You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Ministry of Rites.

Zhuge Liang and the Thirteenth Prince sat next to each other.

"Prime Minister Zhuge, if I remember correctly, the Eastern Region should be under the control and protection of the Azure Dragon Dynasty! When did it become your Great Zhou?"

"My Imperial Court has long had a strict order prohibiting dynasties within our human race from attacking each other, so as to avoid weakening our human race. Your Great Zhou has quite the audacity to dare to launch a military campaign and destroy the Azure Dragon Dynasty. You really don't take my Imperial Court's strict orders seriously at all!"

As soon as he sat down, the Thirteenth Prince looked at Zhuge Liang and said calmly.

His tone revealed no emotion, yet an invisible pressure emanated from him, filling the surroundings.

If it were an ordinary person, they might actually be intimidated by the Thirteenth Prince's show of force.

But Zhuge Liang was no ordinary man; he had seen all kinds of battles.

The thirteenth prince wanted to give him a hard time, but he was still too inexperienced.

"Your Highness, you are unaware of the truth! My Great Zhou was forced to resist. The Azure Dragon Dynasty attacked my Great Zhou without cause, sending a large army to attack my Great Zhou. My Great Zhou had no choice but to fight back. We can't just stand by and let others slaughter us when the knife is already at our throats."

"and."

"This Azure Dragon Dynasty also colluded with foreign races, destroyed the four top sects of my Eastern Region, and persecuted many loyal people in my Eastern Region who were unwilling to associate with foreign races. Does Your Highness, the Thirteenth Prince, think that a dynasty that associates with foreign races should not perish?"

Zhuge Liang looked at the Thirteenth Prince and said with righteous indignation.

When it comes to witty banter, Zhuge Liang was second to none.

Upon hearing this, the thirteenth prince's lips twitched involuntarily.

He originally intended to give the other party a hard time, but instead, the other party ended up making things difficult for him.

How should he answer?

To associate with a foreign race is indeed a death sentence.

If he answers like that, wouldn't that indirectly admit that there was no problem with the Great Zhou conquering the Azure Dragon Dynasty?

As a prince of the imperial court, even if his visit to the Great Zhou was not a normal official visit, his every word and action represented the imperial court.

Before the Imperial Court has made a clear statement, he has already expressed his opinion on the matter in the Eastern Region. Isn't that just asking for trouble?

But what if he says it shouldn't have died?

Those who ally with foreign races should not perish, so what does this prince of the imperial court intend to do?

Betrayal of humanity?

Or do you want to become a traitor?

"Zhuge Zhongxiang is exaggerating! As far as I know, two sect leaders and several elders of your four top sects in the Eastern Region died at the hands of your Great Zhou."

The Thirteenth Prince glanced at Zhuge Liang and spoke.

They wanted to set a trap for him, but His Highness the Thirteenth Prince wasn't the kind of spoiled brat who only knew about romance and pleasure.

"It seems that His Highness the Thirteenth Prince knows quite a bit about the affairs of our Great Zhou!"

Zhuge Liang understood that the Thirteenth Prince was telling him that he, the Thirteenth Prince, was not completely ignorant about the affairs of the Great Zhou.

“Your Highness is right. Two sect leaders and several elders from the four top sects of the Eastern Region died at the hands of the Great Zhou. Since Your Highness knows these things, Your Highness should also know that the four top sects of the Eastern Region have long been infiltrated by the Demon Clan and other alien races.”

"It can be said that the entire Eastern Region, not only the four top sects, but many forces have been controlled by the demons and other alien races, including the Azure Dragon Dynasty. If it weren't for the timely intervention of our Great Zhou, the entire Eastern Region would probably have become the domain of those alien races long ago. How could His Highness the Thirteenth Prince have the opportunity to come to the Eastern Region and sit here with me?"

Since the other party knew these things, Zhuge Liang had no reason to hide anything, and he said, "Nine parts truth and one part falsehood."

"Hehe, Prime Minister Zhuge is quite eloquent. Putting aside the fact that these are all Prime Minister Zhuge's one-sided statements, just take the matter of attacking and destroying the Azure Dragon Dynasty. Your Great Zhou violated the strict orders of my Imperial Court. The Azure Dragon Dynasty was a dynasty appointed by my Imperial Court, and the national fortune of the Azure Dragon Dynasty also affects the fortune of my Imperial Court. Whether the Azure Dragon Dynasty is guilty or not, and how to deal with it, is not up to your Great Zhou, but up to my Imperial Court."

"However, this prince has not come to the Eastern Region for these matters. These matters are for the officials in the Imperial Court to worry about, and it is not my place to worry about them. This prince now wants to see the emperor of your Great Zhou to discuss important matters. Please ask Zhuge Zhongxiang to lead the way."

The Thirteenth Prince didn't want to argue with Zhuge Liang anymore; there was no real point in them continuing to clash over these matters.

Regardless of who is right or wrong, in the end, it all comes down to who has the stronger fist.

It has always been the case that big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp; this is an age-old truth.

Whether the Azure Dragon Dynasty was destroyed or not was neither of his concern nor his interest. What he truly cared about was whether this trip could achieve his intended purpose.

Everything was a prelude to the next objective.

"Your Highness's arrival is unfortunate. His Majesty has been in seclusion for many days. I'm afraid Your Highness will be disappointed if you wish to see His Majesty."

Zhuge Liang did not know what the purpose of the Thirteenth Prince's journey from afar to the Great Zhou was, but he figured it was not something good.

It's impossible for just anyone to see the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If someone came and said they had important business to discuss with the Emperor of Great Zhou, then the Emperor of Great Zhou wouldn't have to do anything else every day, as he would have to meet with countless people.

"However, if Your Highness has any important matters to discuss, you may speak with me. If it is a trivial matter, my Great Zhou will not refuse to help if it is within our power."

Zhuge Liang wanted to see what the purpose of the thirteenth prince of the imperial court was in traveling all the way from the Central Plains to the Great Zhou.

"In seclusion?"

Upon hearing this, the Thirteenth Prince frowned.

The Great Zhou has just unified the Eastern Region and has gone through the turmoil of the great war. It is a time when someone is needed to take charge of the overall situation. At this critical juncture, how could the emperor of the Great Zhou possibly go into seclusion?

The Thirteenth Prince glanced at Zhuge Liang suspiciously, but he already knew what was going on.

Obviously.

This is the other party's excuse.

All that talk about seclusion is just an excuse.

He was probably already known to the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty when he was just outside the city gates of the imperial city.

"Well, I've come at just the right time. I wonder when the Emperor of your Great Zhou will emerge from seclusion?"

The Thirteenth Prince did not immediately reveal his purpose, but instead asked Zhuge Liang calmly.

Zhuge Liang shook his head; "I don't know when His Majesty will be able to emerge from seclusion. The Thirteenth Prince should know that the seclusion period can be longer or shorter in some cases. As for the exact time His Majesty will emerge from seclusion, how could we, as his subjects, possibly know?"

Zhuge Liang's meaning was clear: if there was anything, one could speak to him, the Grand Chancellor of the Great Zhou, but as for seeing the Emperor of the Great Zhou, who knew when that would be?

The Thirteenth Prince understood Zhuge Liang's meaning, pondered for a moment, and said, "I came to the Eastern Region to recruit the strongmen of the Azure Dragon Dynasty, but now the Azure Dragon Dynasty has been replaced by your Great Zhou. Since that's the case, then your Great Zhou should take over. Gather all the strongmen above the Saint level and accompany me to the Imperial Court of the Central Region to serve."

To summon powerful individuals at the level of saints or above?

Upon hearing the Thirteenth Prince's words, Zhuge Liang frowned slightly. Without hesitation, he refused, saying, "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint Your Highness. The current situation of our Great Zhou is unstable, and there are also alien races like the Demon Clan and the Yaoting lurking in the shadows. If we gather all the experts above the Saint level to accompany Your Highness to the Central Region Imperial Court, what will happen to our Great Zhou, and even the entire Eastern Region?"

"If the demons and other alien races attack, what will our Great Zhou use to defend itself?"

Zhuge Liang never expected that the Thirteenth Prince's goal was to recruit powerful individuals above the level of a sage in his Great Zhou Dynasty.

Putting aside whether he, as the Grand Chancellor of the Great Zhou, could actually make this decision, even if he could, he would never agree to it.

"Moreover, Your Highness the Thirteenth Prince has not yet figured out one thing: that is, my Great Zhou is not the Azure Dragon Dynasty, nor is it a vassal of the Central Region Imperial Court. Neither Your Highness the Thirteenth Prince nor the Central Region Imperial Court has the right to conscript the strongmen and soldiers of my Great Zhou."

Zhuge Liang looked at the Thirteenth Prince and spoke each word clearly.

He didn't ask why the Thirteenth Prince wanted to come to the Eastern Region of Great Zhou to recruit experts above the Saint level, nor did he care whether it was the Thirteenth Prince's own idea or the Central Region Imperial Court's idea. But recruiting experts above the Saint level from Great Zhou was simply impossible.

His Great Zhou was neither a vassal state of the Central Region Imperial Court nor a subordinate state of the Central Region Imperial Court, and the Central Region Imperial Court had no right to order his Great Zhou to do anything.

"So, you're saying that Great Zhou has refused?"

The Thirteenth Prince raised his eyelids slightly, and his face darkened.

"You should know that my Central Region Imperial Court rules over the entire Wilderness Realm. Every human dynasty in the Wilderness Realm is under the jurisdiction of my Imperial Court, and your Great Zhou is no exception."

"Moreover, the reason I have come to summon experts above the Saint level is to deal with the alien races. This is a matter of righteousness for our human race. Does your Great Zhou know what the consequences will be if you refuse my summons?"

Standing on the high ground of righteousness, the Thirteenth Prince looked down at Zhuge Liang with an oppressive gaze, his tone much sharper than before.

"Is Your Highness threatening me?"

Zhuge Liang was no pushover either, and he began to confront the Thirteenth Prince.

This is a battle on the table; whoever loses momentum first is likely to be defeated by the other.

"If Prime Minister Zhuge sees this as a threat to His Highness, then so be it."

"Heh, no one has ever dared to threaten my Great Zhou before, but the Thirteenth Prince is the first."

Zhuge Liang sneered, his expression and tone showing no fear whatsoever.

Others might care about the identity of this thirteenth prince, but Zhuge Liang wouldn't.

The Central Region Imperial Court is strong, but the Great Zhou Dynasty is not weak either.

If anyone wants to threaten his Great Zhou, this Thirteenth Prince is not qualified.

If it were the Emperor of the Imperial Court who came, perhaps there would still be some chance.

……

Half a day later.

The Thirteenth Prince walked out of the Ministry of Rites with a gloomy expression. Clearly...

In this confrontation, the Thirteenth Prince did not gain any advantage over Zhuge Liang, the Grand Chancellor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"Your Highness, how dare the Great Zhou refuse Your Highness's summons! They are truly courting death."

The old man behind the Thirteenth Prince said indignantly.

How dare a mere dynasty from the barren lands of the Eastern Region refuse His Highness's summons, and even brazenly claim that they are not subjects of the Imperial Court? This is simply a provocation against the majesty of His Highness the Imperial Court.

It should be understood that in the entire Wilderness Realm, every human dynasty and power is subservient to his imperial court, even the sects and holy lands are subordinate to his imperial court.

If the Imperial Court's attention hadn't been diverted, and if there hadn't been changes in the other three regions, just the fact that the Great Zhou had destroyed the Azure Dragon Dynasty would have been enough to unleash the Imperial Court's fury!

"This is to be expected. If the Great Zhou agrees so easily, then I, Your Highness, will have to think it over carefully."

Looking back at the gate of the Ministry of Rites, the Thirteenth Prince's face was somewhat gloomy.

Although he had expected this result, he still couldn't hide his displeasure.

As a prince of the imperial court, he had never been disobeyed like this before.

"Go and find out the addresses of Li Cunxiao and the other powerful figures of the Great Zhou. We'll visit them one by one later."

Since this Zhuge Zhongxiang refused, he went to visit these people one by one.

He didn't need these people to be enthusiastic towards him; as long as he could meet them, his goal was achieved.

He wanted to see just how much trust the emperor of the Great Zhou had in these people.

"Yes, Your Highness."

One of the guards quietly left.

This is a blatant and overt conspiracy.

As long as he visits these powerful figures of the Great Zhou Dynasty, regardless of whether they are warm or cold towards him, the Thirteenth Prince, a seed of doubt will be planted in the heart of the Great Zhou Emperor.

Once the seeds of doubt are sown, they are difficult to eradicate.

Especially for emperors, suspicion and distrust are indispensable.

At that time, there might be unexpected gains.

however.

Imagination is beautiful, but reality is often cruel.

If the Thirteenth Prince knew that these powerful figures of the Great Zhou were all recruited by Zhou Chen through his sign-in program, and that Zhou Chen would not doubt their loyalty in the slightest, I wonder what the Thirteenth Prince would think?

"The Li residence!"

After finding out the address of Li Cunxiao, a powerful figure capable of withstanding the projection of a half-emperor, the Thirteenth Prince went there.

Looking up at the two large characters on the plaque above the door, the Thirteenth Prince looked with certainty at the guard who had just gone to inquire about the residence.

"Your Highness, this is the place."

The guard nodded in confirmation.

The Thirteenth Prince then gestured to the old man beside him.

Without saying a word, the old man Guan stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Squeak..."

A moment later, footsteps were heard, and the gate was opened a foot wide, with a man who looked like a servant or guard peeking out.

He glanced at the three princes, including the Thirteenth Prince, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Is this the residence of General Li Cunxiao?"

"Issue a question to confirm," Elder Guan asked.

"It is the residence of my general."

The man nodded and said, "However, my general has been in seclusion for over a month and is not receiving any guests. Please leave!"

After saying that, the man was about to close the door.

"and many more."

Upon seeing this, Elder Guan quickly stopped the man; "Young man, we come from the Imperial Court of the Central Region. We wonder when your general will emerge from seclusion? Would it be convenient to inform us?"

"I've already told you, my general has been in seclusion for over a month and is not receiving any guests. Please leave!"

The man, looking impatient, slammed the door shut.

This is not the first time.

For the past two months, people have been coming to see his general from time to time.

But who is his general?

Is someone who is a Saint King at the peak of his power, a great figure who can withstand the projection of a Half-Emperor, someone that just anyone can meet?

Looking at the closed door, Old Guan's face turned pale and then red.

To think that a great sage like him would ever be blocked at the gate, unable to even cross the threshold, is truly outrageous.

"Your Highness."

Back beside the Thirteenth Prince, Elder Guan called out, wanting to see what the prince would do next.

"Let's go, to the next one."

After a moment of silence, the Thirteenth Prince said nothing more and turned to walk towards the next house.

The Thirteenth Prince understood that it didn't matter whether General Li was truly in seclusion or not.

When the person from the Li residence told them that they were not receiving guests, there was no need for them to stay any longer.

If General Li is indeed in seclusion, then he certainly cannot receive guests.

However, if General Li hadn't gone into seclusion, given his strength, it would have been impossible for him not to sense their arrival.

Since they know they've arrived, the fact that they still refuse to see them makes the meaning quite clear.

That means I don't want to see them.

Since that's the case, there's no point in continuing to argue about it.

We can't just barge in, can we? That would be asking for trouble.

After leaving Li Cunxiao's residence, the Thirteenth Prince and his entourage headed towards Bai Qi's residence.

This is their next destination.

They had thought they would finally get to meet Bai Qi, a great general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but just like at the Li residence, they couldn't even get through the gates of the Bai residence.

Thus, the Thirteenth Prince visited six mansions in a row, but the result was the same each time. He didn't even get to see anyone, let alone enter the mansion.

This outcome caused even the usually well-mannered Thirteenth Prince to turn ashen-faced.

"Your Highness, how dare these people disregard you like this? They really don't know the meaning of 'death'."

The old man next to him looked ashen-faced. They had visited six mansions in a row, but not only did no one see them, they couldn't even get through the gate. What kind of nonsense was this?

If one or two people are in seclusion or have other matters to attend to, does that mean all six of them are simultaneously absent and refuse to see guests?

This clearly shows that they don't want to see them and don't take their Thirteenth Prince seriously.

"Hehe, it seems that I miscalculated."

"I didn't expect that these people would be so loyal to the Great Zhou."

The Thirteenth Prince sneered, a flash of coldness passing through his eyes.

"Since these people don't welcome us, there's no need for us to continue."

"Let's go! Let's return to the Central Region first."

There were a few more companies I planned to visit, but there's no need for that anymore.

The result of visiting six companies in a row is the best answer; continuing would only lead to the same result.

The Thirteenth Prince understood this, so he didn't visit the next few families, but left Chang'an with a heavy heart.

No one knows what the Thirteenth Prince was thinking. Did he just slink away like that?

Only the old man who knew the Thirteenth Prince well knew that this matter would not be easily resolved.

Although the Thirteenth Prince was not one to hold grudges, he would absolutely not tolerate such treatment.

Especially such disregard and rejection. (End of Chapter)