We'll have you impersonate the Crown Prince and create a prosperous era for the Great Qian Dyna

Three months later.

The west gate of Kyoto.

Zhou Tiancheng jumped off the carriage and roared with his arms outstretched.

"The capital of the Great Qian Dynasty, your Crown Prince has returned!"

Upon seeing this, Zhou Rui's lips curled into a slight smile.

But he was verbally rebuking them.

"What kind of behavior is this!"

"Your Highness, why aren't you coming here at once?"

Zhou Tiancheng turned and smiled at Zhou Rui, then quickly ran towards him, not forgetting to greet a few acquaintances as well.

"Hey! Imperial Censor Tian, ​​coming over for drinks tonight!"

"Old Wang, you're in too! You're one of them. Tonight, we're not leaving until we're drunk!"

Zhou Rui glared at him.

"Behave yourself! I am welcoming the heroes of our Great Qian Dynasty!"

Zhou Tiancheng then stopped smiling, stood up straight, straightened his clothes and headdress, and knelt on one knee.

"Your Majesty, the National Protection Army has fulfilled its mission, bringing back the Retired Emperor and five thousand fine Xia horses, and also incidentally killing Emperor Tuoba Lie of Northern Xia."

"Awaiting His Majesty's inspection!"

Zhou Rui nodded in satisfaction, walked around Zhou Tiancheng, and headed towards the carriage at the back.

He lifted the curtain of the second carriage and saw the old man inside. Zhou Rui immediately bowed.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

He did not kneel down.

Because at this moment, he is the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty!

Behind Zhou Rui, civil and military officials knelt down in unison.

"Welcome back to the capital, Emperor Emeritus!"

The old man immediately chuckled.

"I don't have a son like you!"

"You've raised a good prince! Not only does he disobey me, but he's also tied me up. What, am I a prisoner?"

Zhou Rui raised his head indifferently, glanced at the old man who was tightly bound, decisively lowered the curtain, and turned to speak to Huang Chen.

"Chief Steward Huang, the Emperor has had a long journey. Please take him to the Qilin Palace to rest."

"Remember, you must arrange for people to take good care of Father Emperor's daily life."

What does that mean?

House arrest!

The retired emperor understood immediately and began to curse loudly inside the carriage.

"How unfilial!"

"What an unfilial son and grandson!"

"You will be punished!"

Although he shouted until his throat was hoarse, all the civil and military officials lowered their heads and pretended not to hear.

Are you kidding me?

The crown prince of the Great Qian Dynasty almost got killed, and the retired emperor is still shouting about being unfilial.

Let's put it this way: Zhou Rui has already done the most filial thing. No matter how much the Emperor Emeritus shouts, no one will pay attention to him, let alone take his words seriously.

Only a few people with ulterior motives exchanged glances.

Qin Zhi'ang, in particular, glanced at the carriage with a flicker in his eyes. Although he quickly looked away, Zhou Tiancheng still caught this scene.

really.

If Qin Zhi'ang intends to curry favor with the retired emperor, wouldn't he be in big trouble?

How could Zhou Rui tolerate such a thing?

Zhou Tiancheng's lips curled up slightly, and he quickly got up and came to Zhou Rui's side.

"Father, let's go back to the palace."

Zhou Rui nodded, reached out and patted non-existent dust off Zhou Tiancheng's shoulder, and spoke with a smile.

"Your father has prepared a welcoming banquet for you. Come with him and tell me about your experiences in Northern Xia."

Just as the two were about to turn back to the palace, Qin Zhi'ang came to greet them.

"Your Highness, where is the Third Prince?"

Zhou Tiancheng was taken aback, then slapped his forehead and turned to Xinhua to speak.

"New General, Lord Qin has come to fetch the Third Prince. Quickly take the Third Prince to him."

Xinhua smiled and agreed, then drove a carriage to Qin Zhiang.

When the carriage curtain was lifted, Qin Zhiang glanced at the situation inside and almost fainted on the spot!

His own grandson, the current third prince, was bound hand and foot to a carriage, his face smeared with ink, as if someone had drawn a turtle or something on his face.

Qin Zhi'ang's eyebrows twitched.

They stepped forward and pulled the rag out of Zhou Tianze's mouth, and immediately heard Zhou Tianze crying.

"Grandfather! I'm going to kill this fake prince! He's bullying me!"

Qin Zhiang felt a throbbing pain in his head, and he nodded slightly.

"Tianze, you've suffered. Hurry up and pack your things. We'll go settle accounts with the Crown Prince later."

Zhou Tianze was covered in tears and snot. He went back and washed up for a long time before he was properly dressed and walked quickly toward Linde Hall.

What is the purpose of the Linde Hall?

To put it simply, the palaces in the Great Qian Imperial Palace are numerous, and most of them have a purpose.

For example, the Qilin Hall was for the princes and grandsons of the emperor to live in.

By placing the retired emperor here, Zhou Rui was telling him that he should focus on being a son and stop thinking about the throne.

However, Zhou Rui could explain to the outside world that he hoped the retired emperor could enjoy his old age and spend time with his grandchildren, which would be a kind of family happiness.

The Linde Hall was used to hold imperial banquets and was usually only opened when the whole country was celebrating.

Now that the Crown Prince has returned to the capital, the whole country is celebrating!

Everyone was congratulating the Crown Prince, but Zhou Tianze looked displeased. He strode in and glared at Zhou Tiancheng.

"Father! Your Majesty, I beg you to grant me justice!"

Zhou Rui squinted at him and spoke somewhat coldly.

What kind of justice do you want?

Zhou Tianze gritted his teeth.

"Father, I wish to file a complaint against the Crown Prince!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone started pretending to be dead.

Zhou Rui's gaze grew even colder.

"To sue the Crown Prince?"

"What reason?"

"You're not going to say the crown prince is an imposter again, are you?"

Zhou Tianze was so angry that his teeth itched.

The crown prince is clearly a fake; Zhou Rui must be senile.

Of course, he couldn't say that; he just glared angrily at Zhou Tiancheng.

"Your Majesty, I have five reasons for accusing you!"

"Firstly, they unjustly killed the Emperor of Northern Xia, thus instigating conflict between the two countries!"

Secondly, by shifting the blame eastward, they caused the deaths of 50,000 soldiers in the northern frontier and chilled the hearts of soldiers across the land!

"Thirdly, to humiliate the retired Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty is an act of filial impiety!"

"Fourthly, he publicly and without reason whipped the Prince of Daqian, and even pulled down my pants, causing me to lose face in front of the entire Northern Frontier and disgracing the royal family!"

Fifthly, he maintained a private army, wielding powerful weapons, which raises suspicions of treason!

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you depose the Crown Prince!"

These words caused an uproar among the court officials.

The cold glint in Zhou Rui's eyes intensified.

"Today is the day to celebrate the Crown Prince's triumphant return, so let's leave these matters aside for now. Go back and write a memorial to discuss at tomorrow's court meeting."

Zhou Tianze raised his head and looked at Zhou Rui with a stubborn expression.

"Father! Are you really going to protect the Crown Prince?"

Zhou Rui's face turned pale.

"I told you to get out! Didn't you hear me?"

The father and son immediately turned on each other, and everyone was too afraid to utter a sound.

The atmosphere of a perfectly good banquet was instantly ruined.

Zhou Tiancheng glanced at Zhou Tianze, then slowly stood up and walked towards Zhou Rui.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Zhou Tiancheng gently patted Zhou Rui on the back.

"Father, don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health if you get angry."

"My third brother is disobedient, and it's my fault as his older brother for not disciplining him properly. I will definitely teach him a lesson when I have the chance."

As he spoke, Zhou Tiancheng glanced at Zhou Tianze with a smile.

That one glance instantly reminded Zhou Tianze of the horsewhips of the northern frontier.

This prince is really going to beat him up!