The King of Lingnan was taken aback. Looking at the man's smiling face, a chill ran down his spine.
He used to think the new emperor was terrifying, indifferent and ruthless, and too lazy to talk nonsense. If you touched his sore spot, he would kill you right away.
But now he suddenly realized that Yan Hou was the most terrifying. He would smile and talk to you on the surface, but if you offended him, he could make you die without a burial place.
Indeed, this young master from a prominent family in Yandu always appears to be upright and honest, and would never do anything that would embarrass him. If he wanted to kill someone, he would have plenty of executioners to do it for him.
He suddenly realized that the Eighth Prince had probably long been a thorn in Yan Bei Mo's side, and even if the new emperor didn't take action against them, Yan Bei Mo probably wouldn't let them go.
He is now going to reap the benefits and catch them all in one fell swoop.
Thinking of this, the King of Lingnan broke out in a cold sweat and dared not utter any more arrogant words. It was obvious that the Marquis of Yan did not allow anyone to speak ill of his thoughts.
He wanted the throne, but no one could say it openly.
King Lingnan was adept at assessing the situation; once he had thought it through, he simply smiled and agreed.
"What Marquis Yan says is true."
He picked up the wine cup, took a sip, and spoke.
"Now that old bastard Prince Pingxi has occupied the Sishui area and has sent troops to the capital, I am truly worried about His Majesty's safety and do not know what to do?"
Yan Beimo slowly sat down and looked directly at him.
"I heard that His Majesty has set up camp in Luoning, east of the capital, and the first target he attacked was Prince An."
The King of Lingnan immediately understood his meaning, and they exchanged a smile.
“As a subject, it is only natural that I should go to Luoning to lend Your Majesty a hand.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Beimo laughed loudly and gently raised his wine cup, "Then I wish Your Highness a triumphant return."
The warring states of the northern kingdoms had been raging for over a decade, and during this time, foreign tribes from the Western Regions even participated in the wars in the Central Plains.
The regional governors outwardly pledged allegiance to the emperor, but in reality, they secretly conspired with the local princes.
After Shen Yan ascended the throne, backed by the upper-class families, he continued to recover lost territories and suppress the princes, and the chaos and division in the north was able to have a brief period of peace.
But now, only half a year later, the Eight Princes have raised an army and started a rebellion. Wars have broken out frequently throughout the Central Plains, and the areas affected by the war are getting bigger and bigger, with a large number of refugees.
Shen Yan led his troops on a northern expedition to the east to attack Prince An. In just two months, he successively recaptured eight cities, including Jiangling, Qingqiu, and Tianshui.
On the thirteenth day, he launched a swift attack on the area around Chaodong Taiguan, killing 100,000 soldiers from the Western Regions, and personally beheaded the heir of Prince An, displaying his head on the city wall.
Enraged, Prince An launched a desperate attack on the Central Plains, while Prince Su, Prince Ding, Prince Duan, and others seized the opportunity to march south.
However, King Qi suddenly betrayed him, withdrew from Xuzhou during the march, and joined forces with the Li clan of Longxi to kill King Su unexpectedly. The entire eastern border was in turmoil, and King Su lost 50,000 troops as a result.
The new emperor marched north, killing many governors and ministers. His methods of warfare were ruthless. When he reached the Tuling Pass area, he cruelly buried alive 30,000 rebel soldiers from Qingzhou.
The other kings began to fear and withdrew their troops to the Xiaonan area.
However, the Prince of Lingnan, citing the new emperor's inhumanity, joined forces with the Prince of Pingxi to attack the capital.
The northern region had been divided and ravaged by war for many years, with various factions operating in complex and diverse ways.
Shen Yan had just recovered Chaodong when he heard the devastating news that the regent minister of the capital had suddenly died. He was in a hurry to return to the capital and hastily ended the battle, but was ambushed by the Prince of Pingxi on the way and died in Fengxin.
The news of the new emperor's death spread instantly, shocking the entire land. Princes rose up in rebellion, and refugees across the land began to riot and become restless.
Chu Changning was in the Chaodu military camp when he heard the news.
Yan Beimo didn't hide anything from her. She listened to them discussing the war, and when she suddenly learned of Shen Yan's death, she was slightly shocked.
At that moment, the voices of soldiers came from outside.
"My lord, Princess Pingyang requests an audience."
Pingyang stood outside the military tent, carrying a food box, listening to the sounds inside, a sinister glint in his eyes.
She had been by Yan Beimo's side for many months, but she rarely saw him. Her father kept asking her about things on this side, so she could only give perfunctory answers and pass on some insignificant messages.
Two days ago, Yan Beimo suddenly came to her room and consummated their marriage. She was happy for only a few days before she heard that her father had sent troops to Xunyang.
She understood her father's intentions and wanted to contribute to the succession of the emperor. In addition, due to their kinship, she practically sided with Yan Beimo and fought for him in Xunyang.
But she never saw him again from that day on.
Yan Beimo used her father's rebellion to cover up his ambition to usurp the throne. Why did he treat her so coldly, yet dote on that woman who had nothing and allowed her free access to the military camp?
"Princess, the lord is busy and wants you to go back."
Suddenly, the guard's voice brought Princess Pingyang back to her senses.
Upon hearing this, she instantly flew into a rage, her beautiful face contorted with malice. On impulse, she pushed aside the guards and strode inside.
The generals inside the tent all looked over when they heard the commotion.
Chu Changning, who was sitting on a chair looking at military maps, was also stunned. When he saw it was her, he looked away.
Yan Beimo was standing in front of the sand table, glancing sideways at the sound.
When Princess Pingyang saw him looking at her, she immediately suppressed her anger and walked towards him with a smile, carrying the food box.
"My lord, it's already late afternoon. You must be tired. Let's have something to eat first."
The generals glanced at the lady in front of the desk to the left, and then at Princess Pingyang who was walking over to the right. They exchanged glances and dared not speak.
Yan Beimo ignored her, glanced at the guards who rushed in, and gestured for them to leave.
"My Lord".
Princess Pingyang's voice was sweet and delicate as she reached out to hug his arm.
Yan Beimo suddenly picked up the teacup beside him, turned around and walked to the chair next to him to sit down.
Pingyang's hand froze awkwardly in mid-air. After a moment, she brushed a stray hair behind her ear and smiled as she placed the food box on the table.
"I made all of this myself. Would you like to try some, my lord?"
Yan Beimo held a cup of tea in his hand, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chu Changning flipping through a book without moving, and his eyes darkened slightly.
He tapped the rim of his teacup lightly and asked with a smile.
"What did you bring?"
Princess Pingyang was overjoyed and immediately placed all the food on the long table.
"These are all delicacies from the Huainan area. Would you like to try them, my lord?"
Yan Beimo glanced at it a few times, raised an eyebrow, and remained silent.
Chu Changning smelled the aroma and felt a surge of desire.
She took a breath, patted her uncooperative stomach, and secretly wondered what she would eat in the kitchen later.
Yan Beimo noticed her subtle movements and gave a cold snort.
He put down his teacup and spoke softly to Pingyang.
"Put it down, you can go out now."
Princess Pingyang, "---"
Dissatisfied, and disregarding the others in the tent, she gracefully walked over, intending to sit on his lap.
Yan Beimo glanced at Chu Changning not far away and saw her lower her head, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes.
He picked up the file next to him and threw it at her feet.
The sudden violence startled Pingyang, who trembled and dared not move.
Chu Changning was also startled and looked up.
"What's wrong?"
Yan Beimo said coldly, "What are you standing there for? Come here."
What's wrong with you!
Chu Changning cursed inwardly, glanced at Pingyang beside him, and had no intention of going over there.
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