FRGNM -Chapter 225 Could This Be Considered a Warning?

Had the Emperor already known that they would rebel? Otherwise, why would he refuse to give any explanation at all?

Even Lieyun’s expression darkened. His gaze locked onto the two people ahead, and he let out a cold snort in his heart.

“Imperial Grandfather, Supreme Emperor—Mo’er would like to introduce someone to you,” Nangong Mo said, breaking the heavy silence. He picked a person out of the crowd and pulled her forward.

Murong Ming half-lowered his eyes and smiled kindly. “Oh? Then tell me—whose daughter is this young lady?”

“Supreme Emperor, this is the Commandery Princess personally ennobled by Imperial Grandfather—Qian Yi. She is also the Crown Princess that Mo’er intends to marry. Here, Mo’er respectfully asks Imperial Grandfather and the Supreme Emperor to preside over the matter and allow me to marry Yi’er.” With a slight upward curl of his lips, Nangong Mo knelt down.

Qian Yi’s face turned livid. Yet in front of the Supreme Emperor, she dared not act recklessly and could only kneel as well. A cold light flashed in her eyes—she wished she could tear Nangong Mo apart. With clasped hands, she said, “Your Majesty, Supreme Emperor, this humble girl only wishes to guard the frontier. I ask—”

“Hahaha! Since the man has affection and the woman has intent, why not?” Murong Ming laughed heartily, stroking his beard. “Since she is General Qian’s daughter, I approve it. Mo’er, once you and this little girl are married, be sure to inform me.”

Qian Yi’s expression grew even uglier. She shot Nangong Mo a vicious glare. She didn’t want this at all! So what if he was the Crown Prince? A man who only took advantage of others when they weren’t paying attention—she—

Then why hadn’t she refused just now? Why had she instead… delayed the wedding date?

At that thought, Qian Yi’s face instantly flushed crimson.

This scene fell squarely into Nangong Mo’s eyes. Had he proposed too slowly? Why did it feel like Qian Yi was even more anxious than he was? He couldn’t help shivering slightly, but he straightened up and said with a light smile, “In that case, even if the Supreme Emperor enters seclusion, would Mo’er still be able to invite you out to share a cup of wedding wine?”

The moment those words fell, the expressions of the others changed drastically. If they were to rebel, and Nangong Mo used his wedding as an excuse to summon the Supreme Emperor—then the consequences… no, that could not be allowed.

Seeing everyone’s reactions, Murong Ming understood perfectly well. Stroking his beard, he chuckled. “Mo’er, don’t push your luck. I will enter seclusion for a hundred years, and I will not emerge before that time. If you marry this little girl, just place a jar of fine wine where I reside.”

“Haa…” At once, those who had been on edge let out a long breath, cold sweat streaming down their foreheads. If the Supreme Emperor had truly agreed just now, what would they have done?

Lieyun had also been given a fright. He tugged at his robes—thankfully, he hadn’t embarrassed himself.

Nangong Mo felt a bit disappointed, but could only say helplessly, “Yes, Supreme Emperor. Next time, Mo’er will certainly send you fine wine.”

“Hahaha! Good. Then I, Murong Ming, thank you all,” Murong Ming said with a faint smile.

“These past years, thank you for taking care of Hua’er. My Murong realm will not treat you poorly. I hope you will continue to support Hua’er, and also build good relations with Mo’er. The Murong family thanks you all!”

“The Supreme Emperor is too kind,” all the civil and military officials said together, standing up and draining their cups. Looking at the immortal-like old man before them, they could only smile bitterly inwardly.

Murong Ming then turned to Luo Mingyu and Ling Ruoxi, raised his cup, and smiled calmly. “I’ll also trouble the two of you. The Murong realm depends on you.”

“Of course,” Luo Mingyu replied lazily, lifting his cup and drinking it down with ease.

Ling Ruoxi nodded but dared not drink alcohol. She could only sip some tea. Joking aside—if she drank wine, who knew what might happen? What if she accidentally tore the palace apart?

After the Supreme Emperor’s birthday celebration, the immortal-like Murong Ming continued his seclusion. The grand banquet ended amid constant tension, but fortunately, nothing unexpected occurred.

At the same time, outside the imperial city, restless forces were gradually drawing closer.

A storm was brewing.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

In the dead of night, icy killing intent spread, cold voices filling the entire imperial city.

In an instant, golden light erupted across the city. People peeked out to see the barrier within the imperial city flashing like the most beautiful fireworks, flickering endlessly.

The city walls to the east, west, north, and south were all sealed. Except for the south, the other walls were already lined with troops, staring coldly below. Under the illumination, the army camping ten miles outside the city looked like a fire dragon stretching across the land.

As danger approached, the city’s barrier activated automatically, protecting the imperial city and forbidding all external forces from entering.

“Report! Your Majesty, Crown Prince—bad news! An army has advanced to within ten miles of the imperial city!” A panicked guard knelt heavily on the ground, cold sweat dripping as he looked at the two men by the desk.

This was something that had never happened in thousands of years. For an army to reach the imperial city, all surrounding forces would have had to be annihilated first. Yet they had arrived silently, right outside the city—their target clearly the entire imperial city. Were they planning to seize it from the center outward?

If they weren’t external forces, then the most likely explanation was internal strife.

“I know. You may leave,” Murong Hua said calmly, flipping through the memorials in his hands. Such a massive army had entered, yet not a single memorial mentioned it—as if the matter had been deliberately concealed.

He chose silence, gently closing the memorial. Looking at the person before him, Murong Hua smiled lightly. “Mo’er, do you remember the question the Supreme Emperor asked that day?”

“Imperial Grandfather… you mean?” Nangong Mo froze slightly. He had known about this news long ago, but judging from Murong Hua’s expression, it seemed the man before him had known even earlier.

Smiling faintly, Murong Hua said calmly, “You. The Supreme Emperor asked what one should do when faced with such a situation. My answer was—to give no explanation. Mo’er, you understand what I mean, don’t you?”

“So Imperial Grandfather and the Supreme Emperor already knew Lieyun would rebel. Imperial Grandfather intends to hand this matter over to me?” A sharp glint flashed in Nangong Mo’s eyes. He smiled calmly, though his heart trembled slightly.

Nodding, Murong Hua smiled. “Exactly. To become the Emperor of Duanyun Kingdom, one must have a strong heart—one that can contain all things and withstand every blow and betrayal. Mo’er, this is merely your stepping stone. Step on it, and you succeed. Fail to do so, and it will crush you to death. No matter your choice, Imperial Grandfather will support you.”

Reaching for a token beside him, Murong Hua continued, “This is the military command seal. The hundred thousand troops within the imperial city are at your disposal, including the three thousand elite by my side. The five hundred thousand troops stationed in other cities are also under your command. However, it will take at least one day for the outer armies to reach the city. If you can hold them off for one day, you win.”

“Yes, Imperial Grandfather. Mo’er will never disappoint your expectations!” Clasping his fists, Nangong Mo took the token and turned to leave.

The man reclining on the couch merely smiled faintly. “See? This is your grandson—capable, isn’t he? Soon… I will come to accompany you as well. Then I can go down and see Pingtian.”

“Take the command seal to the city a hundred li away and mobilize five hundred thousand troops to enter the city!” Handing the seal to a guard, Nangong Mo turned to face the ink-black night and sneered coldly. “So you’ve finally made your move, Lieyun. You really can’t wait. I’d like to see what methods you’ll use to fight me.”

“Three thousand elites, heed my command—disperse throughout the imperial city and operate the mechanisms according to the blueprints. All other soldiers, rest and prepare for tomorrow’s battle.”

With a sharp clap of his hand, Nangong Mo gazed into the night sky. The battle would begin tomorrow. Giving him a show of force now—only someone as impatient as Lieyun would do that.

The night grew even darker, murderous intent filling the heavens and earth, oppressive and suffocating.

A million troops had arrived at the city gates. Inside the imperial city, the gates were tightly shut. Beyond the moat, barricades had already been set up. Catapults lined the walls, boulders and wooden spikes prepared. Archers surrounded the battlements, staring down at the besieging army.

“Who goes there beneath the city walls!” General Qian stood atop the wall, his expression grim. Even though he already knew who they were, he still needed everyone to hear where these people came from.

The man below looked up with a cold smile and removed his conical hat, revealing Jiang Wei’s icy face. Casually tossing the hat aside, he stood beneath the wall. “General Qian—long time no see.”

“It’s you! Such audacity! The Supreme Emperor has just entered seclusion, and you already dare to gather troops to attack the imperial city. Have you eaten bear’s heart and leopard’s gall?!” Qian Guang roared coldly.

Jiang Wei chuckled softly. “General Qian, calm yourself. You know that the current Emperor is addicted to wine and women, indifferent to the people. Even with that brat from the Nangong family assisting him, it’s still useless. Moreover, that brat’s identity from the Nangong family hasn’t even been fully confirmed. Just because some people say he is—does that make it so? The Murong dynasty has reached the end of its mandate. It’s time for us to take over!”

Hearing these words, the people within the city turned pale. They hadn’t expected such treasonous words. The Crown Prince’s identity had long been confirmed—could the Emperor possibly mistake his own grandson?

With no direct royal heirs, Nangong Mo had become the final successor. And it was precisely because of this that others used it as a pretext for rebellion.

Qian Guang’s face flushed with rage, his eyes red as he shouted coldly, “Nonsense! Jiang, shut your mouth! You traitorous minister, leading troops to attack the imperial city! For the sake of your past service to the Emperor, I won’t pursue the matter. Withdraw your troops immediately!”

“Withdraw?” Jiang Wei’s lips curled upward. “General Qian, have you grown senile? Our troops are already at the city gates. Do you really think we’ll withdraw?”

With a casual wave of his hand, the heavy shield infantry in the front ranks quickly moved aside. Bound by ropes, magical beasts slowly emerged from the crowd. Jiang Wei smiled calmly and said, “I know that within the imperial city, only the East Gate remains open. When danger arises, the other gates will completely seal under the barrier’s power. As long as you hold the East Gate, you believe you’ll achieve total victory. But this is also the only breach. Tell me—are these thousand-year-old barriers stronger… or are these magical beasts stronger?”