Chapter 1166: Noble Person

"General, do you have anything else you would like to say?"

Liu Zheng asked with a smile.

"Young Master, Young Master, this..."

Nashadier dared not speak at this moment; he didn't even have the courage to meet Liu Zheng's gaze.

He waved his hand.

The dancers and guests in the hall all dispersed.

His legs felt weak, and he nearly knelt down.

Terrifying!

Was this still the gentle and refined Young Master Liu from just a moment ago?

This intelligence system...

It really is...

He felt the hair all over his body standing on end.

Spine-chilling!

He had been feeling so smug, thinking he was adept at navigating between these various factions, playing them off one another; who would have thought that every move he considered secret had been captured in such meticulous detail in Liu Zheng's eyes!

Terrifying!

For a moment, he was drenched in cold sweat, completely losing his composure.

Liu Zheng chuckled: "General, we in Longyan have an old saying: 'Heaven destroys those who do not look out for themselves,' so I understand your actions. However, we in Longyan have another old saying: 'The heart of man is never satisfied, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.' If you take too large a step, you might just tear your crotch."

Xie Chan couldn't help but let out a soft laugh upon hearing this.

She was a woman of peerless beauty, but at this moment, Nashadier had no heart to appreciate it.

This was a very strange feeling...

This was clearly his own territory!

Everything arranged around here consisted entirely of his own guards!

Nashadier clearly shouldn't have been this afraid of Liu Zheng!

But at this moment, under Liu Zheng's smiling gaze, he couldn't even muster the slightest desire to resist in his heart...

This was presence.

Ever since Liu Zheng became the Chief Minister of Longyan, his presence went without saying; he was no longer the callow, spoiled youth he once was. Furthermore, there were simply too many events where he had been blessed with an aura... that was not something a single book could finish writing.

As far as the current world landscape was concerned, this Chief Minister Liu was also a man who could influence the entire world with a mere gesture...

How could Nashadier dare to defy him?

"Young Master, there must be some misunderstanding somewhere..."

Nashadier was on the verge of tears.

He didn't even dare to refute, only able to explain these matters as normal business activities, claiming he just wanted to recruit a few more big clients for the Suez Canal...

Of course.

As for how things really were, Liu Zheng understood it in his heart.

The chuckle on his face had already been replaced by a chilling sneer.

"If you cooperate with us properly, I guarantee you a place in the Suez region. But if you have other thoughts, let alone this Suez, I can make it so you have no place to stand in the entire world."

After saying this, Liu Zheng left the place with his people.

"Young Master..."

Watching Liu Zheng's departing back, Nashadier stood up subconsciously, reaching out as if to call him back, but the words that had reached his lips could not be spoken.

Although Liu Zheng had spoken lightly, he could deeply feel the killing intent in Liu Zheng's words.

Once Liu Zheng and the others had completely left his Governor's Office, Nashadier, covered in cold sweat, slumped down limply.

Terrifying!

It was truly too terrifying!

He had thought he was very clever, but he never expected that everything here was actually under Liu Zheng's control.

When did he start monitoring him?

Was it since he arrived in Suez? Or after Ling Chen came? Or could it be that from the time he was in the Safavid Dynasty, his every move had already fallen into Liu Zheng's grasp?

In Nashadier's eyes, flashed

a ruthless, sharp glint.

If it had started back in the Safavid Dynasty...

Then did that mean...

That his own forced defection from the Safavid Dynasty was also a move in this Young Master Liu's game!

Damn it!

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his expression becoming twisted.

So that was it!

So that was it!

He had always been a chess piece in Liu Zheng's hands!

Then...

The bold are stuffed to death, the timid are starved to death!

Although what Liu Zheng said made sense, and he knew his own strength was far from Liu Zheng's...

But he was truly tired of the feeling of being ordered around!

He truly hated this feeling of being used as a chess piece!

He was once the strongest governor of the Safavid Dynasty.

He absolutely had the strength to establish his own dynasty!

He wanted to rise!

He wanted to shake off the control the East India Company had over him! He wanted to break free from Liu Zheng's grasp!

He wanted to establish a powerful empire in the West Asia region that spanned across Asia, Europe, and Africa!

Before that, he needed to endure!

If one wants to be honored in front of others, one must act like a dog behind their backs!

As long as he bided his time until he had enough military strength to contend with the East India Company, he could monopolize the Suez Canal and, relying on the canal's powerful revenue-generating ability, compete for hegemony with these old-fashioned empires!

……

Nowadays, Liu Zheng's fame is growing louder and louder.

Besides opponents like Tsarist Russia and Britain being unhappy, there are also people within the Longyan Empire who are unhappy.

Xie Ming.

The first constitutional monarch of the Longyan Empire.

As long as there is life, there is ambition.

Under Liu Zheng's leadership, the Longyan Empire is becoming increasingly powerful, and the more powerful the Longyan Empire becomes, the more he wants to hold this powerful empire in his own hands!

The last time he ascended the throne, his assassination plan failed, and he had originally thought there was no hope for restoration, but now, he sees hope!

It is the Northeast Plague!

Although he does not know exactly how to act, he is very clear that this matter can be used to make a move!

It is also fortunate that although Liu Zheng used constitutional monarchy to limit his power, he did not limit his freedom!

In the Imperial Palace, and even in Jinghua, he is free to come and go!

What makes him even happier is that Liu Zheng's confidants have all been sent away to other regions, and even Liu Zheng himself has gone to distant Europe.

To a certain extent, Jinghua is currently in a period of power vacuum; even with the existence of the supreme power organ, the "Parliament," these Scholar-officials are, after all, deeply influenced by Confucian culture and believe that he, the Emperor, still has a place in their hearts.

With the chaos of the Northeast Plague, plus his status as the monarch, a desperate comeback is not impossible!

After thinking it through, Xie Ming went directly to the palace of the Empress Dowager Dong Jieyu.

Xie Ming arrived at Dong Jieyu's palace, where at this moment, Dong Jieyu was discussing something with a eunuch.

"Mother Empress." Xie Ming announced his presence and walked straight in.

Xie Ming stood before Dong Jieyu, and just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed that the eunuch standing to the side had not retreated.

This made him extremely displeased.

"Audacious slave! I am about to speak with the Empress Dowager, why have you not yet retreated!" Xie Ming rebuked.

However, facing Xie Ming's rebuke, the eunuch merely cupped his hands, showing no intention of leaving.

This made Xie Ming even angrier.

"Audacious slave, do you think that after the constitutional monarchy, I cannot kill you!"

After Xie Ming finished speaking, he was about to take action, but was stopped by Dong Jieyu.

"Your Majesty, please hold your hand."

"Mother Empress

……"

Being stopped by Dong Jieyu, Xie Ming was very shocked; he did not understand why his own mother would stop him from striking a slave.

Could it be that the Empress Dowager is lonely and bored here in the inner palace……

Xie Ming dared not think further.

Xie Ming's incredulous expression made Dong Jieyu somewhat embarrassed, and she then hurriedly explained: "Your Majesty, do not be angry; this eunuch is our noble guest."

"Noble guest?"

Xie Ming looked the little eunuch up and down; he was thin and gaunt, without a shred of nobility, and he found it hard to imagine what kind of noble guest he could be.

"His name is Xie Chen, the eldest legitimate son of the former Prince of Zhao. By seniority, Your Majesty, you should call him brother."

"Prince of Zhao."

Hearing this, Xie Ming's brows furrowed slightly.

Although the Prince of Zhao could be considered a royal relative, Xie Ming's impression of him was not good.

After all, back when Xie Ming went to Liaodong with Liu Zheng and others to search for the Imperial Jade Seal, he had almost indirectly died at the hands of his son.

The Prince of Zhao had also plotted against the Dragon Throne beneath his seat; although Xie Sheng was already dead, he still could not relax his guard against the people of Youzhou.

This son of the Prince of Zhao……

Is actually serving as a eunuch in the inner palace!

This still made him feel extremely shocked!

That a person could endure to this extent is truly terrifying.

It seems this Prince of Zhao……

If it weren't for encountering Liu Zheng, I fear that seizing power and usurping the throne would not have been impossible.

Being able to lie dormant in the Imperial Palace for many years, this Xie Chen is no simple character; seeing Xie Ming's thoughtful appearance, he could roughly guess what Xie Ming was thinking.

"Your Majesty, regarding past events, we in Youzhou did indeed act somewhat excessively, but my father and younger brother have already paid the price of their lives for this. Your Majesty should be able to let it go, right? Moreover, we now have a common, powerful enemy; only by uniting can we have hope for victory." Xie Chen said, cupping his hands.

Although he had no affection for this Xie Chen, Xie Ming was not a fool and naturally knew that what he said made sense.

In the imperial family, there is no such thing as kinship or brotherhood.

There are only shared interests!

It only depends on whether there is a common goal!

"Well said, but how can I be certain that you aren't using a borrowed knife to kill?"

"Your Majesty, because of your father's treason, the entire nation is already filled with curses against Youzhou. Furthermore, Youzhou's power has been greatly diminished; in a situation where both prestige and strength are weak, it is fundamentally impossible to contend for the throne. Yet, Your Majesty is the legitimate emperor. Although the national system has changed, Your Majesty's prestige remains. As long as Liu Zheng is brought down, once Your Majesty raises your arm and calls out, wouldn't this world be Your Majesty's world?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Ming began to ponder. Although he was no deep-scheming wise man, he still understood this simple logic.

Just as Xie Chen had said, although Longyan had already adopted a constitutional monarchy, there were still many in the court from the Royalist Faction who were active. Even Zhu Zhen, the leader of the Scholar-Official Group who had been won over by Liu Zheng, had never denied the imperial system. As long as Liu Zheng fell and the Liangzhou forces were reduced, he could then use the majesty of the emperor to promise privileges to the various major factions within the country. At that time, he would have his own forces to support him, and after that, by exterminating Liangzhou, the great cause could be settled!

Xie Chen also watched Xie Ming quietly.

His own father had died, his own younger brother had died...

To a sinister person like Xie Chen, none of this was important.

What was important was...

He still had a chance!

He was in the inner palace!

He was a man who had voluntarily mutilated himself to lie in wait within the inner palace!

He felt that he was the only one who could lead Youzhou to ascend to the hall and enter the chamber as a great figure!

A mere Xie Ming...

A vacillating, mediocre man.

Is he worthy of this Dragon Throne? Recent pop-ups are severe, please click to download to avoid pop-ups.