Shang Xiye lowered his eyelids and remained expressionless, but in his heart he was already making plans.

By doing this, Duke Chen not only convinced the emperor and everyone else that Ji Fengming and his sister had a long-standing grudge against Chen Shiyu and his sister, and that everything between them was out of revenge; but also removed the embarrassment that the little bandit had put on the Chen family in front of the Empress Dowager a few days ago.

Killing two birds with one stone is undeniably ingenious.

If his father-in-law doesn't handle the situation well, not only will his reputation for being domineering be solidified, but his daughter-in-law will also be accused of sowing discord, slandering others, and deceiving the Empress Dowager.

Shang Xiye blinked slightly, subtly raising her hand to cover her lips as if suppressing a cough, and secretly transmitted her voice to Ji Chenhai: "Provoke him to go to the Northwest together."

Ji Chenhai instantly understood and secretly rejoiced.

Fengming was right, his son-in-law's brain was made of gold, incredibly bright and precious!

"Fine, whatever you say goes. Anyway, Fengming and I are both bandits, so people will believe whatever you say. We can't defend ourselves." Ji Chenhai looked extremely impatient and resigned.

The ministers were all in uproar.

This bandit, he actually admitted it himself?

When Duke Chen saw that the emperor also looked displeased, he was secretly delighted, thinking that the matter was settled.

Who knew...

Ji Chenhai put one hand on his hip, waved his hand, and said in a loud voice, "How about this, it's no fun for us to just sit here and have some silly, womanly banter. Right now, isn't the Emperor worried about who will go to the Northwest to deal with those bastards? Let's do something serious, something practical."

The Duke of Chen sensed something was amiss with these words and was about to refuse.

Emperor Shang Xiche, who was in the hall, was delighted to hear this and quickly said, "Although this is a conflict between your two families' children, you two ministers are not ordinary people. You should get along well. Does Marquis Anping have a gentle way to resolve this?"

"Your Majesty," Ji Chenhai said, "this is what I'm thinking. We men should resolve things decisively. The Northwest is in turmoil right now, and the Duke of Chen is a military family with a large army. I'll issue a challenge to the Duke of Chen's family. We'll go to the Northwest and have a battle to see who can kill whom. The winner will be decided by the number of heads taken. The loser will have to apologize unconditionally to the winner. After that, this matter will be over, and no one is allowed to mention it again. What does Your Majesty think?" Ji Chenhai had a bandit-like air about him, with the demeanor of a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) figure.

Upon hearing this, Duke Chen almost wept.

He hid for several days, just not wanting to get involved in the mess in the Northwest.

Firstly, the Crown Prince's position is currently unstable;

Secondly, the Northwest has always been the territory of the Ninth Prince, and the people stationed there now are also his men. What good could he have gained in the past?

Even if he wins a battle, it may not be credited to him for his military achievements, but if he suffers a defeat, his mistakes will definitely be investigated!

"emperor……!"

"Excellent!" Shang Xiche, overjoyed, immediately approved the plan, giving Duke Chen no chance to refuse. "This is a brilliant idea! It resolves both your personal grudges and the predicament of the Northwest being left without a commander, which has led to the growing chaos in Xidan. Therefore, you two can prepare your troops and set off in three days to march into the Northwest and protect the territory and people of our Great Zhao!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" As soon as the emperor finished speaking, Ji Chenhai knelt down on one knee to accept the order.

The emperor and Ji Chenhai sang in unison, leaving the Duke of Chen with no chance to refute them.

Before they could even react, they received a series of messages: a declaration of war openly issued by the bandits, and an imperial decree for a western expedition already issued by the emperor.

Send your father a challenge!

I don't want to go to the Northwest!

Duke Chen was so angry that he glared and cursed the bandits under his breath, but it was all to no avail.