I, a spoiled young master, conquered the Crown Princess right from the start!

boom!

This news struck like a thunderbolt from the heavens, hitting every prince and minister in the hall hard on the head.

Yumen Pass is the most important gateway to the northern border of the Great Qian Dynasty. It is the first and most solid line of defense against the southward advance of the barbarians.

For decades, the blood of countless soldiers of the Zhenbei Army has been shed on that majestic pass, which brought a century of peace to the heart of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Now, this formidable pass has actually been abandoned without a fight?

"What?!"

"Have the Zhenbei Army gone mad? How dare they!"

"Desertion in the face of battle! This is treason! This is collusion with the enemy!"

After a brief silence, the entire court erupted in chaos. Countless civil and military officials, like cats whose tails had been stepped on, jumped out, their words vehement and their expressions indignant.

"Your Majesty! I impeach Prince Chu Tianyuan of Zhenbei! His military discipline is lax, and he has allowed his soldiers to abandon the pass and desert, leaving the country's gates wide open and the people to suffer terribly. This is an unforgivable crime!"

"Your Majesty! The Prince of Zhenbei's mansion harbors treacherous ambitions. First, his grandson Chu Feng murdered a prince, then they colluded with the barbarians, and now they have even willingly abandoned the pass, letting the wolf into their home! Their rebellious intentions are blatantly obvious! I implore Your Majesty to immediately issue an edict to execute the entire Prince of Zhenbei's mansion as a warning to others!"

One after another, impeachment memorials were presented to the dragon throne.

On the dragon throne, Lu Tianqian's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

He was more shocked and more furious than anyone else!

He had considered countless possibilities, but he never expected that Chu Tianyuan, that old scoundrel, would dare to play such a ruthless game!

Abandon Yumen Pass?

This isn't just challenging him; this is flipping the table!

"Summon—! Immediately summon Prince Zhenbei, Chu Tianyuan, to the palace!" Lu Tianqian practically spat out these words through gritted teeth, his overwhelming imperial rage causing the temperature in the entire hall to plummet by more than ten degrees.

The Grand Eunuch Wei Xian scrambled out, and a short while later, he scrambled back, collapsing to his knees with a thud, his voice shrill.

"Your Majesty, the people from the Prince's Palace said... said that the Prince of Zhenbei... that because the heir was imprisoned, he fell ill from worry and grief, and last night... last night he fell seriously ill and could not get out of bed..."

"Are you sick?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Tianqian was so angry that he laughed instead.

"Well done! Well done, worry turned to illness! Well done, illness rendered incurable!"

He slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, stood up, and his gaze swept over the trembling officials below.

"Does Chu Tianyuan think he can blackmail me with such tricks?"

"Does he think that without his Zhenbei Army, I have no one else to rely on in this Great Qian Dynasty?!"

Lu Tianqian's voice, like rolling thunder, echoed throughout the hall.

He forcibly suppressed his shock and anger, adopting a confident demeanor, and announced loudly, "My lords, there is no need to panic! I had already anticipated the unrest in the Northern Border and had issued an edict in advance, ordering Marquis Weiyuan to lead 200,000 elite troops to reinforce the Northern Border overnight!"

"The Fierce Tiger Army is the mighty army of our Great Qian Dynasty, and Marquis Weiyuan is a renowned general with a hundred battles under his command! With them here, the mere barbarians are nothing to worry about! We will surely keep them out of our borders!"

These words calmed the tense atmosphere in the court somewhat. The officials shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and praised His Majesty's wisdom, martial prowess, and far-sightedness.

However, amidst all the flattery, no one saw that Lu Tianqian's fist, hidden beneath his dragon robe, was clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

……

The back garden of the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion.

Unlike the chaos and turmoil in the palace, this place remains peaceful and serene.

Chu Tianyuan and Duke Xiao were sitting leisurely in the stone pavilion, with an unfinished game of chess in front of them.

"You old fool, you really have the guts to do that," Duke Xiao said, picking up a white chess piece and placing it on the board. He glanced in the direction of the palace and said irritably, "You just abandoned Yumen Pass like that? Aren't you afraid those 200,000 barbarians might actually march all the way to the capital?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" Chu Tianyuan blew on his beard and casually placed a black piece, which directly captured a large group of his opponent's white pieces.

"My move is called 'drawing the firewood from under the cauldron.' Doesn't the Emperor want Marquis Weiyuan to reap the rewards and take over my Zhenbei Army? Fine, I'll just take over the entire northern defense line, pot and all, and hand it all over to him."

Duke Xiao frowned as he looked at his precarious situation on the chessboard: "But Marquis Weiyuan is leading 200,000 elite troops. What if he really holds out..."

"withstand?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianyuan let out a disdainful sneer.

"Marquis Weiyuan is fine fighting those small, barbarian states in the Northwest when things are going well, but what if he really faces the main force of the exceptionally gifted and fearless barbarians? What can his 200,000 men possibly do?"

"Let him experience firsthand what kind of enemy my Zhenbei Army has faced all these years."

Chu Tianyuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and a cold, cruel light flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

"If we don't make him bleed a little, if we don't make those armchair strategists in the court truly afraid, how will they know just how precious my grandson's life is?"

"Just wait and see, the show has already begun!"

In Chu Feng's original room, Xiao Nihuang sat with the bluebird standing before her, saying, "General, the Prince of Zhenbei's move was truly ruthless!"

"Bluebird, order the Xiao family army to retreat a thousand miles!"

At this moment, Xiao Nihuang spoke directly.

Upon hearing this, Qingniao's expression changed. He said, "General, are we going to follow the example of the Zhenbei Army? If we retreat, the ten kingdoms of the Western Regions will likely advance unimpeded, and the Western Regions will surely fall. Wouldn't we be condemned by the world for doing so?"

"If I can't even protect my own husband, what right do I have to protect the Western Regions, or the Great Qian?"

"Moreover, our Duke Xiao's Mansion and the Prince Zhenbei's Mansion are now intertwined, sharing both prosperity and adversity. Once the Prince Zhenbei's Mansion is gone, do you think His Majesty will let the Duke Xiao's Mansion off the hook?"

"I'm doing this not only for him, but for the entire Duke Xiao's mansion!"

Xiao Nihuang coldly retorted.

"Understood, I'll take care of it right away!" Bluebird nodded and turned to leave.

Xiao Nihuang's gaze sharpened slightly as she murmured to herself, "I hope you can hold on!"