The Prodigal Son

Qin Yu simply sent a message to Yuan Dingguo before leading his men to Yuyang ahead of him.

He's going to Yuyang to do something big!

As for what happened at Yuwang Pass, it's basically no longer his concern.

While Qin Yu was on his way to Yuyang, Li Bo, the governor of Xuanzhou appointed by the Da Ning court, also arrived in Shouchong with his troops to hand over various affairs to Yu Jing.

Yu Jing was annoyed and had no interest in dealing with the matter, so he directly asked Zhou Jishan and Zhang Sheng to handle it.

After he accepted the investiture from Da Ning, many of Shou Chong's opportunists left for various reasons.

Yu Jing did not try to stop them, and let them leave.

In just over half a month, the original 50,000-strong army was reduced to less than 20,000 men.

This outcome was entirely within Yu Jing's expectations.

But what surprised Yu Jing the most was that the Yan and Ning states were actually in cahoots.

When Yan Li returned to Guanzhou via Shou Chong two days ago, he seemed to be in a very good mood, indicating that he had gained a lot from the trip!

Yu Jing was very glad that he hadn't thought of relying on that completely unreliable rabble of 50,000 men to fight against Ning and Yan.

Otherwise, I would probably be a rotting corpse by now!

Even so, Yu Jing's heart was still filled with grief and indignation.

In this battle, both the Yan and Ning states gained a significant advantage.

However, the Min Kingdom vanished into thin air due to their schemes.

He himself became the true crown prince of a fallen kingdom!

Zhao Luan even arranged a marriage for her!

Although he said he was asking for his opinion, he knew in his heart that if he dared to refuse, he probably wouldn't even know how he died!

He also understood that Zhao Luan's betrothal to him was meant to sever his last remaining hope.

He has been in a daze several times these days.

In a hazy vision, he seemed to see Zhao Luan standing before him again, her face aloof, warning him: Stop coveting me! You are not worthy of me!

Just as Yu Jing was in a daze, Zhou Jishan walked heavily into the pavilion, "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Yu Jing turned his head and looked over, his face suddenly falling: "How many times have I told you! There is no His Highness now! There is only the Prince of Fengyi of Da Ning!"

Zhou Jishan paused slightly, then bowed and said, "This subordinate... misspoke."

Learn from this!

Yu Jing's expression was grave, and he said in a deep voice, "We'll be heading to the capital of Da Ning soon. If the Empress suspects we're resentful, our lives may be in danger!"

Zhou Jishan: "Your subordinate will remember this!"

Yu Jing's expression softened slightly, and she asked calmly, "Is the handover complete?"

Zhou Jishan nodded wearily, his face grim: "It's almost done. I'll leave the rest to Zhang Sheng."

Yu Jing was in a bad mood, and so was he.

Even though they had accepted the status quo, he still felt suffocated when it came to this point.

The shame of national subjugation tormented him every day, yet he could only watch helplessly as the Min Kingdom perished, unable to do anything about it.

The daily torment had left him exhausted and on the verge of madness.

"well……"

Yu Jing let out a long sigh, her face full of hatred, and said, "It's all because of that scoundrel Qin Yu!"

Now, the person he hates the most is not Zhao Luan, nor Yu Wu and Huang Dengxing, but Qin Yu!

It was Qin Yu who ruined his plans, making him the crown prince of a fallen kingdom.

Zhou Jishan nodded in deep agreement, gritting his teeth as he said, "Your Highness, shouldn't we think of a way to get revenge on Qin Yu?"

"Revenge? You think it's that easy?"

Yu Jing raised her eyes, a hint of malice flashing within them. "Qin Yu has rendered unparalleled service to Da Ning this time. Judging from Yan Li's expression, their negotiations with Chu have also gone smoothly! Now, Qin Yu is the apple of the Da Ning Empress's eye. How do you think we can take revenge on him?"

"not necessarily!"

Zhou Jishan shook his head. "Your Highness, have you ever heard the saying—'Great merit overshadows the ruler'?"

Ok?

The simple four words made Yu Jing's eyes light up suddenly.

Yu Jing pondered for a moment, then said with great interest, "Continue!"

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Jishan's eyes, and a sinister smile appeared on his face. "Your Highness, don't forget that Qin Fumeng already controls nearly half of Da Ning's military force! Now, the Qin family has produced a monstrous talent like Qin Yu, who is skilled in battle. The key is that this monstrous talent has deliberately disguised himself as an idle and good-for-nothing playboy for many years. If Your Highness were the Empress of Da Ning, could you trust the Qin family?"

Hearing Zhou Jishan's words, Yu Jing lowered his head and pondered again.

Yes!

The Qin family's power has become outrageously large!

Now, another prodigy like Qin Yu has emerged!

Moreover, Zhao Luan is a woman!

A woman who becomes emperor will certainly be more worried about those who hold great military power and rebel, than a man who becomes emperor.

She was certain that if she showed kindness to the Qin family, they wouldn't rebel.

Just like a yellow light!

The late emperor gave Huang Dengxing the greatest trust and also bestowed upon him unparalleled glory.

But didn't he still rebel?

Huang Dengxing's alleged rebellion should serve as a wake-up call for Zhao Luan, right?

The greater Qin Yu's achievements and the more capable and skilled he is in battle, the more worried she should be!

Yu Jing became more and more excited as he thought about it, as if he could see a glimmer of hope for revenge against Qin Yu.

But soon, Yu Jing's expression suddenly darkened. "Right now, Ning Huang and Zeng Guan are both by Qin Yu's side, and Qin Yu only commands 10,000 troops. Under these circumstances, Zhao Luan shouldn't suspect Qin Yu of disloyalty, right?"

So what if Qin Fumeng controls nearly half of Ningguo's military force?

Qin Yu is the only son in the Qin family!

Both Ning Huang and Zeng Guan could easily take Qin Yu's life.

With that, what else could Zhao Luan possibly worry about?

Zhou Jishan narrowed his eyes slightly: "We don't necessarily need to make Zhao Luan suspicious of Qin Yu right now. We can proceed gradually, step by step, to induce Zhao Luan to suspect Qin Yu! At the very least, we can set a trap for Qin Yu!"

"trap?"

Yu Jing looked around and hurriedly asked, "What kind of trap?"

Zhou Jishan lowered his voice, "To be honest, Your Highness, when we first arrived in Shouchong, someone approached me to buy an official position!"

Buying an official position?

Yu Jing's heart stirred, and he instantly understood Zhou Jishan's meaning.

After pondering quietly for a moment, Yu Jing asked in a deep voice, "Do you think Qin Yu would do something like selling official positions?"

"Qin Yu's biggest flaw is his greed and lust; he might actually do it!"

Zhou Jishan clenched his fists and said in a sinister tone, "If Qin Yu is lured into selling official positions, the Empress of Da Ning will surely punish him severely if she finds out! It would be understandable if Qin Yu harbored resentment towards the Empress after being severely punished..."

Zhou Jishan spoke eloquently, and Yu Jing became more and more excited as she listened.

Selling official positions and titles is a serious crime in any dynasty!

No matter how great Qin Yu's contributions are, he will definitely suffer the consequences if he gets involved in this matter!

If Zhao Luan intended to give Qin Yu a warning, she might very well have him balance out his merits and demerits.

It's perfectly understandable that Qin Yu, having made such a great contribution, would harbor resentment towards Zhao Luan because he didn't receive a sufficient reward!

If news of Qin Yu's dissatisfaction with Zhao Luan reaches her ears, it would be difficult for Zhao Luan not to suspect Qin Yu!

"Wonderful! Wonderful!"

Yu Jing shook off the gloom in his heart and instructed in a low voice, "Here's what you'd like to do: arrange this matter immediately! Remember, we only need to guide it from the shadows; we mustn't get involved ourselves, lest we shoot ourselves in the foot! Once Qin Yu sets the precedent for selling official positions, it will be very difficult to stop later!"

Revenge on Qin Yu!

Revenge on Zhao Luan!

If Da Ning really descends into chaos, he might still see hope for restoring the kingdom!

"Understood!"

Zhou Jishan nodded emphatically...