His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

Ru Muyuan guessed.

Ma Chengwu was carried away from the military camp and returned to the city in the southwest. After being treated by a doctor, he quickly regained consciousness.

Before Zhu Zheng could even begin to scold him, Ma Chengwu preemptively revealed his plan.

He did this to take this opportunity to test how many people within the Western Army were loyal to the imperial court.

However, a mistake occurred in the middle. He overlooked the weight of the armor and his own strength, which caused him to faint and lose face.

However, before he fainted, he quickly thought of another way.

That is—retreating to advance!

I might as well just stay dizzy.

As a result, those within the Western Army who sided with the imperial court and those who were loyal to the Mu family would inevitably be divided over this matter.

The Mu family guarded the southwest thanks to the valiant and skilled Western Army.

As long as the Western Army is divided and internal conflicts arise, the Mu family can be defeated, and military power will naturally return to the hands of the imperial court.

"Brilliant! By retreating in order to advance, we can sow discord and divide the Western Army without losing a single soldier, causing their morale to collapse and them to crumble without a fight."

Upon learning the whole story, Zhu Zheng clapped his hands in delight.

"Your Highness, we only need to wait for the right opportunity. The Western Army will inevitably fall into disarray on its own," Ma Chengwu said confidently.

Thinking back to the two times he had suffered losses at Mu Yuan's hands, and now that Ma Chengwu had arrived, creating such a huge hidden danger for the Mu family and the Xifu Army, Zhu Zheng couldn't help but feel a secret sense of satisfaction.

"The Mu family is just a small family with few members. It's wishful thinking to think that they can rely on a young boy like Mu Yuan to stabilize their family business!"

"Mu Yuan, I will repay the humiliation I suffered at your hands a hundredfold, a thousandfold!"

"By the way, Your Highness, there is something else we urgently need to do right now," Ma Chengwu suddenly said.

"What is it?"

Zhu Zheng looked on with curiosity.

"The Mu family has guarded the southwest for generations, and many officials in this area have benefited from their kindness. Now that the Mu family has suffered such a great misfortune, it is a good opportunity to win over officials from all over the country!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zheng suddenly realized that dismantling the Mu family involved not only dividing the Western Army but also winning over officials from various parts of the southwest.

"Lord Ma, with your abilities, becoming a marquis and prime minister will be a piece of cake for you in the future!"

Zhu Zheng praised.

"If it weren't for Your Highness's recommendation, how could I have achieved what I have today?" Ma Chengwu took the opportunity to flatter Zhu Zheng.

During their conversation, the two had already devised a plan on how to dismantle the Mu family and deal with Mu Yuan.

The garrison of the Western Army.

"Second sister-in-law, what exactly is going on with Mu Yuan?"

Inside the barracks, Qin Hongxiu anxiously inquired about Su Wanqing, who was treating Mu Yuan.

After training ended and he returned to the barracks with Mu Yuan, Mu Yuan suddenly fainted and collapsed without any warning.

"Overwork"

Su Wanqing shook her head and sighed.

Looking at Mu Yuan lying on the bed, fast asleep from exhaustion, Su Wanqing's eyes were filled with heartache:

"Enduring the torment of the 'Heart-Changing Bone-Eroding Soup' every day, and having to train with the Xifu Army and handle military affairs, even someone with an iron body couldn't withstand it."

Thinking back to last night when I rushed back to the Prince's Mansion, and then rushed back again at the crack of dawn to deal with the newly appointed Governor of the Southwest.

Such intense training and constant travel would be too much for even a god to handle!

Upon learning of Mu Yuan's situation, Qin Hongxiu's eyes reddened, and her voice trembled slightly with emotion:

"He should have been the most favored person, living a carefree life. Now, the Mu family is in turmoil, yet he has to shoulder all the burdens and bear such great pressure alone, while we can do nothing about it."

At this point, Qin Hongxiu was too heartbroken to continue.

In the corner, even Lin Xueshang, who was usually aloof and reserved, and whose emotions rarely showed, had a hint of emotion in her eyes.

for a long time.

Mu Yuan slowly woke up.

Seeing his three sisters-in-law surrounding him, looking somewhat dejected, Mu Yuan couldn't help but feel puzzled:

"Why do you three sisters-in-law look so troubled?"

He paused, then continued:

"Could it be that something happened to the Mu family? Or has something happened to the Western Army?"

What Mu Yuan didn't know was that the dejected expressions on his three sisters-in-law's faces were genuine heartache for him, who had worried himself sick and worked himself to exhaustion for the Mu family.

Su Wanqing spoke first:

"The Mu family and the Xifu Army are both fine. Don't overthink things. What you need to do now is to rest and recuperate. If you continue to overwork yourself like this, you won't survive the 49-day 'Heart-Replacing Bone-Corroding Soup' before you die."

Worried about Mu Yuan's life, Qin Hongxiu quickly echoed:

"Second sister-in-law is right. You can't keep working so hard. You can delegate some things to us so we can share the burden."

"Haven't the three sisters-in-law already shared the burden?" Mu Yuan smiled calmly.

"We didn't do anything!"

The three women exchanged glances, none of them understanding why they had taken on so many responsibilities for Mu Yuan.

"Sister-in-law, you've always been by my side. When I first arrived at the army camp, if you hadn't been the first to subdue Yang Daye and his gang of fierce generals, how would I have had the opportunity to take action and subdue them?"

Mu Yuan first acknowledged what his sister-in-law Qin Hongxiu had done for him.

Then, he looked at Su Wanqing.

"Second sister-in-law, you treated me every time I fainted. If an outsider had been treated, the Xifu Army would probably be in a state of panic by now."

Finally, Mu Yuan's gaze swept over Lin Xueshang in the corner.

"Although Sixth Sister-in-law is taciturn, she is even willing to pass on her martial arts skills. How can this trust not be considered sharing the burden?"

Mu Yuan's comments moved Qin Hongxiu, Su Wanqing, and even the aloof Lin Xueshang.

They only did some small things.

But Mu Yuan saw these small things as ways to share his burden.

Feeling a little embarrassed by Mu Yuan's praise, Su Wanqing blushed slightly and said, "Please don't say that, it makes us all feel awkward."

Seeing the shy look on her face, Mu Yuan said seriously, "Second sister-in-law, what I said is true."

The brief conversation gradually eased the tense atmosphere.

"By the way," Mu Yuan suddenly remembered something and looked at Qin Hongxiu, "Sister-in-law, was anything unusual happening within the Xifu Army today?"

"Why do you say that?" Qin Hongxiu asked, puzzled.

"I'm worried that Ma Chengwu's matter might have an impact on the internal affairs of our Western Army," Mu Yuan said, expressing his conjecture.

Qin Hongxiu was even more puzzled and asked doubtfully, "He fainted on the training ground today, making a complete fool of himself. How could that possibly have any impact on our army?"

"Sister-in-law, do you really think my Western Army is an impenetrable fortress?" Mu Yuan retorted.

Faced with his question, Qin Hongxiu fell silent.

The Mu family has always held firm military power in the Western Army. Most of the soldiers are loyal to the Mu family, but there are also some who yearn for the imperial court.

However, the Mu family is currently being suppressed by the imperial court, and the soldiers within the Western Army have many complaints about the court, which makes those who are loyal to the court hesitant to show their loyalty too obviously.