The Prodigal Son

Since the price of pepper collapsed, Emperor Yan has been receiving all sorts of bad news almost every day.

In the past two days, he has received a series of bad news.

Even though he was a martial artist, he finally couldn't hold on any longer at this moment.

Yan Li and his ministers waited anxiously outside the Yan Emperor's bedchamber.

As soon as the imperial physician came out, Yan Li rushed forward and grabbed him anxiously, "How is Father?"

"His Majesty is merely consumed by anger; he will be fine after some rest."

The imperial physician reluctantly gave a diagnosis and then said, "His Majesty invites His Highness in."

Upon hearing this, Yan Li quickly entered the palace.

Outside, the court officials immediately surrounded the imperial physicians to inquire about the Yan Emperor's physical condition in detail.

Their intuition told them that the Emperor of Yan vomiting blood in court was not as simple as it seemed.

However, no matter how they asked, the imperial physician said it was just anger affecting his heart and there was nothing seriously wrong.

In the palace, Yan Li quickly arrived at the Emperor Yan's imperial bedchamber.

Looking at the pale-faced Emperor Yan, Yan Li felt both grief and self-reproach.

I've been outmaneuvered by Qin Yu again!

Sure enough, Qin Yu had been up to no good ever since he started negotiating with me last year!

Snow cotton!

What a wonderful snow-like cotton!

It's a shame they were happy when they learned that the price of Edelweiss cotton had skyrocketed in Ningguo, and even thought that Zhao Luan, who took the lead in wearing Edelweiss cotton, was short-sighted.

Little did they know, all of this was a treacherous scheme by Ning Guo.

Their idea was to allocate an extra 10% or 20% of land to grow snow cotton, which would also allow them to purchase large quantities of grain from Ningguo without affecting Yanguo, while improving people's livelihoods and increasing tax revenue.

However, they overlooked the greed in people's hearts.

In the end, vast tracts of land across the country were planted with Edelweiss.

But while there was plenty of cotton, there was no food!

From the very beginning, they had fallen into Ning's trap without even realizing it.

Snow cotton, pepper, brewing...

One vicious scheme after another led the Great Yan into the abyss step by step.

By the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late.

The Ning people clearly intend to destroy the Great Yan without lifting a finger!

Seeing the pain on Yan Li's face, Emperor Yan gently patted his hand, "It's too late for regrets now! I'm afraid my health is failing, and I'll have to rely on you from now on..."

Yan Li held the Emperor's hand tightly, her eyes reddening as she comforted him, "Father, please don't say that. The imperial physician said you're just overwhelmed by anger..."

"It was I who told him to say that."

Emperor Yan interrupted Yan Li, saying quietly, "Stop fighting. Let's clean up this mess..."

Yan Li nodded repeatedly: "Your subject will not go to war! Your subject will stay by Father's side and share your burdens!"

"You're not sharing my burdens!"

The Emperor of Yan gently shook his head. "From today onwards, the affairs of the court are entrusted to you!"

Yan Li's expression changed drastically, "Father..."

"Let me finish speaking."

The Emperor of Yan stopped him and continued speaking weakly.

"Right now, the situation in our country is in complete disarray, and it is precisely the time to stabilize public sentiment. So let's not punish those officials involved in the edelweiss issue!"

"The Ning people have been plotting for so long; this time they must be determined to destroy my Great Yan."

"We most likely can't win this battle on our own."

"You can send someone to Beiqi to negotiate with them, requesting that Beiqi send troops to attack Wuguan and provide us with food."

"As long as Bei Qi agrees, we're willing to cede the land north of the Panjiang River..."

Whether the Yan Emperor was disheartened or truly unable to hold on any longer was unclear.

Every word he uttered sounded like his last.

Yan Li stared blankly at Emperor Yan, his head buzzing.

Ceding the land north of the Panjiang River?

That's nearly two and a half percent of the Great Yan's land!

So they just ceded it to Bei Qi like that?

Seeing Yan Li's dazed expression, the Yan Emperor patted his hand again and said with a wry smile, "Even if we don't cede it to Bei Qi, we still can't hold on!"

"Instead of that, it would be better to cede it to Beiqi. Not only would we get grain and Beiqi to send troops, but we could also consolidate our forces and focus all our efforts on dealing with the Ning people."

"If we are unwilling to give up the land north of the Panjiang River, we will most likely end up following in the footsteps of the Min Kingdom."

"Send someone to negotiate with Bei Qi as soon as possible! While I'm still alive, if a deal is reached, I'll take the blame..."

Lacking money and food, Shangxing was quickly occupied by the Ning people.

The army's supplies are in trouble, and the soldiers are hungry. How can they fight this battle?

Even if a military genius were alive, he couldn't win this kind of battle!

Now, Beiqi is their last hope.

Given the choice between national subjugation and ceding territory, any normal person knows which to choose.

Emperor Yan continued speaking, but Yan Li was already in tears, "It is your son who has ruined Great Yan, ruined Father Emperor..."

"Let's not talk about this now." Emperor Yan grasped Yan Li's hand and said self-deprecatingly, "Neither I nor any of the court officials saw through Ning Ren's vicious scheme, did they?"

Ning's wicked scheme was actually not complicated; in fact, it could be said to be quite simple.

If they thought about it carefully and paid more attention, they might understand.

However, they were blinded by their own greed.

The Ning people were already sharpening their knives, but they were still celebrating.

Now, they should pay a heavy price for their shortsightedness.

He didn't expect Yanli to be able to hold onto much territory; he just hoped the country wouldn't perish.

As long as their country is not destroyed, they will still have a chance to take revenge on the Ning people!

After silently weighing his options, Yan Li said sorrowfully, "I will send an envoy to Northern Qi today!"

"Um!"

The Yan Emperor forced a smile and reassured Yan Li, "The situation has deteriorated to this point, so don't worry too much. As long as Ning Kingdom can fight Bei Qi, we still have hope!"

"Your subject will remember your teachings, Father." Yan Li nodded emphatically.

After giving Yan Li some more instructions, Emperor Yan then had Yan Li help him sit up.

Then, he ordered someone to summon the officials outside the palace to come in.

The Emperor of Yan slowly swept his gaze over the assembled officials: "I am unwell and need to rest properly! From this day forward, the Crown Prince will oversee the state affairs, and all matters of state will be decided by the Crown Prince! You must all diligently assist the Crown Prince and safeguard the foundation of our Great Yan!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

The officials accepted the decree, but couldn't help but worry about the Yan Emperor's health once again.

"I need to rest. All of you, leave!"

The Emperor of Yan sighed wearily and slowly lay down.

"Your Majesty, we (your sons) take our leave!"

Everyone left the Yan Emperor's palace.

After leaving the palace, Yan Li immediately ordered someone to summon Feng Shu.

Yan Li briefly explained the purpose and requirements of this trip to Feng Shu, and then instructed, "You must immediately go to Bei Qi and negotiate with them as quickly as possible..."

As he spoke, Yan Li ordered someone to hand over the imperial staff, official documents, and other items to Feng Shu.

Feng Shu accepted the items with a heavy heart, looking at Yan Li with a complex expression. "Your Highness, is there really no other way?"

"Do we even have a choice right now?"

A look of pain flashed across Yan Li's face. "Let's get going! If we're too late, we might not even have the chance to cede land."

Hearing Yan Li's words, Feng Shu's heart trembled, and he bowed, saying, "Your Highness, please take care. I will depart immediately!"

Go!

Yan Li waved his hand gently, "If necessary, it's not impossible for us to submit to Northern Qi and pay tribute!"

"But remember, it has to be fast!"

"We absolutely cannot delay; we can't afford to!"