At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

"Mr. Su, please rise!"

The emperor personally stepped forward and firmly supported Su Mu's arms, his tone sincere and earnest, full of praise and emotion.

"This eastern expedition, a long march of thousands of miles, and the pacification of the coastal regions—your efforts and achievements are immense!"

"At the age of one hundred, he still donned his armor and went into battle, sweeping away external threats and stabilizing the land for the Great Qian Dynasty. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to the cause, and his loyalty shines as brightly as the sun and moon. I am truly filled with admiration and deeply moved!"

A warm palm came down and firmly supported Su Mu's arm.

The moment their hands touched and their skin came together, Su Mu appeared to bow his head, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his heart sank!

A vast, powerful, and profound inner energy surged and rushed towards the emperor's face, flowing along the meridians in his palm!

This internal energy was pure, domineering, and full of profound strength. As it flowed, it carried the immense pressure of someone who had cultivated martial arts for a long time. Its aura was calm and sharp, far surpassing that of the eunuch chief eunuch Li Fuquan, who had previously concealed his cultivation at the dock!

After Su Mu practiced the Nine Yang Turtle Breathing Technique, his perception of martial arts aura had become extremely refined.

At that moment, a tidal wave surged within him, and an unwavering conviction instantly took root.

The person before me is definitely not the real Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty!

Everyone in the court and the country knows that the current emperor was born in the deep palace and grew up in wealth and luxury. He was weak from childhood, never practiced martial arts, and was never related to martial arts in his life. He had absolutely no internal energy flowing through his body!

But the person sitting in the Dragon Court, pretending to be an emperor, is actually a martial arts expert with extremely high cultivation and hidden strength!

In that brief moment of contact, countless thoughts raced through Su Mu's mind.

No wonder the emperor suddenly broke his promise and refused to hold court; no wonder the atmosphere in the court was strange and turbulent; no wonder Li Fuquan secretly possessed martial arts skills and acted strangely in every way!

The real emperor has probably already met with misfortune!

The one who sits in the imperial palace and controls the court now is a complete imposter!

After the initial shock, Su Mu quickly suppressed all the turmoil in his heart, his expression remained unchanged, and his face remained calm and composed, without the slightest flaw.

He composed himself, stood up smoothly, bowed slightly, and spoke in a respectful and proper tone, without the slightest sign of anything unusual.

"Your Majesty flatters me; I am unworthy of such praise."

"As a subject of the Great Qian Dynasty and a military general who protects the country, it is my duty and responsibility to defend the homeland and guard the territory."

He deliberately remained calm and pretended not to notice anything unusual.

Since the other party has gone to great lengths to disguise himself and control the court, intending to plot something sinister, then he will wait and see. He wants to see what kind of earth-shattering conspiracy this fake emperor is plotting after going to such lengths to disguise himself!

At the same time, the fake emperor smiled gently, turned to look at Xiao Jingyu and the armored soldiers beside him, raised his hand lightly, and said loudly:

"The Third Prince and all the soldiers fought a bloody battle in the east. Everyone has made contributions and they are all pillars of our Great Qian Dynasty. There is no need for further formalities."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Everyone stood up in unison, their posture upright and solemn.

Just as the fake emperor turned around to return to the throne, he caught a glimpse of Prime Minister Li Yuan standing at the end of the court officials' line.

At this moment, Li Yuan's face was ashen, his lips still bloodshot, and there were faint bloodstains on his official robe. His figure was hunched and haggard, completely different from his usual appearance as prime minister. He looked particularly disheveled and glaring.

The fake emperor paused slightly, then casually asked a question in a flat and indifferent tone.

"Prime Minister, you look extremely unwell today, your face is very pale, and you are even stained with blood. Are you unwell?"

This seemingly ordinary question instantly caused a slight tension in the entire room!

The generals behind Su Mu, including Qin Hao and Zhao Tieniu, tensed up instantly, subconsciously holding their breath and a hint of apprehension flashing in their eyes.

Everyone knew that Li Yuan's injuries were entirely caused by Zhao Tieniu's kick at the dock earlier!

At this moment, the emperor is asking questions in public. If Li Yuan takes the opportunity to complain and lament that he was beaten and humiliated by the generals in the army, he will inevitably be accused of insubordination and recklessness, even if everyone is victorious and meritorious, and will certainly be punished!

For a moment, all the soldiers were on high alert, waiting for Li Yuan's reply.

To everyone's surprise, upon hearing this, Li Yuan dared not mention the dock matter at all. He could only force a bitter smile, bow, and reply:

"Your Majesty, I am unharmed, and there is nothing seriously wrong with me."

This explanation covered up the humiliation of being kicked and seriously injured in public.

Seeing this, the Third Prince Xiao Jingyu, who was standing to the side, secretly smiled and understood everything.

He had already anticipated that Li Yuan would not dare to report the truth.

Firstly, Li Yuan is extremely concerned with his reputation and face. If he were to be kicked and seriously injured in public by a mere military general, spitting blood in a sorry state, and if this were to spread throughout the court and the capital, he would become a laughingstock among all the officials and would never be able to hold his head up again.

Secondly, Li Yuan is a close confidant of Crown Prince Xiao Yunfeng, and he stands in the court with the backing of the Eastern Palace's power. Today, under the Crown Prince's watchful eyes, he was publicly humiliated and beaten by Su Mu's generals. If he were to cry and complain in public, it would undoubtedly prove that the Eastern Palace has lost face and that the Crown Prince cannot control the soldiers, thus completely slapping the Crown Prince in the face!

For the sake of his own reputation and the dignity of the Crown Prince, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and bear it with his teeth clenched!

After hearing the reply, the fake emperor remained calm and unsuspecting. He nodded slightly, asked no further questions, turned around, steadily stepped up the stairs, and returned to sit on the dragon throne in the Golden Palace.

Once the emperor was seated, the atmosphere in the court returned to solemnity.

The Third Prince, Xiao Jingyu, stepped forward, bowed, and with a solemn expression, his voice resounding throughout the hall.

"His Majesty!"

"In this expedition to the East China Sea, General Su was appointed to lead the army in a time of crisis, fighting bravely and bloodily across the sea, achieving feats that will be remembered throughout history!"

"Our army not only recovered all the cities that had fallen in the East China Sea and wiped out the enemy pirates along the coast, but also built an invincible and iron-blooded navy from scratch. We crossed the vast East China Sea, crushed the main force of the Eastern Barbarians, and pacified the entire territory of the Eastern Barbarians, bringing the entire territory of the Eastern Barbarians into the map of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

"This is an unprecedented and unparalleled feat in the hundreds of years since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you reward those who have rendered meritorious service and bestow generous rewards upon General Su and all the soldiers who fought valiantly in the Eastern Expedition, in order to recognize their achievements and inspire morale!"

His words were passionate and full of truth, which drew nods of agreement from many officials in the hall.

They all knew that this great victory in the East China Sea, which expanded territory and shook the world, was an unparalleled achievement worthy of being recorded in the history of the Great Qian Dynasty!

Upon hearing this, the fake emperor on the dragon throne nodded slightly, his face still bearing a gentle and composed smile, seemingly showing compassion for his meritorious officials and having the country at heart.

"What my third brother said makes sense. I know what I'm doing."

"The soldiers of the three armies have fought valiantly on the battlefield, expanding the country's territory, rendering meritorious service to the nation and benefiting all people. I will certainly reward them all according to their merits and will never mistreat any of them!"

He paused briefly, then abruptly changed the subject, his expression feigning compassion and tenderness, and slowly began to speak, his steady voice resonating throughout every corner of the hall:

"Now, our Great Qian is strong and powerful, with the Eastern Barbarians destroyed and the sea borders pacified. All neighboring countries have heard of the might of our Great Qian and dare not invade us in the slightest."

"From this day forward, peace will reign throughout the land, and the world will be stable. For the next hundred years, there will be no more worries about foreign wars!"

"General Su is over a hundred years old and frail. He should be enjoying his retirement and living a peaceful life. However, he still went to the sea, donned his armor and fought the enemy. He has devoted half his life to the country. Whenever I think of this, I feel extremely distressed and guilty."

"Therefore, I hereby issue this decree today to bestow upon General Su 30,000 taels of gold, 1,000 hectares of fertile land, and three mansions."

"In consideration of your lifelong military service and outstanding achievements, you are hereby granted permission to immediately retire from the military, lay down your duties, return to your hometown to recuperate, spend quality time with your granddaughter, and enjoy a peaceful and prosperous old age!"

Wow!

The moment this decree was issued, the entire Golden Palace erupted in uproar!

After a moment of deathly silence, the expressions of all the civil and military officials changed drastically, and a clamor of discussion arose one after another!

Below the main hall, Xiao Jingyu's face suddenly turned ashen, and the praise and expectation in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by extreme shock and disbelief!

Qin Hao, Xu Cheng, Zhao Tieniu, You Zhongyi, Han Shixun and all the other generals of the Eastern Expedition instantly changed color, their pupils shrank, and their faces were full of astonishment!

Everyone instantly saw through the true intention behind the emperor's so-called "compassion and reward"!

What kind of compassion for the elderly and wish for them to enjoy their later years!

Forget about golden fields and riches!

This is not a reward or a gesture of grace; it is a blatant attempt to seize military power!

Now that the world has been at peace and the war has ended, it is a time when morale is high and soldiers are eager to return home.

The emperor's actions, under the guise of showing compassion for his veteran minister, were a legitimate way to strip Su Mu of all his military power and force him to leave the army and stay away from military service!

Once Su Mu retires from the military and returns to his hometown, he will have completely lost his military power and will no longer have any military or political influence. He will become a retired official with only a nominal title and no real power.

A war god who guarded the country and brought peace to the nation on the battlefield ultimately ended up being forcibly stripped of power and left to retire to his hometown!

Standing among the court officials, the Second Prince Xiao Yunshan was also deeply shocked and astonished, his brows furrowed and a chill running through him.

His ominous premonition outside the palace has now come true!

The Emperor had no intention of rewarding meritorious officials; his heart and mind were filled with fear of Su Mu's overwhelming achievements, excessive military power, and immense prestige!

Taking advantage of the great victory and the peace of the country, he took the opportunity to strip Su Mu of his military power, eliminate the biggest force in the army, and completely remove the hidden danger. How ruthless and cold-blooded his methods were!

The atmosphere in the entire Golden Palace instantly changed from the solemn and joyous celebration of a triumphant return to a cold, oppressive, and turbulent one!

All eyes were focused on Su Mu, who stood calmly below the steps, awaiting the response of this war god who protected the nation!