“Even when the new emperor was on the throne, he didn’t dare to lay a hand on us. Yan Beimo has been in the north for many years. On the surface, he’s on good terms with us, but behind our backs, he’s stabbed us in the back. This treacherous and cunning scoundrel, I wish I could kill him to vent my anger.”
Chu Changning listened to his words, glanced at the faces of the other princes, and cursed under his breath.
Then why don't you go and kill him? What are you doing kidnapping her?
"Hmph, I heard that he almost fought with the Western Regions for you the other day. It seems that you are very important to him."
Sima Yu looked at her with a cold smile, his eyes like those of a poisonous snake, which was frightening.
Chu Changning, "---"
"The princes present have clashed with Yan Beimo for many years; how could they not know his nature? How could he possibly be swayed by a woman—"
Before she could finish speaking, Prince Sima Yue of Pingxi interrupted her with a light laugh.
“If you are useless, then you will die in the Northwest today.”
Chu Changning licked her lips, remained silent for a while, and then smiled, "The princes want to use me to coerce my husband into letting the princes return to the North. Why would they kill me?"
As she spoke, she walked straight to the round table, poured herself a fresh cup of tea, and drank it down in one gulp.
Sima Yu looked at her unrestrained movements and chuckled, "She does have some of the straightforwardness of women from the Northwest."
"Don't worry, Madam. As long as my son returns to the Northwest, you will naturally be allowed to go south."
Chu Changning disliked the gazes of the other princes and put down his teacup.
"I'm exhausted from the journey, Your Highness, would you like me to go and get some sleep first?"
Sima Yu, "---"
"You're so calm."
Chu Changning chuckled, "Didn't Your Highness say you wouldn't kill me?"
He didn't intend to treat her to good food and drink.
Sima Yu snorted inwardly, but he quite liked her spirit, unlike those useless women in the south who were always making a fuss and causing a ruckus.
"Someone, take her away to rest."
As Prince Duan watched Chu Changning's departing figure, waves of rage surged within him.
"Jinling is so beautiful, it's a good deal for that guy."
Upon hearing this, Prince Ding warned, "Wait until the Crown Prince returns before using her to humiliate Yan Beimo. For now, don't act recklessly."
Prince Duan raised an eyebrow, inwardly mocking. If Sima Yu hadn't been impotent and only had that one son, would he have let such a beauty go?
"Someone, immediately send a message by carrier pigeon to our Great Qi Emperor, telling him that he is in the Northwest."
"yes."
Jiankang.
The entire council hall was eerily silent.
Standing atop the high hall in Yan Beimo, holding a letter sent from the Northwest, his usually gentle face remained expressionless.
His Highness was surrounded by people, and Night Hawk had been kneeling on the ground for half an hour without moving an inch.
“Xuan Yao is close to the Northwest and has already led his men there. Yesterday, news came back that the Lady is at the Prince Ding’s residence. They did not dare to make any rash moves and are waiting for His Majesty’s decision.”
The north is ravaged by war, while the northwest is the territory of the Prince of Ding. Many of the fiefdoms of the northern princes are adjacent to the northwest, so they can provide support very quickly once war breaks out.
Yan Beimo put down the letter in his hand and said calmly, "Notify Li Bei to assemble 100,000 troops to press on Yujing Pass."
"A message was sent by carrier pigeon to the Eastern Governor-General, instructing him to seal the pass."
He Xing replied respectfully, "Yes."
"Does Your Majesty intend to go to the Northwest personally?"
Yan Beimo raised his eyes. "You have a problem with that?"
Zhong Yuan paused slightly, then reminded him, "The northern lands are plagued by war and fragmented. If Your Majesty were to go there personally, you would likely have a plan."
After saying this, Yan Beimo slowly walked down the jade steps, his voice terrifyingly deep.
"This world belongs to me. Anyone who dares to threaten me must die."
With the world in chaos, the founding emperor of a dynasty is going to personally go to the northwest, accompanied by the heir apparent of the Prince of Ding. This has caused an uproar in the previous dynasty.
The newly established Great Qi Dynasty was already unstable, with unrest in the north. If something went wrong, wouldn't the empire that Great Qi had fought for be handed over to others?
For hundreds of years, the rule of our ancestors was that aristocratic families and the royal family would jointly govern the country. However, Yan Beimo acted arbitrarily, opposed the aristocratic families, overthrew the Great Jin Dynasty, established the Great Qi Dynasty, and after taking the throne, he relied on the Yan family to issue edicts to suppress other aristocratic families.
The gentry had finally come to accept this absurd situation, yet he insisted on going to the Northwest himself.
If he dies, not only in the north, but the entire world will be plunged into chaos and turmoil, and centuries of unrest will be impossible to quell.
In the imperial court, dissenting voices were constant.
"If the princes hadn't been held hostage in Jiankang, would Your Majesty have believed they would have remained peacefully in the north?"
"Your Excellency is right. I wonder why His Majesty is going to the North. At this critical juncture, what could possibly be worth such a risk for His Majesty?"
Yan Beimo sat high above the temple, his eyes indifferent.
Ayu bent over and lay on the imperial table in front of her, her big, wet eyes looking at the ministers with curiosity.
His Highness's ministers turned dark with worry as the little dumpling stared at them every day.
The Emperor of Qi was absurd and willful, and he would even bring this little prince with him to court.
"Your Majesty, we beg you to consider the safety and well-being of our Great Qi."
"I second that proposal."
"I second that opinion."
Those kneeling were all from aristocratic families. The other ministers, watching this scene, kept their eyes down, heads bowed, and dared not speak.
The emperor holds the power of life and death; his authority is inviolable, and life and death are decided by his mere whim.
The powerful families dared to coerce the emperor into submission, but they didn't have the guts.
The entire hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Yan Beimo looked at the person kneeling on the ground with an indifferent expression.
“The kings of the north are rampant and have been causing chaos on our territory for many years. If they are not eliminated, they will surely become a future threat.”
"But Your Majesty's health—"
Yan Beimo interrupted calmly, "Alright, my mind is made up."
Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent.
The members of the aristocratic families exchanged glances. Some looked up as if to speak, but when they did, they met the cold, emotionless eyes of the person in the high hall, and were so frightened that they fell silent.
Despite His Majesty's seemingly gentle demeanor, he is actually a hypocrite. Upon assuming the throne, he nearly drove the heads of several top aristocratic families in Yandu to their deaths and also revoked a significant amount of military power.
The powerful families no longer dared to be as arrogant as before.
After Yan Beimo left the court, he left behind several important officials, gave them his instructions, and then took the little dumpling to the palace.
Ayu was very obedient and didn't make a fuss; she just let him do whatever he wanted.
When Prince Ding received the letter from Yan Beimo that he would personally come to the Northwest, he became somewhat flustered.
He didn't want this evil spirit to come; he only wanted the prince to return safely to the Northwest.
"Is he planning to come to the Northwest? Is he perhaps up to some kind of scheme?"
The princes who were colluding with Prince Ding started talking amongst themselves.
The entire study was bustling with noise.
"In my opinion, if he dares to come to the Northwest, we should block all the roads leading out of the pass, kill him, and the world will be in complete chaos."
“Those bastards in Chaoge didn’t follow him back to Jiankang. They’ve been occupying Libei, and Beiyou has become a vassal state of Daqi. If we can kill him, Libei, Beiyou, and Nanliang will all be ours.”
"I will send troops from Xiguan to provide support, and we will act according to the circumstances."
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