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The Sum Emperor had not anticipated that after his eldest son went missing, he would actually flee to the North Country.

Not only did he flee to the North Country, but he also enticed Lu Chen, that rebellious child, to collude with him. The two of them were actually in cahoots.

When Lu Chen attacked Heyang County, he probably didn't do so to occupy it for himself but to lend troops to Prince Lu Yi, and then use Prince Lu Yi as a pawn, allowing Prince Lu Yi to continue depleting the court's strength while Lu Chen would be just watching from behind.

The Sum Emperor was extremely intuitive; simply by looking at the intelligence reports from the Shadow Guards, he had already guessed the purpose behind the North Country's dispatch of troops.

After the morning court session ended, the Sum Emperor went straight to the Royal Garden. By then, Elder Yu Changqing and Fu Hongchou had already been waiting in the Royal Garden.

Upon hearing about the collusion between Lu Yi and the North Prince, Elder Yu Changqing said with a smile, "It seems that it won't be long before the North Prince will lead troops southward."

The Sum Emperor asked, "Why does Elder Yu think so?"

"He is now supporting Prince Lu Yi, using Prince Lu Yi as his pawn to exhaust the court's power. How could he possibly march southward in a short period of time?"

Elder Yu Changqing continued, "With the support of the former Palace Master of Mysterious Moon Palace, it's impossible for the North Prince to keep dragging his feet. In my view, his lending troops to Prince Lu Yi, helping Prince Lu Yi establish influence, serves in part to probe the court's strength, and in part as a preparation for his eventual march southward."

"If Prince Lu Yi truly reaches the Capital city, I dare guarantee that the North Prince will immediately march southward under the pretext of aiding the Emperor."

After hearing Elder Yu Changqing's words, the Sum Emperor thought for a moment and felt there was some logic to it.

If it was truly the case, he would just need to wait in the Capital city, then have Zhao King lead troops into the city, and finally let troops led by Prince Lu Yi pass by unimpeded. It wouldn't take long before the North Prince would believe the legitimate opportunity had arrived and then march southward with his army.

In this way, he wouldn't have to worry about the North Prince remaining in the North Country indefinitely, leaving him with no recourse.

As long as that rebellious child left the North Country, he would surely be able to eliminate him.

Thinking this, the Sum Emperor said, "I only hope that rebellious child really will do as you say."

It was then Elder Yu Changqing said, "Now that the North Prince has made his move, we must also accelerate our actions here."

The Sum Emperor replied indifferently, "The rate at which that weapon absorbs blood essence has clearly slowed down; it should not be long before it can be used again."

Elder Yu Changqing remarked, "If that is the case, then I am relieved."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Everything was essentially ready now; they were just waiting for the North Prince to march southward. Once the North Prince did so, the former Palace Master of Mysterious Moon Palace would surely follow southward, and at that time, their several forces would unavoidably come to a head.

The Sum Emperor thought to himself that once that rebellious child died, he could become a Celestial in a short period of time. Then he would take action to deal with both Elder Yu Changqing and Fu Hongchou, and immediately dispatch troops to attack Mysterious Moon Palace afterward.

In this manner, there would be no one in the whole of Great Sum who could threaten his throne in the future, and other dynasties would have to bow down and pay homage to him.

Thinking about this, the corners of the Sum Emperor's mouth involuntarily lifted slightly.

Elder Yu Changqing and Fu Hongchou, these two fools, surely did not anticipate what his conditions for merging paths were.

If the two of them knew what the conditions for his merging paths were, they wouldn't have come to cooperate with him voluntarily.

At that moment, the Sum Emperor felt extremely satisfied.

I shall ultimately be the final victor!

...

Meanwhile.

Heyang County, Shunan City.

Within the Prefectural Government, a corpulent man was drinking wine, watching the enchanting twists of the dancers, with a beauty at each side of him.

Just then, a guard suddenly burst in and exclaimed, "Prince, something terrible has happened!"

Upon this exclamation, the dance of the hall's dancers ceased, and the music stopped.

The fat man's complexion instantly darkened; he slammed his wine cup onto the ground with a smack and said viciously, "What's all this racket for? Can't you see that this Prince is in the middle of dining!"

The guard, frightened, immediately kneeled, kowtowing while pleading, "Spare your mercy, Prince! Spare your mercy!"

The man waved his hand and said to the two beauties by his side, "Leave me; I've lost all interest now."

Hearing this, the two beauties hurriedly left his side.

After the dancing girls and the musicians had left the hall, the man then demanded, "Speak, what has happened!"

The guard quickly reported, "Prince Lu Yi has borrowed two hundred thousand troops from the North Country and is preparing to attack Heyang County. They are now only separated from Heyang County by a river."

At these words, the man's face changed dramatically, filled with incredible panic.

"How… how could this be…"

"I've only just started enjoying a few days of peace. How could someone come to bother me again…"

The man was the third son of Huai Prince, the former Huai Prince being his father. After the Huai Prince was defeated and killed, Lu Yong escaped with some of his father's men out of their domain. Then, without the approval of the court, he took over Heyang County and declared himself king.

Lu Yong had thought that, with the court overextended and Great Sum in turmoil, the court wouldn't be able to send troops to subjugate them, and that he could enjoy his time in Heyang County.

But to his surprise, not long thereafter, Crown Prince, who had failed in a coup, had actually fled to the North Country and brought back two hundred thousand troops to attack him!

Those were soldiers of the North Country!

The combat power of the North Country soldiers was something he had heard of as notorious.