In an instant, the Prince of the West's face turned pale, and his hands trembled faintly.
He thought of his second son, who was like a god of slaughter. He thought of the agreement between his imperial brother and Wang Xian years ago... He even thought of how the Great General hadn't returned to the imperial city for the funeral.
He wanted to say something, but couldn't get a word out.
The battle at Jinling Ferry had completely defied his expectations—and everyone else's.
Who could have guessed that, cornered, the Great General would lead fifty thousand troops in a furious counterattack, even beheading the old eunuch sent from the imperial city to deliver the decree?
That old bastard was the First Prince's most trusted man, after all.
The people of the imperial city must never have imagined that the Great General's counterattack would be so terrifying. The barbarian army had suffered heavy losses, and so had the imperial city's forbidden army.
He drew a deep breath. Only when Murong Ruyu brought tea and set it before the three of them did he finally speak.
"No one knows whether my imperial brother perished beneath the heavenly tribulation. I won't believe it until I see his bones..."
"The eldest has spent years building up his elite forces, and they're about to be wiped out at Jinling Ferry. If my second son destroys the barbarian army and returns victorious, who could stop him?"
"Those two brothers schemed and schemed until they brought about their own father's death... Was it worth it?"
His words left Murong Ruyu and the two women, Qiu Mingyu and the other, staring in stunned silence.
Qiu Mingyu thought of the rumors she'd heard, and how the Academy had stopped paying attention to everything happening in the dynasty.
Could it