With wives as numerous as clouds and soldiers as numerous as a million, you say he's a useless

Zhu Yu was unaware that Pei Heng intended to use his life as a pawn to pave a bright path for Ye Cheng'an.

If she had known, she would never have left today; she would have taken Pei Heng away from Beian City at all costs.

But unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in reality.

After Zhu Yu left the Prefectural Office, Pei Heng bathed, changed his clothes, put on his official robes, and ordered his carriage to be prepared so he could enter the royal court.

At first, the guards sent by Su Wanrou tried to stop him and prevent him from leaving the mansion.

But when they heard his purpose, they all showed mocking looks and expressions of watching a show.

"What? Did I hear that right? Our Chief Secretary Pei is still not giving up. Even though he's under house arrest, he still wants to oppose the Princess and the Crown Prince, and he even wants to go to the royal court to accuse the Princess of interfering in politics and being a femme fatale, demanding that the Prince punish the Princess?"

"Hahaha, if His Highness knew how to deal with the Princess, would we have waited until today? Chief Secretary Pei, are you going to be confined to your quarters?"

"Fine, the Princess is probably just looking for a way to deal with some of the old officials, but she doesn't have a legitimate reason to do so. This Chief Secretary Pei is practically courting death, so let's just let him be!"

Pei Heng listened to the mocking and insulting voices around him, but his eyes remained unmoved, and his expression remained extremely resolute.

In the eyes of these people, his behavior might be seen as overestimating his abilities or as courting death.

What they didn't know was that if they didn't do this, if they didn't die, where would the eldest prince have a legitimate reason and excuse to return and attack the royal court?

Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, and Teacher.

In the Great Qian Dynasty, a teacher is one who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts.

If the teacher passes away, the eldest son will have a reason to return to Beian City to pay his respects.

Of course, more importantly, Pei Heng devoted his entire life to the Northern Border, working tirelessly and diligently to assist multiple Northern Border kings. He never made a mistake, and even the imperial court recognized his achievements, while the people praised his character.

If he died because of Su Wanrou and her son.

Then the eldest son can purge the court of corrupt officials!

Pei Heng felt the jolting of the carriage, and a fierce fire ignited in his eyes.

My lord, this is all I can do for you. I hope you can reach the heights you desire.

After that, I will no longer be able to assist and urge you at all times. Of course, I also believe that even without me, you, my lord, can govern the northern border well and enable the people under your rule to live a good life.

This old minister has gone to see the old prince!

After the carriage stopped, Pei Heng strode into the royal court.

He didn't care how many guards blocked his way, or how many people mocked and shouted at him.

He only wanted to see Ye Jinglan and Su Wanrou.

This left the royal guards dumbfounded. Some of the more conscientious guards tried to dissuade him, saying, "Chief Secretary Pei, what are you doing? Su Wanrou and her son are at the height of their fame. Why do you have to disobey the king's orders at this time?"

"You'd better go back and stay home obediently. As for other matters, we can discuss them after your confinement ends. Otherwise, Su Wanrou and her son will definitely cause trouble for you again!"

Pei Heng remained silent, continuing onward without saying a word.

Meanwhile, Su Wanrou's men rushed back to the palace and told her about it.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Chief Secretary Pei has suddenly barged into the royal court, intending to complain to the Prince! The guards can't stop him no matter what they do!"

"What?" Su Wanrou's eyes narrowed dangerously upon hearing this. "You mean Pei Heng... Hmph, the Prince has already ordered him imprisoned, and he still dares to come!"

"He's truly courting death! Perfect, I was just wondering how to deal with him. He disobeyed the royal decree first, then stormed the royal court. In a moment, I, the Queen Consort, will certainly teach him a lesson!"

"Now, I, the Princess Consort, will go and meet him. You all go and fetch the Prince immediately!"

Pei Heng broke into the royal court, and the guards immediately informed Su Wanrou, not Ye Jinglan, about it. This shows that after Ye Cheng'an left the Northern Royal Court, Su Wanrou was now in complete control.

Even Ye Jinglan, the King of the Northern Border, could not compare to her status in the hearts of these palace servants.

Soon, Su Wanrou walked out of the palace and met Pei Heng, who was coming in a menacing manner. She shouted angrily, "Chief Secretary Pei, earlier, the Prince sent three imperial censors to Liuzhou to investigate the situation. You secretly sent a message to the eldest son, telling him to make preparations in advance and sneak through... Such treachery, yet the Prince was lenient and benevolent and did not kill you. He only put you under house arrest."

"But not only do you not know how to be grateful, you even dared to leave the palace without permission during your confinement and break into the royal court to complain about me, the princess..."

"Pei Heng, do you even understand the current situation? Do you really think you'll have a good ending if you oppose me, the Princess Consort?"

"Have you forgotten Ye Cheng'an?"

"Shut up! You are not worthy to mention the eldest young master!" Pei Heng coldly shouted.

The eldest son was such a good person, yet he was forced by Su Wanrou and her son to resign from his position as heir and go to the godforsaken Liuzhou to develop his career.

Even so, Su Wanrou had no intention of letting the eldest son go.

That heartless woman deserves to die!

"If it weren't for your beauty and your bewitching charm that led the Prince to this misunderstanding, how could the Prince and the eldest son have ended up like this?"

"Why would the eldest son resign from his position as heir apparent?"

"Su Wanrou, do you think that just because your son has become the crown prince, he can become the king of the Northern Territory? That he can take away everything that originally belonged to the eldest prince?"

"I'm telling you, it's impossible!"

"Heaven is watching what people do. Your every evil deed in the North will be recorded in history, and you will be infamous for eternity!"

"I, Pei Heng, swear I'd rather die than associate with trash like you!"

"Get out of the way, I need to see the Prince!"

Pei Heng roared angrily.

He has always been a gentle and refined person, never losing his temper easily, and even less inclined to say such harsh words to a woman.

This time is the only exception.

Seeing this, Su Wanrou's eyes narrowed dangerously. "What if this princess refuses?"

"You won't let me? Then I'll just barge through!" Pei Heng shoved Su Wanrou away forcefully.

It was at this moment that Ye Jinglan arrived.

Su Wanrou fell to the ground with a thud, then looked pitifully at Pei Heng, "Chief Secretary Pei, why are you so hostile towards me? I was just advising you not to run around during your confinement... Even if you have a great injustice, you can write it down in your memorial. Why do you have to disobey the royal decree and anger the prince?"

Nausea!

Pei Heng had seen Su Wanrou's true colors far too many times, so he couldn't be bothered to even glance at her.

But Ye Jinglan, who was deeply infatuated with her, did not think so. When he saw that his beloved woman had been pushed to the ground by Pei Heng, he was filled with anger, which almost made his chest explode. He rushed forward and pushed Pei Heng away.

"How dare you, Pei Heng! You've committed insubordination and assaulted the Princess! Do you have a death wish?!"

Upon hearing the charges Ye Jinglan leveled against Pei Heng, a sinister glint of triumph flashed in Su Wanrou's eyes.

As expected, regardless of the truth, the prince only trusted her.

Pei Heng is destined to fail here today.

Don't all these people like to help Ye Cheng'an? Fine, she'll kill Pei Heng, the leader of these people, to make an example of him!

Let everyone see clearly that the future of the North belongs to them, mother and son.

"Your Highness, please calm your anger. Although I do not know why Chief Secretary Pei is so angry, his crime does not warrant death..."

"My beloved consort, you are kind-hearted and have never liked to argue with others, but it is precisely because of this that these people have become increasingly brazen and bullied you more and more," Ye Jinglan said. "You can tolerate it, but I cannot tolerate my woman being bullied by others."

"If Pei Heng doesn't give me an explanation today, I will not let him off!"

"Pei Heng, what do you have to say?"

As Ye Jinglan spoke, he glanced coldly at Pei Heng.

Actually, he had disliked Pei Heng for a long time.

Who told them to be the ones left behind by the old King of the North?

Why is it that the other party, whose virtue and achievements are superior to his, does not serve him but instead always sides with that rebellious son Ye Cheng'an?

Therefore, his decision to punish Pei Heng today was definitely not just a spur-of-the-moment whim.

Instead, he had harbored such thoughts for a long time, but had never had the opportunity to express them. Now, Pei Heng's departure from the residence during his confinement and his unauthorized trespassing in the royal court provided him with a very appropriate reason for punishment.

It has never been just Su Wanrou who wanted to purge the old troops left behind by the former Northern King; he also longed to become a true overlord.

However, Pei Heng showed no fear whatsoever when faced with his pressure; instead, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Your Highness, I entered the royal court today prepared to die! So you need not threaten me!"

"After I have said what I had to say and reported what I had to report, I am at your disposal!"

"What do you want to say?" Ye Jinglan was somewhat surprised by Pei Heng's fearlessness.

Pei Heng said, "Ancient teachings say that the empress should not interfere in politics. However, since the eldest son left the northern border for Liuzhou, Your Highness has allowed the empress to meddle in politics. Now, there are grievances and public opinion in Beian City. If this is not changed, the northern border will surely perish! I beg Your Highness to strip the empress of her title to appease the people's anger, comfort the officials, and ensure peace in the northern border!!!"

Pei Heng's voice resounded through the heavens, each word and phrase deafening and echoing endlessly.

Inside the royal court, the conscientious guards listened with tears welling up in their eyes.

Over the years, they have all witnessed the prince's exclusive favor. Who wouldn't feel indignant on behalf of the eldest son?

But no one has ever dared to say such a thing to the prince's face before...

Pei Changshi's willingness to sacrifice his life for righteousness makes him a pillar of the northern frontier.

However, the prince will absolutely not let Chief Secretary Pei off the hook.

Those people all gasped in shock at Pei Heng.

As expected, Ye Jinglan couldn't understand Pei Heng's intention in requesting the imperial decree at all. He only felt that the other party was on the side of that rebellious son Ye Cheng'an, deliberately causing him trouble and challenging his authority.

He immediately flew into a rage, "What if I disagree?"

Pei Heng gritted his teeth, "I will remonstrate to the death!"

"If Your Highness refuses my request, then kill me!"

"Are you threatening me? Do you think I wouldn't dare kill you?" Ye Jinglan suddenly roared.

Pei Heng, however, showed no fear. Instead, he raised his head, stretched his neck, and said, "Thank you, Your Highness, for granting me death!!!"