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”I came from the West Gate, where I defeated the one hundred thousand troops of Marquis Yong’an and Marquis Yongle and rushed all the way to the palace to rescue His Majesty.”

Qin Tian did not look up at Sima Tianchen. This person was quite mysterious, and Qin Tian had only seen him twice.

”Qin Tian, enter the palace to speak!”

Before Sima Tianchen could speak, a True Qi Transmission from the Ice Emperor had already echoed within the palace.

The powerful True Qi Transmission was heard not only by Qin Tian but also by Sima Tianchen. Instantly, the palace made way, and Qin Tian, fully armored, entered the side hall of the Imperial Palace Council Hall.

At this moment, the majestic Ice Emperor was sitting behind the screen. Qin Tian approached the screen and saluted, and the Ice Emperor gestured for Qin Tian to sit down.

”How did you deal with Marquis Yong’an and Marquis Yongle?”

After Qin Tian sat down, the Ice Emperor immediately asked.

His tone was very steady. It was clear that the Ice Emperor was not affected at all by this rebellion of King Wu.

Of course, this also indirectly confirmed Qin Tian’s earlier suspicion that King Wu’s rebellion might have been deliberately induced by the Ice Emperor, whose purpose was to eliminate King Wu!

”I am guilty, Your Majesty. When I was fighting Marquis Yong’an and Marquis Yongle, those two marquises refused to surrender until death. Anxious to rescue Your Majesty, I had no choice but to kill them! I have preserved their bodies well, but they are dead. The fault lies with me, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me!”

Qin Tian confessed on purpose.

He knew what the Ice Emperor was thinking, but he had to say these seemingly righteous words.

”Alas, these two nephews of mine... why did they fall for King Wu’s evil schemes? Never mind, since you have already killed them, let it be. Qin Tian, you killed rebels. You have done no wrong and need not blame yourself. Deliver the bodies of my two nephews to the palace, for I wish to personally bury them.”

The Ice Emperor feigned an expression of extreme sorrow. Qin Tian inwardly sneered, thinking, you old fox, you master of deception, go on with your act. You’re probably laughing inside, aren’t you?

”Qin Tian, I sent you to West State to suppress the Demon Clan. Why did you return with the troops?”

Regaining his composure, the Ice Emperor asked.

Qin Tian had already prepared his response. ”Your Majesty, on the way to West State, I uncovered a conspiracy by Xiao Yunhu and Xiao Yunkui. They secretly contacted King Wu and, after leaving the Imperial City, did not go far but instead camped in Lin City, a little over a thousand miles from the Imperial City, seemingly waiting for something.”

”The Xiao brothers held a past grudge against me. When I confronted them, I discovered their correspondence with King Wu. Coupled with King Wu’s recent actions to frequently move troops out of the Imperial City, I boldly speculated that King Wu had treacherous intentions, so I hastened back to the Imperial City.”

After Qin Tian finished speaking, the Ice Emperor asked again, ”Where are the Xiao brothers now?”

Qin Tian replied, ”They were assassinated. When I was planning how to lead the troops back to rescue His Majesty, the Xiao brothers were killed by an expert in their own quarters. Their eighty-thousand-strong army was left leaderless, providing an excellent opportunity for me to merge those forces into my command, preventing the Xiao brothers from internally cooperating with King Wu and boosting my confidence to come back and rescue Your Majesty.”

”Heh, assassinated? How timely they died.”

From behind the screen came the Ice Emperor’s laughter, carrying a deep implication.

Immediately, the Ice Emperor said, ”Indeed, you noticed King Wu’s rebellion and, at a critical moment, organized your forces to relieve the siege at the West Gate, displaying the demeanor of a great general. Qin Tian, for this incident of King Wu’s rebellion, you are a major meritorious contributor!”

Finally, Qin Tian heard the words he had been waiting for from the Ice Emperor, and he immediately stood up to express his gratitude.

”This time, I agreed to temporarily relieve you of your position as Great Governor of the East Gate because of King Wu’s manipulation. Now, the traitor King Wu shall be pursued and met with a grim fate!”

”But, Qin Tian, you have done a great service this time, and your loyalty is noted. I will not treat you unfairly, just you wait!”

The Ice Emperor’s words finally put Qin Tian’s mind at ease.

As he left the palace, Qin Tian also received news one after another that the 500,000 troops from North State had entered the Imperial City, the 100,000 troops originally dispatched to eliminate the Southern Barbarians in South State had returned to the Imperial City, and similarly, over 400,000 troops that had been sent to confront the Dragon Clan in the East State had reached just over ten miles outside the Imperial City...

In an instant, more than a million troops had gathered, which was no accident but premeditated!

This was a sign that the Ice Emperor was long prepared.

Those hundreds of thousands of troops sent to suppress the invasions of South State and East State had not gone far; they were actually around the Imperial City... Wasn’t this pre-arranged by the Ice Emperor?

As he spoke, Qin Tian suddenly thought that the constant hovering of the Xiao brothers near the Imperial City, could it have been... also pre-arranged by the Ice Emperor?

”Damn, could it be that the Xiao brothers were the Ice Emperor’s people, and I accidentally killed them?”

With this thought, Qin Tian was taken aback.

What he told the Ice Emperor about seeing correspondence between the Xiao brothers and King Wu was a falsehood.

In truth, the reason for the Xiao brothers’ lingering around the Imperial City was mere speculation by Qin Tian, guessing they had a connection with King Wu.

But if the Xiao brothers were the Ice Emperor’s people... then this time... why would the Ice Emperor still promise rewards?

”Hiss... 150,000 in South State, over 400,000 in East State, these 600,000 troops and the Xiao brothers were meant to be ambushed outside the Imperial City... Why does something feel off... The commander of South State is said to be under the Ninth Prince, and the general of East State is said to be under the Crown Prince...”

Returning home and contemplating this, Qin Tian was shocked.

Because he conceived another possibility—

The Ice Emperor hadn’t arranged for the 150,000 troops from South State and 450,000 troops from East State to be ambushed around the Imperial City. Instead, the Ninth Prince and the Crown Prince, having learned of King Wu’s impending rebellion, jointly decided to secretly position these trusted generals and troops outside the Imperial City. Once King Wu succeeded, they could use the excuse of quelling the uprising to march back into the Imperial City. At that time, with the Ice Emperor deceased, the victor between the two could legitimately become the new Emperor!

”Conspiracy... A conspiracy may still be hidden within another conspiracy... Scheme upon scheme, plot upon plot, this Imperial City indeed has the most intricate minds, each more cunning than the last.”

Qin Tian lay on the chair, bitterly and thoughtfully.

King Wu, with his lifetime of fame, unexpectedly defeated by a mere head of the Imperial Guards, even Qin Tian hadn’t anticipated it.

”Who, in the end, is the ultimate winner of this rebellion?”

Qin Tian murmured, ”The Ninth Prince? The Crown Prince? Or the Ice Emperor?”

Qin Tian couldn’t figure it out; the conspiracy was too intricate, and he could no longer determine which generals holding substantial power were loyal to whom.

”Boss, there’s news about King Wu!”

Outside, Xiao Zhuang and Zhou Yang rushed in.