The Tyrant's Beloved Empress

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Edited and Proofread by KitKat

In times of hardship, a well-led rebellion was infectious. Whether it was to survive or simply to vent their anger, many people were easily convinced to join the uprising.

The rebels first suppressed the local officers and took over the county governor's office. They then went on to rob the rich and distributed food and gold among the poor. As they only robbed from people with a bad reputation and did not kill indiscriminately, many more supported their cause wholeheartedly. At the peak of their influence, the people had called them the "Common Men's Army".

When Suzhou's General, Shen Tu Xu, received the news, he immediately deployed troops to contain the rebellion. However, many of his soldiers had relatives and family members who had joined the uprising. Furthermore, the rebel army had outnumbered his troops. Shen Tu Xu had no choice but to turn to Yejing for help.

Emperor An Qing was naturally enraged upon hearing the news.

Prior to this event, the Emperor was in high spirits. The newly inducted Taoist Master prophesied that he would face adversity this year. To resolve this, firstly, he would need someone close to him to ward off this misfortune and secondly, to build a 99 story pagoda to please the heavens. After that, he would be able to lead a long and prosperous life like that of the immortals.

Now that Emperor An Qing had fully trusted this Taoist Master, he certainly would not risk disobeying him. He enforced the construction of the pagoda under the excuse of praying for Da Ye but in fact, it was all for his own well being.

Now that a rebellion had arisen, an event which Emperor An Qing believed to be the foretold misfortune, only solidified his faith in the Taoist Master.

Although he had already followed his instructions to build the pagoda, Emperor An Qing was still not pacified. He hurriedly called for the Taoist Master to divine for him on who would help him ward off this disaster.

The Taoist Master who went by the name of Master Liao, had lived past the age of seventy; a longevity that earned him the respect of many. Although his hair and beard were all white, there was no weakness in his steps. He exuded divinity when walking into the room.

When Master Liao saw Emperor An Qing, he cupped his hands and bowed. Before the Emperor could speak, Master Liao started, "Your Majesty has nothing to worry about. I have counted the Eight Characters of the three princes: The Third Prince is protected by a powerful providence and whose eight characters best compliment Your Majesty. He is the most suitable to help you avert this disaster."

Emperor An Qing was finally appeased but after a while, he hesitated and asked, "Will my son face any harm?"

Master Liao shook his head and said, "Your Majesty can rest assured. The Third Prince has the spirit of a dragon. Although his life force will be slightly damaged, it's nothing irreparable. I've heard that he has always been close to Your Majesty. I believe he's willing to sacrifice even more for your sake."

Emperor An Qing readily agreed but some of Master Liao's words caught his attention. "What do you mean by having the spirit of a dragon?"

Seeing that he had taken the bait, Master Liao smiled and only answered, "Such is heaven's construct, I cannot divulge further."

The words effectively stuck with Emperor An Qing. He impatiently summoned the Third Prince.

Moments later, the Third Prince arrived. He looked at the Emperor with admiration and greeted, "Father, I've come to see you."

Emperor An Qing took a closer look at the Third Prince. Of his three sons, the Third Prince resembled him the most. And since Shu Guifei had been his favorite concubine all these years, he had also come to dote on the Third Prince the most. When the boy was young, he would often cause mischief and laugh childishly but in recent years, he seemed to have matured into a fine prince.