Bypass the dog emperor and get HE first?

As soon as these words were spoken, the air pressure in the tent suddenly dropped by three points.

Ren Xuan's eyes narrowed, but his expression remained unchanged. He continued with his flawless polite words, "I don't understand what you mean, Lord. Your Highness, Prince Xiang, was taken away by your nephew at the Zhengde Gate."

Lu Xingchuan's eyes narrowed slightly: "Or, I'll let you be the King of the South."

As soon as these words were spoken, Yue Anshan was so shocked that he almost choked, and could not help but glance sideways at Ren Xuan.

Ren Xuan raised his eyebrows. This price was...absolutely amazing.

Ren Xuan remained calm, "Traitor and slayer of the lord, this Nan Mansion has been carrying the infamy for a hundred years... I don't want to bear that."

Lu Xingchuan raised the corner of his mouth with a half-smile: "Loyalty has its price, doesn't it?"

Ren Xuan suddenly raised his eyes, and for a moment his gaze was as cold as a sword: "How did the Marquis know this?"

Lu Xingchuan did not shy away, "The general is not on guard at the Lu family. Minister Lu knows everything the general says and does."

Ren Xuan's heart trembled. Okay... Lu Jie has surrendered to Lu Xingchuan.

Seeing that Ren Xuan seemed to be really considering Lu Xingchuan's conditions, Yue Anshan was furious and almost flipped the table: "Old Ren! What the hell are you hesitating about?!"

Ren Xuan rolled his eyes in his heart - nonsense, wife and boss, I can still hesitate for a moment, I am already giving enough face to the dog emperor.

He thought calmly for a second - bypassing the dog emperor and getting his first? Is there such a good thing?

Ren Xuan sneered, appearing unusually sober.

Oh, there is no such good thing.

Ren Xuan glanced at Lu Xingchuan, and suddenly changed his expression to a respectful one: "Since the Marquis has said so, how dare I not appreciate your kindness. If there is any further news about Qin Shu's whereabouts, I will report it to the Marquis immediately."

His words were flawless and his attitude could be described as "loyal".

Lu Xingchuan's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at him for a while, as if trying to judge whether he was real or fake.

In the end, he just said calmly: "It's not that I don't trust the general. It's just that the emperor has ordered that Lu search the camp."

Ren Xuan's forehead twitched.

Damn, you can't fool me at all.

Ren Xuan held his sword in place and spoke calmly, "My Lord, don't you believe me?"

Lu Xingchuan narrowed his eyes slightly, with a chill in his eyes.

The feathered cavalry in the tent tightened their formation, and their aura suddenly rose, as if they were just waiting for Lu Xingchuan's order to start the rain of blood and swords.

At this moment, a feathered rider walked in quickly. He was in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to kneel. He went straight to Lu Xingchuan's ear and whispered a few words in reply.

Lu Xingchuan, who was supposed to take over the conversation, suddenly paused and his brows furrowed.

Lu Xingchuan's face completely sank, and his originally calm expression became even colder and harder under the light.

After a moment, he uttered a word, his voice so low that it seemed to crush something:

"—When did you change it?"

Ren Xuan was stunned, not understanding: "...what?"

Lu Xingchuan stared at him: "Destiny letter."

Ren Xuan's brain short-circuited for a moment.

...??? Holy crap, Lu Xingchuan knows all this?! Yue Anshan, has your camp been infiltrated like a sieve?!

Ren Xuan quickly went over in his mind all the people who had entered and left the military tent, while trying to recall if he had accidentally said anything.

The next second, he realized something was wrong.

There was no one else in the tent just now. No one mentioned the fate letter at all.

Ren Xuan's eyes suddenly darkened and his heart skipped a beat.

Lu Xingchuan was not asking about what happened just now. He was afraid that Lu Xiyun had said some nonsense in Shengde Temple in order to persuade the queen.

Ren Xuan's mind raced, and he pretended to test the waters, "...I've only heard about their exchange of destiny letters, but I don't know the details."

The tone was just right, neither admitting nor denying, and also partially removing himself from the issue.

After saying this, he looked at Lu Xingchuan again.

Lu Xingchuan's face was so dark that ink seemed to drip out of it, and veins on his forehead were faintly visible. Even Yuqi, who was usually as calm as a mountain, didn't dare to say a word.

Ren Xuan understood instantly from this reaction: Lu Xiyun had deceived the Queen in Shengde Temple, and Lu Xiyun said that he and Qin Shu had exchanged fate notes.

The queen believed it, so she sent someone to ask Lu Xingchuan to stop.

Tsk, this move... is quite cruel.

Ren Xuan cursed in his heart, but he had to admire Lu Xiyun's usual courage to think and act.

A single sentence tied Qin Shu and himself together.

Now, not only can Lu Xingchuan not kill Qin Shu, he also has to protect the dog emperor.

Tsk, a doctor delivered to your door. Ren Xuan took advantage of the situation and pressed the issue further: "Lord Lu, His Highness... was injured in the battle with the aliens just now."

His tone was sincere, and his face was a little worried. "You are well versed in medicine, I wonder-"

Before he could finish his words, Lu Xingchuan's face had turned so dark that blood seemed to be dripping out, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing as if they would explode at any moment.

Ren Xuan remained undeterred, and said sincerely, "I've finally found my savior," "At this critical moment, I still have to rely on you, Lord."

···

When Qin Shu woke up, his mind was still a little confused. He frowned subconsciously and wanted to raise his hand, but found that someone was holding his wrist.

The force was not strong, the joints were distinct, and there was a hint of habitual coldness.

Qin Shu turned his head slightly, and the next moment, he was stunned.

Lu Xingchuan was sitting beside the bed - taking the patient's pulse.

Qin Shu's mind went blank for three seconds before he came to the conclusion that he might not be awake yet.

He instinctively closed his eyes, then opened them again—

It’s still Lu Xingchuan.

Qin Shu: …???

Just as he was thinking, "This dream is a little bit real," Lu Xingchuan slowly spoke, his voice as low as a storm approaching:

"If you dare to act like this again and not take your life seriously—"

Lu Xingchuan paused, as if trying to control his tone, not to make the gnashing of teeth too obvious:

"I don't mind you spending the rest of your life in jail."

Qin Shu lying on the bed had no expression on his face, but Ren Xuan could tell that the dog emperor was a little confused.

Ren Xuan delivered the message inconspicuously: "Your Highness, Lord Lu is right. You can't just act recklessly just because the prince exchanged your life certificate with you."

As soon as these words were spoken, Qin Shu's eyebrows moved slightly, and he lowered his brows and eyes, as if he was checking the Qi in his body.

After a while, Qin Shu slowly raised his eyes. His eyes, which had always been as calm as the deep sea, now had a hint of undisguised playful smile towards Lu Xingchuan.

Ren Xuan was so angry that he covered his face. "You dog emperor, be more reserved! You can't even suppress your grumble!"

In Lu Xingchuan's eyes, this was a naked provocation! !

Lu Xingchuan was so cold that even the air froze for a moment.

He stared at Qin Shu intently, with thunder and lightning in his heart - if I could kill this guy, I would definitely kill him!

Execute the Fa now, on the spot, right here and right now!

Ren Xuan, who was standing aside, took a deep breath. He suddenly thought: In two days, when the dog emperor knows that the fate note has nothing to do with Master Lu, he will definitely have another wave of emotional outburst.

And he, Ren Xuan... was the fish lying at the edge of the city gate, ready to be caught in the disaster at any moment...

Damn it, if I had known this job would be so thankless.

And at least, at this moment, the Dog Emperor is in a surprisingly good mood.

Even under Lu Xingchuan's gaze that seemed to strangle him to death, Qin Shu still managed to smile with an elegant look.

He tilted his head slightly and looked at Lu Xingchuan. His smile was neither hidden nor evasive, and his eyes narrowed with a hint of playfulness: "Lord Lu, I am flattered that you care so much about me. However, you can't just care about me."

He spoke slowly and methodically, "You are in charge of the capital, and this defense is far more important than mine."

Qin Shu continued slowly, "As expected, nearly ten thousand high-ranking warriors have crossed the four major citadels and are heading towards the imperial city."

Lu Xingchuan's expression changed immediately: "Ten thousand people, crossing four cities silently, is absolutely impossible."

Qin Shu casually stretched out his hand: "Ren Xuan, give me the knife."

Ren Xuan sighed inwardly, but still handed over the sword honestly.

Qin Shu took it, lowered his head and stuck something on the knife: "Go outside the tent."

Ren Xuan looked at him suspiciously, but nodded and did as he was told.

Stepping out of the tent, Ren Xuan saw a pale golden rune appear before his eyes.

Ren Xuan injected Qi into it.

The next moment, Ren Xuan found himself in the military tent again.

Qin Shu tossed the knife back to him and casually tore off the dull craftsman's talisman: "The Shadow Chasing Talisman, there are similar traces of it on the alien weapon."

Qin Shu explained calmly, "I've tried it. Fifty meters is my limit. To cross the four cities, it will take at least several hundred meters. In other words, this group of people can at least withstand the backlash of the pursuit shadow over a distance of more than a hundred meters."

Lu Xingchuan was silent for a moment. Born in the border areas, he certainly knew what it meant to be able to withstand the backlash of a shadow chaser over a hundred meters away - these more than ten thousand alien races were all high-ranking warriors.

His eyes narrowed slightly: "Now that things have come to this, Your Highness, how do you plan to deal with it?"

Qin Shu raised his eyes and said calmly, "Call Qin Xuan over."

Ren Xuan immediately frowned, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Han may not be willing to leave the Imperial City. Now that all forces are watching him, I'm afraid Qin Xuan will not act rashly."

Qin Shu just smiled faintly: "Brothers are fighting against each other, and defending against the outside will only make them regret it. The foreign tribes have come to attack, I will not fight with them."

He paused, then spoke with an almost certain tone, "Qin Xuan understands this principle."

···

Qin Xuan really lived up to Qin Shu's expectations. He actually condescended to come to the military tent outside the imperial city in person.

Qin Xuan looked around, frowning slightly: "Third Brother, can't we go into the Imperial City to discuss such a serious matter?"

Qin Shu raised his eyebrows: "Your Majesty, you are joking. It's not like I want to stay here. Or do you want to issue an order on behalf of our father to pardon me?"

Qin Xuan's expression changed slightly: "Tsk, let's talk about defending against the enemy."

Qin Shu raised his eyebrows: "Has the Minister of War arrived?"

Qin Xuan nodded: "Wait outside."

Qin Shu asked again, "Where is the City Defense Department?"

Qin Xuan: "Here we are too."

Important officials from the court poured into this small military tent one after another. The Ministry of War, the City Defense Bureau, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Personnel were all present, and it was a bit crowded for a while.

Ren Xuan stood aside and watched this scene, feeling it was a bit absurd: these two princes actually called half of the court here and sat in their military tent to dispatch generals and mobilize troops.

Qin Xuan spoke calmly, but his eyes were fixed on Qin Shu: "Third Brother, the alien race has just appeared, and you are able to gather so many troops. Are you trying to fend off the invaders, or are you——"

Qin Shu chuckled: "The Imperial City's Yulin, Longxiong, Yanshan, Changling, and Four Guards are all in my brother's hands. What are you afraid of?"

Qin Xuan's eyes darkened slightly, and he said in a gloomy tone, "I'm afraid you'll rebel against me."

Qin Xuan smiled: "It's only a matter of time, isn't it?"

He paused, and said calmly, "Third Brother, it's not me who wants to be the crown prince, it's my father who insists on me being the crown prince."

It's not that I want to be the emperor, they force me to be the emperor.

Qin Xuan simply stated: "If you don't take what God gives you, you will suffer the consequences. Since I have taken this position, there must be no place for you in the court."

He changed the subject, "But I don't want to see you in battle in the Imperial City. After this, take your people and leave the Imperial City. I won't make it difficult for you."

Qin Shu laughed: "Is my royal brother suddenly so easy to talk to?"

Qin Xuan shook his head and sighed softly, "I've always been so easy to talk to, but you just never believed me."

He stood up and looked around at the crowd: "My lords, the foreign tribes are threatening us, and the royal city is in danger. This is not the time for us to fight among ourselves. His Royal Highness Prince Xiang is willing to help. All previous events will be wiped out. As the crown prince, I guarantee this."

All the officials bowed in response, and no one dared to raise any objections.

Qin Shu stood up and said calmly, "Thank you very much, my Royal Brother."

Qin Xuan just smiled and said, "If you really want to thank me, don't chase me down and kill me in the future."