan had run away from home before and came back to quarrel about marrying that man. King Qin Nan couldnt resist her temper and agreed to it. That man has now become the son-in-law of King Qin Nan with one move, and its really a step into heaven. Everyone in Yaozhou is envying his good luck."

  Simar Jiao smiled strangely, "Good luck? I dont think so. Qin Nan Wang is a deep and calculating person, if he easily lets an ordinary citizen marry his precious daughter, that person must have been highly appreciated by him. Someone who can be appreciated by that old thing wont be a simple character."

  "Your Majesty says so, and I also think that this person is not simple." High Taibao smiled slightly: "The mans name is Chen Yun, and it is said that he is an ordinary hunter from the river below, which doesnt sound particularly unusual."

  Bang!

  A loud crash of a teacup hitting the ground came from the inner chamber, just as Sima Jiao was about to speak. Upon hearing the sound, he stood up and walked into the inner chamber, exchanging a glance with Liao Tingyan.

  Liao Tingyan pulled the quilt, glanced at the broken cup on the ground. She was just scolded by Sima Jiao and woke up, heard him chatting with Gao Taibao, discussing Qin Nanwang and his female partner Qin Wuyue, she curiously sat up and leaned forward to listen, wanting to hear more clearly.

  As a result, she heard the familiar name Chen Yun, and in her astonishment, her movements were too big, and she accidentally knocked over a cup on the edge of the bed.

  Chen Yun, the original male lead, had not thought about it for a long time. She thought she had deviated from the path of the original female protagonist and Chen Yuns fate would also change, but unexpectedly, he still ended up on a similar path as in the original story.

  In the original work, the male and female leads have been living together for a long time and secretly got married. Chen Yun wants to give his loved one a better and more prosperous life, so he thinks of ways to transport fur to Yaozhou for sale during the winter solstice. On the way, he unintentionally saves Qin Wuyue, the only daughter of King Qin Nan. From then on, the story begins to be a torturous journey. The main plot is that Qin Wuyue has a crush on Chen Yun and wont give up; the male lead has a special affection for the female lead, but fate plays tricks on them; the female lead misunderstands the male lead due to the interference of the female supporting character and various other characters, causing the two to misunderstand each other... The story is full of twists and turns, with heart-wrenching moments that are both torturous and thrilling.

  But Liao Tingyan remembered that at this point, the original Chen Yun had not yet accepted Qin Wuyue. He was a outbreak of plague and peoples uprising, in order to protect others, he reluctantly married Qin Wuyue to get the support and help of the Qin family.

  Chen Yun and the female lead prayed to heaven and earth, but because of the female leads private escape identity needed to be kept secret, there were no witnesses other than the two of them. The male lead and Qin Wus marriage was considered legitimate in the eyes of everyone. However, the female lead left the male lead due to her lover wanting to marry another woman, and it was at this time that she was met by Sima Jiao, the original male supporting character, who brought her back to the palace.

  As a result, Chen Yun married Qin Wu Yu in advance without the female lead appearing. Liao Ting Yan thought to herself that this was also good, since these two had come together, there would be no tragic love triangle like in the original story, and she wished them eternal happiness together.

  Liao Tingyan coughed twice, covering herself with her quilt.

  Simar Jiao walked up to her side, lifted up her head and looked at her slightly flushed face.

  "Did you hear us talking?"

  "Uh-huh."

  Simar Jiao suddenly asked: "Do you know Chen Yun?"

  Liao Tingyan: "......!" Wait a minute, I havent said a word, how did you know?

  Looking at her expression, Sima Jiaos face sank, "Indeed familiar, looking at your reaction so big, Im afraid its not just an ordinary acquaintance."

  If it werent for the countless times she deliberately cursed him in her heart and he didnt react, Liao Tingyan would really think that this guy could actually read minds.

  Liao Tingyan frankly explained, immediately pulling Sima Jiaos hand: "I really know him, I remember telling you before that when I encountered mountain bandits and was rescued by someone, the benefactor who saved me was Chen Yun."

  Simar Jiao sat on the edge of the bed and let out a cold laugh.

  Liao Tingyan pretended not to hear, and said straightforwardly: "Except for that time, we met twice afterwards. Once I was taking a servant to burn incense and we took shelter from the rain in the mountains, and once I was taking a female slave to tour the lake and we ran into each other unintentionally. In total, I only exchanged one sentence with him!"

  Simar Jiao waved his hand and said, "Why explain so clearly? Do you think I would misunderstand?"

  Liao Tingyan: Youve already said gu (lonely), whats the point of pretending anymore?! Your expression, as if you just discovered your girlfriend had an ex-boyfriend, is terrifying! If you dont explain clearly, someone will die!

  Around Liao Tingyans hair in front of her chest, Sima Jiao asked her with a casual tone: "What do you think of Chen Yun? What kind of person is he?"

  Is it over yet? You and he have no intersection, is this inexplicable play of being interested in him destined? Liao Tingyan muttered to herself, and after a moment gave Sima Jiao an answer: "Hes a good person."

  From their interactions in those few short times, he is indeed a good person. The male lead in the original story was a good person at first, otherwise how could he have saved the girl time and time again?

  Simaruo: "And what about his appearance and personality?"

  Liao Tingyan was taken aback, and for a moment, he felt like he was being treated as a boyfriend, with his girlfriend meticulously calculating his past relationships. She must have been too ill. He coughed again and cleverly replied, "I dont remember what she looked like; after all, I only met her a few times. As for her personality, we didnt interact deeply, so Im not in a position to judge."

  She finished speaking and saw Sima Jiao raise his hand to touch her neck.

  He stroked her gently and pulled her over to give her a quick peck on the lips.

  Liao Tingyan: "......" Just you wait, Ill pass this illness on to you!

  "You rest first." Sima Jiao wiped the corner of his mouth, let her go and stood up to walk out, looking normal, unable to tell how he was feeling.

  Liao Tingyan fell back onto the bed with a thud.

  ……

  Rumors began circulating in Luoyang at some point.

  "Do you know? Its said that this severe drought is because Your Majesty is cruel and favors the evil empress, killing people every day in the palace for pleasure. Thats why heaven has sent down punishment to warn Your Majesty of your violent deeds!" Rumors like these spread far and wide, but no one can find their origin.

  Rumors have always been difficult to stop, and later on, they almost all accused the emperor of being cruel and the imperial concubine of being a beauty who brought disaster.

  The matter soon reached Sima Jiaos ears. He summoned the General of the Imperial Guards and coldly ordered, "Kill those who spread rumors."

  The General of the Cavalry wiped the sweat from his brow and said with difficulty: "However, Your Majesty, there are too many rumors circulating, and its said that the law does not blame the masses..."

  Simu Jiao leaned back in his chair, his tone cold and detached: "Then immediately dispatch people to guard every intersection within the city. Whoever hears someone gathering a crowd to spread rumors will be executed on the spot, with the loudest voice being the first to die. I want to set up a hundred flagpoles along the main streets, hang their corpses from them, and let everyone know what happens to those who speak ill of the Emperor."

  The general was shocked and didnt dare to speak, this matter had indeed been blown up too big. Previously in Luoyang, there were also rumors that the emperor was a tyrant, but it wasnt as widespread as now. It had infuriated the emperor. He knew that this time in Luoyang, there would be a bloody storm, so after retreating honestly, he immediately mobilized his troops and patrolled all areas.

  This behavior initially enraged many people, confirming the rumors. However, as more and more flags with corpses were raised, fewer and fewer people dared to speak out, even those who had intended to stir up rumors did not dare to openly incite peoples hearts.

  There are still a small number of people who fearlessly proclaim, "Whats there to be afraid of? The law does not punish the masses. With over a million people in Luoyang City, Your Majesty cant possibly kill that many people, can you?"

  In the palace, Sima Jiao, sitting in a supreme position, said the same words: "The people of Luoyang are as many as hundreds of millions, and cannot be killed."

  "But its just a hundred people, if there are still people who dare to discuss the emperor and spread rumors about the palace, Ill set up another hundred or thousand flags. Id like to see whether these flags will be filled with people first or the rumors will stop first."

  It turned out that under such a bloody suppression, the previous rumors were quickly calmed down. Looking at the corpses hanging on the street corners, no one dared to spread those rumors anymore, and Luo Jing fell into an eerie calmness.

  In contrast to the calm in Luoyang, rumors seemed to have grown wings and spread quickly elsewhere, especially in disaster-stricken areas and affected places, where discontented voices gradually emerged.

  When Liao Tingyan first heard the news of the refugees riot, she was stunned for a long time. She couldnt understand why there were still riots when the situation had improved compared to the original novels tragic scene, and the imperial court attached great importance to it, and Sima Jiao ordered people to deal with it in time, and the disaster situation in various places had eased. Wasnt there going to be a rebellion event afterwards?

  Simar hugged her and asked: "Whats wrong, are you worried about the refugees rioting again?"

  Liao Tingyan regained her composure and looked at him, hesitantly asking: "Why did the refugees riot? Didnt Your Majesty already instruct people to properly handle the disaster?"

  Simar poked her chin, "How can you be so silly?"

  Liao Tingyan: "......"

  "Since ancient times, natural disasters have resulted in loss of life. But whenever the number of deaths increases slightly, people become frightened; and once there are many frightened people, riots will occur - this is a normal phenomenon." said Sima Jiao.

  Its different, it wouldnt have been like that in her time. Liao Tingyan suddenly understood clearly for the first time how different the era she used to be in was from the one she is in now, with different ideas and a different political system creating different people.

  Even after nine years of coming here, Liao Tingyan still cant get used to the worlds disregard for human life and the strict class divisions. Here, everyone thinks its normal for superiors to kill subordinates, masters to kill slaves, and even parents to kill their children. Occasionally someone condemns it, but they all acknowledge that it conforms to the rules.

  "If a riot were to occur, would Your Majesty send troops to quell it?" Liao Tingyan asked suddenly.

  Simar Jiao thought for a moment, "Of course." He paused, his expression unclear, "You want me not to harm those rioting mobs?"

  Liao Tingyan fell silent for a moment, then shook her head: "I wont stop Your Majesty from doing anything."

  She is now afraid because she changed something, and she is uncertain whether asking Sima Jiao to change his ways will lead to a good or bad outcome. If its the latter, she cant bear it.

  In the end, she didnt understand where those protagonists in movies and TV dramas got such great courage from. From an ordinary person to a powerful role, they dared to decide the fate and life and death of countless people at will. Arent they afraid? She was scared to death!

  Looking at her curled up in her own arms, listless and dispirited, Sima Jiao hugged her and said softly: "What are you distressed about? Are you distressed for those people you dont know?"

  Liao Tingyan buried her face in his chest, not speaking. Sima Jiao stroked her hair and said quietly: "From ancient times to the present, it has always been so. When the wind and rain are favorable, the people will live in peace. But once a disaster occurs, they will think of opposing something to vent their fears. I am the Son of Heaven, my subjects can either submit to me or turn against me at any moment. This principle I understood from childhood, as long as I show weakness, I will be pulled down from heaven to earth. Sitting in this position, everything around is a battlefield, such things are nothing new to Sima Gong, its just extremely boring."

  "Look at this rumor, youre so foolish, you must not know how many people are pushing behind the scenes, and how many people are secretly making moves."

  Liao Tingyan: “……I don’t understand.”

  Simar Focal: "I know you dont understand, but with me here, you dont have to worry about anything, just stay by my side at ease."