ead over heels for her. The sons of local tycoons willingly followed her around, and even the young county magistrate, renowned for his talent and beauty, looked upon her with favor.All of this, Zong...Even though Yuan Buyu was not a close friend of Nianfu, his death still had a considerable impact.

At the last moment, Tian Yi managed to escape back to the Prime Minister's residence and relayed Nian Fu's words, thus fulfilling his final request.

Yuan Buyu glared coldly at Tian Yi who was kneeling on the ground.

"Since your leader is already dead, what face do you have left to live"

Year Fu had followed him since his youth, he was the most trustworthy subordinate he had. Yuan Buyu appeared to be outwardly calm, but inside, his heart was already in turmoil.

Tian knelt on the ground, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. He was so intimidated by Yuan Buyu's aura that he didn't dare to raise his head.

"It is my subordinates' incompetence. Please punish me, Your Lordship."

Yuan Buyu clenched his fists, never expecting that even with Zong Yu lying there unable to move, he still couldn't kill him. This couple was more difficult than he had imagined.

"You just said they used all sorts of crossbows against you."

Tian Yi lowered his head and replied, "Yes, Master Xiang. If they hadn't had bows and crossbows, we wouldn't have lost so many brothers."

"The leader also died under the enemy's giant crossbow."

Yuan Buyu furrowed his brow. The Imperial court's archers and crossbowmen had been largely eradicated by him years ago, and the few finished products from earlier times were all locked away in the Ministry of War's armory.

Could it be that Wenxiong truly defected to Zongyu

This time he lost too many masters, now there is no one available.

He glanced at Tian Yi kneeling on the ground. Logically, a waste who couldn't complete the mission would be executed upon his return.

"There's only you left from the Scorpions. This time, I'm letting your responsibility slide, and I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself. I want you to rebuild the Scorpions within a year."

"If completed, death penalty will be spared."

Tian originally thought that he was surely going to die when he came back, but unexpectedly, Xiang Ye not only didn't want his life, but also was willing to continue using him.

Tian Yi's heart was filled with immense gratitude.

"Thank you, Master. I will definitely complete your instructions."

Yuan Buyi waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

As soon as Tian Yi stepped out of the study, a fierce hatred flashed in his eyes.

Zong Yu, Zhao Yun, Fang Jinxiu.

In his lifetime, he must kill the three leaders and avenge the scorpion brothers!

In the evening, someone from the palace summoned Yuan Xiang to enter the palace for an audience.

The emperor summoned the man into his study and dismissed all the eunuchs, palace maids, and Yuan Buyu, leaving him to speak alone for more than half an hour.

The next morning, bandits rebelled in Xuanzhou. Instead of appointing a general to lead troops to quell the disturbance, the emperor specifically ordered the second prince to go.

All the ministers opposed it. The second prince was so precious, but Your Majesty's health is right there for everyone to see. To put it bluntly, there’s a chance you could pass away at any moment.

The Second Prince was the most powerful contender for the throne. To move him away from the capital at this time, to a remote and impoverished place like Xuan Prefecture...

Suppression of bandits is not something that can be accomplished in a day or two. If things go wrong, it wouldn't be unusual for the second prince to stay in Xuanzhou for a year and a half.

This is different from a kind of exile.

"Your Majesty, please think carefully. The bandits in Xuanzhou have been a problem for a long time. Second Prince has no experience leading troops to quell rebellions. What if something happens to him"

The emperor impatiently said, “As a prince, one should dedicate oneself to the people.”

He was raised in reverence by the populace. If he couldn't even handle this, how could he possibly succeed to the throne in the future

The emperor's incompetent hat, once placed upon his head, silenced everyone below.

The Second Prince's situation also became extremely passive. If he didn't stand up and take on this task, the label of "incompetent and afraid of trouble" would be firmly placed on him.

This would be a great disadvantage for him in his future succession to the throne.

"Father, your son is willing to lead troops to Xuanzhou to quell the bandit uprising in Mount Shan."

"To ease the worries of my father and the people of Xuanzhou, it is my son's duty to do so."

All the ministers loyal to the second prince stood up to voice their opposition, but Yuan Xiang, his most trusted minister, remained silent.

This is also the fundamental reason why the Second Prince decided to stand up. Since Yuan Xiang did not speak, it means that there was no room for compromise in this matter.

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, a sneer curling at the corner of his mouth as he looked down at the second prince kneeling before him.

"Very well, I await your good news upon the successful pacification."

When it was time for court, the brothers Zong Yu and Zong Bai didn't say a word. They strode towards the palace gate with long legs. Many officials tried to catch up with them to get information, but they couldn't.

The seventh prince, Fu Ming, stood outside the palace, watching the two figures depart from afar. His trusted advisor beside him wore a beaming smile.

"Your Highness, the second prince has been sent to Xuanzhou to quell the rebellion. This is truly a stroke of good fortune for us."

Fu Ming twitched the corner of his mouth, "What unexpected joy, it's just the result of a struggle between clams and snipes."

He had never expected Yuan Buyu to strike again at the couple, Zong Yu. Hearing that Fang Jinshi was seriously injured, Fu Ming worried for several days in the palace.

Today, I saw Zong Yu's face looked normal as she returned to court after her leave. She probably is fine now.

No matter how you put it, Second Prince leaving Kyoto Castle is a good thing for us.

"Yuan Xiang was unusually silent in the hall today."

The second prince wore an expression of disdain. How could he be surrounded by such useless things Even he had heard the news that Yuan Xiang had been summoned to the palace last night.

"Since Second Brother is leaving the capital soon, we also have to seize the opportunity to expand our influence. Such a once-in-a-lifetime chance isn't easy to come by."

In the afternoon, Fu Ming snuck out of the palace to visit Fu Shangyuan at Jing Wangfu.

A quarrel broke out between the two in the study.

"Prince Uncle's plan did not include putting Fang Jinxiu in danger!"

Fu Shangyuan sat coldly behind his desk, ignoring Fu Ming's anger.

"Things always have some deviations, as long as the final result is within expectations."

Fu Ming was incredibly angry when he heard this.

"What Fang Jinshu was almost killed, and this is within expectations"

"Uncle Emperor, if Dong'er knew that it was you who orchestrated all of this behind the scenes, provoking a conflict between Yuan Buyu and the Zong family, how would he view you as his father!"

Don't mess with Dong'er. He was Fu Shangyuan's Achilles' heel. As soon as Fu Ming spoke, his expression instantly changed, his gaze turning as cold as ice.

"Little Seven, Your Uncle advises you to return to your palace for now. What you should be doing most is gathering your advisors and discussing how to take advantage of the Second Prince's absence and erode his power."

"Don't wait until he has calmed down, otherwise you won't even be able to move a finger of his. Then it will be too late."

Fu Ming bid farewell with a forced smile, but his heart was still uneasy.

Fang Jinshu is, after all, the savior of his son. Uncle Huang's relationship with the Zong family isn't very good either How could he be so heartless.

Fu Shangyuan seemed to see Fu Ming's thoughts, and suddenly sneered.

"Little Seven, those who achieve great things must not be bound by romantic love. One's heart should have the capacity for discernment."

“Whatever you do, you're destined to have no friends around you. Why should you care about Fang Jinshu's life or death”

"Could it be that you still want to add her to your harem"

Fu Ming suddenly went speechless. From the moment he decided to join this struggle for imperial power, he had decided to give up his private feelings.

He also knew that Fang Jinshi wouldn't stand by his side, even so, he never wished for her death.

Fu Shangyuan continued, "Their husband and wife are already involved in this war; danger is unavoidable."

"And you should believe they, as a couple, have the ability to protect themselves."

Based on my observation, Fang Jinshui has many secrets. She has narrowly escaped death several times. Yuan Buyu wants to kill her, but I'm afraid it's impossible.

He mused, "If we could figure out the secrets on Fang Jinshi's body, it might be more helpful for you to accomplish great things."

Fu Ming really didn't want to use Fang Jinshu, he was afraid that after she knew everything, she would even be unable to be ordinary friends.

"Uncle Emperor, please let her go."

"I can use all the people in the world, but I would never use her."alace gates were closing. King Jing sent them all away one by one."Little Seven, calm down.""Unless she promises you personally that she's sure, wouldn't your mother concubine be the only one to know"...