When the news reached Yan Kingdom, Empress Dowager Yan learned that Zhong Xingxiao had been imprisoned because his subordinates had assassinated a high-ranking Da Zhou court official. The Empress Dowager nearly fainted from shock, crying out that this was Da Zhou’s treacherous scheme, Bai Qingyan’s treacherous scheme, saying that Bai Qingyan was deliberately targeting her brother in retaliation for her betrayal of Da Zhou.

Upon receiving news that Zhong Xingxiao had been injured during his first palace visit to Da Zhou and emerged wounded, the Empress Dowager, instead of entering the palace to plead with Bai Qingyan for Zhong Xingxiao, intercepted Zhong Xingxiao, who was about to flee back to Yan Kingdom, and made him return to Da Zhou. Unable to sit still, her face deathly pale, supported by her maid, she hurriedly went to Murong Li’s sleeping quarters.

Murong Li had just finished talking with his brother Murong Ping and was writing a reply to Da Zhou when he heard his mother’s voice. He gave Wang Jiuzhou a meaningful look, casually set down the jade-handled brush, and rose to greet the Empress Dowager.

Wang Jiuzhou smoothly covered Murong Li’s reply letter with a memorial, then followed behind Murong Li to greet the Empress Dowager together.

“A’Li… A’Li must find a way to save your uncle!” The Empress Dowager began sobbing as soon as she stepped into Murong Li’s study. “Mother only has this one brother!”

Murong Li performed his respects, helped the tearful Empress Dowager sit down, then spoke: “The guards were personally selected by Uncle before departure. This time, Uncle’s guard assassinated Minister Liu and was caught red-handed by the Liu mansion’s guards. Only after enduring severe torture did he confess to Uncle’s involvement. The evidence is conclusive…”

“Impossible!” The Empress Dowager’s voice was shrill. “A’Li, have you forgotten? It was your uncle who first agreed to your surrender strategy, and it was your uncle who persuaded Mother! How could your uncle be so foolish as to send someone to assassinate Da Zhou’s high officials while seeking Da Zhou’s agreement to surrender?”

“That assassin said… Uncle was wary of Minister Liu’s eloquence. Minister Liu’s debating skills are known throughout all nations. Whether Xi Liang or the former Great Liang, both suffered losses at Minister Liu’s hands. Uncle was too eager to achieve the surrender between our two nations, so he sent someone to assassinate Minister Liu. Now, Da Zhou’s Minister Liu still lies unconscious in bed…”

Actually, whether Zhong Xingxiao truly sent someone to assassinate Liu Rushi didn’t interest Murong Li much. However… if Zhong Xingxiao could be kept in Da Zhou, with one less person to bewitch the Empress Dowager, it might not be bad for Yan Kingdom.

“Even so… even if that’s the case, your uncle did it for our Yan Kingdom’s good! Can’t you find a way to save your uncle?” The Empress Dowager gripped Murong Li’s hand tightly, then, as if suddenly remembering something, said to Murong Li: “Where is your Ninth Uncle? What does your Ninth Uncle say? He was the one who persuaded your uncle to return to Da Zhou. Did he give you any instructions? Before leaving… your Ninth Uncle promised, how could he let your uncle come to harm! Why doesn’t he go plead with the Da Zhou Emperor? After all, they have children together…”

Murong Li’s eyes darkened, his previously gentle voice comforting the Empress Dowager, becoming somewhat cold and hard: “Mother, news arrived a few days ago that Ninth Uncle entered the palace once… and emerged injured. Mother, when you stabbed Da Zhou in the back during the bilateral alliance, weren’t you hoping for Ninth Uncle and the Da Zhou Emperor to break cleanly? Now that Ninth Uncle and the Da Zhou Emperor have reached a point of irreconcilable hostility, Mother can say she got her wish. But now… when Uncle gets into trouble, Mother again hopes the Da Zhou Emperor will remember her affection with Ninth Uncle!”

“Mother…” Murong Li withdrew his hand from the Empress Dowager’s grip. “All the good things in the world cannot always be yours to monopolize! Because of Mother’s backstabbing, Da Zhou refuses to let this go easily. Now they want our Yan Kingdom to send Second Brother, General Xie Xun, and Ninth Uncle as hostages to Da Zhou before agreeing to surrender. They say only by holding our Yan Kingdom’s capable warriors hostage in Da Zhou will they believe our Yan Kingdom’s sincere intention to surrender, rather than using surrender talk to pacify Da Zhou while waiting for our main forces to return… wanting to fight Da Zhou.”

The Empress Dowager’s face turned deathly pale, staring wide-eyed at Murong Li: “How can Da Zhou do this? Our Yan Kingdom’s willingness to surrender is already…”

“Our Yan Kingdom’s willingness to surrender is because we’ve reached a life-or-death crisis and have no choice! But Da Zhou… can completely trap our Yan Kingdom’s main forces and then attack Yan Capital! Mother… don’t tell me that even now, you still think our Yan Kingdom proposing surrender is a favor to Da Zhou?” Murong Li, with anger in his heart, spoke somewhat harshly.

This… was only the second time in all these years that Murong Li had spoken to the Empress Dowager this way.

“Think again, Mother, why would the Da Zhou Emperor detain Ninth Uncle in Da Zhou?” Murong Li’s voice was cold and stern. “The Da Zhou Emperor is angry with Ninth Uncle and keeps him there… probably to torment Ninth Uncle. Can’t Mother figure this out?”

“But A’Yan is the father of her two children!”

“With one move, Mother caused Ninth Uncle to be completely separated from his flesh and blood and beloved, even standing in opposition. Now you want Ninth Uncle to use the two children to plead with the Da Zhou Emperor to spare Uncle. Ninth Uncle… would need what shamelessness to open his mouth for this? Mother, you want the Da Zhou Emperor to consider the children, but when you conspired with Xi Liang back then, did you ever think… that the Da Zhou Emperor was carrying Uncle’s biological flesh and blood?”

If the person before him weren’t Murong Li’s mother, he wanted to ask… how could one be so shameless?

“Also, regarding the mission to Da Zhou, Ninth Uncle could go… but Uncle couldn’t. These words also came from Mother’s mouth. To put it bluntly, Uncle is Mother’s blood brother, while Ninth Uncle, though Mother’s brother, is not blood-related. In Mother’s heart, Uncle and Ninth Uncle are ultimately treated differently! A’Li feels cold for Ninth Uncle!” Murong Li straightened his spine, looking at his mother, whose face was even paler than before. “But Mother shouldn’t forget that Ninth Uncle bears the Murong surname, and A’Li also bears the Murong surname. To A’Li… Ninth Uncle is as close as Mother. I will not allow Ninth Uncle to come to harm! So this time I… will only protect Ninth Uncle!”

“A’Li! That’s your uncle! He shares blood with you!”

“How A’Li obtained this throne, Mother has probably forgotten!” Murong Li’s expression was impassive. “Mother, search your conscience – if it were Uncle… would he have yielded the throne to A’Li?”

The Empress Dowager’s palms tightened, her nails digging into the tender flesh of her palms.

“When it comes down to it, Mother and Uncle are for the Zhong clan, while I and Ninth Uncle are for the Murong imperial house.” Murong Li emanated imperial authority. “Mother is getting old. You should return to tending flowers and plants, praying for Yan Kingdom’s blessings! From now on, don’t interfere in Yan Kingdom’s state affairs. I… have my own decisions!”

“A’Li, why are you so heartless? That’s your uncle… you’re just abandoning him like this, letting your uncle die unjustly in a foreign land?” The Empress Dowager cried aloud. “Your uncle doted on you so much…”