After setting the matter about Lin Chujiu, Xiao Tianyao ordered Imperial Doctor Zhu to take good care of Lin Chujiu. Then left after telling the guard about something.
The place where Su Cha used to live now has become Xiao Tianyao’s office. After asking the guards to send in the official documents that needed to be processed, Xiao Tianyao took care of the backlog of official affairs.
Most of the official duties were handled by Mo Qingfeng privately. But most of the rest was beyond Mo Qingfeng’s ability, such as the secret letter from the emperor to Xiao Tianyao.
Mo Qingfeng never moved any secret letters sent by the emperor to Xiao Tianyao. They were all locked in a wooden box, waiting for Xiao Tianyao to return.
The capital and the border were far apart. Under Xiao Tianyao’s deliberate suppression, the news that spread was not complete. Although the emperor allowed his men to keep an eye on Xiao Tianyao’s actions all the time, the emperor can’t know what Xiao Tianyao did every single moment. And even if he learned them, it was impossible to make a decision immediately.
The emperor wrote three secret letters to Xiao Tianyao. The contents of the first two letters were about the war with the Northern Country. He wanted Xiao Tianyao to return to the capital. His words were fairly polite.
But the last one was not polite at all.
Calculating the time, the last secret letter was sent after hearing Xiao Tianyao killed the three martial gods of the central empire, and that he had fought with the eldest prince Xuanyuan Zhi.
Originally, because the generals under the emperor’s hands had collided with the enemy and betrayed the country before the battle, he was quite passive. However, the situation reversed as soon as the news about Xiao Tianyao fighting against Xuanyuan Zhi reached the capital.
Xiao Tianyao killed the martial gods passed through the ears to the people in the capital. It can be said that Xiao Tianyao won’t be able to hide the fact that he kidnapped Xuanyuan Zhi. Once this news was confirmed, the minister on the opposition side in the eastern country will definitely say in unison: Prince Xiao must be abolished.
It was an indisputable fact that Xiao Tianyao offended the eldest prince and provoked the dignity of the central empire. To keep their face, the central empire will not let Xiao Tianyao go.
According to the central imperial usual style, Xiao Tianyao will be brought to the Central Empire to receive punishment. The majestic and powerful prince of the eastern country, may not be as good as an ordinary family in the central empire. Once it happened, even if Xiao Tianyao return from the central empire safely, his people would be destroyed.
Those ministers who wandered around the imperial court knew how to look in the direction of the wind. Seeing that Xiao Tianyao had repeatedly offended the Central Empire, the ministers who had remained neutral and didn’t interfere with the dispute between Xiao Tianyao and the emperor immediately stood at the highest point of morality and accused Xiao Tianyao of wasting money and ignored the peace treaty of the four countries.
In short, it was wrong for Xiao Tianyao to attack the Northern Country. And it was wrong of him to delay coming back after winning.
The Northern Country had surrendered a long time ago, but Xiao Tianyao hoarded the soldiers and horses at the border and refused to return to the capital. What does he mean by this?
Is he rebelling?
Some clever ones expressed it obscurely, while some stupid ones expressed it straightforwardly. Even the crown prince and several princes also jumped out to join in the fun. They wanted to join forces to divide Xiao Tianyao’s power.
All these showed that those people in the capital were not optimistic about Xiao Tianyao. The wind direction in the court has fallen in favor of the emperor. The officials in favor of Xiao Tianyao didn’t even have the opportunity to speak in court.
Under such circumstances, the emperor would naturally not be cautious of Xiao Tianyao. So the words he used in the last secret letter were not as polite and cautious as in the past.
In the last secret letter, the emperor not only held Xiao Tianyao accountable for his mistakes during the expedition but also strongly demanded that Xiao Tianyao must return to the capital within a month. And plead for his sins in front of hundreds of officials in the main hall, or prove his innocence.
But what if he can’t prove his innocence?
Then the emperor can punish him according to the law. If the emperor violates the law, he must be punished like an ordinary person. Xiao Tianyao was not even the emperor. How can he escape punishment when he breaks the law?
As for the soldiers on the border and Xiao Tianyao’s Jinwuwei army?
People shouldn’t worry about this, someone will naturally take over. Xiao Tianyao was not the only person in this world who can lead soldiers. The eastern country was so huge, so how can they not be able to find someone to take over the soldiers and horses in Xiao Tianyao’s hands?
If one person doesn’t work, there will be two. If two still don’t work, then there will be ten. Is it possible that without Xiao Tianyao the eastern country would be destroyed?
Obviously, after seeing Xiao Tianyao offended the Central Empire, both the emperor and his courtiers thought that Xiao Tianyao must be abolished, so they didn’t feel pressure to step on him.
“Humph… ridiculous.” After reading the last secret letter, Xiao Tianyao just threw it aside, completely ignoring it.
In the past few years, the emperor has become more and more incompetent. He has been fighting him for so many years, but he hasn’t succeeded yet, so he was being impatient.
People were prone to make mistakes when they were in a rush. They were also easy to be blinded by immediate interests. The emperor has been fighting with him for so many years, yet he still doesn’t know who Xiao Tianyao is?
Will he provoke the central empire without preparation like a silly boy?
The emperor was really stupid.
In addition to the emperor’s imperial decree, there were also some official documents of the court. It was nothing more than about the food, weapons, and clothes they want. There were also transcripts of several official documents, all of which are accusing military lieutenants of bullying men and women, neglecting human life, and forcibly robbing women.
Xiao Tianyao has always been serious and doesn’t usually laugh, but when he sees what was written on the official document, he can’t help showing a mocking smile.
He knew that his soldiers occasionally take advantage of the people. They take some food and drink, or chase chickens and ducks, but it was absolutely impossible to bully men and women, ignore human life, and forcibly rob women.
There were military prostitutes in the army, and there were a lot of them. Although they can’t meet the needs of the soldiers, these people will not go out to rob civilian women. Not because they don’t dare, but because they have no chance at all.
His soldiers have always been strictly controlled. They have no opportunity to go out alone. Those people in the capital seemed very idle.
Mo Qingfeng also has the same thought in mind. So he set it aside after reading it and left it for Xiao Tianyao to decide.
Xiao Tianyao casually threw these unreliable official documents aside, then picked up the news his shadow guards has collected and carefully checked it.
The people in the capital were very restless because of his offense against the Central Empire. The officials of the imperial court seemed to have nothing serious to do and simply stare at him every day. But this time, the emperor did things a little more beautiful. He didn’t embarrass him upfront. At least, he didn’t directly send soldiers to surround his mansion like before.
As for the emperor’s private actions, Xiao Tianyao was not afraid. The emperor could do whatever he wanted in private. Because even if the emperor make a move, he could get it back. What he doesn’t want the emperor to see, the emperor won’t be able to see no matter what he does.
But indeed, it was quite annoying for the emperor to trouble him again and again. Maybe he should return to the capital and deal with these people. Otherwise, when he went to the Central Empire, these people might jump over his wall and clean him up. He won’t be able to come back in a short time.
After pondering for a while, Xiao Tianyao made a decision.
It was necessary for him to return to the capital as soon as possible, but it was even more necessary for him to deal with Xuanyuan Zhi before returning to the capital!
