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

Nighttime, in the imperial prison.

The candlelight was dim, and the atmosphere was oppressive.

Li Yuan sat in the innermost corner of the cell, leaning against the cold stone wall, his legs curled up and his hands resting on his knees.

His hair was whiter than before, draped loosely over his shoulders, with a few strands hanging down and obscuring half of his face.

His cheekbones were high and prominent, his eyes were deep-set, and the outline of his jaw was much clearer than before he went to prison. He was extremely thin and no longer had the fat physique he had before he went to prison.

The iron shackles on his wrists hung down to his knees, swaying slightly with his breathing.

His gaze lingered on the edge of the shadow cast by the torch on the ground, motionless and listless.

His eyes were filled with despair.

The last time the Crown Prince returned to the capital in a sorry state from the East Sea, he visited the Imperial Prison.

Inform him that he had been defeated in the Eastern Expedition, and that the emperor had ordered Su Mu to replace him as the Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition.

From that moment on, he knew that his chances of leaving the prison alive were extremely slim.

He had originally hoped that the Crown Prince could achieve military merit in the East Sea, gain leverage in front of His Majesty, and then plead for him and smooth things over to get him out of prison.

But now the Crown Prince has been defeated and stripped of his military power; even his position as Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition has been taken over by Su Mu.

The crown prince has lost the emperor's trust and is in dire need of his own safety, so how could the emperor possibly care about him?

Li Yuan slowly withdrew his gaze, which fell on the cold iron shackles on his wrists, and then chuckled softly, "Li Yuan, Li Yuan, I never thought you'd have a day like this."

At this moment, he couldn't help but think of Xu Shigui from back then.

"Is there really no good end to provoking Su Mu?"

"Why is this centenarian so difficult to deal with?"

"Sigh... Is all of this destined?"

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

……

Just as Li Yuan was feeling sorry for himself and wiping away his tears.

A voice came from outside the cell door, carrying a mocking tone.

"I never imagined that the dignified Prime Minister of the Great Qian Dynasty would be trapped in this prison, secretly wiping away tears. How tragic!"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan's body stiffened abruptly, as if he had been stabbed in the back by something.

He suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed on the outside of the prison door.

Only the two nearly burnt-out torches still flickered in the corridor, but a black silhouette had appeared between the torchlight and shadows.

It was a figure dressed in black.

He was wrapped in a black robe from head to toe, and a veil covered most of his face, revealing only his eyes.

Those eyes appeared remarkably calm in the dim light, as if they were already accustomed to observing others from the shadows.

He leaned against the wall outside the cell door, as if he had just settled down.

Li Yuan was extremely surprised and asked, "Who are you? This is the Heavenly Prison, how did you get in?"

The man in black didn't answer, but merely tilted his head slightly, letting out a smug sound: "I can come and go as I please in the Emperor's study, so what's a mere prison?"

Li Yuan gripped the iron shackles tightly, walked towards the cell door, and pressed for an answer:

"Who exactly are you? What are you doing in the prison?"

"Li Yuan, do you want to live?" the man in black suddenly asked a strange question.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuan gasped in shock.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're going to rescue me?"

The man in black did not nod, but simply looked at Li Yuan calmly.

"It's not time to get you out of here yet."

"Just live well, and when the time comes, someone will come to take you away."

"What exactly do you mean by 'opportunity'?"

The man in black did not answer.

He turned slightly to the side, then took half a step back, his entire figure blending into the shadows beyond the reach of the torchlight, as if slowly swallowed by the wall.

You'll find out then.

Li Yuan opened his mouth, wanting to ask something else, but the corridor was empty, with only the faint light of the torches still flickering. It was as if the shadow from before had never appeared.

It shocked him immensely.

How could this person be able to come and go without a trace in the Heavenly Prison?

He subconsciously raised his hand and pinched his arm. The pain in his fingertips confirmed that he was not dreaming.

He withdrew his hand, leaned back against the wall, and stared at the empty corridor. His chest heaved a few times before his breathing gradually calmed down.

He didn't know who that person was, whether they were friend or foe, or what the so-called "timing" meant.

But he knew that if that person could appear silently deep within the prison, he could also take him out silently.

Is this the only way for him to survive?

Thinking about it, he slowly closed his eyes.

……

Not long after, footsteps could be heard outside the prison door again.

And it wasn't just one person.

Li Yuan opened his eyes again and looked outside.

Two prison guards walked ahead, followed by a slightly overweight middle-aged official in a dark purple robe.

The official, carrying a food box, stopped at the prison door and nodded to the two jailers.

The two men understood, took the silver he handed them, weighed it in their hands, said "Please do as you please, Lord Lin," and then turned and walked out along the corridor.

"Master Lin?"

Li Yuan's voice carried a sense of urgency as he leaned against the wall to stand up.

"Why are you here?"

Lin Yuanshan, the Minister of Revenue, stood outside the prison gate, looking at the Prime Minister inside with great surprise.

He had imagined Li Yuan's current appearance many times, but when he saw him in person, he was even more disheveled than he had imagined.

The prime minister who once commanded the court and commanded respect even from the Third Prince is now dressed in coarse hemp prison clothes, huddled in a damp corner, his hair disheveled, looking like a helpless rat.

Ignoring his expression, Li Yuan pressed on, "Has something happened in the palace?"

Lin Yuanshan snapped out of his reverie, took a deep breath, and replied, "Prime Minister, good news has arrived from the East Sea. Duke Su has recovered the entire East Sea and driven the Eastern Yi bandits out of the Great Qian territory."

"What? So fast?" Li Yuan was extremely shocked upon hearing this. He hadn't expected Su Mu to act so quickly, considering that the Crown Prince had only recently returned to the capital.

Lin Yuanshan nodded and continued, "Moreover, His Majesty has already issued an edict, ordering the national treasury to allocate 200,000 taels of gold to fully support Su Mu in building warships, training the navy, and launching a cross-sea campaign against the Eastern Yi."

Li Yuan's face was deathly pale. He leaned against the wall, remaining silent for a long time before muttering, "So, His Majesty has completely trusted Su Mu!"

Li Yuan lowered his head, looked at the iron shackles on his wrists, and twitched his lips with a bitter smile.

"Su Mu...recovered the northern border and then the eastern sea."

"Now even His Majesty is allocating funds to him to build ships and send him across the sea to conquer the Eastern Barbarians... Such an action has never occurred since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"Prime Minister..." Lin Yuanshan cleared his throat and continued, "I have heard that the Sixth Prince is also a soldier under Su Mu and has made meritorious contributions on the battlefield."

Li Yuan's eyes suddenly snapped upwards.

"The Sixth Prince? That Sixth Prince Xiao Yunchuan who spends all his time wandering the martial arts world?"

Lin Yuanshan nodded and replied, "Exactly!"

"He volunteered to join the army and went on the expedition with Su Mu as an ordinary soldier. In the street fighting in Ninghai City, he killed the Dongyi naval commander, Cun Haidou."

"After seeing the report, His Majesty was overjoyed and, unusually, praised, 'This is what a man of the Xiao family should be like.'"

Li Yuan naturally understood the meaning behind those words.

Li Yuan did not speak again.

He leaned back against the wall, closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his voice had returned to normal.

"Lord Lin, we still have a history. I have a favor to ask of you."

Lin Yuanshan's brow twitched slightly: "Please speak, Prime Minister."

"Could this batch of supplies—the gold and military equipment allocated to Su Mu by the national treasury—arrive a little later or with a smaller quantity?"

"Drag it out for as long as possible."

Lin Yuanshan remained silent in response.

Li Yuan added another sentence:

"Also, I would like to trouble Lord Lin to convey a message to His Highness the Crown Prince: I wish to meet him."

Lin Yuanshan then nodded and cupped his hands in response, "I will convey the Prime Minister's words."

"Prime Minister, these are some pastries and dishes I brought. Please enjoy them."

"I'll take my leave now."

After putting down the food box, he quickly left the prison.

Lin Yuanshan walked out of the prison, glanced back, and then let out a vicious sigh.

"Pooh!"

"Li Yuan, oh Li Yuan,"

"You've already fallen, fine, but you're trying to drag me down with you?"

"You want me to tamper with the supplies I give Su Mu? That's practically suicide!"

He glanced again at the heavy iron gate of the prison and shook his head: "How many people who offend Su Mu have a good ending?"

"Xu Shigui is dead, and now you'll be soon too. I don't want to follow in your footsteps."

"I'm helping you pass on a message to the Crown Prince, only because you helped me promote him back then."

"Otherwise, who cares about you, hmph..."

After saying this, he straightened his robes, strode away, and headed towards the Crown Prince's residence.