Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

Xiao Lie thought about it more and more and felt that this matter was unusual, and he raised his eyebrows.

"Besides this letter, did my grandfather give me anything else?"

"without……"

How could things have gotten so bad?

Surely his adoptive grandfather wouldn't be hiding anything from him, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to write a letter specifically to warn him to be careful.

Thinking about it this way, Xiao Lie felt a chill run down his spine and suddenly felt uneasy.

He quickly waved his hand, "Go and find out quickly, see if there's been any unusual activity at the border these days?"

The steward looked slightly puzzled. If it came to unusual activity, who knew better than Marshal Xiao? Why ask outsiders...?

But he didn't know that this was what Xiao Lie was most worried about.

Xiao Tianze cherished the original owner of this body to the bone, wishing he could shelter him from the wind and rain and protect him for a hundred years. If something really happened, it was very likely that Xiao Tianze would keep it from him so as not to worry him.

Could it be...?

A thought vaguely surfaced in Xiao Lie's mind.

Could it be... that something happened to the old man?

That won't do. If something really happens to him, I, as a hostage, will be like a turtle in a jar, completely at their mercy.

He didn't bother to explain and immediately told the butler to inquire. Seeing his urgency, the butler sensed something unusual and, without hesitation, immediately obeyed and left.

However, before the steward returned, an imperial edict summoning the Duke to the palace arrived at the Duke's residence. The one who came to deliver the edict was none other than the Emperor's confidant, Eunuch Deshun.

Xiao Lie panicked and stepped forward to slip him some silver, then asked him what was going on.

"Your Excellency, why has His Majesty suddenly summoned me? Is there any reason for this?"

De Shun stared at him intently, then suddenly sighed.

"Alas, the border troops have reported that Li Rusong colluded with the Northern Barbarians and betrayed the Great Xia. Before leaving, he also cooperated with the Northern Barbarians to capture several cities. Although Grand Marshal Xiao reacted in time and quelled the rebellion, ... there will be no shortage of accountability."

"After all, no matter what, the Marshal is the commander of the Northern Territory, and he can't escape the crime of failing to manage his subordinates properly."

Xiao Lie followed De Shun into the palace with trepidation.

He entered the imperial study, knelt before the emperor, and before he could even shout "Long live the emperor!" a stack of folded documents was thrown down at him.

"Ha, 'Long live the Emperor,' sounds nice, but the Northern Barbarians haven't even officially started fighting yet, and they've already caused so much trouble. What if the Northern Barbarians really march south one day? Will even the capital fall?"

These words were indeed quite harsh, and Xiao Lie repeatedly said he dared not, then quietly picked up the folded book from the ground and began to read it quickly.

The contents were almost identical to what De Shun had said, but the wording was exceptionally strong. Several of these memorials questioned whether Xiao Tianze was old, frail, deaf, and blind, and that he was no longer suitable to serve as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Frontier. They all clamored for him to step down and give way to a more capable person.

The emperor rubbed his forehead, seemingly in a headache.

"Commander Xiao has made great contributions, and I am willing to give him face. However, time waits for no one, and there are still so many memorials impeaching him. I... am really in a difficult position."

"Xiao Lie, what do you think should be done in this situation?"

Xiao Lie cursed inwardly, "That shameless dog emperor."

The emperor spoke to him in such roundabout ways simply to use him as a pretext to force Xiao Tianze to abdicate and yield the throne to a more worthy successor.

They actually had the nerve to use memorials as an excuse. Xiao Lie deeply suspected that if the emperor hadn't secretly given the order, there might not even have been these memorials.

He immediately put on a look of fear, knelt down tremblingly, and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Your Majesty, I am not knowledgeable in government affairs, but I will obey Your Majesty's decision."

The emperor frowned slightly, seemingly displeased.

"Oh, so you also think that Grand Marshal Xiao should step down and give way to a more capable person?"

"Your Majesty does not know, but when my grandfather was young, he taught me that the descendants of the Xiao family should be loyal to the emperor and love the country. My grandfather naturally took this as his principle. As long as Your Majesty issues an imperial edict to abdicate, my grandfather will certainly obey without question."

The emperor stared intently at him, his gaze deep and unfathomable, as if trying to discern whether he was truly foolish or feigning it.

Xiao Tianze was a founding military hero, highly favored by the late emperor, and held a prestigious position. He also made outstanding contributions to the Great Xia Dynasty. If the emperor dared to issue an edict retiring him, he would be unable to escape the reputation of being harsh and ungrateful.

Moreover, even if he were to set aside his pride and dare to issue this imperial edict, the 500,000-strong army on the border might not agree.

The emperor was worried that forcibly stripping Xiao Tianze of his position would cause resentment among his subordinates, which could easily lead to unrest. If the 500,000-strong army could not be firmly controlled, it would be nothing short of a catastrophe within the Great Xia territory, potentially causing turmoil and instability in the country.

The emperor was interested but dared not gamble, so he could only try to find out what Xiao Lie was thinking indirectly. If Xiao Lie was more sensible and revealed something to Xiao Tianze, so that he would abdicate voluntarily, that would be the best outcome.

However, everyone, including the emperor, knew that such an ideal idea was impossible to realize.

Xiao Lie's complete ignorance of the questions, his passing the buck like a ball, stemmed from his unwillingness to engage.

The emperor put on such a show to intimidate this junior; what kind of skill is that? If he really had any ability, he should go and talk to Xiao Tianze himself.

Xiao Lie also wanted to see who had a tougher neck, Xiao Tianze or the Emperor.

Suppressing his anger, the emperor finally uttered a long, somber voice, "Is this your reply?"

"I have received Your Majesty's grace, and I shall naturally abide by my duty as a subject, obeying Your Majesty's commands without question. Whatever Your Majesty says, my grandfather and I shall do."

Of course, if the emperor believed it, he could issue an imperial edict to test its credibility.

The emperor received no concrete answer, only heard Xiao Lie spouting empty flattery, and was immediately enraged.

He irritably waved his sleeve, turned his back, and stopped talking. De Shun immediately stepped forward and led Xiao Lie out.

Xiao Lie scratched his head, looking completely innocent, as if he had no idea what earth-shattering thing he had just done.

Hmph, let the emperor go and say it himself if he dares. He's dreaming if he thinks he can tear down his own roof.

After Xiao Lie left, the emperor's eyes darkened, staring intently in the direction Xiao Lie had gone.

"De Shun, what do you think he means by that?"

"His words are all respectful, yet not a single one seems sincere. Could it be that he already harbors rebellious intentions and no longer respects me, the emperor?"

De Shun suddenly knelt down with a thud, his forehead touching the ground, not daring to breathe, for fear that this overwhelming rage would descend upon him.

The entire imperial study was completely silent.

After a long time, the oppressive dark cloud that had been making it hard to breathe finally dissipated.

The emperor remained expressionless and spoke calmly.

"Never mind, it's not a big deal."

"It's normal for Commander Xiao to refuse to admit he's getting old. He's still vigorous and strong despite his age. Let him stay in this position a little longer. I still hope he can dedicate himself to the Great Xia Dynasty."

The emperor spoke in a low, somber tone, which terrified De Shun, who refused to utter a single word.

After leaving the palace gates, Xiao Lie went straight to the Duke's mansion. Upon returning, he wrote down everything that had happened that day, warning the old man to be careful.