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

Inside the barracks.

Qin Hongxiu picked up the invitation from the ground, but instead of handing it to Mu Yuan immediately, she hesitated.

"Ma Chengwu sent an invitation as soon as he took office, which was probably not well-intentioned."

Mu Yuan smiled faintly, took the invitation from her hand, glanced at its contents, and a playful smile appeared on his face:

"The scale is really grand. Besides me, officials from various regions, as well as local forces in the southwest, are all on the invitation list."

Upon learning of this, Qin Hongxiu, fearing it might be a trap, advised:

"A banquet is being held suddenly, and so many people are being invited. There's definitely something fishy going on here. It's a trap, and you absolutely mustn't go."

"General Qin is right, Ma Chengwu definitely has ill intentions."

"If even one of his stewards dares to spout nonsense in front of the Western Army, then Ma Chengwu is definitely no good!"

"General, if there truly is a conspiracy here, what if something terrible happens to you if you rush in? What will become of the entire army?"

Everyone tried to dissuade him.

Faced with Qin Hongxiu and the officers present trying to persuade him, Mu Yuan waved his hand and said:

"What is meant to be will be, and what is meant to be will be."

If he doesn't go, what if Ma Chengwu, local officials, and the local forces in the southwest unite to deal with him? Wouldn't that put him in a very passive position?

Rather than sitting idly by and waiting for them to encircle and annihilate us.

It would be better to take the initiative.

Even if it's a trap, Mu Yuan still has to go there in person to see what Ma Chengwu is really up to.

That night.

Inside the Ma residence.

Dressed in magnificent attire, Ma Chengwu exuded confidence and high spirits.

He kept greeting the distinguished guests who came to the banquet.

"The Prince of Ning has arrived!"

A loud shout drew everyone's attention.

Prince Zhu Zheng, surrounded by his entourage, quickly approached Ma Chengwu.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Ma Chengwu hurriedly went to greet him, cupping his hands in a respectful bow.

"No need for formalities." Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, waved his hand, lowered his voice, and gave a sinister smile: "I'll have to see how you perform at this banquet tonight."

"Your Highness, please rest assured, I will certainly not let you down."

Ma Chengwu replied softly.

Just then.

Another round of shouts erupted:

"Mu Yuan, the heir of the Prince of Xiping, has arrived."

Mu Yuan walked in unhurriedly, accompanied by Qin Hongxiu, who was dressed in a smart outfit and looked heroic.

"It is an honor to welcome you, Your Excellency. We are so sorry for not greeting you properly."

Ma Chengwu walked towards Mu Yuan. Compared to his genuine smile when he greeted Zhu Zhengshi earlier, his smile towards Mu Yuan now carried a hint of hypocrisy and fakeness.

Mu Yuan saw through it at a glance, but didn't point it out, and said with a smile:

"I have long wanted to pay a visit, but unfortunately I have been tied up with official duties and had to ask Lord Ma to send his steward to deliver the invitation. I am truly ashamed."

Upon hearing the words "invitation" from the butler, Ma Chengwu's smile instantly turned unnatural, and a flash of resentment crossed his eyes.

As the saying goes, "When you beat a dog, you have to consider its owner."

He sent his steward, Wei Bao, to deliver an invitation to Mu Yuan.

However, when the butler returned, he was covered in wounds.

He only learned upon asking that it was Mu Yuan who ordered the Western Army to beat the soldiers.

This clearly shows they don't take him, the governor of the southwest, seriously.

Now that Mu Yuan had brought up the matter of sending invitations, Ma Chengwu wanted nothing more than to confront him on the spot, but with so many distinguished guests present, he had no choice but to suppress his displeasure.

"Your Highness, you're here too?"

Mu Yuan turned his gaze to Prince Ning, Zhu Zheng, whose face was gloomy.

"What? Can't I come?" Zhu Zheng had suffered a loss at Mu Yuan's hands before, and now that he saw Mu Yuan, his heart was filled with hatred.

Despite Zhu Zheng's unfriendly attitude, Mu Yuan showed no anger. Instead, he said:

"It's not that Your Highness can't come, but as a member of the royal family, your close relationship with a high-ranking official is a serious matter. If rumors reach the capital and the Emperor finds out, it could be detrimental to you."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zheng's expression turned even more unpleasant.

The southwest and the capital are thousands of miles apart. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. As a member of the royal family, even if he was close to Ma Chengwu, no one dared to gossip behind his back, let alone speak to the court.

But Mu Yuan dared to openly expose this secret.

Moreover, Mu Yuan's words seemed to imply that he and Ma Chengwu were in cahoots.

"What do you mean by that?" Zhu Zheng's face turned red with anger. "Are you implying that I'm colluding with Lord Ma?"

"No, no, I wouldn't dare."

Mu Yuan said he wouldn't dare, but the mocking expression on his face was completely opposite to what he said.

"Your Highness, Commander, please don't argue." Ma Chengwu immediately stepped in to smooth things over: "The banquet is about to begin, let's go inside quickly."

Zhu Zheng snorted coldly, glared at Mu Yuan with resentment, and walked inside.

Ma Chengwu glanced back at Mu Yuan before following Zhu Zheng into the hall.

"These two, singing in unison, are utterly disgusting!"

Qin Hongxiu said with a look of disgust.

She had never had a good impression of Zhu Zheng, especially after his rude remarks at the Mu family's mourning hall. Several times when she saw Zhu Zheng, she couldn't help but feel murderous intent.

"Why bother arguing with him? Let's go inside," Mu Yuan comforted him.

The main hall of the Ma residence.

By this time, quite a few people had already gathered here.

"grandmother?"

Upon entering the hall, Mu Yuan was surprised to find that Old Madam Mu was also there, and he quickly walked over to her.

"Yuan'er." Old Madam Mu was also very excited to see Mu Yuan. She then looked at Qin Hongxiu beside Mu Yuan, and a look of relief flashed in her eyes.

"Grandma, what brings you here?" Mu Yuan asked.

Old Madam Mu's face was full of kind smiles:

"Ma Chengwu is the newly appointed governor. He personally sent someone to deliver the invitation to the Prince of Xiping's residence. How could I ignore it and give others grounds for criticism?"

Old Madam Mu arrived as invited. At this moment, Mu Yuan was certain that tonight's banquet was definitely not just a simple dinner hosted by Ma Chengwu.

"Grandma Mu, General, please take your seats."

Just as Mu Yuan and Old Madam Mu were talking, Ma Chengwu came over and invited them to sit at the head table.

As the guests took their seats one after another.

"I am deeply honored that you all have come to my humble abode."

Ma Chengwu looked around at everyone present, first offering a few polite greetings, then paused and said, "Besides ensuring you all have a good meal and drinks, I have a few important matters to discuss with you all."

Mu Yuan frowned, keenly catching the important information in Ma Chengwu's words.

Several important matters?

Although there are undercurrents in the southwest, the overall situation is stable, and the enemy has not sent troops to invade from outside the country.

The so-called important matters.

Is it really just an "important matter," or is there another motive?

Just as Mu Yuan frowned in thought.

Ma Chengwu continued, "The first thing I intend to do is to dismiss a number of officials!"

These words were spoken.

Officials from various parts of Southwest China who had come to the banquet were restless.

Their faces turned ashen, filled with terror.

Ignoring the trembling officials, Ma Chengwu took a deep breath and said, "Besides dismissing officials, I also intend to... reduce the size of the army."