"Ai!"
When Pei Zi Yun heard the Crown Prince's words, his eyes gleamed as his heart skipped a beat. He then thought to himself, 'The Imperial Palace is a forbidden place. Once I enter, my powers will be depleted. What if the imperial court ambushes me?'
Although King Lu was victorious, and the imperial court was in need of manpower, Pei Zi Yun was familiar with history. He knew that every time someone was killed, more than half of them had their own theories and beliefs. The Emperor wouldn't dare to do such a thing!
However, the Emperor had acted every single time.
Asking the Emperor or the imperial court to be rational was better than asking a fat pig to climb a tree.
The Emperor has always been wary of me. King Lu is the son of the Emperor, and it's just a matter of internal strife. If he kills me, it would eliminate all other variables. Pei Zi Yun then thought to himself, 'Plum Blossom!'
With a thought, the Plum Blossom appeared. To the onlookers, Pei Zi Yun had only paused for a moment before a Plum Blossom appeared in front of him.
The Plum Blossom started to move, carrying with it an indescribable aura.
"Ding!" The system displayed the results of the divination, "Ominous yet auspicious."
Pei Zi Yun still believed in the Plum Blossom divination. After all, this only happened once a month. He then stood up and bowed to the Crown Prince, "Your Highness, please."
"Good, let's enter the palace." The Crown Prince revealed a smile. He thought that he would need some time to convince Pei Zi Yun. He didn't expect Pei Zi Yun to agree so quickly. He relaxed and heaved a sigh of relief.
From the Crown Prince's point of view, the Imperial Palace was extremely dangerous. Yet Pei Zi Yun had agreed so quickly. This was a sign of his trust in the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince then shouted out to the Grand Princess, "Aunt, True Sovereign Pei and I shall enter the Imperial Palace. We shall visit again later."
The Canton Princess then looked at Pei Zi Yun, her eyes filled with anxiety and worry.
"Since the Emperor has summoned you, Crown Prince, you don't have to worry about us." The Grand Princess then gestured to the Canton Princess, who then calmed down.
As Pei Zi Yun followed the Crown Prince out, the Canton Princess's eyes followed him until his silhouette disappeared into the distance. Only then did she stop. The Grand Princess looked on and sighed, 'I wonder if this trip will be a blessing or a curse.'
When the Crown Prince set out, there was a standard procedure. Now that there was a shortage of manpower, there were more guards. Sabers, shields, bows and arrows were all prepared. There were three hundred people. In the center, there were even imperial bodyguards holding sabers and escorting the carriage as it moved slowly.
Pei Zi Yun and the Crown Prince sat in the same carriage. Pei Zi Yun spoke until they reached the part where they were chased through the forest and fought for a thousand miles. The Crown Prince then sighed and leaned against the seat of the carriage, "It's been hard on you, Minister. You are the role model for our dynasty …."
As he said this, he looked out the window at the flow of people outside. After a long time, he laughed coldly, "Some generals have received the grace of the Imperial Court, yet they do not wish to repay it. Instead, they use the excuse that they are sick to refuse."
At this point, the Crown Prince looked at Pei Zi Yun and sighed, "Some of the civil officials are willing to go. But in reality, Count Zhong Qin isn't a useless person. He's experienced military affairs, and yet he was defeated. I'm afraid some of the civil officials are even worse."
"If it's just to surround the bandits, as long as we have ten times the number of soldiers, we would be able to crush them and achieve victory. I am willing to help such a general."
"Although King Lu is rebellious, he is still my brother. I know that he is adept in the art of war, and has a heroic character. He is like my father. If the civil officials were to go against him, I'm afraid that we would lose again and again. We wouldn't even have the chance to clean up the mess."
As he said these words, Pei Zi Yun's expression changed. He then bowed and said, "Crown Prince's words are wise. There are precedents, and there are specializations. War is fought by generals."
"Since ancient times, if you look closely, you would realize that they didn't have ten times the number of soldiers in order to achieve victory. Instead, they had to deal with bandits."
"Although there might be one or two of them who are outstanding, and can learn without learning, this isn't the norm."
When the Crown Prince heard this, he laughed out, "If we're talking about not being the norm, then you are the model. You studied hard and passed the Imperial Examinations. This can be said to be the result of ten years of hard work."
"When it comes to poetry, you can be said to be able to comprehend it by analogy. You're the seed of learning."
"As for the art of war, how did you comprehend it so quickly?"
Pei Zi Yun laughed, "This official has read a few books on the art of war. It's not like I just learned it out of thin air."
The Crown Prince glanced at Pei Zi Yun. How many books on the art of war did he read, and was able to command an army to fight against the most powerful generals in the world?
Just as he was about to speak, he heard the sound of someone crying. He paused. This was the capital city of the Xu Dynasty, where the Crown Prince's carriage was located. Why would there be someone crying?
He looked out the window and saw his carriage passing by Duke Jin's Mansion. A large group of soldiers had charged into the mansion, and the sound of someone crying could be heard.
"What happened? Why would there be soldiers charging into Duke Jin's Mansion? I was reading documents today, and didn't see anything like this. "The Crown Prince thought to himself as he waved his hand," Stop the carriage. "
The carriage stopped as a eunuch ran over and bowed, "Crown Prince, what instructions do you have?"
The Crown Prince swept a glance across Duke Jin's Mansion and said, "Help me investigate who sent the soldiers to raid Duke Jin's Mansion."
"Yes, your Highness." The eunuch turned around and left. After a while, he returned and bowed, "Your Highness, I've already investigated. It was His Majesty who ordered Duke Jin's death, and also ordered the confiscation of his property."
"What?" The Crown Prince's expression changed. He was already in charge of the country, and was in charge of everything. How could he receive such an order after being out of the country for so long?
Besides, Duke Jin still had to address him as his uncle. Why would he be sentenced to death all of a sudden? He felt uneasy and asked, "Where is Duke Jin?"
"He was about to be sentenced to death, and the medicinal wine has been brought out." The eunuch replied respectfully. The Crown Prince was taken aback and said, "Pass down the order. Stop the execution for now. Wait for me to enter the palace and ask my father."
"Yes, your Highness." The eunuch was about to turn around when Pei Zi Yun bowed, "What would the Crown Prince like to ask?"
"I would like to ask my father why he suddenly ordered Duke Jin's death. Duke Jin didn't do anything wrong."
"Could it be that the Crown Prince doesn't understand?" Pei Zi Yun sighed and didn't speak further.
The Crown Prince seemed to be deep in thought as he looked at Duke Jin's Mansion. The mansion that used to be luxurious was now facing a life and death crisis. And this crisis came from his own father. After a long time, he sighed and spoke to the eunuch, "Cancel the order just now. Pass down the order, execute my father's orders. But don't touch the Duke's wife and children.
"Yes, your Highness."
The carriage continued moving forward, entering the palace. The walls of the palace stretched as far as the eye could see. The streets were swept clean and spotless. The palace doors were solemn and solemn. The guards stood like nails, giving off a desolate and solemn atmosphere.
Seeing the Crown Prince's carriage enter the palace, several eunuchs welcomed him and reported, "Crown Prince, the Emperor has an order. The moment you enter, you must go to the palace to see him!"
The Crown Prince paused for a moment before ordering the eunuchs to lead the way. They passed through six different halls. Every five steps, there would be a guard. When they arrived outside the palace, the bronze cauldron was lit with incense. The incense wafted into the air, adding a sense of holiness to the place. There were even rows of guards standing guard.
The strangest thing was that the Emperor's carriage was waiting outside. The Crown Prince was puzzled and walked straight in. Pei Zi Yun remained outside the palace and looked at the guards. He could see that they were filled with killing intent. Their bodies were muscular and their temples were bulging out. Pei Zi Yun's gaze landed on them, and they trembled as their muscles tensed up.
"Elite soldiers who have been through hundreds of battles." Pei Zi Yun was speechless. After becoming an Earth Immortal, his senses had become much sharper. Just by standing there casually, he could feel the killing intent locking onto him. Even the Qi of a real dragon had opened its eyes and was staring at him.
"After becoming an Earth Immortal, my treatment has indeed changed."
Palace Quarters
The Crown Prince entered and saw that the Emperor was resting with his eyes closed. He then bowed, "Father Emperor, please wake up. Pei Zi Yun, your son has arrived."
The Emperor opened his eyes and saw that the sky outside was dark and gloomy. He could see that the sun was setting in the west. Not far away, the imperial guards were standing guard with swords in their hands. Several eunuchs were standing by the side. The Emperor forced himself to stand up, "Is that so? You've finally brought him here. You've done a good job."
At this point, the red robed eunuch brought over a bowl of medicine and fed it to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince hesitated before speaking, "Father Emperor, as a relative of the Emperor, Duke Jin has refused to fight many times due to his illness. He has betrayed the Emperor's kindness. He deserves to die. However, on account of his past achievements, and the fact that he is the blood of Third Aunt, why don't you spare him a little?"
When the Emperor heard the Crown Prince's words, his expression was unreadable. He didn't speak for some time. The Crown Prince could feel the Emperor's authority and was sweating profusely.
"Cough cough" The Emperor coughed once and pushed the bowl of medicine away. He then raised his head and sighed, "Since the Crown Prince has pleaded for mercy, then spare his wife and daughter. The confiscation of his property shall be spared as well. As for his title, ai, on account of Third Aunt, he shall be reduced by two ranks."
"As for his title, let's add the word 'mian'."
Duke Jin was a First Rank Duke. Below that was a Prefecture Duke. Below that was a First Rank Marquis.
Actually, it was the same for the Imperial Family as well. It was just that the Imperial Family had a bottom line. Once the bloodline was reduced to a Count, it would no longer be reduced.
The Emperor seemed very satisfied, "You didn't plead for mercy for Duke Jin. This shows that you've grown up. As a ruler, one cannot be soft-hearted."
This was his evaluation. When the Crown Prince heard this, he was overjoyed. However, he was secretly shocked. If he had begged the Emperor to spare Duke Jin's life, how would his father evaluate him?
Thinking about this, he broke out in cold sweat.
The Emperor swept his gaze across the Crown Prince and announced, "Pei Zi Yun, I've heard of you for a long time. I'd like to take a good look at you. However, there's no need to let him in. Help me out, we'll be together."
"Father!" The Crown Prince was shocked and was about to speak when the Emperor waved his hands, "Crown Prince, you don't have to persuade me. I've fought many battles and conquered many territories. It's just that ever since I became the Emperor, I've never left the capital."
"Now, I'd like to see how the capital city looks like after ten years."
"Your Majesty, please rise." The eunuch shouted after the Emperor.
"Cough cough" The red robed eunuch helped the Emperor out and onto the imperial carriage. The Emperor leaned back on his seat, looking extremely energetic. Seeing Pei Zi Yun kneel down, he smiled, "True Sovereign Qi Ning need not be so courteous. Come, sit beside me."
Pei Zi Yun paused as a eunuch stepped forward, "True Sovereign, this way please."
The eunuch led Pei Zi Yun onto the carriage. The interior of the carriage was extremely spacious, and there were pearls on all four corners. There was a small table within the carriage, with a teapot and teacups placed on it.
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