An hour later, Jing Xu returned from delivering his sermon, testing Shen Changge's patience to its limit.

However, faced with such a prominent figure as the National Teacher, Shen Changge did not dare to be too presumptuous. She simply respectfully stood up to greet him and only sat down again after Jingxu had taken his seat.

"General Shen, I can see that you have a troubled expression. Have you encountered something distressing?" Monk Jingxu placed his duster on his arm and took a sip of the clear tea on the table as he asked.

Shen Changge did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point, saying, "To be frank, I came here this time to inquire about something from the Sect Master."

"What's the matter?" Jingxu spoke slowly, his voice ethereal, exuding a somewhat otherworldly aura.

Shen Mou heard a rumor circulating in Lingxu Temple but did not quite understand it. He asked the temple's master for clarification. Shen Changge inquired, "I wonder where this rumor of upheaval originated?"

"Obtained from the divination."

"How's the divination?" Shen Changge persisted in asking.

"The divination reveals that the Imperial Star is dim and a foreign star seeks to overshadow its brilliance and seize its position. Dark clouds appear at night, obscuring the radiance of the Imperial Star, indicating the onset of a calamity that will afflict the whole world." As the words of Jingxu grew louder.

Shen Changge continued to press on relentlessly, "Who is Yixing? And who is Wuyun? Can the Observer explain it clearly?" "Who Yixing is, General, do you have no idea?" Jingxu said coldly, "Besides General Shen, who else in Zhou Kingdom has such means and abilities?"

Shen Changge stood up and slammed the table, "Nonsense!"

"I think you're just talking nonsense." A familiar voice suddenly interjected, causing Shen Changge's body to stiffen instantly.

He followed the sound and saw Nan Gongchi stride into the side hall, with a well-dressed Imperial Forest Army following closely behind him.

"Nan Gongchi glanced at him without even looking, and directly commanded the Imperial Guards to capture him."

"Chong... Your Majesty..." Shen Changge looked at him in disbelief, not knowing why he would appear here. Trembling, Shen Changge's upper and lower lips quivered, but before she could ask, she was captured by the Imperial Guard.

Nangong Chi finally glanced at him and simply said with his lips moving: "Take him away."

Without going to the dungeon or wearing shackles, Shen Changge was dragged and taken to the Chengze Hall.

He didn't resist the whole time because he was also confused, not knowing why Nangong Chi would go to Lingxu Temple and why he suddenly came out to catch him.

He knelt on the cold ground, with two Imperial Guards behind him. Nangong Chi sat on a redwood chair carved with coiling dragons and tossed an object towards him, which landed right by his feet.

Shen Changge reached out and opened it. Inside was a highly detailed strategic map.

About a month ago, this was intercepted from a spy on their way to the Northern Barbarians. It leaked out from the Desert Northern Army.

The Mo Bei Army has always been renowned for its strict military discipline. Even their strategic maps have been leaked, which undoubtedly humiliates Shen Changge.

"Your Majesty, the minister was not aware of such incident happening. May Your Majesty grant the minister some time to thoroughly investigate and understand…"

Nan Gongchi ignored him and just said, "Did you have any involvement in the incident where Prime Minister Xu was attacked?"

"The incident of Prime Minister Xu being assassinated is something that I, as a minister, only learned about later and did not participate in."

"Oh, then where were you at that time?" Nangong Chi twirled the ring on his finger, his gaze deep and intense, as if thunder rumbled within it.

"At that time,..." Shen Changge's voice faltered.

Nangong Chi looked at the appearance of Shen Changge and felt a sense of weakness.

His body sank halfway into the back of the chair, as if only in this way could he continue with the interrogation.

The person by his side secretly communicates with the prince of an enemy country, hiding from him the countless actions taken, even to the extent of willingly handing over maps... Even if he didn't give them away himself, does he truly know nothing about this matter?

He thought Shen Changge could be so loyal to him. Now looking back, it's simply ridiculous.

"The assassin who killed Prime Minister Xu used the same knife as yours."

Shen Changge suddenly felt a chill all over his body. He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, someone must have set me up."

"Is that so? Then who is framing you?" Nangong Chi asked.

Shen Changge couldn't argue any further this time.

If it is said that Tuoba Xiao intentionally framed someone, it would be equivalent to saying that he himself is colluding with the enemy and betraying his country.

If you try to distance yourself from Tuoba Xiao, then this accusation of plotting against Minister Xu will never be removed.

Both left and right are words of death.

"Speak up!" Nangong Chi slammed the table, causing the teacups on it to shake and spill tea everywhere.

"That... That was stolen by an assassin from me."

"Stolen? I see that General Shen, you have a close relationship with him, there's no need for him to steal. I'm afraid you gave it to him personally!"

Shen Changge was speechless. He had already understood that Nangong Chi had made up his mind long ago. No matter what he tried to explain, Nangong Chi would not listen anymore.

Seeing that he couldn't come up with an answer, Nangong Chi's last glimmer of hope faded away.

He coldly issued the order: "Spread my decree. Shen Changge has colluded with the enemy, attempted to assassinate the Prime Minister. According to the law, he should be executed. Considering his contributions to the country's defense, his life will be temporarily spared. However, though the capital punishment is exempted, it will be difficult to escape punishment. Immediately strip him of his title and military rank, and demote him to a commoner."

He would speak a sentence, and beside him, Yu Bishi would write a sentence. By the time his voice fell, a imperial decree would also be written.

"General Shen, please hand over the military order,” a eunuch beside him said.

Shen Changge rigidly retrieved the military token from his bosom.

He had always known that Nangong Chi was suspicious, but he thought he was an exception. He believed that Nangong Chi treated him differently than others.

But the reality is, he was wrong, and very much so.

After collecting his military token, this farce finally came to an end.

The Imperial Guards swiftly filed out, leaving only the two individuals kneeling in the hall in an instant.

Former lovers, now sworn enemies.

"Chang Ge, I am so disappointed in you." It was just the two of them left, and Nangong Chi had also changed the way he addressed him.

Chong Lin...

"Don't call me Chong Lin." Nangong Chi's voice changed, and he drank fiercely with a fierce expression.

He shouldn't be calling himself that, Chonglin is a title only Chang Ge can use, while he is just a fraud hiding behind the guise of Chang Ge, a betrayer.

"You are now a commoner. You should address me the same way as others do, as 'Your Majesty'."

Shen Changge slowly straightened his body as he knelt down. He looked at the man before him, his lover, his emperor, and raised his finger, swearing, "I, Shen Changge, have never done anything harmful to you or to Zhou Kingdom. If I speak a single falsehood, may I have a miserable death."

Hearing such a curse, Nangong Chi remained completely unresponsive. He stared at Shen Changge for a while, then suddenly sneered and said, "I never believed in that dream, but now I finally do. I dreamt that you lost in a battle against the Northern barbarians, and indeed, you did. I dreamt that you and Tuoba Xiaoxiao were entangled in a complicated relationship, and that has also come true..."

"Do you prefer believing in an imaginary dream rather than trusting me?" Shen Changge's heart trembled.

"How can I trust you? Huh? How can I trust you?" Nangong Chi abruptly stood up, lifting his foot to kick him, but ultimately couldn't bear it. His foot stopped halfway and kicked the nearby table instead, causing it to flip over twice, tea cups falling and porcelain shards flying in all directions.

Shen Changge never expected that Nangong Chi's trust in him would be so weak to this extent. He was overwhelmed with sadness, yet he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Nangong Chi, enraged by his laughter, became even angrier. He grabbed him by the collar and threw him onto the bed. With a click sound, a pair of chilling handcuffs appeared on Shen Changge's wrist.

Shen Changge struggled for a moment but couldn't break free, only to realize that this thing was actually made of refined iron.

Nan Gongchi pressed down on him from above, lifting his chin.

Shen Changge felt insulted by this action. He struggled to twist away, but that person grabbed his face and forced him to ask, "Tuoba Xiao, Zhang Shaoqiu, how many men have you slept with while I was gone? Are you so thirsty for it?"

Shen Changge became extremely angry, her face turning red. She exclaimed, "What nonsense are you spouting? I have nothing to do with them!"

"How did you manage to create the traces on your body and spread all those rumors? Don't try to deceive me!"

Traces? When did he ever leave traces? He has never allowed anyone to get close to him.

No, there is one. That day, Tuoba Xiaoguan got him drunk, so that's how it happened.

"No, that was Tuoba Xiao's scheme against me."

"Shen Changge, I won't believe anything you say anymore," said Nangong Chi. After saying this, he immediately tore open his clothes and forcefully pinned him underneath, ruthlessly violating him.

Shen Changge was in excruciating pain, but what made him even more uncomfortable was Nan Gongchi's attitude.

He thought that Nangong Chi treated him like a lover, but now he realized that in Nangong Chi's eyes, he was just a tool.

A tool that couldn't even gain a trace of trust and was expected to do his bidding.

Shen Changge turned her head away, and a silent tear slipped down her cheek.

【System Prompt: Raise Nangong Chi's Favorability by 30 points, Regret Level by 20 points. Current Favorability: 50 points, Regret Level: 30 points】

The next morning, when Nan Gongchi got up, he prepared as usual to attend the morning court.

Shen Changge was still locked to the bed by him. The chains were long enough to allow him to move within the room, but not enough for him to leave.

He arranged for two attendants to take care of Shen Changge's daily needs, and then prepared to leave.

Shen Changge, who had been tossed around by him, woke up at this moment and grabbed his sleeve.

"Chong..." he began to say, but then remembered what Nangong Chi had said yesterday, so he had to change his address, "Your Majesty, the Western Turks and the Northern Barbarians... they have formed an alliance..."

Nangong Chi pushed his hand away and said, "I have a plan in mind."

After speaking, she ignored him and turned around to leave.

Left alone in the Chengze Palace, Shen Changge endured a life of imprisonment.

"Nangong, my dear, you must believe that my love for you is so unwavering. Until now, I have only been with one man, you!" As Nangong Chi left, the person on the bed instantly changed their expression, wearing a satisfied look as if they had just tasted something extraordinary."

This is Wen Fei inside his shell, revealing his own personality.

"Nan Gong's little lover is truly living a good life, I am extremely satisfied," Wen Fei sincerely praised.

Maoqiu watched his host, who had been so ravaged, with a sense of bewilderedness akin to an emperor who had been debauched by him.

"But I feel like the variety in our activities in the bedroom is a bit lacking. I suggest that he try using some props like a whip or candles to spice things up a little."

Maoqiu bounced around in the virtual space and replied, "Sure, but if you do that, you'll be out of character (ooc), and you'll definitely exceed 10%, which will definitely results in getting shocked."

OOC refers to the extent to which his actions deviate from the character's set personality. The system dictates that it is not allowed to exceed 10%, which is an upper limit. If exceeded, the system will impose a penalty.