Chapter 858: Bright Moon and Sparse Stars

"If you have time, you are welcome to return to Longyan for a visit, General Li. The current Longyan is no longer the Longyan of the past."

Liu Zheng remained calm and chuckled.

"Easily said, easily said. Come, come, I have already prepared a banquet in the city. It is but simple tea and light rice, I hope Vice Minister Liu will not mind!"

Li Zhenzhu laughed heartily and made a gesture of invitation.

This time, there were also several Joseon generals following Li Zhenzhu to welcome the Royal Teacher. Li Zhenzhu was still considered amiable, but the gazes these generals cast at Liu Zheng and his men were somewhat off.

There was unconvinced resentment.

There was mockery.

There was arrogance.

"After you, General Li!"

Liu Zheng remained calm and yielded the way as well.

The two of them traveled together.

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Liu Zheng, however, shook his head with a faint smile.

The Joseon Dynasty was currently suffering defeat after defeat on the battlefield; they would not dare to make a move against him now. At the very least, they would wait until after resisting the Wa pirates before finding a method to deal with him.

Pei Qianyun followed closely behind Liu Zheng the entire time.

He knew that this Li Zhenzhu was no good and wanted to plot against Liu Zheng.

Li Zhenzhu hurriedly shook his head, looking worried: "I dare not, I dare not. To be honest with you, Minister Liu, the Wa pirates are coming with great momentum this time. I am merely waiting in Jingcheng for the arrival of the Royal Teacher. In a few days, the fifty thousand of the Royal Teacher and the fifty thousand of the Jingcheng army, totaling one hundred thousand, must rush to the battlefield simultaneously. Minister Liu, time is pressing and allows for no rest, please do not take offense!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng stopped in his tracks and looked over with a chuckle: "Does the General mean that we should head straight to the battlefield?"

Jingcheng was a medium-sized city in Joseon, positioned as a key military stronghold, so the city's construction was not particularly good. Yet, there were still commoners and merchants watching this procession.

Liu Zheng looked around and said indifferently: "With the Joseon Dynasty engaged in bitter fighting, for the people of Jingcheng to live in peace and contentment, General Li deserves the highest credit!"

Piao Zhengyong was beside them, sweating profusely, keeping his head down and not daring to speak.

Li Zhenzhu was clearly taken aback by this question from Liu Zheng, and then he looked at Piao Zhengyong over there, a trace of anger unable to be hidden in the depths of his eyes. Could it be that this Piao Zhengyong had not discussed things properly with this Vice Minister Liu?

"And what about the Princess?"

The atmosphere changed instantly, becoming eerie.

Since this Princess had arrived in the territory of the Southerner Party, how could they possibly let her return alive?

Li Zhenzhu watched Liu Zheng quietly.

What did that mean?

Was that one hundred thousand gold given away for nothing?

Liu Zheng smiled: "That probably won't do."

At this moment.

Liu Zheng also kept a faint smile.

The atmosphere was awkward for a moment before Li Zhenzhu laughed heartily: "Naturally, we will send people to deliver it to Hancheng tomorrow!"

Li Zhenzhu shook his head slightly, his amiable expression having turned cold, smiling without mirth: "Does Minister Liu mean that you are determined to meddle in this matter?"

Pei Qianyun glared, remaining on alert at all times.

The two had already entered the city and arrived at the entrance of the government office.

Hearing Liu Zheng's words, the expressions of the several generals beside Li Zhenzhu all changed, filled with murderous intent.

Li Zhenzhu took a deep look at Liu Zheng, and his expression finally softened: "Yes, yes, yes, the Royal Teacher has been marching for a month, rest should come first, rest first!"

Liu Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

Liu Zheng, however, laughed heartily: "General, let us go in and talk, let us go in and talk."

Piao Zhengyong was also wiping away heavy sweat on the side: "Yes, yes, yes, Minister Liu has his own ideas, General, let us go in first!"

If the perspective is too narrow, it is easy to go to extremes. Although he was currently leading fifty thousand troops, once the internal struggles of the Joseon Dynasty began, it would still be very easy to set an ambush for him in this residence.

Take it by strategy.

In his heart, he knew the character of these people.

To put it bluntly, their perspective was just too narrow.

At the banquet, Li Zhenzhu and the others still showed the proper respect to Li Xuanya. But Liu Zheng knew that these people were likely plotting at this very moment how to make Li Xuanya die on the journey.

After the wine and food, Liu Zheng returned to his room.

Having entered the Joseon Dynasty, he had to win by strategy.

Only when he personally led the army could he truly let go and act.

Just now at the banquet, these people had used the alcohol to make rude remarks, but they were all brushed aside by Liu Zheng with "humility."

"Deliberate?"

Pei Qianyun could no longer hold back and scolded angrily: "These barbarians, why is the Young Master afraid of them? Look at their faces, are they even worthy of commenting on my Longyan soldiers?"

Liu Zheng smiled bitterly: "This was deliberately arranged by Li Zhenzhu."

"Just kill them!"

Pei Qianyun was angry again.

Pei Qianyun widened his eyes.

Liu Zheng took a deep breath: "This old fox wants to test our attitude. Piao Zhengyong has likely already told him my plan. If we had acted too fiercely at the banquet just now, it would certainly have aroused the suspicions of this old fox."

Who could have known.

How many ambushers were hidden in this courtyard at this moment?

Liu Zheng smiled without a word, rubbed his temples, and looked out the window.

Tonight the moon was bright and the stars were sparse; this Jingcheng government office was quiet, and under the moonlight, the paths in this large courtyard had a feeling of extraordinary, desolate beauty.

"Borrowing a knife to kill someone?"

It was just as Liu Zheng had guessed.

How could Piao Zhengyong, who had been playing the fool the entire journey, be a simple person?

The calmness and composure that Piao Zhengyong was displaying at this moment were indeed vastly different from how he had been along the way.

Li Zhenzhu fell into deep thought.

Sitting in his study, Li Zhenzhu heard Piao Zhengyong's words, his eyes narrowing slightly, filled with a chilling murderous intent.

Piao Zhengyong nodded respectfully: "General, so in my view, this Vice Minister Liu is actually just worried about bearing responsibility; it seems he is not as calculating as all that, just an egoist."

This Vice Minister Liu is a smart man.

He knows that Xie Tianyao has long since made arrangements here and does not want him to leave the Li Dynasty alive.

Borrowing a knife to kill someone.

According to what Piao Zhengyong said, there was nothing wrong with that.

Including the escort of the Eldest Princess Li Xuanya, and the death trap for Li Xuanya, he did not want to be stained by any of it. He wanted even less to hand the Eldest Princess over to their Southern Faction.

Click, click, click.

Therefore.

He began to become cautious.

Li Zhenzhu laughed out loud.

Thinking about it this way, he really is a clever little devil.

Li Zhenzhu's fingers tapped lightly on the table.

"So his meaning is, wait for the people from the Westerner Party to come, and then have him send people to assassinate her in secret; that way, no one will suspect him, and he can also disentangle himself from the complications between us."

Wanting to get rid of him, there are too many opportunities; there is no need to rush.

Piao Zhengyong nodded and smiled: "Exactly so."

If Vice Minister Liu only has this much vision.

Then he is not a difficult person to deal with.

"Yes, General."

After receiving Li Zhenzhu's reply, Liu Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief, and only then did he get a peaceful night's sleep.

"Go reply to him that our people must also participate in it."

Li Zhenzhu smiled faintly.

"Giddyap, giddyap, giddyap!"

"Hurry, hurry!"

At this moment.

Min Weizhong, leading a troop, was also galloping over.