The Emperor of the Wuman Kingdom, a former military man, was not cunning.
Back then, when the Tianxuan Continent was in turmoil, he happened to be stationed in Wuman with his troops.
At that time, Ji Shiyou's father was the Prime Minister of the Tianxuan Kingdom.
With immense power, the Tianxuan Emperor was weak, so he launched a coup and replaced him.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Mingyue's father, who was still a general of the Tianxuan Kingdom, declared independence with his troops.
He occupied Wuman with his army, established the Wuman Kingdom, and crowned himself king.
He was not as resourceful as Emperor Langyue, nor as brutal as Emperor Tianlang.
But he had one advantage: a powerful family with many brothers.
He had more than a dozen biological brothers.
Including his cousins, there were nearly a hundred.
He placed these brothers in official positions within the court.
He believed that as family members of the same lineage, they would surely be loyal to him.
So he lived his life as a carefree emperor, neglecting state affairs.
Sometimes, he wouldn't even attend court for an entire month.
Because he trusted that his brothers.
Would diligently help him manage court affairs.
Little did he know, in the second year after Ji Shiyou's departure.
The Wuman Emperor began to sense something was amiss.
First, his brothers, who held important positions in the court, were openly defiant of his orders.
Then he discovered that his own family in the palace.
Their attendants were monitoring their every move.
Although the Wuman Emperor was not cunning, he was, after all, a formidable figure.
Moreover, he had three intelligent sons to assist him.
The four of them, father and sons, investigated in secret without alerting the enemy.
The results they obtained shocked them.
Mingyue's father, although nominally still the Wuman Emperor.
In reality, the Wuman Kingdom was no longer under his control.
The army, the court, and even the imperial palace had been taken over by his younger brother, Prince Fu.
And all his brothers and cousins had pledged allegiance to Prince Fu.
In other words, the entire royal family of the Wuman Kingdom had betrayed the Wuman Emperor.
And they were plotting to orchestrate an accident to kill Mingyue's family.
Then, all the royal family members would jointly recommend Prince Fu to ascend the throne.
At that time, the Wuman Kingdom would undergo a dynastic change.
Upon receiving this news, Mingyue's parents and her three elder brothers deliberated all night.
Their current situation in Wuman was akin to being in a wolf's den.
They were unarmed and had no means of resistance.
Thus, they thought of the newly enthroned Ji Shiyou as their only hope.
So, before Prince Fu's plan could be put into motion, Yun Shu disguised herself and secretly sought out Ji Shiyou.
Hoping that Ji Shiyou would, for Mingyue's sake, rescue their family from this dire situation.
However, they did not tell Mingyue about these matters.
Firstly, Mingyue was the youngest child in their family.
Spoiled since childhood, she was the apple of everyone's eye.
They did not want her to know the truth and worry.
Secondly, they were concerned about Mingyue's fiery temper.
If she knew the truth, she might immediately confront Prince Fu to fight him.
This would alert the enemy.
Prince Fu's plan would be accelerated, and the entire family would perish.
Yun Shu clearly conveyed Mingyue's father's intentions.
Rather than let the ambitious Prince Fu seize the Wuman Kingdom.
He was willing to offer the Wuman Kingdom as Mingyue's dowry.
To Ji Shiyou, her future son-in-law.
This opportunity perfectly dispelled Ji Shiyou's reservations about sending troops.
He immediately agreed with Yun Shu to dispatch troops to Wuman for rescue.
After occupying Wuman, he would station troops there.
The actual control of Wuman would remain with the Wuman Emperor.
It would be returned later, but he asked Yun Shu's family to cooperate with a staged death.
Yun Shu naturally agreed to such terms.
Thus, Ji Shiyou and Mingyue's family staged a play for the world to see.
After Yun Shu returned, she first had Mingyue's parents feign illness.
To prevent Prince Fu from acting rashly if he grew impatient.
Ji Shiyou dispatched troops to attack Wuman.
Prince Fu, wanting to eliminate Mingyue's family, sent her three elder brothers to the battlefield one by one to intercept Ji Shiyou.
His intention was to use Ji Shiyou's hands to kill them, but this played right into their hands.
Ji Shiyou, playing along with the plan, created the illusion of killing Yun Shu's three brothers on the battlefield.
He secretly hid them, freeing them from Prince Fu's control.
Then he led his army to conquer Cangcheng.
He secretly settled Mingyue's parents, and announced to the public that the Wuman Emperor had committed suicide and the Empress had followed suit.
Then, on the golden throne, he executed all the rebellious royal family members, including Prince Fu.
This not only rescued Mingyue's family but also fulfilled the command of Qinglan Shangren.
However, the scene of his execution was witnessed by Mingyue, who had rushed back.
With her country shattered and her family destroyed, Mingyue vowed to kill Ji Shiyou for revenge.
And Granny Yang and others had been living with Mingyue's family.
Unable to bear seeing Mingyue turn against Ji Shiyou and their misunderstanding deepen.
They revealed the truth, disregarding Ji Shiyou's instructions.
"Mingyue, I'm sorry?
I know I shouldn't have kept it from you, can you forgive me?"
Ji Shiyou explained everything he could to Mingyue, looking at her pitifully.
Given all this, what else could Mingyue say?
Regardless of Ji Shiyou's unspeakable reasons, he had, after all, painstakingly protected her family.
She was no longer alone, and Mingyue was already content.
"Alright, I forgive you!
But, can you really not tell me the unspeakable reason you mentioned?
I truly want to bear it with you. Believe me."
Mingyue was still curious about the secret Ji Shiyou couldn't reveal.
"I really can't say, but you must believe me.
I will never do anything that betrays you or makes you sad."
Ji Shiyou hesitated, almost unable to speak. He had almost blurted out the matter of Qinglan Shangren, but ultimately restrained himself.
"Alright! Finish reading the memorials, and come back early. We'll have dinner together."
Mingyue blushed, lowered her head, and left the secret chamber, exiting the study.
Hearing Mingyue's gentle voice, Ji Shiyou knew.
Mingyue had forgiven him, and now they had reconciled, their misunderstandings resolved.
He sat down with a full heart, lost in thought for a while.
Then his expression grew increasingly serious as he pondered matters.
He had not told Mingyue about Qinglan Shangren just now.
Besides keeping his promise, there was another consideration.
That was, he did not want Mingyue to know that he was afflicted with the Soul Devouring Curse, causing her worry.
Moreover, the fake Cen Ci had confessed.
The Bloodthirsty Hall had sent a total of eight assassins, their sole purpose.
Was to obtain information about Mingyue within the palace and transmit it back to the Bloodthirsty Hall.
Except for the fake Madam Han, who had died, the others had all been captured.
Their confessions were similar to the fake Cen Ci's. Ji Shiyou immediately made a connection.
These individuals were likely sent by his master.
Their focus on Mingyue was merely a facade; the true objective.
Was to investigate whether he had developed feelings for Mingyue, whether he had severed his emotions.
Now, the people of Yuecheng all knew that His Majesty doted on the Empress.
Those individuals had also relayed the news back to the Bloodthirsty Hall.
He believed his master would not give up easily, and he needed to devise a way to deal with it.
As he was deep in thought, he suddenly felt the air in the room change.
He looked up, and a figure had already appeared before him.