"General Zhuang earned merit for the nation, yet Yun Jinghuai is dragging things down from the rear!"
"We beg His Majesty to immediately remove Yun Jinghuai from his post and summon him back to the capital for punishment!"
"General Zhuang worked hard to secure a ten-year peace treaty with Northern Yan, bringing a decade of peace to our northern border. And Yun Jinghuai just went and wrecked it!"
"Yun Jinghuai is utterly unforgivable..."
Outside the palace, over 1,000 students knelt in protest.
And that was just the beginning.
More and more people gathered, and soon the crowd swelled to over 10,000.
When news first spread that General Zhuang had convinced Northern Yan to agree to a ten-year non-aggression pact, Great Zhou celebrated nationwide.
Now, the joy turned into fury. The happier they'd been before, the angrier they were now.
No matter how great Yun Jinghuai's past achievements were, they couldn't outweigh the public's rage.
Radiant Sunlight Hall.
Several ministers aligned with the Zhuang clan came to meet Noble Consort Zhuang. Leading them was Deputy Prime Minister Yan Chonggu.
"Yun Jinghuai has truly gone mad."
"He may be a war god, but Northern Yan has its borders locked down tight. No matter how strong he is, there's no way he could cause any damage."
"For the past three years, he's held the line, yes—but that's all he's done. Every counterattack has been repelled."
"What he's doing now is sabotaging the peace treaty, dragging Great Zhou back into endless war."
The ministers present were furious.
"Deputy Yan, what do you think Yun Jinghuai's goal is? This doesn't benefit him at all," Noble Consort Zhuang asked.
"It doesn't benefit him directly, but it serves a purpose," Yan Chonggu replied. "If General Zhuang were to formally sign this treaty with Northern Yan, he would earn unmatched merit. At that point, both the Zhuang clan and Your Grace would gain overwhelming power. That's clearly not something the Empress and the Yun clan would want."
"So Yun Jinghuai's actions are clearly meant to sabotage General Zhuang's efforts."
"That Yun Jinghuai—so despicable!" Noble Consort Zhuang's face darkened.
"Your Grace, I believe you have no reason to worry," Yan Chonggu said calmly. "Yun Jinghuai can't break through Northern Yan's defenses. He may have stirred up their anger for now, but with General Zhuang's skill, he'll surely calm the situation down."
"And if you ask me, this might actually be a good thing."
"A good thing?" Noble Consort Zhuang raised a brow.
"Others may not know, but we all do—General Zhuang convinced Northern Yan by promising them many benefits. That hasn't been made public yet," Yan said with a knowing smile.
Noble Consort Zhuang's eyes flickered. Clearly, she was aware of it.
"Now with Yun Jinghuai causing a ruckus, we can shift the blame onto him. Say we never needed to give away so much, but because of Yun Jinghuai's reckless actions, General Zhuang lost his negotiating edge and had no choice."
"If we want to make the talks go smoothly, it's simple—we just offer Northern Yan a bit more. And if anything goes wrong, it's all Yun Jinghuai's fault."
Noble Consort Zhuang smiled. "So you're saying Yun Jinghuai's little stunt is actually working in our favor?"
"Exactly."
Yan Chonggu and the other ministers all laughed.
Afterward, Yan Chonggu quietly spread the word.
As expected, no one blamed Zhuang Yi. Everyone pointed fingers at Yun Jinghuai. The whole country cursed him, saying he was a traitor who brought disaster on the nation.
Cangzhou.
This was the northernmost province of Great Zhou.
At the moment, in Cangzhou's Wangbei City, a young girl walked down the street.
It was none other than Xie Wanyin.
"No one gets to humiliate me, Xie Wanyin. And they sure as hell don't get to walk away after doing it."
"The Third Prince is useless. He doesn't dare go up against the Crown Prince, so I'll have to find someone who doesn't fear him."
Her eyes were filled with hate as she looked up at the tallest tower in front of her.
It was Wangbei City's Star-Picking Tower—49 stories tall.
She had already done her research. The Fourth Prince of Northern Yan, Tuoba Xiao—a famed genius in Northern Yan—was currently staying there.
Northern Yan was strong, but its lands were cold and harsh.
That's why its nobles often came south to Great Zhou for fun.
Tuoba Xiao had the Red Flood Dragon Sacred Body and an intense desire for pleasure. Though he was only 12, he was already over eight feet tall and had fought countless battles.
Star-Picking Tower was famous for gathering beauties from every province, even from Western Luo.
Every time Tuoba Xiao came south, this was his favorite place to visit.
Right now—
At the top floor of Star-Picking Tower.
The place was filled with wine and laughter, surrounded by stunning women.
A group of noble youths from Northern Yan and Cangzhou were gathered here.
In the center, the most striking of all was a red-haired youth with broad shoulders and a massive frame—Tuoba Xiao.
"Brother Tuoba, do you remember Wu Cangming?" someone asked.
"Wu Cangming? Vaguely. He's the heir to your Great Zhou's Southern Guardian Prince, right?"
"Yeah, I remember him too," another Northern Yan noble added. "He became a Martial Master at 11—a real talent."
"But not long ago, he was defeated by the Crown Prince of our Great Zhou. I heard he took it so hard that he went crazy."
"A Martial Master at 11, and still lost?" Tuoba Xiao raised a brow.
"How old is your Crown Prince?" a Northern Yan noble asked.
"He's only one and a half."
"Our Crown Prince has the Divine Dragon Sword Body and innate divine strength. A true unmatched prodigy."
That made all the Northern Yan nobles visibly react.
Even Tuoba Xiao frowned slightly.
But a noble quickly said, "An unmatched prodigy? As long as our Fourth Prince is around, no one else gets that title. He's already at the ninth level of Martial Master at only 12 years old. Who in the Wasteland Realm could match that?"
Tuoba Xiao said proudly, "Don't get cocky. If the rumors are true, your Crown Prince is impressive. But he and I aren't even from the same era. For me, he's still just a kid. Maybe he'll be my equal in ten years—but right now, he's far beneath me."
"Fourth Prince, someone's asking to see you," a servant came to report.
"Don't you see I'm busy? I've got no time for visitors."
"Your Highness, the one asking to see you is a girl. Beautiful—top tier. But she's a bit young. Only ten."
"A ten-year-old girl?" Tuoba Xiao laughed. "Interesting. Bring her in."
Soon, Tuoba Xiao laid eyes on Xie Wanyin.
Her looks instantly caught his attention.
"Young lady, what do you want with me?" he asked.
Tuoba Xiao chuckled.
"Disciple of Great Zhou Dao Academy, Xie Wanyin, greets the Fourth Prince of Great Yan."
Xie Wanyin gave a slight bow. "I came today to share some things about the Crown Prince of Great Zhou."
"Oh?" Tuoba Xiao's eyes narrowed, the casual air gone from his face.
"The rumors about Yang Cheng aren't exaggerated," Xie Wanyin said. "Though he's only one and a half years old, he's already reached the Xiantian realm. He's also grasped Sword Intent and possesses innate divine strength. He crushed Wu Cangming in a landslide victory."
The expressions of the Northern Yan nobles turned grim.
A Crown Prince like that in Great Zhou was not good news for them.
"Interesting," Tuoba Xiao said. "I was already planning to visit the capital of Great Zhou. Looks like I'll get to meet this so-called Crown Prince too."
Right now, Great Zhou was begging Northern Yan to sign the peace treaty.
So he wasn't worried at all about Great Zhou daring to oppose him. He could move about as he pleased.
Hearing that, a cold glint flashed in Xie Wanyin's eyes.
"Fourth Prince?" the others looked at him.
"Gentlemen, what's the fun in chasing women every day? Let's go find something more exciting."
Tuoba Xiao glanced around. "The Crown Prince of Great Zhou dares say the men of Northern Yan are weaklings. Shouldn't we teach him a lesson?"
"He actually said that?" someone asked in confusion.
Tuoba Xiao smiled. "If I say he did, then he did."
Everyone relaxed at once.
Tuoba Xiao clearly wasn't looking for a reason—he just wanted an excuse to stir up trouble with the Crown Prince.
He moved fast. That very day, he rode swiftly toward Fengtian City.
The next day—
Yang Cheng, as usual, rode his carriage to Autumn Water Courtyard.
Suddenly, a figure dropped from a nearby tavern roof, landing right in front of his carriage.
"Isn't that Zheng Guanbao of the Zheng family?"
"Zheng Guanbao is 12 years old and already at the peak of the Xiantian realm. He's a top genius of the Great Zhou Dao Academy."
"Who could've beaten him into such a mess?"
People along the street started whispering.
"Brother, what happened?" a tiny child, barely three, rushed over in panic.
"So-called disciples of Great Zhou are just trash!"
A proud voice rang out. A red-haired youth leapt down from the rooftop.
Several figures followed, landing behind him.
"How dare you block His Highness the Crown Prince's carriage!" a guard barked.
"Stand down," Shen Muxue waved her hand.
She could already tell the man wasn't ordinary. No one else would dare block the Crown Prince's carriage so boldly.
"And who might you be?" she asked, staring at the red-haired youth.
Though he didn't look much older than her, he gave off an overwhelming pressure.
"Shen Muxue, this is His Highness the Fourth Prince of Great Yan, Tuoba Xiao," Xie Wanyin stepped forward, staring at Shen Muxue with a twisted pleasure, mixed with resentment.
Shen Muxue's face turned grim.
Even though Tuoba Xiao was from Great Yan, she'd heard of him. His name was well-known even in distant Great Zhou.
But before Yang Cheng or Shen Muxue could speak, a figure stepped forward.
"Xie Wanyin."
It was the Third Prince, Yang Ye.
He stared at her, his face dark. "Why are you with him?"
Xie Wanyin sneered. "Third Prince, I can be with whoever I want. The moment you slapped me when I begged you to stand up for me, you lost the right to question me."
"Hahaha, I like this!" Tuoba Xiao suddenly reached out and pulled Xie Wanyin into his arms. "From now on, you're my maid."
Xie Wanyin blushed.
"Don't worry, you're still young. I won't touch you yet. Once you grow up a little, I'll teach you the pleasures of this world," Tuoba Xiao said.
Yang Ye's eyes burned with fury.
"Third Brother, don't lose your composure. The more you do, the more pleased Xie Wanyin and Tuoba Xiao will be."
A voice entered his ears.
"Crown Prince?"
Yang Ye froze.
"Hold your poise," Yang Cheng said.
"Why are you helping me?" Yang Ye asked. "You know we're rivals. Shouldn't you be happy if I'm humiliated?"
"You're wrong," Yang Cheng replied. "No matter how we fight, we're still brothers. If you're embarrassed in public, it's not just your shame—it's the shame of the entire imperial family. I'd be humiliated too."
Yang Ye went silent.
Then he looked at Tuoba Xiao and sneered. "Tuoba Xiao, you're the Fourth Prince of Great Yan, yet you're so proud to pick up someone else's cast-off? What's wrong with you? Is that your thing?"
Tuoba Xiao's arrogant smile froze.
"You're lying! I'm still a virgin!" Xie Wanyin shouted in anger and shame.
Yang Ye smiled, saying nothing.
Tuoba Xiao shoved her aside.
Being a virgin didn't mean she was untouched.
He had plenty of ways to play with women without taking their purity.
Xie Wanyin had been with the Third Prince for so long—was it really possible she hadn't been played with?
The thought disgusted him.
Then Tuoba Xiao turned to stare at Yang Cheng's carriage. "Ever since I entered Great Zhou, I've heard all about the Crown Prince. But I've fought plenty of so-called geniuses from Great Zhou, and they were all weak."
"This Crown Prince of yours—is he really as great as they say, or just another disappointment?"