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The letter’s contents were straightforward: in half a month, an envoy from the Great Li Dynasty would arrive in the Great Zhou to discuss a marriage alliance between the two dynasties.

Gu Changsheng, familiar with the original plot, knew what would happen next. After he ascended to the throne as emperor, the Great Li Dynasty would seek to form an alliance with the Great Zhou Dynasty through marriage.

The proposed marriage would be between the crown prince of the Great Li Dynasty and the tenth princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

“The tenth princess of the Great Zhou is the reincarnation of the Red Lotus Empress, a figure from ten thousand years ago,” Gu Changsheng mused. “In the original plot, the crown prince of Great Li, Zhao Hao, was able to ascend to the rank of Emperor and establish the Divine Li Dynasty thanks in large part to the Red Lotus Empress.”

Contemplating the significance of this event, Gu Changsheng realized that this alliance was a pivotal point in the original story, involving two key figures: the protagonist, Crown Prince Zhao Hao of Great Li, and the tenth princess of Great Zhou, who was the reincarnation of the Red Lotus Empress.

If he could alter this plotline, prevent the marriage alliance between the two dynasties, he would likely earn many plot points. Moreover, the tenth princess’s identity as the Red Lotus Empress made her valuable to Gu Changsheng as well. He wasn’t about to hand her over to the Great Li Dynasty.

What intrigued him further was whether, without the support of the Red Lotus Empress, Crown Prince Zhao Hao could still rise to power, become an Emperor, and found the Divine Li Dynasty.

As Gu Changsheng was deep in thought, the eunuch chief, Xia Wudao, quietly entered the imperial study and bowed, announcing, “Your Majesty, Commander Qing Long of the Royal Shadow Guards requests an audience.”

“Let him in.” Gu Changsheng replied calmly.

Soon, a middle-aged man, exuding a powerful aura and dressed in the distinctive flying fish robes of the Royal Shadow Guards, entered. Bowing respectfully, he greeted, “Commander Qing Long of the Royal Shadow Guards greets Your Majesty.”

Gu Changsheng nodded slightly, studying the man before him with a hint of admiration. Qing Long had recently broken through to the rank of a powerful figure, reaching the peak of King realm.

“It seems it won’t be long before the other commanders of the Royal Shadow Guards break through as well.” Gu Changsheng thought. “When that happens, the Royal Shadow Guards will have four powerful commanders, making them a formidable force in the Great Zhou.”

“Qing Long, what brings you here today?” Gu Changsheng asked.

“Your Majesty, the Royal Shadow Guards has uncovered important information,” Qing Long began. “After the execution of Chen Zhan, the former commander of the City Defense Force, the Empress Dowager has sent her trusted eunuch, Feng Yu, to win over Deputy Commander Lu Tao of the City Defense Force.”

“This matter is of great significance, and I dare not delay in reporting it to Your Majesty.”

After Chen Zhan’s death, the position of commander of the City Defense Force was left vacant.

The Empress Dowager, having lost her pawn in Chen Zhan, temporarily lost control over the Force. However, if she succeeded in recruiting Lu Tao, the Force, with its hundreds of thousands of troops, would once again fall under her control.

Gu Changsheng had anticipated this development and had already begun making arrangements to win Lu Tao over and gain control of the City Defense Force. In the original plot, Lu Tao was portrayed as a righteous man, loyal to the Great Zhou Dynasty, and unwilling to pledge allegiance to the Empress Dowager.

Even when the emperor was merely a puppet with no real power, Lu Tao still refused the Empress Dowager’s offers, choosing instead to align himself with the new emperor.

However, the Empress Dowager, seeing that Lu Tao could not be swayed by bribes, resorted to threats, using Lu Tao’s daughter as leverage.

In the end, Lu Tao was forced to submit, and the new emperor was crushed by the Empress Dowager’s ruthless methods, losing his will to fight.

Recalling this part of the story, Gu Changsheng formulated a plan. He knew the Empress Dowager’s attempt to win over Lu Tao would fail, and she would eventually resort to threatening his daughter’s life, just as in the original plot.

But this time, Gu Changsheng was prepared. He ordered the Royal Shadow Guards to secretly protect Lu Tao’s daughter. Once Lu Tao discovered that the Empress Dowager was behind the plot to harm his family, he would naturally become loyal to Gu Changsheng out of gratitude.

With that, Qing Long bowed and departed to carry out his orders.

Meanwhile, Xia Wudao, the chief eunuch, couldn’t suppress his outrage and asked, “Your Majesty, would the Empress Dowager really stoop so low as to harm Commander Lu’s daughter? Such methods are truly despicable!”

Gu Changsheng smiled, his eyes sharp as he replied, “Chen Zhan’s death left Lu Tao in command of the City Defense Force, which controls hundreds of thousands of troops. If the Empress Dowager cannot win him over with promises, she will certainly resort to more underhanded tactics to ensure his obedience.”

“But her plans will fail.” Gu Changsheng added with a confident smirk.

Xia Wudao might not have anticipated the Empress Dowager’s full ruthlessness, but Gu Changsheng, knowing the original plot, understood exactly what was about to unfold. Now that the Royal Shadow Guards was in position, the Empress Dowager’s plot to threaten Lu Tao with his daughter’s life would be foiled, and Lu Tao would willingly turn to Gu Changsheng.

At that point, Gu Changsheng would control the Royal Shadow Guards, the elite 3,000-strong Wanghou army, and the powerful City Defense Force—giving him enough strength to stand against the Empress Dowager.