Chapter 996: Imprisoned in the Celestial Dungeon

Peter the Great took a deep breath.

He knew that these people were not wrong.

The Russian people, who had always lived in a land of bitter cold, felt immense envy for the incomparably rich Longyan.

Of course.

The bitter, cold weather had also given the Russian people a robust constitution.

Among these Russian men, not a single one would shrink back when it came to fighting!

The Ottoman Empire, such a powerful Empire, had been bullied by them time and time again. Back then, the powerful Sweden of Europe was even stripped of the coastal areas of the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Riga, as well as the outlet to the Baltic Sea, by Peter the Great. From then on, the status of Tsarist Russia as a great power was established.

Longyan.

How could Peter the Great not want to obtain Longyan? Even that land of Liaodong, a place that had been spurned by Longyan for thousands of years, seemed so rich to him.

"Five hundred thousand troops..."

Peter the Great tried hard to calm himself down, and he said indifferently: "Five hundred thousand troops, and he only gives my Russia a Xingkai Lake and Vladivostok; this Prince Zhao is truly a stingy man..."

The whole room burst into laughter.

"Great Emperor, once we arrive in Longyan, does what he says still count?"

"The first thing we do is 'crack' him!"

"Right! What we want is at least a Liaodong!"

Peter finally could not hold back anymore, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "Good! Five hundred thousand troops, prepare immediately! Get ready to head south!"

The whole room was overjoyed and echoed him one after another.

At this moment, Liu Zheng naturally did not know what a huge disaster this Prince Zhao would cause, but Prince Zhao was the most active and ambitious among the Feudatory Kings who had come to the capital this time.

Liu Zheng knew about the various eyes and ears he had tried to plant in Jinghua, as well as his assassins from Youzhou, and he naturally also knew that Xie Tianyao would not have failed to notice them either.

It was just that.

All the Feudatory Kings who came to Jinghua this time were more or less the same; they all came with certain goals in mind.

Who was inferior to whom?

You have your Youzhou Sudden Cavalry, but I have my Xuanjia Army.

It was just that.

Everyone had overlooked one problem, which was that the geographical location of Youzhou was truly too critical.

Finally.

Liu Zheng, the Prince of Wei, and the Prince of Jin returned to Jinghua, carrying the "coffin" of Xie Fang.

On this day, almost everyone in the entire Jinghua came out.

When the entire honor guard led by Liu Zheng appeared at the city gate, people from the Ministry of Rites had long been waiting there. When they saw the coffin, the entire welcoming party began to wail; these men, who were usually masters in their own right, almost crawled over while crying and kneeling.

"The tragedy of Longyan!"

"The tragedy of Longyan indeed!"

"The Crown Prince!"

"The Eastern Palace has lost its heaven, the Eastern Palace has lost its heaven, it is the tragedy of Longyan!"

The spectacle this time surpassed those of other cities. Regardless of whether it was sincere or feigned, Crown Prince Xie Fang had "died" just like that, and he had died with such dignity and so heroically. This could definitely be considered a good end.

A hero!

The Crown Prince was a hero.

In fact, this also promoted people's concept of respecting the Emperor. This was why Xie Tianyao was conflicted; this Vice Minister Liu always put him in a difficult position.

"Vice Minister Liu..."

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites finally walked over, kneeling and kowtowing.

Liu Zheng hurriedly reddened his eyes and held his hand: "Minister, the Crown Prince... I leave him to you!"

"Wuwuwuwu..."

"Oh, Crown Prince!"

"You were so young..."

These people from the Ministry of Rites naturally had to take over the coffin.

"You have worked hard, Vice Minister Liu..."

This Minister of the Ministry of Rites was none other than Gu Shufeng, the grandfather of that Gu Jin from before.

Seeing this old man crying so sorrowfully, Liu Zheng still felt some reluctance in his heart and sighed: "It is a pity that he could not be saved in the end..."

The crowd wept again.

Suddenly, Liu Zheng felt a hint of a smile that was not quite a smile.

This girl was at it again!

Sure enough.

Also wearing mourning clothes like the people from the Ministry of Rites was Gu Jin, whom he had not seen for a long time.

The look in her eyes as she watched Liu Zheng at this moment was full of hidden meaning.

"Ahem..."

Liu Zheng felt as if he had been seen through. As the handover of work began, he slowly walked to Gu Jin's side and tried to change the subject: "Why aren't you crying?"

Gu Jin snorted coldly: "What exactly happened to the Crown Prince..."

Liu Zheng was startled: "Miss Gu, be careful, loose lips sink ships!"

"You..."

Gu Jin glared at him, wanting to say something but stopping herself, and in the end, she held back. In reality, she was quite happy in her heart to see Liu Zheng again. This guy had gotten darker and more haggard, but he had also matured quite a bit. The former Vice Minister Liu had been incomparably delicate, but after taking a trip to the Li Dynasty, he had actually become much sturdier and possessed more of a man's spirit.

"Fine, I'll give it to you!"

Gu Jin's eyes rolled as she asked, "That *Chronicles of the Xie Clan's Southern Expedition* that has already spread to Longyan—did you write it? It's just too good!"

At this moment, the Ministry of Rites had almost entirely taken over the funeral procession, and Liu Zheng felt a wave of relief in his heart. From here on, it was a matter for the Ministry of Rites to manage; the Crown Prince's grand funeral was no small affair, and it would likely take place in about a month at the Imperial Mausoleum in Lishan.

At that time, there would be a national funeral.

There were truly too many things to prepare during this one-month period, and they would have to wait for all the Feudatory Kings from all directions to arrive before it could begin.

"Hmm."

Liu Zheng gave a casual reply.

Gu Jin was so excited she asked, "Is there a manuscript? Is there a manuscript? I never expected you to be so good at writing novels!"

Liu Zheng gave a bitter smile: "My lady, have I gone mad? Why would I bring the manuscript back after finishing it?"

Gu Jin looked somewhat disappointed: "Ha, then do you have any intention of writing more novels in the future?"

"Huh?"

Liu Zheng was instantly left speechless.

He was busy enough as it was every single day; where would he find the time for such Literature?

"The Emperor arrives!"

"The Emperor arrives!"

Just at this moment, several shrill voices suddenly rang out.

Everyone's entire body jolted.

Liu Zheng also took a deep breath and, following the others, knelt down one by one.

The Emperor...

Xie Tianyao.

He had actually come out in person to welcome the "corpse" of his own son.

The Imperial carriage moved slowly.

The entire Imperial procession had been changed to black and white, appearing solemn and grave.

The entire crowd wailed again.

They wept bitterly.

The atmosphere had to be created.

The Emperor was not yet dead, but the Crown Prince had died; for Longyan, this was no ordinary blow.

The Imperial carriage finally arrived.

The curtain of the Horse Carriage was lifted, and the figure of Xie Tianyao appeared before everyone.

"Your Majesty, please restrain your grief..."

"Your Majesty, please take care of your Imperial health..."

"Your Majesty!"

For the first time in so long, everyone saw Xie Tianyao looking so gaunt and dispirited; only then did these loyal civil and military officials truly begin to weep.

Xie Tianyao sat quietly in the Horse Carriage just like that.

He did not get out of the carriage.

But he could see the coffin, the funeral casket, containing Xie Fang.

They only heard him shout fiercely: "Throw Vice Minister Liu into the Heavenly Prison! Execute him on a chosen day!"

The entire crowd was shocked.

"What?"

"Your Majesty, this..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zheng's expression also changed drastically.

Execute him on a chosen day?

You old fox, what game are you trying to play?