His Highness the Madman gave in again today.

Yan Qing was quite annoyed that his plans had been interrupted.

But there was nothing else to do; we could only find another opportunity to bring it up with the Empress in private.

After several rounds of drinks...

Everyone had drunk enough, so they went back to rest.

Feng Tingye waited a moment, until only Feng Xingyu, Mo Sangyu, and Gu Jinzhi remained in the main hall, before he slowly spoke.

"Tonight is an experience I've never had before in my life. Thank you, Brother Qi and Sister Qi, for letting me, a stranger, sit and have dinner with you."

"With Seventh Brother and Seventh Sister's abilities, I believe they have already investigated everything about me in the past few days. It was all due to circumstances. In essence, I am the same as you, only my strength is far inferior."

"Now that you've done what I wanted to do, you've avenged me in one fell swoop. My wish is fulfilled, and I'm ready to leave..."

"Tingye".

Feng Xingyu suddenly interrupted him: "Tingye, I want to appoint you as the Prince of Zhennan and have you stay in the capital. Are you willing?"

Feng Tingye was stunned.

He raised his head and looked at Feng Xingyu, a clear emotion flickering in his deep eyes.

"The Prince of Zhennan?"

"right."

Feng Xingyu stood up and walked to him: "If the capital is to be set up as a secondary capital, someone needs to guard it. This person cannot be an outsider, cannot have any disloyal intentions, and must have sufficient ability."

He looked at Feng Tingye, his red eyes filled with seriousness.

"You are my brother, and I believe you will not have any ulterior motives towards me. You have endured all kinds of hardships and seen all kinds of tricks in the palace all these years. The reason you secretly cultivated your power was to change your own fate. Although you did not get what you ultimately wanted, the capital... is yours."

"..."

"Also, I will always remember the kindness you showed me back then."

Upon hearing this, Feng Tingye remained silent for a long time.

He lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a shadow in the candlelight.

After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse: "Seventh Brother, do you know where those packets of medicine came from?"

Feng Xingyu remained silent.

Feng Tingye raised his head, met his gaze, and a self-deprecating smile curved his lips: "I stole it."

He said, "The entire royal family bullied me and cut my allowance. When I was dying, no one cared. Later, I discovered that the Royal Hospital's storeroom was piled with so many medicinal herbs that would rot if not used up, but they just wouldn't give them to me."

"When your mother was seriously ill, I sneaked in and stole a few packets."

"Actually, I'm not a good person, Seventh Brother, I just..."

He wanted to say that he hadn't given them the medicine out of kindness or sympathy, and that there was no need to remember this so-called favor.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Mo Sangyu leaned back in his chair, listening to him speak in silence.

She won't get involved in this matter.

Feng Xingyu said, "I know all of this."

Feng Tingye was taken aback, only to hear him continue, "I investigated. The Imperial Hospital found out about your theft of medicine, beat you up, and put you in solitary confinement for three days. When the matter reached Feng Mingyuan, he turned a blind eye, which led to his subordinates becoming even more ruthless towards you..."

Feng Tingye's eyes reddened slightly.

He turned his head away so that no one could see him.

Feng Xingyu reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

"Tingye, you just said that we did what you wanted to do and avenged you, but I think you deserve better."

Feng Tingye's shoulders trembled slightly.

He didn't turn around, but his voice came through muffledly.

"Seventh Brother... I'm not worthy."

Whether someone is a good match or not is up to me.

Feng Xingyu withdrew his hand, took a step back, and looked at him.

"Prince Zhennan, you will remain in the capital. If you wish, an edict will be drafted tomorrow. If not, I will not force you. You may leave at any time."

Feng Tingye remained silent for a long time.

So long that Gu Jinzhi put down his wine cup, so long that the candlelight flickered a few more times.

He finally turned around and looked at Feng Xingyu.

A thin layer of moisture had appeared in those deep eyes at some point.

He bent down, knelt solemnly, and kowtowed.

"Your subject, Feng Tingye, kowtows to express his gratitude for Your Majesty's great favor."

Feng Xingyu stepped forward and helped him up: "Alright, get up quickly."

"Your Majesty, there is one more thing I would like to ask of you."

"you say."

"I...I want to see him."

It's obvious who this "he" refers to.

"Can."

Feng Xingyu didn't ask Feng Tingye why he wanted to see him, and agreed without any hesitation.

"You know where he is, you can go to him anytime you want."

Feng Tingye bowed again: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."

"What's wrong with him?"

After Feng Tingye left, Gu Jinzhi finally asked a question.

"He kept a private army and had been plotting a rebellion for years. My appearance and Ayu's appearance disrupted his plans. After these few days of investigation, he should... have given up."

Feng Xingyu explained Feng Tingye's situation in just a few simple words.

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a human.

"Wouldn't it be a bit risky to appoint him as the Prince of Zhennan and entrust him with the defense of the capital?"

Gu Jinzhi didn't understand what kind of person Feng Tingye was. He only knew that once ambition took root, it was very difficult to truly give it up.

"I'm willing to give him a chance."

If Feng Tingye betrays him in the future, he will have repaid that favor.

Of course, he still trusted his own judgment and intuition.

Most importantly, when he made this decision, Ayu didn't object at all.

This shows that Ayu and he shared the same idea, and Ayu has always been very good at judging people, so appointing him as the Prince of Zhennan was not a risk.

"Your Majesty, what do you think?"

Clearly, Gu Jinzhi also believed that Mo Sangyu's idea was very important.

Mo Sangyu chuckled casually: "If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them. There's nothing to hesitate about. To put it another way, we've already conquered the entire Great You. What trouble can a mere capital city cause?"

"..."

Gu Jinzhi gave her a thumbs up, and had no more questions.

His worries were entirely unnecessary.

……

After conquering Dayou, there is still much to be done.

The next morning, Gu Jinzhi led his men to begin their orderly progress.

The first task is to clean up the remaining debris.

Of the civil and military officials of the Great You Dynasty, those who should have been killed have been killed, those who should have been imprisoned have been imprisoned, and some have been exiled from the capital to harsh, cold lands.

However, a clear decree is needed regarding how to deal with their families.

The meaning of "凤行御" is straightforward: not to implicate others.

The principle of not extending punishment to family members reflects the magnanimity of the new dynasty.

However, all the farmland and shops owned by the family members that were obtained through embezzlement and bribery were confiscated and turned over to the national treasury.

It's clean; leave it for them to live on.

Once the decree was issued, the officials' families, who had been filled with fear and anxiety, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The second task was to select new officials.

Although the capital city is only a secondary capital, various departments still need manpower to assist in its management.

Gu Jinzhi drafted a list overnight, selecting a group of scholars from among those accompanying the army, and also recruiting a group of talented but poor young men from the common people to fill various departments first, and then gradually train them.

Feng Xingyu glanced at it casually before approving it.

The third task is to appease the border region.

Although the Great You has been destroyed, several small countries and tribes that had previously interacted with it are still observing.

Feng Xingyu issued three imperial edicts in succession, announcing the establishment of the new dynasty. At the same time, he promised that as long as they behaved themselves, all past transgressions would be forgiven, trade would continue as before, and markets would remain open.

Within days of the imperial edict being issued, two countries sent envoys to pay tribute, initiated peace treaties, and even offered to send their princesses or princes to Da Chen for marriage alliances to ensure that their countries would not be attacked.

The fourth task was to reorganize the army.

With the surrendered soldiers of Dayou and the original army of Chen Kingdom, the number of soldiers surged to nearly two million.

No country has ever possessed such a massive military force.

This is absolutely unprecedented.

When this number was reported, it startled Yan Qing and the others.

"Two million..." he murmured, "If we took that out together, it would scare the other side to death."

Yuan Zhao chuckled from the side, "Mr. Gu, aren't we the strongest in the Nine Provinces now?"

Gu Jinzhi glanced at him.

"Our territory already covers more than half of the Nine Provinces continent, what do you say?"

Yuan Zhao was also grinning from ear to ear.

so happy.

Ya Zi and Han Xiao remained expressionless, but couldn't help but secretly curl the corners of their mouths into smiles.

While we were happy, the question of how to accommodate so many people was a big problem.

In the imperial study, Feng Xingyu leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

Mo Sangyu sat on the soft couch beside him, idly flipping through a miscellaneous book.

Gu Jinzhi stood at the lower end, holding a long list in his hand.

"Your Majesty, I have drafted a plan for the reorganization of two million people."

Gu Jinzhi said, "First, we need to break them up and reorganize them. The surrendered soldiers of Dayou, the old troops of Chen Kingdom, and the warriors of the grassland tribes cannot be allowed to stick together. Only after they are mixed together can they gradually integrate."

Feng Xingyu nodded.

"continue."

Gu Jinzhi walked to the huge map on the wall and ran his hand across it: "Your Majesty, please take a look."

On the map, the territory of Da Chen spans across the Nine Provinces, stretching from the grasslands of the north to the dense forests of the south, and from the coastline of the east to the Gobi Desert of the west.

"Our territory is too large and our border is too long. With two million standing troops, dispersed to various key passes and locations, there are actually not many left."

The group exchanged glances.

Yuan Zhao asked, "How exactly should it be allocated?"

"In addition to border garrisons, there are also defenses in major inland prefectures, imperial guards in the capital and the foggy city, and mobile forces that can be mobilized at any time."

Gu Jinzhi counted on her fingers.

"Border defense requires at least 800,000 troops, and each of the major prefectures in the interior needs to have 3,000 to 5,000 troops stationed there, which adds up to 200,000 to 300,000 troops."

"The capital has 50,000 imperial guards, and the capital city has 100,000, making a total of 150,000. The rest can be used as mobile forces, stationed in several key military strongholds, ready to be deployed wherever needed."

After he finished calculating, he looked at Feng Xingyu.

"Based on this calculation, two million people are just enough."

Feng Xingyu pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Mo Sangyu: "What does Ayu think?"

Mo Sangyu turned a page of the book without looking up: "I think Lord Gu is quite good at math."

Feng Xingyu smiled and looked away from Gu Jinzhi.

"We'll do as you say."

Over the next few days, Yuan Zhao and Han Xiao were in charge of reorganization and were extremely busy.

Yan Qing was also busy, running around with Gu Jinzhi, handling those trivial government affairs.

He had been longing to propose to Mo Sangyu, but he delayed it for more than half a month, finally seizing the opportunity on his way back to Chen Kingdom.

As for Ya Zi... Feng Xingyu assigned him to follow Feng Tingye, responsible for covert patrols and public surveillance in the capital.

If Feng Tingye, the Prince of Zhennan, wants to maintain his position, military power alone is not enough; he also needs to win the hearts of the people.

How could Feng Tingye not understand such an arrangement?

Originally, he harbored a sliver of resentment, but due to the strength of Feng Xingyu and Mo Sangyu, after careful consideration and repeated deliberation, he concluded that he had no chance of winning and therefore decided to give up.

But as he got to know him better, he realized more and more that he had made the right decision.

The fifth and final thing.

They returned to the capital in triumph.

However, there are still a few things to take care of before returning to the capital.

The people imprisoned in the manor outside the city had either gone mad or become ill. Feng Xingyu and Mo Sangyu had taken a look at them once and decided to let them fend for themselves and not interfere further.

There were three others in the palace: Feng Mingyuan, Eunuch Qing, and Yun Jin from Yunzhong City.

Feng Mingyuan was still alive, and it is said that he had a brief moment of lucidity a couple of days ago, during which he clearly expressed his desire to see Feng Xingyu.

As a result, he didn't get to see Feng Xingyu, but instead got to see Feng Tingye.

After Feng Tingye went to see him, news came that very night that Feng Mingyuan had passed away.

The body was kept for three days without a grand national mourning ceremony, and was directly carried into the imperial mausoleum.

When Eunuch Qing learned of this news, he, who had followed Feng Mingyuan for decades, finally made a decision. He voluntarily requested to be stripped of his martial arts cultivation and go to the imperial mausoleum to continue guarding Feng Mingyuan.

This result couldn't be better.

He knew very well that if he didn't actively abandon his martial arts cultivation, he wouldn't be able to save his life.

As for Yun Jin...

Having determined that no other useful information could be obtained from him, and given Mo Sangyu's consistent style, she would definitely kill him outright.

But then she thought about it carefully again...

The city of Clouds is definitely related to Feng Xingyu's background.

The bloodline restriction within him suppresses some terrifying power, and Yun Jin is currently the only clue to understanding all of this.

After much deliberation, Mo Sangyu placed a tracking talisman on Yun Jin and then released him.

Yun Jin was completely bewildered when he was thrown out of the city.

Why?

They're just going to let him go like that?

What did that woman do to him?

Yun Jin knew that Mo Sangyu must have done something to him, but he couldn't detect it at all, and his body didn't feel anything unusual.

He walked along, his hair a mess of blackened scraggly hair, puzzled.

Why did you let him go?

Unable to figure it out, he gave up and decided to find a place to hide first, and then seek revenge after he recovered from his injuries!

With the matter in the capital city resolved, the army prepared to set off for the return to the Fog City the following day.

Before leaving, Feng Xingyu took Mo Sangyu to a place.

At Yun Wangshu's grave.

Her last request before she died was not to be buried in the imperial mausoleum.

Therefore, she was buried on a barren hillside outside the capital city, without even a proper tombstone.

Feng Xingyu knelt before the grave for a long time.

Mo Sangyu also knelt down, kowtowed, and then stood up and stood aside without saying a word, just silently accompanying him.

The wind blew across the barren slope, lifting the hem of his clothes and the strands of his hair.

The simple tombstone was reflected in those red eyes.

"Mother."

He spoke softly, "I've brought your daughter-in-law to see you."

Daughter-in-law?

Upon hearing Feng Xingyu's words, Mo Sangyu suddenly raised her lips in a smile.

She likes those two words.

That sounds pretty good.

If the mother-in-law were still alive... if they started fighting, I wonder who Feng Xingyu would side with?

Hey.

pity.

Hearing Mo Sangyu's slight movement, Feng Xingyu turned to look at her: "Ayu, why are you sighing?"