Although the Northern army had the upper hand, the other group of men clearly had the numerical advantage.

Whose people are these?

Qi Yue frowned tightly. He looked at the opponent’s leaders and got down from his horse to pick up the scattered bow and arrows on the ground. Then, with both arms exerting force, he directly pulled the bow into a full moon and fired two arrows together to shoot the opponent’s leaders off the horse.

Seeing that the leaders fell to the ground, the private army immediately showed its weakness. The Northern army took advantage of the situation to chase after them.

Qi Yue walked into the camp, found the Third Prince in the tent, and said with a serious face, “It is not advisable to stay here for a long time. With all the commotion, the Capital must have noticed it already.”

When the Third Prince saw that Qi Yue had returned, he didn’t listen to him at all but asked with an excited face, “What did General Qi gain from his trip to the Capital?”

Yang Hui also walked over and looked at Qi Yue.

Looking at the Third Prince’s eager appearance, Qi Yue frowned. He wanted to ask how this side suddenly fought, but due to his status, he had to answer the Third Prince’s question first: “The situation in the Capital is different from the past.”

Hearing Qi Yue’s words, the Third Prince and Yang Hui’s eyes immediately lit up. They had anticipated that there would be chaos in the Capital. They hoped for more chaos in the Capital so they could receive more support from the people by leading the rebellion with the holy decree.

However, Qi Yue’s following words completely dispelled their hopes: “The order in the Capital is even better than in the past, and the power of the Capital’s families has been greatly restrained. More importantly, the entire Capital has been firmly grasped by the Grand Prince, and no one even dares to disagree with the Grand Prince in Qing Yang House.”

“Impossible!” The Third Prince was stunned and immediately retorted, “General Qi has not returned to the Capital for many years, could there be some misunderstanding?”

Qi Yue looked at him, and a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes. Not many people dare to question him in this way. Moreover, this Third Prince is still weak and is really just a child in Qi Yue’s eyes.

He stumbled two steps, pulled Qi Yue’s sleeve, and asked, “Is what General Qi said true? Is it true that there is no one……in that Qing Yang House?”

Qi Yue nodded his head firmly.

Yang Hui was shocked and immediately sat down by the table. Qi Yue was deadly loyal to Emperor Hongming, so he would certainly not lie about these matters. He never expected that the Grand Prince would have controlled the entire Capital to this point.

But to be honest, Yang Hui had actually suspected this current situation, but he did not want to believe it.

Although Yang Hui is no longer an official, he still has many disciples in the court. When he first left the court, Yang Hui would receive letters from his disciples and the Minister of Rites every day. These letters not only give him detailed information about the situation in the court but also relay the words and deeds of the Grand Prince.

Seeing all the methods of the Grand Prince, Yang Hui could not help but be surprised. But what surprised him even more was that his disciples in the court slowly reduced their communication with him.

At first, Yang Hui only thought that the Grand Prince had intercepted their letters, but then Yang Hui received a letter that dispelled his suspicions.

The person who sent him the letter was last year’s Imperial scholar. Yang Hui was very optimistic about him and cultivated him a lot. This young official was also very confident in Yang Hui.

But in the letter, the young disciple left only one sentence: “This servant has chosen its master, and the teacher’s cultivation was in vain.”

This letter made Yang Hui broke out in a cold sweat. This was the young official who acted childishly and talked to him frankly. What about the rest of the officials who slowly broke off contact with him?

Yang Hui, who had always been conceited and thought he knew everything about the situation in the court even when he was away from it, regretted his move to retire. Although this regret was dispersed a little by the Third Prince’s hospitality, this regret mixed with panic attacked even more ferociously with Qi Yue’s words.

He was relying on his strong control in the court, so he retired to his hometown to give the Grand Prince a downfall. Unexpectedly, instead of chaos in the court after departure, the court was managed by the Grand Prince in a well-organized manner. Even his many disciples have been……

Seeing that Yang Hui’s face became pale, the Third Prince made a gesture of concern and walked behind Yang Hui: “Teacher, don’t panic. I know you are concerned about the court, but now if it is really as General Qi said, you and I have to make plans again, I can’t do without you!

Yan Lan’s words immediately made Yang Hui’s spirit rise, and he grabbed Yan Lan’s hand like a life-saving straw.

Indeed, the Third Prince was correct. The purpose of his retirement was to support the Third Prince. The Third Prince, Yan Lan, is a candidate for the Crown Prince that he and the Emperor are optimistic about. There is no room for criticism in terms of his character and wisdom.

In this dire situation, as long as he can support the Third Prince to ascend to the throne, anything Yang Hui does will be right and worthwhile.

At this moment, Yang Hui has put all his expectations on the Third Prince.

After taking a look at Yang Hui’s appearance, Qi Yue had a bit of a headache and felt deeply that these two people were completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation. He then said: “The Emperor is alive and is only seriously ill. The First Prince is only a regent, his words and actions are not out of line. If we bring troops to the front, we will not have the upper hand.”

The atmosphere in the room became heavier with Qi Yue’s words. The Third Prince’s face changed several times before he stared at Qi Yue and said, “Let’s not talk about that, but General Qi has met my elder brother on this trip? How is his health now?”

At first, it sounded like Yan Lan was concerned about his frail brother, but Qi Yue immediately heard the meaning of the Third Prince’s words and shook his head, “The eldest prince has been staying deep in the palace, so I have not been able to see him.”

The Third Prince’s face immediately became more gloomy. Even the way he looked at Qi Yue was a bit off. He initially thought that with Qi Yue’s skills, under the heavy encirclement of the guards, even if he couldn’t kill the Grand Prince, he would still get him badly injured, but he didn’t expect that he simply did not see him?

Doubt instantly rose in Yan Lan’s heart, because in his opinion, Qi Yue’s words were simply too unbelievable. When Yang Hui left, his brother, who he had set up to the point of mental breakdown and physical disability, was in charge, so how could the whole Capital be in good shape? Qi Yue went there to assassinate the Grand Prince, but now he told him he hadn’t even seen the shadow of the Grand Prince?

Seeing the suspicion in Yan Lan’s eyes and thinking about what he saw and heard in the Capital today, Qi Yue unprecedentedly had some doubts about Emperor Hongming’s decision. It seems that the imperial sons of the Great Yan Empire are too few. The Eldest Prince is dark, tyrannical, and unscrupulous, the Third Prince is both paranoid and arrogant, while the Second Prince is simply a brainless fool.

Thinking of this, Qi Yue’s heart stirred and asked Yan Lan: “Originally, I had to stay in the Capital for a few days, but when I saw the unique signal smoke of the Northern Army, I hurried to come here. What has happened here, and from which force was that group of people just now?”

Upon hearing Qi Yue’s words, Yan Lan’s face became even more ugly: “Was that my second brother’s people?”

“Oh? I wonder how the Second Prince knows where you are, Third Prince?” Qi Yue’s pair of dark and sunken eyes looked at Yan Lan with a great sense of oppression. Before he left, in case something happened, he had already instructed the Third Prince to be careful in everything. If the two other princes found out where he was, not only would he lose the holy decree, but he would also be given a reputation of rebellion if he was not careful.

Being looked at by Qi Yue’s sharp eyes, Yan Lan stumbled and said, “I just spread the news of my father making me the Crown Prince to get the support of the surrounding gentry and even officials. I didn’t expect that the second brother would be the same as the elder brother……”

Qi Yue almost laughed at Yan Lan. He doubted for the first time whether he was correct in running all the way from the border to support the Third Prince to the throne. What did he mean by not expecting the Second Prince to take action against him as well? The Emperor is approaching the end of his life, so of course, all the princes are eager for the throne. Was it possible for the second prince to support him at all?

Yan Lan also knew he was stupid when he said this. The reason why he did such a thing was that he had done too well in using public opinion to create momentum for himself and smear Yan Sa in the past. The second was that he did not consider the second prince who was far away at all, so he made a big scene.

In fact, if Qing Yun did not have specially released the news to the second prince, the second prince would not have run so quickly to stir up trouble.

Yang Hui looked at Qi Yue’s bad expression, and his heart was immediately bitter. Yang Hui is also considered to have witnessed Qi Yue’s step-by-step struggle on the battlefield to the present day, so he holds Qi Yue in the highest regard.

This person is actually extremely difficult to manage. At least he dares to say that of the three princes today, none of them can be sincerely assisted by Qi Yue. But this person is highly loyal to Emperor Hongming, so as long as the Third Prince has the holy decree in hand, there is no fear that Qi Yue will not help him.

But even so, Yang Hui could not watch Qi Yue produce ill feelings towards the Third Prince. After all, the Northern Army in the hands of Qi Yue is definitely the sharpest weapon in the chaotic world.

Yang Hui spoke up to help the Third Prince: “In fact, what the Third Prince did is reasonable. The Third Prince is honest and indeed holds the value of the ascension. If he can get the support of local officials, the accumulation of small amounts will be able to fight against the Capital controlled by the Grand Prince. The only surprise today is how the second prince knew so quickly about the current situation at the court and rushed to come here?”

Hearing Yang Hui’s question, Qi Yue’s mind immediately flashed back to the white-clothed youth, and the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but curl up.

Besides him, who else could it be?

The Grand Prince could fix the Capital and the court to such an extent, and it must be with the help of this person.

Qi Yue felt, without any reason, that the scheme to release the information to the Second Prince, which seemed to be unfavorable to the eldest Prince at first glance, came from this youth.

As cunning as a fox.

Qi Yue secretly sighed, his fingers subconsciously stroked to the folding fan behind himself.

Qi Yue did not tell Yang Hui and the Third Prince about the young man. In his opinion, Yang Hui and the Third Prince should target the Grand Prince, who has always had a bad reputation, and not Xiang Feng, who has just been advising the Grand Prince and benefiting the people with his every move.

Not knowing that he had completely split into two people in the man’s mind, Qing Yun became angry again at the morning court.

He looked at the document containing the disaster situation in the south. His face was expressionless, making it impossible for people to guess what he was thinking. But the ministers present all lowered their heads and held their breath, not daring to look directly into the majestic eyes of the Grand Prince.

In particular, several from the Ministry of Works were already trembling and sweating like rain.

“I remember that as early as two months ago, in the early summer, someone reported heavy rainfall in the south. At that time, I had already arranged for the construction of riverside dams, and the relief supplies had been distributed, but now I am told that the south is flooded and the people are suffering? Could it be that your Ministry of Works has eaten up everything I said?”

The document “snapped” on the head of the Ministry of Water. The minister immediately knelt: “Please be clear, the Grand Prince, I have arranged everything down……now this situation, I do not know why…….”

At this moment, the head of the Ministry of Rites suddenly stood out: “Your Majesty, I heard that the governor of Xiangzhou, where the flood occurred, is corrupt and treats the people harshly. The money for disaster relief may have gone into the governor’s stomach.”

“Oh? Is there really such a thing?” Qing Yun lightly swept over the Minister of Rites. He knew that there had finally been a reaction from the Third Prince’s side in the past few days. The few officials at the court whose hearts were directed towards the Third Prince were somewhat agitated.

Wei Lin frowned at the Ministry of Rites. He had some bad feeling in his heart, so he opened his mouth and asked: “There is actually such a thing, I don’t know why the Minister of Rites only raised it at this time, the minister should have raised it as early as two months ago.”

Wei Lin is now more authoritative than ever. Without Yang Hui’s suppression, his talent has been revealed little by little.

After hearing the words, the Minister of Rites knelt down and replied, “The reason why I didn’t mention it is because the status of the governor of Xiangzhou is slightly special. The Emperor designated his daughter for marriage to General Qi Yue!”