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

The Imperial Study in Kyoto, the capital of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Emperor Xiao Jinghuan sat on the dragon throne, his brows furrowed, clutching a newly delivered military report in his hand.

His face looked extremely pale.

"Wanhu City... has fallen, and Ninghai City has also been attacked!"

He muttered to himself, his voice low and filled with barely suppressed shock.

Half a month ago, the Dongyi people were only harassing the coast. Although the Daqian's 30,000-strong navy was defeated, Zhenhai City was still struggling to hold on.

In just over ten days, Zhenhai City fell, Wanhu City fell, and even Ninghai City almost fell.

Xiao Jinghuan put down the military report, rubbed his aching temples, and let out a long sigh.

Behind him, the chief eunuch Li Fuquan was holding a teapot and carefully adding tea to his cup.

The sound of tea falling into the cup was exceptionally clear in the quiet Imperial Study.

Li Fuquan's gaze inadvertently swept over the spread-out military report, and the words "Eastern Barbarians," "massacre," and "civilian casualties" on it greatly surprised him.

When he saw the emperor turn his head to look at him, he quickly looked away, lowered his head, and stepped aside.

Xiao Jinghuan suddenly spoke.

"Do you think the Crown Prince can win the war?"

Li Fuquan's body stiffened abruptly, and a layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out from his back.

He cautiously raised his head, glanced at Xiao Jinghuan's face, hesitated for a moment, and then carefully spoke, trying to keep his voice steady and appropriate: "Your Majesty... His Highness the Crown Prince is the most like Your Majesty among all the princes. He is brave and resourceful, and has a famous general like General Xu Cheng to assist him. This expedition will surely be a success, and the chaos in the East Sea will be quelled."

Xiao Jinghuan didn't look at him, but casually said:

"You trust the Crown Prince that much?"

"What, you're also one of the Crown Prince's men?"

Li Fuquan's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud, his forehead pressed against the cold floor tiles, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, please see the truth! This old servant dares not! This old servant's loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as day!"

Xiao Jinghuan looked at Li Fuquan kneeling on the ground, trembling, and suddenly laughed.

The smile was somewhat cold, and also somewhat helpless.

"Get up. I was just asking casually. Why are you so nervous?"

Li Fuquan cautiously got up, stepped aside, lowered his head, and even his breathing became careful.

Xiao Jinghuan's gaze returned to the military report.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke again:

"But do you really think the Crown Prince and I look alike?"

Li Fuquan's mind raced. He knew he couldn't answer this question casually, but he also couldn't remain silent.

He hesitated for a while before slowly nodding, his voice as steady as possible: "Your Majesty is a man of great talent and ambition, and His Highness the Crown Prince is brave and decisive. Father and son have many similarities."

"If what you say is true, and he is very similar to me, then I should be even more worried about the East Sea."

Li Fuquan was stunned, not understanding what those words meant.

Xiao Jinghuan did not explain, but simply waved his hand, signaling him to step back.

Just then...

Light footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by a clear female voice.

"His Majesty……"

Consort Xu wore a light purple palace dress, her hair was styled in a high bun, her gait was graceful, and her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting.

She slowly walked into the imperial study, a fawning smile on her face.

"Your Majesty, I see you've been reviewing memorials all day; you should take a rest."

"The flowers in the Imperial Garden are in bloom, filling the air with fragrance. Shall I accompany you for a stroll to clear your mind?"

She walked to Xiao Jinghuan's side, gently placed her soft hand on his shoulder, and spoke in a sweet voice.

Xiao Jinghuan raised his head and looked at her beautiful face, and the irritation in his heart subsided somewhat.

He put down the military report in his hand and shook his head: "My dear consort, I still have a few urgent reports from the East China Sea to read. I'll go later."

Consort Xu persisted, wrapping her arms around his and pleading, "Your Majesty, you've been approving papers all day!"

"Those folds aren't going to grow legs and run away, you can look at them tomorrow."

"Look at you, your brows are so furrowed they could trap a fly. Let me accompany you for a walk to clear your mind, feed the fish, and admire the flowers. I guarantee you'll feel much better."

As she spoke, she gently shook Xiao Jinghuan's arm and continued to act coquettishly.

Xiao Jinghuan was so distracted by her that he couldn't concentrate. Just as he was about to speak again, Consort Xu pulled him to his feet without saying a word and walked towards the door.

As she walked, she turned back to Li Fuquan and instructed, "Put away the folded paper on the imperial desk, so that His Majesty won't be annoyed when he returns."

Li Fuquan bowed and agreed, his head lowered, but his gaze was fixed on Consort Xu.

He always felt that Consort Xu was acting somewhat strangely today.

Although she always vied for the emperor's favor, she never took the initiative to come to the imperial study to disturb the emperor's review of memorials.

Her arrival today was suspicious...

After the emperor and his companion left, the imperial study was quiet for a moment.

Li Fuquan made no fuss, but quietly tidied up the memorials on the table and put them back on the imperial desk.

……

In the back garden.

The warm winter sun shines on the pond, making the water surface shimmer with golden light.

Several flowering trees are in full bloom, and the air is filled with a rich and refreshing fragrance.

Consort Xu, arm in arm with Xiao Jinghuan, strolled slowly along the pebble path by the pond, chatting and laughing.

"Your Majesty, look at that golden koi fish, isn't it beautiful?"

Consort Xu pointed to a plump koi in the pond and said with a smile.

Xiao Jinghuan followed her finger and nodded with a smile.

After walking until they were tired, the two sat down in a pavilion by the pond.

Several plates of exquisite pastries and a pot of hot tea were placed on the stone table.

Consort Xu poured Xiao Jinghuan a cup of tea and held a piece of osmanthus cake to his lips, saying softly, "Your Majesty, please try it. It's freshly made by the Imperial Kitchen, and it's very sweet."

Xiao Jinghuan took the pastry, took a bite, and praised, "The servants in the imperial kitchen have improved their skills..."

Just then...

A series of hurried footsteps broke the tranquility of the back garden.

Li Fuquan strode in, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, Minister Wang of the Ministry of War requests an audience, saying he has urgent military intelligence concerning the East China Sea!"

Xiao Jinghuan's eyes lit up suddenly. He was about to get up when Consort Xu grabbed his wrist.

"His Majesty……"

"Didn't you promise to spend today with me? Why do you have to deal with official business again?"

"There are 50,000 troops in the East Sea, led by the Crown Prince and with General Xu in command. How fierce can the Eastern Barbarians be? You can rest assured!"

Xiao Jinghuan hesitated for a moment, then brushed her hand away and said solemnly, "My beloved consort, the matter of the East Sea concerns the safety of Jiangnan. I cannot ignore it. I will see Lord Wang for a short while, just a short while."

A fleeting hint of displeasure crossed Consort Xu's face, but it was quickly masked by a smile.

She released her grip, picked up the teacup, and said softly, "Then Your Majesty, please go quickly. I will wait for you here."

Xiao Jinghuan nodded, quickly walked out of the pavilion, and headed towards the Imperial Study.

……

In the Imperial Study, Wang Ben, the Minister of War, had been waiting for a long time.

Upon seeing Xiao Jinghuan enter, he quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I have urgent military intelligence to report!"

Xiao Jinghuan sat back on the dragon throne and said in a deep voice, "Speak."

Wang Ben took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to him with both hands: "Your Majesty, this is a personal letter sent by the Third Prince from Ninghai City."

"The Third Prince requests Your Majesty to summon the Duke of Zhenguo, General Su Mu, to come out of seclusion and go to the East China Sea to assist in the battle!"

Xiao Jinghuan took the letter, unfolded it, and read it from beginning to end.

His expression changed from calm to extremely solemn.

"My third brother said that there is a vanguard general in the Eastern Barbarian army whose swordsmanship is strange and whose martial arts are superb. Even he has difficulty defeating him."

"General Xu Cheng and his men are probably no match for them either..."

"He asked me to invite Su Mu to serve in the government..."

Wang Ben bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Third Prince is always cautious in his actions. He would not resort to such a desperate measure unless absolutely necessary."

"Your Majesty must have already seen the brutality of the Eastern Barbarians in the military reports."

"They massacre entire cities and villages, sparing not even infants. If this continues, Jiangnan will be in grave danger! I implore Your Majesty to issue an edict summoning General Su to the East Sea!"

Xiao Jinghuan remained silent.

I started to hesitate.

"His Majesty!"

At this moment, Consort Xu also arrived at the door of the Imperial Study without anyone noticing.

"Is the Third Prince in such a hurry to send Su Mu to make a name for himself?"

"His Highness the Crown Prince personally led the army, with General Xu Cheng as the vanguard, and the 50,000-strong army was in high spirits."

"Before even fighting a single battle, the Third Prince declared that the Crown Prince and General Xu were incompetent, insisting on bringing in a centenarian?"

"May I ask, does the Third Prince not trust His Highness the Crown Prince, or does he not trust His Majesty's judgment?"

Wang Ben's expression suddenly changed, and he cupped his hands, saying, "Your Highness, you are mistaken. The Third Prince does not distrust the Crown Prince, but rather cares deeply for the people of Donghai..."

Consort Xu sneered and interrupted him:

"Does that mean only the Third Prince cares about the people, while His Majesty and the Crown Prince are indifferent to them? Lord Wang, your words are somewhat inappropriate."

Wang Ben was speechless, and could only look at the emperor.

Xiao Jinghuan sat on the dragon throne, one hand supporting his forehead, his brows furrowed, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Consort Xu and Wang Ben several times.

Whom should he believe?

Should we believe the Crown Prince or Su Mu?

Seeing that the emperor hesitated, Consort Xu's tone became even gentler and more sincere.

"Your Majesty, since you have appointed His Highness the Crown Prince to lead the army, you should choose to trust him."

"General Xu Cheng is a veteran of many battles. With him around, the Crown Prince will not cause any major trouble."

"Although Su Mu is powerful, he has just finished fighting in the Northern Border and has only recently reunited with his granddaughter."

"If you send him to the battlefield at this time, what will others say? They will say that His Majesty does not care about his old ministers and treats meritorious officials like cattle and horses."

She paused, then said, her words piercingly: "Besides, Su Mu has already been granted the title of Duke of Zhenguo, and his military achievements are already at their peak."

"If he were to achieve further merit in pacifying the East Sea, how would Your Majesty reward him? Would you bestow upon him the title of King?"

Xiao Jinghuan remained silent for a long time before finally raising his head to look at Wang Ben.

"The matter of inviting General Su... will be put on hold for now."

"The Crown Prince's 50,000 troops have not yet engaged in battle. I trust the Crown Prince and I also trust Xu Cheng. Let them fight a battle first and see. If they really can't win, then we can discuss it further."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ben was speechless for a moment.

He bowed deeply, his voice low and resonant: "Your subject... obeys the decree."

He then turned and left the Imperial Study.

Outside the Imperial Study, the sky gradually darkened.

A cold wind blew, carrying a chill that swirled along the empty palace corridor.

Wang Ben walked along the palace path, sighed deeply, and glanced back at the direction of the Imperial Study, his eyes filled with worry.

Can the Crown Prince really win?