hort hair wasn't tied up in her usual sky-high braid adorned with golden bells today. Instead, she had two small pigtails, each decorated with a silk ribbon hanging pearls. A shiny gold necklace hung..."You!" The Emperor glared at his son, as if blaming him for being soft-hearted and sentimental. In fact, he felt more reassured about his son.

"Alright, this time I'll allow you to make the arrangements. But if the Li family has any more outlandish behavior, I will absolutely not show leniency or mercy."

"Greetings, Father Emperor!" The Crown Prince hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, then instructed Yi the Steward to summon the imperial physician to take his pulse and prescribe medicine...

The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree ran back to the dock like a stray dog. Everyone saw it, and everyone was curious.

When the reason was finally discovered, the whole new city was shocked and the ground trembled three times!

Li Dayong defies the imperial edict and only listens to the orders of Marquis Xinting

Ding Bei Hou failed to seize power, and was killed after forcefully grabbing military command seals!

It sounds like each character is understandable, but when put together, it doesn't make sense!

Could it be that something has changed in Xin Du

Could the Northern Expedition Army be planning a rebellion

Almost every household immediately began to be careful.

Wait a moment, I'll take a look at the daughter-in-law.

The prodigal son, hurry back!

The business is ready to close at any time!

Take the gold, silver, and little children to a distant place for safety!

Who knows when Xindu became such a mess!

Luckily, it wasn't long, just one or two hours, before an official announcement from the palace came out.

It turns out that the emperor sent an edict to the dockyard camp. General Dingbei, with his audacious nature and arrogance, wants to use this opportunity to seize military orders and control the Northern Expeditionary Army under the pretense of imperial authority.

General Li Dayong, the commander of the Northern Expeditionary Army, killed the Marquis Dingbei on the spot and brought the situation under control.

Besides, Li Jiayi is not bringing a pirate ship back to cause trouble. He was ordered by the prince to find a treasure in the south for the Emperor's birthday celebration.

To sum up, Master Li Jia Yi is renowned and respected, while Ding Bei Hou deserved his death. His crimes were well-founded!

Upon hearing this news, everyone, whether they believed it or not, felt a temporary sense of relief.

Only Ding Beihou's Mansion wasn't suitable!

With the pillar gone, Lady Dingbei Hou simply fainted like she was on a cloud nine, crying herself unconscious.

At a young age, she married a husband much older than her, all for the sake of wealth and status.

Now that she has passed away, her wealth and status are gone, and she is left a widow.

The many concubines and children of Duke Dingbei were also in a panic.

Lost in pleasure and oblivious to the world, adorned in fine robes and feasting on delicacies, none of them ever achieved greatness.

At such a crucial moment, not a single person is capable!

Finally, the eldest illegitimate son, accompanied by guards and stewards from the estate, drove to the military camp gate of the dock. He cried and wailed, bringing back the body of Duke Dingbei and his several guards to the new capital.

Originally, everyone in Xin Du thought that the Dingbei Houfu was going to cry out for injustice and seek revenge from the Li family.

Unexpectedly, the children of Duke Dingbei are such useless cowards!

Not only did he not seek revenge, but he didn't even dare to utter a harsh word!

Soon, the spirit tablet of Duke Dingbei was set up, but no one came to pay their respects!

Then, the cries from the Dingbei Houfu became even louder.

That night, the eunuchs from the palace arrived. The Duchess of Dingbei thought that the Emperor had come to support them.

She almost scrambled out, crying and shouting her innocence.

"Sobbing, our Marquis must have been framed! The Emperor will surely do justice for our Marquis, sobbing, the Emperor is wise!"

The eunuch, moved by pity, glanced at her and then opened the imperial decree.

Demoted to commoner

Assigned to the southwest

After the imperial edict was read, the entire Dingbeihou Mansion was plunged into despair.

The Emperor didn't stand up for the Duke of Dingbei, but instead drove his entire family out of Xindu, hoping to ignore them.

The Duchess of Dingbei thought about the poverty and hardship of the southwest, with its endless winds and sandstorms. She could no longer bear it and fainted completely…

This life, there's no chance of turning things around!

At Earl's Mansion, Li Laoer, Liu Zhiheng, Jia'an, and Jiayin were gathered together, also discussing this matter.

Li Laer couldn't help but sigh, "When the Marquis entrusted the dock barracks to Da Yong, I was worried. After all, Da Yong is from a scholarly background, intelligent but lacking ruthlessness."

"Unexpectedly, Dayong is so resolute. He killed the Duke of Dingbei and refused to accept the imperial edict! It's...it's..."

He searched for a long time, but couldn't find the right words to describe it.

Instead, Liu Zhiheng's face was full of admiration as he replied, “Big Brother Da Yong is truly magnificent. When the opportunity arises in the future, I will definitely have a good drink with him.”

Jia'an also agreed, "That's right, Dingbei Hou was scheming against our family from behind. We've always been wary of the person in the palace and haven't dared to act. I didn't expect him to die at the hands of Big Yong!"

Jia Yin's heart was moved. If it were an ordinary day, Uncle Da Yong wouldn't have killed Ding Bei Hou. This time, first, Xin Ting Hou took the initiative to come to the door, and second, he did it for her to vent her anger, so he made a decisive move.

Being loved and protected so much by her family, how could she not be happy!

"Both wharves are now in our hands. The palace must be furious. They're trying to cover it up with a flimsy excuse, they're waiting, waiting for news from the north."

A cold flash crossed Jia Yin's eyes, "If my foster father and my biological father were to meet with misfortune, it would be like cutting off our foundation. By then, that person would definitely make a move."

Everyone nodded in agreement, unable to help but worry about the war at the border.

At this time, Jia Yi and Liu Yang actually came back.

Everyone was delighted, and Old Li came over as well. The courtyard suddenly became much livelier.

Originally, the two of them didn't want to disembark the boat because they didn't want to escalate the conflict and completely tear their face apart with that person in the palace.

But now that they've taken the initiative to make excuses, they are not being polite.

Go home and have a meal!

Gia Yin immediately prepared food and all the maidservants busied themselves. Even hundreds of people on board sent meals over...

At the distant northern border of the Jiang, Mu Xu galloped back to his camp. The first thing he did was rush into the general's tent and gulp down a whole pot of cold water.

"Whew! I'm so thirsty!" Mu Xu wiped the water droplets from his mouth.

He had been away for several days, and his sleep and meals had suffered. He looked much thinner, but his eyes were bright like stars in the sky.

Li Laosi stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, and after taking a look, asked, "Are you hurt"

"No," Mu Xu smiled roguishly, replying, "It's not a direct confrontation, just gathering some information. When it comes to running away, no one is better than me."

Jiang Cheng walked in from outside and greeted, "I guessed that Mu Guard would be back tonight, I've already had the rear camp prepare food and drinks, it will be sent over soon."

Mu Xu thanked him and then walked to the side of the Marquis.

The Lord was looking at the military map. Mu Xu stretched out his finger and pointed to a place, saying, "Lord, we have found out. The reinforcements of the barbarians are all gathered here, only over two thousand people. And they just arrived, exhausted from travel, if we attack tonight, it will be the best time."

Li Laosi and Jiang Cheng both crowded around the table, looking at that spot.

Jiang Cheng frowned and said, “Master Huaisang, this position is too open. It’s clear that we can’t sneak past unnoticed.”

The lord nodded, his finger tracing a path towards the nearby mountain range. “Take a detour fifty miles long, pass through this valley, and quietly circle around to the rear of the barbarian’s temporary camp. When the time comes, use firecrackers as a signal, attack from both front and rear, and thoroughly encircle and wipe them out!”

Li Laosi clapped his hands and nodded excitedly.

This is a good plan, unexpected and with an attack from both sides. We'll make sure that not even one barbarian will escape.

Mu Xu also nodded, looking into the Marquis's eyes with admiration.

The Marquis weighed his options carefully, feeling he had left nothing out. "This time I'll lead three thousand vanguard troops on a detour, with the Fourth staying behind at the border," he said.

Today's update is here~~ being malicious, how come she's making it sound like we were bullying her!""Yeah, she kept crying like we had hit her!""Did she go to complain"The other boys also chimed in, all feeling that they cou...