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At this moment, a dignified voice echoed from within the imperial study, interrupting Lu Tao’s thoughts.

Lu Tao didn’t dare to delay. He took a deep breath, gently pushed open the door of the imperial study, and slowly walked in.

Inside the study, Gu Changsheng sat expressionlessly on the dragon throne, reviewing the memorials in his hands.

After a short while, Lu Tao arrived in front of Gu Changsheng, his expression respectful. He slightly bent over, clasped his fists, and saluted, saying:

“Your humble servant, Lu Tao, pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty.”

“Rise.”

Gu Changsheng’s face remained stern, his voice low. His sharp gaze fell on Lu Tao, and suddenly a panel appeared before him.

[Name: Lu Tao]. [Position: Deputy Commander of the City Defense Force]. [Cultivation: Seventh Layer of Great Expert Realm]. [Loyalty: 90].

Seeing Lu Tao’s loyalty score of 90, Gu Changsheng’s face showed a hint of satisfaction. His efforts to win over Lu Tao had not been in vain.

“What a terrifying imperial presence.”

Lu Tao stood stiffly, feeling immense pressure. Under Gu Changsheng’s gaze, it felt as though he was being completely seen through.

It seemed that His Majesty was far more complex than he appeared.

Apparently, all this time, the Ninth Prince had been concealing his true abilities, pretending to be a useless prince. Now that he had ascended to the throne, he no longer intended to maintain the facade.

If not, there was no other explanation for why the Ninth Prince seemed like a different person after becoming emperor.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving my life tonight.”

“If Your Majesty does not disdain me, I am willing to pledge my life to Your Majesty, and will not hesitate to charge through fire and water.”

At this moment, Lu Tao made up his mind. He knelt down on one knee, clasped his fists, and with sincere devotion, spoke to Gu Changsheng.

Earlier in the streets of the imperial city, had His Majesty not sent the Royal Shadow Guards, the Empress Dowager would have long since abducted his daughter.

Furthermore.

Tonight, had His Majesty not dispatched experts to save him, he would have already fallen victim to the Empress Dowager’s schemes.

Lu Tao had always been loyal to the Zhou Dynasty. With Gu Changsheng’s kindness on top of that, he made no hesitation and expressed his unwavering loyalty to the emperor, swearing to serve him unto death.

[Ding! Lu Tao, Deputy Commander of the City Defense Force, has pledged absolute loyalty to the host, altering the plot, and earning 10,000 plot points!].

At this moment, the system prompt sounded.

Gu Changsheng’s lips curled into a smile. His voice softened as he spoke:

“Commander Lu, rise quickly!”

“I have great expectations for you. Tomorrow, I will issue an imperial decree in court, appointing you as the Commander of the City Defense Force.”

“Your Majesty’s kindness is boundless. Your humble servant will not disappoint Your Majesty.”

Lu Tao stood up respectfully, his eyes resolute as he spoke to Gu Changsheng.

Hearing this, Gu Changsheng nodded in satisfaction.

With Lu Tao pledging his loyalty, the military power of the City Defense Force would be fully in his hands.

If the Empress Dowager found out, she would surely be unsettled!

…

In the Zhou Dynasty’s Ci Ning Palace.

“Empress Dowager, the mission has failed.”

A black-robed figure knelt on one knee, head lowered, not daring to look directly at the Empress Dowager, fear evident on his face.

“Useless! With your strength, eliminating Lu Tao should have been a simple task. And yet, you failed such a small matter?”

At the head of the hall, the Empress Dowager’s face turned furious upon hearing this, speaking in an enraged tone.

Lu Tao was merely at the Seventh Layer of Great Expert Realm. The assassin she had sent was a peak Great Expert Realm, yet still failed?

“Please calm your anger, Empress Dowager.”

The black-robed figure broke into a cold sweat, hastily explaining:

“The reason I failed to assassinate Lu Tao was that at the critical moment, the new emperor’s peak Great Expert intervened.”

“Otherwise, Lu Tao would be dead without a doubt.”

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager’s eyes narrowed, filled with murderous intent. Her breathing became rapid as she gritted her teeth and said:

“Damn it!”

“Once again, the emperor has thwarted my plans!”

This time, in order to eliminate Lu Tao, she had sent a peak Great Expert, planning to strike before Gu Changsheng could react and remove Lu Tao. Then place her confidant as Commander of the City Defense Force to seize control of the military.

But she never expected Gu Changsheng to react so quickly. He had anticipated her move and sent experts to protect Lu Tao in secret.

The failed assassination meant that her scheme had fallen through once again.

It was clear that in this round of political maneuvering, she had lost to the new emperor, Gu Changsheng.

Sensing the Empress Dowager’s inner rage, the black-robed figure’s eyes flickered as he spoke in a low tone:

“Empress Dowager, even though we didn’t eliminate Lu Tao, there is still a way to seize control of the City Defense Force.”

“After all, Lu Tao is still only the Deputy Commander of the City Defense Force, temporarily in charge of the tens of thousands of troops.”

After a brief pause, the black-robed figure continued, his tone sinister and filled with amusement:

“If I’m not mistaken, tomorrow at the morning court, the emperor will certainly issue a decree appointing Lu Tao as the Commander of the City Defense Force.”

“When that happens, the Empress Dowager can oppose the decree, sending a strong warrior to defeat Lu Tao and take command of the City Defense Force.”

“In this way, even the emperor would have no argument, for in military affairs, the strong have always held authority.”

The black-robed figure’s voice was calm, and after hearing it, the Empress Dowager’s eyes narrowed slightly. A smile of delight appeared on her face.

This plan was indeed excellent.

The military power of the City Defense Force had not yet fully fallen into Gu Changsheng’s hands, so there was still a chance for her to turn the tables.

In the imperial court, her power was deeply entrenched, and her influence extended far and wide.

If the new emperor wanted Lu Tao to command the City Defense Force and its tens of thousands of troops, he would need her approval.

She would like to see which officials dared to support such a move without her consent.

Even if Lu Tao had pledged his loyalty to the new emperor, without control of the City Defense Force, a mere Seventh Layer Great Expert posed little threat to her.

With that thought, the Empress Dowager leaned back lazily, a cold smile on her charming face, filled with disdain.

It seemed Gu Changsheng was still no match for her.

Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, the Empress Dowager’s gaze fell on the black-robed figure before her, and she curiously asked:

“Earlier, you mentioned that when trying to eliminate Lu Tao, you were stopped by the new emperor’s peak Great Expert.”

“If you were to fight this expert, how confident are you of victory?”

The Empress Dowager was wary of the mysterious experts who had suddenly appeared by Gu Changsheng’s side, including the Royal Shadow Guards and the Three Thousand Noble Guards. Especially concerning was the unnamed peak Great Expert.

Though a peak Great Expert Realm wasn’t much in front of her, as a half-saint, she couldn’t risk exposing her true strength. Doing so would arouse suspicion among the officials and the royal family’s holy ancestor.

If that happened, it would spell trouble.

Thus, to deal with Gu Changsheng’s strong allies, she had to rely on her own experts.

“Your Majesty, the strongman behind the emperor is also at the peak of Great Expert.”

“In a fight between us, it would be difficult to determine a winner without a life-or-death struggle.”

Recalling the mysterious peak expert who had intervened against him, the black-robed figure spoke with a grave tone, his expression tinged with fear.

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager remained unbothered. In her eyes, a peak Great Expert was no more than an ant compared to her half-saint power.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t expose her true strength, or Gu Changsheng wouldn’t even be a concern.