Chapter 90

"Yin Ye, Xue'er, please recount the situation at that time to everyone again." Long Zhaofeng, in order to confirm the news of Jiang Chen's death, said again.

Long Yin Ye recounted the situation at that time once more, and Long Ju Xue added some details.

"Hmm, if that's the case, then Jiang Chen is definitely dead." Even the usually cautious Long Yi nodded. "Your Excellency, with Jiang Chen's death, the Eastern family has lost this pawn. They have no more moves to make. Should we...?"

Long Zhaofeng smiled faintly, his confidence as a superior even more composed.

"Yin Ye, didn't you say that in the Endless Catacombs, Jiang Chen ambushed you? This is a provocation by the Jianghan Marquis to our Longteng Marquis. As the leading marquis, how can we let a lower marquis provoke us and get away with it?"

The so-called ambush was, of course, fabricated.

However, Long Yin Ye was very perceptive and immediately understood his father's implications. This was to escalate the situation, find an excuse to confront the Jianghan Marquis, and further test the royal family's attitude!

At this moment, the royal family's attitude was ambiguous.

If Jiang Chen is dead, is the Jianghan Marquis still worth the strong support of Eastern Lu?

Long Zhaofeng wanted to probe the limits of Eastern Lu. If Eastern Lu continues to support the Jiang family, he, Long Zhaofeng, can use the conflict between marquises to his advantage, putting Eastern Lu in a difficult position.

The title of the First Marquis was bestowed by your Eastern family. If a lower marquis can provoke the First Marquis without punishment, where is the law of the kingdom?

If Eastern Lu chooses to abandon the Jiang family, he, Long Zhaofeng, can take the opportunity to eliminate the Jiang family, cutting off one of the royal family's pawns and undermining their prestige, setting an example to deter those marquises who have not yet joined the Long family!

As the successor of the Longteng Marquis, Long Yin Ye understood the intricacies of the situation at once.

His face lit up with joy: "Father, Jiang Chen's ambush on me represents the Jianghan Marquis, challenging the golden reputation of our Longteng Marquis. I will gather a group of elite troops and go to the Jiang family to demand an explanation!"

"Hmm, the Jiang family has become arrogant and presumptuous. This matter must be addressed. Long Yi, you should accompany Yin Ye."

Long Yi was the top guard of the Jiang family, a true master of the 11th pulse of true qi! His cultivation was even close to that of the Longteng Marquis himself!

"Your subordinate obeys!" Long Yi bowed and accepted the order.

Immediately, the Long family's elite forces were mobilized. Under the leadership of Long Yin Ye and Long Yi, 3,000 armored soldiers marched toward the Jianghan Marquis's residence with great momentum.

The marquises who had pledged allegiance to the Long family, upon hearing this news, also found a common excuse and sent their personal guards to join the Long family's elite forces.

In no time, the force demanding an explanation from the Jianghan Marquis exceeded 20,000!

In the capital, who dared to mobilize 20,000 troops besides the royal family?

Therefore, when these 20,000 troops appeared on the streets, the entire capital fell into chaos again, with people in a state of panic.

Although this force was ostensibly to punish the Jianghan Marquis, everyone knew that mobilizing so many troops in the capital was already an overreach, exceeding the authority of the marquises.

Longteng Marquis's move was no less than a challenge to the authority of the royal family!

...

Inside the royal palace, Eastern Lu had been restless for several days.

The trial assessment had a loss rate of over 30% among the marquises' heirs, which shocked Eastern Lu, but did not make him overly anxious.

However, the most important thing was that Jiang Chen had not returned.

Not returning at this time meant what? It meant that Jiang Chen was likely already killed by the Long family siblings!

"Long family!" Eastern Lu's face darkened. He was very frustrated and at a loss. Jiang Chen, this sudden pawn, had bought him a lot of time during this period.

But at this critical moment, Jiang Chen had disappeared and was most likely dead!

This was equivalent to making all his plans fall into a deadlock. It was like a chain suddenly breaking, unable to function.

Moreover, the situation in the capital was tense, with many originally neutral marquises, due to various reasons, now joining the Longteng Marquis.

The royal family, in these few days, had become very passive.

Not only was the situation passive, but Eastern Lu was also worried about his daughter. If Jiang Chen was dead, who would treat her illness?

"Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen, can't you hold on a little longer?" Eastern Lu was very frustrated. If not for these reasons, he wouldn't care whether Jiang Chen lived or died.

However, the situation in the capital needed Jiang Chen.

With Jiang Chen, at least someone could divert the Longteng Marquis's attention, maintaining the deadlock for a while longer.

If Jiang Chen died, the balance of the deadlock would be broken. The Longteng Marquis, free from distractions, might advance the final battle after the Hidden Dragon Examination!

Eastern Lu was very frustrated. He wasn't unwilling to suppress the Longteng Marquis, but the current situation left him uncertain, and the timing wasn't right.

"Your Majesty, something big has happened!"

Just as Eastern Lu was in a dilemma, an attendant rushed in, panting heavily, "We just received an urgent report from the capital's governor, saying that the Longteng Marquis and his followers have organized 20,000 to 30,000 troops, under the pretext of punishing the Jianghan Marquis, and have already surrounded the Jianghan Marquis's residence!"

"What?" As the ruler of the kingdom, Eastern Lu was stunned by this news.

They have taken action?

In that instant, he almost thought the Longteng Marquis had already rebelled!

However, reason told him that the Longteng Marquis rebelling wasn't at the optimal time yet.

"What reason do they have for punishing the Jianghan Marquis?"

"The reason is that during the trial in the Endless Catacombs, Jiang Chen ambushed the Long family siblings. They claim that a lower marquis has offended the dignity of the First Marquis. If not severely punished, it would be a violation of the kingdom's laws." The attendant was also very nervous.

"I understand. You may leave for now."

The attendant, drenched in sweat, left. As soon as he went out, Princess Gouyu rushed in.

"Brother, is the Longteng Marquis declaring war?" Princess Gouyu's face was filled with anger, clearly very upset. Both publicly and privately, she did not want the Jianghan Marquis's residence to be attacked.

"Gouyu, you're here. I'm very troubled." Eastern Lu only revealed his true feelings to his sister.

"Brother, we absolutely cannot let the Longteng Marquis run wild!" Princess Gouyu's stance was very firm.

"Ah, Gouyu, we must consider the bigger picture." Although Eastern Lu's attitude was not clear, Princess Gouyu sensed something.

"Brother, are you going to abandon the Jianghan Marquis?" Princess Gouyu exclaimed, "Have you considered what the other neutral marquises, or even those loyal to you, will think if you abandon a loyal minister like the Jianghan Marquis?"

"But, Gouyu, have you considered that the Long family is using the kingdom's laws as a pretext? If we protect the Jiang family, the Longteng Marquis can use this as an excuse to pressure me. In the end, they can still use the law to make me personally take action against the Jiang family. If the situation develops this way, wouldn't it be a premature showdown, a premature final battle with the Long family?"

"Final battle, so be it. Brother, you always think too much. If you had acted early, would Long Zhaofeng have reached this point?" Princess Gouyu's tone was also urgent.

Eastern Lu snorted, "Final battle? You make it sound easy. The old ancestor is in seclusion and won't come out for another two months. Why not wait until the old ancestor comes out? Then, with the presence of a spiritual path expert, who among the marquises would dare to act rashly? Without a battle, we can subdue the enemy, stop the conflict, suppress the Longteng Marquis, and avoid a civil war, which would be a blessing for the country and the people."

As the ruler of the kingdom, Eastern Lu considered the national interest. He would avoid a civil war if possible.

After all, once a civil war starts, it will consume countless resources, and the country's strength will be greatly weakened. Even if the royal family wins this final battle, it will be a Pyrrhic victory!

The cost of a Pyrrhic victory is huge, with internal strength declining and foreign enemies eyeing the kingdom with greed.

One action can affect the entire body!

"Brother, war is a dangerous tool, used only as a last resort. However, as a ruler, one should not easily resort to war, nor should one deliberately avoid it. If you only consider the country's strength and other factors, without the determination to fight, I fear that when you want to fight, you will find that you have no troops left to fight with."

Princess Gouyu was not exaggerating. As the ruler of the kingdom, if you always lack the courage for a final battle, how can you expect your subordinates to be loyal to you?

People's hearts are already unstable, and this situation has already appeared.

Why has the situation recently been tilting toward the Longteng Marquis? It is also related to Eastern Lu's attitude. As