Chapter 862: Another Old Fox

The three thousand Divine Crossbow Guards, with an astonishing momentum, rode over, causing the tens of thousands of troops in Jingcheng to stand by in silence, their eyes filled with fear.

Liu Zheng also looked on in astonishment.

The so-called Divine Crossbow Guards were not only equipped with Divine Crossbows that could be used with one hand, but their gear was also extremely complete and refined; they had Short Blades at their waists and carried Shields on their backs, which could be considered armed to the teeth.

"A bunch of wasteful things!"

Li Zhenzhu sneered in a low voice.

Everyone knew in their hearts how much gold and silver it took to cultivate just one of these Divine Crossbow Guards. Yet, when the country was in peril, could these Divine Crossbow Guards protect the home and defend the country? They could not; they could only fight among themselves. It was pathetic and lamentable.

Looking at Min Weizhong again, he was tall and sturdy, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, walking with the vigor of a tiger; his presence was equally extraordinary.

Li Zhenzhu led the crowd over to welcome him.

Min Weizhong gave a cold laugh and did not even dismount: "Where is the Princess?"

"Uncle!"

Especially those eyes, like a Falcon's, made people afraid to meet his gaze.

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Liu Zheng had heard that this Min Weizhong was himself a martial arts expert, capable of taking on a hundred enemies alone; seeing him today, he was indeed extraordinary.

"Greetings, Lord Min!"

"Min Weizhong greets the Princess!"

But after all, etiquette could not be neglected, so he still made a deep bow.

When relatives meet, their feelings are naturally extraordinary.

From the Horse Carriage that had been prepared long ago, Li Xuanya ran down, running over with tears streaming down her face like rain. Along this journey, there had been countless difficulties, and even returning to Jingcheng had not made her feel like she was home; thus, when she saw her uncle at this moment, her emotions, which she could no longer suppress, collapsed in an instant.

"Xuanya."

Min Weizhong's expression shifted, and only then did he flip down from his horse.

Li Xuanya wiped away her tears: "Uncle, is the Queen well?"

Speaking of this, a flash of intense killing intent crossed Min Weizhong's eyes, and he gave a cold laugh: "A bunch of petty scoundrels, what is there to worry about? Princess, rest assured, when we return to the capital, that is when this bunch—"

Li Zhenzhu heard this and smiled faintly. Min Weizhong's words were spoken deliberately for him to hear. It seemed he already knew what had happened in Hancheng last night. He laughed aloud: "Lord Min, the war at the border is critical, and the Royal Teacher has come to reinforce us. Tomorrow I shall set out to provide relief, so the Princess will be left to Lord Min."

"The Princess has suffered, she has grown a bit thin."

Min Weizhong sighed.

Li Xuanya's trip to Longyan this time was originally to attend the Birthday Ceremony of Xie Tianyao and, incidentally, to seek aid from Longyan; all that happened afterward was for the sake of her country and her people.

Instead, he looked toward Liu Zheng.

Liu Zheng also hurriedly smiled in response.

"Is Your Excellency the Vice Minister Liu who is famous throughout Longyan? Truly a man of talent!"

Min Weizhong could not even be bothered to look at him.

Li Zhenzhu.

In his view, Min An in the imperial court could still wrestle with him, but a lackey like Li Zhenzhu was better off ignored; moreover, even Min An was currently tucking his head in, while he, Min Weizhong, was the leader of the Westerner Party and a Royal Uncle! How could he give this Li Zhenzhu any extra face?

A man of outstanding talent.

This kind of remark, clearly spoken by a senior to a junior, did not cause Liu Zheng any resentment at this moment; on the contrary, it gave one a sense of closeness. As a junior, naturally reckoned from Li Xuanya's side, this instantly pulled Liu Zheng almost into his own camp.

Impressive!

Min Weizhong laughed heartily, his attitude quite acceptable.

Liu Zheng was stunned, then smiled.

This Min Weizhong was indeed an old fox in the imperial court; his words were even more worth scrutinizing than Li Zhenzhu's.

Min Weizhong looked at Liu Zheng meaningfully, then looked at Li Xuanya beside him; the meaning was self-evident.

"Hmph!"

Li Zhenzhu's expression was very unpleasant, but he knew he could not compete with Min Weizhong in these aspects at all, so he only gave a cold laugh: "Send off the Princess!"

The sentence was very fitting.

Liu Zheng also smiled and cupped his hands: "Liu Zheng greets Lord Min."

"Hahahaha, good!"

Three thousand Divine Crossbow Guards.

Liu Zheng also brought three thousand men.

The two Horse Carriages set off on the road.

"Send off the Princess!"

The soldiers of Jingcheng lined the road to see them off.

This time, the one leading the fifty thousand troops to reinforce Korea was Xiao Qian, a great general under the Prince of Wei! With fifty thousand troops handed over to him, Liu Zheng was naturally very at ease. The two exchanged a few more words, and only then did Liu Zheng follow and board the Horse Carriage.

It is just that

Min Weizhong, oh Min Weizhong.

How much longer can you be smug?

Watching this grand procession, Li Zhenzhu narrowed his eyes slightly.

Actually.

He wished he could have the fifty thousand troops of Jingcheng slaughter this Min Weizhong right now! However, since the Longyan Army was also here, he naturally dared not act rashly.

Min Weizhong also boarded the Horse Carriage, and Liu Zheng hurriedly stood up to welcome him.

This man, now the leader of the Westerner Party in Korea who held the reins of government, seemed not the least bit worried that Queen Inhyeon had been imprisoned. He looked at Liu Zheng with a smile: "Vice Minister Liu, why do you not follow the main army to reinforce the border, but instead choose to follow us into the capital?"

"Everyone, get back to work; the army marches tomorrow!"

He turned his head and shouted coldly.

A group of generals responded with a roar of agreement.

Second, for him to involve himself in the internal struggles of this Li Dynasty at such a time was truly unwise; there must be some other scheme, perhaps even a desire to profit from it?

As expected.

This was a true old fox.

Liu Zheng felt a jolt throughout his body.

This question struck at the heart of the matter.

First, he was asking whether Liu Zheng truly had some kind of relationship with the Li Dynasty Princess Li Xuanya, and was therefore unable to set his mind at ease.

This actually startled Liu Zheng, but he quickly calmed down. Min Weizhong, being able to come out on top in these factional struggles, was naturally no ordinary person. Although Joseon was small, it had many factions, and the deceit and mutual infiltration among them were nothing out of the ordinary. Thinking of this, Liu Zheng took a deep breath, thinking to himself how close it had been; fortunately, his reaction had been extremely fast, otherwise, it would have been very difficult to gain the trust of this Min Weizhong.

Min Weizhong looked deeply at Liu Zheng and finally laughed heartily: "Vice Minister Liu, do not be alarmed. Everything is still under this old man's control."

Liu Zheng pretended to be uncertain and alarmed.

Liu Zheng gave a wry smile, knowing that if he did not reveal everything, he would likely be unable to cope. He turned his head and whispered: "Lord Min, of the three thousand men accompanying us, half belong to Li Zhenzhu!"

"Oh."

Min Weizhong chuckled, his face showing no sign of surprise.

The matter of the capital's city defense was of great importance.

It was even more important than the resistance currently happening on the border. Because what they were guarding was the Wanggong, the capital city!

To put it plainly.

Min Weizhong then said indifferently: "The capital's defense is handled by three systems: the Imperial Guards who protect the Wanggong, and the Duqi and Duwei responsible for city defense—three systems. Well, if you add the caravan guards of that fellow Zhang Xuan, that makes four systems."

Liu Zheng listened quietly.

Although he did not know if this Min Weizhong was truly being sincere with him, at the very least, he now had the "intention" to stand on a united front with him.

Min Weizhong chuckled: "It seems we are only left with the Duwei."

"The Imperial Guards have always been in the hands of the King; no one else can touch them."

"Recently, Li Hang has stirred up trouble and replaced the Duqi commanders with his own people."

If a palace coup were to occur, it would depend on who exactly controlled these four systems!

Liu Zheng's heart skipped a beat.

He knew this man definitely still had a backup plan.