Xiaoyu said, "The Rouyi Army indeed, thoroughly withdrew from Daqian. Presently, chaos ensues throughout Rouyi country. How can they stay put?"
Xin He pursed her lips, her expression became more serious, "In recent days, stay vigilant of the movements on the imperial court’s side. Rouyi’s situation doesn’t only suggest to us that the person behind this is Mu Houchu, perhaps the people of the imperial court can also guess. If forced into desperation, they may lash out. If the imperial court were to suddenly find out that Mu Houchu is still alive, I’m afraid...."
Xiao Chaihuo, with a serious voice, said, "The imperial court will not only target His Highness, but will also decisively target Yu State."
Xin He scoffed coldly, "Indeed, they had always seen Yu State as indispensable. Now if they find out Mu Houchu isn’t dead, they may feel truly anxious."
"People from the imperial court have not left Mingzhou till now, I suspect they are still holding onto some hope," Xiao chaihuo said.
The people from the imperial court, whom they have always been watching, now have their army stationed in Mingzhou, and they show no signs of withdrawing to the capital. Mingzhou borders Yu State, which indicates that their malicious intentions have not been extinguished, they are still harboring expectations.
Xin He calmly said, "What else can they expect? To put it bluntly, they are eyeing the richness of the present-day Yu State and the overwhelming power possessed by Mu Houchu."
"Rest assured, Your Highness, I will keep a close eye on them," Xiao Chaihuo saluted.
"Hmm." Xin He nodded in agreement. She wasn’t really worried, just that her heart could already make vague guesses about what would happen next.
Looking at the pure white snow outside the window, Xin He squinted, lifting her cold lips slightly and said, "Song Yalin."
——
Mingzhou.
The troops led by the Emperor himself had been caught off-guard by Ji Xinhe a few days ago; they had suffered heavy casualties. Now, instead of returning to the capital, they had decided to stay in Mingzhou, which is adjacent to Yu State.
It’s not that the Emperor was so shocked that he decided to rest and recuperate here, rather, Yu State still had immense benefits that the Emperor couldn’t get his hands on.
In a fit of rage, the Emperor directly swept all the teaware off the table, even kicked over several stools next to his feet, and roared like a crazed lion, "What did you say?! Right now, everyone in Yu State says they want to rely on Prince Pingyang’s mansion? To support Mu Houchu?! How do they see my Daqian imperial court? How do they see my throne?!"
All the attendants kneeling on the ground were shivering, their faces pale white, not daring to lift their heads at all.
"Emperor, please calm down."
"Who spread this rumor?!"
Though it was called a rumor, the Emperor himself knew whether or not it was a rumor.
The attack on Yu State by Rouyi is true, and it’s also true that the Emperor sent troops. This kind of heartbreaking act is simply glossed over by the currently furious king as just a rumor.
The young king still doesn’t understand that every person’s heart is made of flesh, and the common people will always stand by the person who benefits them, not a so-called king who can abandon them at any time and push them under the horse hooves of the enemy.
The little eunuch who was almost crawling on the ground shivered and said, "The servant is not clear, but this matter, no, this rumor, has indeed spread all over, not only in Yu State, but also in other prefectures. Now, the common people from top to bottom in Yu State all claim they want to support Prince Pingyang and the princess. The servant guesses that this might be the news deliberately released by Prince Pingyang’s Mansion."
"Audacious!" The Emperor yelled, "It’s Ji Xinhe! It’s that mean person! I really underestimated this woman, so cunning. Now, after Rouyi failed to siege the city, she deliberately spread these rumors. What does she want to do? Is she really going to rebel?"
"Perhaps...." The little eunuch shivered, daring not to utter any more, for the Emperor’s face had turned extremely ugly.
The Emperor, in a fit of rage, kicked over a stool again, veins popping on his forehead, "I thought that without Mu Houchu, Yu State would be headless and easy to deal with. Who knew that even with Mu Houchu gone, there’s still Ji Xinhe. This woman is so cunning, she’s been hiding all these years under my eyelids."
In these past six years in Yu State, whether in business or in matters, Ji Xinhe has always used the name "Lady Mu". There are hardly any people who knew that the owner behind establishments like Flower House and Winding Pavilion was Ji Xinhe.
And her formal identity as Princess Pingyang was "never stepping out of the front door, nor stepping outside the side door", she lived a secluded life, so low-key that people could easily ignore her.
Who could have known that this small woman, who looked harmless, could possess such a shrewd mind!
The Emperor was so furious now, he really felt like spitting blood!
Seeing the Emperor in such a rage, the little eunuch dared not even inform him about the news that was to come. However, he knew he couldn’t escape and finally decided to bite the bullet and tell the truth, "Emperor, the King of Rouyi was suddenly assassinated, and now there is chaos throughout Rouyi. Even the Rouyi Army within the border of the Daqian, has now completely withdrawn."
The Emperor felt a rush of darkness before his eyes and nearly fainted. He reached out to support himself against the table and gritted his teeth, "What did you say?!"
"I am just a messenger, I am not clear about it. The scout reported this...Ahh!" Before the little eunuch could finish, the Emperor kicked him over.
"I’m asking you how Rouyi King died!" The Emperor threatened.
"The King of Rouyi... Seems to have been assassinated? There are various rumors within Rouyi. Some say it was done by the Crown Prince, some say it was the Prime Minister, and others say...."
"Enough!" The Emperor roared, "I don’t believe such coincidences exist. Neither too early nor too late, but at this time. I think it’s clear that it was Mu Houchu’s doing!"
The Emperor gritted his teeth and cursed, "I should have known all along that the previous assassination attempt did not kill him. We couldn’t even find a body, how could he be dead? Now it seems, they deliberately created a trick to blindfold me. I thought he was dead, but he’s been stabbing me in the back."
The current military strength of the imperial court is truly not enough to contend with Mu Houchu. Although the imperial court has five hundred thousand soldiers, all the passageways need to be guarded by troops, otherwise wouldn’t other countries directly invade?
Moreover, Daqian has been at peace for many years, and the soldiers have long become lazy. Against Yu State’s hundred thousand elite troops, each one an outstanding soldier, the task is not that simple.
The Emperor’s only chance of winning is by allying with Rouyi. Now that the Rouyi king has been assassinated and the situation is chaotic, they probably won’t have time to find a successor, let alone care about the affairs of Daqian. This means that the Emperor has lost an arm, and the one who ultimately benefits, isn’t it only Yu State?
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