Chương 69: The Empress's Attention, Eight Riders of Yanyun

He Lian seemed to pay close attention to this suddenly rising, handsome, and highly decorated "younger brother of the emperor."

Although each eye contact was extremely brief, the subtle, almost imperceptible scrutiny made Liu Ce feel extremely uneasy.

Liu Ce's back instantly broke out in a cold sweat! Alarm bells rang in his mind, reaching their highest level:

"Holy crap! What's going on?! Your Majesty, why are you looking at me like that?! Is there something on my face? Or did I sit in the wrong seat?"

Wait a minute, I followed the rules! Please don't look at me! I'm scared!

"Your Majesty! Keep an eye on your wife! Your green... uh, you really need to step up security at the palace!"

After a while, he made an excuse to slip out of the main hall, stood outside for a while to enjoy the breeze, and only went back when it was almost time.

On the way back, they saw He Lian leaving her seat, not knowing where she was going. The two brushed past each other at the palace gate.

As He Lian passed Liu Ce, she paused, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Champion Marquis... is young and promising."

After saying that, she walked away gracefully (she will come back).

Liu Ce stood there, stunned.

What does this empress mean?

He dared not think too much and quickly slipped back to his seat. At the banquet, he pretended to be intently studying the patterns on the gilded wine vessel in front of him, wishing he could turn invisible on the spot.

Or they could take the initiative to talk to Huangfu Song, Cao Cao, and others who were also rewarded.

At the ensuing banquet, amidst fine wines and delicacies, songs and dances, and toasts from officials, he felt that gaze would occasionally drift over, making him feel restless and unable to enjoy his food.

Liu Ce forced himself to stay alert, a standard smile on his face, but only one thought remained in his mind:

"Hurry up and finish! Let me go! This place is too dangerous! It's even more terrifying than the camp of 100, 000 Yellow Turban soldiers!"

After what seemed like an eternity, the emperor finally announced the end of the banquet.

Liu Ce was almost the first to stand up, and with the fastest speed and the most proper etiquette, he took his leave. Then, he slipped away faster than a startled rabbit!

As soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, he jumped into the carriage waiting at the Zhen residence and urged them repeatedly:

"Quickly! Back to the manor!"

Meanwhile, in the palace...

He Lian returned to her palace and removed her makeup in front of the bronze mirror. The woman in the mirror had a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth, and a hint of amusement flashed in her eyes.

"Champion Marquis... Liu Ce..." she murmured the name and smiled.

A maidservant whispered, "Your Highness, you seem to have feelings for that Marquis Champion..."

"Shut up." He Lian glanced at her, but wasn't angry.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought: Young, capable in combat, and commanding a large army... If only she could win him over...

She smiled and stopped thinking about it.

After Liu Ce returned to the Zhen residence in a carriage, he felt even more exhausted than if he had fought a tough battle.

After a quick wash, he threw himself onto the bed, and it took him a while to feel his soul slowly returning to its place.

Then he stared at the ceiling, his mind replaying the day's events like a movie: The earth-shattering, extraordinary rewards bestowed at the court assembly; the emperor's heartfelt combination of "pie in the sky + shifting blame + pleading poverty" in the Greenhouse Hall; Empress He's seemingly insignificant yet chilling gaze at the banquet...

"What kind of mess is this..." Liu Ce sighed, feeling exhausted.

Afterwards, while he was still savoring the Empress's stunning charm and dangerous gaze, suddenly— suddenly!

【bite--! 】 A crisp, slightly mechanical notification sound exploded in his mind without warning!

Holy crap!

Liu Ce was so startled that he almost jumped out of bed, his heart pounding.

"System? How the hell have you been silent? Are you back from the dead?! You scared the hell out of me!"

Immediately afterwards, the system's familiar voice, with a slightly mechanical yet seemingly cheerful (?) tone, rang out: [The system has detected that the host has achieved a major milestone in this world—being granted the titles of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, General of the Cavalry, and Governor of Youzhou! The system is very pleased and hereby issues a special achievement gift pack as encouragement!] Before Liu Ce could fully recover from the shock, he heard an even more intense series of "ding-ding" sounds: [Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained a special unit—the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun!] [Ding! Congratulations, host, you have acquired a top-tier team of political strategists—Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui!] [Ding! Congratulations, host, you have obtained a top-tier general—Yuwen Chengdu!] Liu Ce: "!!!"

This series of prompts was like a blessing from heaven, completely stunning Liu Ce, and then boundless joy surged into his heart!

"The Eighteen Riders of Yanyun! The legendary ghost unit under Luo Yi! Swift as the wind, exuding murderous aura, super special forces specializing in decapitation and destruction?!"

"Fang Xuanling? Du Ruhui?

'Fang's planning and Du's decisiveness,' the two great prime ministers and chief architects of the Zhenguan era! SSR-level civil officials with maxed-out domestic affairs skills and unparalleled strategic planning!"

"Yuwen Chengdu! The second greatest hero of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the invincible General Tianbao! A peerless warrior who could lift a thousand-pound cauldron and sweep away thousands of troops!"

Name: Fang Qiao, courtesy name Xuanling Gender: Male Age: 26 [Strength]: 48 [Command]: 78 (Third-rate) [Politics]: 98 (Top-tier) Intelligence: 96 (Top-tier) [Appearance]: 78cm Special skills: [Fang Mou]: When formulating national (one's own power's) strategies, laws, or long-term plans, the comprehensiveness and stability of the plan are greatly improved.

[Knowing and Selecting Talented Individuals]: It can efficiently discover and attract various talents to join your team and improve the overall loyalty of the team.

[Stabilizing the State]: When serving as prime minister, one can significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of all domestic affairs within one's sphere of influence.

[Name]: Du Ruhui, courtesy name Keming Gender: Male Age: 25 [Strength]: 52 [Command]: 81 (Second-rate) [Politics]: 96 (Top-tier) Intelligence: 94 (Top-tier) [Appearance]: 75cm Special skills: [Decisiveness]: When faced with multiple urgent or complex options, one can quickly make the best decision and eliminate hesitation and internal friction during execution.

【Talent to Advance a King】: When the user is in the same camp as the monarch (or lord), the user can greatly improve the efficiency and success rate of the monarch's command execution.

[Statutes and Adjudication]: When Fang Xuanling was present, he was able to quickly establish and improve various national systems and institutions, forming a powerful combined effect.

……

[Name]: Yuwen Chengdu Gender: Male Age: 22 [Strength]: 108 (Top-tier) [Commander]: 85 (Second-rate) [Politics]: 45 Intelligence: 72 (Third-rate) [Appearance]: 79cm Special skills: 【Unrivaled Courage】: In one-on-one combat, it has a strong suppressive effect on generals with lower martial prowess and can greatly boost the morale of one's own side.

……

[Generating unit panel... Generation complete] 【Name】： The Eighteen Riders of Yanyun Category: Special Cavalry Combat Strength (Martial Power): 80-90 [Rank]: Legendary Liu Ce lay on the bed, his lips curving upwards uncontrollably, almost bursting into laughter.

He thought smugly, "This is awesome! Yuwen Chengdu is here, and I've gained another powerful general to my ranks!"

"The Eighteen Riders of Yanyun... Hehe, grassland reconnaissance, sabotage behind enemy lines, assassination of enemy chieftains... They're practically a divine weapon tailor-made for dealing with the Xianbei and Wuhuan in the future!"

"Most importantly, it's Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui! Haha, government affairs? Logistics? Governing the regions? Recruiting refugees? Developing the economy? These headaches can finally be put to rest!"

"I, Liu Bolue, can finally be freed from the tedious political work and concentrate on military expansion and showing off my divine power in front of others!"

"System, you've finally done something decent this time!"