Now All He Wanted Was to Keep His Entire Clan from Being Exterminated! (Please Subscribe and Vote with Monthly Tickets)

Inside the palace where Chu Ruoyan resided, her father, Chu Jingsong, anxiously gave his daughter, a noble consort deeply favored by the emperor, a detailed account of Chu Xiang's ordeal at Cold Iron Pass and the damage to the tribute goods.

The Chu Lineage now enjoyed considerable influence in the Imperial Capital. Having lost face, they had to win it back.

At first, Chu Ruoyan's delicate brows merely furrowed slightly. She felt that this member of a collateral branch of her family was far too troublesome.

But when she heard the name "Cheng Li," her slender body jolted. She rose straight from her brocade stool, her beautiful eyes widening as she urgently asked, "Father! What did you say that Commandant was called? Cheng Li? Which Cheng? Which Li?"

Startled by his daughter's intense reaction, Chu Jingsong asked in bewilderment, "The Cheng in Cheng Li, and the Li in Cheng Li. Is there something wrong with that name?"

Chu Ruoyan's breathing grew rapid. Lowering her voice, she said in disbelief, "Father! Read that name backward. When I accompanied His Majesty on his incognito outings before, that was his favorite alias!"

Chu Jingsong froze for a moment. Then, as though a thunderbolt from the highest heavens had struck the crown of his head, his entire body went rigid, and his face instantly turned as white as paper.

His lips trembled, his voice shaking so badly it barely formed words. "Li... Li Chen... Cheng Li... His... His... His Majesty?!!"

His legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed to the floor!

Just moments ago, he had been planning to recover the Chu Lineage's lost face. Now all he wanted was to keep his entire clan, down to the ninth degree of kinship, from being exterminated.

As Li Chen's favored consort, Chu Ruoyan naturally knew some