At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

Inside the imperial study, the charcoal fire burned brightly, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Xiao Jingyu stood up, straightened his robes, and began to report the situation in the northern border to Emperor Xiao Jinghuan in a loud voice.

"Your Majesty, during my recent journey to the Northern Frontier, I personally witnessed General Su Mu leading his army to first conquer Cangzhou, capturing Tuoba Han and Tuoba Lie alive, then taking Yingzhou and forcing the garrison to surrender without bloodshed; finally, they conquered Mozhou. Thus, all five prefectures and thirteen cities in the Northern Frontier have been recovered! The Northern Di army in the Northern Frontier has been completely annihilated!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinghuan suddenly stood up from the dragon throne, placed his hands on the imperial desk, leaned forward, and stared wide-eyed.

"The Northern Territory... the Northern Territory, completely recaptured? Tuoba Han and Tuoba Lie have both been captured alive?"

His voice was trembling; he was extremely excited.

"yes!"

Xiao Jingyu clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice becoming even louder.

"Both Tuoba Han and his companion were captured alive and imprisoned in the Mozhou prison."

"Now, the people of the northern border are all raising the banners of the Great Qian Dynasty, and they are overjoyed."

Xiao Jinghuan excitedly walked out from behind the imperial desk, stood in front of Xiao Jingyu, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and his eyes were red.

"Third brother...I...am I dreaming? The Northern Frontier...has really all returned?"

"Your Majesty, it is absolutely true!" Xiao Jingyu nodded emphatically. "I saw it with my own eyes, how could it be false? Your Majesty, the Northern Border has returned! The Great Qian Empire is whole again!"

Hahaha!

Xiao Jinghuan threw his head back and laughed loudly, the sound echoing in the imperial study.

"Good! Good! Good! Su Mu! Su Mu! You are my lucky general! You are the lucky general of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

He turned around and looked at Prime Minister Li Yuan standing to the side, his eyes full of light.

"Prime Minister, did you hear that? The northern border has been completely recovered! Tuoba Han and Tuoba Lie have been captured alive! General Su Mu, the Great General Who Guards the North, has reclaimed the land that the Great Qian Dynasty lost for three years!"

Li Yuan stood aside, his expression unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil.

Su Mu... has he really reclaimed the northern border?

Five states and thirteen cities, all taken?

They even captured Tuoba Lie and Tuoba Han alive.

He thought he had misheard, but the Third Prince had just returned from the Northern Border, how could it be false?

Li Yuan's throat bobbed, and he cupped his hands, saying, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! The complete recovery of the northern border is truly a joyous occasion."

He offered his congratulations, but inwardly he was bitter.

The greater Su Mu's merits, the more influence he wielded in the imperial court.

The Third Prince, Xiao Jingyu, was Su Mu's patron. The more the emperor valued Su Mu, the stronger the Third Prince's influence in the court became.

This is not a good thing for him and the Crown Prince.

Moreover, what is even more regrettable is the matter of Xu Shigui.

The Imperial Concubine had finally managed to influence the Emperor to release Xu Shigui.

But if the Third Prince returns at this time, bringing with him Su Mu's immense achievement in recovering the northern border, will the Emperor still release Xu Shigui?

Li Yuan was filled with anxiety.

Xiao Jinghuan walked back to the imperial desk, looked up at Xiao Jingyu, his eyes full of excitement.

"By imperial decree: Tomorrow morning at court, I will announce this momentous occasion to the world in front of all civil and military officials! I will bestow honors upon Su Mu and reward the three armies! And..."

"Third brother, I order you to build a general's mansion for Su Mu in the capital! Make it the biggest and most magnificent! When Su Mu returns to the capital in triumph, I want him to live there! This is my grand surprise for him!"

Xiao Jingyu clasped his hands in acceptance of the order:

"Your Majesty, I obey! Rest assured, I will personally oversee the construction of a mansion worthy of General Su's achievements!"

Xiao Jinghuan nodded in satisfaction, sat down again, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and was in a great mood.

"Third brother, you must have had a hard time going to the northern border this time. Sit down and let's talk."

Xiao Jingyu sat down at the lower end of the table, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Li Yuan, who was standing to the side.

His brow furrowed slightly.

He thought to himself, "The Prime Minister must have something to say to His Majesty since he came to see him so early."

And it won't be anything good.

"Your Majesty," Xiao Jingyu asked tentatively, "I abruptly requested an audience earlier, interrupting your discussion with the Prime Minister. I wonder... should I excuse myself?"

Xiao Jinghuan waved his hand and smiled, "No need to disturb you. Perfect timing, I have something I want to ask your opinion on."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

After Xiao Jinghuan sighed, he said:

"The Prime Minister just told me that Xu Shigui has been imprisoned in the imperial jail for several months and has suffered as much as he deserves. I want to release him, reinstate him to his original position, and let him redeem himself through meritorious service. Third brother, what do you think?"

Xiao Jingyu's face instantly darkened.

He stood up abruptly, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Majesty, I believe this is absolutely unacceptable!"

Xiao Jinghuan frowned: "Why?"

Xiao Jingyu took a deep breath, his voice firm.

"Your Majesty, on this trip to the northern border, my brother specifically investigated Xu Shigui's actions there."

"This man has embezzled military pay, ostracized loyal officials, deserted in battle, and framed meritorious soldiers in the north—the evidence against him is irrefutable!"

"His two sons, Xu Zhaowen and Xu Zhaowu, relying on their father's power, acted arrogantly and domineeringly in the army, showing no respect for military law and even disregarding General Qin Hao!"

"Your Majesty, are you aware that General Su was repeatedly harassed by Xu Shigui in Qinghe County? General Su rendered great service, but Xu Shigui not only failed to reward him, but also offset his merits against his demerits, and even falsely accused him of treason! If General Su hadn't been lucky, he would have died at Xu Shigui's hands long ago!"

Xiao Jinghuan's expression changed.

Xiao Jingyu continued, "Your Majesty, the soldiers of the Northern Frontier fought valiantly to achieve the liberation of the entire region today. If Xu Shigui is released without charge and reinstated, what will the soldiers of the Northern Frontier think? They will feel that the court's rewards and punishments are unfair, failing to reward merit and punish wrongdoing! At that time, who will be willing to risk their lives for Your Majesty?"

He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you rescind your order and continue to imprison Xu Shigui until General Su returns to the capital in triumph, at which point we can hear his opinion before taking any further action!"

"Otherwise, the soldiers in the North will lose heart, and I will have no face to face those brothers who are fighting and dying on the front lines!"

Li Yuan's face was ashen. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness is mistaken. Although Xu Shigui is guilty, his crimes do not warrant death. His Majesty is merciful and has released him to atone for his crimes and make amends, giving him a chance to reform himself."

"Although the northern border has now been recovered, the foundation is not yet stable. It is precisely the time when we need capable people. Xu Zhaowen and Xu Zhaowu are both young generals. If they can redeem themselves through meritorious service, they may very well become pillars of the court."

Xiao Jingyu sneered and looked at Li Yuan.

"Prime Minister, when you say 'when you need people,' are you referring to using these kinds of people who desert in the face of battle and frame loyal officials? There are countless soldiers in the northern border; do we really need two such useless individuals?"

Li Yuan's face flushed red: "You!"

"Enough!" Xiao Jinghuan slammed his hand on the table, interrupting the argument between the two.

The imperial study fell silent.

Xiao Jinghuan remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Li Yuan and Xiao Jingyu.

"Third brother is right. The soldiers in the north have fought to the death. If I release Xu Shigui, it will indeed chill their hearts." He paused. "I withdraw the order to release Xu Shigui and keep him imprisoned until Su Mu arrives in the capital, at which point a decision will be made."

Xiao Jingyu was overjoyed and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Li Yuan's face turned ashen, his Adam's apple bobbed twice, and in the end he simply cupped his hands and said, "Your subject... obeys the decree."

He lowered his head, a sinister glint in his eyes.

Xiao Jingyu looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He thought to himself: Save Xu Shigui? Dream on.

Li Yuan left the imperial study and strode out of the palace gate.

His face was as gloomy as the sky before a storm, and his teeth were grinding together.

"Third Prince... Su Mu..." he murmured to himself, "Don't be too smug."

He boarded the sedan chair and said in a deep voice, "To the Crown Prince's residence!"

……

The main hall of the Crown Prince's residence.

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng was changing his clothes, preparing to enter the palace to pay his respects to the Empress.

"Your Highness! The Prime Minister requests an audience!" came the servant's voice from outside the door.

Xiao Yunfeng frowned.

At this time? Shouldn't the Prime Minister be in the palace?

"Please let him in."

Before long, Li Yuan strode into the main hall, his face ashen, and he even forgot to bow.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

Xiao Yunfeng's heart sank.

"Prime Minister, what has happened?"

Li Yuan took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened in the Imperial Study.

Su Mu recaptures the entire northern border, captures Tuoba Han and Tuoba Lie alive, the emperor is overjoyed and wants to build a general's mansion, the third prince strongly opposes the release of Xu Shigui, and the emperor rescinds his order...

Xiao Yunfeng's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Su Mu...did he really reclaim the entire northern border?"

"It's absolutely true." Li Yuan gritted his teeth. "The Third Prince has returned from the Northern Border, so this matter is certainly true."

"Now His Majesty listens to the Third Prince completely. One word from the Third Prince to His Majesty is more effective than a hundred words from us."

Xiao Yunfeng plopped down in a chair, his face deathly pale.

"Then... what about Xu Shigui? Can't he get out?"

"We can't get out." Li Yuan shook his head. "The Third Prince said that he will wait for Su Mu to enter the capital and deal with him personally. Su Mu hates Xu Shigui to the bone. The day he enters the capital will be the day Xu Shigui's head rolls."

Xiao Yunfeng remained silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his head, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"In that case, it means that Xu Shigui's survival depends on Su Mu's attitude."

"Prime Minister, do you think Su Mu has any weaknesses?"

Li Yuan was taken aback: "A weakness?"

"Everyone has their own weakness." Xiao Yunfeng's lips slowly curled up, revealing a sinister smile. "No matter how powerful Su Mu is, he is still human. Humans have weaknesses. As long as we find his weaknesses, we can make him obedient."

Li Yuan's eyes slowly brightened.

"Your Highness means..."

Xiao Yunfeng stood up, walked to the window with his hands behind his back, and looked at the gray sky outside.

"My people have discovered that Su Mu has a granddaughter who has always lived with him and depended on him for survival."

"The reason Su Mu enlisted in the army for his granddaughter was because the soldiers wanted to take her into the army. This granddaughter was his life and his weakness."

Li Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Does Your Highness mean... to use Su Mu's granddaughter to blackmail him?"

Xiao Yunfeng turned around, looked at Li Yuan, and his smile deepened.

"We don't need to do anything."

"Aren't Xu Zhaowen and Xu Zhaowu just worried about not having a way to save their father? Tell them about this, and they will naturally do it."

Li Yuan's eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Your Highness is brilliant! Using someone else to do the dirty work, killing two birds with one stone!"

Xiao Yunfeng waved his hand.

"Prime Minister, please take care of this matter."

"Remember, don't let anyone know that we're behind this."

"If the Xu brothers succeed, that's good; if they fail, we shouldn't be the ones affected."

"I understand!"

Li Yuan cupped his hands and slowly withdrew.