Emperor Muwu knew that the court ministers held deep hostility toward Qi Nation, as well as the people there, so he glanced at Ye Siheng.
The meaning in his eyes was clear: Since it was your suggestion, you should handle it.
Ye Siheng’s expression remained calm as he said, "In that case, let the Third Prince serve as the commander-in-chief and immediately lead troops to attack the Qi Nation to demonstrate his loyalty. The day he triumphantly returns will be the day he is officially named the Royal Heir. What do you think?"
Chu Yan’s heart tightened, and he abruptly looked at Ye Siheng, his face full of reluctance.
Emperor Muwu laughed heartily, "Good! Since he’s my son, he will undoubtedly flatten the Qi Nation within two years! But Ninth Brother, the national treasury is empty."
Ye Siheng sighed slightly, saying, "Congratulations to my imperial brother on reuniting with the Third Prince. As a gesture of celebration, I offer a gift of 500,000 taels of silver to fund the Third Prince’s campaign against Qi."
"Fine, fine, it’s settled then," Emperor Muwu said with great satisfaction.
Elder Xu raised an eyebrow, asking, "Will the Ninth Prince accompany the army?"
"I won’t be going," Ye Siheng said. "But the Duke of Anguo and the General of Gallant Cavalry will follow closely. I trust no one has objections to this?"
Elder Xu didn’t hesitate, saying, "With money and troops, and since Emperor Qi has now perished in our Mu Nation, this is indeed an opportune time to launch an offensive. I have no objections."
If Chu Yan could reclaim ten or even eight cities, they would have no argument against it. However, the boy was still young and had never truly been on a battlefield. What capability did he have to flatten the Qi Nation?
When the time came for Chu Yan to return in failure, they would have a valid excuse to oppose Emperor Muwu’s plan to make him the Royal Heir.
Someone suggested that Qi Hong’s corpse be bound and hung at the city gate for display, showcasing Mu Nation’s might and throwing Qi Nation into disarray.
Chu Yan swallowed hard and clenched his fists, almost unable to suppress his emotions.
Nanli’s gaze turned sharp as she said coldly, "Do you have any brains? Emperor Qi practiced demonic arts, and his body is not like that of ordinary people. If his corpse is exposed, how many innocent people would be harmed?"
The man’s face changed slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Ninth Princess, please forgive me! I didn’t know it was so serious."
Having witnessed the power of the black mist himself, Elder Xu became cautious. "Then, Ninth Princess, what do you suggest we do with Emperor Qi’s corpse?"
"Burn it," Nanli said directly.
Everyone naturally trusted her words and quickly made arrangements, fearing another leakage of the black mist.
Neither the eunuchs nor the Imperial Guards dared to touch Qi Hong’s body.
Nanli spoke up, "Fifth Brother, you have a talisman on you that wards off the black mist. Please carry Emperor Qi to the wooden pyre outside."
Because it was Nanli who had spoken, no one found her words inappropriate. Instead, they looked at Chu Yan with gratitude and admiration.
Only Chu Yan knew that his sixth sister had said this on purpose.
Qi Hong’s body no longer emitted much black mist. Burning him was merely to prevent his humiliation in Mu Nation. Asking Chu Yan to carry him was, in essence, allowing him to send his biological brother on his final journey.
Grief welled up in Chu Yan’s heart. With every step, he silently recited the word brother.
Finally, he reached the end.
He placed the body on the wooden pyre, but with Elder Xu and others watching him intently, he could neither speak a word nor linger in sorrow.
He backed away, his face calm.
Nanli drew a Fire Talisman, and with a flick, the pyre and Qi Hong’s body erupted into flames.
Faint traces of black mist rose into the air.
The ministers recoiled in fear, terrified of being contaminated by the black mist.
The fire burned fiercely, leaving not even a trace of ash behind.
Feeling fatigued, Emperor Muwu dismissed the ministers, instructing them to disperse on their own. He then summoned Ye Siheng and a few others to accompany him to a side hall.
Chu Yan stood dazed, unable to recover from the scene.
Ye Siheng personally brewed tea and, with the utmost respect, addressed Chu Hanlin, "Father-in-law, please sit. We’re all family here; there’s no need to be so formal."
Emperor Muwu added, "Indeed. Didn’t I already say that Chu Yan should call you Father and me Daddy?"
Chu Hanlin quickly knelt down. "Your Majesty, such words will shorten my life!"
Nanli helped him up, saying, "Father, it’s just us here. There’s no need to kneel for every little thing. Sit down."
Chu Hanlin sat down uneasily, his mind filled with worry. He wanted to ask something but was afraid of overstepping.
Fortunately, someone else did the talking for him.
Nanli rested her chin on her hand and said, "It’s rather strange. Qi Hong could share the Heart-Uniting Enchanting Bug with Fifth Brother, yet the Blood-Enchanting Bug also reacted to your blood. Prince, are you sure you didn’t tamper with anything?"
Ye Siheng replied, "I returned to the capital with you. How could I have tampered with anything beforehand? The truth is simple: Chu Yan is indeed a blood relative of both me and the emperor."
This revelation snapped Chu Yan out of his stupor. He looked at them in astonishment.
Nanli, on the other hand, seemed to lose interest in the truth. She cast a cold glance at Ye Siheng, saying, "So the prince has been keeping secrets from me. This marriage feels rather meaningless now."
Ye Siheng panicked. In an instant, he was by her side, gripping her hand tightly.
"A’Li, I wasn’t certain yet, which is why I planned to investigate further before telling you."
Nanli rolled her eyes at him.
Chu Yan’s mind worked quickly, and he said, "Could it be that my biological mother..."
He had once heard Qi Hong mention that their mother was originally a female slave bought by the Former Emperor Qi and brought into the palace. When she was favored, life was still decent. But after falling out of favor and lacking family support, she suffered persecution, unable even to protect her sons.
"Smart nephew," Emperor Muwu said, praising him with words but showing no joy on his face. "Your mother was none other than my full-blooded sister, Princess Huiyang."
The Former Emperor had nine children in total.
After many years, the Empress Consort finally became pregnant again, bringing great joy. Ten months later, she gave birth to a daughter, the Former Emperor’s sixth child, named Ye Silan.
Ye Silan resembled the Empress Consort closely, which delighted the Former Emperor. He doted on her, wanting to gather all of Mu Nation’s treasures just to gift them to this beloved daughter.
However, on her tenth birthday, during a grand banquet in the palace, Yao Sheng merely glanced at her and prophesied that she would one day give birth to a ruler of all under heaven.
The Former Emperor and the ministers’ faces darkened instantly.
If the ruler were a prince, it would be cause for celebration.
But this was a princess, destined to marry outside the royal family!
Didn’t that mean the princess’s consort would one day overthrow imperial power?
This was an enormous threat!
The Former Emperor, deeply trusting Yao Sheng and spurred by Elder Cao’s instigation, confined the Sixth Princess to a secluded palace and ceased to concern himself with her.
Grief-stricken, the Empress Consort fell into despair and passed away. As her full-blooded brother, Emperor Muwu had wanted to plead with the Former Emperor on her behalf. However, at the time, Elder Cao had staked his support on Emperor Muwu’s claim to the throne and obstructed his efforts, warning that anyone who touched this bad omen would lose their chance at the throne.
When the Sixth Princess fell gravely ill, Emperor Muwu was devastated. He orchestrated a secret plan to switch her with someone else and smuggle her out of the palace.
But due to carelessness, the Sixth Princess was exposed while outside. Her stunning beauty attracted the attention of human traffickers, who schemed to abduct her.
Despite Emperor Muwu’s efforts to search for her, he found no trace.
Later, after ascending the throne, he posthumously restored her title as Princess Huiyang.