Chapter 629: Entering the Palace

Liu Zheng and the Prince of Yong exchanged a look of shock.

What kind of situation was this?

Their first thought was that if this Prince of Qin, Xie Zhao, also had no intention of supporting Xie Fang, then the situation would truly undergo a heaven-turning, earth-flipping change.

He was, after all, in Jinghua, the leader of the Noble Class.

But at the same time, both men felt wild joy in their hearts.

To say that Liu Zheng had no thoughts of letting Xie Chan ascend to the throne would certainly be a lie—if his own wife were the Emperor, wouldn't everything be very convenient? He could go off to be carefree whenever he wanted, and go have fun whenever he pleased?

But in his own philosophy, he still preferred the life of a free spirit, developing his own territory; Jinghua was never a place he wanted to stay in for long. It was very dangerous here, and he was very repelled by it. This was his inner thought. The main reason, however, was that the situation in Jinghua was simply too complex...

The Noble Class was deeply rooted here.

The Scholar-official class had been operating here for many years.

The Nine Regional Commanders, those fellows from the vital military strongholds, were also reaching out here, beginning to intertwine.

Complex.

It was too complex here!

Therefore, he had no confidence in whether Xie Chan could stand firm; of course, he didn't really care either. If she couldn't stand firm in Jinghua, at worst he would take her back to Liangzhou, and the two of them living as a carefree pair of mandarin ducks would also be quite nice.

But today...

This remark from Xie Zhao made Liu Zheng's heart race instantly.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and laughed, "Is the Prince of Qin drunk and joking?"

The Prince of Yong also wore a cautious expression.

This was Jinghua, at the feet of the Son of Heaven; matters concerning the succession were no small affair.

Xie Zhao smiled mysteriously and shook his head: "It seems it is still very difficult for Mandarin to gain the trust of you two."

He reached out his hand and tapped a few times in the air.

To the astonishment of the two, another person appeared. And this person was an old acquaintance: the Prince of Wei!

The Prince of Wei controlled the lands of Qingzhou and was once the number one Feudatory King of the Longyan Dynasty, even the number one King of a Different Surname, with Qingzhou Armored Soldiers invincible under heaven. This man's appearance carried an oppressive aura; although the reputation of Qingzhou had later been surpassed by the rising star of Liangzhou, it remained a great province of the world that no one dared to provoke.

The Prince of Wei!

Liu Zheng and the Prince of Yong could not help but gasp in unison.

They finally understood.

This Prince of Qin, Xie Zhao, who had been entrenched in Jinghua for many years, wanted to forge a new power!

Not the Old Aristocrats.

Not the Scholar-officials.

But the New Aristocracy!

A New Aristocracy with the Prince of Wei and the Liangzhou side—these two Kings of a Different Surname—as the main framework!

"Prince of Yong, Governor Liu, I trust you have been well!"

The Prince of Wei sat down with bold, unconstrained movements and laughed heartily.

The three exchanged pleasantries for a while, and each downed a cup of strong liquor.

The four of them drifted on the lake in the same boat, each with their own thoughts.

Ten thousand thoughts flashed through the minds of the Prince of Yong and Liu Zheng once again.

Whether it was the Prince of Qin or the Prince of Wei, both represented a massive interest group.

The side of Liu Zheng and the Prince of Yong was the same.

The four sat opposite each other, chatting and laughing.

Tacitly, no one brought up the matter of an alliance again.

But.

The arrival of the Prince of Wei explained everything. Why?

It was very simple.

Qingzhou was simply too critical to the Longyan Dynasty. Qingzhou was what was known as Shandong in a past life. Since ancient times, this had been the far Northeast of Zhongyuan, possessing great strategic significance. To the north of Qingzhou were the Qiang tribes, and to the east, across the sea, was Joseon, not far from the Wa nation.

It was precisely in the cracks of this Geography that the invincible Qingzhou Armored Soldiers were forged.

And now...

The Qiang tribes, with their ambitious leader Tie Mucheng, were eyeing the Central Plains like a tiger. That bunch of short, squat Japanese were constantly causing trouble.

Qingzhou.

Had once again become a critical place, receiving much attention.

If the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Wei were willing to form an alliance with the Liangzhou side...

Then...

Liu Zheng could participate in these directions!

This was the most critical point!

The winds were rising and the clouds were gathering.

The place where the winds and clouds were about to rise in the Longyan Dynasty now was the land of Qingzhou!

"This is getting interesting..."

When the two emerged from the back courtyard of the Qin Wang Fu, they stepped off their Horse Carriage on the street and both laughed heartily.

At this time, the bustle on the street had quieted down somewhat; although there was no curfew these past few days, people still needed to rest.

"Hahahaha, the Prince of Qin is truly a man who knows how to assess the situation."

The Prince of Yong praised.

Great god!

This is the true master!

Once the Imperial Jade Seal appeared, he knew that the land of Qingzhou would become a place where winds and clouds gather. If the Prince of Wei could form an alliance with Liu Zheng, it would surely overturn the situation in Longyan.

Impressive.

"The Prince of Qin is forcing us to reach out for the Imperial Jade Seal..."

Liu Zheng could only smile bitterly.

Calculating back and forth...

It turns out that while you were all tossing and turning in the capital of Longyan, he was sitting steadily in his prince's mansion, assessing the situation and devising strategies.

This is also a master of the game.

Placing chess pieces according to the situation.

Now, it's really getting interesting.

The next day.

Liu Zheng had just gotten up when Grand Eunuch Zhou came looking for him.

"Oh my, my Prefect Liu! You're still sleeping!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou waited on the side with a group of eunuchs.

Liu Zheng got up with a bitter smile and rubbed his temples: "I slept too late yesterday, my apologies, my apologies..."

Grand Eunuch Zhou waved his hand, letting the other eunuchs guard the door, then came to Liu Zheng's side, hesitated for a moment, and whispered: "Did the Prince of Qin come to find you for a drink last night?"

Liu Zheng was shocked: "The Emperor already knows?"

Grand Eunuch Zhou curled his lips: "This is the capital; the Emperor knows exactly how many ants are on the ground. Do you think those Secret Guards are just sitting around doing nothing?"

Liu Zheng was jolted awake, but upon reflection, how could the Prince of Qin, Xie Zhao, not know this? Yet since he came to invite him, he naturally had his own plans.

Soon, he calmed down, put on his clothes, and smiled faintly: "Old friends meeting for a drink, is that not allowed?"

Grand Eunuch Zhou, accustomed to serving others, actually helped Liu Zheng adjust his clothes and sighed: "You really have a big heart... This is at the feet of the Son of Heaven, my Prefect Liu! The moment you stepped in last night, almost everyone in the capital knew about it!"

Liu Zheng had not expected it to be so serious, but he felt it was nothing; at this time, the defection of the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Wei was actually equivalent to adding great assistance to him amidst the precarious situation.

As for the situation...

Does he care?

The ones who should care are Xie Fang and his group, right?

"Grand Eunuch Zhou, calm down, calm down, let us enter the palace first, and we can chat slowly on the way!"

Liu Zheng laughed heartily.

Grand Eunuch Zhou sighed again, but soon felt relieved. If he were the Prefect, he would certainly seek the world for his fiancée in this struggle for power.

It is human nature.

Especially for a man of such great talent and strategy as Prefect Liu?

What Liu Zheng did not expect was.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw many different carriages parked at the entrance of his Post House. After Liu Zheng and Grand Eunuch Zhou boarded the Horse Carriage, those people also set off almost simultaneously.

For a time, more than a dozen carriages were moving along the streets of the capital, a rather spectacular scene.

"Prefect Liu is entering the palace!"

"Prefect Liu is entering the palace!"

People on the street began to shout.

Everyone knew.

This time, Prefect Liu was entering the palace to treat the current Emperor.

This was a major event.

【Author's Note】

Although my own data is poor, I still recommend a book by a friend on this site, "Dawn Empire". I will update a few more chapters today...