At this moment, the Fourth Prince stepped out from the crowd, approached Li Guang, and said:

"Qing'er, you just said that Xue'er went to the southwestern border to search for Li Ru's whereabouts. What's going on?"

Upon seeing the Fourth Prince, Li Guang quickly bowed and greeted him, saying:

"Fourth Imperial Uncle, you may not know this, but when the Princess contracted typhoid fever in Narcissus Village, her condition was very serious. At that time, the Princess dreamed of Li Ruge."

Later, Zhao Shaoqing cured the princess's typhoid fever and then had the idea of ​​going to the southwestern border to find Li Ru.

This time, I'm leading an army of 20,000 to the southwestern border, not only to assist General Wei, but also to help the princess find Li Ruge.

"Have you found out anything about Li Ru in the southwestern border region?" the Fourth Prince asked anxiously.

"We found some clues and guessed that the warhorse was startled and mistakenly entered Devil's Valley, which is more than 100 miles away from Guangling Town."

Li Ruge may have reached the Golden Kingdom through this Devil's Valley.

However, crossing Devil's Valley is extremely difficult and dangerous. There is a lot of miasma in Devil's Valley, and in the hot summer, it is easy to be poisoned and die.

Later, we found a village near Devil's Valley and asked the local hunters for information.

An old hunter told us that ten years ago, they found the remains of a warhorse and a helmet deep in the valley, guessing that they were left behind by a general.

Since the horse owner was not found, locals speculated that it might have been taken away by corpse collectors from the Kingdom of Jindian.

So we decided to cross the Devil's Valley and head to the Kingdom of Golden Harvest to visit Li Ru.

Unexpectedly, on the second day after entering Devil's Valley, Wang Ling began to attack us. The darts he used were all highly poisonous, and anyone who was injured by them would surely die.

Zhao Cheng caught the dart aimed at Zhao Shaoqing with his bare hands, but only broke the skin on his finger before the poison took effect. Zhao Cheng had to cut off his arm to save his life.

We fought desperately to subdue Wang Ling, but after this incident, we had no choice but to abandon our journey to the Golden Kingdom.

Later, we discussed it and decided that I would take Zhao Cheng and Wang Ling back to the capital, while the princess and Zhao Shaoqing would continue to Jindian Kingdom to search for Li Ru.

Hearing this, everyone was filled with emotion. Li Hui was completely ruthless in his pursuit of the throne. If he were to become emperor, it would be a disaster for the Great Northern Dynasty.

The Fourth Prince couldn't help but worry about Li Xue and Zhao Xian's journey through Devil's Valley to the Golden Kingdom.

Seeing this, Li Guang said, "Fourth Imperial Uncle, there's no need to worry. Zhao Shaoqing has already found a way to cross the valley. There's no danger at all. It's highly likely that he'll find Li Ruge in Jindian Kingdom."

They've been in the Kingdom of Golden Harvest for over a month now, and I estimate they should have found Li Ruge by now and are on their way back.

Li Guang's words gave the Fourth Prince a glimmer of hope. He desperately wanted Li Xue to find Li Ru and bring him back to the capital.

At this moment, a commotion broke out in the main hall as everyone began to discuss the matter. The Fourth Prince only had one son, and if Li Ru could return alive, then the Fourth Prince's lineage could continue.

The atmosphere in the hall became lively, and some ministers began to approach Li Guang and chat with him.

Li Guang was erudite and treated his ministers with great courtesy, which immediately brought him closer to them.

The emperor was very pleased with the scene before him; the atmosphere in the hall was so harmonious, which was something he was happy to see.

Just then, Shen Yong walked into the main hall, followed by several fully armed soldiers.

When the ministers saw Shen Yong return, they quickly took their places, and the atmosphere in the hall became tense.

Shen Yong walked to the front of the main hall and said:

"Your Majesty, the soldiers captured four of Wang Ling's accomplices from the First Prince's residence. Three other accomplices, seeing no way to escape, resorted to desperate measures and took the First Prince's family members hostage. They were shot dead on the spot by the archers brought by General Li. The hostages were successfully rescued, and no one was injured."

Upon hearing this, the emperor was also greatly surprised. He looked at Wang Ling and asked:

"Wang Ling, how many accomplices do you have?"

“Only six,” Wang Ling replied.

"Then what's the matter with the extra one?" At this moment, the emperor exuded an imposing aura without being angry.

"I really don't know, they must be new here."

At this moment, the Emperor looked at Li Hui and said, "Li Hui, step forward and answer."

Li Hui rushed forward, his legs buckled, and he knelt down.

"Li Hui, among all the princes and princesses, you are the eldest son and should set an example for your younger brothers and sisters. I never expected you to be so narrow-minded and kill your own brothers for your own selfish interests."

You know that Wang Ling and his accomplices are heinous criminals, yet you have let them in, intending to use them to harm my own flesh and blood. Tell me, how should I deal with you?

At this moment, Li Hui's face turned ashen, and he was trembling all over.

"Please give me a chance and forgive me. From now on, I will definitely cherish the bond between brothers and sisters and set an example for my younger siblings."

"Do you think I still believe you? You've said this many times already, have you kept your word?"

“If I let you continue like this, the Great Northern Dynasty will be destroyed in your hands sooner or later. I have decided to hand you over to the Imperial Clan Court for disposal.”

Upon hearing this, Li Hui was greatly alarmed. He knew very well what entering the Imperial Clan Court meant.

"Father, no! Give your son a chance!" Li Hui shouted.

"Take Li Hui away!" the emperor roared.

Today, the emperor truly displayed his imperial power. The ministers looked at each other in dismay. The emperor's handling of Li Hui was a great relief to the people.

Seeing Li Hui being taken away, Li Guang did not seem particularly happy. His accusation against Li Hui in the main hall was a last resort.

The emperor then issued an edict ordering Wang Ling and his accomplices to be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation and punishment.

The emperor looked at Zhao Cheng and immediately summoned Vice Minister Shen, instructing him to send Zhao Cheng to the Imperial Hospital for treatment. Once Zhao Cheng had recovered, he could then receive the court's rewards.

After arranging these matters, the emperor announced the end of the court session, and the officials began to leave the main hall.

At this moment, the emperor looked at Li Guang and said, "Qing'er, come with me to the Imperial Study. I have something to say to you."

"Qing'er obeys the decree." After saying this, Li Guang followed the emperor to the imperial study.

In the imperial study, the emperor wanted to know about Li Guang's experiences over the past few years. Li Guang sighed and began to recount his story. After listening, the emperor was also deeply moved.

The emperor asked Li Guang what his next plan was, and Li Guang replied without hesitation that he wanted to return to Shuixian Village to continue farming.

There are still many fields in Shuixian Village to cultivate. What I need to do now is to promote those important crops in Da Beichao, so that Da Beichao can become prosperous and strong, and the country can live in peace and tranquility.

Li Guang's words pleased the emperor greatly. Although he hoped Li Guang would stay in the capital, Li Guang did indeed have important matters to attend to in Shuixian Village.

Sweet potatoes and potatoes have been widely promoted in North Korea, and cotton will follow soon.

The promotion of these crops solved the people's food and clothing problems. When more crops were promoted, his subjects would become more prosperous, and the Great Northern Dynasty would no longer suffer from hunger and cold.