"Is this true?" The old emperor was shocked to hear Ji Mohan's words. Clearly, the officials below had not reported this. It seemed that it was time to thoroughly cleanse the bunch of good-for-nothings in the Northwest.

"Father, I am 90% certain it is true," Ji Mohan said expressionlessly.

"Your Highness, Ji Mohan, heed my command! I order you to depart for the Northwest in three days. All officials who have embezzled, accepted bribes, oppressed the people, or deceived their superiors will be executed without mercy. Officials who conceal information or attempt to disrupt the government will be imprisoned and brought back to the capital for further judgment." The old emperor was furious, coughing incessantly and gasping for breath. The eunuch beside him gently patted his back to help him catch his breath.

"Your subject obeys the decree," Ji Mohan said respectfully, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

After a long pause, the old emperor said, "Sheng'er has also gone to the Northwest military camp. This is the Longyuan Sword; take it to Sheng'er."

Ji Mohan lowered his head and gave a sarcastic smile. Sure enough, his father was still biased. He called him the eldest prince and the crown prince Sheng'er. Anyone who wasn't blind could see which was more important. He even sent a broken sword to his most beloved son. His fatherly love was truly as deep as a mountain.

He was right in front of his father, yet his eyes were only on the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince treated him like a sword in his hand, used to fend off foreign invaders in times of war, to kill traitors in times of chaos, and to discard him in times of peace. Ha!

Ji Mohan looked up at the old emperor and smiled, "Your subject has brought too many things, and may not be able to carry the sword that Father Emperor gave to the Crown Prince. Father Emperor should send someone to deliver it to the Crown Prince, lest it be delivered too late and the Crown Prince is killed—" Ji Mohan made a throat-slitting gesture, the sarcasm was extremely obvious.

The old emperor understood Ji Mohan's meaning. A trace of guilt flashed through his heart, but it was fleeting. The emperor's majesty could not be challenged. The old emperor threw the cup on the table at Ji Mohan, and blood immediately flowed from Ji Mohan's forehead. The old emperor shouted, "You unfilial son, you are brothers!"

"Yes, Father, aren't you and Uncle An brothers? Oh, I forgot, you're blood brothers. Don't forget, you got your seat on Uncle An's blood. I remember, Grandfather preferred Uncle An to inherit the throne. But Uncle An was also murdered in the Northwest. Father, tell me, who did it?" Ji Mohan said calmly, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

The old emperor, however, was pale-faced, his pupils wide with shock as he stared at the son he hadn't paid much attention to. "Shut up, you unfilial son! Your Uncle An is dead, how dare you spout nonsense here? Get out, get out!"

Ji Mohan looked at the old emperor with a sneer, then smiled and withdrew.

Father, this is the example you set for your children. Since you have taught me, I will learn from you. Let me be the sword in your hand obediently, but don't hold it backwards and hurt myself, okay?

——

Yanji Hot Pot.

Jiang Yan was lying in bed when suddenly the window opened and a man in black jumped in, wielding a sword and slashing at the man on the bed. Unexpectedly, Jiang Yan rolled to the side. Just as the man in black was about to attack again, Jiang Yan looked into the man's eyes and said, "You are Li Shang, aren't you?"

Seeing that the man in black had seen through his identity, he stopped pretending and said angrily, "Since you know who I am, then you can go and be buried with my aunt!"

Jiang Yan sighed and said, "Child, your aunt asked me to pass on a message to you, but I haven't been to the capital for a long time, so I haven't told you yet. I knew it was you as soon as you arrived. Li Ge said that after she dies, when I return to the capital, the first person to come and kill my child will be Li Shang." Jiang Yan smiled bitterly. Li Ge, Li Ge, you are indeed clever. She was right.

Li Shang's eyes were red. He gripped the knife tightly and gritted his teeth, saying, "What else did Auntie say? No matter how you explain yourself, I will kill you and make you pay with your life."

Jiang Yan stared blankly out the window, as if recalling something, and said, "Li Ge said that Li Shang was the most grateful, chivalrous, and stubborn. Once he made up his mind, no one could persuade him otherwise. Sometimes she was both angry and heartbroken. After Li Ge went to Jiangnan, she missed you very much. She was afraid that you would be bullied by the people from Lijia, afraid that they would say that you were a child she had picked up. She said that she had not abandoned you, she had never abandoned you from beginning to end. She just hated her own powerlessness, that she could not bring you to Jiangnan, and that she could not keep you by her side."

Li Shang's eyes welled up with tears, and he choked up. So that's how it was. His aunt hadn't intended to abandon him; she had always cared for him. Li Shang gritted his teeth and asked, "How did Aunt die? Was it you? Did you kill her?" Li Shang gripped Jiang Yan's clothes tightly as he asked.

"Your aunt doesn't like me," Jiang Yan said helplessly. He had liked that passionate woman very much back then, but fate had other plans.

"You deserve to die! You killed my aunt and then slandered her!" Li Shang roared, his eyes bloodshot.

“It’s true. Your aunt doesn’t love me. Ever since she married me, she’s been depressed all the time. Her passionate and unrestrained farewell song is like a puppet, she’s always in tears. No matter how I try to cheer her up, she always has a numb expression.” Jiang Yan said sadly. In fact, he fell in love with her the first time he saw her.

Jiang Yan continued, "Li Ge only becomes somewhat lively when she mentions you. She says she feels sorry for two people, one is you, and the other is me. She says she clearly said she would not abandon you, but in the end she left you alone to suffer in the foreign land. She says she had someone in her heart but married me, and she felt sorry for my love for her. She feels very guilty for hurting me."

But, Li Ge, I loved you without regret. Since you've wronged me, could you love me first in the next life?

"Finally, Li Ge fell ill. She was very ill, so ill that she didn't recognize me anymore. She looked at me and cried. She called me Ji Mo'an, saying she loved him very much and missed him terribly. She kept crying whenever she saw me. Later, she was often in a daze, sometimes lucid, sometimes confused. When she was lucid, she would talk to me about you, about the Northwest. She said she wanted to go home. Although the Northwest was barren, it was her beloved hometown, where her loved ones and dearest relatives were. When she was confused, she was happy. She looked at me silently and said, 'Ji Mo'an, I had a nightmare. I dreamt that you were killed. But how could Ji Mo'an die?'"

Ji Mo'an will live forever in Li Ge's heart! As long as Li Ge lives, Ji Mo'an will live too.

Tears streamed down his face as he felt a deep sense of loss. He couldn't imagine how desperate and painful his aunt must have been at that moment.

"Later, one day, Li Ge was suddenly able to get up. She was so happy that she got up and cooked me a meal. She said that she was very grateful for my care and also felt guilty for not being able to reciprocate my feelings. That meal was the best meal I had ever eaten."

Although Li Ge couldn't distinguish between salt and sugar, Jiang Yan still thought it tasted delicious, sweet to the core, and bitter to the point that tears welled up in his eyes.

"The next morning, the servants told me that Li Ge was dying. I ran desperately to Li Ge's courtyard. Fortunately, I made it in time. I only heard Li Ge say intermittently, 'What should I do?' Her most trusted family killed the person she loved most. She said, 'Ji Mo'an, I've come to apologize to him.'" Jiang Yan remained silent, his eyes red. The scene of Li Ge dying in his arms was still vivid in his mind, and the thought of it pierced his heart.

Actually, he didn't tell Li Ge that he had seen her a long, long time ago. It was the first time he went to the Northwest with his father to do business. The flamboyant and unrestrained woman in red rode freely on horseback, and her image ran straight into his heart, and he could never forget her.