“Sincerity? You’re doing this for the people’s safety?”

“Precisely so. The sovereign is unkind and does not consider the people’s welfare. If he had even the slightest bit of love for his subjects like children, he wouldn’t have focused only on his imperial mausoleum when natural disasters struck. We all served in Northern Ji and naturally know what it looks like when an incompetent ruler holds sway. His Majesty’s actions are no different from the fallen sovereign of Northern Ji years ago.

“We are all well-read scholars who originally entered government service wholeheartedly for the welfare of the people and to realize our respective ideals. However, His Majesty is not a worthy lord and has become increasingly incompetent.

“Now that things have developed to this point, His Majesty still shows no remorse. For the sake of his throne and position, he still disregards whether the people live or die. Therefore, in our view, his remaining on that throne will bring no new atmosphere to Great Zhou, nor any new hope for the people’s welfare.

“Thus, we, like Prince Zhongshun and Duke Dingguo, all support Prince Zhou Lian’s proposal to restore the Northern Ji state name, rectify the chaos, select a wise ruler, and plan for the people of the realm and all living beings.”

After Yu Ziqiu’s eloquent speech, realizing that his righteous words might cause impatience in the mounted figure before him, he quickly pressed his forehead to the ground to show sincerity.

Song Quan immediately said astutely, “We have already taken control of that person, and the people of conscience in the city all support our actions and are willing to install a wise ruler! Now that the Tatars have been greatly defeated and the realm is at peace, this is the perfect opportunity for our dynasty to enter a golden age. We absolutely cannot let such a fine dynasty be delayed by an incompetent ruler.”

Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu exchanged glances and both dismounted.

Pang Xiao asked, “You’ve taken control of His Majesty?”

“Yes, His Majesty and his consorts are now confined in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Those court officials and noble relatives who refuse to join us or show neutrality have also been controlled by the Imperial Guards and the Five Cities Military Commission. Now we only await Your Highness’s entry into the city to handle matters.”

This pledge of allegiance came suddenly, yet was vaguely within Pang Xiao’s expectations. This was probably what Qin Yining had meant earlier by “winning without fighting”?

It seemed that when Qin Yining offered him this strategy, she must have already anticipated this outcome.

No wonder—from the beginning when she arranged to bring out Lian Xiaozhou, to the later proclamations that echoed his cause, Qin Yining had arranged for the former dynasty’s prince to appear precisely for today’s submission of the Northern Ji old ministers.

Pang Xiao commanded heavy troops and was confident in this battle. Even without using strategy, he could win through sheer force. Therefore, he hadn’t planned as meticulously as Qin Yining.

But the current situation made Pang Xiao understand what it meant to win without bloodshed, to triumph without fighting.

Although his brothers had been itching for action for so long and would surely feel disappointed not to have a good fight, being able to achieve their goal without warfare or casualties was truly an achievement worthy of the history books.

While Pang Xiao remained silent, these Northern Ji remnants were extremely worried, fearing that Pang Xiao might glare and slaughter them all.

Ji Zeyu said, “These people may not be trustworthy. Perhaps they’ve conspired with the incompetent ruler to set a trap for us.”

Pang Xiao nodded, feeling that what Ji Zeyu said was indeed possible.

Yu Ziqiu and Song Quan turned pale, immediately breaking out in cold sweat from terror.

The two anxiously explained, “Your Highness and Duke, please don’t misunderstand! We truly have no malicious intent and would never dare use tricks to deceive Your Highness and the Duke. The combined forces in the city amount to so little—they’re powerless to resist. With Your Highness and the Duke bringing such valiant warriors, how could we possibly have the ability to provoke you?”

“Yes, yes! We absolutely have no such intentions—we simply don’t want one incompetent ruler’s mistakes to implicate innocent people!”

The Northern Ji old ministers who had followed them all chimed in agreement. For a moment, the scene was quite spectacular. From a distance, it looked like Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu stood with straight backs without striking or scolding, yet that group of officials in court robes were already kowtowing repeatedly for mercy. The distant Huben Army and Pingnan Army all whispered about their commanders’ imposing presence.

Facing such a scene, Pang Xiao felt strangely familiar.

When he had led troops to attack and break through Northern Ji’s imperial palace, some of these same officials had immediately chosen sides and surrendered.

Now history was repeating itself, and once again they had readily betrayed their sovereign.

Such people understood how to assess situations and might be useful, but they couldn’t be fully trusted.

Pang Xiao looked at Ji Zeyu. “Ah Lan, what do you think?”

Ji Zeyu said, “We should discuss this before making a decision.”

Although Ji Zeyu didn’t specify with whom to discuss, Pang Xiao understood he meant Qin Huaiyuan.

Pang Xiao agreed wholeheartedly. He and Ji Zeyu mounted their horses and rode straight back to their camp.

Seeing Pang Xiao and the others leave, Yu Ziqiu, Song Quan, and the group all stood up and dusted off their robes. However, they didn’t dare return to the city immediately. To show sincerity, they quietly remained in place, waiting for news from Pang Xiao’s side.

After hearing Pang Xiao describe the situation, Qin Yining, Qin Huaiyuan, Xie Yue, Xu Weizhi, and the others were all silent for a moment.

After a long while, Qin Huaiyuan said, “This is also good. Deploy personnel outside the city and bring elite troops into the city for a look—there’s no harm in that.”

“Duke Qin speaks wisely,” Xie Yue also said. “Judging by their appearance, they probably wouldn’t dare cause trouble. Right now, they’re also thinking of their own safety.”

Pang Xiao nodded and immediately said, “Then Ah Lan will accompany me on this trip.”

“Naturally, it’s my duty.” Ji Zeyu nodded. “Five thousand elite troops will be sufficient.”

“Yes, we can provide support from outside the city,” Xie Yue said.

Qin Huaiyuan also said, “I’ll provide support outside the city with the two masters. You can go forth with peace of mind.”

Pang Xiao looked at Qin Yining. “Will Sister Ning come along?”

This was a man’s war, and Pang Xiao’s initiative to bring Qin Yining truly surprised everyone. Qin Yining wanted to go because staying by Pang Xiao’s side while they held the advantage meant she needn’t worry about safety. However, Qin Yining feared that agreeing would bring criticism upon Pang Xiao.

But Xie Yue spoke first: “It would be good for the Princess Consort to go along. The Princess Consort is a woman who yields to no man, and many strategies along this journey came from her. That we can take the capital without bloodshed is largely due to the Princess Consort’s contributions. The Princess Consort is someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Your Highness—there’s truly no need to constrain her with the usual requirements for ordinary boudoir ladies.”

Xu Weizhi also smiled and nodded. “This old minister thinks the same.”

Qin Yining then looked at Qin Huaiyuan.

Qin Huaiyuan smiled. “Go ahead, since His Highness is willing to have you accompany him.”

Since Pang Xiao was willing to share the fruits of victory with Qin Yining, and his trusted associates all accepted this wholeheartedly, as her father, he could only feel happy. Because his daughter had never been a weak woman who needed to depend on men to survive.

Having reached an agreement, Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu selected five thousand elite Huben Army troops, including the Elite Tiger Guards, along with their personal bodyguards, and the group rode forth magnificently toward Yu Ziqiu, Song Quan, and the other officials.