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

Just as You Zhongyi stepped out of the government office and was about to mount his horse, he suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from afar.

He looked up and saw dust billowing at the end of the street, where three fast horses were galloping toward him.

The figure on horseback grew closer and clearer.

The man in the lead was burly and broad-shouldered; he was none other than Zhao Tieniu.

Following behind him was a slender, tall man with a calm expression; it was Gu Changfeng.

The last person was dressed in a black mink coat, with a long sword at his waist. He had a resolute face and an imposing aura between his brows.

It was Tuoba Lie.

You Zhongyi's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed. He immediately turned and ran back to the government office, shouting as he ran, "General Qin! General Qin! Changfeng and the others are back! Prince Tuoba has also arrived!"

"What? Tuoba Lie actually came."

Inside the main hall, Qin Hao and the soldiers who had just come out heard You Zhongyi's shout and quickly ran to the main gate.

Sure enough, three horses stopped in front of the government office.

Tuoba Lie dismounted, straightened his robes, and strode into the government office.

Qin Hao stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke in a loud voice.

"Your Highness, how have you been?"

"No, he should be called the King of the Northern Barbarians now!"

Tuoba Lie quickly supported Qin Hao's arm, shaking his head with a smile, his attitude humble.

"Brother Qin, please don't make fun of me."

"Without the help of Elder Su and all my brothers of the Great Qian Dynasty, how could I, Tuoba Lie, have reorganized the Northern Di royal court?"

"From now on, I will address all the soldiers of the Northern Barbarians as brothers. There's no need for such formalities as 'prince'."

Qin Hao laughed heartily and pulled Tuoba Lie by the hand as they walked into the main hall.

Zhou Huchen, You Zhongyi, Zhang Heng, Gu Changfeng, Zhao Tieniu and others also took their seats, all with surprise on their faces.

Qin Hao looked Tuoba Lie up and down, his eyes filled with emotion.

"Your Highness, no, Brother Tuoba..."

"I heard that a coup occurred immediately after the defeat of the Northern Di royal court, and various forces are eager to seize the throne."

"I thought it would be chaotic for at least three to five months, but I didn't expect you to calm things down so quickly."

"In just twenty days, they suppressed a coup and unified the Northern Barbarians—truly remarkable!"

Tuoba Lie cupped his hands in greeting, a smile on his face.

"Brother Qin, you flatter me. To my shame, when I returned to the Northern Barbarians, the royal court was already in complete chaos."

"My uncles and aunts each gathered their own forces and attacked each other, causing immense suffering to the people."

"After returning to the Northern Barbarians, I spent five days contacting my old subordinates, three days integrating my forces, and seven days defeating them one by one. All in all, it took less than a month."

"If it weren't for the three thousand elite soldiers that Elder Su brought me, and if it weren't for the strong support of Brother Gu and Brother Zhao, I would have lost my life to the Northern Barbarians long ago."

"I, Tuoba Lie, will remember this kindness for the rest of my life."

Gu Changfeng laughed from the side, "Brother Tuoba is too modest."

Qin Hao looked at Tuoba Lie and secretly admired him.

Old Su's judgment was indeed sharp.

When Su Mu insisted on letting Tuoba Lie go back, Qin Hao didn't say anything, but he was still a little worried.

What if Tuoba Lie turns his back on us? What if the Northern Di come back with a vengeance? Wouldn't that be like letting a tiger return to the mountains?

Now he understands.

Su Mu's ability to judge people was far superior to his.

"Brother Tuoba," Qin Hao said, his smile fading and his expression turning serious, "You didn't come to the Northern Border this time just to reminisce, did you? The Northern Di court has just stabilized, and you're not in the royal court, but have come here. There must be something going on."

Tuoba Lie nodded and said solemnly, "To be honest, I have come here to ask Brother Qin to take me to see Elder Su and fulfill my promise."

"The Northern Barbarians submitted to the Great Qian Dynasty, under a dual system, paying tribute annually and vowing never to invade again."

"I came here today to discuss with Elder Su when to go to the capital to meet the Emperor and settle this important matter."

Qin Hao raised an eyebrow slightly and remained silent for a moment.

"Brother Tuoba, actually, even if you hadn't come to the Northern Border, we still had things to discuss with you."

Tuoba Lie was taken aback: "What is it?"

Qin Hao sighed and recounted in detail how Su Mu had been framed by the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister for "colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, and holding military power for himself."

The main hall was quiet for a moment.

Tuoba Lie's face darkened, and he coldly snorted:

"Treason and collusion with the enemy?"

"I never imagined that the ministers of the Great Qian Dynasty would slander such a meritorious official who cared deeply for the people of the world."

Zhou Huchen said angrily, "That's right! Elder Su risked his life countless times for the people of the Northern Border and for the sake of the Great Qian Dynasty, and those corrupt officials not only showed no gratitude but stabbed him in the back! Damn it, I really want to lead my troops into the capital and chop all those corrupt officials to pieces!"

You Zhongyi added, "Brother Tuoba, you've come at the right time. Old Su sent a message by carrier pigeon, saying that as long as I tell you about this matter, you'll know what to do."

Tuoba Lie was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Old Su is truly a prophet."

"I came here originally to ask Elder Su to take me to the capital to meet the Emperor and discuss the submission of the Northern Barbarians. Now that Elder Su is in trouble, I should go even more."

He turned around, looked at Qin Hao, and his gaze was firm.

"Brother Qin, let's go to the capital together."

"As long as I finalize the Northern Barbarians' submission in front of the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, the charge of treason will fall apart on its own."

"Old Master Su let me go back not to collude with the Northern Barbarians, but to make the Northern Barbarians submit to the Great Qian and turn hostility into friendship. This merit is greater than killing hundreds of enemies."

Qin Hao suddenly stood up and answered solemnly:

"Brother Tuoba is right! Once the matter between the Northern Barbarians and the Great Qian is settled in court, the Crown Prince's accusations will only backfire!"

Zhou Huchen also stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "General Qin, this humble general will also go! I want to see what those corrupt officials in the capital have to say!"

"I'll go too!" Zhang Heng stood up.

"Count me in!" Zhao Tieniu shouted in a gruff voice.

Immediately, the generals volunteered for battle, their emotions running high, wishing they could storm the capital right now and drag out the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister to be punished.

Qin Hao raised his hand, silencing the commotion.

"Brothers, I know you all want to help Old Su, but this matter isn't something that can be accomplished simply by having more people."

His gaze swept over the crowd, his voice steady.

"Think about it, we hold a large army on the border. If we were to send them all to the capital, what would the imperial court think?"

"They already falsely accused Elder Su of 'using his military power for personal gain.' If we go there, won't that just confirm the accusation?"

"At that time, not only will we not be able to help Old Su, but we will also cause him trouble."

"You remain in the North and wait patiently."

Tuoba Lie also clasped his hands and said, "Brothers, rest assured, I, Tuoba Lie, hereby swear that as long as I have a breath left, I will never allow anyone to harm Elder Su."

"Elder Su has given me a second chance at life, and he has given the Northern Di a second chance at life. Anyone who dares to harm Elder Su is making an enemy of me, Tuoba Lie, and the entire Northern Di!"

The soldiers nodded heavily.

"Good! General Qin, Brother Tuoba, you go to the capital. We'll handle the northern border and the Northern Barbarians. Elder Su, please rest assured, and you can rest assured too!"

At this moment, You Zhongyi, who was usually calm, revealed his anger.

He turned abruptly to face his generals.

"Brothers, with loyalty and righteousness in mind, from today onwards, the entire army will be on high alert! Supplies, weapons, and warhorses are all ready! If anything happens to Elder Su..."

"Let's storm the capital and chop those corrupt officials to pieces!"

Zhou Huchen immediately agreed: "Zhongyi is right."

"Yes! Charge into the capital!"

"If anyone dares to touch Elder Su, we'll march on the capital!"

Looking at his group of passionate brothers, Qin Hao was deeply moved.

He didn't say anything more, but nodded heavily, then turned around and walked out of the main hall side by side with Tuoba Lie.

Stepping out of the government office gate, the two mounted their horses and galloped towards the capital.

Behind them, Zhou Huchen, You Zhongyi, Zhang Heng, Gu Changfeng, Zhao Tieniu and others stood at the entrance of the government office, watching their figures disappear at the end of the street.

The wind blew from the north, stirring up the remaining snow on the ground.

But in each of their hearts, there is a fire.

……

One hundred li to the west of the capital of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Ziyun Mountain, Ziyun Temple.

The mountain is steep and shrouded in mist. A set of blue stone steps winds its way up from the foot of the mountain to the Taoist temple at the top.

The Taoist temple is small, but it is simple and elegant, with green tiles and white walls, and upturned eaves. It appears and disappears in the clouds and mist, just like a fairyland.

Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng rode his horse, accompanied by Prime Minister Li Yuan and several attendants, slowly ascending the mountain path.

"Prime Minister, do you think Father Emperor will be very moved to see me personally come to Ziyun Temple to greet him?"

Li Yuan rode behind him, smiling obsequiously, "Of course, His Highness the Crown Prince's filial piety will surely please His Majesty."

Xiao Yunfeng's lips curled up, and he was about to speak when the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from behind him.

"Big brother, you're here too?"

Xiao Yunfeng's expression suddenly changed. He turned around and saw the Second Prince Xiao Yunshan and the Third Prince Xiao Yunhai riding horses and catching up from behind.

"Second brother, third brother, what brings you here too?" Xiao Yunfeng's smile was somewhat stiff.

Xiao Yunshan reined in his horse and rode alongside Xiao Yunfeng, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"We are also the emperor's sons. Since the emperor is leaving the temple, we naturally have to come and welcome him."

"What, big brother isn't welcoming me?"

Xiao Yunfeng chuckled twice: "Welcome, of course you're welcome."

Xiao Yunshan looked at Prime Minister Li Yuan and smiled, "We brothers can understand why you're here, but what does it mean that the Prime Minister is here?"

Li Yuan was extremely embarrassed. After thinking of a solution, he stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "Second Prince, Third Prince, this humble subject is here on behalf of all the ministers of the court to welcome Your Majesty."

Xiao Yunshan glanced at him and said sarcastically:

"The Prime Minister truly is the 'representative of the court officials.' How come I was unaware that the court officials elected you as their representative?"

Li Yuan's face stiffened, and he gave an awkward smile without replying.

Xiao Yunshan ignored him and called out to the Taoist priest peeking out of the temple entrance, "Master, could you please arrange two rooms for my brother and me? We'd like to join the Crown Prince in welcoming our father out of seclusion."

That Taoist priest was none other than Master Ziyun's junior brother, whose secular name was Zhang Demao and whose Buddhist name was Qingxu.

When he saw the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince arrive at the same time, he quickly bowed and greeted them with a big smile.

"Your Highnesses' arrival is an honor I have failed to bestow upon you. Please forgive me! I will immediately go and report to His Majesty!"

"Wait a minute." Xiao Yunfeng raised his hand to stop him, his tone serious. "Daoist, there's no need to disturb Father's meditation. My two brothers and I will wait in the side room until Father comes out of seclusion before we pay our respects."

Qingxu nodded repeatedly, smiling obsequiously as he welcomed the three princes into the Taoist temple.

After the Second Prince and the Third Prince had gone some distance, Li Yuan approached Xiao Yunfeng, lowered his voice, and looked worried.

"Your Highness, the Second Prince's arrival at this time is probably not a coincidence."

"Could he have heard something and is trying to stop our operation?"

Xiao Yunfeng snorted coldly, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"Stop him? What can he do to stop him? Su Mu letting Tuoba Lie go is an undeniable fact."

"The murder of the Xu brothers and Su Mu's dereliction of duty are also undeniable facts."

"I have evidence in my hands. Even if Father Emperor is biased, he cannot lie through his teeth."

"Besides, Consort Gui hates Su Mu to the bone because Su Mu killed her two nephews. She will definitely try her best to influence the Emperor."

"Second brother wants to protect Su Mu? Can he really do it?"

Li Yuan's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Your Highness is wise!"

"This time, Su Mu has no chance of escape!"