The Evil Emperor's Favorite: The Sickly and Poisonous Concubine Goes Crazy

"Now that the war in the Western Territory has been settled, I would like to ask Your Majesty to withdraw the military order from the Western Territory." Su Ming said in a deep voice.

"Why?" Emperor Zhou looked serious, as if he did not expect Su Ming to suddenly hand over the military power of the Western Territory. After all, that was one-tenth of the army of the Great Six, something many people dreamed of.

As soon as Su Ming said this, the peace in the court was suddenly broken. Duke Qing and Prime Minister Liu suddenly looked different.

After the army returned victoriously this time, they thought that the power of the Su family in the Zhenguo Mansion would be even stronger and would become a force that all parties feared. However, no one expected that Su Ming would actually hand over the military power in the Western Territory. This means that the Zhenguo Mansion will lose most of its military power and voluntarily withdraw from the court dispute.

The military power of the Western Territory is a coveted commodity. It has always been in the hands of the Su family, and no one could do anything about it. But now the Su family has taken the initiative to propose to hand over the military power of the Western Territory. Both parties certainly do not want the other to get it.

"I beg your Majesty to forgive me. Six months ago, I was unfortunately shot by a soldier from Xiliang. After a long period of treatment, I still feel chest tightness, shortness of breath, and difficulty sleeping and eating. The doctor told me to take good care of myself and not to overwork, otherwise my life would be in danger. Therefore, I will take a six-month leave to recuperate. I will serve your Majesty again after I recover. I beg your Majesty to grant me permission."

Emperor Zhou looked at the Western Border Military Order handed over to him in silence, then looked in the direction of the Duke of Zhenguo. Seeing the Duke of Zhenguo standing with his head down, as if it had nothing to do with him, his brows twitched.

He threw away the burden readily.

"My dear minister, you are injured? Of course, it is most important to recover first. I approve your request." Emperor Zhou lowered his eyes and looked at Su Ming, without saying who would be given the vacant position of the Western Territory Commander temporarily.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Su Ming knelt down to express his gratitude.

"Retreat!"

"Duke Zhenguo, please stay for a while." Emperor Zhou looked unhappy, and in a calm voice, he asked the Duke Zhenguo to stay.

The Duke of Zhenguo followed the silent Emperor Zhou to the imperial study.

Royal study room.

Emperor Zhou sat behind the imperial desk with a sullen face. He was furious when he saw the Duke of Zhenguo standing in front of the desk with his head lowered and a frank look on his face.

"Is the military power in the Western Territory a hot potato? Are you so anxious to throw it to me?"

"Your Majesty, what do you mean? I don't understand." The Duke of Zhenguo lowered his head and replied with a normal expression.

"Don't understand? You old fox, you still want to pretend with me! You just don't want to get involved between the Crown Prince and Prince Chen. Do you really think I don't know?" Emperor Zhou glanced at him.

"Your Majesty is wise!" The Duke of Zhenguo bowed his head and saluted.

Looking at the Duke Zhenguo who was as thin as cotton, Emperor Zhou was helpless with his temper.

"In this court, the only ones I can trust are you and A'ye. It's bad enough that A'ye has been hiding in the northern border for several years without coming back, but now even you are avoiding the court." Emperor Zhou smiled bitterly.

The Duke of Zhenguo thought of the lofty aspirations and ambitions that the three men had when they were young and full of vigor. He looked a little dazed and did not speak.

"Your Majesty, this game of chess has been deadlocked for too long. It's time to end it." The Duke of Zhenguo frowned with a gloomy expression as he looked at the unfinished chessboard by the window on the other side of the imperial study. The black pieces were weak and were about to be swallowed up by the white pieces.

Emperor Zhou followed his gaze and looked at the chessboard. Hatred flashed in his eagle-like eyes.

"You are right, it's time to end this game of chess." Emperor Zhou acted like an emperor, looking at the Duke of Zhenguo, his eyes full of the domineering aura that he wanted to dominate the world.

He looked at the Duke of Zhenguo, his expression somewhat moved. "Don't worry, as long as I'm here, I will never let anything happen to the Su family."

"This old minister is willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty, no matter what it takes." The Duke of Zhenguo had firm features and a resolute expression.

..........

As night fell, lights were lit in all the streets of the imperial capital. The lights were always on, people were coming and going, and the city was prosperous and full of the atmosphere of fireworks.

In the Zhenguogong Mansion, the ancestral hall behind Songhuayuan was always burning incense, worshipping the ancestors of the Su family. There were also many helmets, filling the entire ancestral hall.

The old lady of the Su family stood in the first place, clasped her hands together, and looked at the tablet in the middle, her eyes slightly red. The Duke of Zhenguo Su Bo and his wife stood behind her, and the second master Su Ming and his second wife Li and the third master Su Zheng and his wife Liu stood on both sides. After that, Su Jingchen and the younger children of the Su family stood in the back.

"Ming'er, take the children to inform the ancestors that the Su family's children have returned safely." The old lady turned and stood aside, looking at the children who returned safely, and said in a gentle voice.

In the center of the ancestral hall, Su Ming and Su Zheng stood in front, and Su Jingmo, Su Jingyu, Su Jingyi, Su Jingxuan, and Su Jingze stood behind them in order. Each of them stood proudly and dignifiedly.

Su Ming and Su Zheng lifted their clothes together and knelt down in front of the monuments first.

"Su Ming, deputy commander of the Su family army, has returned home safely."

"Su Zheng from the Su Family Army's Mighty Tiger Camp returns home safely"

"Su Jingmo from the Su Family Army's Swift Wind Battalion, return home safely"

"Su Jingyu from the Su Family Army's Fierce Eagle Battalion has returned home safely."

"Su Jingyi from the Xuanming Camp of the Su Family Army, return home safely"

"Su Jingxuan from the Su Family Army's Swift Wind Battalion, return home safely"

"Su Jingze from the Su Family Army's Shenjiying Battalion returns home safely"

The sonorous and powerful voices resounded throughout the ancestral hall, making people burst into tears. Su Jingning lowered his eyes, afraid that the tears that filled his eyes would fall. After he left the Su family in his previous life, he never heard of the Su family returning home to pay respects in such a large group. The Su family had an ancestral rule that every time a child returned home from the battlefield, he had to go back to the ancestral temple to inform the ancestors and pray for the ancestors to protect the descendants of the Su family and return safely from the battlefield.

"Okay, we've been busy all day, let's go eat! Hey, my precious grandchildren are finally back!" The old lady looked at the energetic Su children with a smile, and her spirits improved a lot. She pulled Su Jingze and Su Jingyi nearby, touched their faces and patted them, she was very happy.

Everyone followed her to the dining room of Songhuayuan. The housekeeper had already prepared two large tables of food and was waiting for people to finish worshipping in the ancestral hall.

The elders sat at the main table with the old lady, and all the younger generations of the Su family sat at another table.

The brothers and sisters hadn't seen each other for two years, but since they met, they couldn't stop talking and were very happy.

Su Luowan kept pestering her third brother Su Jingyu, who was always the most patient with his younger brothers and sisters, to tell her what interesting things happened on the battlefield. Su Jingyu and Su Jingxuan sang in unison, making Su Luowan and Su Jinghuai fascinated.

Su Luoshu showed off the blueprint of her recently developed crossbow to her sixth brother Su Jingze, but Su Jingze looked down on her.

Su Luoting was immersed in studying the formation chart that her fourth brother Su Jingyi had just given her, and she couldn't figure it out. Su Jingyi was leisurely eating while watching her solve the formation.

"What are you daydreaming about? Are you not happy that your second brother is back?"

Su Jingning placed a big hand on her head and rubbed her soft hair hard.

A low and doting voice sounded in her ears.

Su Jingning tilted his head to look at his second brother who had just sat down on the right. He was wearing a blue brocade robe with cloud patterns, had a wild and free temperament, star-like eyebrows, sword-like eyes, and handsome features.

"Second brother!" Su Jingning curved his eyebrows and looked at Su Jingmo with a soft smile.

Su Jingmo couldn't help but pinch her round and tender face. Then he took out a dagger and placed it in front of her.

The scabbard of the dagger is dark black, engraved with ancient totems and inlaid with sapphire blue gems, which is mysterious and exquisite.

"Here, it's for you. Hide it well, don't let mother know that I gave it to you."

When Su Jingning saw the dagger, her eyes suddenly lit up. It turned out that her second brother understood her.

"Mysterious Blade! Second brother! Where did you find it?!"

This is the last work of Bei Shang, a great swordsmith from the previous Northern Yan Dynasty. It is also the only dagger he made in his life. It is made of some unknown material, but it is extremely hard and can cut iron like mud. As soon as it was made, it was bought by the then Emperor of Yan at a high price. Later, the Northern Yan Dynasty changed, and the dagger disappeared.

"I saw it by chance on a general in Xiliang. I brought it back to you because I knew you liked it." Su Jingmo said casually, leaning back in his chair with a proud look on his face.

"Thank you, second brother!" Su Jingning read it over and over again and couldn't put it down.

Su Jingmo looked doting, his sister really liked it, it was not in vain that he snatched it from the commander of Xiliang.

Seeing everyone at the dinner table busy with their own things and having no time to eat, Su Jingmo couldn't stand it anymore, so he asked everyone to put down the things in their hands and eat first. Then everyone calmed down and ate their meal properly.