“Heh, say that again—Yuchi Qingyan wants Yi Jie’er to be his empress?” Pang Xiao narrowed his phoenix eyes.

Huzi alertly retreated several steps, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.

Mu Jinghu, however, fearlessly nodded.

“That’s right. The imperial palace isn’t a place I can conveniently follow to—it’s easy to expose my whereabouts, otherwise I would have wanted to follow and protect her. You have no idea, when the new emperor came to fetch her, he wouldn’t even let her bring her personal serving maids. At first he didn’t even allow her to bring a change of clothes. Your wife is injured, and he wouldn’t even let her bring medicine! Tell me, what is the new emperor trying to do? He clearly wants to isolate your wife and create a fait accompli!”

Huzi retreated several more steps. Young Master Mu, I beg you! Can we not add fuel to the fire!

Pang Xiao laughed coldly several times, his words squeezed through gritted teeth: “The Yuchi family has a scholarly heritage—this is truly following in his father’s footsteps!”

Mu Jinghu found a stool to sit on and poured himself water to drink.

Pang Xiao gripped his sword hilt with whitened knuckles, as if only this could dissipate his anger.

She was just a weak woman, still injured—how could she resist the oppression of imperial power?

If something really happened to her in the palace…

Unfortunately, he was now a military commander, and that old bastard Prince Ning still had some skills. They were fighting fiercely, so he couldn’t leave the military camp without authorization. Pang Xiao truly felt his heart being clawed at, wanting to protect his beloved woman but unable to do so.

“Master, please calm down. What we need to do now is first think of a solution,” Huzi advised.

“Think of a solution?” Mu Jinghu put down the ceramic bowl and said seriously, “Actually, I think your wife is qualified enough to be empress.”

Pang Xiao glared coldly at Mu Jinghu.

Mu Jinghu was completely unaware that his words were inappropriate, counting on his fingers as he seriously analyzed for Pang Xiao.

“Look, her family background isn’t bad, her appearance and talent aren’t bad either, she’s so smart, and her father is a very good person too—becoming his son-in-law would definitely be beneficial.

“Moreover, if she becomes empress, she’d be the mother of the nation! If she follows you, she can only be a princess consort.

“As empress, no one would dare step on her and bully her, but as your princess consort, when she gets to your Zhou country, she’d have to share hardships with you.

“Your status and position are also awkward now—who knows how many people want to scheme against you, and she’d naturally be implicated. So I actually think, if we’re only considering her perspective, being empress isn’t bad at all.”

Huzi silently covered his face and quietly retreated to a corner of the tent.

He had just steadied himself when the square table in the middle of the tent was smashed to pieces by Pang Xiao’s palm. The teapot and ceramic bowls on top crashed to the ground, splashing tea all over Mu Jinghu’s shoes.

“Sigh! What are you doing! What a pity for such a good table, and this teapot and bowls—they’re worth at least two strings of cash together. You’re too wasteful.”

Mu Jinghu heartbrokenly picked up the bowl broken in half and tried to piece it back together.

The patrol guards outside heard the commotion and came to inquire.

Huzi quickly went out and smiled: “Brothers, it’s nothing. The prince is sparring with his brother.”

“I see!” The northern men of the Huben Army were all loyal and forthright. Knowing that Pang Xiao loved to spar with his brothers when he had nothing else to do, they didn’t think much of it.

Inside the tent, Pang Xiao had already grabbed Mu Jinghu by the collar: “Rotten Wood, what do you mean by that!”

Mu Jinghu brushed away his hand and said honestly: “I’m just telling the truth. Actually, you think the same way deep down, don’t you? Otherwise why would you feel guilty? I think you fox are just selfish—you’ve taken a fancy to that young lady and want to get her at all costs, regardless of whether she’s willing or not.”

Pang Xiao was struck in his sore spot, his expression becoming even uglier. He released Mu Jinghu’s collar with a shake of his hand and fiercely slapped a round-backed chair, which shattered on impact.

Mu Jinghu looked as heartbroken as anything, crouching on the ground and repeatedly saying: “What are you doing! This was all bought with silver!”

Pang Xiao was full of rage and had no mind for such things.

Moreover, Mu Jinghu had indeed hit upon his concerns.

He had taken a fancy to Qin Yining and used all manner of domineering means to pursue her, to plunder her heart. He hadn’t even asked if she was willing—he had already forcibly branded her with his mark.

What if she wanted to be an empress?

Pang Xiao gritted his teeth, and after a long while said: “Huzi.”

“Master.” Huzi stepped forward and bowed.

“You follow Young Master Mu back and find a way to get me a definite answer.”

“Master, what answer do you want?” Huzi was puzzled.

“Marquis Anping had Mutou come, actually wanting to probe my intentions. How I feel isn’t the most important thing right now. What’s important is Yi Jie’er’s feelings. If she’s willing to be empress and unwilling to settle for being my princess consort, how could I interfere in their good fortune? You go find a way to contact Manager Zhong—the Zhaoyun Company has wide connections and surely has ways to contact the palace. Ask Yi Jie’er whether she’s willing to follow me.”

“Master, you shouldn’t doubt Fourth Miss. I think Fourth Miss has feelings for you.”

Pang Xiao smiled bitterly: “I’m not doubting her. I’m afraid of delaying her prospects.”

Pang Xiao knew his own circumstances. In others’ eyes, he was a prince of different surname who had sworn brotherhood with Emperor Zhou, wielding military power with the Huben Army—seemingly glorious and limitless.

But in reality, in Zhou country’s court, he also faced difficulties at every step.

When they destroyed Bei Ji, he had led the charge. The Huben Army had done all the killing and burning, so those former Bei Ji officials who had now surrendered to Great Zhou all hated him in their hearts. His revenge for his father had also widowed many people, further intensifying their hatred toward him.

Bei Ji’s foolish ruler had been incompetent, and the national treasury had long been depleted. When they destroyed Bei Ji, they hadn’t gained much silver. When His Majesty had raised his banner and led his brothers to conquer the world, he had boastfully promised rewards. Now Great Zhou had been established for two years—the titles were there, but the promised silver rewards were still nowhere to be seen. The brothers who had conquered the world together complained privately, and now people were saying that the first person to rush into Bei Ji’s capital had looted the treasury first.

Wasn’t that darkly implying that he had privately hidden that silver?

That wasn’t all—his Huben Army was brave and skilled, overshadowing other military generals, naturally arousing the jealousy of military officials.

His Majesty now needed to pacify the realm and valued military officials even more, which also made civil officials uncomfortable. As he was the representative of military officials, he gained another share of hatred.

Thinking carefully, he was just a rough man with a group of people eyeing him like tigers behind his back. He really didn’t have any proud abilities worth showing off…

In short, Pang Xiao had been knocked down to feeling insecure by Mu Jinghu’s words.

Huzi sighed: “Then I’ll go ask. What does Master plan to do next?”

Pang Xiao’s eyes flashed with sharp light as he fingered his sword hilt for a moment, then raised his eyebrows and smiled: “No matter what, I’ll first give them a fierce beating and dampen Prince Ning’s arrogant spirit. I see that after their foolish emperor abdicated, each of their soldiers has been greatly boosted in morale, forgetting who they are. I need to make them realize again that they’re still the same worthless trash as before!”