The imperial court is ceding territory from our northern border? Then we'll rebel!

Beneath the city walls of Shuobei.

The shouts of battle had continued for a full day and night.

Ashina Sun has gone completely mad.

He commanded his 70,000-strong army, launching relentless and frenzied attacks on Shuobei City, wave after wave, like a tidal wave.

Ladders, battering rams, catapults...

All available siege equipment was pushed to the front lines.

The barbarian soldiers, howling as they climbed up the corpses of their comrades, fearlessly pushing themselves to the ground.

Above the city walls, it was also a purgatory of blood and fire.

Rolling stones and pounding logs, mixed with scalding hot molten gold, were poured down without any hesitation.

Countless barbarian soldiers were smashed to pieces, their heads bleeding, or burned and screaming in agony as they fell from the high ladders.

The entire city wall was piled high with corpses, and blood flowed like a river.

The air was thick with the stench of blood, the smell of burnt flesh, and the aura of death.

This was a real bloody grinder.

Xiao Jingchen stood atop the city wall, his expression cold and stern.

He hadn't slept for a day and a night, personally overseeing the operation, mobilizing troops, and boosting morale.

His presence is the backbone of all the soldiers in the northern frontier.

As long as that black figure remained standing atop the city wall, they believed that Shuobei City would never be breached.

"My lord, please go and rest. I'll take care of things here."

Lei Lie walked up to him, covered in blood. He had just personally led the team to repel a fierce attack from the enemy, and bits of flesh still clung to his armor.

"No need." Xiao Jingchen shook his head, his gaze still fixed on the battle outside the city. "Ashina Sun is at his limit; he won't last much longer."

"This mad dog is really courting death." Lei Lie spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva. "Our brothers have suffered heavy casualties as well."

"Tell the brothers to hold on a little longer." Xiao Jingchen's voice carried a hint of weariness, but even more so, an iron will. "Once news arrives from the Eastern Frontier, this battle should be over."

……

The capital city, the imperial palace.

Inside the Zichen Hall.

Empress Li Fengyi was reviewing memorials with great frustration.

The fighting in the northern frontier kept her up at night.

The spies she sent to monitor Shuobei sent back messages that terrified her more and more each day.

Xiao Jingchen refused to surrender the city and instead prepared his troops for war.

The allied forces of the three races are at the city gates, and a major battle is imminent.

Her sister, Li Qingluan, who was sent with three hundred imperial guards, arrived outside Shuobei City but couldn't even get through the city gates, utterly disgracing the royal family.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

She slammed the vermilion pen in her hand heavily onto the table.

Just then, a chief eunuch came running in, stumbling and crawling, his face filled with unprecedented panic.

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Urgent dispatch! From the Eastern Frontier...An urgent report from the Eastern Frontier!"

"Eastern Frontier?" Li Fengyi frowned. "Wasn't the Eastern Frontier already occupied by the Three Races Allied Forces? What other urgent report is there?"

"No...no, Your Majesty!" The chief eunuch's voice trembled. "It's...it's about Commander Wei Yong and...and Princess Chang Le!"

Upon hearing the words "Princess Chang Le," Li Fengyi's heart skipped a beat, and she had a bad feeling.

"Say it!"

The chief eunuch dared not delay and quickly presented the urgent report, which was stained with blood.

"Your Majesty... according to the news from the Eastern Frontier... Commander Wei Yong... he... he was... killed by Princess Chang Le, who colluded with the allied forces of the three tribes!"

"What did you say?!"

Li Fengyi suddenly stood up and snatched the urgent report from her.

When she saw the contents above, her pupils instantly contracted to their maximum size.

The urgent report detailed how Chen Jing, the defeated general of the Eastern Frontier, "discovered" Wei Yong's head and "seized" Ashina Sun's "secret letter" to Princess Changle.

The contents of the letter were copied down word for word.

He colluded with foreign enemies, betrayed his commander, and intended to exchange Shuobei City for Wei Yong's head, then frame Marquis Zhenbei, Xiao Jingchen...

Every word was like a red-hot dagger, piercing Li Fengyi's eyes!

"Absurd! Utter nonsense!"

She was so angry that she trembled and tore the urgent report to shreds.

"This must be Xiao Jingchen's conspiracy! He fabricated the evidence! He's trying to frame the royal family and plot a rebellion!"

She knew very well that although her younger sister was foolish, she would never dare to do such a thing.

Xiao Jingchen must be behind this!

He not only betrayed the three-ethnic coalition, but also turned around and splashed such a huge bucket of dirty water on himself and the imperial court!

What a clever move by Xiao Jingchen! What a brilliant two-birds-with-one-stone strategy!

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" The chief eunuch knelt on the ground, trembling. "But...but now, the news has spread throughout the entire Eastern Frontier...those defeated soldiers have formed an army of tens of thousands, carrying the banner of 'avenging General Wei and punishing the traitors,' and are moving towards the capital..."

"And...and rumors have already started circulating in the capital..."

"What?!" Li Fengyi's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

She knew that the seriousness of the situation had far exceeded her control.

Whether it's true or false is no longer important.

The important thing is that everyone believed it.

In the eyes of the world, it was she, the female emperor, who, in order to eliminate the powerful and influential Marquis of Zhenbei, did not hesitate to collude with foreign enemies and harm her own marshal.

How vicious and shameless this is!

At this moment, the imperial majesty and the credibility of the court vanished completely!

"Guards! Summon all the officials! Attend court immediately!" Li Fengyi roared angrily.

Soon, all the civil and military officials were urgently summoned to the main hall.

After the eunuch finished reading the "changes" in the Eastern Frontier, the entire court erupted in chaos.

"Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! How could Princess Chang Le commit such a treasonous act!"

"Your Majesty! This matter must be thoroughly investigated! We must give the people an explanation!"

"Colluding with foreign enemies and plotting to murder the commander-in-chief is a crime of treason!"

Some officials who were unaware of the truth were filled with righteous indignation and stepped forward to demand that Princess Chang Le be severely punished.

Meanwhile, some shrewd officials, or those who were already close to Xiao Jingchen, subtly directed their criticism at the Empress.

"Your Majesty, Princess Chang Le's trip was at your behest. Now that such a scandal has occurred, I fear... the court's prestige will plummet!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, rumors are flying everywhere. They say... they say the court is behind this, intending to suppress the Marquis of Zhenbei... If this continues, the country will cease to exist!"

Listening to the discussions of the ministers below, Li Fengyi, sitting on the dragon throne, felt waves of dizziness.

She felt as if she had been stripped naked and thrown into the sun, subjected to everyone's scrutiny and ridicule.

She was driven to a dead end by Xiao Jingchen.

Admitting it is tantamount to admitting a royal scandal and admitting to misjudging people and favoritism.

To deny it is tantamount to protecting criminals and going against the will of the people.

No matter what she chooses, she's a loser.

Boundless anger and humiliation welled up in her heart.

She gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, her fingernails turning white from the force.

Xiao Jingchen!

Do you think this will make me submit?

You underestimate me!

She slammed her hand on the dragon table, and the hall fell silent instantly.

"That's enough!"

Her voice was cold and resolute.

"I have investigated this matter thoroughly! It was all a conspiracy by Marquis Zhenbei, Xiao Jingchen!"

"It was he who colluded with Chen Jing, the traitorous general from the Eastern Frontier, fabricated evidence, slandered Princess Chang Le, and framed the imperial court!"

"His wolfish ambitions are blatantly obvious!"

"I hereby declare!"

Li Fengyi stood up, her gaze sweeping over all the ministers in the hall, and said, word by word:

"Marquis Xiao Jingchen of Zhenbei, with his powerful army, has framed the imperial family and plotted a rebellion! His crimes are unforgivable!"

"By imperial decree, General Zhao Kuo is ordered to immediately raise an army of 300,000 and march north to quell the rebellion!"

"I will show the world the consequences of betraying the Great Yan and betraying me!"

She chose the most stubborn, and also the most foolish, path.

She wants to use a war to cover up this scandal.

She wanted to use Xiao Jingchen's blood to wash away the shame of the royal family.

However, she did not see the disappointment, and even fear, in the eyes of Your Highness and many ministers.

With the nation in peril and foreign enemies still at large, does Your Majesty still intend to instigate a civil war?

The Great Yan Dynasty is probably really doomed.