Dispatch Troops to Kyoto

Wang Ming had been holding in a bellyful of anger for a long time.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Ren Tianchao as if lifting a little chick and hurled him out the door like a sack of potatoes.

While Ren Tianchao was left dizzy and disoriented from the fall, Wang Ming shouted, Where are the personal guards? Give him the cane!

The core members of the personal guards in the general's manor were selected from the Eight Hundred Army. Their loyalty was unquestionable, and they would never leak information to the noble families, making them the most suitable candidates.

Soon, Ren Tianchao was pressed down onto a bench.

Ren Tianchao's face had already changed color, and now, filled with utter panic, he cried out, Big brother, big brother, what are you doing?

I am your younger brother!

Even if you don't agree to my requests, you can't treat me like this! Otherwise, Father will not spare you...

Ah...

Before he could finish his words, a miserable shriek rang out.

Before the first scream ended, a second one followed.

The guards had immense physical strength. Under Wang Ming's signals, they beat Ren Tianchao ruthlessly, essentially aiming to punish him as severely as possible.

Smack, smack, smack...

The sound of the cane falling was incessant.

At first, Ren Tianchao screamed miserably, but gradually, his cries ceased. Upon closer inspection, he had actually fainted from the pain.

Great General, should we continue?

Of course! Ren Tianye said. Wake him up with water and continue. Just leave him with one breath of life.

Yes! Wang Ming complied. He fetched freezing cold water and splashed it onto Ren Tianchao's face. After waking him up, he ordered the guards to resume the caning.

As a result, the general's manor was filled with Ren Tianchao's agonized screams. Ren Tianye, no longer interested in watching personally, returned to his room and pondered what excuse he could use to have Ren Tianchao killed.

After all, keeping this Ren Tianchao alive was quite a big trouble for him.

Great General...

While he was thinking, Wang Ming walked in. That Ren Tianchao really can't take it anymore. After only twenty or so strokes, he is already on the verge of death.

It seems he is entirely a pampered young master whose body has been hollowed out by wine and women.

Hmm! Ren Tianye nodded without further comment and instead asked, Did he have any specific business coming to the Northern Frontier this time?

Have you found out?

Wang Ming immediately replied, Ren Tianchao can no longer speak, so asking him is useless. However, your subordinate searched his belongings and found an imperial edict.

An imperial edict?

Ren Tianye was surprised. He took the edict from Wang Ming, opened it, and discovered that it was not written in Xiao Mingzhao's tone, but rather... in the tone of the court officials.

It clearly stated that Tuoba Xiangtai was bewitching the Emperor's mind, disrupting the imperial court, and endangering the state. It praised Ren Tianye for his bravery, decisiveness, and outstanding merits, specifically summoning him to lead his elite troops and rush to the capital by night.

To clear the evil from the Emperor's side and secure the imperial ancestral temple!

It also stated that he was allowed to act at his own discretion, executing first and reporting later!

Ren Tianye read this imperial edict three full times before he could completely process it. Then... a wild joy instantly overflowed from his expression!

No way!

No way!

They were asking him to lead troops to the capital to clear the Emperor's side?!

He had been struggling to find a suitable excuse, and now an imperial edict was handed to him?!

And they were letting him bring his army?

That was simply too perfect!

Without this edict, he would inevitably have to expend a lot of effort to conquer this world in the future. But if he entered the capital now with the edict and his elite troops...

Ren Tianye could hardly imagine how incredibly satisfying this scenario would be for him!

I don't know which genius in the capital came up with this brilliant plan. Once I enter the capital, I must thank them properly!

Thinking this, Ren Tianye had Wang Ming drag Ren Tianchao over. Regardless of whether Ren Tianchao was beaten to the brink of death, he grabbed him and interrogated him about the details.

He wanted to confirm one by one if there were any hidden tricks.

Whenever Ren Tianchao answered vaguely or too slowly, a slap immediately followed.

With such swift and fierce methods, it didn't take long for Ren Tianye to figure it out completely: it was real!

In the royal court, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, Gu Qingyue, along with the General of Agile Cavalry Lu Qing, and the Prime Minister, had jointly made this decision.

It possessed extremely strong legal effect!

Heaven is truly helping me!

Ren Tianye hesitated no longer and immediately issued military orders.

First, he urgently recalled Sun Xiang. He had to leave a senior general to guard the Northern Frontier, which was his foundation, and Sun Xiang was the best candidate.

After doing this, he began to tally his troop numbers.

Currently, the troops under his command had long exceeded two hundred thousand, and the Northern Frontier basically belonged entirely to him. Leaving behind at most one hundred thousand men to garrison the area would be perfectly fine.

He only needed to ensure that the one hundred thousand troops he brought to the capital were elite enough to suppress the chaotic and complex situation there.

After such urgent deployments, in just a few days, Ren Tianye led his grand army, marching mightily straight toward the capital.

On the way, he naturally brought Ren Tianchao along.

However, when Ren Tianchao left, he was sitting in a sedan chair. As Ren Tianye explained to the noble families: he had accidentally caught a cold.

But the people of the noble families did not know that Ren Tianchao didn't have much longer to live.

...

The Capital!

The city was still in a state of turmoil, and the ministers remained panic-stricken.

There was still no news of the Empress Xiao Mingzhao these past few days. She stayed in the Yuchen Mansion, refusing to come out no matter what, and all matters of the court, big and small, were only communicated through memorials.

Although the quality of the memorials had been getting higher and higher recently, the ministers still felt uneasy.

Those who had participated in that meeting were all hoping and waiting to see when Ren Tianye would arrive.

Meanwhile, reports from the scouts became more frequent by the day.

Great General Ren Tianye has left the Northern Frontier!

Great General Ren Tianye's leading troops have banners that block out the sun. Their numbers are feared to be a hundred thousand strong, and they have reached Yanji City!

Great General Ren Tianye is less than five days away from the capital!

...

Upon receiving the news, Gu Qingyue's gaze focused slightly.

Finally, Ren Tianye was coming.

The political landscape of the capital was about to undergo an earth-shattering change.

However, before Ren Tianye arrived, she still needed to do one thing to show him a display of authority. Otherwise, if Ren Tianye developed the arrogance of a proud general with fierce troops, he would be difficult to handle.

She had long planned this matter; she only needed the right opportunity. And right now was a perfectly suitable time.

Go and invite the young Duke, Lu Jun!

Gu Qingyue ordered.

Her status was equal to that of the young Duke Lu Jun. After all, she was the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's estate, while young Duke Lu Jun was the heir of the Duke of Fuguo's estate.

Of course, young Duke Lu Jun's father had contracted a cold some time ago and unfortunately passed away. Under Her Majesty's decree, the power of the Duke of Fuguo's estate had essentially fallen into the hands of his second uncle, Lu Qing.

However, even in Lu Qing's hands, young Duke Lu Jun's status remained very high. After all, who didn't know that Lu Qing loved Lu Jun's mother to the very core of his bones?

He wished he could carve his heart out to show Ruyue.

Therefore, to get young Duke Lu Jun's help this time, she had to appeal to his emotions and reason with him!

And she believed that young Duke Lu Jun would not refuse!

...