After her mind was read, the spoiled brat became the darling of the whole group.

"Your Majesty, the news only arrived today!" the eunuch stammered. "The soldier who delivered the message was severely wounded and clung to his last breath to reach the city gate. After delivering the message, he died!"

The whole hall was silent.

The ministers kept their heads bowed low, none daring to look up at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne.

We are now facing both internal and external troubles.

If this is not handled properly, the world will descend into chaos, and this newly established country will likely perish.

In the silence, Xie Ansheng spoke again: "Your Majesty, please allow me to atone for my crimes with meritorious service!"

The Chu Emperor laughed in anger: "You want me to redeem you by performing meritorious service? Xie Qing, your crime is treason. I've released you, and you're already leading troops to attack me?"

Before Xie Ansheng could say anything more, the Chu Emperor coldly interrupted him: "Enough!"

"Guards, take the Xie family back to the prison and place them under heavy guard. No one is to be allowed to see them!"

"Yes!"

The Imperial Guards escorted Xie Ansheng and the others back to their residence.

"Father!" Luo Huaichuan stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "The Southern Kingdom has gone too far. Your son is willing to lead the troops to war!"

The Chu emperor did not speak immediately.

He propped his head up with one hand, leaning back on the dragon throne with a headache.

The ministers inside the hall dared not move, only kneeling in the hall, enduring the stench emanating from within.

After a long silence, the Chu Emperor's sharp gaze swept across the crowd below, and he said coldly, "My beloved ministers, is there anyone who volunteered to lead troops to retake the city?"

There was silence in the hall.

The court has many civil and military officials. If it were just attacking the southern country, that would be fine. However, that place is plagued by plague and lacks food supplies. It is simply a thankless task.

Xie Ansheng was indeed brave and skilled in battle, and loyal to the imperial court.

But what was his fate?

Instead of gaining the emperor's suspicion, his entire family has been imprisoned, and the women and children are all trapped in the mansion, unable to leave or come out.

Not to mention, the rebel factions in the court have not yet been purged. In the current situation, who would dare to risk their life?

The emperor waited for a long time, but none of his ministers dared to accept the order. He was so angry that he smashed the teacup on the table to the ground.

"Waste! Waste!"

"You're all useless! What use are you to me?!"

“Father!” Luo Hanfeng stepped forward, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, “Your subject is willing to lead the troops into battle.”

The emperor's anger subsided a little, and he turned his gaze to his son below, who was bowing his eyes to receive orders but not paying much attention.

He was slender, and among his many sons, if it weren't for that autumn hunt, the Chu Emperor probably wouldn't have even remembered that he had such a son. After that, this son was quite easy to manage, as he was quick-witted and helped him solve many problems.

In terms of status, he was naturally not as noble as his other sons, but he was still a prince.

If he were to lead troops, even if he were to die on the battlefield, there would be no loss, since he has no powerful backing or pressure.

He is the most suitable person to go.

In short, the Chu Emperor knew that this expedition would be a tough one, so he was reluctant to let the sixth prince go, let alone the injured and ill Jun Lanjin.

Emperor Chu hesitated for a moment, his gentle gaze falling on Luo Hanfeng, and said softly, "But you have never studied military strategy, do you know how to lead troops?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Cheng'an looked towards Luo Hanfeng.

Earlier at the Xie family, Xie Jiaojiao's voice still lingered in his ears, along with Xie Ansheng's earlier voice, which made Luo Cheng'an somewhat suspicious of this good-for-nothing.

So when he got back, he looked up Luo Hanfeng.

Upon investigation, it was discovered that he was extremely close to the young master of the Wen family.

Recently, many court officials have also been praising him.

The prince, who had been unknown all along, suddenly attracted the attention of the emperor and his court officials during this period, and now he has taken the initiative to ask the emperor to accept the order.

What's he thinking?

Luo Cheng'an pondered for a while.

Despite the warnings from Xie Jiaojiao and others, Luo Cheng'an still felt that Luo Hanfeng was not a threat.

His father's attitude towards him showed that his father did not value him.

Once this person is no longer useful, we can easily find a pretext to kill him, or do so in secret.

With this in mind, Luo Cheng'an temporarily lowered his guard and vigilance.

Luo Huaichuan glanced at Luo Hanfeng with displeasure and said, "Father, how can we let him go? He's no good at martial arts. I could kick him until he vomits blood. How can such a weak person lead troops?"

"This isn't child's play. The lives of millions of soldiers are in his hands. How can anyone feel at ease?"

"Father, please let me go."

Luo Hanfeng said slowly, "Father, today's seizure of my city by the Southern Kingdom is just the beginning."

"This is a small test by the people of the South. If we send out a fierce general from the beginning, they will think that our Chu Kingdom has no one to rely on."

"Please, Father, appoint me as the commander-in-chief. As for the deputy commander-in-chief..." Luo Hanfeng's lips curled slightly as he spoke, "Xie Tongchen is brave and resourceful, and invincible on the battlefield. Last time, it was he who caused the Southern Kingdom to suffer a defeat."

“Let him go to war with me as a convict, while the rest of the Xie family are held hostage in the palace.”

"In this way, I can both train myself and solve this urgent problem."

Luo Hanfeng smiled, bowed slightly, and repeated, "Please grant your son permission to obey, Father!"

The Emperor of Chu's heart stirred.

He naturally agreed with Luo Hanfeng's point, and before anyone else could speak, the Chu Emperor agreed: "Your idea is good, so..."

Jun Lanjin stood aside and waited for a while before speaking up: "Your Majesty, with the plague raging, we cannot simply ignore it."

"It just so happens that the top scholar is traveling south, so shall this matter be entrusted to him to control the epidemic and quell the disaster?"

The Chu Emperor was worried about who would take on this task, and upon hearing Jun Lanjin's words, he immediately agreed, saying, "I'll leave this matter to Zhiheng."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Luo Hanfeng glanced at Jun Lanjin.

A strange feeling rose in his heart.

If Jun Lanjin could hear Xie Xing's inner thoughts, he would naturally be able to guess his ideas.

He didn't stop him from leading troops today?

This seems rather strange.

Luo Hanfeng couldn't guess what Jun Lanjin was thinking, but he still kept his vigilance towards Jun Lanjin at 200%.

He's short-lived; it would have been better if he had died sooner.

After the morning court session.

Luo Huaichuan caught up with Jun Lanjin and rode in Jun Lanjin's carriage all the way out of the palace.

Luo Huaichuan said, "Last time I tested Luo Hanfeng's skills and found that he had no ability at all. If he was really faking it, then this person's mind is truly terrifyingly deep."

Jun Lanjin remained silent, fiddling with the string of beads in his hands.

"Hey, that dead man in black in the hall, what was that Yama's Palace he was talking about..."

"Why is it the Hall of Hell again?"

The people from the Underworld appeared during the autumn hunt last time, and they've shown up again now.

Jun Lanjin hummed in agreement, then sighed softly and said, "Luo Hanfeng is the Lord of the Yama Palace."

"Just now during the morning court session, it was he who made the move, causing that person to die a gruesome death."