The Empress remarried, and I retaliated by wiping out the court.

On the official road near Shuntian Prefecture in Hedong Prefecture, a caravan was slowly heading towards Yujing City.

At the very front were two rows of black-armored cavalry, their long swords hanging at their waists, their armor blades gleaming in the cold light.

The car body is simple and unpretentious, without any luxury, but it is decorated with an ancient flag with a black background and gold trim.

On the flag are two large, powerful characters.

—Eldest grandson.

When the officials of the prefectures along the way saw it from afar, they all dismounted and made way for it.

No one dared to stop them!

Because the person sitting inside the carriage was not some king or nobleman, but the true pillar of stability for the Great Yan Dynasty:

He is Changsun Yuanpei, a veteran of three reigns and the current emperor's tutor!

This man served three emperors, and his students and former officials were all over the country. Among the civil officials, he was the foremost.

Among military generals, half of the country's territory originated from his disciples.

Prince Zhao Qingtian of Zhenbei, Prince Luo Jin of Dongping, and Prince Liang Yan of Nanling all received his guidance on military strategy.

Zhao Qingtian, in particular, was just a captain back then. It was Changsun Yuanpei who personally recommended him and taught him how to deploy troops, which led to his unparalleled achievements in guarding the northern border with 200,000 iron cavalry.

The imperial court addressed him as "Imperial Tutor".

In the military, they are respectfully addressed as "Old Marshal".

......

Inside the carriage, wisps of incense smoke curled from the incense burner.

Li Yuchun sat upright to one side and recounted the major events that had occurred in Yanjing in recent days.

The carriage fell silent. As the carriage trod through the snow, it swerved and Li Yuchun's head hit the carriage, but he managed to hold back and not make a sound.

The old man before me wore a gray-blue scholar's robe, his hair and beard were completely white, he wore a black gauze hat, and his back was still ramrod straight.

a long time.

Changsun Yuanpei slowly opened his cloudy eyes.

"How foolish of me..."

This sigh carried a sense of disappointment and frustration.

Li Yuchun asked cautiously:

"Imperial Tutor, are you referring to His Majesty?"

"Who else could it be but him?"

Changsun Yuanpei said with disappointment, "What I've done for him with all my might is not the throne, but a way to survive! As long as he's willing to bow his head and endure, and as the nine powerful ministers fight amongst themselves, the clouds will eventually part and the sun will shine through."

"But now, before he has fully consolidated his power, he has acted rashly, causing a rift with the Regent, and now they are even at war..."

"It's over, the Great Yan is completely finished!"

During the reign of the late Emperor Ye Jian'an, nine powerful ministers led troops to force him to abdicate.

Blood stained the palace gates, the imperial guards defected, the late emperor was defeated and killed, and the Ye family's empire was on the verge of collapse.

If it weren't for Changsun Yuanpei, at the last moment, dragging his ailing body and leading a group of veteran officials step by step into the Golden Palace, using the scholars of the world as bargaining chips and ancestral rites as the greater good, he would have forced the nine powerful ministers to back down, and the Great Yan Dynasty would probably have already changed hands.

In the end, he proposed a compromise: to preserve the Ye family bloodline, establish Ye Wudao as emperor, and have each of the nine powerful ministers marry one of their daughters into the palace to jointly assist in governing the country, thus temporarily stabilizing the realm.

But now, Ye Wudao has ruined the wedding and destroyed everything!

"Even the late emperor couldn't defeat the nine powerful ministers, so what makes him, a mere youth barely twenty, think he can?"

"A young man is still a young man after all. He has some intelligence, but he thinks he can be an enemy of the world."

"The imperial court can never be won by passion alone; one wrong step can lead to an abyss."

Li Yuchun remained silent for a long time.

The other party's words conveyed the same message: Ye Wudao is too young and foolish!

But he didn't think so.

Despite Ye Wudao's seemingly unreliable nature, he was meticulous in every step he took, whether it was killing Li Chongde or Jiang Huaishang.

Such a temperament is far superior to that of the princes and nobles in the capital.

Even his sister spoke highly of Ye Wudao.

Such a person is definitely not mediocre!

After thinking it over, Li Yuchun still kindly reminded him:

"Imperial Tutor, I have heard that His Majesty has recently made a series of moves, subtly gaining the upper hand and forcing the Regent to lose his composure."

"Are you just as confused as him?"

Changsun Yuanpei said with exasperation, "Now that Xiao Linyuan is about to mobilize troops, what use are these? His Majesty has no soldiers; how will he fight those 30,000 Imperial Guards?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuchun also fell silent.

Yes.

Once military action is taken, no matter how shrewd your political skills are, you will only suffer defeat.

Changsun Yuanpei gazed at the approaching capital city of Yujing, his expression complex.

"I hope this child will heed my advice, admit his mistake, and submit to Xiao Linyuan. Perhaps then, he can save his life..."

…………

The Imperial Study.

Minister of War Sun Bofu, Grand Secretary Li Juzheng, Minister of Personnel Fang Xiaolian, and even Marquis of Dingyuan Qin Xianda all came.

Li Juzheng said loudly, "Your Majesty, this old minister has received news that the Regent Prince just held a meeting with the head of the Imperial Guards, and I fear he harbors treacherous intentions..."

Ye Wudao looked at the old foxes in front of him with a smile. He could hear what they were up to from three streets away.

Right now, Xiao Linyuan is about to raise an army, but instead of trying to persuade him, the other party has blocked him in the imperial study, clearly trying to force him to back down!

Ye Wudao then calmly said, "My ministers, cease your nonsense. The Regent is utterly loyal to the royal family; how could he possibly commit such a treasonous act?"

This statement greatly surprised Li Juzheng, who immediately followed up, "Your Majesty, it's better to believe it exists than not!"

Ye Wudao stared at Li Juzheng with emotionless eyes and said indifferently:

"Tell me, has Minister Xiao rebelled?"

"Not yet, but..."

"That settles it then!" Ye Wudao interrupted him directly. "As long as he hasn't rebelled, you can't falsely accuse him of rebellion! Isn't that logical?"

Originally, Li Juzheng had intended to use this incident to confront Ye Wudao and force him to back down, but Ye Wudao's counter-question caught him off guard.

Seeing the situation freeze, Qin Xianda quickly spoke up:

"Your Majesty, the enemy has already raised an army and is discussing matters. Are you really going to just stand by and watch them mutiny, invite slaughter, and let the entire capital city suffer as a result?"

"Lord Dingyuan, what do you mean?"

Ye Wudao interrupted Qin Xianda with a furious shout, yelling:

"So what if there's a mutiny? I am the Emperor of Great Yan. If he dares to rebel, I will exterminate his entire clan and make him regret ever being born!"

"Your Majesty, that's not what I meant."

Qin Xianda said calmly, "What I mean is that the Great Yan is currently weak and cannot withstand further turmoil. I urge Your Majesty to prioritize peace, soften your stance with the Regent, avoid conflict, and restore peace and order to the Great Yan!"

"Fine!" Ye Wudao laughed angrily. "When the enemy comes to your doorstep, your first reaction isn't to fight back, but to kneel down and beg for mercy?"

"Fine! Marquis Dingyuan, you've got guts! I'll kill your entire family, wife and daughters right now. Then, will you try to appease me and beg for a quick death?"

Throughout the years, no matter how intense the conflict, Ye Wudao always adhered to the bottom line of not harming family members and never spoke so definitively.

But today, Qin Xianda went too far!

It was Xiao Linyuan who wanted to raise an army, but instead of trying to persuade him, the other side told him to back down. How is this any different from a scoundrel who becomes a collaborator as soon as the enemy arrives?

I'll curse at this kind of person every time I see him!