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

A short while later.

The butler strode in from outside, his face still damp with sweat.

He walked to Xiao Jingyu's side, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty's imperial carriage has already left the street, and the Imperial Guards have all withdrawn. The area outside the mansion has returned to calm. However, I have ordered all my men to keep a close watch in secret, just in case."

Xiao Jingyu let out a long breath.

He turned around, looked at Su Mu, Qin Hao, Tuoba Lie, Liu Yuzhou, his two daughters, and Su Qingxue nestled beside Su Mu in the hall, and smiled.

"Finally...it's over."

At this moment, Su Mu looked at Qin Hao and Tuoba Lie.

The two were covered in dust, their clothes still bearing the marks of their long journey, and their eyes were bloodshot.

They must travel day and night without stopping to get here.

Su Mu stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply.

"General Qin and King of the Northern Di, I thank you both for coming from afar to help me."

Qin Hao was startled and quickly reached out to support Su Mu's arm, saying anxiously, "Elder Su, what are you doing? You're making me feel terrible!"

"You saved my life, and you led us to conquer the North."

"Your Excellency is in distress, and I would crawl to the capital if I had to. How can I possibly accept such a deep bow from you?"

Tuoba Lie also stepped forward, supporting Su Mu's other arm with a sincere attitude and a low voice.

"Old Su, Brother Qin is right."

"You have done me, Tuoba Lie, and the Northern Di for a second life."

"Your business is my business."

Su Mu straightened up and patted the two of them on the shoulders.

"Alright, I understand."

He turned around and looked at Liu Yuzhou on the other side.

"Yu Zhou, you risked your life and exposed your identity to save me. I am deeply grateful."

Liu Yuzhou immediately knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Old Su, you have done me a great favor. You saved my life."

"For you, I am willing to go through fire and water, and even die a thousand deaths."

Xiao Jingyu laughed, looking at everyone in the hall, a smile playing on his lips.

"Alright, stop with all the thank-yous. It's just being pretentious."

"We've been through thick and thin together, why stand on ceremony?"

Upon hearing this, everyone laughed, and the tense atmosphere in the hall that had lasted for most of the night finally relaxed completely.

Xiao Jingyu had hot tea and snacks served, and the group sat on both sides, drinking tea and chatting about the thrilling scene they had just witnessed.

At this moment, Su Mu put down his teacup, looked at Liu Yuzhou, and his eyes were filled with curiosity.

"Yu Zhou, there is something I do not understand."

Liu Yuzhou bowed slightly: "Please speak, Elder Su."

"How did you get Li Yuan's letter and that pendant?"

Liu Yuzhou remained silent for a moment, then looked around.

He hesitated whether or not to speak.

Su Mu understood and smiled, "Yu Zhou, don't worry, everyone here is one of us, there are no outsiders. Feel free to say whatever you want."

Liu Yuzhou nodded and then explained the whole story.

"Mr. Su, actually, all that evidence is fake."

These words silenced everyone instantly.

Xiao Zhi Qiu exclaimed in surprise, "What? It's fake?"

"Yes, it's fake."

Liu Yuzhou nodded and began to explain slowly.

"That night, after Old Su massacred the Blood Robe Tower, I learned that the Xu brothers were being instigated by Prime Minister Li Yuan."

"At the time, I thought that if Prime Minister Li Yuan knew that the Xu brothers were killed by Su Lao, he would definitely take this opportunity to frame Su Lao in front of the emperor."

"So I couldn't just sit and wait to die, and I started preparing for this after that night."

Qin Hao put down his teacup, leaned forward, and asked eagerly, "How did you do that?"

Liu Yuzhou's lips curled up, revealing a smug smile.

"The first step is to infiltrate the Prime Minister's residence."

"There were many old letters and discarded documents in Li Yuan's study. I stole a few of them under cover of night."

"Those letters have his handwriting and his seal. Although the content is not important, the handwriting and seal are genuine."

"The second step is to find someone to imitate the handwriting."

"There was an old scholar in the capital named Zhong. His ancestors for three generations were all masters of calligraphy copying, able to imitate the handwriting of anyone in the world so well that it was indistinguishable from the real thing."

"Moreover, I have a very good relationship with this person."

"So I asked him to write a letter in Li Yuan's handwriting that read, 'The Prime Minister instructed the Xu brothers to kidnap Su Qingxue and collude with the Blood-Clad Tower.'"

Xiao Zhi Qiu's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "What a brilliant plan!"

The crowd chuckled softly.

Liu Yuzhou continued, "The third step is to find the pendant."

"I had my spies track down an employer in Kyoto and steal the Blood-Clad Tower's employer token while he wasn't looking."

"I took that token and found a craftsman to make another half of it, based on its design."

"When the two pieces are put together, they form the complete Blood-Clad Token."

Qin Hao frowned.

"But the token you made might not match the one the Prime Minister has. What if he doesn't even have a token, or the pattern on the token is wrong? Wouldn't that give us away?"

Liu Yuzhou smiled, a smile full of confidence.

"General Qin, you are right."

"So the token on the Prime Minister's person is not his at all."

Everyone was stunned.

"You mean...?"

Liu Yuzhou nodded, his eyes full of cunning.

"Just now in the hall, I deliberately spoke to provoke the Prime Minister, so that he would come closer to me."

"Just as he got close..." He stretched out his right hand, his five fingers moving deftly so fast it was almost invisible to the naked eye, "The instant I raised my right hand, I had already slipped the counterfeit token into his sleeve."

Inside the hall, a commotion erupted.

Xiao Zhi Qiu gasped, exclaiming in shock, "You...you slipped the token into the Prime Minister's sleeve in front of so many people? And nobody noticed?"

Liu Yuzhou smiled slightly.

"Second Miss, I have a nickname, 'Ghost Hand'."

"Not even the Prime Minister, let alone the commander of the Imperial Guard standing next to him, could possibly notice it."

Tuoba Lie clapped his hands and laughed loudly.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!"

"That's what you call giving someone a taste of their own medicine!"

"Li Yuan colluded with the Blood Robe Tower to frame Elder Su, but in the end, he also fell victim to the Blood Robe Token."

Qin Hao smiled, but as he smiled, his expression turned serious again.

"Yu Zhou, this is a crime of deceiving the emperor."

"If His Majesty finds out, his entire family will be executed. You...you're incredibly audacious."

Liu Yuzhou's smile faded, and a resolute determination flashed in his eyes.

"General Qin, of course I know that."

"But I'm not afraid. Old Su saved my life. I'd give up my life for him."

"What does it matter if I'm guilty of deceiving the emperor? What does it matter if my entire family is executed?"

"My whole family died at the hands of the Northern Di people. I am all alone, with no ties to me. If I can do something for Elder Su, it would be worth dying for."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Su Mu stood up, walked to Liu Yuzhou, and looked at him quietly for a long time.

"Yu Zhou, what have I done to deserve such a risk from you?"

Liu Yuzhou raised his head, his gaze calm.

"Old Su, you are the savior of the people of the North, and their hope."

"A person like you should not be framed by those treacherous officials."

Xiao Jingyu watched this scene with a mix of emotions.

"General Su," Xiao Jingyu said, his voice filled with admiration, "you have quite a few talented and extraordinary people around you."

"They are all loyal and willing to go through fire and water for you. I am ashamed of my own personal charm."

"The Prime Minister was already guilty of heinous crimes. Although this evidence was fabricated, in my opinion, it is true, because it brought the Prime Minister to justice."

"At this moment, Yu Zhou's false evidence is priceless."

Su Mu smiled and answered seriously.

"Your Highness flatters me. I was simply lucky to have met a few friends I would risk my life for."

He turned around and looked at Qin Hao, Tuoba Lie, and Liu Yuzhou, his eyes filled with gratitude.

"You three have worked hard tonight."

"Please trouble Your Highness to have rooms arranged so they can rest well."

"Tomorrow, I'll treat you all to a good meal."

"Mr. Su, you're treating, I'll definitely be there!"

Tuoba Lie also smiled.

"I've long heard that the wines of the capital of the Great Qian Dynasty are famous throughout the world; I must try them tomorrow."

Xiao Jingyu stood up and said with a smile, "Old Su, you won't have time to treat us tomorrow."

Su Mu was taken aback: "Why?"

"His Majesty will bestow honors upon you at the morning court tomorrow."

"You must attend court with me."

Su Mu frowned, somewhat helpless.

"Going to court, all those tedious formalities, just thinking about them gives me a headache."

Xiao Jingyu laughed heartily.

"Elder Su, you don't even flinch when fighting enemies in the Northern Frontier, but you had a headache last time at court?"

Everyone laughed again.

Xiao Jingyu waved to the butler.

"Old Liu, go and prepare the three main rooms in the backyard for General Qin, Prince Tuoba, and Mr. Liu to stay in."

"The bedding should be made of new cotton, the charcoal fire should be kept plentiful, and tea should be prepared."

The butler nodded repeatedly, then turned and ran out to make the arrangements.

Xiao Jingyu then looked at Su Mu and said seriously, "Elder Su, you should also rest early. Tomorrow morning, we will go to court together."

Su Mu nodded.

"good!"