Chapter 2033: The Prince of Yong Returns to the Capital

At this time, Longyan.

At the port, a Supply Ship sailed into the harbor, and officials of all ranks from the imperial court had come to welcome it.

Although the Prince of Yong was a member of the Xie Clan dynasty and a Noble in the traditional sense.

He possessed very high prestige among the common people of Longyan, and even among these newly promoted officials, he held great authority.

At this moment, his return was met with a warm welcome from the people of Longyan.

Furthermore, this time he had performed a great service for Longyan; the Prince of Yong had truly achieved monumental feats in Poland.

The Prince of Yong could now be considered to have achieved success and fame.

It was time to return.

Xie Chan brought Liu Zheng to the port in person to welcome the Prince of Yong; the Prince of Yong was an uncle to Xie Chan, and if one were to calculate the seniority, Liu Zheng was also his junior.

This time, Liu Zheng and Xie Chan had given the Prince of Yong plenty of face.

The Longyan Army cleared the path on both sides, the entire court of officials waited at the port, and Xie Zhao of the Royalist Faction even led the way in person.

The port was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and the atmosphere was vibrant; everyone was just waiting for the Supply Ship to dock.

As for Liu Zheng and Xie Chan, they had not come, as they were already preparing a banquet at Longfeng Lou.

They were just waiting for the arrival of the Prince of Yong.

The Prince of Yong stepped off the ship and, seeing the full court of officials, was slightly taken aback.

"Respectfully welcome the Prince of Yong!"

"Respectfully welcome the Prince of Yong..."

This must have been something Liu Zheng cooked up; he smiled and waved to acknowledge the welcome from these officials.

But he did not know what Liu Zheng was trying to achieve by putting on such a grand display.

"Hehe, hehe..."

The Prince of Yong greeted them enthusiastically, but when he saw the Prince of Qin, Xie Zhao, leading the group, a flash of doubt crossed his eyes; he was very confused as to why he had come.

He was a man of Liu Zheng's faction, and although everyone bore the surname Xie, their stances were completely different.

The two of them usually did not get along.

The Prince of Qin, Xie Zhao, spoke up: "Prince of Yong, long time no see. Master Liu has long since set up a banquet in the palace waiting for you."

The Prince of Yong was stunned; it would have been fine for anyone else here to say this, but it was quite unexpected for Xie Zhao to be the one to say it.

After all, Liu Zheng treated the Emperor of Longyan as if he were a mascot.

This made traditional royals like Xie Zhao very unhappy.

The Prince of Yong said guardedly: "Liu Zheng sent you?"

Xie Zhao took out Liu Zheng's token from his robe and handed it to the Prince of Yong.

The Prince of Yong was filled with surprise upon seeing this token, then looked at Xie Zhao again, very confused as to why Xie Zhao would have Liu Zheng's token.

But it did not seem like his own doing.

Xie Zhao did not have the courage for that.

"Master Liu said, let me invite you to the banquet. The Horse Carriage is already prepared, please..." Xie Zhao took the initiative to clear the path.

The various court officials also cleared the way, respectfully inviting him: "Please!"

The Prince of Yong looked toward the end of the road at a Horse Carriage with a yellow canopy and red trim, embroidered with exquisite patterns; two fine horses stood on either side, and a lantern hung on top with a large 'Xie' character written on it.

The Prince of Yong laughed heartily: "Since that is the case, I shall respectfully comply."

He walked with the imposing manner of a general returning in victory, and walked onto the Horse Carriage amidst the respectful gazes of the crowd.

The journey was filled with wind and dust, with the court officials following behind and the Prince of Qin following closely after.

Before long, they arrived at Longfeng Lou.

This restaurant was the most luxurious in the Capital, a top-tier establishment built by Liu Zheng in his spare time.

The prices here were not low, but now it had been cleared of all people, waiting only for the arrival of the Prince of Yong.

Seeing the Horse Carriage arrive, the attendants inside hurriedly went to report.

"Master Liu, the Prince of Yong has arrived."

At this time, Liu Zheng and Xie Chan, who were waiting there, were discussing why the Prince of Yong had not yet arrived.

Unexpectedly, in just this short while, they received the news that the Prince of Yong had arrived; Liu Zheng patted Xie Chan's hand and smiled: "Look, isn't he here?"

Xie Chan nodded; the Prince of Yong was one of the few people in her family for whom she had any affection.

Xie Chan was also very attentive regarding news of him.

Just at this moment, Xie Chan heard the hearty laughter of the Prince of Yong coming from outside the door.

"Haha, Master Liu, you put on such a display to welcome me, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"You even managed to get Xie Zhao to come."

Liu Zheng and Xie Chan looked toward the door and saw the Prince of Yong push it open and enter, offering a slight bow.

Seeing her uncle, the smile immediately appeared on Xie Chan's face, which had previously been somewhat worried; she returned the bow, walked over, took the Prince of Yong's hand, and said: "Uncle, you have finally arrived; you had your niece worried to death."

Seeing Xie Chan, the Prince of Yong said dotingly: "I have already heard; you gave this boy a son, how is your health?"

"Uncle brought you some things from Europe to nourish your body."

Xie Chan smiled: "Everything is well, Liu Zheng knows how to take care of people."

She returned to Liu Zheng's side, held Liu Zheng's hand, and said: "Little Liu Qian is asleep, so I didn't bring him along. Uncle, please take your seat."

Liu Zheng also said with a smile: "Please, Prince of Yong, take your seat."

He looked toward the outside and also said: "Everyone, please take your seats as well."

The various court officials sat in their places, and Liu Zheng saw the Prince of Qin, Xie Zhao, and called him over to his own table separately.

Seeing Xie Zhao, the Prince of Yong was stunned.

He did not understand why Liu Zheng had called him in.

But the Prince of Yong said nothing, merely taking his seat of his own accord.

At their table, besides Liu Zheng and Xie Chan, there were also the newly appointed Speaker of Longyan and several other Ministers, in addition to the Prince of Yong and the Prince of Qin.

They were all court officials who held great power in Longyan.

After taking his seat, Liu Zheng said: "Today is a wonderful day, as the Prince of Yong has returned victorious from Europe."

"The first cup of wine should be offered to him."

Liu Zheng raised his wine cup and looked toward the Prince of Yong; everyone else did the same, offering a cup of wine to the Prince of Yong.

He continued: "The Prince of Yong has performed a monumental service and deserves to be rewarded, but Xie Ming lacked virtue and has already passed away, leaving the throne vacant for a long time..."

As soon as Liu Zheng finished speaking, Xie Zhao said impatiently: "The Prince of Yong is a member of the imperial clan, and since Xie Ming lacked virtue, there is no successor!"

"The Prince of Yong has prestige both in the imperial court and among the people; the throne belongs to no one but him!"

The Prince of Yong was taken aback; he looked at Liu Zheng and the Prince of Qin, his brows furrowing.

He did not want to become the Emperor of Longyan, even though that position had already been hollowed out by Liu Zheng's policies.

But the current emperor was equivalent to the leader of the Xie Clan; although the emperor was gone, this family, which had led Longyan for over eight hundred years, still possessed immense power.

Becoming the leader of such a family would grant one great influence in the shadows.

Especially now that he had actually gained the support of Xie Zhao.

Other ministers echoed the sentiment: "We also believe the Prince of Yong is the most suitable..."

The Prince of Yong looked at Liu Zheng.

After a moment of contemplation, Liu Zheng said: "One should follow the will of the people and the will of Heaven; although I am the Chief Minister of Longyan, I should not be the one to make the decision on appointing a new monarch."

"But in this matter, I still believe you are the most suitable."

The Prince of Yong was stunned for a moment; now he understood what the reward Liu Zheng had arranged for him this time was.

It was to become the Emperor of Longyan and the leader of the Xie Clan!

This was what Liu Zheng wanted the Prince of Yong to do.

The Prince of Yong, however, began to hesitate; his original intention was to return to Longyan to clear away obstacles for Liu Zheng, allowing him to ascend the throne, become the new Emperor of Longyan, and truly grasp the supreme power of Longyan.

Originally, after hearing that Xie Ming had died, he had even thought it was a joyous occasion.

After all, the greatest obstacle preventing Liu Zheng from declaring himself emperor was gone.

But if he himself became the emperor, then what would Liu Zheng be?

After deliberating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said: "No!"