Su Ye waved his hand lightly, signaling the two of them to retreat.
He stared deeply at the crackling firewood in the stove, lost in thought.
What is the plot of the Blood Shadow Cult?
Is it simply coveting the imperial power, or is there a deeper conspiracy hidden?
Why can Chen Mu call on the Blood Shadow Cultists to serve him?
Su Ye knew that answering these questions was crucial.
In the land of Dayan, there seems to be an invisible hand controlling everything behind the scenes.
This hand is not only involved in disputes between rivers and lakes, but also deeply affects court politics and even threatens the stability of the country.
He understood that to solve this problem, he must start with Chen Mu.
Chen Mu has been operating in the imperial court for many years and has a solid foundation.
And he is good at hiding himself, so it is not easy to find his flaws.
However, this confidant incident allowed Su Ye to find a breakthrough.
He decided to conduct an in-depth investigation into the connection between the Blood Shadow Sect and Chen Mu.
At the same time, Jin Yiwei was secretly assigned to strengthen monitoring of Chen Mu, making sure to have a panoramic view of his every move.
At the same time, Su Ye skillfully dealt with the situation in the court.
Far away in Chu State.
Zhao Kuo's defeat at Jialing Pass caused heavy losses to the Chu army.
After Zhao Kuo himself fled back to the imperial city, he was executed on the spot by Chu Muxue for escaping from battle.
Lin Yi, the ambitious young general, won several victories with his cleverness in attacking Qi's military camps at night.
It seemed to have changed the decline of the Chu State's war situation.
Chu Muxue was so happy that she even regarded Lin Yi as the second Su Ye.
However.
After Su Ye's letter arrived in Qi State, Qi State seemed to have divine help.
Lin Yi's strategy was immediately exposed.
The cavalry of Qi State began to launch a counterattack against Chu State.
Avoiding the disadvantaged woodlands and mountains, they instead attacked cities and captured territory on the vast plains and fields of Chu State.
Although Lin Yi was resourceful and brave, he was unable to withstand the powerful military force of Qi due to his lack of experience.
Once you are at a disadvantage, your mentality will collapse, you will no longer be as high-spirited as before, and you will become mediocre.
The Chu army was retreating steadily again, the territory continued to fall, and the situation became increasingly severe.
Soon, the Qi army seemed to be in an uninhabited territory and pushed the front hundreds of miles forward.
Close to the hinterland of Chu State.
Chu's continuous defeats in the war made Chu Muxue gradually realize that.
Lin Yi's power alone will definitely not be able to reverse the situation.
She urgently needs a brave and capable general to save Chu State in times of crisis.
The choice of this general is well known.
However, she had deported this man and now works for someone else.
Chu Muxue was in agony, thinking that Su Ye was the culprit of all this.
No matter how she treats him, Su Ye should always be by her side.
No one paid attention to the empress's struggle and pain.
The war situation worsened, and the people of Chu State lived in hardship and complained.
Chu Muxue, who was helpless, became the target of curses from the people.
"The so-called empress is just relying on Su Ye to ascend the throne!"
"The great Chu that was invincible in the past was the great Chu when Su Ye was an official. If the mediocre king hadn't driven out Zhongliang, how could he be in this situation!"
"What we long for is not the Queen, but Su Ye, the heroic man who can defeat the invaders!"
Every word is blaming Chu Muxue and missing Su Ye.
The common people never cared about the disputes between the imperial family and their love for the country was direct and sincere.
Whoever can bring a happy and peaceful life to the people will be remembered forever by the praise of the people.
Although the court officials were strictly guarded, these unabashed public opinions still reached Chu Muxue's ears.
Chu Muxue had mixed feelings in her heart. She knew that in order to restore the people's support, she must first stabilize the war situation.
To defeat the enemy, she couldn't do without Su Ye.
Chu Muxue sat on the throne, her long nails deeply embedded in her flesh, but she didn't notice it at all.
She increasingly felt that Su Ye was her lingering nightmare.
Her eyes burned with rage.
This abominable Su Ye, even though he has left the Yan Kingdom, his ghost still lingers!
"Pass my order, if anyone dares to say such treacherous and unethical words again, all nine clans will be implicated, and no one will be spared!"
On the first day of execution of the order, many courtiers and people were arrested and severely punished.
For a time, there was bloodshed all over the Chu State, and the people were panicked.
From then on, no one dared to openly question Chu Muxue's rule.
The name Su Ye became taboo in the land of Chu.
Fear and anger drove Chu Muxue to become more cruel and determined.
She knew that only by eliminating Su Ye's influence could she stabilize her throne.
Under the high-pressure policy, private discussions gradually subsided.
However, although it can silence people's mouths, it cannot stop people's backlash.
This superficial calm cannot solve Chu's fundamental problems.
The war situation was still tense, and the decline made the Chu generals lose confidence and morale.
The people's disappointment in Chu Muxue is increasing day by day, and the national crisis is deepening day by day.
In the morning of the morning, the Minister of Rites resolutely faced the silent ministers and fearlessly proposed:
"Your Majesty, the consecutive days of defeat have plunged the people of Dachu into deep suffering. I ask your Majesty to temporarily tolerate this and seek reconciliation with Qi."
As soon as these words came out, all the ministers bowed their heads and remained silent.
They all know in their hearts that Chu State has no other way to go at this moment, and reconciliation is undoubtedly the best choice.
However, under Chu Muxue's oppression, no one dared to directly support him.
Chu Muxue stared at the Minister of Rites who dared to speak out, her eyes filled with anger.
In her opinion, this is undoubtedly a blatant accusation of her incompetence!
Chu Muxue could no longer suppress her emotions, slammed the case and shouted angrily:
"Bold! Who gave you the courage to talk nonsense here! Don't you know that you are betraying your country and seeking peace?"
The Minister of Rites stood up without any fear and responded with a firm voice:
"Your Majesty, I understand that this move seems weak, but the war situation has reached this point. The safety of the country and the lives and deaths of the people are at stake. I just want to fight for a glimmer of life for the country and the people! Your Majesty, please think again!"
"Huh, reconciliation? Once reconciled, Dachu will lose not only its land, but also its dignity! You civil servants, who only know how to hide in the court, have the right to make such a proposal?"
"Come here, drag this traitor out and behead him immediately!"
Chu Muxue pointed angrily at the Minister of Rites and shouted.
Upon seeing this, the ministers lowered their heads in horror.
They understood that Chu Muxue could no longer look at the problem rationally at this moment.
Any suggestion of a battle may trigger her thunderous fury.
The Minister of Rites looked at Chu Muxue coldly without changing his expression:
"Your Majesty, although I am dead, I still pray for the people of Dachu in my heart. I only hope that your Majesty can wake up as soon as possible and save Dachu from the dire straits."
After saying this, he was escorted away calmly by the guards, leaving the civil and military ministers of the court in silence.
The blood of the Minister of Rites was sprinkled in front of the hall, which seemed to reflect the current predicament of Chu State and the struggle in Chu Muxue's heart.
Chu Muxue stood there, looking at the leaving figure of the Minister of Rites, and clenched her fists:
"A bunch of cowards! Give me the order, and from now on, I will lead the expedition in person!"
