*

Three days later, the Liang Kingdom's envoys left the capital. Nan Qing did not personally see them off, nor did Pei Linmo come to say goodbye. Instead, he sent people to deliver the dozen or so carts of antiques and treasures he had brought to the Crown Princess's residence.

Looking at the courtyard full of mahogany chests and boxes, Nan Qing couldn't help but chuckle. Could it be that this person has emptied out his Regent's Palace?

Su Jing, who personally led the team to deliver the gifts, opened the sandalwood box in his hand, held it with both hands, and respectfully presented it.

“Your Highness, by order of my lord, I present these humble gifts to you.”

Nan Qing lowered her eyes and looked at the box in his hand, inside which was a set of exquisitely preserved gilded kingfisher feather headdresses.

The most eye-catching piece is a filigree gold crown, woven with fine, silky gold threads into layered cloud patterns, adorned with soft jade, each piece shimmering with varying shades of iridescence.

Su Jing timely explained to his tongue-tied prince, "Your Highness, this set of jewelry was part of your prince's mother's dowry..."

He left it at that, saying nothing more, but Nanqing understood his meaning and asked:

"Did your prince leave any message?"

Su Jing paused, inwardly complaining about his own prince, but could only truthfully reply, "No."

"Um."

"Alright."

Nan Qing wasn't surprised by this. In this life, his personality was just like that—a bit awkward and not talkative, but in her eyes, he was quite adorable.

After delivering the gifts, Su Jing rode at full speed and finally caught up with the delegation before sunset. He then told his prince everything in detail, including what Nan Qing had said, his reactions, and his expressions at the time.

Upon returning to Liang, Pei Linmo, without even changing his clothes, immediately summoned his confidants and held a discussion in his study that lasted all night.

As dawn broke, Su Jing stood outside the study and knocked on the door.

"Your Highness, it's time for court."

There was a moment of silence in the room, followed by Pei Linmo's deep voice: "Make the arrangements as I said."

The door opened, and the strategists and generals filed out, each with a solemn expression but a firm gaze.

Pei Linmo strode towards his bedroom, and in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he changed into his court robes and appeared in front of the mansion gate.

His dark court robe was embroidered with python patterns in gold thread, and a jade belt with a jade pendant hung from his waist. As he stepped into the carriage, his peripheral vision swept over the gold python patterns on his robe, and he suddenly remembered the vermilion python robe that Nan Qing was wearing.

At this hour, she should also be wearing a python robe, preparing to attend court, right?

But in an instant, he regained his composure, leaned against the car wall, and closed his eyes to rest.

Three years is enough time.

In the Golden Palace, the five-year-old emperor sat obediently on the dragon throne, his little hands placed neatly on his knees, but his face was blank, and he did not understand what the ministers in the hall were arguing about.

Beneath the white jade steps stood a large black and gold chair, upon which Pei Linmo sat upright.

Pei Linmo paid no attention to the disputes among the civil officials. Only when the voices faded did he slowly raise his eyelids and lightly tap the armrest with his fingertips.

"Da, da,"

The sound was not loud, but it was enough to silence all the courtiers in the hall instantly.

"Three orders."

"Firstly, an army of 300,000 will set out immediately to suppress the Northern Barbarians."

"Secondly, the trade routes and key passes in the northwest were blocked, and not a single grain of rice was allowed to flow to Western Chu and Northern Di."

Thirdly, he ordered the navy to wage war against Japan.

As the last word was spoken, apart from those who already knew about the matter, all the other court officials showed expressions of shock. If these three orders were carried out, it would be tantamount to waging war against three kingdoms at the same time!

Liu Chong, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward first, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. Holding his jade tablet, he said in a trembling voice:

"Your Highness, with the western trade routes severed, border trade has been completely destroyed, and the national treasury's annual revenue has plummeted. I'm afraid..."

"Does Lord Liu think that our Liang Kingdom's treasury is short of silver?" Pei Linmo's gaze was icy, and his tone was indifferent.

Liu Chong choked, and before he could argue further, Chen Su, the Vice Minister of War, stepped forward hastily:

"Your Highness, such a large-scale troop mobilization is probably not easy."

"Does Lord Chen think that I cannot mobilize the troops?"

Chen Su turned to look at the Minister of War, only to find him standing motionless, eyes downcast and seemingly lost in thought. Chen Su's face paled, and he quickly fell silent and withdrew.

With a million-strong army in Liang, all military power rested with the regent. How could they not mobilize their troops?

Nowadays, all the military generals of Liang, whether they are border generals, commanders of the Jin army, or even commanders of the Imperial Guards, are trusted confidants personally promoted by Pei Linmo.

Even if some harbored ulterior motives, no one dared to openly question his military orders in the imperial court.

As for the civil officials, a group of them were also purged three years ago. The newly appointed Minister of Revenue hanged himself, most of the censors in the Censorate were exiled along with their entire families, and nearly half of the officials in the Six Ministries were dismissed. Those were the same officials who had falsely accused the Pei family of treason.

As for the royal family, first Emperor Liang died suddenly, then the crown prince was assassinated, and other members of the royal family also suffered misfortunes one after another, and the bloodline of the Liang royal family was almost cut off.

After that upheaval, everyone thought that Pei Linmo would overthrow the Liang royal family, don the yellow robe, and ascend the throne as emperor. Who knew that he would actually bring out a four-year-old child from the cold palace, support him to ascend the throne, and himself would take the position of regent.

Some say he was just seeking fame and fortune, putting on an act; others say he was afraid of public opinion and postponed his ascension to the throne; still others speculate that he kept the young emperor around only to legitimately eliminate his rivals and then seize the throne when the time was right.

However, in any case, Pei Linmo is now truly in charge of the Liang Kingdom.

The young emperor was nothing but a puppet; the one who truly sat on the dragon throne in the court was the regent, standing beneath the imperial steps in black robes.

While all the officials dared not utter a sound, the veteran minister Zhang Huaijin slowly stepped forward and said in a deep voice:

"Your Highness, waging war on three fronts is a waste of manpower and resources. What have the people done to deserve this? We urge you to reconsider!"

Pei Linmo still held some respect for this old minister who had spoken a few words on behalf of the Pei family. He looked directly at Zhang Huaijin, but the smile didn't reach his eyes:

"I am very pleased that Grand Secretary Zhang is concerned about the country and its people, but..."

"The Northern Barbarians repeatedly invade our borders, the Western Chu secretly garrison troops, and pirates from the Eastern Seas wreak havoc along the coast."

"Do you all think we should wait until they come knocking on our door before kneeling and begging for mercy?"

The voice was not loud, but it was deafening, and the entire court fell silent; no one spoke again.

After speaking, Pei Linmo slowly stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and glanced at the court officials with a cold look in his eyes.

The young emperor on the dragon throne was somewhat frightened by the sudden atmosphere. He clenched his dragon robe tightly and shifted uncomfortably.

Pei Linmo seemed to sense something, raised his eyes to look at the high dragon throne, his gaze falling on the young emperor, his expression softening slightly, and he said in a gentle tone:

Does Your Majesty have any objections?

The young emperor shook his head blankly and said in a childish voice, "It's fine if the Regent decides."

Pei Linmo nodded in satisfaction, then turned around and glanced at the assembled officials.

"Gentlemen, do you have any further objections?"

The hall was deathly silent; even breathing was barely audible.

And so, the decision to declare war on three countries simultaneously was settled in this eerie silence.