It's true!
The Yuan army's crushing defeat in the dream, and the Jing Country army's overwhelming firearms were real!
The Yuan King fell from his bed, his whole body cold.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong!"
"Don't- don't come near—! Don't touch me—!"
Every time the Yuan King closed his eyes or was touched, he seemed to return to the scene in his dream where Yuan soldiers crawled over him, making his whole body tremble!
"Order them to retreat!"
"Everyone, come back!"
No more fighting.
Both the Jing Country's firearms and the Imperial Noble Fu Cha from his dream were terrifying.
The Yuan King didn't want to encounter either of them again.
But the bad news kept coming, one after another.
The officials and civilians of Yuan State were all complaining. The Yuan King had stubbornly insisted on attacking Jing Country, and now not only had they not won, but they had suffered a great defeat.
Over thirty thousand soldiers had perished, all of whom were the flesh and blood of civilian families. The people didn't dare complain openly, but in private, they began to curse and hate the Yuan King bitterly.
Many villages had bandits rising in rebellion, and Yuan soldiers were sent everywhere to suppress them. For a time, even the officials harbored resentment.
[The Yuan King's mental state has dropped to 41.]
[I don't care about his mental state anymore.] Xiao Chuchu felt the Yuan King was very uninteresting. She didn't expect ancient people to be so timid and easily frightened. It was too boring, and she no longer wanted to torment the Yuan King.
[The good news is that the Yuan King's prestige in Yuan State has dropped a lot, only 73% now.]
[But that's still a bit high, isn't it? How can someone who deceives the world and kills his wives to cover up his own inadequacy deserve any prestige?]
Xiao Chuchu had already returned to the Jing Country palace with Liu Chaniang.
Xiao Yunzhou instructed the Ministry of Rites to draft articles condemning the Yuan King's attack on Jing Country and demanding compensation.
At this moment, Xiao Yunzhou was listening to his daughter torment the Yuan King while reading the memorials from the Ministry of Rites cursing the Yuan King. He couldn't be more pleased.
Why had his fairy daughter stopped and no longer wanted to torment the Yuan King?
Someone like the Yuan King, who deserved heaven's punishment, should be tormented more!
Xiao Yunzhou was still unsatisfied, feeling that his fairy daughter was too soft-hearted. But soon he heard his daughter's thoughts and his body shuddered.
[The Yuan King's dreams are no longer fun. Hmm, starting today, I'll give dreams to the cabinet and the heads of the six ministries in Yuan State.]
[I'm such a good person, I should tell them that the Yuan King is impotent, has murdered three empresses, and confused the royal lineage!]
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes widened, "Cough cough cough cough—"
He choked on a mouthful of tea. The poison... no, not poison, the punishment... his fairy daughter really knew how to punish people!
As expected of a fairy!
Xiao Yunzhou and Liu Chaniang both quietly pricked up their ears with great interest.
...
Soon, night fell and all was quiet.
Whether in Yuan State or Jing Country, most people had entered the realm of dreams.
But there was a big difference between them. Many people in Jing Country were smiling and relaxed in their sleep, while many in Yuan State were frowning in their dreams.
For example, the Prime Minister of Yuan State, Shangguan Ming, his old face was constantly changing expressions in his dream.
He dreamed of a fairy child, fair-skinned and rosy-cheeked, adorable and innocent, with red ribbons in his hair, standing on clouds.
A voice as melodious as jade chimes spoke of the most terrifying things in the world.
"Are you the Prime Minister of Yuan State?" The fairy child's almond eyes were clear and pure, his features exquisite.
Although it was their first meeting, Shangguan Ming somehow deeply believed this was a fairy child.
Otherwise, how would the other know his name?
A fairy child had graced his dream with a visit — Shangguan Ming clearly sensed this conclusion, and his spirit immediately became solemn. He clasped his hands respectfully and bowed in greeting.
"Yes. I am indeed the Prime Minister of Yuan State, Shangguan Ming, forty-seven years old this year, residing on Six Harmony Street..."
Shangguan Ming reported his detailed information very piously, just as he would when praying at a temple.
The fair and beautiful fairy child, dressed in a lotus-colored palace robe with ribbons floating in the wind, looked ethereal. He nodded at him with satisfaction and smiled slightly.
"Since you, Shangguan Ming, are so devout, this fairy will tell you a heavenly secret that will greatly benefit you and Yuan State."
Shangguan Ming was delighted!
Recently, the Yuan army had been badly defeated by Jing Country. Not only was there chaos within the country, but the neighboring King Zhou Ling was also demanding compensation, citing Yuan King's bullying and murder of his niece, Princess Ronghua.
And Jing Country's letter of accusation, demanding compensation from Yuan State, was sure to arrive in a few days.
As the Prime Minister of Yuan State, Shangguan Ming had been at his wit's end lately, barely able to clean up after the Yuan King.
Now that a fairy child had come to his dream to help and reveal heavenly secrets, Shangguan Ming was overjoyed.
"I am deeply grateful for the fairy's kindness. Shangguan Ming has no way to repay you, but tomorrow I will certainly bring my whole family to offer incense to the fairy!"
The fairy child standing on the clouds waved his hand casually, "No need for incense. Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed. There is a balance of yin and yang in the world, and I require something else from you in exchange."
Shangguan Ming was stunned and was about to ask what it was.
Then he saw the fairy child point, and a folded yellow paper fell into Shangguan Ming's palm.
On this yellow paper were written four large characters — [Carry out Heaven's Will]!
Shangguan Ming was taken aback.
"Agree to the request written above, and I will tell you the heavenly secret."
"!" Shangguan Ming found it amazing, but still respectfully nodded, "I am already the Prime Minister of a country, of course I should uphold justice for the people. If heaven doesn't punish, I will. Rest assured, fairy child, I will do my utmost to maintain the principles of heavenly justice!"
The fairy child smiled and nodded, "Good, then listen carefully. The heavenly secret is—"
"The Yuan King was born impotent."
"!"
"?"
"!!!"
These six words made Shangguan Ming, even in his dream, sense his physical body outside the dream almost jumping up in shock.
This heavenly secret... this heavenly secret...
Shangguan Ming had been the Prime Minister of Yuan State for five years, but this was the first time he felt he might faint in a dream!
The Yuan King was born impotent, what did the fairy child mean?
The Yuan King was incapable? How was that possible?
The Yuan King had had a prince ten years ago! Now he had three princes and two princesses!
Shangguan Ming was dumbfounded in his dream, sweating profusely. If the Yuan King was impotent, where did the current princes come from, and how about the Crown Prince?
However, the fairy child's next words struck Shangguan Ming's mind like a heavy blow.
"The Yuan King's impotence was gradually discovered by all three empresses after a few years in the palace, but they were all killed to silence them," the fairy child's exquisite features were ice-cold. "Now it's the fourth empress."
"Moreover, the Yuan King's attack on Jing Country was due to his lust for Jing Country's Imperial Noble Fu Cha, hoping to stimulate his virility and see if he could perform."
Wh-what?
Shangguan Ming was shocked.
So this was the reason why three empresses had died, none of them living more than three years, with the shortest lasting only a month in the palace before suddenly dying!
So it was because of this?
And the Yuan King, disregarding the opposition of the Marquis of Pacifying the State, had his confidant lead the attack on Jing Country for this personal matter?
"For his own selfish desires, he treats human lives as grass, slaughtering and causing the deaths of thirty thousand soldiers and civilians. He is unfit to be king!"
"Shangguan Ming, as the Prime Minister of Yuan State, remember what you just promised this fairy — you should carry out Heaven's Will!"
The fairy child narrowed his adorable almond eyes, looking fiercely cute at Shangguan Ming.
Shangguan Ming felt cold all over. Carry out Heaven's Will — the fairy child had entered his dream to make him punish the Yuan King, bring him to justice, and remove him from the throne?
This...
As Shangguan Ming was panicking, he heard the fairy's voice again.
"If you break your dream oath, this fairy will come find you again and make you pay the price."
"!!!"
Shangguan Ming was so startled that he suddenly opened his eyes wide on his bed.
Waking up, he realized his whole body was covered in sweat, with beads of sweat rolling down his face.
"My lord, what's wrong?" Madam Shangguan, woken by him, asked with concern.
Shangguan Ming swallowed and found he couldn't utter a word.
What happened?
How could he explain?
Should he say he dreamed of a fairy child, or that the fairy child had threatened him?
Or should he say that the Yuan King might be impotent!
Was any of this true or false?
Shangguan Ming was dazed.
That day, he had originally planned to take a day off and not attend the morning court, but then he remembered the fairy child in the dream telling him to "keep his promise and carry out Heaven's Will," so Shangguan Ming dared not stay home.
Even if he, as a Prime Minister, couldn't punish the Yuan King, carrying out Heaven's Will meant at least he should protect the people of Yuan State and act on their behalf.
Shangguan Ming sighed, leaving home with a dizzy head, and arrived at the waiting area for the morning court in a daze, seeing that many officials had already arrived.
Among them, more than half of the heads of the six ministries looked dispirited and their eyes were shifty.
Shangguan Ming was stunned for a moment, then said irritably, "Why do you all look so exhausted? Surely you didn't all have nightmares like this old man?"
Originally, this was meant to be an outlet for the frustration and gloom pent up in his heart. However, to his surprise, upon hearing his words, all six ministers of the royal court visibly trembled, their faces betraying a sense of unease.
"Chancellor, how did you know?" one of them asked nervously.
"Chancellor, what do you mean by 'also' having nightmares?" another chimed in.
"You... you couldn't possibly have... dreamed of a celestial maiden too, could you?" a third minister stammered.
What... WHAT!?
Shangguan Ming's eyes widened in shock.
