Faced with Prince Sang’s fury, Feng Jiu’er remained neither servile nor arrogant, composed and calm.

“I am Feng Jiu’er, Vanguard General of Fenghuang City of the Bei Mu Nation. I am not a subject of Yuehe, and I have no obligation to bow before the Great King of Yuehe.”

Vanguard General of Fenghuang City of Bei Mu Nation, Feng Jiu’er?

The name Feng Jiu’er was entirely unfamiliar to them, but the title of Vanguard General of Fenghuang City — that sounded tremendously impressive.

Such a small girl, who looked at most fifteen or sixteen years old, was admittedly striking in appearance, yet she was nothing more than a delicate little thing.

Though her composed and steady bearing was genuinely something even many grown men could not match, who was to say it was not merely a façade — a show of bravado and false composure?

Such a tiny girl was actually the Vanguard General of Fenghuang City? Who did she think she was fooling?

Feng Jiu’er suddenly reached into her pocket and produced something, setting it down on the table before her.

Prince Sang stepped forward to look — and his expression changed instantly. “Y-Your Majesty, it is the command token of the Ninth Prince, Zhan Qingcheng!”

The Ninth Prince’s command token was truly in this little girl’s hands! Did that mean… she was genuinely the Vanguard General of Fenghuang City?

“Men — seize Feng Jiu’er!” The Great King of Yuehe issued the order immediately.

Regardless of anything else, capturing the Vanguard General of Fenghuang City and seizing the command token from her hands was a matter of pure advantage with no drawback whatsoever.

At the Great King’s command, more than a dozen guards surged in from outside, surrounding the three of them.

“Father, I believe she has something to say.” Tuoba Ermeng stepped forward two paces, hastening to speak.

The Great King of Yuehe let out a cold snort, his disappointment in this son now absolute: “You truly have been colluding in secret with people from Bei Mu Nation — what exactly are you trying to do? Do you truly intend to seize your father’s kingdom?”

“Your son would never dare!” Tuoba Ermeng immediately knelt on one knee, his expression earnest. “Father, please believe me — whatever your son has done or intended to do, it has all been for you, for the people of Yuehe.”

“Is the Second Imperial Brother suggesting that everything Father does is wrong, and that none of it is for the people of Yuehe?” Tuoba Keyan said coolly.

“Father, that is not what your son meant at all, Father…”

“Say no more. Consorting with outsiders — that crime, this king will judge you for himself. There is nothing further to discuss.”

The Great King of Yuehe cut off Tuoba Ermeng’s words and fixed his gaze on Feng Jiu’er, who remained as calm as ever even with guards surrounding her on all sides.

This little girl truly was remarkable — her courage and composure were something even a rough and burly man might not be able to match.

But this was not the time for admiration. This girl was a general of Bei Mu Nation, and she carried the command token of Bei Mu’s Ninth Prince. For him, that was something of tremendous use.

“You people…”

“Your Majesty — do you truly not wish to hear what a general from Bei Mu has to say?”

Feng Jiu’er smiled lightly. Far from being intimidated by the guards surrounding her, she actually stepped forward: “But, Your Majesty, before you have this general arrested, there are a few other matters to first bring to your attention.”

The Great King of Yuehe narrowed his eyes, looking somewhat impatient.

It was Prince Sang who spoke: “Your Majesty, we may as well hear what she has to say.”

In truth, whether it was the Great King of Yuehe or the princes and even the common people, they all held a measure of awe and reverence toward Bei Mu Nation. It was, after all, an absolute major power — a nation of great strength.

It was only because the First Prince had insisted, with great conviction, that the Ninth Prince was now beset from all sides, and that this was the perfect opportunity to attack Fenghuang City.

However, the subsequent assaults had all been repelled with ease, which showed that the Ninth Prince’s strength was very much intact, and that he was not nearly as easy to deal with as the First Prince had claimed.

In truth, the Great King of Yuehe and his inner circle were deeply uneasy.

If they won, that would of course be welcome. But if they suffered defeat and their army was routed, what then?

The greatest fear of all was provoking the legendary and terrifying Ninth Prince. Should the Ninth Prince choose to lead his army southward and march directly upon their imperial capital, then everything Yuehe had painstakingly built over so many years would be destroyed in an instant.

Who did not know how fearsome Bei Mu’s God of War, the Ninth Prince, truly was? In short, when it came to going to war against Bei Mu, no one was truly resolute about it.

That resolve was split right down the middle — half and half.

Were it not for the fact that the First Prince’s military record over these years had been genuinely brilliant, no one would have dared offend Bei Mu Nation, and especially not the Ninth Prince.

The Great King of Yuehe looked at Feng Jiu’er. He had initially thought that seizing this girl would at least mean capturing a general of Bei Mu Nation — that was something, at any rate. But now, reading Prince Sang’s expression, he realized he may have been somewhat rash.

Yet the order to arrest her had already been given, and as the ruler of a nation, he was absolutely not one to easily admit to second thoughts.

So he merely looked at Feng Jiu’er coolly, his tone impatient: “What else is there to say?”

Feng Jiu’er smiled faintly, though her tone seemed somewhat more measured than before: “Your Majesty, before we discuss the matters of war between our two nations, there is something concerning Your Majesty personally that this general will first convey.”

With a wave of her hand, Xue Gu came forward from behind her, cradling an infant — still wearing that same expression of cold disdain that regarded no one as her equal, which left the Great King of Yuehe feeling a degree of displeasure.

But for now, better to avoid unnecessary complications. He would simply hear out whatever this girl had to say.

“Your Majesty, some time ago, our people encountered Noble Consort Lian being abducted outside the palace. At the time we did not yet know this woman was Noble Consort Lian — we only saw a heavily pregnant woman being taken away and, moved by compassion, we rescued her.”

“Outrageous!” Tuoba Keyan snorted coldly. “Noble Consort Lian was taken out of the palace by your people to begin with. On one hand you sent someone to assassinate Father, and on the other you arranged for someone to take Noble Consort Lian out — how bold of you!”

“Yet one wonders what benefit we could possibly have gained from taking Noble Consort Lian away. Meanwhile, the fact that Noble Consort Lian was attacked inside the palace is something many people already know.”

Feng Jiu’er’s words gave Tuoba Keyan the slightest pause.

Tuoba Ermeng stepped forward. “Father, your son and Noble Consort Lian…”

The Great King of Yuehe waved his hand — clearly unwilling to hear another word on that matter.

His gaze fell upon the infant in Xue Gu’s arms. Word had come back earlier that Noble Consort Lian had died outside the palace, and her body had been returned to the palace, yet the child she carried had been nowhere to be found.

Could it be that this child…

Something stirred in his heart, and his nerves instantly tensed. This child… could it truly be…

“Your Majesty, he is the child of Noble Consort Lian and yourself — born fewer than three days ago.”

Feng Jiu’er took the infant from Xue Gu’s arms and looked toward Prince Sang. “This child is a prince of Yuehe. I ask that Prince Sang return him to His Majesty on our behalf. As for whether Your Majesty believes his identity — a blood recognition test will settle the matter at once.”