Chapter 411 - The most loyal official (2)

The news reached the emperor’s ears. Furious, the emperor reprimanded Ning Mingjie for his foolish behavior and ordered that Ning Mingjie’s troops weren’t allowed to take one step into the capital.

That Nie Sangyu was truly a femme fatale that brought disaster! Back then, he shouldn’t have let her off because Pengyue’s soft-heartedness!

Zhao Li felt awfully regretful. While sorting out the military troops and clearing up this mess, he also praised Marquis Moyu. He was truly great! Nie Sangyu had once been his wife, but he cared more about the country’s great cause than her well-being.

—

In Zhangjun, Ning Yuxuan wrote a letter to angrily rebuke Ning Mingjie’s conduct and started to retreat with the soldiers that were under his command while under the guise of engaging in battle. Zhangjun had sent more troops out, and Ning Yuxuan was eventually forced to retreat a great distance, all the way from Zhangjun to the capital’s outskirts.

While this was happening, Zhao Li hurriedly sent out letters to order the first-rank titled princes to send out their troops to defend him. Then, he went to Wangyue Building. He wanted Pengyue to help him again.

However, Pengyue had fallen sick. She was seriously ill and lying in bed. Her eyes were half-opened, and her face was wan. After listening to him speak and waiting for him to finish, she finally murmured, “It’s only at this time that you would remember to think of me.”

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Yuzhen was a country where monogamy was the norm, so there was naturally much less scheming between women. Thus, Pengyue didn’t know any tricks and couldn’t win over the virtuous consort. During this past period, when he had given her the cold shoulder, Pengyue had already become physically and mentally exhausted. It would be difficult for her to recover from her illness.

Zhao Li was sitting at her bedside. Although he felt guilty, he was more worried about keeping his throne. He said a few words to comfort her, but when he saw that she still wouldn’t agree to borrow soldiers for Yuzhen, he became impatient.

“It was wrong me to turn my back on you and cause you to suffer, but it’s impossible for the emperor in this country to not have a harem. My heart only has you. Shouldn’t that be enough?”

Pengyue miserably smiled. She looked at him with a sentimental gaze as she said, “Back then, I clearly knew that you were using me, but I was still happy and willing to marry you. I knew that you didn’t love me back then, and you couldn’t have known I had already given you my heart when I saw you for the first time in that military training ground. But now, you’ve worn out my heart, and I no longer have the strength to love you. It’s the throne that you love the most, but my heart only has you. It’s too painful to live like this. I don’t want to suffer anymore...”

Flustered and exasperated, Zhao Li retorted, “If I lose my throne, it wouldn’t benefit you at all.”

Pengyue chuckled. “If you lose your throne, I would be the only one that would be willing to die with you. When that time comes, you won’t be able to use the excuse that you need other women by your side.”

Zhao Li shuddered and looked away. “Are you really going to act this way?”

Pengyue closed her eyes and didn’t say another word.

As he turned the wheels on his wheelchair to leave Wangyue Building, Zhao Li was extremely furious. Women were so narrow-minded. They let themselves be ruled by the emotions and didn’t realize what they would lose from being overly emotional.

After Zhao Li departed, Pengyue’s personal servant girl was choked with emotion as she asked, “Master, why didn’t you just say that you’re unable to borrow the soldiers? If you tell the emperor the truth, he won’t resent you so much.”

There was civil unrest in Yuzhen because the common people were having a hard time making a living. Yuzhen’s royal family was in an extremely precious position, so there was no way they could afford to lend troops.

Pengyue smile and said, “If he can’t find someone to resent, then he’ll resent himself. Since it’s like that, he might as well resent me. At the very least, he’ll feel something for me and spend time brooding over me. That would be nice too.”

The oh so high Wangyue Building, it had once been a symbol of the emperor’s supreme favor towards his favorite person, but at the end, it had inexplicably become a place to imprison her.

—

There were no reinforcements from Yuzhen, and although the various first-rank titled princes responded to the emperor’s order, they weren’t very enthusiastic. While Ning Mingjie had already led the army to the capital and was stationed outside of the capital, the troops from the other princes hadn’t even left their fiefdom yet.

Zhao Li truly felt a sense of crisis. He ordered Ning Yuxuan to return and defend the capital.

Zhangjun’s army had finally pressed the retreating army all the way to the capital with Zhao Zhe personally leading the army. He straightforwardly declared that the third prince was innocent and had been wrongfully executed. Zhao Li was the one that had actually killed their father, and then their brother. Nie Clan had been innocent. What right did Zhao Li have to exterminate that clan?

Ji Man had come with the army and was still wearing a red dress. Sitting inside a carriage, she had followed Zhao Zhe all way to the capital.

“Your Highness, do you remember what you promised Sangyu?” Ji Man asked.

Zhao Zhe looked at her and openly and heartily laughed. “Of course, this prince remembers. You can pay him back for everything he did to you back then. It’s only that this prince didn’t expect a mere woman would be able to successfully get revenge for a blood debt.”

—

The opposing army had already surrounded the capital. Ning Mingjie had surrendered to Zhangjun Prince and switched allegiances, so it was only to be expected that he would join Zhangjun’s army in besieging the capital.

Zhao Li only had one useful person, Marquis Moyu. Havoc was already running amuck in the capital. The price for grain was too high, and the imperial court had been suspended due to the dowager empress and the prime minister’s faction. Zhao Li’s hold on his throne was like a flickering flame on a windy day.

However, Marquis Moyu had proven to be a loyal official. He saluted the emperor with his hands and said, “As long as this subject is here, this subject will guard the capital. Even if all the other officials refuse to attend the imperial court, this subject will still be present.”

Zhao Li was so touched by Marquis Moyu’s words that he immediately bestowed him the title of Protector of the Nation. Moreover, he felt that he had been too despairingly cold-hearted in kidnapping the marquis’s heir. Fortunately, Ning Yuxuan had let it slide.

“If dear subject can successfully defend the capital, the emperor can grant the beloved subject anything,” said Zhao Li.

Ning Yuxuan quietly knelt. He chuckled and said, “This subject desires nothing. May Your Majesty live and reign for ten thousand years, ten thousand of ten thousand years.”

Where could you find such a loyal official?