I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 453 This humble general cannot accept the favor bestowed upon the Prince of Zhennan! (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets)

Yueyang City is an important city in the south of the Tian Ce Dynasty.

Xu Zifeng had been away from here for many years. As soon as he arrived at the gate of Yueyang City, dressed in a general's uniform, the captain of the guard recognized him and immediately led his team to greet him.

"Your Highness! Why are you back? I'll go inform the Prince right away!" The captain knelt down on one knee excitedly.

Xu Zifeng smiled when he saw an old acquaintance: "People outside call me by my title; I'm a captain now."

The captain saluted respectfully: "Yes, Commander Xu, welcome to Yueyang City for your inspection."

Stepping through the city gate, one is immediately struck by the bustling atmosphere unique to large southern cities.

As the core city in the south of the Tian Ce Dynasty, Yueyang City is home to millions of people, and its streets are bustling with activity.

Shops lined the street, their calls echoing throughout.

From time to time, one can see cultivators dressed in various costumes moving among them. There are sword cultivators carrying long swords, Taoists holding whisks, and many Gu cultivators dressed in Miao costumes.

"Greetings, Your Highness!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince is back!"

Many vendors along the way recognized Xu Zifeng and greeted him warmly.

Xu Zifeng responded with a smile, displaying composure and grace in her demeanor.

Compared to his arrogant and domineering demeanor when he was hiding his talents in the capital, he now appeared much more composed and reserved.

The captain of the guard beside him was secretly surprised. This once spirited prince had now developed the air of a great general.

Xu Zifeng had a really good reputation in Yueyang City. At that time, many people thought that Xu Zifeng should be the next Zhennan King, so everyone centered around him. He was the absolute core here, and no one dared to disobey him.

However, after Li Chen's reprimand, Xu Zifeng's temperament did become much more composed. Even the captain next to him felt that the young prince had changed.

Arriving at the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion, the magnificent residence was comparable to an imperial palace.

The vermilion gate is inlaid with ninety-nine copper nails, and the stone lions on both sides are majestic and imposing.

The Prince of Zhennan made great contributions to the late emperor. His title was almost equivalent to that of a prince of equal rank, so his power must have been immense.

Upon hearing that the prince had returned to the manor, the guards and steward of the palace rushed out to greet him.

"Your Highness, you're finally back!" The old steward's voice trembled with excitement.

Xu Zifeng remained calm on the surface: "Keep a low profile, I just came back to visit."

But the slight upturn of his lips still betrayed his inner joy.

This is the place where he was born and raised; every brick and tile carries his childhood memories.

"Where's my dad?" Xu Zifeng asked, looking around.

The steward respectfully replied, "Your Highness, the Prince is away on vacation and should be returning soon. Should we send someone to inform him?"

Xu Zifeng waved his hand: "No need, my father is busy with official duties, we'll talk about it when he gets back."

Meanwhile, Prince Xu Su of Zhennan had quietly arrived at the camp of the southern expeditionary army.

Not long after Xu Zifeng left, this prince, who was renowned throughout the southern border, arrived on horseback.

Inside the central command tent, Yun Xu remained seated at his desk, perusing military texts without raising his head.

The Prince of Zhennan didn't stand on ceremony and went straight in, lifting the curtain.

"Your son has already gone back," Yun Xu said calmly, his gaze still fixed on the book in his hands.

Xu Su stood with his hands behind his back: "I know. Consider this a favor I owe you."

He only has this one precious son, how could he not care? Ever since Xu Zifeng joined the Southern Expeditionary Army, the Prince of Zhennan has been keeping a close eye on him.

If the imperial court hadn't forbade it, he would have sent his personal guards to help Xu Zifeng.

Xu Su's biggest worry was that his old rival Yun Xu would target his son. But now it seems that Yun Xu is treating his son quite well and is handling things officially, which is why Xu Su said what he did.

Yun Xu sneered, "I cannot accept the favor from the Prince of Zhennan. You should take it back."

As the commander of the Second Army Group, appointed by the late emperor, Yun Xu's duty was to restrain the Prince of Zhennan, so he naturally wouldn't give him a friendly look.

In his eyes, apart from Emperor Li Chen and General Guo Poyun, no one was worthy of his rising to greet them.

Moreover, Xu Su is standing opposite him now, so he has to maintain this attitude.

We can't let Li Chen and Guo Poyun hear anything, like anyone impeaching him for colluding with Xu Su, or we'll be in big trouble and might even face several impeachments.

So he just sat there pretending not to see, talking to himself in a cold and indifferent manner.

Xu Su didn't say anything and tacitly left the military camp.

His appearance was merely to express his own meaning; whether Yun Xu appreciated it or not was Yun Xu's business.

They were all seasoned veterans of this caliber, so naturally they wouldn't leave any openings for each other.

When Prince Zhennan returned to his palace, he pretended not to know that his son had returned.

When he saw Xu Zifeng, a look of surprise and delight appeared on his face at just the right moment: "Feng'er? Why are you back?"

Xu Zifeng immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply: "Your son greets Father!"

Xu Su looked at his son kneeling on the ground, his eyes slightly red.

After so many years, the father and son are finally able to meet formally like this.

He quickly helped Xu Zifeng up and looked him up and down: "Has anyone bullied you in the capital? Have you encountered any injustice in the military camp? Tell your father, and I will definitely get justice for you!"

This is no joke. Xu Su only has one son, so he must take great care of him.

Xu Zifeng smiled and shook his head: "Father, don't worry. In the capital, my aunt and the Empress Dowager are there to take care of me. No one will dare to make things difficult for me. In the military camp, General Guo Poyun has been very supportive of me. He also took good care of me this time when I accompanied Commander Yun on the expedition."

Actually, Xu Zifeng was hiding something, because when they were in the capital, a woman named Lin Yue'e often arrested him and threw him into jail.

Although Xu Zifeng was ruthless, he wasn't stupid. Lin Yue'e was just doing her job and arrested him after he made a mistake. She didn't mean to deliberately make things difficult for him, so he didn't say anything.

Needless to say, Xu Zifeng was very capable. As the general and commander-in-chief, if the emperor hadn't secretly ordered them to target Xu Zifeng, they would still have valued this capable vanguard general.

Hearing this, Xu Su felt much relieved.

When the late emperor brought Xu Zifeng to the capital as a hostage, he was filled with resentment and even considered rebelling.

Now, the new emperor Li Chen not only allowed his son to accompany the army on the expedition, but also permitted him to return home to visit his family. This favor made him have to reconsider.

Xu Su was a shrewd man, and of course he understood that Yun Xu's decision to bring Xu Zifeng back was not his own. Although Yun Xu was the commander-in-chief of the army, he still did not have the authority to release Xu Zifeng.

The Empress Dowager certainly wouldn't interfere in such matters.

Only if Li Chen speaks up will Yun Xu dare to release the person, or at least do him a favor.

Xu Su even understood why Yun Xu had been released.

Yunxu couldn't wait for Xu Su to plead before releasing the man, as this would create an ambiguous situation.

Some court officials might wonder, "Did Yunxu and Xu Su reach an agreement? Why did you release this?"
Since Yun Xu knew Xu Su would definitely come, he simply let Xu Zifeng leave in advance, which would save him from being impeached and would also make Xu Zifeng grateful, killing two birds with one stone.

(End of this chapter)