Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 544 The Crown Prince of Liao
Yelü Jun gave a wry smile, as if he had made up his mind, and said, "To be honest, my father is the current Emperor of the Great Liao, and my true identity is the Crown Prince of the Great Liao!"

As if struck by lightning, the Khitan herdsmen all wanted to kneel down and pay their respects.

Xiao Feng's expression shifted, and he exclaimed in surprise, "You are the Crown Prince of the Liao Dynasty? Why are you imprisoned in a small state jail? What the prefect is doing is no different from rebellion, and you still..."

Yelü Jun said with a bitter smile, "If it weren't for the appearance of this brave man, I would probably have died at the hands of a villain and become an innocent ghost."

Xiao Feng became more and more confused as he listened, finding the matter utterly unbelievable. How could the crown prince of the mighty Liao Kingdom, a powerful nation, be nearly killed in a small prefecture? Who could believe such a thing?

Seeing Xiao Feng's disbelieving expression, Yelü Jun smiled wryly and said, "This matter is indeed unbelievable, let me explain slowly."

It turns out that Yelü Jun was the eldest son of Empress Xiao Guanyin of the Liao Dynasty and the current Emperor Yelü Hongji of the Liao Dynasty. He was made crown prince at the age of seven, so his status was extremely high.

However, the current Liao emperor, Yelü Hongji, is muddleheaded and tyrannical, indulging in pleasure and spending most of the year hunting, entrusting state affairs to a group of sycophantic and treacherous villains such as Yelü Yixin.

As the crown prince and future emperor, Yelü Jun, though young, was a young man with great ambitions. He could not bear to see the achievements of Emperor Taizu Yelü Abaoji being squandered in his father's hands, so he often spoke frankly and remonstrated with him, and repeatedly exposed the wolfish ambitions of Yelü Yixin and his group in front of his father.

However, Yelü Hongji was muddleheaded. Although he cared about his kinship and did not do anything to the crown prince, the crown prince's actions still aroused the jealousy of Yelü Yixin and other treacherous officials. They were afraid that once the crown prince ascended the throne, he would definitely settle scores with them. Therefore, they often tried to harm the crown prince openly and secretly.

Although Yelü Hongji was muddle-headed, he was still in his prime and showed no intention of relinquishing power. Yelü Jun, though the crown prince, lacked a strong core of support in key positions, and faced with the machinations of a group of treacherous and wicked individuals, the crown prince's situation was extremely difficult.

Yelü Jun said, “This prefect of Yunzhou is a great asset under Yelü Yixin. Otherwise, how could he have served as the prefect of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, the very foundation of our nation’s wealth, for so many years? Over the years, this corrupt official has been embezzling and breaking the law, serving as Yelü Yixin’s henchman, and has a great deal of evidence of Yelü Yixin’s rampant illegal activities. If we could obtain the ledgers showing this scoundrel’s embezzlement and the money he has given to Yelü Yixin, and present them to Father Emperor, Father Emperor would surely be able to judge right and wrong and get rid of this villain Yelü Yixin.”

"So, you, the crown prince of a nation, would personally risk your life like this? And be imprisoned by your own ministers, nearly being executed?"

Xiao Feng asked, "You were made crown prince at the age of seven. After all these years, don't you have a single capable confidant? And you actually have to risk your life for something like this? Don't you find that a bit unbelievable?"

Yelü Jun stammered, "This matter is indeed somewhat laughable, but I had no choice. If that scoundrel Yelü Yixin hadn't forced me so much, I wouldn't have resorted to this tactic. You are a skilled warrior, so please, for the sake of these innocent people, lend me a hand."

Xiao Feng said, "If I hadn't happened to break into the state prison today to rescue these wronged villagers, you would have been beheaded and died a wrongful death. In such a dangerous place, how could you, as the Crown Prince, not reveal your identity? Isn't that too incomprehensible?" Yelü Jun said, "I was thrown into prison by the prefect because I wanted to see for myself just how ruthless and vicious he was. I didn't expect that corrupt official to try to assassinate me. To plot against the Crown Prince is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. If I were to reveal my identity, the prefect would probably come to supervise the execution himself. Of course, that won't do. Besides, I already have some martial arts skills and I have a hidden weapon. As long as I don't arouse suspicion, it won't be difficult for me to escape."

As he spoke, Yelü Jun flipped his hand over, revealing a silver needle hidden in his hand.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng was already half convinced of what he was saying, and his heart was already three or four parts moved. However, he dared not believe what the other party said based on just a few words, so he asked, "Since you say that you are the Crown Prince of Liao, do you have any tokens or anything that can prove your identity?"

Hearing the softening in Xiao Feng's tone, Yelü Jun was overjoyed and said, "Yes, yes, of course I have it. Before coming here, I hid my seal in the local temple thirty miles west of the city. Brave man, come with me to retrieve it, and you'll know for sure whether it's real or fake."

So Xiao Feng arranged for Elder Zeng and his group to accompany Yelü Jun to retrieve the seal. Upon arrival, Yelü Jun pried open a floor tile, took out a bundle, and showed Xiao Feng its contents.

Xiao Feng was already seven or eight parts convinced by this point. However, he was not someone who respected power. But he thought that Yelü Jun, as the crown prince of a country, was willing to risk his life for the country and fight against villains with wit and courage, which was admirable. So he clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "I was being presumptuous. Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince of Liao."

Yelü Jun shook his head and smiled bitterly, "What Crown Prince? He's nothing but a pitiful wretch who is suspected by his father and walks on thin ice."

After saying this, he knelt down on one knee before Xiao Feng: "Brave warrior, your martial arts are unparalleled. If you are willing to lend me a hand, I will surely bring that traitor to justice! I will be forever grateful for your great kindness!"

Xiao Feng pondered for a moment, feeling that he should help this person out of both reason and duty, so he said, "In that case, I also have a favor to ask, and I hope that Brother Yelü can also help me with it."

Yelü Jun was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "Whatever you require, brave warrior, just give the order, and I will certainly do it for you."

Xiao Feng then recounted his experiences over the past two days, and said, "These innocent people have suffered from the ravages of war and have been forced to hide in the deep mountains and forests by exorbitant taxes. However, this is not a long-term solution. As the Crown Prince of the country, Your Highness is of noble status. It should be no problem for you to protect a few ordinary herdsmen. I implore Your Highness to take action and protect these people."

Yelü Jun was overjoyed upon hearing this: "This is a small matter. As long as we can bring down this dog of a prefect, I guarantee that all these people will be able to return to their hometowns, become good citizens again, and live in peace and prosperity."

"Alright, in that case, it's a deal!"

Yelü Jun took out paper and pen, drew a map and gave it to Xiao Feng, saying, "This is the location where the thief kept the account book, which I found out after my investigation. You only need to follow the map to find it."