Chapter 306 Empress

On the other side, Tu Feng also arrived at some point, his steel blade imbued with all his might, and he slashed fiercely at the iron chains binding Mu Xun's ankles: "I am late, Your Highness, please forgive me."

"Clang..." With a piercing sound and sparks flying, the thick iron chain was severed by Tu Feng.

Mu Xun was finally freed, and Mu Xi was relieved. The two were finally reunited.

"Traitor, prepare to die..." On the other side, Bai Su also took advantage of Mu Heng's momentary lapse in attention and slashed down with his long sword.

Mu Heng cried out as he was slashed off his horse.

Bai Su pressed his advantage and immediately led his troops in a counterattack.

Almost simultaneously, the elite cavalry that had previously launched a surprise attack from behind Mu Heng's army arrived, their vanguard banners bearing the insignia of the Queen of Qingyang of the East Sea.

Caught in a pincer attack, Mu Heng's army collapsed instantly, scattering like fish startled by birds.

Of course, this was also largely because most of the troops under his command were originally from the western border, and their morale wavered. When they saw that the situation was not good, they simply defected and surrendered.

Mu Heng was captured, and his two younger brothers who followed him were killed on the spot in the chaos of battle.

A major battle ended with lightning speed.

Mu Heng was brought before Mu Xi and Mu Xun, bound hand and foot.

Mu Heng was disheveled, but his eyes remained fierce and resentful: "Bah! A mere woman, a femme fatale, deceiving the emperor and ruining the country. I never thought the Mu family would be destroyed by your hand. So what if you win now? The Mu family and the Xi family are sworn enemies. Do you really think you can rest easy and stay with the remnants of the Xi family? I have lost today, but I want to see how you continue to fight like dogs!"

Whether it was the Mu family or the Xi family, whether it was Mu Xi or Xi Xun, status was never an issue between them. Even now, Mu Heng still wanted to sow discord, but neither of them cared.

Mu Heng then turned to Tu Feng, a veteran general of the Han Navy with a solemn expression, his voice full of seduction and provocation: "Back then, both the Xi family and your Han Navy were defeated by my Mu family. General Tu, you must see clearly that she is the daughter of the Mu family. Even if you are willing to bow down to a female ruler, are you also willing to bow down to your enemy? The culprit who made your Han Navy homeless, do you still want to be loyal to the Han Navy?"

Tu Feng frowned, the veins on his hand gripping the hilt of his sword bulging, and a commotion broke out among the Han Hai soldiers behind him who had just finished their battle.

“You’re wrong.” Just then, Mu Xun’s calm voice rang out, not loud but exceptionally clear, reaching everyone’s ears. “The feud between the Mu and Xi clans is a grudge from the previous generation. I have never had any intention of restoring the kingdom, and the Han Hai Army is not a remnant of the previous dynasty. They will all become warriors to protect Yan Sheng. As for Mu Xi… she has never been proud of being a daughter of the Mu clan, nor does she bear the burden of her ancestors’ grudges. Although I am a descendant of the Xi clan, I was raised and acknowledged by Jin Fangjun Mu Zhen. The feud between the Mu and Xi clans should be resolved between us. You are about to die; there’s no need for you to stir up trouble here. It’s futile.”

Seeing that his provocations were almost ineffective, Mu Heng became even more manic, his laughter shrill: "Hahaha... What a fine 'never thought of restoring the kingdom,' what a fine 'settling all grudges,' let's see if you can settle them, and whether the rest of the world can too. I don't believe it..."

“Noisy…” Mu Xi raised her hand before Mu Heng could finish speaking.

Bai Su, who was beside him, understood and with a swift movement, his knife flashed, and Mu Heng's head rolled to the ground.

With Mu Heng's head falling to the ground, the battle of Qifengtai came to an end. However, just as Mu Heng had instigated, the army under Mu Xi's command and the former Yanhan Navy immediately became adversaries again.

Now, Mu Xi has almost three-quarters of the military power of Yan Sheng, and has also gained the support of Lady Qingyang. Although the strength of the Han Hai Army has increased dramatically in the years of war, it is still difficult to fight alone.

At this point, even if Tu Feng's Han Hai Army was extremely unwilling, they could only temporarily withdraw and plan for the future.

According to Mu Xi's plan, since Mu Xun had been rescued and had gone through so much, she had no intention of lingering on the throne. So she fulfilled her promise to Mu Xun to go to the Nine Gardens and travel to a new world.

But problems arose after Mu Xi and Mu Xun led their troops back to the Mo Yang Palace in triumph.

Whom does Yan Sheng belong to?

A country cannot be without a ruler for even a day.

Since Qianyan has been exonerated and its innocence restored, and is protected by the Han Hai Army and many former officials of Qianyan, it is only natural that it can restore its kingdom. The only remaining bloodline of the Xi royal family is Wangsun Xixun.

Mu Xun had no intention of becoming a ruler, nor did he wish to wage war again in the struggle for the throne.

However, if the Mu family were allowed to continue to hold the throne, the former officials of the Yan dynasty and the Han army would find it unacceptable.

As for the Mu clan, although King Yu Mu Ji is dead, the remnants of the old forces still exist. They cannot stand idly by and watch Qian Yan restore its kingdom, only to turn around and settle scores with them.

It is necessary to seize the opportunity to support Mu Xi, even if Mu Xi is only a female ruler.

The reason is that, apart from the old and frail Marquis Yi Fang, Mu Dong, the Mu family has no other suitable male heir.

With the two sides at an impasse, Shen Lun had no choice but to step in again and mediate.

In terms of strength, the current Han Navy is actually not enough to contend with Mu Xi. Under these circumstances, Shen Lun had no choice but to persuade the former Yan troops and the Han Navy to surrender.

Shen Lun persuaded everyone by saying, "The former ministers have protected the bloodline for decades, and their loyalty is as clear as the sun and moon. However, the celestial signs are warning us that the people are weary of war. If we insist on restoring the monarchy, we will only add more dead bodies. Since Your Majesty has received the mandate of heaven, you should follow the way of the ancient sage kings of appeasement and follow the will of heaven."

Many of the former officials and ministers were shaken.

Shen Lun then made a promise on behalf of Mu Xi: "All soldiers of the Hanhai Army who lay down their weapons and surrender will be pardoned for their past crimes, granted land and houses, and registered in the military. Loyal ministers of Yan State who wish to return to officialdom will also be reinstated and generously rewarded. If anyone breaks this oath, may they be punished by Heaven and Earth."

The Han Navy also didn't want to fight anymore; after hiding for so many years, they wanted to see the light of day again.

But due to years of ingrained habits, he couldn't rest easy. Even if Mu Xi was willing to announce her status as a female ruler to the world, he still couldn't feel at ease.

Therefore, Shen Lun proposed the "Golden Box Alliance" from years ago, and to reassure both parties, he strongly advocated for a marriage alliance between Mu Xi and Xi Xun.

Mu Xi hesitated. If she were to become the female ruler, where would she place Mu Xun?

Does this equate to marrying into another family?

She didn't want Mu Xun to suffer.

However, now that Mu Xi holds military power and the Mu clan is very powerful, it is impossible for her to lower herself to marry a prince of the Xi clan.

Mu Xun didn't care about status or position. The fact that the two of them could reunite after so many years, and that Mu Xi was genuinely willing to fulfill their marriage vows from back then, was enough for him to have his wish fulfilled.

Although Mu Xun was willing, he still needed an explanation from the former officials of the Yan dynasty.

Just when the deadlock was about to be broken, Xianjin and Princess Yanya appeared together again, using the image of "two stars in harmony" to imply that the "Golden Box Alliance" had been destined for a long time, and that the union of the "two stars" would bring peace to the world and quell public opinion.

At this point, Mu Xi simply stopped being a queen and instead used the "divine intervention" to enhance her status as the Mystic Maiden and "receive the mandate of heaven" to go a step further, directly declaring herself emperor, known as "Emperor Chenji," with the country named "Dan."

Since she is the empress, Mu Xun can be the "King of Huaixi," and they correspond to each other.