December 29, the ninth year of the Xuanli calendar, at the time of Chen.

The sky was terribly gloomy, with light grey clouds covering the sky above Jinling City, yet there was no wind, as if the place was sealed off.

Qinhuai River.

Yan Liangze looked at the calm lake water that seemed a little dark, and his eyes slowly narrowed.

Now, four days have passed since that night. There is no longer any red sleeves waving on the Qinhuai River, but Bian Ronger's body is still in the inn.

She had been burned beyond recognition, and her identity could only be identified by the bracelet she wore on her wrist.

Many people died that night, but the only person who survived was the one who deserved to die the most!

I think Tong Yan also died in this assassination.

Could it be that he is really a person protected by God as the people of Shangjing say?

Yan Liangze increasingly felt that this was God's will. Otherwise, why did he always remain safe and sound after encountering life-threatening situations five times?

Last night, I received a secret decree from my father. It was very simple, consisting of just one sentence: "I am... extremely disappointed!"

This was like a heavy hammer hitting his chest, and it was followed by a secret report that the Eastern Frontier Army had regrouped and had a full 400 red cannons.

Today, there are a full one hundred red cannons placed on the top of Daqiu City!

Yu Wentian dispatched 100,000 soldiers, and in this icy and snowy land, they advanced these 300 red cannons towards Jinyang Pass, the next important town of the Yi Kingdom.

Yan Liangze took a deep breath. If the Yu army captured Jinyang Pass and crossed Jinyang Mountain, behind it would be an endless plain stretching as far as the eye could see, and the largest granary of the Yi State - Wofengyuan!

At this point, the Yi Kingdom has lost almost 30% of its territory. No wonder my father is worried!

This damn Fu Xiaoguan, he accepted the gold and the silver, but still hasn't mentioned a word about the negotiations!

At this point, Yan Liangze already understood that Fu Xiaoguan was playing tricks on him, but he had no way to stop it.

His Majesty the Yu Dynasty refused to see him, and now even the officials of the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple no longer saw him. They just threw a message to him that the negotiation matter should be based on the instructions of the humble official.

What this means is that this so-called petty official can talk about it whenever he remembers to.

Could it be that his intention was to tie himself down here, but let the eastern border troops continue to advance eastward to occupy Wofengyuan?

He sighed. This kid was ambitious, but the Red Feather Legion that the Yi Kingdom once prided itself on was powerless in front of hundreds of red cannons.

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve.

Looking back, at that time I was in the warm room of the East Palace, accepting tribute from my trusted ministers.

But now, I am drinking the cold wind by the Qinhuai River!

All this is thanks to Fu Xiaoguan!

Yan Liangze's gaze was as sharp as a knife. When I return to the country, I will ask His Majesty to revitalize the army and fight back!

Not only do we have to recover the lost territories, but we also have to invade the Yu Dynasty and make Fu Xiaoguan bring his head to me!

If the emperor father doesn't agree... then I will have to do something!

…

…

Just when Yan Liangze began to plan his revenge, Fu Xiaoguan was sitting in Taoranting.

Sitting opposite him was Eunuch Jia, and in his hand was a secret report that Eunuch Jia had just delivered.

After reading the secret report, he frowned slightly and looked at the low, gray sky. "It looks like it might snow heavily."

"That's right. I wonder if it snowed in Guanyun City today."

Fu Xiaoguan withdrew his gaze and looked at Eunuch Jia, his brows still crossed by worry. "Zhou Tongtong... facing the encirclement and suppression of 10,000 Blood Robe Guards, can he survive?"

"Your Highness, there's no need to worry. Zhou Tongtong is a rat. He's been in charge of the Tianji Pavilion for decades, and no one knows how many holes he's dug in this world. Moreover, he's in the Wu Dynasty, like a fish in water. There's no way the Blood Robe Guards can catch him."

"But he has to go to Guanyun City after all. If I were that old witch, I would just have to prepare a mousetrap in Guanyun City and wait for him to jump in."

Eunuch Jia pondered for a moment and then smiled, "Since the old witch has ascended the throne and claimed to be emperor, and has held important officials hostage, it seems she has control over everything, but in reality, she has no control over anything. Don't underestimate those two old foxes, Zhuo Yixing and Nangong Yiyu. Although they have been dismissed from their positions as prime ministers, they have been deeply involved in the Wu Dynasty for decades and have countless followers.

In addition, the old witch's throne was not obtained legitimately, so their followers will still follow their lead.

According to this old servant, the old witch asked the Minister of War to transfer the northern garrison troops out of the Qishan Corridor. Only the Ministry of Revenue knows about the food and fodder issue. Now, this delaying tactic must have been the work of Nangong Yiyu.

Fu Xiaoguan lowered his head and thought for a moment, "But dragging this out isn't a solution after all."

"I think this is the best way."

"How do you say that?"

"As long as Zhou Tongtong brings... Senior Official Fu into Guanyun City, the old witch will have no intention of raising an army. Her most pressing task now is to seize power, which requires replacing nearly all of her key officials. This is no simple task and will take up a considerable amount of her time.

As for Fu Daguan, he is the elder brother of the late emperor and has legitimate royal blood. Zhou Tongtong has already spread the news that Fu Daguan personally went to Guanyun City, in order to prevent the old witch from successfully replacing the court officials.

Eunuch Jia paused and continued, "The Wu Dynasty is ruled by the Wu family. Whether it's the common people or officials at all levels, their loyalty is to the Wu bloodline. The old witch is nothing to you. Therefore, I believe that the old witch's actions are out of helplessness. If she acts hastily, she will definitely fail."

Fu Xiaoguan nodded in agreement, but was a little worried about the fat man's safety.

As for the affair between him and Wu Ling'er mentioned in this intelligence, fuck you!

This must be a deliberate frame-up by the old witch, using this as an excuse to get into that position.

But what happened to Wu Ling'er now?

If she could stand up, she would still be the Empress of the Wu Dynasty, because the old witch did not have the imperial seal in her hand either.

"The ant colony must pay special attention to news from three directions."

"Your Highness, please speak."

"First, I need to know the movements of the Yu Dynasty's western border troops in a timely manner."

"Secondly, since the King of the Desolate Kingdom, Tuoba Feng, has now unified the forces of the Eight Banners and assembled an army of 400,000, his intentions are self-evident. I want to know the Desolate Kingdom's plans and the movements of the Desolate Kingdom's army."

"Third... it would be best if the Wu Dynasty's northern garrison troops could not march out of Qishan. However, if the situation turns unfavorable, their march out of Qishan must be delayed until late January of next year."

Eunuch Jia stood up and bowed, "I understand. With that, I will take my leave."

He walked out, actually holding a secret report in his hand. He did not give this secret report to Fu Xiaoguan because this secret report said...it was confirmed that Her Majesty the Queen was nearly seven months pregnant.