I, Am a Living Yama; Empress Advises Me to Stay Calm

Chapter 60: 

At the Shu Yu Palace.

“The newspaper’s sales have tripled in the last two issues.” Wu Mingyue tapped her long, pale fingers on the table, her dark eyes locked onto Yang Yi.

“I didn’t expect you to have such skills.”

Earlier, Yang Yi had teased her, boasting he had a way to increase sales of the Great Zhou Bao. He didn’t share his plan, which frustrated her enough that she angrily took to her writing. Now, not only had their sales skyrocketed, but they’d also managed to deceive their enemies in the process.

This guy really is something, she thought to herself.

Yang Yi smiled warmly.

“Would I ever deceive the princess?”

Wu Mingyue raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes.

“I thought you only knew how to make up stories to fool people.”

Yang Yi chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

“Speaking of stories, I have one. Would the princess care to hear it?”

Wu Mingyue blinked, intrigued.

“Go ahead, let’s hear it.”

Yang Yi began with a smile,

“It is said that there is a Dragon King who controls the clouds and the rain, ruling his domain with great acclaim.

“One day, the Dragon King decided to marry off his daughter. He demanded that his son-in-law weigh exactly one hundred kilograms, not a bit more or less.

“So a turtle decided to give it a try, and on the way, he met a shrimp.

“The shrimp said, ‘If you add me, we’ll weigh exactly one hundred kilograms. I’ll hide in your ear, and no one will notice me.’

“The turtle was delighted and let the shrimp hide in his ear. When they reached the Dragon King and weighed themselves, they did weigh one hundred kilograms.

“The Dragon King chose the turtle as his son-in-law. In his excitement, the turtle shook the shrimp out of his ear. Furious, the Dragon King asked, ‘What were you doing in his ear?’”

Yang Yi stopped at this point.

Wu Mingyue, completely absorbed, couldn’t help but ask,

“And then? What happened next? Continue the story!”

Yang Yi smiled mischievously.

“The shrimp said, ‘I was in his ear… telling this little turtle a story.’”

Wu Mingyue was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized what had happened. He was deliberately teasing her.

She was furious and lunged at him with a roar.

“You idiot, you’re messing with me!”

Yang Yi smiled and dodged to the side. Thanks to the system’s enhancement of his five senses, his agility was far superior to Wu Mingyue’s. With a slight sidestep, he easily avoided her attack, leaving her lunging into empty air.

The princess was livid. This rascal had tricked her several times, and it was simply too much. If she didn’t teach him a lesson today, she wouldn’t be Wu Mingyue.

Wu Mingyue lunged again, but this time Yang Yi didn’t dodge.

She crashed into his chest, her ample breasts pressing against him with surprising force, causing her to wince in pain.

Wu Mingyue’s expression changed, nearly fainting from the sharp pain.

Compared to Wu Mingyue’s suffering, Yang Yi secretly felt pleased.

This girl really has some substance.

Quickly pulling away, Wu Mingyue’s face flushed deep red. She clutched her chest and glared at Yang Yi, her eyes gleaming like black pearls.

“Scoundrel!”

Yang Yi raised his hands in mock innocence.

“What is Her Highness doing? It was clearly the princess who jumped on me. If anyone here is a scoundrel, it’s not me.”

Wu Mingyue gritted her teeth. How infuriating! This guy had taken advantage of her, and now he acted as though he was the victim.

Yang Yi smiled casually.

“I suddenly remembered I need to report something to Her Majesty. I’ll take my leave now.”

Without waiting for her reply, he quickly made his exit.

Wu Mingyue stomped her foot in frustration, muttering,

“Pervert!”

A moment later, she rubbed her chest, feeling the pain fade. She pulled out the unfinished novel from her desk, bit the tip of her pen, and resumed writing with renewed determination.

…

The beautiful and intelligent princess cleverly exploited human weaknesses. She set a trap using a captured enemy general, inviting people from across the land to participate in her scheme. With meticulous calculations and breathtaking strategies, she helped her elder sister extort a large sum of money from their enemies, even going so far as to use a borrowed knife to eliminate the enemy general.

Her cunning plans and far-reaching strategies left everyone in awe of the world’s most beautiful strategist.

Even her foolish servant, Yang Dayi, who was as dumb as a pig, as stupid as a dog, and had an obvious penchant for women, couldn’t help but admire the princess. He found himself praising her, “Her Highness is truly unmatched in beauty and intelligence.”

The princess, beautiful and noble, dismissed his flattery with disdain, casually telling him the story of the Dragon King seeking a son-in-law. Of course, her foolish servant, who was as dumb as a donkey and completely unable to follow her clever thoughts, didn’t stand a chance. When she teased him about the shrimp “telling this little turtle a story,” he could only regret his own stupidity with a pained expression.

…

Pa

Wu Mingyue closed the book in her hand and fell back onto the couch, sighing deeply.

Humph. That’ll teach him to mess with me! Haha.

“Idiot,” she muttered under her breath, a playful smile spreading across her face. Her eyes crinkled into little crescents as she stretched, her long legs bouncing in excitement.

The light green dress she wore slipped off slightly, revealing her delicate, snow-white legs. Each toe, like a pink pearl, gleamed with a soft, lustrous sheen.

…

Two days later…

The weather had grown colder.

Inside Qianyuan Hall, a bronze furnace in the shape of a beast slowly burned with charcoal, keeping the hall warm. The faint scent of sandalwood filled the air as the Empress, Wu Zhao, sat in thought.

“According to Heichi Changzhi’s report, Yucheng has stabilized and is now fully integrated into our Great Zhou,” she said, her voice calm and confident.

“However, it appears Qianlong is still mobilizing his forces. I have heard that he has recalled the famed general, Zhangjia Agui, commander of the Manchu Red Banner, to lead their troops against us once more. I plan to recall Heichi Changzhi. Since Qianlong insists on continuing the war, our Great Zhou will see it through to the end.”

The ministers nodded in agreement. The current strength of Great Zhou had grown significantly. They were no longer as fearful of the Qing Dynasty as they once were. Moreover, the recent delivery of supplies from Qing had bolstered their coffers.

Just as the Empress finished speaking, Yang Yi stepped forward.

“Your Majesty, this humble servant has a suggestion.”

All eyes turned to him, a mixture of curiosity and skepticism in the room. Another plan from Minister Yang? This man’s ideas are always… unique.

Wu Zhao raised an eyebrow, waiting a moment before giving him permission to speak. “Minister Yang, proceed.”

Yang Yi spoke solemnly.

“Though we do not fear the Qing Dynasty, we must acknowledge that the enemy’s foundation is still deep. I have a strategy that could break their morale.”

Wu Zhao leaned forward slightly, her curiosity piqued.

“What strategy?”

Yang Yi continued,

“Qianlong’s name still holds great weight in the Great Zhou Bao. Even now, discussions about him persist in the public sphere. While tarnishing his reputation may cause him some headaches, it won’t have any lasting impact. Instead, I suggest we ride on his popularity.”

The Empress narrowed her eyes.

“Ride on his popularity?”

The room fell into a brief silence as everyone exchanged confused glances.

Wei Yuanzhong, one of the senior ministers, clasped his hands together and asked, “Minister Yang, might you explain what you mean by ‘riding on his popularity’?”

Yang Yi smiled.

“Minister Wei, you are too modest. The idea is simple. While the world’s attention is still focused on Qianlong, we create another story—one that overshadows the previous narratives.”