Ji Wu rushed in and saw Li Qiji sitting there, seemingly lost in thought.
"emperor..."
Li Qiji snapped out of his daze. "Oh, Jiwu, please inform Jishang and the others, as well as the personnel of the Tianji Pavilion on Tianji Star, as soon as possible, and have them send a team to protect the Empress's safety."
"Just let them hide in the shadows. They must appear immediately to save the Empress if she is in danger. They must keep their mouths shut."
"Tell them not to be surprised whatever they see of the Queen, just protect her well!"
"If I am not fortunate enough to return this time, they must protect the Empress well. They are now the Empress's people and must be loyal to her. If they betray her, the execution order from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion will never cease for all eternity."
Ji Wu was surprised that the Emperor would say these things to him, but he still calmly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will make the arrangements immediately."
Li Qiji nodded, and before Ji Wu left, he said, "Go and find Yuan Ningsu and the three members of the Guan family."
Ji Wu didn't know what was going on, but he still obediently went to look for it.
After Ji Wu left, Li Qiji went to the long table, took out a blank sheet of paper, prepared the ink and brush, and began to write letters to the Empress Dowager, Qi Shang, the Imperial Preceptor, Su Xu, and Guan Zhiyue.
He also wrote letters to his own uncle, and to everyone he could possibly be involved with.
Inform them how dangerous this battle is, and that if he fails to achieve his goal and retire, then Qi Shang will be in charge of the Nan Ding Kingdom.
All the Grand Preceptors, Chief Ministers, and Imperial Tutors must wholeheartedly assist the new Emperor in ascending the throne. Furthermore, they should persuade the new Emperor to grant Guan Zhiyue her freedom so that she can remarry.
He wrote an imperial edict for divorce and another for abdication, affixed his personal seal, and signed his name.
So they set both items aside and waited for the two members of the Guan family and Yuan Ningsu to arrive.
As a witness, Yuan Ningsu was also required to sign and affix his seal to it.
*****
Guan family father and son, as well as Yuan Ningsu, had not yet arrived, but Li An did, and said with a look of disapproval, "Nephew, are you still doubting your uncle?"
Li Qiji raised his head and said dismissively, "Nephew, I wonder what your Imperial Uncle means by this?"
"I don't know? Fine, then let me ask you: when you convened the meeting and summoned all the generals to prepare for a naval expedition against Japan, why didn't you inform me? What was the meaning of excluding me?"
Li An was furious. The meeting was over, and everyone was preparing their things when he finally found out.
"Uncle, you should know that this battle is extremely dangerous, and the odds are against you."
"I don't know what happened between my mother and you, but my wish is for my mother to have a peaceful old age."
Even if she wanted to elope with the Imperial Uncle, I, as her son, would wholeheartedly agree. That's why I didn't inform the Imperial Uncle this time; otherwise, his trip would have been out of respect for the Empress Dowager.
Li An, I never expected Li Qiji to think this way. But what do personal feelings matter when it comes to the country?
They've come this far, so why would they be afraid of waiting for so many years?
"No, as an uncle, how can I sit idly by and watch my nephew go to his death when the country is in trouble?"
"Listen to your royal uncle. I will lead the troops this time. You can stay here or return to the capital first. When your royal uncle returns in triumph, I will propose marriage to your mother."
“At that time, I will grant your permission to marry your mother to me, thus fulfilling our marriage,” Li Ansu said.
Li Qiji shook his head and refused his request. This was his country, and he had the ability to do so; how could he sit idly by?
"Uncle, Qi Shang is used to a life of leisure and freedom. You should understand that you should return to the capital today and take these imperial edicts I wrote back to Qi Shang. If something happens to me, Uncle, you should help Qi Shang ascend the throne. This is of utmost importance."
Li An's shocked face showed a look of horror. How could this be?
How can that be?
"That won't do. If you want to go back, then you go back. Otherwise, nobody will go. Does our Nan Ding Kingdom have no one else? Do we really need the Emperor to personally lead the expedition?"
Li Qiji: The Imperial Uncle has gone mad.
"Uncle, you should understand that I am highly skilled in martial arts and will surely return in triumph."
Li An didn't want to argue with him, and simply said, "Anyway, I don't care. Either you go back, or neither of us will go."
Li Qiji didn't want to say anything more to him. Guan Hongsheng and his two sons, along with Yuan Ningsu, had already arrived outside.
"Little Jiji, you've missed me after not seeing me all night? What brings you here in such a hurry?"
Before Yuan Ningsu even entered the tent, that slightly mocking voice rang out from outside.
Upon hearing this, the men in the tent looked up at Li Qiji, then looked down at their own groin.
"Oh, so many people here? What's up? They even asked me to bring my seal."
Li Qiji took a deep breath and, without answering Yuan Ningsu's question, said directly, "In two days, our army will set sail for an expedition."
As you all know, this battle is quite dangerous. I want General Guan to remain at the camp, firstly to protect the Empress's safety, and secondly to escort the Prince back to the capital, carrying the abdication edict with him.
These words caused an uproar. Everyone was shocked. What was their emperor trying to do?
"Your Majesty, please forgive this humble general for being unable to comply!" Guan Chengheng quickly stepped forward and respectfully clasped his hands in greeting.
Li Qiji's cold and deep voice came again, brooking no refusal and giving people a cold and distant aura.
"Soldiers have always taken obedience to orders as their sacred duty!"
"But..."
"No buts! What do you think of this arrangement, Lord Guan?" Li Qiji turned the conversation back to Guan Hongsheng. Guan Hongsheng understood that the Emperor was doing this out of consideration for his daughter, allowing the Guan family to have an heir.
"Your Majesty, I obey your decree and thank you for your kindness!" Guan Hongsheng bowed deeply.
Yuan Ningsu, standing to the side, looked somewhat bewildered, and then asked, "So what's the point of you calling me here?"
Li Qiji didn't say anything, but simply threw the two imperial edicts he had just written to him, asking him to be a witness and sign them.
Yuan Ningsu took a look. The abdication edict was nothing special, but he was quite shocked when he saw the divorce decree. "Wow, do you have to be so serious? You've already written the divorce agreement? Does Xiao Yue'er agree?"
Li Qiji said domineeringly, "She has no choice but to accept it."
"Damn, that's awesome! You're the first emperor to write a divorce agreement," Yuan Ningsu said.
"Yes, I don't want Yue'er to be trapped in the harem at such a young age, nor do I want her to be sent to guard the imperial tomb all alone."
Those standing nearby, especially the three masters from the Guan family, all looked at Li Qiji with shocked expressions.
Yuan Ningsu laughed and said, "Aren't you afraid that I'll marry Xiaoyue'er?"
Li Qiji said, "If I were to die on the battlefield, it wouldn't be impossible for Brother Yuan to get married to Yue'er. I'm sure Brother Yuan would treat Yue'er well."
Yuan Ningsu chuckled and joked, "Although I really hope so, I still want to see you two be loving and affectionate for a long time, so you must live well and come back safe and sound."
He then signed his name and affixed his personal seal to both imperial edicts.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for considering my daughter's needs. I will repay Your Majesty's great kindness tenfold!" Guan Hongsheng quickly clasped his hands in thanks, and the two Guan brothers also bowed in agreement.
Li An was still sulking to the side, not happy at all...
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