Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Although he was heartbroken, Lu Fangjin could do nothing. Qi Xiao, a forgotten prince, was worse than him and even worse than Bai Liu. Even if Qi Xiao found out something, what could he do?

"You take a look first."

Lu Fangjin sighed, opened the letter, read through its contents, and frowned again unconsciously. He had to think about it, think about it carefully.

After thinking for a long time, Lu Fangjin finally spoke: "Can you believe what I said?"

Qi Xiao shook his head: "I don't know."

"you……"

"Do you believe it?" Qi Xiao threw the question back to Lu Fangjin.

"You say Bai Liu has the intention of rebellion? He has his own army? I don't believe it."

"Back then, the Dingyuan Army stationed in Fenglin Mountain numbered a staggering 250,000 men, and they even recruited new soldiers every year. The imperial court provided them with top-quality military equipment, costing them 100,000 taels of silver annually. This is recorded in both the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, so it's absolutely true. If Bai Liu didn't have selfish motives, what was his reason for wanting so many soldiers and so much silver?"

"Qi Xiao! Do you know what you are saying?" Lu Fangjin slapped the letter and was about to turn against Qi Xiao.

"Think about it carefully. If you only think of Bai Liu as a general from Zhou, Qi, or the previous dynasty, would you doubt him?"

Lu Fangjin's brows knitted together, and after a long silence, he said, "I don't believe it. Fenglin Mountain stretches for hundreds of miles, and it's all valleys and forests that are perfect for hiding people. The Qi people could sneak in from anywhere, and they can't build beacon towers or watchtowers. The more sentries, the better. From the time of the Eight Kingdoms to the present, the only person who has been able to defend Fenglin Mountain for over a decade is Bai Liu!"

Qi Xiao snorted and laughed: "That's why there is this line behind that connects the inside with the outside enemy."

"That's even more nonsense! Bai Liu has been stationed at Fenglin Mountain, fighting in no fewer than five hundred battles, large and small. Countless Chen men have been buried there, yet Qi has never gained a single benefit from Bai Liu. It's no exaggeration to say that all the vegetation and flowers in Fenglin Mountain were watered with the blood of Qi soldiers! General Bai Liu is covered in scars, especially the arrow wound to his chest. These injuries are from years of suffering. How could that be fake?!"

Lu Fangjin became more and more angry as he spoke, and was about to jump up, but Qi Xiao grabbed him and shook his head to signal him to lower his voice, as Baixi Bridge was still outside.

Lu Fangjin slapped Qi Xiao's hand away: "I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"

"But after Bai Liu's death, the Dingyuan Army was split up. Now Fenglin Mountain has a hundred thousand defenders, but there has been no fighting in several years."

Lu Fangjin was stunned. He couldn't refute this point. Fenglin Mountain had rarely experienced peace during Bai Liu's lifetime. The autumn before Bai Liu's death, Dachen and Qi had engaged in a fierce battle. The Dingyuan army slaughtered 27,000 enemies, pushing the Qi army a hundred miles from Fenglin Mountain, while also suffering heavy casualties. But since then, Fenglin Mountain has returned to peace, without further major battles, and Qi's harassment has also decreased significantly. Everyone assumed that the war had severely weakened Qi's national strength, making it afraid to invade again.

"I don't believe it. I don't believe that Bai Liu would collude with Qi, lie about military intelligence, and falsify the battle situation, just to station troops for himself and intend to rebel! If you believe these, then I am blind and have misjudged you!" Lu Fangjin stood up and was about to leave.

"Wait. Sit down." Qi Xiao called Lu Fangjin.

"have nothing to say."

"You wouldn't be so impulsive when leading troops in battle."

Lu Fangjin turned around and looked at Qi Xiao, glared at him, then turned around and sat back down.

Qi Xiao tapped the letter lightly with his finger and said, "Su Qin told you about Tang Ling's assassination."

"I said it. What does it matter?" Lu Fangjin was shocked as soon as he asked the question. Yes, Bai Liu was dead, the Dingyuan Army was disbanded, Fenglin Mountain was empty, and that's why the spies from Qi State could come in!

Lu Fangjin swallowed hard, speechless for a moment. He didn't dare voice his suspicions. If someone in the court could slander His Majesty, sow suspicion and resentment towards Bai Liu, and influence His Majesty's decision to disband the Dingyuan Army, how high and powerful would that person be? If such a person were to collude with Qi, they would truly be rebelling and destroying the century-old foundation of the Chen Dynasty!

But only such speculation could explain everything that had happened before, including the extermination of the Hanchen Sect and the recent sudden death of Yuanzhou Prefecture Governor Nie Guangli...

"So, which one do you believe?"

Qi Xiao continued to ask, but Lu Fangjin lowered his head. After a while, he looked up at Qi Xiao again: "What do you want me to do?"

"Check." Qi Xiao pointed at the memorial again.

Lu Fangjin put the letter in his arms and said no more, which meant he agreed to Qi Xiao's request.

Since Lu Fangjin met Qi Xiao during the bandit suppression campaign at Fenglin Mountain more than a year ago, it seemed that he did everything Qi Xiao said. Sometimes he even wondered why Lu Fangjin, a general and a commander, would listen to the words of a teenager like Qi Xiao?

"I've been out for a long time, so I'm leaving now. I may not be able to see you again before the autumn hunt, so take care of yourself."

Lu Fangjin waved his hand: "I know. You are the one, don't cause trouble."

Qi Xiao laughed and said, "I understand."

***

There is a banquet in the imperial city.

Many days had passed since Tang Ling arrived in Yuanjing when His Majesty seemed to have just remembered the incident and ordered the Ministry of Rites to prepare a state banquet to meet the Zhou hostage before the Autumn Encirclement.

Since it was a state banquet, should the Ninth Prince and Prince of Chu Qi Xiao, who were returning to the capital together, be invited? His Majesty hadn't said anything, so the officials at the Ministry of Rites didn't dare make the decision on their own, but they also didn't dare not ask. This had given them a few more gray hairs.

Tang Ling and Qi Xiao were brought back to Yuanjing by Ji Mingtang, the Minister of Rites, himself. He had some understanding of Qi Xiao. When he first met Qi Xiao, he felt that he was very different from the three in Yuanjing. He seemed to lack some of the noble airs, and did not seem to have the arrogance of a child from an aristocratic family. He was still young but not at all childish. He always had a slight smile on his face, but his eyes were not gentle, and he was not close to others. Qi Xiao gave Ji Mingtang a sense of déjà vu. Later, after thinking about it for a while, he vaguely felt that Qi Xiao was like His Majesty. After six years away from the capital, he was actually more like His Majesty than the other three.

Ji Mingtang said to the Minister of Rites Chu You, "We might as well ask for the Empress's decree on this matter."

"Empress..." Chu You suddenly realized, "Yes, His Majesty returned to the capital to visit Concubine Lin. He should have consulted the Empress regarding matters concerning the harem. If His Majesty asks, we can report back. That's it."

The Ministry of Rites' invitation was delivered to Queen Qin Wan by the Imperial Household. Qin Wan smiled and muttered in a low voice, "Old fox."

Qin Wan handed the invitation to the maid beside her and thought for a moment before saying, "Have him enter the palace an hour early to accompany Concubine Lin."

"Then...the banquet?"

"Ha, he is the son of His Majesty. I, the King of Chu of Dachen, must be present."

"Yes."

In this way, without too many twists and turns, nor too smooth, Qi Xiao finally entered the palace and met his mother, Concubine Lin.

Concubine Lin has been in poor health in recent years and has been bedridden for several months. When she learned that Qi Xiao had obtained the emperor's permission to return to Yuanjing, Concubine Lin immediately cried for joy. Qi Xiao had been gone for six years, and she really thought that she would never see him again in this life. She did not expect Qi Xiao to come back. Concubine Lin waited and waited, and finally waited for Qi Xiao to enter the capital. Concubine Lin looked forward to it day and night, and finally waited for Qi Xiao to enter the palace.