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

"Eighth Prince, may your blessings be long-lasting! You founded the Tiger God Camp to protect the country and your hometown!"

Guan Mao played the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) and sang a cheerful tune at the founding ceremony of Li Tang's Tiger God Camp.

"Heh, this bitch does have some skills. How come I never noticed before?"

Li Tang sat on the oath-taking chair, stroking his mustache with a smug look on his face.

An official standing nearby said with a look of disgust, "Your Highness, why did you have to call such a lowly person? Isn't that giving him face?"

Li Tang shook his head and said with a smile, "What's the big deal? He's quite good at sucking up to my Wu Zhao Kingdom. Although he's a lowly commoner, he did serve the Crown Prince after all. It's not bad to have him around for some fun."

"Your Highness, you're giving him too much credit. Do you think someone like him, who doesn't even recognize his ancestors, is fit to enter our land?"

"Hahaha……"

Upon hearing this, Li Tang and the guests around him laughed.

After the founding ceremony of the Tiger God Camp was over, Guan Mao stood guard outside the venue, acting like a lackey, constantly watching the people coming and going.

"Hey you, come here..."

Before long, a steward from the Prince's mansion beckoned Guan Mao over.

Guan Mao was immediately overjoyed and quickly put away his sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) and ran over.

As soon as he approached, he bowed and scraped: "Steward Fang, greetings. Does the Prince wish to see me?"

The steward gave him a disdainful look, then took out a string of copper coins from his pocket: "You sang the song well, and His Highness is very satisfied. Considering that you are not having an easy life, take this string of coins and use it to buy some rice."

After saying that, she threw the money behind him; it was obvious she did it on purpose.

Guan Mao panicked instantly and grabbed the steward as he turned around: "Steward Fang, does the Prince refuse to see me?"

The butler immediately raised his arm and slapped his hand away: "Don't you even know your place? Do you think you're worthy of being seen by the prince? Take the money and get out of here."

"No, Butler Fang, please."

Guan Mao immediately stood in front of the butler and pleaded desperately.

"Please, just let me see Your Highness once, just once, I beg you! This concerns my future!"

You absolutely must help me. I promise to reward you handsomely once I'm back in my hometown. Please, Steward Fang, I beg you.

"What kind of time is this? What are you still dreaming about? You still want to go back to your hometown? Do you even deserve it? Get out of here."

The steward struggled to shake off the hairy entanglement, ordered his men to drag him away, and then turned and went into the military camp to report.

"Your Highness, Eighth Prince, please see me! My life depends on you for the rest of my days..."

Guan Mao was heartbroken after being abandoned, and his cries were filled with resentment.

He had gone to great lengths to become a traitor, paying such a high price, only to find it was all for naught.

Having enjoyed the convenience and advantages of being of high caste, he truly did not want to return to his current lowly status.

Therefore, even though he was expelled from the noble register by Li Hong, he did not give up on himself like Wang Shanshui. Instead, he cheered up and started over, hoping to reconnect with the nobility and get Li Hong to accept him again.

However, little did he know that bloodline was the foundation of Wu Zhao's nation. How could Guan Mao, a good-for-nothing who only knew how to flatter and seek wealth, possibly be regarded as one of the Di people's leaders?

From the moment he was expelled from the register by Li Hong, it was impossible for him to return to his previous position.

Guan Mao was still there, repeatedly professing his loyalty as a servant, but until Li Cheng's sedan chair was carried out of the Tiger God Camp, he did not see any sign of Li Cheng stopping.

"Eighth Prince!"

Guan Mao cried like a fool, kneeling on the ground and pounding his chest and stamping his feet.

On the other side, Li Hong looked better today and, with Feng Chun's help, arrived at Qingliang Palace.

After more than a month apart, Li Hong had visibly aged, with many more gray hairs on his head.

"Has the Chu army withdrawn?"

Li Hong tidied his clothes, looked at the sunlight outside, and smiled with satisfaction.

Seeing that he was in much better spirits, Fengchun immediately whispered, "Your Majesty, I heard from Lord He that the Chu people in Zhongdu are starting to carry their silver and are preparing to leave."

Li Hong nodded: "It's good that they've left. As long as they're gone, I'll still be in charge of Wu Zhao Kingdom, cough cough cough..."

Feng Chun hurriedly stepped forward and offered tea: "Your Majesty, please go back and lie down."

Li Hong waved his hand: "I'm fine, I'm just a little irritated, it's nothing."

As he spoke, he stared blankly at the sky outside the bedchamber.

After a long silence, Li Hong suddenly asked, "Have Fu Heng and the others returned?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Lord Fu has returned, but he suffered such a defeat that he has no face to see His Majesty."

"This Fuheng, sigh, let him be. In a few days, once he's calmed down, he'll naturally be able to come and see me."

Li Hong smiled and asked, "By the way, have there been any reports from various places?"

Feng Chun: "Lord Zhang received an urgent report from the Northwest the day before yesterday. The local chieftains, in alliance with the Western Phoenix Kingdom, attacked and killed the settled herdsmen of various vassal states. More than 100,000 people were either killed or abducted."

Li Hong: "Those chieftains in the Northwest must have heard about the recent situation in Wu Zhao Kingdom and think that Wu Zhao Kingdom is powerless to deal with them. Isn't Fu Heng upset? Then I will give him a chance to redeem himself."

"I hereby appoint him as commander-in-chief of the Wuying General Headquarters and order him to immediately depart for the Northwest. I want those rebels and the Western Phoenix Kingdom to know that the Wuzhao Kingdom is not one they can provoke."

Feng Chun: "This servant has noted it down and will send someone to inform Lord Fu as soon as possible."

Although the war between Wu Zhao and Chu resulted in Wu Zhao losing more than 100,000 elite troops and essentially depleting Wu Zhao's mobile forces across the country.

It would take at least forty years for the military camps and outer vassal states to regain the scale they had during Li Hong's 47 years.

The training period for elite troops in the military camp is long, and every one that dies is one less. It is impossible for them to continuously produce a sea of ​​infantry like the Chu army's infantry groups.

Even so, the remaining 4,000-plus mobile troops of the military camp still possess absolute deterrent power against the surrounding foreign states.

Even if we can't defeat the State of Chu, we can easily defeat some of your local chieftains.

After saying this, Li Hong fell silent.

After a full cup of tea had been consumed, he said again, "Fengchun, I suddenly feel like going out of the palace for a walk. Please help me change my clothes."

Feng Chun was greatly alarmed: "Your Majesty, the imperial physician says that your health requires rest and you must not leave the palace at this time!"

Li Hong waved his hand: "I know my own body well. I want to leave the palace and see how my people are doing now."

Feng Chun wanted to dissuade him, but after seeing Li Hong's current state, she felt it was too difficult to persuade him.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant will help you change your clothes right away."

So he responded and helped Li Hong up to change his clothes.

Half an hour later, the two, dressed in ordinary clothes, called a few guards and left the palace together.

At this moment, Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan were watching an acrobatic performance at a variety show venue in Shengjing City.

The two women were dressed in brightly colored robes, which contrasted sharply with the monotonous centipede-patterned robes around them.

This stark visual contrast instinctively made the surrounding people feel inferior.

(The finale airs tomorrow)