Shang Xiye returned.

He and Ji Fengyao led their troops and advanced rapidly into the Di Kingdom. They swept through the land, capturing ten cities in succession. The army soon approached the Di Kingdom's capital, Ensa.

Good news poured into Kyoto like snowflakes.

Shang Xiche was all smiles in court, but when he returned to the palace, he was so angry that he almost tore down the roof of Chaoyang Palace.

How did the war, which had been deadlocked for seven months, suddenly turn into a series of victories with unstoppable momentum?

The Ninth Prince also suddenly gained an extremely ferocious beast army. Their Great Zhao territory belonged to the Central Plains, and they had no tradition of being good at controlling beasts, nor did they have a good place to raise and train ferocious beasts.

Where did his beast army come from?!

If you say this wasn't premeditated, if you say the Ninth Prince had no intention of rebelling, Shang Xiche would never believe it!

Shang Xiche panicked completely.

After tossing and turning for more than ten days, Shang Xiche had no choice but to go to Cixi Palace, which he had not set foot in for more than half a year, to see the Empress Dowager.

After much thought, the only thing the Empress Dowager currently possesses is a powerful weapon that can directly deal with the Ninth Prince.

After three or four months of "madness," the Empress Dowager's reputation in the palace was completely ruined.

In addition, Shang Xiche's deliberate coldness has made Cixi Palace frighteningly deserted.

When Shang Xiche saw the Empress Dowager sitting like a wooden statue in the side hall, he assumed she was angry with him. But after sitting for a while, seeing that the Empress Dowager was still like a wooden statue, he couldn't help but become suspicious: "Mother, are you feeling unwell? Have you summoned the imperial physician?"

"The imperial physicians are useless," the Empress Dowager remained as wooden as a statue, her voice mechanical and devoid of any emotional fluctuation: "I have been poisoned by that bandit, and only that bandit can cure this poison."

"What?!" Shang Xiche exclaimed in shock, "That bandit was so audacious as to dare poison you, Mother Empress?!"

"Otherwise, how could I, the Empress Dowager, disregard my reputation and act so absurdly?" Only then did the Empress Dowager have a chance to speak properly with Shang Xiche.

Listening to the Empress Dowager's mechanical words and looking at her expressionless, wooden figure, Shang Xiche, despite finding the poison quite bizarre, had no choice but to believe it.

"Mother, this bandit's medical and poison skills are so formidable. If we cannot obtain her, we must destroy her. We absolutely cannot allow her to remain by the Ninth Prince's side any longer," Shang Xiche said in a trembling voice.

The Empress Dowager nodded like a robot: "My thoughts are the same as the Emperor's, but that bandit is so powerful, it will probably not be easy to deal with her."

"No matter how capable she is, she's still a human being. And every human being has weaknesses," Shang Xiche said, his eyes darting around, full of calculation.

The Empress Dowager understood the Emperor: Although Shang Xiche didn't have any great talents, he did have some tricks up his sleeve when it came to scheming against people.

Seeing the Emperor's reaction, the Empress Dowager asked, "If Your Majesty has come up with any good ideas, you may tell me directly. After all, Your Majesty and I are mother and son, who are the closest of blood relatives, and I will always stand behind Your Majesty."

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words,

Shang Xiche was also touched.

Thinking of how the Empress Dowager was suffering from poisoning, and how he not only failed to care for her but also openly despised his own mother, he couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Mother, I didn't understand your heart before, but now I do. After we deal with the Ninth Prince and capture that bandit, I will definitely make that bandit give you the antidote," Shang Xiche said emotionally.

The Empress Dowager remained unmoved, looking calmly at the Emperor: "These are matters for later; let's discuss a better strategy first."

"What Mother says is true," Shang Xiche nodded. "The Ninth Prince and that bandit are currently in a strong position, and it is almost impossible to deal with them head-on."