After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

The city gates swung open, and Commander Hou ran out with a challenge letter in his hand.

Everyone looked at Commander Hou, while Xiao Hanfeng met Hanting's gaze with a relaxed expression.

"Lord Fan! An urgent message has arrived from the capital: His Majesty has decreed that we must surrender!"

Commander Hou stumbled and rushed to Fan Qingli, his face filled with terror.

Fan Qingli's face was full of disbelief. He widened his eyes and snatched the letter from Commander Hou's hand.

His hands trembled as he unfolded the letter. After quickly glancing at the words, he stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning, muttering to himself, "Impossible! How could this be? Why would His Majesty suddenly order a ceasefire and surrender? Something must have gone wrong!"

He clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on his forehead, as if he wanted to crush the letter.

"Fan Qingli, why aren't you going back to pack your things! I'm waiting for your surrender document at the military camp!"

"Withdraw troops!"

With a shout from Xiao Hanfeng, he led the cheering Shu army back to their camp.

Fan Qingli had no choice but to retreat back to Liucheng with Commander Hou.

"Impossible! Commander Hou, is this a trap? Why would His Majesty suddenly surrender? What exactly happened?"

"If Shu takes Liucheng, our Wei Kingdom will be in grave danger!"

"Fifty thousand troops were wiped out in Chen! Is it really time to give up the fight?!"

Fan Qingli launched into a tirade, his tone growing increasingly agitated. Before Commander Hou could even speak, a familiar figure pushed open the door.

"Who has objected to His Majesty's words?"

The two people inside the room were stunned when they saw Cao Ji enter. Why was Cao Ji here?

Cao Ji and his entourage entered.

Cao Ji untied his fox fur shawl and casually handed it to his attendant.

Commander Hou bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Upon seeing this, Fan Qingli also bowed in greeting.

"It seems that Lord Fan has objections to the letter I sent?"

Cao Ji took the seat of honor with an air of ownership.

"I just feel that handing over Liucheng might be harmful to Great Wei! If we hand over Liucheng, then the Shu army will be able to attack Great Wei with ease!" Fan Qingli explained.

"If you can think of these things, then Father Emperor can certainly think of them too!"

"Even the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Fourth Princess, with an army of 50,000, have disappeared without a trace! Now, Father has ordered me to search for their whereabouts! Liucheng is indeed important, but if it weren't for the Chen Kingdom, our Wei army wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses!"

"However, at this point, giving up Liucheng is not impossible! At least now the Shu army should be focusing on the Chen Kingdom! Of course, we also have other negotiating conditions!"

"Your Highness! The Shu army has been fighting us for so long, they must have suffered considerable losses. Would they still want the State of Chen?"

Fan Qingli remained skeptical of Cao Ji's words.

"The scouts report that the Shu army's camp outside Chen is still there, so they have not abandoned Chen!"

"Lord Fan, your most important task now is to negotiate with the Shu Kingdom!"

"Yes! I understand. But what are our Wei's negotiating terms? What if Shu uses this as an excuse to make exorbitant demands?"

"Father's meaning is that we can surrender Liucheng or give it up, but Shu must sign a peace treaty with Wei! And they must never invade our Great Wei again!"

"Your Highness, we surrender, but what if the Shu Kingdom doesn't agree to these terms? After all, we are the defeated nation!"

Fan Qingli felt disappointed by Cao Ji's statement. Given the way Shu Kingdom did things, wouldn't this approach lower Shu Kingdom's status?

Cao Ji's lips curled slightly upwards. "Let Shu Kingdom set the conditions! We'll use this time to reorganize. If they don't agree, we'll start another war!"

Fan Qingli had no idea what Cao Ji was up to, so she could only do as he said!

"By the way! Has Fourth Princess found the body?"

"The battle in Liucheng is urgent, and we haven't found them yet!" Fan Qingli said bluntly.

"Commander Hou, now, gather your troops and lead your men to search the place where Prince Shuo was attacked! We must find him alive or dead!" Cao Ji's gaze was firm.

"Yes!"

Fan Qingli left with Commander Hou.

Cao Ji's eyes relaxed, and he breathed a sigh of relief, though a hint of worry flashed in his eyes.

"My sister, you should still be alive!"

After delivering the letter of surrender, Fan Qingli returned to Liucheng.

Xiao Hanfeng needs to report the negotiation terms to the Shu Kingdom's ruler; the war is now considered over.

Just as they entered the mansion, they encountered the White Dew.

"Hey, Lord Fan! Is it true that His Majesty has issued a decree of surrender?"

Bai Lu rushed over anxiously.

Fan Qingli nodded in response.

"Has His Majesty become confused? Does he know how important Liucheng is to the Wei Kingdom?"

"The Second Prince is here. Be careful what you say! Don't spout any more nonsense."

"What is the Second Prince doing here?" Bai Lu asked hurriedly.

Does he know anything about warfare?

Bai Lu was also puzzled by Cao Ji's arrival.

Although Cao Ji was a prince, the emperor never allowed him to be involved in any military or political affairs.

What's his purpose in coming here? Could he have some other motive?

"He said he was there to deliver a message! And he even asked Commander Hou to lead men to search the mountains for Prince Shuo!"

Bai Lu seemed to be deep in thought.

That's strange, why is he so nice to the princess?

Is it just a simple brother-sister relationship?

When she was in the Eastern Palace, Cao Ji and Cao Shang were the closest of friends!

"Miss Bailu, it seems like it's been a long time since I've seen Miss Ayin! Has she returned to the capital?" Fan Qingli looked around.

"She went to the State of Chen!" Bai Lu's thoughts were pulled back to reality, and she blurted out.

"What! She went by herself?" Fan Qingli exclaimed excitedly.

Seeing Fan Qingli's agitation, Bai Lu quickly explained, "Yes! The cannons she made are still sitting in Chen. She told me that no matter what, these cannons must be destroyed, and they must not fall into the hands of others. She also repeatedly told me not to tell anyone else about this."

Upon hearing this, Fan Qingli became extremely anxious. He gripped Bai Lu's arm tightly, his voice trembling, and asked urgently, "How long has she been gone?"

Bai Lu was startled by Fan Qingli's sudden action, but she quickly composed herself and replied, "It's been about two days! But don't worry too much, A Yin knows martial arts and has hidden weapons, so ordinary people can't get close to her at all."

"Ridiculous! With her mediocre skills, you expect her to escape unscathed?"

Bai Lu asked worriedly, "Then, what should we do?"

Fan Qingli didn't answer her and hurriedly ran to the stable.

"Hey...why did you leave without saying anything!"

Bai Lu stroked her chin, pondering, "Strange, why is he so worried about A Yin! She should be alright, right?"

Bai Lu also felt somewhat at a loss and worried.

"But... does the Second Prince really need to come in person to deliver the surrender document? Could it be that..."

"No, I have to write to Xiao Hanjing first and ask him to keep looking for the whereabouts of the First Prince."