Imperial Palace, main hall.

The news that Imperial Master Li An had returned to the capital of Northern Qi had spread throughout the entire Shangjing City, forcing the court meeting, which had only just begun, to be terminated.

Today, Xihu has gradually been brought under control.

Almost three months have passed since Li An left Yan Shen to return to the capital.

During this period, the civil servants arranged by the Northern Qi Dynasty had gradually moved into the Protectorate established by the Western Hu, and gradually became familiar with the customs and habits of the Western Hu. These people were all young officials, who were students who graduated from the Hundred Schools Academy this year, and more of them were grassroots clerks.

These people are able to endure hardships, dare to fight and work hard, and are eager to achieve success.
He is the most suitable person to be sent to Xihu.

Of course, it would take a long time for the entire Western Hu to be completely integrated into the Northern Qi regime. These were not what Li An had to consider.
At this time, Yelu Xuan was wearing a hood, hiding his identity, and waiting in the side hall with Li An and Yan Xiaoyi. Li An was worried about meeting Zhan Doudou soon. He carefully considered his words and said to Yelu Xuan: "I will arrange for you to rest in the side room first. Don't reveal your identity, and don't cause trouble!"

Hearing Li An's impolite words, Yelu Xuan realized that he was being used as a punching bag, so he did not argue. Under the guidance of the eunuchs, he pushed his wheelchair and left.

Upon seeing this, Yan Xiaoyi clasped his fists and retreated.

During his trip to Xihu, he had sent back all the important matters by pigeon, and then he and Li An went eastward. There was nothing to report, so it was better for him to retreat now.
In this way, Li An was the only one left in the entire side hall, without even a palace maid or a eunuch.

Suddenly, a voice rang out in the hall.
"I originally thought that after everything in Qing Kingdom was over, you would return to Northern Qi as quickly as possible. I always thought that with your strength, you would be able to put me at ease even in the most critical and dangerous situations."

Zhan Doudou slowly came out from the side. She no longer needed to hide her identity. She was wearing a combination of a phoenix robe and imperial attire, with a dark base and golden edges, outlining a series of unknown and majestic beasts, making her look exceptionally solemn and sacred.

At this moment, she had her hands clasped in front of her, and her beautiful eyes were staring into Li Ang's eyes like tearful pear blossoms, looking elegant and pitiful.

"Lee An."

She slowly approached and gently stroked her beloved's face with her hand. It felt prickly and warm. "I have heard about the explosion at Dadong Mountain. I had already guessed it when you asked the Military Equipment Manufacturing Office to produce so much gunpowder."

"But this shocking explosion put everyone in life-and-death danger. This is your fault! You ignored your own safety and made peace with Emperor Qing. This is your fault! Master Ku He could have returned to Northern Qi, but you let him..."

"Woooooo~~~~"

An air raid alarm sounded from somewhere and Li An seemed a little at a loss.

"I understand that this was Master Ku He's own choice, but how powerful is Xihu's National Master Yelu Xuan? He could have made Master Ku He, who had reached the level of a Grand Master, die without a trace. How can I explain this to my mother? How can I explain this to my Junior Sister-in-law?"

For the first time, Zhan Doudou hated himself so much for not concentrating on practicing martial arts.

She didn't understand what a master was. She hadn't even set foot on the second half of a warrior's journey, so she didn't know about the battles between masters. Every move was earth-shattering, and a tiny amount of damage could produce huge destructive power. But she had seen the corpse of Master Ku He being brought back to the capital, and she still remembered the tragic scene. What scared her even more was that she was worried that one day Li An would end up like this.
These scenes made her unable to sleep all night and she had no good dreams.

Li An listened to Zhan Doudou's intermittent narration, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes. It seemed that Ku He had indeed become the spiritual pillar of Northern Qi over the years, which was something that even as such a young grandmaster, he could not replace.

His corpse caused even this extremely bright-minded young woman to feel an unbearable pressure.

He gently held Zhan Doudou's waist, exerted a little force, and held her in his arms, gently comforting her. Li An was unable to utter a word and could only let time pass slowly.

After a long while, Zhan Doudou said in a hoarse voice: "Two months ago, the palace received news from the west. It was not only about the situation of Xihu, but also about you going to Dongyi City to look for Si Gu Jian. The ministers were very excited and said that Xihu had been taken down. Once you stabilize Dongyi City and the last grandmaster, you can go straight to Nanqing and let Beiqi do something that has never been done in history!"

“They were excited, but I was kind of speechless.”

"Because I know that those short words from their mouths are actually the hardship and struggle you went through that day. I hate myself, and I hate the civil and military officials in the court even more. I wish I could let them experience all the dangers that happened to you!"

Feeling the love of the person in his arms, Li An's eyes showed a trace of relief. He said in a gentle voice: "It's all over. Isn't the ending good now? Dongyi City has surrendered, and even Nanqing will return to Daqi in a short time. These are what Master Ku He hoped for. What the late emperor couldn't do, he, as his younger brother, did for him. I believe that even if the master enters the underworld, he can face those relatives with a smile."

Zhan Doudou's eyes flashed with pain, and she said in a trembling voice: "In fact, the Queen Mother doesn't blame you. You have already sacrificed a lot for Northern Qi. I will persuade her, and after these few months, she will be relieved."

Ugh.

Doudou is still too naive.

How could the empress dowager, who has so many things on her mind, really let it go regarding such a major event?
To put it more practically, the empress dowager and the little emperor, as mother and daughter, were completely walking on a tightrope, and it was only because of Ku He's silent support behind the scenes over the years that no major trouble occurred.

Now that Zhan Doudou has regained her female body, under the suppression of the two imperial masters, there have been no twists and turns in the court.

In addition, now that the Western Hu have surrendered to Northern Qi, the people's attention has been turned to the outside world, and they are concerned about when the court will take over Dongyi City and Nanqing, thus diverting the conflict. But more than two months ago, the news of Ku He's death was suddenly heard. How could the empress dowager not be angry and shocked?

Afterwards, Li An went to Dongyi City, and faced Si Gu Jian, a long-established sword master. If something happened to him, even though Northern Qi was showing its dominance, if something happened to Li An again, he would be defeated in an instant.
The empress's dethronement might be avoided. After all, the court is now full of his own people, and they are as united as an ironclad group.

But what about the outside world?

The enemy nation will not be subjugated by a woman.
Ugh.
I will try to appease the Queen Mother slowly later.
After comforting the little emperor for a while, she finally calmed him down. She raised her beautiful head and asked softly, "Are you still leaving this time?"

Seeing Li An's silence, she was about to cry again.
"After this time, let's get married!"

Li An's expression was full of solemnity. (End of this chapter)