Chapter 289: Taking an Oath

Liu Zheng was terrified.

He knelt down in a panic, trembling uncontrollably.

Because once again, he felt the killing intent emanating from Xie Tianyao!

A killing intent even more intense than the last time!

Suddenly, he understood why. Because his proposal for a "Territorial Exchange" while under the influence of alcohol, in the eyes of others, could weaken the Feudatory Kings' control over their regions...

But...

In Xie Tianyao's view, if this method were proposed by him, it would be an act of usurping the state! If the territories really began to be exchanged, then someone like Liu Zheng, no matter where he went, would win the hearts of the people and manage his territory in an orderly and prosperous manner.

In this way...

It would be equivalent to Liu Zheng coveting the hearts of the people of the world! This would indeed weaken the Feudatory Kings, but it would strengthen Liu Zheng's sphere of influence! If the worst were to happen and Liu Zheng were to raise his arms in a call, with the world turning its heart toward him, the Imperial House would be in danger!

Good heavens!

Liu Zheng's drunkenness was instantly frightened away.

He said in a panic: "Emperor, your humble servant has not the slightest improper thought, truly no improper thought! Your humble servant has exhausted his heart and mind thinking for the Emperor! I beg the Emperor to examine this clearly!"

Xie Tianyao said coldly: "If you did not have such filial piety, would I have tolerated you until now? Rest assured, I know what kind of person you, Prefectural Governor Liu, are. As long as I am alive, I will not exchange your territory! But, what if I am no longer here?"

Liu Zheng hurriedly replied: "Your humble servant only wishes for Liangzhou to suffice!"

Xie Tianyao remained cold and silent.

Grand Eunuch Zhou advised from the side: "Prefectural Governor Liu, you should just take an oath... You must not fail to see the situation clearly; this is the Emperor wanting to employ you!"

Liu Zheng did not know whether to laugh or cry.

How could he not know that Xie Tianyao was moved by his proposal? That was why he was so nervous, even considering his own affairs after death...

It was just that, taking an oath...

People in ancient times deeply believed in the talk of ghosts and gods.

But how could someone like Xie Tianyao believe in this?

Since ancient times, those who have won the world have all been treacherous, and going back on one's word is the most common thing. So Liu Zheng could not quite fathom why he was forcing him to take an oath.

However, he understood immediately.

Because Grand Eunuch Zhou had already taken out paper and a brush. This meant that he was to record Liu Zheng's words and actions today. If there were any accidents in the future, this piece of evidence could give Liu Zheng the charge of being "unjustified and unauthorized."

After Liu Zheng figured it out, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Ancient people truly valued such recorded oaths. It was the same principle as that of the Historian. In other words, if Liu Zheng were to seize the world in the future, having this record and oath would make it normal for his dynasty to have no peace for hundreds of years.

Because you are not the legitimate ruler—you once promised not to be Emperor, but you became one anyway, so you are unbenevolent and unrighteous.

Public opinion is indeed fearsome.

Therefore, this was not Xie Tianyao being childish; he wanted to leave a way out for his sons.

In a society of Heaven-Given Imperial Power, if your throne is obtained unjustly, many people with ulterior motives will covet your position.

Of course.

Liu Zheng truly had never thought about being any kind of Emperor.

So he said calmly: "Emperor, your humble servant Liu Zheng takes an oath here today! In this life and this world, I will never have the heart to covet the throne, and I will never usurp the Xie Clan's throne for all eternity. If I violate these words, may my parents not rest in peace, may I die by the bite of ten thousand poisons, and may my soul be scattered!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou was responsible for recording it, and then had Liu Zheng sign and press his thumbprint.

The sense of ritual was so strong that Liu Zheng felt very unaccustomed to it.

Xie Tianyao then laughed heartily: "Prefectural Governor Liu, I will give you half a year, half a year... You must stir up a splendid prosperity for me in this Liangzhou, stir up a prosperous and flourishing age!"

"You must cook up a delicious feast for me!"

"You must show those Feudatory Kings that Longyan can be governed!"

"Longyan can be saved!"

He stared fixedly at Liu Zheng, gritting his teeth, and roared almost: "Give me a prosperous Liangzhou, only then can I move against them, do you understand?"

Liu Zheng was shaken to his core: "Your servant will not refuse even death!"

No one expected it.

On this day, the Emperor's Great Carriage had just traveled between Yangzhou and Yinzhou when the old Emperor, citing physical discomfort, ordered the return to the capital.

This meant that he would not be going to Yinzhou.

But before leaving, the old Emperor's actions were still very thought-provoking.

He announced the Imperial Edict on the spot.

Liu Dahao, for his meritorious service in governing Yinyang, was promoted to a Second-rank Marquis, Marquis of Guanwai, and Prefectural Governor of Liangzhou! Prefectural Governor Liu was permitted to be the General Engineer of the Grand Canal, and all Feudatory Kings of the world were to cooperate with the excavation of the Grand Canal.

This Imperial Edict shocked everyone in the world.

He had only just become a Count a few days ago, and now he was a Marquis again?

Could this speed be flying?

Even those who had intended to watch the excitement, thinking that the Emperor would punish the Liu father and son after seeing the Refined Salt and the weapons workshop, had their hopes dashed.

Could this Prefectural Governor Liu be the Emperor's illegitimate son?

Only Liu Zheng knew that Xie Tianyao had indeed intended to go to Yinzhou to take a look, but now, he could not wait. He knew he did not have much time left and could not wait to go back and implement a series of operations. Therefore, he handed Liangzhou over to him.

He wanted him to govern Liangzhou into a "model territory for the world."

Only in this way would he have a reason to push for the Territorial Exchange...

Xie Tianyao still had great boldness.

After seeing off the Emperor's Great Carriage, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Liu Dahao was stunned, looking profound and mysterious on the side: "Son, the Emperor's move is quite meaningful!"

Liu Zheng, riding his horse, could not help but laugh: "What does Father think?"

Liu Dahao pondered for a moment before saying: "Could it be that he didn't want to go to Yinzhou for fear of seeing our Refined Salt and getting sick from anger?"

Everyone who heard this could not help but burst into laughter.

"Let's go, back to Yinzhou!"

The crowd could not help but cheer and jump for joy.

After so long, they could finally go home.

Now that Liangzhou was firmly in his grasp, there were still many things for Liu Zheng to do. Did the old Emperor not ask how the Longyan Dynasty should be reformed?

Then he would start by carrying out a reform within the borders of Liangzhou to show him!

The first priority was to establish his own Cabinet!

To establish a Cabinet, the first thing to implement was the Imperial Examination!

Liangzhou happened to be the pilot unit for the Imperial Examination... so before even returning to Liangzhou, Liu Zheng had already begun planning this matter inside his Horse Carriage. Unlike the Imperial Examination in the Western Regions, this time the Imperial Examination was clearly more formal, more cumbersome, and required much more work.

Without a doubt, when the time came, heroes from all over the world would gather here; this was no longer a simple matter for Liangzhou alone.

Throughout the entire Longyan, anyone who wanted to seek a future would flock here, and in these past few days, there were likely already many people on their way to Liangzhou.

However, Liu Zheng did not expect that before he could return to Liangzhou, a piece of tragic news would arrive.

While the Western Regions Construction Corps was blasting mountains, they killed one thousand soldiers of the Northern Border Army; Zheng Yuxing was furious and personally led a campaign against Cheshi, and as of today, he had besieged the city for three days, clamoring for Governor Liu to give him an explanation.

Sima Lingchen had fallen ill, and the city was short on food.

Xie Chan led the troops in resistance and suffered wounds in many places.

Cheshi was in imminent danger!

And one thing that made Liu Zheng happy was this.

His mother, Feng Sanniang, had returned.

【Author's Note】

I was not very satisfied with the two chapters from yesterday; many details were not explained, so I spent the night revising those two chapters. You should be able to see the revised content tomorrow; if you cannot see it, remove it from your bookshelf and add it again to view it. The plot is heading in this direction: taking Liangzhou and continuing to develop. To put it bluntly, it is a trope—territory development, similar to the gameplay of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." Governing a county, a city, and a province are definitely different. It is impossible that by the time I reach provincial-level development, I would still be smug about inventing a Perfume, right? Writing stories is like this; the sense of satisfaction at each stage is different, so everyone should view it rationally.