Villain: After I died, all the heroines cried themselves to sleep.

With Xia Ji as a burden, Luo Zheng stumbled and struggled as he headed southwest.

As far as he knew, the King of Liang had already sent men with troops to the border between the two countries to welcome everyone back to their homeland.

Now that a day and a night have passed, the other side must have realized something was wrong and gone into the mountains to search for Luo Zheng and Xia Ji.

Therefore, as long as you head towards Liang, you are very likely to run into them.

However, the problem is that the generals who provide support may not be trustworthy.

That's what I was thinking.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from ahead.

Luo Zheng immediately stopped and reached for the short sword at his waist.

Immediately afterwards, a disheveled figure emerged hastily from the bushes.

The other party also saw Luo Zheng and Xia Ji, and their expression was initially one of surprise, but then turned into great joy.

"It's actually Xia Ji and the young master!"

He immediately lunged at Luo Zheng.

The next second, Luo Zheng decisively drew his short sword and thrust it straight out.

The other person was so frightened that they fell to the ground with a thud.

"Wait a moment, sir! I am Feng Lu, a traveler!"

Feng Lu was almost scared to death by Luo Zheng and quickly revealed his identity.

"You instigated your servants to plot against me and my mother. Give me a reason not to kill you."

Luo Zheng stared at Feng Lu, his tone indifferent.

"I plotted to murder the young master and Xia Ji?"

Feng Lu was completely dumbfounded.

Hearing Luo Zheng's words, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

However, when he met Luo Zheng's gaze, which seemed to look at a dead man, he couldn't laugh at all.

The young master Zheng before them was completely different from the innocent child he once was.

Although surprised by the sudden change in the other person's demeanor.

But Feng Lu had no time to think deeply.

Because he could sense that if he said even one wrong word...

You really can die.

"Young master, I'm innocent! I have absolutely no acquaintance with that servant!"

Feng Lu cried out that he was wronged and immediately knelt down before Luo Zheng, lowering his status to the lowest level.

"Your Majesty has ordered me to welcome the prince back to his country, and the attendant was also appointed by Your Majesty to assist and escort me on my mission to the Tang Kingdom."

"Are you saying you're not wrong, and that the King is the only one at fault?"

"Of course not!"

Feng Lu hurriedly explained.

"How could Your Majesty be wrong? The fault lies with that servant! There must be some thief who doesn't want the prince to return to the country, so he arranged for that servant to assassinate the prince. If the matter is exposed, he can also frame me."

"Young master, you must believe me! I am Zhao Xiang's man, how could I possibly harm you?"

"Perhaps it was Fan Xiang's doing, trying to sow discord between the young master and Zhao Xiang."

Zhao Xiang was Zhao Wei, who became the prime minister of Liang after Prince Chu ascended the throne, thanks to his status as his father-in-law.

"..."

What a spineless coward.

He was only slightly frightened, and he spilled everything.

Luo Zheng gave Feng Lu a meaningful look.

Deep down, I believed it to some extent.

After all, in his predetermined fate, Feng Lu was actually one of the treacherous ministers under Liang Wang Zheng, and in the end, he even managed to get the position of Right Chancellor by relying on his flattery skills.

Although he was a corrupt official who lined his own pockets, he wouldn't dare to risk his life to harm himself.

"You'd better believe it."

Luo Zheng sheathed his sword.

Feng Lu also obediently swore an oath to Luo Zheng.

"Your humble servant swears to you, my lord, that if I have uttered even the slightest lie, may I be struck by lightning!"

Get up.

Luo Zheng spoke casually, but immediately changed his tune and turned to show concern for Xia Ji behind him.

Xia Ji was initially startled by Feng Lu's appearance and Luo Zheng's sudden actions.

She immediately realized that Luo Zheng was protecting her, and she was filled with gratitude.

"..."

Feng Lu watched as Luo Zheng and Xia Ji displayed their deep mother-son affection.

They were starting to doubt whether the assertive Prince Zheng they had just witnessed was just a figment of their imagination.

But the next second, he noticed that Luo Zheng suddenly glanced at him.

Feng Lu suddenly shivered and quickly lowered his head.

I dared not look him in the eye.

……

After meeting up with Feng Lu, Luo Zheng quickly learned about the situation of the returning team from him.

Feng Lu's experience was very similar to Luo Zheng's.

At that time, the army was in chaos and the entire force was falling apart. Feng Lu had nowhere to go, so he had his guards cover the rear while he took the opportunity to sneak into the mountains.

After that, he wandered aimlessly in the mountains and forests until he recently met Luo Zheng and Xia Ji.

"In my humble opinion, even if those bandits win, they will suffer heavy casualties and will be unable to pursue us."

Feng Lu began to analyze things for Luo Zheng in a very detailed and thorough manner.

"His Majesty has already dispatched troops to meet us at the border. They are now most likely to have entered the mountains to search for the young master. If we go out onto the mountain path now, we may be able to meet him."

"What if they're also trying to harm me?"

"Young master is joking. If even they were conspiring with the thieves, why would we need to set up an ambush here?"

Feng Lu smiled leisurely.

He was clearly a treacherous minister, yet he managed to put on a very convincing act.

This is the kind of person who is treacherous yet appears loyal.

Luo Zheng inwardly scoffed, but he also agreed with Feng Lu's opinion.

The mastermind behind the scenes couldn't even control the guard team, let alone the supporting troops.

So the two of them discussed it and decided to head towards the mountain path.

After Luo Zheng led Xia Ji and Feng Lu, they finally left the forest and returned to the mountain path.

Just then, dust billowed up from the mountain road ahead.

A group of people galloped towards the three of them, then suddenly stopped in front of them.

Before the three could react, the middle-aged general in the lead dismounted and bowed to Luo Zheng with clasped hands.

"This humble general, Bai Jian, was unable to provide timely assistance; I beg your forgiveness, sir."

"Bai Jian?"

Luo Zheng was stunned.

He was familiar with the name.

Because in his predetermined fate, Bai Jian was ranked second among the mediocre generals under his command.

This Bai Jian only ever fights when the wind is favorable; he dares not go into battle when the wind is against him.

Since this guy couldn't deal with Li Qi head-on, he had to resort to underhanded tactics and devised a plan to sow discord.

At the same time, this same guy, when asked to attack the State of Chu, refused to go, insisting that King Zheng of Liang mobilize the entire nation's resources with an army of 600,000, demanding money, land, and titles of nobility before the war even began.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him an old tortoise who always backs down in battle.

I never expected to see them here.

And look how meticulously Bai Jian observed the proper etiquette.

After finding Luo Zheng and the others, he immediately sent someone to bring a new carriage to pick up Luo Zheng and Xia Ji.

During this time, Feng Lu inquired about the whereabouts of Bai Jian's bandits.

Only then did they realize that, apart from the missing successor of Fei Wei, everyone else had been executed.

"They would rather commit suicide than surrender; they must be retainers and assassins kept by some powerful figure. Please inform the King of this matter."

Bai Jian spoke politely to Feng Lu.

Feng Lu then tidied his appearance, adopted the airs of a passerby, and repeatedly said, "It's no problem, it's no problem."

Luo Zheng listened to the conversation between the two men outside through the window from inside the carriage.

What he was thinking was that his future treacherous ministers and mediocre generals were appearing here. Was this the so-called will of Heaven?

……

In any case, after entering Liang territory, with Bai Jian's more than a thousand men escorting them, the rest of the journey went smoothly without any accidents.

Several days later, Luo Zheng and Xia Ji finally arrived at Xianyang, the capital of Liang.

Xianyang is located north of the Wei River, and its vast scale extends south of the Wei River, making it the largest city in Guanzhong.

The Liang court had received advance notice and prepared all the necessary courtesies within the city, sending out an honor guard to welcome Luo Zheng and Xia Ji into the palace, to give them a welcoming feast, and then to pay their respects to the King of Liang.

King Liang first received Luo Zheng and Xia Ji in the inner palace.

Luo Zheng followed Xia Ji and bowed to King Liang, then looked up at King Liang in the main seat.

This was the first time in ten years since his birth that he had seen his biological father, the former Prince Chu.

The current King of Liang, Chu.