The clingy concubine ran away, and the sickly prince lost control.

Pei Shiyuan initially only ordered his guards to knock out the Western Region people without killing them, but now the situation has changed drastically, and the opponent's attacks are all deadly.

The black iron claws and hooks, like demonic hands, reached out to grab everyone.

Moments later, the bodies of Western Region people lay scattered all over the ground.

Luo Qingyan led a group of still-shaken women toward the exit.

"You audacious thieves, daring to commit debauchery on our territory!" Lu Zeyi, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, arrived with his men and rushed into the scene, only to find Western Region people lying dead everywhere. "I apologize, Lord Pei, I am late."

"It's alright, take them back alive for interrogation," Pei Shiyuan said coldly, his face still splattered with blood.

"Yes, Lord Pei," Lu Zeyi bowed and then turned to his subordinates, ordering, "Take them all away."

The staff from the Dali Temple stepped forward to clean up the mess.

Pei Shiyuan protected them all the way, and Luo Qingyan led them down the mountain.

The women who had fallen on hard times scattered, leaving only Lady Jianning.

"Lady Hou, weren't you and Marquis Jianning going to Fa'en Temple?"

Luo Qingyan asked.

"Yes! But we were intercepted halfway there. When I woke up again, I was at Lianxin Temple. I don't know where the Marquis is either?" Lady Jianning looked around dejectedly.

"Pei Shiyuan, how dare you target us Western Region people!" A Western Region man carrying a knife led a group of menacing people.

"You have committed adultery on my territory. You deserve to die!" Pei Shiyuan shouted fiercely.

"Hmph, it's just a place to vent desires, is it worth making such a fuss? You're just trying to provoke a war between the two countries. My Western Regions have been paying tribute to your Great Prosperity every year, but I never expected it to end like this. It's truly disheartening." The Western Regions man with the knife turned his head away after speaking, his face full of disdain.

Pei Shiyuan's gaze turned colder; the man's words implied that he was trying to sow discord between the two countries.

They've fallen for their trap.

"Your Highness." Luo Qingyan also sensed something was wrong and grabbed Pei Shiyuan's sleeve, urging him to calm down.

Pei Shiyuan clenched his fists. He understood that the blame for provoking war between the two countries was being placed on him by using Lianxin Temple.

"Stop talking nonsense!" Lady Jianning pointed at the people opposite her. "I, a dignified lady of a marquis, have been captured and brought to this place of debauchery by you. It was you Western Region people who stirred up trouble. There are assassins lying in ambush in the mountains behind Lianxin Temple, each move deadly. What are your intentions? And where is Marquis Jianning? Release him."

Lady Jianning's voice was as loud as a bell, deafening, and for a moment she truly intimidated the madman opposite her.

"The Court of Judicial Review is currently compiling evidence. If the Western Regions are dissatisfied, they can argue their case in the imperial court." Pei Shiyuan flicked his robe and turned around. "Madam, the most urgent matter is to find Marquis Jianning."

"Alright." Lady Hou and he boarded the carriage together.

Inside the carriage, there was complete silence.

Everyone realized that this matter was not limited to destroying a filthy place.

"They must have arrested the Marquis," the Marquis's wife said angrily, frowning.

"I went to look for you on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, and have been searching for you ever since. It seems that someone is intentionally trying to provoke war between the two countries."

Pei Shiyuan's eyes were deep as he spoke with certainty.

And they insisted on pinning the blame on him.

The news that the troops guarding the western border were all subordinates of the Pei family was disheartening to the soldiers.

Who is so vicious?

"You came to the Marquis's residence to see us about the arranged marriage. Lord Pei, if you don't like Yan Ning, we won't force you. The Marquis and I both tried to persuade her. We only have this one daughter, and we cherish her dearly. We couldn't persuade her otherwise. That's why the Marquis went to the palace to request the imperial decree for the marriage. We originally thought His Majesty wouldn't agree, after all, a marriage between the Marquis's residence and the Duke's residence would be a cause for concern, so we hoped to discourage Yan Ning from pursuing this idea. But we didn't expect His Majesty to agree so readily." The Marquis's wife recounted, "Our beloved daughter was foolish and has implicated the Duke's residence."

"It was His Majesty who intentionally targeted the Duke's Mansion and the Marquis of Jianning's Mansion," Pei Shiyuan said. "My prolonged illness was caused by His Majesty's poisoning."

He laid everything out, hoping to join forces with the Marquis of Jianning's mansion to resist the seemingly unshakeable imperial power.

"What?" Lady Hou exclaimed in shock. "His Majesty has always favored you, but his attitude towards our Marquis has been lukewarm. The Marquis often disagrees with His Majesty, and His Majesty doesn't like him. The only thing His Majesty was particularly pleased about was the marriage decree. So that's what he was up to."

"Your Majesty, in order to deal with the Duke's Mansion and the Marquis's Mansion, you want to provoke a war between Dasheng and the Western Regions?" Luo Qingyan was shocked. The emperor had gone mad, playing with the safety of the country.

"We'll see what happens in court tomorrow." Pei Shiyuan said solemnly, then turned to Lady Hou and said, "I, a cripple in a wheelchair, am not worthy of Yan Ning. I hope Lady Hou will find her another suitable husband."

Pei Shiyuan's words were very straightforward; he was rejecting Yan Ning.

Lady Hou nodded silently. Love cannot be forced, and she regretted losing a good son-in-law.

Send Lady Hou back.

Pei Shiyuan and Luo Qingyan returned to the Duke's mansion, but hadn't even had a sip of water yet.

With a verbal order from the emperor, Pei Shiyuan was summoned to the palace.

"Yuan'er, you shouldn't have killed so many people from the Western Regions. Now look what's happened, the border is in turmoil." The emperor looked worried, but his tone toward Pei Shiyuan was as gentle as ever.

Pei Shiyuan had already concluded that the emperor was incompetent and had started the war. Now he just wanted to hear what the emperor wanted him to do.

"Your Majesty, the situation was critical at the time. If we hadn't intervened, many people in Dasheng would have died."

"People from the Western Regions should be reasonable."

"What's the point of reasoning? They're going to attack." The emperor covered his face. "Compensation won't do."

"I propose a marriage alliance with compensation. It would be best to avoid war."

Pei Shiyuan was puzzled. Why was the emperor thinking of seeking peace? Shouldn't he be sending him to the battlefield to fight against the Western Regions, only to die on the battlefield or be accused of delaying the battle, disbanding the Pei family army, and stripping the Duke's mansion of its title?

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Jianning has gone missing. Perhaps he has been captured by the Western Regions. If this can be confirmed, perhaps we will not need to sue for peace. We should punish all the Western Regions who have acted with impunity in our Great Sheng territory."

Pei Shiyuan said.

Within the territory of Dasheng, all persons, including foreigners, shall be governed by the laws of Dasheng.

"Ah, my head hurts," the emperor suddenly said, clutching his head. "Let's discuss this another day."

Pei Shiyuan bowed and silently took his leave, wanting to see what tricks the person behind him was up to.

The emperor was helped down.

Inside the secret chamber of the imperial palace.

"Useless thing, actually suing for peace. Make sure Pei Shiyuan doesn't find the Marquis of Jianning. The Marquis of Jianning is our trump card. I want Pei Shiyuan to watch him die with his own eyes, to suffer the agony of being unable to save him, hahahahahahaha."

The man in black laughed wildly, looking up at the sky.

"Your subordinate will definitely keep an eye on Marquis Jianning," the man in black on the ground said smugly.

Before Pei Shiyuan had even returned to the Duke's mansion, Yuan Qing rode up to greet him, saying there was an imperial edict.

Upon returning to the Duke's mansion, Pei Shiyuan received an imperial decree, which turned out to be an imperial edict ordering him to lead troops to resist the Western Regions.

The people of the Western Regions refused all peace talks, distorted the truth, and only wanted to attack Dasheng.

"Your Highness, everyone knows you are seriously ill and rely on a wheelchair to get around. How can you go to the battlefield? Can't we find another capable general?" Luo Qingyan said worriedly. Wasn't this sending Pei Shiyuan to his death?

Fortunately, Pei Shiyuan has recovered from his illness; otherwise, he probably wouldn't have made it to the border.