On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Liu Wentao was the head of all officials, and naturally the backbone of the three of them.

Everyone immediately shut up, ready to listen to what he had to say.

Liu Wentao pointed out the window: "The entire capital is now under the control of the Divine Machine Battalion! Even if you jointly petition His Majesty, it will be to no avail."

Ma Jianguo, unconvinced, gritted his teeth and said, "Your Excellency, while the Divine Machine Battalion is formidable, our three major battalions in the capital are not to be underestimated! Together we have tens of thousands of troops. I refuse to believe that tens of thousands of men can't defeat his mere five thousand!"

"Fight?" Liu Wentao turned around, looking at him coldly. "General Ma, have you forgotten what the Divine Machine Battalion has?"

Ma Jianguo was taken aback.

"They have crossbows, ballistae, and heavy catapults!" Liu Wentao's face was extremely grave, as if he had seen those weapons with his own eyes. "These heavy weapons were originally used to deal with the barbarian cavalry, and now they're mounted on the city walls! Tell me, what are you going to use to fight them?"

"This..." Ma Jianguo was completely speechless.

Sometimes, war cannot be won simply by having more people.

Not to mention that the three major camps are currently lacking siege weapons, even if they did, their tens of thousands of men would be no match for the Shenji Camp, which is famous throughout the world for its city defense.

The study remained silent for a long time.

Liu Dong spoke up, "Your Excellency, His Majesty cannot simply stand by and watch Lin Yi do as he pleases, can he? He is the Emperor!"

"The Emperor? Ha." Liu Wentao laughed self-deprecatingly. "What's the difference between this Emperor and a caged bird? Lin Yi has cut off his own food, clothing, and necessities. He can barely protect himself. How can he possibly stand up for us?"

"Is...are we just going to let it go like this?"

"Of course we can't let this go!" Liu Wentao's eyes suddenly sharpened. "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Although Lin Yi is powerful now, he's not a monolithic entity. His biggest weakness is that he's too young and too arrogant!"

He paused, then continued his analysis: "He thought that because he controlled the capital, he could do whatever he wanted. But he forgot that this empire ultimately belongs to the Nangong family! His actions today have thoroughly enraged His Majesty and offended the entire court."

"I have already joined forces with dozens of my colleagues in the court to submit a joint memorial impeaching Lin Yi for ten major crimes! Although His Majesty is currently trapped in the palace, I will find a way to spread this memorial throughout the land, so that scholars and regional princes can all see the ugly face of this traitor!"

"When the time comes, the people's hearts will be with him, and the whole world will unite against him! Even if Lin Yi had three heads and six arms, he would not escape death!"

Upon hearing this, the three looked at each other in bewilderment.

Yes, no matter how powerful Lin Yi is, he's still just one person.

But they represent the entire scholar-official class. If the whole country rises up against them, even if Lin Yi recalls all 300,000 troops from the northern border, it will be useless! They will still die!

"Your Excellency's insight is truly remarkable!" Liu Dong was the first to react, cupping his hands in greeting. "We are willing to obey Your Excellency's commands!"

Ma Jianguo nodded in agreement: "That's right! As long as it can avenge my son, I'll go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Liu Wentao nodded and turned his gaze to Zhang Zenan, who had remained silent.

"Duke Xun, what are your thoughts?"

Zhang Zenan's expression shifted between light and shadow.

He admitted that Liu Wentao's plan sounded perfect.

Using the power of the world to deal with Lin Yi is indeed the best strategy.

But it's too slow!

When will it be time for the whole world to condemn Lin Yi and for various vassal kings to raise troops to defend the emperor?

He can't wait that long!

The thought of his son's miserable state only intensifies the hatred in his heart.

"Your Majesty's plan is good, but it's a long-term solution that can't solve the immediate problem," Zhang Zenan said coldly. "I can't wait that long."

Liu Wentao frowned: "What do you mean? Do you intend to go head-to-head with the Lin family all by yourself?"

"Ha, I'll show you what's what today! Lin Yi dared to cripple my son, he'll pay the price!" He abruptly stood up, looked around, and declared, "You can wait and see! I, Zhang Zenan, will make Lin Yi pay, even if it costs my entire family!"

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and strode out of the study.

"Old Zhang!" Liu Wentao tried to call out to him, but it was too late. He stomped his feet in anger, "That reckless fool! He's good for nothing but causing trouble!"

He knew perfectly well that Zhang Zenan's departure was definitely to find the First Prince, Nangong Ao.

With the situation in the capital in chaos, the power struggle among the princes has gradually come to the forefront. Zhang Zenan was originally a member of the eldest prince's faction, so it was only natural that he would seek help from the eldest prince now that such a major incident had occurred.

However, although Nangong Ao had some prestige in the army, he was still far inferior to Lin Yi, who commanded the Shenji Battalion and the Northern Army.

Zhang Zenan's actions were tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

"Sigh, let him be." Liu Wentao shook his head helplessly. "We'll just do our own thing. You two, from today onwards, mobilize your trusted officials to impeach him severely! Expose all the evil deeds Lin Yi has committed! I refuse to believe that public opinion can't drown out a mere brat like him!"

"Yes! We obey!"

......

The night was as dark as ink. Two large red lanterns hung in front of the Regent's Palace, swaying gently in the night breeze, casting flickering light on the open space in front of the gate.

"Whoa—"

Lin Yi reined in his horse, dismounted, and once again held Luo Qingwan horizontally in his arms.

My sister-in-law's body is very soft and light, like a ball of cotton, and it feels wonderful to hold.

"Let me go! You monster! Let me go!"

Luo Qingwan was still struggling desperately, her little fists raining down on Lin Yi's chest, but they were soft and weak, like tickling, without any strength.

The prince's retainers and maids were already lined up at the gate, and when they saw their prince returning with a beautiful young girl in his arms, they all smiled knowingly.

A prince is a prince; he never misses a flight.

"What are you all looking at? Hurry up and move your things inside!" Fatty Wang jumped off his horse, his 300-pound weight shaking the ground, and shouted at the carriages behind him.

"Yes, Fatty!" the servants replied and began unloading the goods.

Just then, a dark figure darted out from the mansion gate with astonishing speed, heading straight for Fatty Wang.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

It was a large, jet-black dog, robust in build, with long limbs, its glossy black fur reflecting the light under the lantern. It ran over, tongue lolling out, tail wagging like a windmill, jumping and hopping around the fat man, being incredibly affectionate.

"Hey! Tang San! My good son! Hahahaha." The fat man hugged the big black dog tightly, letting it lick his face, laughing heartily. "Missed you, Fatty?"

This big black dog was the hunting dog that the old regent brought back from the northern border, named Tang San.

It is said that when it was found, it was in the Northern Tang Dynasty. Because the family was not large, the old regent only had one son and one grandson, so he named it Tang San.

"Woof woof!" Tang San barked twice, as if in response.

"What's wrong? Hungry?" Fatty Wang pinched its big ears, looking heartbroken. "Sigh, the world is going to the dogs! Even dogs can't get enough to eat!"

He turned and yelled at a servant, "You! I'm talking to you! How can you be so irresponsible? You dare to starve the meritorious officials of the Prince's mansion? Are you planning a rebellion?"

The servant was so frightened that he immediately knelt down: "Master, please spare me! It was my negligence! I'll go prepare some food for Third Master right away!"

"Get out!" Fatty Wang waved his hand impatiently. "Does your kitchen's pig slop even deserve to feed that Indian? I'll make it for him myself!"

He patted Tang San's head and chuckled lewdly, "Good boy, don't be in such a hurry. I'll give you a fresh poop after I finish my drink. Do you want it dry or runny? Shout once if you want it runny, shout twice if you want it dry!"

The maids and servants around them twitched at the sound of laughter, each one trying to suppress their chuckles and daring not to utter a sound.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!" Tang San seemed to understand and barked excitedly three times.

"Holy crap?" Fatty Wang's eyes widened. "You little bastard, you've even learned about nutritional balance? Good! You've got potential! Just wait, I'm in a good mood today, I'll give you a huge chunk, a whole basin of dry and runny stuff! Hahahaha."

Lin Yi held Luo Qingwan in his arms, watching the interaction between the two, and couldn't help but laugh and cry.