Minglong

Chapter 219 A leopard can change its spots, but a person's nature is hard to alter.

Dark clouds covered the sky, and the majestic city with a permanent population of one million turned blackish-blue in the dim light.

The Zhuque Avenue, which is hundreds of feet wide, is located on the central axis of the capital city, running through the inner and outer cities and extending all the way to the palace at the other end of the city.

Three hundred elite black-armored soldiers rode their spirited horses across the street. Tie Fengzhang, clad in full armor like an iron tower, led the way, carrying a large banner. In the center was a luxurious carriage drawn by four horses.

On both sides of the main street, countless people stopped to watch.

Although the capital was calm and no news had come out, this was not the first time that the King of Pills had come to the capital.

But everyone knows that the person sitting in the carriage is now a prince who governs several counties, but in a few days, he will become the Great Qian Emperor who controls 30,000 miles of land and decides the life and death of tens of millions of people!
Sitting in the carriage drawn by four horses, Xie Jinhuan felt a bit pressured as he faced the stares of the capital's residents.

After finishing his business at Sanjiangkou, he took a boat back to the capital early the next morning. The light boat was fast and went downstream at a great speed. As a result, he caught up with the Dan King's team on the Luo River.

He was still unaware of the reason, so he boarded the ship to inquire and learned the details of the incident, including the prince's accident and He Tianqi's sabotage.

Dan Wang's trip was to enter the capital to ascend the throne, but he didn't seem too happy. He took Dan Wang with him when they met, and didn't let him off when they reached the shore and boarded the carriage, which meant that Bing Tuozi and Senior Sister Hua could only follow quietly behind.

At this moment, Xie Jinhuan noticed that Zhu Wenyuan and the others were all outside the carriage, while he sat inside the imperial carriage, which he felt was inappropriate.

“Your Highness, why don’t I go down and accompany you? If I sit here and the censors see me, I’m likely to be accused of ‘being arrogant because of favor’…”

King Dan was dressed in mourning clothes, his gaze fixed on the palace at the end of his field of vision. He was elegant and dignified, but his eyes were full of sorrow.

Upon hearing this, Dan Wang snapped out of his reverie. Instead of letting Xie Jinhuan get out of the carriage, he sighed and said:
"People say that the emperor is the chosen one of heaven and above all others, but in reality it is a tough job. It is better to be a leisurely prince."

Xie Jinhuan was well aware of the situation in Daqian and knew that the Dan King was not just pretending to say, "You've really put me in a difficult position."

The succession of the Great Qian dynasty had already fallen into chaos twenty years ago.

The Zhao family was able to gain the country because Emperor Qian Taizu led the cultivators of various sects and even hundreds of millions of people to quell the great calamity that befell all living beings. Although his achievements could not compare to those of the first emperor who unified the north and south, they still ranked among the top in history.

Emperor Taizong, who followed, spent forty years laying the foundation for a prosperous era for the Qianlong Emperor, and his achievements in civil administration were among the best.

Unfortunately, Emperor Taizong became muddle-headed in his old age and favored his second son.

The result was the "Jian'an Incident," in which the legitimate Crown Prince was beheaded by the Second Prince, and then the Qian Emperor beheaded the Second Prince as well.

Emperor Qian's only support in the court was his father-in-law. He hastily took over the throne, and a group of old ministers looked down on him. His rule was like walking on thin ice, and he devoted all his energy to purging the internal faction.

Emperor Qian was quite a formidable figure. Despite the collapse of the dynasty, he managed to stabilize the situation and waited for his son to succeed him. However, a major disaster struck at the last minute. His own death was a minor matter; the crown prince he had been cultivating for many years was gone, and the Pill King, who had no foundation whatsoever, took the throne.

Prince Dan might not be afraid of death, but sorting out this mess wouldn't be easy. After all, when Emperor Qian ascended the throne, there was some internal turmoil, but Northern Zhou was already showing signs of impending doom and was too preoccupied with its own problems to handle external pressures. However, his ascension to the throne was directly:
"Me? To deal with Empress Dowager Guo, who 'wins the hearts of the court and the people, commands respect in the northern deserts, commands troops in the western regions, and points her sword towards the Southern Dynasty'? What can I do against her? Send a handsome man to become a wicked concubine who brings ruin to the country?"

Xie Jinhuan knew that being a bad emperor could lead to the downfall of a nation, but as a person of low status, he could only offer words of comfort:
"Your Highness trusts those you employ, and your virtue is evident to all in the court and among the people. Now that the He clan has been eliminated and the leaders of Taoism and Buddhism are both in the capital, things will surely go smoothly from now on."

King Dan sighed, his gaze mirroring that of the Imperial Uncle looking at Zhuge Liang:

"Both Taoism and Buddhism have their faults. The only person I can trust now is you. It's just a pity that your cultivation is too shallow. Otherwise, if you were the supervisor, I wouldn't have to worry about chaos in the capital when I personally lead the army to conquer Northern Zhou."

"?"

Xie Jinhuan should have been moved to tears, but Lao Deng, in the Northern Zhou, only had:

"Why are you attacking Northern Zhou? I'm using this place right now..."

Xie Jinhuan hesitated for a moment before replying:
"Given the current political instability, it would be unwise to launch a military campaign against the north rashly. In my opinion, this matter should be addressed gradually, after the Crown Prince... after the Imperial Grandson ascends the throne..."

King Dan now even had the urge to execute his rebellious son, and shook his head:

"How could I possibly want to start a war? But Empress Dowager Guo is no pushover. With the court in turmoil and my position unstable, how could she not seize this opportunity to do something? I plan to send someone to Yanjing soon to ascertain the exact movements of the Northern Dynasty..."

Go to Yanjing?
Xie Jinhuan's heart stirred slightly, and he sat up a little straighter:

"Whom does Your Highness intend to send?"

Dan Wang glanced at Xie Jinhuan briefly:
"You want to volunteer?"

"How could I dare accept this task..." Xie Jinhuan quickly raised his hand:

"I am but a mere warrior, unworthy of such a heavy responsibility. I have never been there before, and I wish to follow along as a guard to broaden my horizons."

After a moment's consideration, Dan Wang replied:

"I need to discuss this matter with you. You are injured, so please rest and recuperate at your residence for the next few days..."

……

During this casual conversation, the group arrived at Zheng'an Street.

Princess Changning and Linghu Qingmo were already waiting outside the mansion, with Steward Hou, Liu Qingzhi and other staff members of the Prince's Mansion by their side.

Prince Zhao De, dressed in mourning clothes, stood before the gate, his attire neat and his demeanor refined. As soon as the carriage stopped, he stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Your subject Zhao De pays respects to Your Majesty!"

His voice was clear and calm, neither humble nor arrogant, quite like that of royalty.

Xie Jinhuan peeked out from the carriage, intending to lift the curtain for Prince Dan, but upon seeing the Crown Prince bowing deeply, he quickly stepped aside, his eyes showing slight surprise.

Princess Changning and Linghu Qingmo paused upon hearing the sound and looked at Zhao De.

Even the head steward, Hou, who was waving a fan behind them, glared at them with shifty eyes:
"Huh?"

Dan Wang stepped out of the carriage and saw Zhao De, whose demeanor did not resemble that of a rebellious son. A hint of dazedness appeared in his eyes. Without even letting Zhu Wenyuan support him, he jumped down from the carriage and raised his hand to hold his arm.

"No need for formalities. De'er, you..."

Zhao De straightened up, shook his head, and smiled bitterly:
“Serving a king is like serving a tiger. Father’s status is special. If there is a successor, he will surely be suspected. My lack of ambition over the years is a helpless act. As Ye Sheng once said, ‘The road of life is rugged and dangerous, but we must wait for the clouds to part and the blue sky to appear.’ I have finally made it through the tough times.”

"Wow..." Huangfu Qi, Ji Shiqing and the others who were following behind were astonished!
Linghu Qingmo, dressed in a white dress, quietly moved closer to Xie Jinhuan:
"Ye Sheng said that?"

Xie Jinhuan recalled briefly: "I have said it, it comes from the first and fourth lines of the fourth chapter of 'Caotang Poetry Collection'."

"is it?"

Linghu Qingmo found it somewhat unbelievable.

Princess Changning was also a little unsure, so she went to pick up her dumbfounded mother first.

When Prince Dan saw that his son was truly hiding his abilities, he was moved to tears. However, a leopard can't change its spots, so after a moment's consideration, he accompanied his son into the palace.
"You've suffered these past years. Let's talk inside. You must have racked up a lot of debt trying to hide your incompetence, right?"

Zhao De sighed, "Not much, just over thirty thousand taels."

three……

The Pill King's aura slightly solidified, and he nodded:
"Oh...it's all small change. But you only lost a little over ten thousand at the last competition at Fanyun Temple, so you still have twenty thousand left..."

"Alas. Brother Xie went to the Sanjiang Estuary. I got some inside information from Wei Lu and deliberately bet on Wei Yin to win, so that the world would see me lose..."

I'm crazy...

Xie Jinhuan took a breath, thinking that this little bastard was really well-informed!
If he had been told this earlier, he wouldn't have gone to the Sanjiang Estuary and encountered so many twists and turns!
Dan Wang's eye twitched slightly, but he still stroked his beard and said with great magnanimity:
"Your status is now extraordinary. From now on, if you use your father's name, no one will dare to ask you for this debt."

"Is that so? With Father's words, I am relieved... Eh?"

Before he could finish speaking, Dan Wang, his hair standing on end in anger, took the horsewhip from Tie Fengzhang's hand.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Zhao De turned and ran:
“Father, it’s just a habit of mine to hide my abilities. I just said it without thinking, and it was never my intention…”

"You little brat, you didn't advise me to 'not be arrogant when in a high position, and not be disloyal when in a low position,' yet you dare to 'feel at ease'?"

“My child, this is truly not what I meant. I am just making a vow of eternal love to my young wife, like a heartless man making a solemn promise.”

"What do you mean?!"

"Just a joke..."

"And you're spouting rhymes all the time..."

"what--"

……

Seeing the Crown Prince being whipped into a spinning top, Xie Jinhuan felt much better.

However, His Highness is indeed not stupid. Just by looking at the "Prince's Rhymes" and the endless ways he tries to swindle money, one can get a glimpse of his abilities, even though he has no upright conduct.

Not wanting to air their dirty laundry in public, Xie Jinhuan didn't stand by. Seeing that the landlady was holding the princess, he didn't want to disturb them, so he took Momo and left the palace first, heading to the nearby Marquis's residence.

Linghu Qingmo was speechless for a moment, and only said after they had walked a distance away:
"I thought Zhao Dezhen had changed his ways, but it's true what they say, old habits die hard..."

Before she could finish speaking, she noticed the righteous young hero beside her secretly pinching her...

? !
Linghu Qingmo paused, his eyes turning slightly cold, and grabbed the thief's hand:
Stab la la——

Xie Jinhuan originally relied on his skills and didn't take it seriously, but this time Xiao Dianhua was exceptionally impressive!

The electric shocks not only stun his body but also heal his soul, making his eyes clearer:
"Hiss~ No, no, no..."

After obtaining the opportunity, Linghu Qingmo hadn't made a move. Sensing something was wrong, he quickly stopped and helped Xie Jinhuan up.
"Why...why are you pinching me?"

Xie Jinhuan did it casually, and at this moment he carefully examined the cold and beautiful Da Momo:
"Your lightning technique is a bit off, have you broken through to a higher realm?"

Linghu Qingmo had been instructed by his grandmaster not to reveal the secret casually, and simply blinked:

"My sect gave me some good fortune, so the spell's power has increased, but what about the coal ball?"

Xie Jinhuan glanced back, but didn't see Bing Tuozi or Senior Sister Hua, so she pulled Mo Mo towards the mansion:
"They probably went to the Lin residence. I brought you some things on my trip to Sanjiang Estuary, take a look..."

Linghu Qingmo initially thought it was a weapon sold at the Sanjiang Estuary, but then he saw Xie Jinhuan pull out a wooden carving from his sleeve.

The wood carving depicts a cold-looking man with a bare upper body, his abdominal muscles clearly defined, exuding an unparalleled air of heroism, and even a dragon that extends over his shoulder.

Little Coal Ball squatted at my feet, a withered vine dangling from its mouth, presumably a tiger bone vine...

Although the wood carving is not large, the carving technique is remarkably lifelike!

Linghu Qingmo's eyes lit up slightly, and he quickly took it to examine it:

"Did you buy this?"

Xie Jinhuan shook his head: "Why would a merchant carve so meticulously? I carved it myself on the way back, it took me an hour or two. Do you like it?"

Linghu Qingmo had heard that Xie Jinhuan had become the 'strongest martial artist below the Super Grade,' and the maids and soldiers had been talking about it all day long. She had been thinking about it constantly, so how could she not like the lifelike wooden carving she saw?
"Hmm...not bad, congratulations on winning the championship."

"Just verbal congratulations?"

"?"

Linghu Qingmo admired the wood carving, perhaps knowing that he couldn't escape if he didn't return the gift today. He looked around, then swiftly gave it a quick kiss on the cheek before quickly moving away.

"Okay?"

"Ha ha……"

Xie Jinhuan felt a warmth in her heart as they walked hand in hand through the corridor of the new house, their fingers intertwined...
-
I really need to take a break to write a detailed outline, otherwise I won't know what the plot will be like later. I only wrote this much in twelve hours, it's really frustrating!

(End of this chapter)