First, he congratulated his Uncle Jiu on the auspicious birth of dragon and phoenix twins, then said that up to this day, he still hadn’t been able to extract anything from the Xiliang person’s mouth, so he asked Wang Jiuzhou to bring the person before Uncle Jiu for personal interrogation.

Additionally, he asked Uncle Jiu to convey his apologies to the Bai family elder sister on his behalf, saying this matter was his mother’s fault, and he would certainly find ways to make amends to Great Zhou and the Bai family.

While he would continue trying to find solutions with his mother, he would also dispatch Yan’s Imperial Shadow Guards to search. If Bai Qingyu and Seventh Miss were in his mother’s hands, he would deliver General Bai Qingyu and Seventh Miss back safely.

If the Bai family general and Seventh Miss were in Xiliang’s hands, he hoped Uncle Jiu would spare no cost and rescue General Bai and Seventh Miss at all costs, which would count as some compensation.

He thought further and also told Xiao Rongyan about the Great Zhou stationing troops at Yan’s borders. He guessed… if something truly happened to the Bai family’s Seventh Miss and General Bai this time, the Bai family elder sister would level the Yan capital.

He still didn’t want such a thing to happen. Whether for public or private reasons, Yan bore inescapable responsibility for the matter concerning General Bai and Seventh Miss.

“Your Majesty…” Wang Jiuzhou entered carrying a cup of strong tea, gently placing it beside Murong Li.

“Wang Jiuzhou, you’ve come at just the right time!” Murong Li sealed the letter. “Help me deliver this letter to Uncle Jiu!”

Wang Jiuzhou was startled: “Your Majesty, the master sent this servant back to serve you, specifically instructing me to guard you without leaving your side for even a moment!”

“In this palace, I trust no one but you and myself!” Murong Li handed the letter to Wang Jiuzhou.

Everyone in this palace had once followed Murong Li’s father, Emperor Murong Yu. Murong Li didn’t doubt these people’s loyalty, but… after the father emperor’s death, they had all turned toward his mother, all believing that Uncle Jiu coveted his throne and guarding against Uncle Jiu.

There weren’t many people who could deliver his letter to Uncle Jiu.

“Your Majesty…” Wang Jiuzhou quietly drew a letter from his sleeve, his voice extremely low. “This was delivered from the capital.”

Murong Li’s eyes widened with pleasant surprise as he took the letter, recognizing the handwriting at a glance: “Bai family elder sister!”

He hurriedly opened the letter and scanned it rapidly, his eyes full of light…

Reading Bai Qingyan’s letter, Murong Li’s heart finally settled. The Bai family elder sister didn’t blame him. General Bai Qingyu was also turning the tables on the enemy, so the Bai family elder sister was also turning the tables. Stationing troops at Yan’s borders was to assist Murong Li’s plan for the two nations’ merger, and also to make Murong Li’s mother lower her guard against Xiao Rongyan.

“So that’s how it is! The Bai family elder sister… is truly too formidable!” Murong Li couldn’t help but sigh with admiration. “Even in such circumstances, she didn’t forget to pave the way for the future. She’s even more capable than Uncle Jiu!”

Seeing the letter’s contents, Wang Jiuzhou also breathed a sigh of relief, asking quietly: “Should Your Majesty’s letter still be sent? If it’s still to be sent… this old servant will arrange for reliable people to deliver Your Majesty’s letter!”

Looking at the letter he had written to Uncle Jiu, Murong Li thought for a moment before speaking: “Just send any guard to deliver the letter!”

If cooperating with the Bai family elder sister’s strategy, it would be better if Mother saw this letter…

Yun Capital, Imperial Palace.

Li Tianjiao sat at a round table, reading the letter delivered by Great Zhou’s secret agents, then shifted her gaze toward the screen.

An imperial physician was taking the pulse of Bai Qingyu, who lay on the bed with her eyes tightly closed. She set down the letter, her fingers intermittently tapping the round table.

The secret agents had brought news that Great Zhou’s emperor, knowing her brother had been captured, had given premature birth and come to Xiliang, even deploying troops toward Yan’s borders. This showed how much she valued this brother!

This Bai Qingyu… was a good card for Xiliang and absolutely couldn’t die.

Seeing the imperial physician finish changing Bai Qingyu’s medicine and administering acupuncture, then emerge from behind the screen with his medicine box to bow to her, Li Tianjiao’s gaze remained fixed on Bai Qingyu as she asked casually: “You’ve tried acupuncture on the philtrum, you’ve also tried the ten-fingers-connected-to-heart needle under the fingernails, yet he still hasn’t awakened. Give me a definite answer—how much longer until he wakes up?”

“Your Majesty, logically speaking, this general’s injuries are not fatal, but his pulse is extremely chaotic. That this general hasn’t awakened yet may be due to some old ailment being triggered,” the imperial physician answered Li Tianjiao respectfully. “This minister’s medical skills are shallow and truly cannot diagnose the cause, but if a person’s pulse continues to be this chaotic for long, I fear he won’t last half a month!”

Li Tianjiao frowned deeply, rose and walked around the screen, standing on the wooden step beside the bed to look down at Bai Qingyu, examining him carefully.

Through Bai Qingyu’s unburned half-face, Li Tianjiao could judge what kind of handsome man Bai Qingyu was. Indeed… this was Great Zhou Emperor Bai Qingyan’s blood brother, and with Bai Qingyan’s appearance, her brother naturally couldn’t be too inferior!

“Such a handsome man, even with only half a face, is still pleasing to the eye. It would be too much of a pity if he died!” Li Tianjiao said quietly, then turned to look at the imperial physician outside the screen. “I’ll give you three more days. If this Bai Qingyu doesn’t wake up after three days, you can prepare your neck for execution!”

Moreover, only if Bai Qingyu lived well could he serve as Xiliang’s retreat route.

Moving forward, they could use Bai Qingyu to threaten the Great Zhou not to attack the city, giving General Cui Shanzhong the freedom to deal with Yan.

Retreating, they could return Bai Qingyu to Great Zhou, use Bai Qingyu to seek peace with Great Zhou, inform Great Zhou about the Yan Empress Dowager’s betrayal, then do what… Li Tianjiao least wanted to do—submit to the Great Zhou to preserve the nation, then plot gradually.

But the premise was that Bai Qingyu had to wake up.

Hearing the word “execution,” the imperial physician was so frightened he knelt on the ground and kowtowed: “This minister… will certainly do everything in my power!”

Li Tianjiao studied Bai Qingyu’s appearance carefully, thinking of Bai Qingyan, then remembered her sister Li Tianfu.

Both born of the same mother, Bai Qingyu had always stood on the same side as her sister Bai Qingyan. Even returning to Great Zhou from the Rong Di, he had never thought of… pushing his sister off the throne to replace her.

But her sister…

Li Tianjiao sneered inwardly. Her sister probably couldn’t wait for her to truly die.

She remembered what Li Tianfu had said when she allied with Tianfeng to pull her from the throne…

Li Tianfu had said that she, this elder sister, was raised by the father emperor, who taught her everything but never taught her, the younger sister!

She had said… even though Li Tianjiao, this Xiliang emperor, was superior to her in every way, in the end wasn’t she still pulled from the throne? Wouldn’t she still be trampled underfoot by her?

Li Tianfu didn’t know that Li Tianjiao greatly envied Li Tianfu.

Because Li Tianfu was the youngest daughter, the father emperor, and the mother empress, gave her more affection and less strictness! More indulgence and fewer demands!

Li Tianfu also didn’t know how much she envied Li Tianfu’s excellent martial arts and dance skills, being able to do whatever she pleased and be herself.