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

"When I entered the city of Xinshi, a group of Northern Xia generals surrounded my grandfather."

"My imperial grandfather has an iron chain around his neck, just like an ordinary family keeps a guard dog. He kneels on the ground, wagging his tail and begging for mercy. He is a disgrace to our Great Qian Dynasty!"

"Not only that, my imperial grandfather also made me kneel down and beg for mercy from those Northern Xia people, and even made me call them 'father'!"

"But I have a father!"

"My father is the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, the supreme ruler of the Great Qian. How can he recognize a thief as his father, how can he kneel before a foreign land?"

"Therefore, I intend to perish together with them."

"My grandfather said I was unfilial, but those Northern Xia officials were afraid of death and returned him to me, which is why I was able to bring him back."

"If I were truly unfilial, how could I have brought him back to Kyoto alive?"

"This is a disgrace to the Great Qian Dynasty! If I were unfilial, I would have buried his body in Northern Xia long ago and gone with him!"

At this point, Zhou Tiancheng's eyes turned red, and tears streamed down his face silently.

This is the acting skill of a movie star.

He pounded his chest violently, looking utterly heartbroken.

"Father, ministers, what do you think I should do?"

"On the contrary, I cannot let the world know about this; I can only keep it in my heart."

"On one hand, there's my love for the Great Qian Dynasty; on the other, there's my guilt towards my Imperial Grandfather. I... I'm in so much pain!"

"I've kept it all bottled up, hidden it all, because I didn't want outsiders to know."

"If it weren't for your aggressive approach, Third Brother, I wouldn't have revealed my true intentions."

"Father, your son is utterly incompetent!"

Zhou Tiancheng's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, looking heartbroken.

now.

The civil and military officials looked at Zhou Tiancheng with a different expression.

That was a look of sympathy.

But when they looked at Zhou Tianze, their eyes turned into reproach and blame.

Look at you, if you hadn't been so aggressive, why would the Crown Prince have revealed these secrets?

The historians have already recorded it!

You, Third Prince Zhou Tianze, are the sinner! It was you who exposed the shameful state of the royal family!

Zhou Tianze's face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth as he spoke.

"Nonsense!"

"You're clearly prioritizing your own power over filial piety, and you even want to drag your grandfather down with you!"

Zhou Tiancheng was amused.

Who the hell isn't willing to take risks for power?

If not for power, then what?

Of course, that's not how it should be said; he not only can't admit it, but he also has to refute it.

He stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with even more grief and indignation.

"Did I disregard filial piety for the sake of my own power?"

"Third brother, I'd like to ask you, what power do I seek?"

"I only brought ten thousand men, facing six hundred thousand imperial guards from Northern Xia. For this, I brought a bunch of death row inmates. Tell me, what kind of authority is this!"

"When I set out, I never thought I'd come back alive. Now you're saying I disregarded filial piety for power? What about my life? What about my power? Where are they?"

Zhou Tianze was speechless.

He couldn't very well say that Zhou Tiancheng went there to curry favor with Zhou Rui and to keep his position as crown prince, could he?

He can't very well say that Zhou Tiancheng was risking everything for the sake of prestige in the northern frontier, can he?

He can't exactly say that Zhou Tiancheng risked his life to change his reputation and become a hero, can he?

These are all hidden benefits that ultimately serve the interests of those in power, but these things cannot be said aloud!

On the contrary, Zhou Tiancheng stood on the moral high ground.

Zhou Tianze spoke recklessly, and in his panic, he began to make accusations.

"Then how do you explain bringing your grandfather back by kidnapping him?"

Zhou Tiancheng spoke directly.

"If I don't tie him up, he'll demand I lead my troops to surrender to Northern Xia!"

"My words are clear: I am the Crown Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty. I was born a citizen of the Great Qian, and I will die a citizen of the Great Qian. Even if my imperial grandfather were here, he could not change that!"

"I am responsible to the world and to the people of Daqian. Saving my grandfather with my life is already my filial duty, and bringing him back is my loyalty and my way of being filial to my father."

"What's wrong with it?"

Zhou Tianze was stunned.

He opened his mouth, somewhat unconvinced.

"How is that possible?"

"Even though the Emperor has entered the territory of Daqian, how could he possibly force you to surrender to Beixia?"

Zhou Tiancheng remained calm.

"Because Northern Xia promised him that if he took me to Northern Xia, they would give him a fiefdom and let him become king!"

The room fell silent as soon as he said that.

Everyone knows that the Great Qian Dynasty currently has two emperors, but the retired emperor has been placed under house arrest and has no power whatsoever.

If one could be king, it would be much easier and more enjoyable.

It's entirely possible that the retired emperor would do that.

But how can we prove that this is true?

Zhou Tianze thought so too.

"What proof do you have that this is true?"

Zhou Tiancheng smiled slightly.

"Proof? What proof do I need?"

"All ten thousand of my soldiers saw it!"

"I led ten thousand men into Xinshi City to rescue my grandfather, but he instead ordered me to surrender to the Northern Xia and call them 'father.' If the Northern Xia didn't offer him any benefits, why doesn't he come back and become the retired emperor?"

Does this require proof?

"On the contrary, how can you prove that what I said is false? What evidence do you have?"

Zhou Tianze remained silent.

He knew Zhou Tiancheng was lying; binding the retired emperor was simply to prevent him from causing trouble.

But he couldn't prove it.

the reason is simple.

In the Northern Xia, there isn't even an emperor yet. On the contrary, Zhou Tiancheng has some dealings with those officials. It's almost impossible and unbelievable to verify this.

As for the retired emperor, he was placed under house arrest by Zhou Rui and could not even be seen. How could he possibly come out to testify?

In the end, all we can say is that the retired emperor was too disappointing.

The longer this topic goes on, the more unbearable it becomes for the retired emperor. On the contrary, it is this third prince who is petty and will make the royal family lose face!

Zhou Tianze turned his head to look at Zhou Rui, whose gaze was now so cold that it no longer seemed like he was looking at his own son, but rather like he was looking at an enemy!

Not only Zhou Rui, but even civil and military officials looked at him with disdain.

Zhou Tianze sighed.

"If we stop here, there's another one."

"You publicly and without cause whipped the Prince of Daqian, and even pulled down my pants, making me lose face in front of the entire Northern Frontier and disgracing the royal family!"

"How do you explain this?!"

Ignoring the gazes of others, Zhou Tianze stared intently at Zhou Tiancheng, his teeth clenched, his anger palpable.

Whenever this is mentioned, he feels an urge to kill this fake prince!

Having your pants pulled down in front of hundreds of thousands of people, and having your body completely exposed, where is your dignity left?

How could Zhou Tianze not be angry?

but.

Zhou Tiancheng can still be explained.

He looked at Zhou Tianze with feigned disappointment.

"I wasn't trying to humiliate you, I was trying to save your life, Third Brother. How can you not understand my good intentions?"