Kezhou, the residence of the Prince of Wei.

On the sandalwood throne with dragon and cloud patterns, a man in purple robes had his hair tied up with a jade hairpin. His face was as handsome as jade, and his brows exuded a captivating and majestic aura.

Heavy footsteps sounded outside. A subtle smile curved the man's lips as he said in a calm and unhurried tone, "Ji'an, you've finally come."

Fu Yuchi stood below the seat, chin slightly tucked in, cupped his hands in greeting, and replied, "Yuchi is unworthy of the title 'Ji,' Your Highness, please call me by my given name."

"Can't bear it?" Xi Yan suddenly stood up, his purple robe fluttering with his movements, and his steady voice suddenly rose, "If I say you can bear it, then you can bear it."

“Ji’an, assist me as your brother did.”

Xi Yan's pupils were amber-brown, adding a touch of devilish charm to his bewitching face.

In comparison, Fu Yuchi appeared more refined and handsome, as clean as a flawless piece of white jade, making one reluctant to defile him.

Fu Yuchi lowered his eyelids, his long, thick eyelashes casting a shadow above his cheekbone, and said without changing his expression, "But my brother did not have a good ending."

Xi Yan suddenly stretched out his hands, his fingertips completely embedded in his outer robe, almost pinching, and tightened his grip on Fu Yuchi's upper arm. "Ji An, believe me, I'm different from him. I'll avenge you!"

"Your Highness, Yu Chi wants to personally take action to avenge her family." Fu Yu Chi placed her hand on the back of Xi Yan's hand and used very subtle force to push away the hand that was gripping her.

Upon hearing this, Xi Yan calmed down considerably. He stepped back to his seat, his steps unsteady.

He was plunged into deep sorrow, and it seemed that seeing Fu Yuchi would bring back many memories.

"The late emperor was muddle-headed. Back then, the wicked concubine conspired with the empress dowager to trick the late emperor into ordering my mother and me to be demoted to Yingzhou."

Although Yingzhou is thousands of miles away from the capital, how could the Empress give up her position and let her talented son compete with her own son?

"The assassins from the capital chased me to Yingzhou. My mother took that blow for me and is gone." Xi Yan's eyes reddened. He was as fragile as a jade statue that was about to fall apart. If he were touched even slightly, he would be shattered into pieces.

Fu Yuchi would never forget that if the Fu family hadn't pleaded for the King of Wei back then, they wouldn't have met such a tragic end.

"Old Master Fu led Jimin to kneel outside Changning Gate for three days and three nights, forcing the late emperor to agree to send me to Kezhou, which incurred his hatred."

Fu Yuchi pursed his lips tightly, his chest aching dully. Every mention of the past was like torture for his heart. "It wasn't the prince's fault. Even without that incident, the fate of the Fu family would not have changed."

“If he believes in the Fu family, he will not destroy the Fu family. If he does not believe, anything can be used as a reason. Even if he misspells a word or mistakes a person, it is not surprising.”

Xi Yan's lips were bright red, and his face was flushed with anger as he was filled with rage. "Then I will beat him, beat him until his city falls and his family is destroyed, beat him until he willingly rolls off the throne and gives it to me! I want him and that slut to pay for my mother's life!"

Xi Yan always kept his word. Kezhou was the maternal home of his mother, Consort Guo. Consort Guo's brother, Guo Dingyuan, held 300,000 troops and guarded Kezhou, which was the lifeblood of the Shang Dynasty.

Therefore, back then, as long as Xi Yan returned to Kezhou, he would have been protected.

When Guo Dingyuan heard that his beloved younger sister had died in a palace conspiracy, he wrote a memorial to the emperor in blood to remonstrate. Unexpectedly, the late emperor turned his back on him and burned his memorial on the pretext of being seriously ill.

In a fit of anger, Guo Dingyuan's old injuries flared up, and he soon passed away. Before his death, he entrusted 300,000 of his personal troops to Xi Yan, instructing him to remember to avenge the Guo family.

With his 300,000-strong army, Xi Yan was beyond the reach of Xi Zheng, and the incompetent officials in the court who valued literature over military affairs also dared not do anything to him.

Last month, a small force of 50,000 men from the imperial court encountered Xi Yan's 30,000 troops and were both routed and fled.

"Right now, Xi Zheng can only hold back and rely on the group of bookworms he's raised to deal with me."

Thinking of this, Xi Yan's smile grew increasingly arrogant, and he said, "Ji An, now that I have you, I am even more powerful than a tiger with wings. I am not afraid of him!"

"Come on, let's drink!"

When Xi Yan saw Fu Yuchi, it was as if he had already won the battle. He always believed that whoever won the Fu family would win the world, because the Fu family was the embodiment of "benevolence".

He ordered wine to be served, as if he had expected Fu Yuchi to come today, and eagerly pulled him to sit down.

“Since Your Highness has already extended your reach to Yingzhou, why do you need me to come? In my opinion, Your Highness’s strategies alone are sufficient.” Fu Yuchi tilted his head back to drink, and when he released his grip, not a drop remained in the cup.

A strange light flashed in Xi Yan's eyes, but it was quickly concealed by a deep smile. "If I were truly capable, would you even know about this?"

"Since you have discovered the net I laid in Yingzhou, it means that I am inferior to you."

Fu Yuchi's fingertips traced the rim of the cup, and he pondered, "I dare not accept such praise. It's just that I've lived in Yingzhou for a long time, so naturally I've become more aware of things."

"Is it possible that Hu Tingzhi took the initiative to curry favor with Ji'an?" Xi Yan said.

Fu Yuchi smiled wistfully, "Your Highness, please don't blame him. He was just eager to succeed."

“Alright, then reward him next time.” Xi Yan also downed a cup. “However, I suspect that what moved you wasn’t the man surnamed Hu; he doesn’t have that ability.”

"Is it that girl?" Xi Yan's last sentence was extremely mysterious, with a hint of mockery.

Fu Yuchi's lips unconsciously curled up. Sure enough, when you like someone, even thinking about her brings joy. "Did your people say that?"

“Of course,” Xi Yan said smugly, like a child who had finally been discovered for doing a good deed. “He also told me that you think I am no different from Xi Zheng.”

"Then I shall have a good discussion with you. Xi Zheng's mother is vicious and cunning, while my mother is kind, virtuous, and well-known. How can I compare to her?"

Fu Yuchi was taken aback. He remembered that Guo had given him sugar figurines when he was young, and he couldn't help but feel regretful. "It can't compare."

"Speaking of which, I'd like to ask you, what kind of girl is she? I've asked you to come out of seclusion several times before, but you refused. Yet that girl managed to change your mind. She's quite something."

Fu Yu was speechless for a moment; Xi Yan's question had indeed stumped him.

"She was an ordinary girl, no different from any other woman, with two eyes, a nose, and a mouth."

"I just know how to cook a little."

Upon hearing this, Xi Yan slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed excitedly, "Good! Ji'an, so you're a glutton! How come I never noticed how much you loved to eat when you were little? Wait, Mother always brought you sugar figurines, and I thought it was because Mother was biased. Now that I think about it, you must have asked Mother for them!"