The carriage moved slowly through Jinling City.

Today is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the weather is sunny. The people in Jinling City seem to have better incomes this year. The streets and alleys are crowded with people and traffic.

Fu Xiaoguan did not lift the curtain to take a look. He just listened to the noisy voices outside the carriage. His face was calm and his heart was also calm.

He did not relax his guard against Emperor Xuan at all. He listened to Empress Shang's earnest words but did not reveal any of his plans.

As Empress Shang said, rather than facing the imminent rise of the Wu Dynasty, it would be better to kill the Wu Dynasty's hopes now, even if it means launching a major war.

During this year, the Yu Dynasty had stockpiled a lot of food and fodder because of the 180 million taels of silver it received as compensation from the Yi Kingdom. The four major border armies now had sufficient manpower, and the Yu Dynasty was able to fight against the Wu Dynasty.

But the future is different.

If Fu Xiaoguan became the emperor of the Wu Dynasty, the development of the Wu Dynasty would surely be rapid.

Whether it is economic or military!

In the foreseeable future, the Yu Dynasty will completely lose the ability to fight against the Wu Dynasty.

In this case, it is naturally more in the interests of the Yu Dynasty to solve this problem now.

Fu Xiaoguan smiled, is this just shooting oneself in the foot?

Do you regret it?

He has no regrets.

This is a game of chess. Ever since his last night talk with Yan Beixi, he has changed his mindset - to use the ideas of this world to solve the problems of this world!

The game of chess has just begun, but the move made now is crucial, as it directly affects the future course of the game.

If Emperor Xuan really agreed to this... Fu Xiaoguan smiled, but there was a hint of coldness in the smile.

"Yu Wendao...I'm afraid I won't be able to let you down as your brother-in-law when the time comes!"

As Fu Xiaoguan was thinking this, he suddenly opened the front curtain and said to Xu Xinyan, "Let's go to the Prime Minister's residence."

"Oh well."

…

…

Prime Minister Yan was humming a little tune while hoeing the ground in his yard!

The snow-covered field had now been turned over by him. The white snow was buried underground, revealing the dark black.

Fu Xiaoguan stood behind Yan Xiang and had no intention of helping.

"So... after you retire, you plan to farm?"

Yan Beixi straightened his back and a smile appeared on his old face.

He turned around and looked at Fu Xiaoguan while holding the hoe. "I am... eighty years old! How shameful it would be to wait for His Majesty to order me to abdicate? Why not leave? This kind of land is also very good."

"Give way to Qin Huizhi?"

Yan Beixi narrowed his eyes slightly, "You are quite well-informed. Let's go and have a cup of tea..." After saying this, he instructed the housekeeper standing beside him, "Ask the kitchen to prepare a few more exquisite side dishes and send them to my study."

He walked out of the field carrying a hoe, rubbed the mud on the soles of his shoes on a stone nearby, put down the hoe and went to a corner of the yard to wash his hands. Then he took Fu Xiaoguan and Xu Xinyan to his study.

"Your Majesty?"

"Hmm..." Fu Xiaoguan lit the teapot and started brewing tea. "There was no conflict."

"Do you really want to destroy the Desolate Country?"

"Um."

"This is not a good idea. Keeping the Desolate Country will at least be able to contain the Yu Dynasty."

Fu Xiaoguan remained noncommittal. "As a son-in-law, I must do something for the Yu Dynasty before I leave."

Yan Beixi grinned, "You're a very competent son-in-law... When are you leaving?"

"Xiaolou and the others will leave next September. I came to see you to tell you that you, and everyone in the Yan Mansion, will leave with them."

Yan Beixi was silent for a moment, "What about you?"

"Of course I have to stay. Only if I stay can you leave safely. Only if you leave safely can I have the chance to leave."

"You actually said the opposite."

Yan Beixi looked at Fu Xiaoguan and said carefully, "Whether it's the Yu Dynasty or the Wu Dynasty, what matters to them is you! If you can reach the Wu Dynasty safely, then the Yu Dynasty will lose the opportunity to deal with you. There's no need for them to take action against us, who are insignificant people. They might even send someone to send us to the Wu Dynasty."

Fu Xiaoguan understood this principle, but this was not the way to play the game.

"I have to go to the deserted country, so you have to go first."

Hearing this, Yan Beixi's expression suddenly shifted. He frowned, "You said you were going to the Desolate Country? To personally lead the troops and fight a battle?"

Fu Xiaoguan chuckled, "After all, personally taking the territory of the Desolate Nation and presenting it to Your Majesty would appear more sincere, wouldn't it?"

Yan Beixi didn't say anything. He looked at Fu Xiaoguan and thought a lot.

What on earth does this kid want to do?

If Yan Beixi said that Fu Xiaoguan was shooting without purpose, he would never believe it even if he was beaten to death.

With this kid's intelligence, there must be a deep meaning behind his decision, but Yan Beixi still couldn't figure it out after thinking about it for half a cup of tea.

Yan Beixi thought of the same possibility as the Monk Queen. "He's just a bunch of idiots... Peng Chengwu is your Majesty's minister. He also has a flintlock rifle. If he takes down your Divine Sword First Army, what will you do? Oh, no, if you die in battle on the territory of the Desolate Kingdom, what will happen to the Wu Dynasty? What will we do?"

Fu Xiaoguan poured tea for Yan Beixi, still smiling, "I can't die."

"A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. If there is a better solution, why not take it?"

"I really want to fight in person... You know I'll be crowned emperor if I go to the Wu Dynasty. How will I ever have the chance to personally fight in the battlefield?"

"absurd!"

"Don't be angry. Please follow my instructions on this matter."

Yan Beixi took a deep breath. "I am really old now. I don't know when I will pass away. As the leaves fall back to their roots... After all, the Yu Dynasty is my roots. So I will not go to the Wu Dynasty. As for them, I will tell them and let them make their own choice."

Fu Xiaoguan did not try to persuade or force anyone to do so. It is human nature to be reluctant to leave one's hometown.

He had thought about this a long time ago. It would be best if they could leave, but if they didn't want to leave... he would tie them up and take them away. In short, all those who were close to him must leave!

Fu Xiaoguan didn't talk about this matter anymore, but asked, "Where did Yan Xiwen go?"

"They said a few classmates came back, and I'm afraid they went to the Sifanglou for a drink... You demolished the slums in Jinling City, and it hasn't been rebuilt yet. We have to leave next September. And all your properties in Xishan... you don't want them anymore?"

Yan Beixi asked this question because he felt that Fu Xiaoguan's decision to leave was too hasty, which meant that the rift between him and His Majesty was getting bigger and bigger, and the danger Fu Xiaoguan faced might also be getting bigger and bigger.

Fu Xiaoguan didn't care, "He is my father-in-law after all, so why not give it to him?"

Is it really such a simple reason?

Yan Beixi looked at Fu Xiaoguan suspiciously, not believing it at all.