After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

Daqian Palace.

"Report——"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, disaster has struck! Something terrible has happened—"

A eunuch stumbled into the bedchamber.

The crown prince, who was attending to the ailing old emperor, was furious upon hearing this and exclaimed, "What kind of behavior is this, so rash and impulsive!"

The eunuch knelt down before the dragon bed and tremblingly handed over a document. "Your Highness, an urgent report has arrived from the northern frontier. The rebel Chen Futu has summoned his troops and is dividing up the military and political power in the northern frontier, setting up numerous official positions according to the regulations of the imperial court."

"what!"

The crown prince rose in shock, his eyes wide with horror.

The old emperor, on his deathbed, sat up in shock and stretched out his trembling hand, "Quickly, let me see it!"

The eunuch hurriedly handed over the document.

The old emperor opened it and, upon seeing it, roared in fury, wishing he could ascend to heaven on the spot. "Traitor! How dare you do this!"

The Crown Prince reassured him, saying, "Chen Futu did not rebel and declare himself emperor. Perhaps he established these positions simply to facilitate the management of the northern frontier."

"You are the Crown Prince, not a stupid pig or a clumsy ox! Do you even believe what you say? If Chen Futu had no rebellious intentions, would he have established official positions according to the court's regulations?"

“Father, Chen Futu’s actions are tantamount to inviting disaster. The situation is now entirely in your hands, and the northern frontier will be attacked by the people of the world.”

The crown prince comforted the old emperor in a low voice for a while before he calmed down.

He ordered the eunuch to quickly summon the Prince of Kaiping, for he could not sleep peacefully as long as Chen Futu remained alive.

When Sun Chengzong, the Prince of Kaiping, came to see the emperor, he was displeased upon seeing the letter. However, he did not recommend sending troops now because the previous continuous battles had been too costly. Under Chen Futu's rule, the northern frontier was thriving. The only way was to disintegrate the northern frontier from within.

"You mean Zhang Shouren?"

"That's right. Does Your Majesty remember that Zhang Shouren was the adopted son of the Prince of Zhenbei, but was later driven out of Longcheng by Chen Futu? It is said that in the last battle, Zhang Shouren not only did not fight against the two Western Regions, but also allowed them to secretly cross the Chencang pass and launch a surprise attack on Longcheng. If Chen Futu had not led his army to rush to the western battlefield and arrived just in time, they might have succeeded. Since the two sides have such deep grudges, Your Majesty should issue an edict appointing Zhang Shouren as the new Prince of Zhenbei and watch them fight like dogs. As long as they tear off their masks and exhaust each other, it will be our opportunity to conquer the northern frontier in one fell swoop."

Sun Chengzong truly lived up to his reputation as a figure on par with the Prince of Zhenbei; this move was extremely ruthless.

Upon hearing this, the old emperor laughed heartily, finally feeling relieved after days of pent-up frustration. "With Emperor Chengzong by my side, I have nothing to worry about."

Meanwhile, Zhang Liang settled into a secluded place in the capital. He was quite surprised to hear the news from the northern frontier and asked the messenger, "Who gave the Crown Prince this idea?"

"That man's name is Liu Bowen."

“This man is quite ambitious. His actions may put the Crown Prince in a difficult situation. I will write a letter for you to send to the Northern Frontier immediately.”

Zhang Liang knew what Liu Bowen was planning. If it were him, he would also have found an opportunity to remind the heir to plan for the world, but some things should not be rushed.

The guards took Zhang Liang's letter and hurriedly returned to the northern frontier. Then Zhang Liang met with Liu Longyue alone.

Liu Longyue said with a half-smile, "Military Advisor Zhang, what kind of person is the Crown Prince? Isn't he afraid of being attacked by the world for doing this?"

"Extraordinary people do extraordinary things. Your Highness, instead of worrying about my young master, you should worry about yourself."

"What danger could I possibly be in? Are you just exaggerating, Military Advisor Zhang?"

"The princess is in grave danger but remains oblivious. There are rumors that she plans to leave the capital and cooperate with the Northern Frontier to seize the world. How will the Emperor of Daqian deal with you if he finds out?"

"Zhang Liang, you are truly despicable!"

Liu Longyue stared wide-eyed, wishing she could kill someone.

No wonder her subordinates have been reminding her not to go out these past two days, and especially not to meet with the young ladies of noble families in the capital. It turns out someone is spreading rumors in the capital!

Zhang Liang poured a cup of tea and handed it over, smiling slightly, "If I can just make this happen, the princess will have no way to turn back."

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you and take your head to see the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

Liu Longyue drew her long sword, her pretty face turning frosty and filled with murderous intent.

Zhang Liang spread his hands and stretched his neck, "Come, come, cut me off and take my head to claim credit."

You think I wouldn't dare!

"I forgot to tell Your Highness that news of my meeting with you has already spread."

"What did you say? You're insane!"

“There’s no other way. I’m plotting for the Crown Prince, so I have to get involved myself. Now that I’m here as the military advisor of the Northern Frontier, I’ve come all the way from the Northern Frontier to see the princess. What do you think others will think?” Zhang Liang was very straightforward at this moment, with absolutely no taboos.

Liu Longyue raised her eyebrows and sneered three times, "Killing you now and taking your head to the palace will also prove that I did not conspire with you."

"The seeds of suspicion have been sown. If I die, how can the princess fare any better?"

"You bastard!"

Liu Longyue was so angry she laughed.

How could there be such a wicked person in the world?

It should be noted that she only showed signs of turning towards the northern frontier; she had not yet made a real decision.

Now, Zhang Liang has cut off her escape route. She either agrees or stays in the capital for the rest of her life with a stigma. The Emperor of Daqian will never let her return to Beiwu Kingdom and join forces with the Northern Frontier.

Moreover, killing Zhang Liang now would only completely offend Chen Futu, making any further cooperation with the Northern Frontier impossible.

After thinking it over, Liu Longyue finally took a deep breath and sheathed her sword. "Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"It's simple. First, you need to offer a pledge of allegiance to the Northern Frontier and express your goodwill towards it. Then, I will have a way to take you away from the capital to the Northern Frontier to see our Crown Prince."

"Alright, as you wish!"

Liu Longyue dismissed him, and as Zhang Liang stood up, she glared at him with lingering anger, "Military Advisor Zhang, you'd better not play me for a fool, or I will never forgive you."

"Princess, rest assured. One day, you may become the Queen Mother of the Northern Frontier. As your subject, how could I possibly disobey your superior?"

"roll!"

"Farewell."

Zhang Liang grinned and drifted away, leaving Liu Longyue sitting there, her head buzzing.

Dragon City Prince's Mansion.

Chen Futu received Zhang Liang's handwritten letter. Upon reading its contents, he grinned from ear to ear. "Zhang Liang, you're really cunning! You put yourself in the trap to deceive an innocent girl. If that princess knew your scheme, she'd probably chop you up with a knife."

Liu Bowen curiously leaned over to look at the letter, and after reading it, he grinned and laughed out loud, "As expected of the strategist, when it comes to scheming, how could that Princess Beiwu be his match? This move has included both the princess and the royal family in his schemes, and the capital will surely be in chaos within a few days."

In fact, Zhang Liang did not reveal the news of the meeting when he went to see Liu Longyue. No one in the Daqian royal family knew that he had gone to the capital. He only spread the news that Princess Beiwu wanted to defect to the northern frontier.

He deliberately created a false impression to lure Princess Beiwu into the trap, forcing her to take action against Daqian.

At that time, Zhang Liang will secretly instigate and lure a prince to his death, putting Liu Longyue in the eye of the storm, and the two sides will eventually fight to the death.