In the Hall of Ceremonial Affairs, the elderly Emperor Yuanzong not only overturned the dragon table but also kicked down two ministers who were offering their advice.

This was solely because these two officials wanted to punish Tang Ying, the commander of the Xuanwei Army.

Punishing Tang Ying is a minor matter; it only requires a word from Emperor Yuanzong.

But the imperial court had already discussed this matter when Pingliang Fort fell.

It was Emperor Yuanzong's bias towards Tang Ying, or rather, his bias towards the eldest prince, that led to this situation.

If we change the person now, it would mean that Emperor Yuanzong would have to admit that he is not as good as Zhao Yanjiao.

How could he possibly admit it!

That was something he hated to the core, yet dared not utter a word about.

Emperor Yuanzong felt a tightness in his chest, as if being stabbed with a knife, and he gasped for breath.

The personal eunuch was so frightened that he knelt down and patted his chest, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance!"

Emperor Yuanzong's head was buzzing. His face was dark, and he was panting. He coldly questioned Xu Zheyuan, the Minister of War: "Didn't you say that the Zhenbei Army had lured the Di cavalry out of Qing'an Prefecture? Then why were they charged into the city again? Why? Tell me!"

Since Pingliang Fort fell into the hands of the Di people before the New Year, military reports from there have been nonstop. At first, Tang Ying had many good news, such as the successful suppression of bandits and the capture of many Di people.

They also made sure to sow discord between time to time, saying that the Zhenbei Army was slacking off.

However, when May arrived, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse. The Di cavalry entered the country, and the Xuanwei army, which was facing them head-on, collapsed at the first contact. The defensive line that had been gathered under Pingliang Fort was completely destroyed.

In just half a month, the Di cavalry swept through villages, towns, and counties within a radius of hundreds of miles, and even opened the gates of Qing'an Prefecture, directly threatening Qin Prefecture and the capital city behind them.

Urgent military reports from the border were being sent to the capital every day. This was different from the tragic case of the looting of people and the burning of gold in the past. The loss of territory could lead to endless troubles if it could not be recovered in time.

In the years since Zhao Yanjiao led troops to garrison Xiashi Pass, apart from the first few years when the Di barbarians frequently invaded, there have only been petty thefts crossing the border.

Even after the Suijin massacre, it was the Zhenbei Army that chased after those tribes on the grasslands, and the Di barbarians never entered the Wu Dynasty's territory on a large scale.

Emperor Yuanzong was so anxious that he issued a reprimanding edict every day and severely reprimanded the Zhenbei Army for its dereliction of duty.

But... his words had no effect once they left the capital.

The generals of Zhenbei Army refused to obey orders from the emperor when they were in the field.

Tang Ying was obedient, but it was the common soldiers who went into battle. When the emperor's edict reached the front lines, it was nothing but a load of rubbish.

No matter how nicely they put it, when faced with a swift horse and a curved sword, the soldiers only wished their parents had two more legs.

If you're dead, who cares about empty promises of promotions, titles, and privileges for their wives and children?

Seeing that Emperor Yuanzong was not in good condition, Crown Prince Li Xi stepped forward and said, “With General Tang leading troops to expel the Di, the Ministry of War planning internally, and Minister Xu in the court, Father, you should take care of your health!”

On the other side, the eldest prince and the third prince also stepped forward and urged the emperor to calm down.

The crown prince was seventeen years old and looked just like his mother, with an ordinary appearance.

He is always cautious and reserved when attending court, and speaks very little. Today, he rarely spoke, but what he said was always reasonable and well-founded.

Upon hearing his voice, Emperor Yuanzong finally found an outlet for his pent-up anger, slamming the memorial in his hand down in his face: "Why am I not angry? It's all because of your good uncle, who holds the Zhenbei Army but accomplishes nothing, allowing the barbarian cavalry to enter Wu Dynasty and destroy my beautiful land."

"If you can't take back Qing'an Prefecture as soon as possible, your Zhao family can expect to be punished!"

These words left the court officials looking at each other in bewilderment.

Pingliang Fort was lost to Tang Ying, and Qing'an Prefecture was garrisoned by generals appointed by Emperor Yuanzong.

Everyone knows that even the prefect, Yu Qiujing, is from the Third Prince's maternal family, so how can the Zhenbei Army be blamed? It's utterly absurd for him to repeatedly curse Crown Prince Li Xi as a member of the Zhao family in court.

Is this unjustified favoritism an attempt to use the defeat of the Zhenbei Army as an excuse to depose the Crown Prince?

Or was the Emperor so enraged that he spoke recklessly?

But everyone could only keep these thoughts to themselves and dared not reveal them at all.

Seeing the emperor's fury, Li Xi knelt down with a thud: "Father, I am innocent!"

The other princes also knelt down, saying, "Father, please take care of your health!"

The huge council hall became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Emperor Yuanzong pointed at the Crown Prince and scolded, "Is your mother accusing me of wrongdoing again? Is she sending you to court to contradict me?"

Li Xi buried his head deeply in the ground, his voice choked with sobs: "Father, Mother only said that you haven't eaten or drunk anything for half a month, only relying on ginseng soup to stay healthy, and you can't sleep at night... The imperial physician also said that overwork is damaging to your health, and asked me to comfort you more..."

Emperor Yuanzong grew increasingly furious: "She lives in Zhaohua Hall, how did she know about my meals and daily life? Did Zhao Yanjiao plant spies in the harem to plot against me?"

His words became increasingly unreasonable.

The kneeling officials were terrified.

The fact that the Empress did not live in her own palace but instead lived in Zhaohua Hall was tantamount to being banished to the Cold Palace.

Furthermore, the Emperor has not eaten or drunk anything for half a month and has been unable to sleep at night; this is a very serious matter.

Emperor Yuanzong was over fifty years old and had been on the throne for nineteen years. In his early years, he was an unfavored prince who lived in fear and suffered all kinds of hardships. His health had always been poor, and in recent years it had deteriorated further, but he claimed to the outside world that he was taking good care of himself.

Everyone calls the emperor "Long live the emperor," but who can actually live to be a hundred? It's rare to live to seventy, and even emperors rarely live to sixty.

Now that the Crown Prince has revealed Emperor Yuanzong's health condition, these officials can't help but think more deeply.

After Emperor Yuanzong finished his tirade, he slumped onto the dragon throne, panting heavily, and pointed a trembling finger at Li Xi: "Guards, throw that wretched child out of here, confine him to his quarters, and forbid him from attending court assemblies again."

The eldest prince knelt down and pleaded, "Father, the Empress must be concerned about you, that's why she has people keeping a close watch on you."

The Third Prince also said, "Father, please calm down. No matter how close the Crown Prince is to the Marquis of Zhenbei, he is still of the Li bloodline. He will definitely urge the Marquis of Zhenbei to recover the lost territories as soon as possible and restore peace to the Wu Dynasty."

After saying those words, Crown Prince Li Xi bowed his head and remained silent, clutching tightly the memorial his father had thrown at him.

He knew that it was sent by his uncle, the Marquis of Zhenbei.

The above text states that Qing'an Prefecture has been reclaimed, but Tang Ying, eager for credit, abandoned the city's defenses and led a large force to launch a surprise attack on the Di cavalry. However, the Di cavalry, who were covering the rear, cut off their retreat and, taking advantage of the city's vulnerability, launched a counterattack.

This is Tang Ying's command failure; what does it have to do with his uncle, the Marquis of Zhenbei?

Once the rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked; once the birds are gone, the bow is put away. Peace is established by the general, but the general is not allowed to see peace.

The emperor both feared and hated his uncle. If it weren't for his uncle, who held considerable military power, he and his mother would have died long ago.

The Emperor hates his uncle to the core, and now he even considers himself and his mother to be members of the Zhao family.

Originally, everyone was hoping to ascend the throne smoothly after their father passed away, but several of the emperor's brothers couldn't wait any longer.

In that case, don't blame me for being heartless and ruthless.

"Father!" Li Xi fell to the ground and wailed loudly, "Father, Yunzhou is now littered with rotting corpses and the people are suffering. This is all because Tang Ying's Xuanwei Army has failed in battle. Your son is willing to go to war in your place, lead the Zhenbei Army, drive out the barbarians, and reclaim our land!"