Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Report! Urgent report!"

Inside the Bianliang Palace, a frontline scout, holding a bamboo tube aloft, ran breathlessly toward the palace gate.

As he stepped through the palace gate, he tripped and fell to the ground.

Inside the hall, the emperor, his ministers, and officials all looked at the scout, making the already oppressive atmosphere even colder and more desolate.

Zhao Huan disregarded etiquette and stood up to ask directly, "How is the war going?"

The scout, panting heavily, struggled to his feet and knelt down, holding the bamboo tube high above his head: "Your Majesty, urgent report from the Bianhe Camp: the Jin army has captured the Bianhe Camp and has now encircled our capital!"

"what!"

Upon hearing this news, Zhao Huan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and slumped back onto the throne, utterly powerless.

Ye Fan, sitting to the left, felt his blood run cold.

"Impossible! How could this happen? My military reforms were supposed to be flawless. Why is this happening?"

He was completely baffled, unable to understand why the situation had deteriorated so rapidly, allowing the Jin army to re-encircle Bianjing in just one month.

"My lords, what should we do now?"

Zhao Huan had lost all the composure of a restorer of the dynasty. His face was filled with worry, and he looked at the people in the hall with a sorrowful expression, hoping that they could come up with a suitable strategy.

However, by this time, everyone in the hall was already in a state of panic, and the noise of their discussions and arguments was deafening. No one cared about Zhao Huan anymore.

"Report~"

Just then, another scout came to report.

"Your Majesty, the Jin army is building pontoon bridges and forcibly requisitioning ships along the coast. It seems they will launch a general offensive against the capital soon!"

Upon hearing this devastating news, Zhao Huan fell off his dragon throne.

"Why, why has it come to this? I have been diligent and conscientious in the six months since I ascended the throne, but why will Heaven not give me a chance?"

Zhou Xianwu remained calm and walked up to the two scouts, asking, "The Bianhe camp was impregnable; how did the Jin army manage to conquer it so quickly?"

A scout looked up and reported, "Lord Zhou, the Jin army's Iron Pagoda is attacking. Generals Li Wan'er and Ouyang Xuanyi are personally leading the disciples of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect to meet the enemy."

The result was that they were no match for the enemy and suffered heavy casualties. Generals Li and Ouyang also surrendered to the Jin army. When the soldiers left behind at the Bianhe camp heard this news...

Suddenly demoralized and leaderless, the Jin army, led by the fourth prince, with its five thousand iron cavalry and artillery, stormed the Bianhe camp in one fell swoop.

"impossible!"

As soon as the scout finished speaking, Ye Fan immediately objected.

"I know Wan'er and Xuan Yi better than anyone. They would never betray their country. Stop spreading rumors here!"

The scout bowed his head: "That's the truth!"

Ye Fan was about to speak again when Zhou Xianwu interrupted him directly: "Alright, Prime Minister Ye, what's the use of saying all this now? The most urgent task is to deal with the Jin people's offensive as soon as possible."

Then, facing Zhao Huan, he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, as I have said before, firearms are the only way to bring our Great Song Dynasty closer to the Jin Dynasty in terms of military strength."

Unfortunately, none of my suggestions were accepted at the time, and now the Jurchens have used firearms to breach the defenses of Bianjing, leading to this calamity.

These words were like a resounding slap across Ye Fan's face.

Ye Fan was the one who strongly opposed the introduction of firearms, believing that the situation could be changed by relying on martial artists, and he even claimed that firearms were just a strange and ingenious trick and not worth mentioning.

But who would have thought that the boomerang would return to him so quickly? This feeling was as unpleasant as swallowing a fly.

"Ding, damage to the host's face has been detected. 100 points of luck value have been deducted."

Just then, the system in my mind also spoke.

This immediately enraged Ye Fan, making him want to go berserk right there in the palace.

Zhao Huan was filled with regret at this moment. How could he have listened to Ye Fan and given up the firearms like that?

However, it was too late to say anything now; he just wanted to get through the crisis as quickly as possible.

"Imperial Censor Zhou, please tell me quickly, what should I do now?"

Zhou Xianwu sighed softly: "I think that before the Jin army launches a general attack on the capital, we should quickly send envoys to the Jin camp to negotiate peace, and at the same time send someone to the Yan Kingdom to ask them to mediate."

"Good good."

Zhao Huan had completely lost his composure, and only after hearing Zhou Xianwu's words did he reluctantly return to the throne.

"Then which of my esteemed ministers is willing to go to the Jin camp for peace talks?"

There was silence in the hall.

The ministers had already discerned their determination for revenge from the efficiency of the Jin army's southward advance.

If they went to the Jin camp for peace talks at this point, no one could guarantee they would be able to return to the capital alive.

"Is there not a single civil or military official in the entire court willing to share my burdens?" Zhao Huan was so anxious when he saw that no one was willing to help him that he burst into tears.

At this moment, Lai Ba stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, the root cause of this matter is the dereliction of duty by the Right Chancellor. Now, to relieve the worries of our Great Song Dynasty, it is necessary for Chancellor Ye to personally step forward."

Upon hearing this, Ye Fan's eyes immediately turned cold: "Minister Lai, as an official of the Ministry of Rites, it is your duty to negotiate with other countries. Why are you shirking this responsibility to me?"

Lai Ba: "That's right. I am in charge of the Ministry of Rites, but the fact that the Song Dynasty is in such a predicament is all thanks to the Right Chancellor. Does Chancellor Ye intend to do nothing and just wash his hands of it? That's simply unacceptable!"

"you……"

"Alright, what time is it? Stop arguing!"

At this moment, Zhao Huan no longer had any expectations for Ye Fan, and instead found him increasingly displeasing.

Seeing that he was about to refute, he immediately spoke up to stop him: "Prime Minister Ye, now that things have come to this, you should take responsibility for your actions. I will entrust you with the entire task of negotiating with the Jurchens this time."

"Your Majesty, minister..."

"I hope that Prime Minister Ye can bring me good news and not disappoint me again."

Upon hearing Zhao Huan's words, Ye Fan was filled with disbelief.

Meeting Zhao Huan's gaze, Ye Fan immediately understood that he was no longer as favored by Zhao Huan as he once was.

If we don't do something soon, we might be kicked out of this temple.

Wouldn't that make me a laughingstock?

Thinking of this, he could only bite the bullet and reply, "Your Majesty, I will certainly fulfill Your Majesty's request and will depart for the Jin army camp tomorrow to negotiate peace."

"To avoid any unforeseen complications, let's do it today."

Zhao Huan said directly,

"Prime Minister Ye, whatever demands the Jurchens make, reasonable or unreasonable, I will accept them. The only condition is that the Jurchens withdraw their troops. Do you understand?"

Ye Fan: "Your subject will certainly not fail the Emperor's command!"

Once the matter was settled, Zhao Huan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, only Ye Fan had ever persuaded the Jin people to retreat, so hopefully he can do the same this time.

After the court session ended, Ye Fan endured the strange looks from his colleagues and walked out of the main hall with a humiliated expression.

"Ding, it has been detected that the host has been ridiculed by the courtiers, resulting in a loss of face. 200 points of luck value have been deducted."

Ye Fan clenched his fists, his eyes instantly turning ferocious.

"No, I haven't lost yet. I will definitely become a superior person and make up for everything I've suffered tenfold or a hundredfold!"

"I, Ye Fan, am destined to be the supreme ruler, and no one can stop me."

With that thought in mind, he straightened his back and strode out of the city.