The moment the court adjourned, everything was finalized: Qi Zongbi's military power was stripped away, and Ying Gutong was reassigned to the border regions. Only at this point did the officials, upon careful reflection, realize that what had appeared to be a farce between civil and military officials ultimately benefited only Su Yi.0

Su Yi's seemingly chaotic yet meticulously calculated series of moves had truly left this group of people utterly bewildered.0

Standing shoulder to shoulder with Su Yi was the Grand Marshal of the Imperial Guardians, Yu Shibang. Yu had long maintained a personal friendship with Ying Gutong and held an equivalent rank. However, unlike Marshal Ying, Marshal Yu was responsible for commanding all the palace's imperial guards and had not led troops on...0