"Wow, so many?"

"Did you bring a bag, husband?"

"We should at least get a bag of them to take home."

Li Qishang shook his head. How could he have known that a mermaid would have so many pearls!

Xiao Tuantuan didn't hesitate and simply had Li Qishang take off his coat, then wrapped a large lump in it.

It looks strange. She originally wanted to directly install a spatial dimension, but she didn't want to be so cruel. If she installed a spatial dimension, everything could be swept away.

So it's best to be practical and just order one pack.

The arrangements had already been made, so Xiao Tuantuan and the other two didn't linger and hurried back.

Mu Yikui continued to steer the sedan chair, taking the three to the shore, then waved goodbye and watched them leave.

Xiao Tuantuan looked at Li Jingyu, who was still standing there in a daze, waving at the sea, and coughed lightly, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Hey, Jingyu, we can't even see him anymore, shouldn't we go?"

Li Jingyu's ears turned red, and he lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly, saying, "Yes, Auntie is right."

So without looking up, he walked towards the military camp, with the two behind him.

He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "Alas, another pair of devoted lovers have been added to this world!"

----

Military camp.

When the three returned, they noticed a significant increase in the number of soldiers in the camp. What had happened?

The three of them walked quickly toward the main camp, but as soon as they reached the entrance, they heard voices coming from inside.

"What are you saying? Your Highness, the Prince and Princess have gone out and haven't returned yet."

"Aren't you going to send someone to look for them?" The voice came from Li Qiji.

This made Li Qishang glance at Xiao Tuantuan. He was surprised. Why had his elder brother arrived? How long had it been? Why hadn't he received any news?

"Brother, is that you? Brother, I've come~~~"

Li Qishang pushed open the door and went inside.

really!

That man in bright yellow clothes, isn't that his elder brother, the current emperor?

"Brother, it really is you! What brings you here?"

Before Li Qiji could speak, the others around him began to chime in.

"Uncle, we've arrived too."

Only then did Li Qishang notice that there were other people in the room, and he immediately raised his hand to greet them.

Li Jingyu also walked in from outside, and as soon as he appeared, everyone stared at him.

Guan Zhiyue stood up from her seat and quickly walked a few steps to him.

"Jingyu, you've gotten darker and thinner."

Li Jingyu looked at his mother, who was holding his hand, and a big smile spread across his face.

Then he said, "Your subject pays respects to the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and your two maternal uncles."

"Mother, I have become stronger and more robust. I am not thin; my body has become stronger."

"Eldest brother."

"Third brother, fifth brother, second brother, ninth brother, how are you all?" Li Jingyu looked over and called out to everyone in the room.

Looking at his eldest son, Li Qiji realized he was starting to look more and more like him back then, and that he was truly getting old.

Even the cheeks and corners of the eyes of Rosamund Kwan have developed fine wrinkles.

His temples were even showing signs of graying.

"Father, your unfilial son has caused the loss of the people and soldiers of Guantao County."

"The pirates and mermaids have fallen into their hands; I beg Father Emperor to punish them." Li Jingyu immediately knelt before him, prostrating himself on the ground.

Looking at his child kneeling on the ground, Li Qiji felt a mix of reluctance and heartache.

But as a monarch, as the ruler and leader of a country.

He must set an example in order to stabilize morale and gain the respect of the troops.

"Father, my eldest brother is also a child! This is his first time on the battlefield. Father's mistake this time..."

"Please don't punish them!" Led by the Second Prince, the other princes all knelt on the ground, pleading for their eldest brother.

Guan Zhiyue also reached out and tugged at Li Qiji's clothes, but Li Qiji shook his head slightly at her.

"Father, Jingyu is still injured. If you insist on punishing him, then let Chang Le take the blame."

"Father, please spare Jingyu this once." Chang Le, her eyes red, knelt down beside him and said softly.

Li Qiji raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose before saying, "A ruler must take responsibility for his actions."

Since Jingyu will be the King of Nanding in the future, he must accept the punishment for the mistakes he made today in order to win over the people.

"The military has its own rules and regulations; it's not a place to make exceptions for others."

"Li Jingyu, are you willing to accept the punishment?"

Li Qiji posed this question to Li Jingyu himself.

Li Jingyu knelt on the ground, his back straight, and said in a steady voice with a hint of determination:

"Yes, Jingyu knows his mistake and accepts punishment. Please punish me, Father!"

“Royal sister, I appreciate your kindness, brothers, but I bear heavy responsibilities and must bear this punishment myself.”

"Father..."

"Father..."

"Very well, since the Crown Prince has admitted his mistake, then according to military regulations, he shall be punished with fifty strokes of the military rod and a six-month salary deduction. Does the Crown Prince accept this?"

When Li Qiji said this, Guan Zhiyue was pinching the soft flesh of his waist.

Li Jingyu bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject accepts the punishment, but please ask Your Majesty to postpone it. The mermaid war is about to begin, and your subject wishes to participate in this war."

"Approved."

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

After the punishment, everyone started discussing what to do next.

----

November 20th, the 20th year of Zhenggan.

The mermaid war is about to begin!

"Will you obediently choose to leave, or should we just kill you?"

The blonde, blue-eyed mermaid directly mocked, "You are all our food."

Who dares to challenge us? Family, charge!

"Eat them all, and then we can become human again."

The mermaid leaped directly out of the water, did a beautiful roll in the air, and landed on a nearby rock.

They started singing at the top of their lungs, and there were even some female mermaids.

She took off her upper body clothes, and that shocking scene was revealed.

Guan Zhiyue looked at these mermaids and suddenly felt a little nauseous.

The mermaid sitting on the reef began to sing at the top of her lungs, while the soldiers on the shore...

Some people had their souls stolen, dropped their spears, and walked into the sea, the kind of people who couldn't be pulled back.

"Quickly have someone plug their ears, don't listen to that singing."

Guan Zhiyue shouted loudly at Li Qiji.

At Li Qiji's command, everyone plugged their ears, refusing to listen to any other sounds, and focused solely on dealing with the people in front of them.

"Kill them!"

The soldiers charged towards the sea, while the mermaids headed back, venturing into deeper waters.

The soldiers dared not move forward, but they could not take a boat either, because the mermaids would sabotage the boat from the bottom of the sea, and they would still die.

Li Qiji shook his head; this method wouldn't work!

Just as he was about to order his men to retreat, he saw a group of people who also looked like half-mermaids coming from afar on the sea, but they had black hair and black eyes.

Holding spears, they surrounded the mermaid and attacked together!

The mermaid was beaten so badly she had nowhere to hide!

The mermaids were immediately terrified!

They fled in all directions!

They ran towards the distant sea; Li Qiji had no intention of giving chase, and the merfolk had no intention of doing so either.

After all, their goal was to drive people away or kill them. Now that they've killed most of them, chasing them would only lead them into the mermaid's territory.

After about four or five such encounters, they finally subdued the mermaid and signed a peace treaty, stipulating that anyone who disobeyed it would be punished.

They exterminated the entire mermaid race, killing even the adult mermaids.

With the turmoil in Guantao County resolved, the Crown Prince is about to return to the capital.

Before returning to Beijing, he made a special trip to see Mu Yikui and gave her a huge promise!