Yan Chonggu's face was as dark as pig's liver.
"Your Highness, please show some mercy where it can be given…"
A subordinate official beside Yan Chonggu spoke up.
Yang Cheng's gaze stayed calm and indifferent.
Before he could even respond, Yang Ye gave a cold laugh. "When Deputy Prime Minister Yan swore publicly to drag the Crown Prince off his throne, where was your mercy then?"
That official went pale, his body chilled to the bone, and didn't dare say another word.
"Deputy Prime Minister Yan, do you truly hate the Crown Prince that much, or are you actually speaking on behalf of Great Yan?"
Emperor Qian Yuan's voice cut in.
At those words, not just the other officials, even Yan Chonggu's expression changed drastically. It was like plunging into an icy abyss.
He didn't care what people thought about his hostility toward the Crown Prince. He could always claim it was out of disappointment or anger at the prince's shortcomings.
But the real danger lay in the second half of the Emperor's sentence.
Yan Chonggu immediately understood the hidden warning.
If he didn't back off now, the Emperor might charge him with colluding with Great Yan.
This entire peace negotiation between Great Zhou and Great Yan had been pushed hard by the Yun clan.
And Yan Chonggu had been acting as their spokesperson.
Back then, that had seemed perfectly reasonable.
But now the situation had changed.
With Great Zhou's crushing victory over Great Yan, the officials who'd promoted peace talks had become a laughingstock.
Worse, their previous actions could now be seen as treasonous collaboration.
If that charge stuck, they'd be labeled traitors—and their families would be dragged down with them.
Yan Chonggu was truly shaken.
"Your Majesty, this old servant has felt lately that age is catching up to me and my strength is waning. I humbly request your permission to resign and retire from court."
He bit the bullet and said it.
"You've worked hard for many years, and I can't bear to see you struggle any longer. I approve."
Emperor Qian Yuan replied calmly.
Yan Chonggu swayed slightly, like he'd suddenly aged a decade.
The other officials who'd been shouting to depose the Crown Prince quickly lowered their heads, terrified they'd be next.
"Prepare to return to the palace," the Emperor ordered.
The ministers all sighed with relief and quickly dispersed.
They had to hurry back to discuss what had happened today.
The Great Yan envoy and several of their young talents carried Tuoba Xiao's corpse back to the diplomatic residence.
"Glory to General of the Cavalry! Glory to Great Zhou!"
Soon, the streets were filled with cheers.
The common people didn't care about the political games of the court.
Earlier, when Yang Cheng killed Tuoba Xiao, many citizens had been worried it might ruin the peace talks—and they'd been upset with the Crown Prince.
But now, those feelings were completely replaced by something else.
National pride.
Yun Jinghuai's stunning victory over Great Yan was monumental for the people. It was inspiring.
He became an instant national hero, worshipped by countless citizens.
Zhuang Yi was forgotten entirely.
Compared to this overwhelming triumph, who cared about some peace talks?
"Long live the Crown Prince!"
At the same time, Zheng Guanbao and other supporters of the Crown Prince shouted for Yang Cheng.
In the midst of the celebratory mood, one sharp voice cut through it.
"Yang Cheng, how is your strength so terrifying?"
The speaker was none other than Yang Xiu.
He stared at Yang Cheng in disbelief.
Even with Lin Xinglan's personal training, he couldn't have killed Tuoba Xiao.
He couldn't comprehend how Yang Cheng had done it.
"My name isn't something you're allowed to say."
Yang Cheng gave him a cold look.
He figured it was about time to put his "younger brother"—the so-called Heaven's Mandate Emperor from his past life—in his place.
He also wanted to see how far Lin Xinglan was willing to go for Yang Xiu.
In the next instant, an overwhelming wave of spiritual pressure burst from Yang Cheng's body and slammed straight toward Yang Xiu.
Yang Xiu's soul shuddered violently. He felt like the sky was falling, the earth splitting, and the mountains crumbling.
His knees gave out. He dropped straight to the ground.
His face turned pale as he looked up at Yang Cheng in terror.
Only now did he truly realize how terrifying Yang Cheng was.
And throughout the entire exchange, Lin Xinglan—deep within Yang Xiu's sea of consciousness—remained completely silent.
Yang Cheng took note.
'So unless Yang Xiu is in mortal danger, Lin Xinglan won't make a move.'
"Remember this—from now on, call me 'Crown Prince Brother.'"
Yang Cheng said calmly.
With that, he stepped into the royal carriage.
The carriage rolled forward again, slowly heading for Autumn Water Courtyard.
Even after all that had happened, Yang Cheng's daily schedule remained unchanged.
When it was time to cultivate, he still cultivated.
Once at Autumn Water Courtyard, Cheng Junyi looked at Yang Cheng like he was a monster.
Clearly, she already knew what had happened on the street.
Great Yan.
Outside Yan Capital.
Under cover of night, 100,000 cavalry lay hidden in the hills of Mount Daxing.
Yun Jinghuai stood atop the summit, gazing at the distant Yan Capital.
After capturing seven cities in a row, Yan's entire military had become highly alert to his cavalry army.
If he stayed in Yan territory much longer, they'd likely send forces from all directions to surround and eliminate him.
"General, right now everyone in Great Yan probably thinks we've already done enough, and since staying here is extremely dangerous, they assume we'll pull back."
The cavalry vice general spoke.
Yun Jinghuai smiled calmly. "Which is exactly why they'll never expect that not only have we not left, we've come up Mount Daxing to overlook their capital."
The vice general hesitated. "General… in one hour, are you certain the Primordial Thunder Bell in Yan Capital will really be disabled for six hours?"
"I came across that information by chance, so I can't guarantee it's correct."
Yun Jinghuai didn't mention that it was Yang Cheng who told him. That way, even if the intel turned out wrong, it wouldn't involve Yang Cheng.
If it were any other army, hearing their general speak like that would've caused panic.
But Yun Jinghuai's troops remained dead silent and composed.
Then Yun Jinghuai said, "If this intel is right, we might pull off a miracle in the history of warfare."
He swept his gaze across them. "Any of you not tempted? If you're not, if you're scared of dying, you can leave now."
No one moved. Instead, every single soldier's eyes burned with fierce determination.
Yun Jinghuai grinned. "Rest where you are for half an hour. After that, we'll strike at Yan Capital like lightning."
100,000 cavalry dismounted silently and sat cross-legged to recover.
All of Yun Jinghuai's cavalry wore black armor.
At the edge of their formation, though, were 1,000 soldiers in black robes who looked completely out of place.
"General, where'd you find those 1,000 freaks?"
The vice general asked. "They all act like they're not afraid of death, and they're all masters of assassination—like a thousand elite assassins. This operation went way smoother thanks to them. Without their help, we definitely wouldn't have come this far."
"The Crown Prince gave them to me."
That much Yun Jinghuai didn't hide.
He wanted his men to know how much credit the Crown Prince deserved.
"The Crown Prince? Then they must be Her Majesty the Empress's hidden force."
The vice general speculated.
"No, they take orders from the Crown Prince alone."
Yun Jinghuai corrected him seriously.
The vice general was stunned. He knew Yun Jinghuai never lied to his own people.
"Alright. Let's conserve our strength too."
Yun Jinghuai closed his eyes.
Half an hour later, the deep night had passed, and dawn was just breaking.
100,000 cavalry moved like 100,000 wild beasts descending from the mountains.
At first they advanced in total silence. But as they neared Yan Capital, hiding became impossible.
At the gates of Yan Capital, just as the sky lightened, the gates were opened.
A crowd was already gathered, waiting to enter.
"What's going on?"
Those near the gate felt the ground start to tremble.
The guards on the walls were the first to notice what was happening.
"Look! Outside the city!"
One guard's face was filled with fear.
"What is that?"
"Oh gods—it's an army. Great Zhou's army!"
"Crap, it must be Yun Jinghuai. He's here!"
Terror spread across the guards' faces.
These days, the name "Yun Jinghuai" struck more fear into Great Yan's warriors than any demon.
Yan Capital had enjoyed peace for a thousand years.
Its garrison had never truly seen war.
The guards panicked. They forgot the signal flares. They didn't even think to shut the gates right away.
"Break formation!"
Outside the gates, Yun Jinghuai led the charge.
Do you know how terrifying 100,000 unified cavalry are?
They could form a killing formation that merged their strength into one.
Right now, they were like a single massive spear—Yun Jinghuai was the tip.
This spear shot toward the city gates of Yan Capital with lightning speed.
Only then did the panicked guards remember to shut the gates—but it was far too late.
Boom!
Yun Jinghuai and his army smashed through the gates while they were still ajar.
100,000 troops stormed into Yan Capital.
Moments later, shouts of joy erupted.
"We weren't struck down by the Primordial Thunder Bell!"
"Hahaha! The Primordial Thunder Bell really isn't working right now!"
"Charge!"
100,000 cavalry surged forward with no more hesitation.
Meanwhile, back in Great Zhou, no one yet knew what had happened.
Not until the next day, when another urgent report from the border finally reached Fengtian City.