Puppet Emperor, the Empress Wields All Power and Calls a Deer a Horse

The old eunuch looked at Gu Changsheng, his pupils narrowing slightly as he sensed the overwhelming imperial aura emanating from him. His face was filled with shock, and inwardly, waves of astonishment surged.

The Ninth Prince seemed to have changed.

“Chief Steward Xia!”

Gu Changsheng squinted his eyes slightly, staring expressionlessly at the old eunuch before him. A simple character panel floated in front of him.

[Name: Xia Wudao] [Identity: Chief Eunuch] [Cultivation Level: King Realm, Seventh Heaven] [Loyalty Level: 100]

His mother had once saved Xia Wudao’s life.

After her passing, Xia Wudao had become his personal eunuch from a young age, completely loyal to him, with a loyalty level of 100.

Over the years, Xia Wudao had always remained devoted.

In the original storyline, Xia Wudao had reached the Seventh Heaven of the King Realm. In the absence of powerful figures, he was considered a strong figure, having intervened multiple times to help Gu Changsheng avert crises.

But in the end, to protect him, Xia Wudao tragically fell victim to the Empress Dowager’s poison.

Given such loyalty, Gu Changsheng certainly did not plan to treat his loyal chief eunuch poorly.

One day, he would help Xia Wudao break through his cultivation level and rise even higher.

“Rise!”

Gu Changsheng’s expression softened as he suppressed his inner emotions and spoke calmly.

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

As soon as Gu Changsheng’s words fell, the pressure on Xia Wudao’s body immediately lifted. He stood up with a solemn expression, deep in thought.

As the person closest to Gu Changsheng, Xia Wudao was well aware that, over the years, Gu Changsheng had no talent for cultivation and had always appeared mediocre, never receiving attention from the late Emperor.

But now, Gu Changsheng, just by his aura, had made Xia Wudao, a King Realm expert, feel a hint of pressure.

Could it be that His Majesty had been hiding his strength all along, his cultivation unfathomable, deceiving everyone?

Now that he had ascended the throne, was His Majesty planning to stop hiding?

At this thought, a smile appeared on Xia Wudao’s face, filled with relief. Yet, there was a trace of worry in his heart.

After the late Emperor’s death, the political situation in the Zhou Dynasty had drastically changed, with the Empress Dowager seizing complete control of the court.

Even though His Majesty might have remarkable strength, he had no powerful supporters or influence under his command, making him no match for the Empress Dowager.

If His Majesty were to reveal his strength and make the Empress Dowager feel threatened, it could very well put His Majesty’s life in danger.

“Your Majesty, with the late Emperor gone,” Xia Wudao hesitated for a long time before finally speaking up cautiously.

“The Empress Dowager now controls the court, with immense power in her hands. We have neither powerful allies nor influence. If we wish to reclaim power, we must plan carefully and lie low for now. Otherwise, the consequences could be disastrous…”

Despite being shaken by Gu Changsheng’s recent display, Xia Wudao could not bear to see him take risks.

The Empress Dowager was too powerful, dominating the court.

Now was not the time to act against her.

His Majesty should bide his time, keep a low profile, and build his strength, waiting for the right opportunity.

Of course, if Gu Changsheng insisted on opposing the Empress Dowager, Xia Wudao was willing to sacrifice his own life to protect him.

As if reading Xia Wudao’s mind, Gu Changsheng’s expression remained calm. He smiled slightly and said nonchalantly, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

Gu Changsheng was no fool. He knew that, with his current resources, he was far from being able to contend with the Empress Dowager.

At the moment, he only had three thousand Royal Shadow Guards, and the strongest of his four commanders was merely at the peak of the King Realm.

Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager held absolute power over the court, her influence vast and her subordinates numerous.

The disparity in strength between them was staggering.

There was no way he could defeat the Empress Dowager at this point.

However, the Empress Dowager needed him to legitimize her control over the court, so for the time being, she wouldn’t act against him.

This period would be his chance to develop.

As long as he kept altering the plot, accumulating storyline points, and drawing treasures and powerful figures to his side, his strength would grow.

It wouldn’t be long before he could eliminate the Empress Dowager and secure his position on the throne of Great Zhou Dynasty.

Seeing the confidence on Gu Changsheng’s face, Xia Wudao felt a sense of relief. The worry on his face gradually faded.

Perhaps the late Emperor had left His Majesty some hidden trump card to deal with the Empress Dowager.

That would explain His Majesty’s confidence.

Gu Changsheng smiled knowingly, as if he had guessed Xia Wudao’s thoughts, but said nothing.

The late Emperor could indeed serve as a convenient cover for his future actions.

No matter what forces or experts he revealed later, he could always attribute them to the late Emperor’s arrangements, making the Empress Dowager and the entire court even more wary of him.

“System, can I hide my cultivation level?” Gu Changsheng suddenly remembered something and silently asked in his mind.

He didn’t intend to reveal his true strength, avoiding unnecessary attention from the Empress Dowager and the court.

[Ding! The host’s cultivation level has been hidden. No one below the level of an Emperor can see through the host’s true strength!]

Hearing the system’s prompt in his mind, Gu Changsheng was overjoyed.

Now, unless he chose to reveal it himself, no one could detect his cultivation level.

To the outside world, he would still appear to be the Ninth Prince, a worthless failure.

As he thought about his upcoming ascension to the throne and the confrontation with the Empress Dowager, Gu Changsheng began to recall the storyline in his mind.

It seemed that soon, there would be a dramatic scene in the court.

The new emperor would ascend the throne, but the Empress Dowager, with her overwhelming power, would manipulate the emperor like a puppet. Corrupt officials would distort the truth, making false claims and reversing right and wrong.

The emperor’s authority would be trampled, his dignity lost.

Thinking of all these events, Gu Changsheng’s eyes narrowed, and a cold glint flashed in his gaze as a surge of anger rose within him.

This time, he wanted to see how things would unfold, now that he knew all of the Empress Dowager’s plots in advance.

I want to see how she will manage to outwit me now!