Yue Shi hurried to follow behind Xiao Rongyan, inevitably feeling self-reproachful. No wonder the eldest miss didn’t tell him anything – it turned out… he couldn’t hide his emotions well, which also gave his master quite a headache.

Yue Shi made up his mind that once matters in Xiliang were settled, he would go back and properly consult Wang Jiuzhou to see how Wang Jiuzhou usually concealed his emotions.

When Xiao Rongyan arrived at the main hall, Wei Zhong was just holding a teacup, drinking tea. Hearing the announcement from outside: “Ninth Prince arrives…”

Only then did Wei Zhong unhurriedly set down his teacup, rise, and bow to Xiao Rongyan: “This old servant greets Ninth Prince.”

Behind Xiao Rongyan followed Yan Nation’s Second Prince Murong Ping, General Xie Xun, and other Yan Nation generals who glared at Wei Zhong with furious expressions, wishing they could tear Wei Zhong apart alive. Wei Zhong was completely unintimidated, maintaining his smiling demeanor.

“Eunuch Wei, it’s been a long time since we’ve met…” After Xiao Rongyan nodded and took his seat at the head, he said, “Everyone, please sit.”

The Yan Nation generals thanked him and sat down, but Wei Zhong remained standing, facing Xiao Rongyan with his hands folded in front of his lower abdomen: “This time, this old servant comes at His Majesty’s command to meet with Yan Nation’s Ninth Prince because when our Great Zhou army joined forces with Yan Nation to eliminate the enemy, our Great Zhou was betrayed… resulting in His Majesty’s younger brother, the Bai family’s Fifth Young Master, being severely injured and captured alive, and he has yet to awaken.”

Hearing Wei Zhong speak thus, Xiao Rongyan knew that… bringing the Yan Nation generals was perfectly timed.

“That’s not right! I heard Great Zhou’s Fifth Young Master has already awakened!” a Yan Nation general called out loudly.

“When this old servant arrived, the Fifth Young Master had awakened once, but fell unconscious again. If the Yan Nation general doesn’t believe it, you’re welcome to go see for yourself.” Wei Zhong spoke at a measured pace.

Xiao Rongyan raised his hand to stop the Yan Nation general and spoke with a seemingly sincere attitude: “Regarding this matter, I have already sent Yue Shi personally to deliver a letter to Great Zhou’s Emperor explaining, and… General Chu who betrayed the Bai family’s Fifth Young Master has already been dealt with by military law. I don’t know what else the Great Zhou’s Emperor wishes to do. Eunuch Wei, please speak, and whatever we, Great Yan, can satisfy, we will certainly satisfy.”

“Ninth Prince, according to what our Great Zhou knows… the one who sold both nations’ battle plans to Old General Cui Shanzhong was not General Chu, but Great Yan’s Empress Dowager. Our Great Zhou asks ourselves whether we have a clear conscience toward our ally Yan Nation, yet Yan Nation’s Empress Dowager, when the two nations were joining forces to attack Yunjing and destroy Xiliang, worried that Great Zhou would obtain Yunjing first and stabbed us in the back, selling both nations’ battle plans to Xiliang.” Wei Zhong remained neither servile nor arrogant. Seeing Yan Nation generals stand up, he was completely unaffected and continued: “And demanded that Cui Shanzhong, after ambushing Great Zhou and capturing alive the Great Zhou Emperor’s brother or sister, send them to Yan Nation…”

Second Prince Murong Ping gripped the sword at his waist tightly, looking nervously at his Ninth Uncle.

Others didn’t know that Ninth Uncle wasn’t truly competing with little A’Li for power, but Murong Ping knew. If Ninth Uncle wanted the throne, he need not have pushed little A’Li to ascend originally – he could have taken the throne himself with Father Emperor’s edict.

The apparent discord between Ninth Uncle and little A’Li was performed for others to see. Naturally, Ninth Uncle’s discord with Mother Empress Dowager was also performed for others.

This time… if Mother Empress Dowager had truly made a foolish mistake and allied with Old General Cui Shanzhong, the ministers around Ninth Uncle would incite Ninth Uncle to use this opportunity to pull Mother Empress Dowager down from her regent position. How should Ninth Uncle respond?

If he truly used this opportunity to pull Mother Empress Dowager down, then Ninth Uncle’s intention to hide little A’Li behind him, letting outsiders and Yan Nation ministers see the struggle between the Empress Dowager and Regent Prince, would mean some national policies couldn’t be smoothly implemented with little A’Li hidden behind Ninth Uncle and Mother Empress Dowager.

On one side, Great Zhou had already deployed troops at Yan Nation’s border, coming to demand an explanation.

On the other side was the current balanced situation in Great Yan’s court, with Ninth Uncle’s subordinate ministers ambitiously wanting to drive the Empress Dowager from her regent position.

This was simply placing Ninth Uncle over a blazing furnace.

“Cui Shanzhong is already dead! Dead men tell no tales. Does your Great Zhou think that just because of this, whatever you say goes?” The Yan Nation generals were emotionally agitated.

“Exactly! Listening to your meaning, what… do you still want to do something to our Yan Nation’s Empress Dowager?”

“This is simply pushing an inch! Although our Yan Nation betrayed your Great Zhou first, didn’t our Ninth Prince personally infiltrate the city, risking his life to rescue people? Besides, your Fifth Young Master isn’t dead!” A Yan Nation general was emotionally indignant, rolling up his sleeves and approaching Wei Zhong, shouting: “After our Yan army stormed into Yunjing’s imperial palace, we withdrew from Yunjing’s imperial palace, yet before the two nations determined who should get Yunjing, you had already remained inside the palace. How do you explain this?”

When Wei Zhong heard “your Fifth Young Master isn’t dead,” his pupils immediately contracted, his lips curved in a smile, but the coldness in his eyes was undisguised.

Not just Wei Zhong, even Xie Xun and Murong Ping felt extremely uncomfortable hearing these words. Murong Ping was first to speak: “General, watch your words!”

Wei Zhong stared directly at the speaking general: “From this general’s meaning, you only remember that your Yan Nation stormed into Yunjing, but don’t remember how your Yan army stormed into Yunjing. Under the east gate’s winch mechanism… your Yan army’s ability to enter Yunjing was bought with the Great Zhou Bai Family Army’s bones and corpses!”

Wei Zhong’s smile deepened: “That’s right, it was the Bai Family Army that you betrayed… they fought desperately to open the city gates for you. Which of your Yan army went to count how many Bai Family Army corpses lie under the east gate’s winch mechanism? It was precisely… the Bai family’s Fifth Young Master, betrayed by your Yan Nation’s Empress Dowager, severely injured and captured alive in the city, who remembered the alliance between our two nations and divided half of the Bai Family Army from the city’s prison to open the east gate! And not… the south gate where Great Zhou’s Gao Yi Jun was ambushed!”

These words caused the previously agitated Yan Nation generals to calm down somewhat.

The Yan army had to admit that they had indeed entered the city, stepping over Bai Family Army corpses. Without the Bai Family Army desperately opening the gates, the Yan army didn’t have siege warfare troops like Great Zhou’s Shuoyang Army, so they certainly wouldn’t have opened the gates so quickly.

Since Yan Nation had betrayed Great Zhou, even if Great Zhou hadn’t bothered to open the east gate for Yan Nation at this time, Yan Nation would have no complaints.

“Naturally, Great Zhou has always handled matters separately. Since the two nations are allies, the city gates still needed to be opened for the Yan Nation. But… now that Xiliang has been successfully destroyed, the meaning of our Great Zhou’s Emperor and all court ministers is to settle the account of Yan Nation’s betrayal of Great Zhou.” Wei Zhong smiled at the previously agitated Yan Nation general: “This general just asked for evidence. If there were no evidence… this old servant would not come calling today!”

Wei Zhong looked toward Xiao Rongyan: “Our Great Zhou has already captured Old General Cui Shanzhong’s trusted subordinates alive and interrogated them. Old General Cui Shanzhong indeed sent people to Yan Nation to reach an alliance with Yan Nation’s Empress Dowager.”