Resignation

"But you have already obtained a lot."

Inside the elegant hall, a screen painted with ornate landscapes stood quietly amidst the deep, dark brown decor. Moonlight, filtered through the elegant, dimly lit gilded lamps, illuminated Xu Yuan's face. After a moment of contemplation, he uttered these words slowly and deliberately:

"It's even exceeded what you deserve."

"."

The expression in Li Yunqing's eyes changed slightly.

There was surprise, but more than that, there was unease.

He suddenly realized the purpose behind the silence of Prime Minister Xu and his Prime Minister Faction in court these past few days.

They have already reaped enormous benefits from this feast of division.

Because of the mistakes made by the Prime Minister's Mansion, many important positions in the court were regained by the royal family.

Breaking the rules comes at a price; this is the logic of how power operates.

The Prime Minister's Mansion has incurred the wrath of the Sage of the Xien, putting the Great Yan Emperor in danger. This is a mistake.

The imprisonment and dismissal of high-ranking members of the Prime Minister Faction is a punishment.

The punishment has already balanced out the wrongdoing; now they want more, and those who break the rules have become the elite of the Li family.

Everything should end here, and it must end here.

But the emperor seemed to want more, wanting to act like a thug towards the Prime Minister's Mansion. However, in terms of strength, the royal family did not have the right to act like a thug towards the Prime Minister's Estate.

"Hu Xu Xiang, what a brilliant tactic!"

Letting out a long breath, Li Yunqing lowered his eyes to look at the wine in the bronze vessel:

"He uses stillness to manipulate the world, making a fool of everyone until it's too late when they discover his true intentions."

Xu Yuan shook his head and said softly:

"This is just a simple information gap, and hasn't my Prime Minister's Mansion already paid such a high price?"

At this point, Xu Yuan glanced wistfully at the dark sky outside the window:

"You have completely removed the Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion's hand from the defenses of Di'an."

This is actually a rather dangerous sign.

Countless lessons from history have taught the world that coups often occur in the capital of an imperial dynasty.

Di'an is the central hub of the Great Yan, as well as the central hub of the Prime Minister's Mansion's residence. The Prime Minister's Estate is located within Di'an City, and Xu Yinhe resides within the Prime Minister's Mansion.

If the royal family were to take action without warning, the absence of personnel within the city's defense system would mean that the Prime Minister's Prime Minister's Mansion would be unable to react immediately, let alone utilize the people within the city's defense system to implement countermeasures.

Li Yunqing gently shook his head:

"The fact that you're willing to pay such a high price only shows that you're getting more in return."

In response to Li Yunqing's probing question, Xu Yuan smiled noncommittally and asked in return:

"So, you're still planning to come and demand your person back?"

"If I had a choice, I would say I'm not prepared, but I don't have a choice."

Li Yunqing's voice was rather melancholy, and he couldn't help but feel envious as he looked at the young man's relaxed expression.

Both being top-tier second-generation officials of the dynasty, this kid not only has the ability to participate in the highest decision-making without any scruples, but also commands a sizable private army, while he can only serve as cannon fodder leading the charge.

Xu Yuan wasn't surprised and chuckled as he said:

"Who told you to never fight or compete?"

Li Yunqing gave a soft snort:

"It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering."

Xu Yuan grinned and whispered:

"Li Zhaoyuan's current situation is much worse than yours, but look at him now? With your abilities, you shouldn't be any worse off than him, but unfortunately you're unwilling to take the risks."

Li Yunqing rolled her eyes, wanting to retort, but found herself speechless.

Because what this kid said is true.

After a moment's pause, Li Yunqing shook his head helplessly:

"Personality is something you're born with; there's nothing you can do about it."

Xu Yuan took a small sip of the spiritual wine in his cup, then smacked his lips.

His body could no longer absorb the spiritual energy in the wine; it could only satisfy his appetite.

At this point, Li Yunqing directly changed the subject, saying:

"By the way, does our previous cooperation still count?"

"Dongying Island?"

Xu Yuan put down his wine glass, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes. "Of course it counts, but after what happened that night, you probably don't need my support anymore, right?"

Li Yunqing glanced at Xu Yuan and gave a soft snort:

"You're asking a question you already know the answer to, aren't you? Theoretically, that's true. After all, the capital was almost destroyed. Even if it's just for appearances, the imperial court would give the Dongying Island enough attention. But the problem is now..."

"Get to the point, stop rambling on and on about these trivial things."

"." Li Yunqing.

"My elder brother discussed this matter privately with our father, who promised to send more troops. However, the commander-in-chief will be a member of the Imperial Guards, while I will become the supervising officer."

After saying that, Li Yunqing looked longingly at his beloved friend and relative across from him.

Xu Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't speak immediately.

This unexpected turn of events caught him somewhat off guard.

It was only natural for the Di'an a general to accompany him, since Li Yunqing was not familiar with military affairs. With such a large army, the mere thought of feeding, lodging, and transportation of the soldiers would be enough to make an outsider's scalp tingle, let alone marching and fighting. However, it was somewhat unreasonable to demote Li Yunqing from his original position as commander to supervisor.

Both morally and legally, this expeditionary force should be led by Prince Li Yunqing.

After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan suddenly looked at Li Yunqing and smiled, then whispered:

"Your father truly understands your character perfectly."

The reason is simple: the Dongying Island are far from the Eastern Isles's reach. Once Li Yunqing establishes himself there, he will most likely start playing the game of "a general in the field can disobey the emperor's orders."

This is something Li Yaoxuan cannot tolerate.

In the past, a symbolic investment could be considered a gift between father and son, but now that the scale is large, the investment naturally needs to yield corresponding returns.

Li Yaoxuan wanted to use Li Yunqing's abilities to stabilize the situation in Eastern Isles, while also wanting to seize actual control of the Dongying Island.

Li Yunqing clicked his tongue lightly.

"Can you stop making sarcastic remarks? If you don't raise the stakes, there's a high chance I won't be able to fulfill your request over there."

Xu Yuan was silent for a moment, then asked softly:

"How many additional people will your royal family send?"

"My elder brother said there will be at least two battalions of imperial guards."

Two battalions, totaling 10,000 men, and the Imperial Guards were among the most elite and powerful armies in the Great Yan Dynasty.

After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan nodded:

"I am aware of this matter."

Li Yunqing immediately asked tentatively:

How many people can you add to my bets?

Xu Yuan did not answer directly, but asked with a smile:

"Li Zhaoyuan could take down a Sect Alliance army of 100,000 without anything. As a prince, you have a natural right to the Imperial Guards, yet you can't even take down 10,000?"

"No the same."

Li Yunqing's expression stiffened, and his speech quickened slightly. "The Sect Alliance Army is a coalition of various Sect Alliance, and there are many ways to divide and conquer, but the Imperial Guard is a monolithic entity. The two are simply incomparable."

"If Li Zhaoyuan were in your position, do you think he wouldn't be able to handle it?"

"If you can choose the easy difficulty, are you fucking willing to go to hell?"

"."

"."

They stared at each other for a moment, wide-eyed and speechless.

Xu Yuan gently shook his head.

He roughly understood Li Yunqing's intention in telling him all this.

Although it seemed like he was joking around, Li Yunqing was actually reminding him that the situation was changing rapidly and that their cooperative status was now approaching that of equals.

If I don't add any more stakes, I now have other options. I can choose the same path as Li Zhaoyuan, and then you won't have the opportunity to openly intervene in the Dongying Island.

"I have already sent people to count the exact number of troops. The army will need to pass through the Northern Border on its southward march, and there is still chaos and unrest there. However, I should be able to give you a definite answer after the New Year."

Li Yunqing chuckled and slowly stood up from the prayer mat:

"Shall we discuss the details then?"

Xu Yuan frowned upon hearing this:

Do you have other plans tonight?

Li Yunqing shrugged helplessly.

"I wouldn't dare ask a 'dead man' like you out at this critical juncture if I didn't have a legitimate reason."

Xu Yuan was silent for a moment, then lowered his eyes and said in a low voice:

"So your father has sent you to my Prime Minister's Mansion tonight to demand someone?"

Li Yunqing smoothed the wrinkles in his robes, walked slowly to the window, the cold wind ruffling his hair, and whispered softly:

"Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, looks like this year's celebration won't be good, haha."

In the 46th year of the Jiajing,

On the night of the 29th of the year, Prince Qing went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to demand the return of Princess Xien, but the Crown Prince stopped Crown Prince.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, the Prime Minister presented his resignation to the emperor.