Chapter 627: Undercurrents Surging

"Giddyup!"

"Giddyup!"

"Giddyup!"

While Jinghua was still in the midst of its festivities, a sturdy Sweat-Blood Horse was galloping incessantly through the wilderness.

The young silhouette on horseback was none other than Jiang Xuan, whipping his horse to speed toward Liangzhou.

Very soon.

Parched and dry-mouthed, he arrived at a Post House.

The Post House had long since prepared water and dry rations.

Jiang Xuan vaulted off his horse, took the water skin, and gulped it down with great relish.

"General, this is the intelligence sent from over there!"

Soon, a soldier handed over a stack of files.

Jiang Xuan examined them and gave a cold laugh: "This Mizuno Masashige, merely a retainer of the Wa nation, is actually this arrogant?"

Thirty thousand men under his command?

That's it?

And he calls himself a Great General?

He couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth and said indifferently: "Tell our brothers in the Wa nation to be careful and continue gathering intelligence on them."

"Yes!"

The current Dark Night Squad had long since grown and expanded, becoming the premier intelligence organization in Liangzhou.

These brothers gathering intelligence were no longer limited to the Longyan Dynasty; they had even expanded abroad, to places like the Wa nation and Joseon!

"Make two copies of this intelligence, send one to the Master and one to Wangbei Academy! Also, are the brothers arranged to go to the Ottoman Empire already on their way?"

Jiang Xuan was now a mature general, and he arranged matters in an orderly fashion.

"They are already on their way."

"Good!"

Jiang Xuan ate some dry rations, drank some water, and vaulted back onto his horse.

"General, please rest a little longer..."

Several soldiers felt a pang of heartache, but Jiang Xuan, having switched to a fresh horse, had already ridden far away.

These people from the Feng Family had naturally come to offer a humble apology.

Gongs and drums were clamoring, and it was exceptionally lively.

Feng Fan and Feng Kai, who were once arrogant and harbored evil intentions, now wore faces full of shame.

"Aunt..."

Feng Kai wept bitterly; it seemed his experiences in the Heavenly Prison these past few days had made him much more docile.

"What aunt? You must call her Consort, call her Consort!"

Feng Fan rebuked him angrily.

"Consort!"

At this moment, Feng Kai no longer had any of his former arrogance.

"Quickly get up, quickly get up, you are all children, what is this for..."

Feng Sanniang was kind-hearted, and seeing this, she could not bring herself to speak words of reproach.

"Congratulations to the Prince!"

"Congratulations, brother-in-law!"

"Congratulations to the Xiliang King!"

The people of the Feng Family offered all sorts of flattery and ingratiation, and naturally, they shamelessly invited the two to stay at the Feng Family residence once again.

Liu Dahao, however, laughed heartily: "How could I dare, how could I dare? I, Liu Dahao, am used to the wild; I really can't get used to living in that three-courtyard mansion of the Feng Family. This place is just fine, this place is just fine!"

After saying this, he ignored the Feng Family's attempts to persuade him to stay and walked toward the Post House.

Leaving only this group of Feng Family members behind, filled with regret.

Liu Zheng once again sat in the Horse Carriage of the Prince of Yong, with Pei Qianyun still guarding his side. This Offering Ceremony had truly given the people of Jinghua a shock and a sense of glory they had never enjoyed before.

"The Emperor has decreed that starting today, for seven consecutive days, there will be no curfew in Jinghua!"

The Prince of Yong laughed.

Liu Zheng nodded and smiled. The imperial court of the past had been too high and mighty; it was clear that this time of sharing joy with the people had completely changed the atmosphere in Jinghua. The people's support for the imperial court exceeded anything in the past.

The two simply got out of the carriage and began to walk through Jinghua.

Three thousand worlds of prosperity, the bustling Jinghua.

Although the two had prominent identities, they did not attract excessive attention, which showed that the people of Jinghua were clearly accustomed to such nobles. During the Christmas period, the streets were still filled with lights and flowers, and gongs and drums were clamoring everywhere.

Not to mention...

Since arriving in Jinghua, he hadn't truly strolled through the city, and accompanied by the Prince of Yong, Liu Zheng's interest in sightseeing was greatly piqued.

Jinghua was lined with shops, and the goods were dazzling; he wondered if he should buy something to take back as a gift for Zheng Yueru.

At this moment, a few people walked over quietly, but they were discovered by Pei Qianyun.

The few people looked around and whispered: "Governor Liu, the Prince of Qin requests your presence!"

Liu Zheng and the Prince of Yong could not help but exchange glances.

The Prince of Qin?

Prince of Qin, Xie Zhao?

At a time like this, what does he intend to do by seeking out Liu Zheng?

But thinking that, power struggles aside, the two had indeed long admired each other in spirit, Liu Zheng did not hesitate and boarded the Horse Carriage parked nearby with the Prince of Yong.

"Outrageous, simply outrageous! This Prefect Liu, this Prefect Liu!"

When Mizuno Masashige returned to the Post House, his face was livid, and in his rage, he smashed everything in the room to pieces.

But after smashing things for a while, he sat defeated in a chair, his expression gloomy.

It was also...

Even without Prefect Liu, he was still going to lose to that Tie Mu Cheng!

That was Top-grade Dragon Saliva Incense, the finest in history!

This time, he had truly staked everything, yet he still lost!

He lost the very first battle!

More importantly... he let this Prefect Liu win! Doesn't this mean that Longyan Princess is bound to be his? It is a best-of-three, and it would be strange if Longyan Princess didn't choose Liu Zheng in the final round!

"General, General, we still have a chance..."

Someone nearby hurriedly advised: "We haven't actually lost this first battle yet!"

"Oh?"

Mizuno Masashige looked puzzled.

That person then smiled and said: "Think about it, one year of lifespan—the outcome can only be determined after a year, right? As long as a year hasn't passed, that Prefect Liu cannot be considered the winner!"

Mizuno Masashige was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Right, right, right, that is true! We still have a chance?"

"Naturally, there is a chance!"

"Good!"

Mizuno Masashige regained his confidence and said coldly: "Then we shall see how that so-called Longyun Games goes! The men of my Wa nation cannot lose!"

"Hai!"

Xie Fang, who had just returned to the Eastern Palace, was also in a very bad mood at this moment.

One year of lifespan...

That damned Liu Zheng!

The Emperor was about to die, clearly on his last legs! This made Xie Fang, who upheld the principle that "no mistakes is an achievement," wait anxiously to ascend the throne...

And yet, you had to go and add another year of lifespan!

Isn't this just inviting more trouble as time drags on?

As for whether Prefect Liu could actually do it...

He hardly needed to consider it.

Because ever since he had known this fellow, there had never been anything he said he would do that he couldn't accomplish!

Furthermore...

He was wagering the entirety of Liangzhou!

Xie Fang no longer considered whether Prefect Liu could succeed... he felt he could directly start planning for how to act if the Emperor were to live for another year.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince..."

Suddenly, the old Strategist chuckled from the side: "Your Highness, why not strive to seize the Imperial Jade Seal?"

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Fang was immediately overjoyed: "Does Teacher mean..."

The old Strategist smiled: "The Emperor is aged, and since what Tie Mu Cheng offered is merely a map, he will certainly need someone to find this tomb! Why doesn't Your Highness take the initiative and seize this mission? After all, in all of Longyan, there is no one more suitable than Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"That's right, that's right! How did I not think of that? I'll go at once, I will enter the palace immediately!"

Xie Fang was stirred with excitement.

The Imperial Jade Seal!

As long as he got his hands on the Imperial Jade Seal, would he still need to care about anyone else?