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

The words "close the net" uttered by Xiao Jingchen were like a silent command, instantly spreading to every corner of the capital.

That meticulously woven net, which had been in place for more than half a month, suddenly tightened that night.

That night, Hu Yanbao was still at the inn, drinking and making merry with his group of "insiders" composed of former nobles and bankrupt merchants, discussing how they would divide up the wealth and power in the capital once Xiao Jingchen's army left.

"Rest assured, everyone! I have received definite news that Xiao Jingchen's army will set off north in three days!" Hu Yanbao, his face flushed from drinking, raised his wine cup and said loudly, "At that time, the capital will be undefended, and Zhao Kuo's small force of imperial guards will be no threat! As long as we proceed according to plan, our great undertaking will surely succeed!"

"We are entirely relying on Your Excellency's assistance!" a former nobleman's son said with a fawning smile.

"Hahaha, easy! Easy! Once our Prince takes over the Central AR, you will all be credited for his service!"

While they were daydreaming, the area outside the inn was already completely surrounded by thousands of imperial guards and secret agents from the Imperial City Guard.

Zhao Kuo, clad in heavy armor, stood in the wind and snow, his hand on his sword, his face filled with icy killing intent.

He waved his hand.

"Bang!"

The gate of the inn was smashed open by a battering ram.

"Don't move! Imperial Guards are investigating!"

Countless soldiers wielding crossbows surged in like a tidal wave.

The dense clicking of the mechanisms and the cold glint of the crossbow bolts instantly sobered up Hu Yanbao and the others, who were still in a drunken stupor.

"What's going on?!" Hu Yanbao was both shocked and furious, and drew the curved knife from his waist.

However, he was faced with hundreds of crossbows already cocked.

The dark, gaping muzzle of the crossbow, like the eyes of hundreds of death gods, coldly stared at him.

"Huyan Bao, you have conspired with others to overthrow the Great Yan Dynasty. The evidence against you is irrefutable. I have been ordered by the Regent to arrest you!" Zhao Kuo strode in, his voice as cold as ice.

"You...how did you know?!" Hu Yanbao's face was filled with disbelief. His plan was flawless, how could it have been exposed?

"Want to know? Go ask the King of Hell." Zhao Kuo didn't waste any more words. "Take him down!"

Hu Yanbao still wanted to resist, but his "allies" were already so frightened that their legs went weak and they knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"General, spare us! We were all bewitched by him!"

"We made a mistake in a moment of confusion!"

Faced with overwhelming force, any resistance is futile.

Hu Yanbao and his dozens of "insiders" were all captured, shackled, and thrown into the lowest level of the prison.

At the same time, within the capital city, dozens of teams composed of Imperial City Guards and Imperial Guards stormed into various residences according to a pre-determined list.

Those remnants of the rebel party who were still at home, waiting for the "good news," became prisoners before they even understood what had happened.

Overnight, all those involved in the conspiracy were captured and executed.

This swift and decisive operation caused not a ripple in the capital. The next day, when the people woke up, everything was as usual, except for the increased number of patrolling soldiers on the streets.

They had no idea that while they slept soundly, a massive crisis, capable of overthrowing the court, had been silently nipped in the bud by their regent.

Heaven Prison.

It was dark, damp, and filled with the smell of blood and decay.

This is the most terrifying place in the world.

Xiao Jingchen led the young emperor Li Chengqian slowly along this passageway leading to hell.

This was what he promised the young emperor: "the last lesson in winter."

Li Chengqian's face was somewhat pale. He gripped Xiao Jingchen's hand tightly, looking around with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He saw that those ministers and nobles who had once been impeccably dressed and arrogant in the court were now like dead dogs, locked in filthy prisons, their bodies covered in blood and wounds.

"Uncle... what... what crimes did they commit?" Li Chengqian asked in a low voice.

"The crime they committed is called 'betrayal'," Xiao Jingchen's voice echoed in the empty passageway.

He led Li Chengqian to the front of a cell at the very bottom of the cell block.

Inside were Huyan Bao and the leading son of a former noble family.

Upon seeing Xiao Jingchen, the nobleman seemed to see a savior. He struggled to crawl to the prison gate, crying out, "Your Highness! Your Highness, spare my life! I was wrong! I'll never dare to do it again! For the sake of my grandfather who followed the late emperor and fought bloody battles, please spare my life!"

Xiao Jingchen ignored him and turned to Li Chengqian, asking, "Your Majesty, do you think he should be spared?"

Li Chengqian looked at the weeping man, then at Huyan Bao beside him, whose eyes were filled with resentment, and hesitated. In his mind, the descendants of meritorious officials should be forgiven.

Xiao Jingchen saw through his thoughts.

He had Zhao Kuo hand a thick stack of files to Li Chengqian.

"Your Majesty, please take a look at this first."

Li Chengqian opened the dossier, which was filled with detailed records of Huyan Bao and his inside agents' entire conspiracy.

This includes how they planned to set fire to the capital after the Great Yan army's northern expedition, create chaos, open the city gates, and welcome the Yuezhi army.

Attached to the end of the file was a map hand-drawn by Huyan Bao himself. On the map, the location of the imperial palace was marked with a large red X. Next to it was written a line of smaller text: "After entering the city, slaughter the entire Li imperial family, leaving no one alive."

Li Chengqian's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Although he was young, he could understand what "slaughtering everyone" and "leaving no one alive" meant.

A bone-chilling coldness shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. He finally understood what a miserable fate awaited him if his imperial uncle hadn't foreseen all of this.

His face was deathly pale. He looked at the young nobleman who was still kowtowing and begging for mercy, and there was no longer a trace of pity in his eyes.

"Imperial Uncle..." He raised his head, looking at Xiao Jingchen, his voice trembling slightly with anger and lingering fear, "I think... he deserves to die."

"All those who betrayed the Great Yan deserve to die!"

"Very good." Xiao Jingchen nodded with satisfaction.

What he wanted to teach Li Chengqian was not empty benevolence, but the decisiveness of an emperor. To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself. He needed to understand this principle as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty, remember this," Xiao Jingchen's voice became extremely serious, "Power is a double-edged sword. It can allow you to command the world, or it can bring you utter ruin. Countless people are watching the seat you sit in. If you are merciful to them, they will only think you are weak and easily bullied."

"Power must be firmly in your own hands. And the foundation of holding power is a clear system of rewards and punishments. Those who have rendered meritorious service should be rewarded, even if they are your enemies. Those who have committed wrongdoings should be punished, even if they are your relatives or descendants of meritorious officials."

"This is the art of rulership. And it is the most important lesson you, as emperor, must learn."

Li Chengqian listened with a mixture of understanding and confusion, but he memorized every word Xiao Jingchen said.

He looked at the two ashen-faced men in the cell, their small fists clenched tightly.

When Li Chengqian left the prison, his steps were noticeably more steady than when he arrived. His eyes held less childlike innocence and more of a determination beyond his years.

Just as they were about to walk out of the prison gates.

A messenger from the northern frontier rode a fast horse and rushed over like a madman. He reined in his horse in front of the steps, dismounted, and knelt on one knee.

"Your Highness, urgent military intelligence from the northern frontier, stretching eight hundred li!"

The messenger's voice sounded somewhat hoarse from his urgency.

"The snow on the grassland started melting half a month earlier than in previous years!"

"General Sun Xiang sent a secret report from deep within the grasslands: Ashina Sun has detected our intentions and is gathering his last elite troops, seemingly preparing for... a desperate gamble!"

"The war in the northern border is about to begin ahead of schedule!"

Xiao Jingchen's pupils suddenly contracted.

He looked up at the northern sky, which was still covered with dark clouds, but he could almost smell the strong stench of blood wafting from the grasslands.

"Okay, very good."

His face showed no sign of tension, but rather an excited fighting spirit.

"He can't wait any longer, and neither can I."

He turned around and gave orders to Zhao Kuo and Chen Jing behind him.

"Pass on my orders!"

"The Northern Expedition, ahead of schedule!"