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

"Your Highness, you have won."

Zheng Rong solemnly put away the painting.

He couldn't keep this; he could only hand it over to the current emperor, and it had to be kept secret. Not just anyone could see it.

Even with Zhou An craning his neck beside him, Zheng Rong did not unroll the scroll.

How peaceful?

Son of the Minister of Works?

They don't even have the right to look at it!

This is Daqian's trump card!

Even Zheng Rong himself didn't dare to ask too many questions. He planned to have someone build the armor-piercing cones, cloud ladders, and the like first to see their effects.

You should know that this kind of thing, when used at a crucial moment, can play a decisive role in determining the outcome of a battle!

Zhou Tiancheng also stood up, without mentioning the bet, but simply smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Zheng Rong.

"My lord, I have troubled you for too long, it is time for me to return."

"As for the outcome of this contest, let's leave it at that."

"Compared to them, I feel that my victory is somewhat unfair."

Zhou An was so angry that his face turned red.

Zheng Rong was taken aback by Zhou Tiancheng's composure, and he turned around to look at Zheng Ye'er seriously.

"Ye'er, your father hasn't taught you much, but if you use your brain a little, you can develop your own judgment on what's good and bad."

"Putting everything else aside, the things Zhou An brought over are all written in ancient books. Do you think these ancient books have been lost, or that Zhou An is the only smart person in the world?"

"If I were to be the judge, I can tell you with certainty that in this respect, the Crown Prince surpasses Zhou An a hundredfold, a thousandfold!"

Zheng Ye'er lowered her head, somewhat at a loss.

But when she looked up again, Zhou Tiancheng had already led Steward Liu out the door.

en route.

Steward Liu couldn't help but turn back several times, and he only spoke when they were almost at the East Palace.

"Your Highness, if you had proposed to marry Miss Zheng as the Crown Princess, this old servant believes that the Duke of Protectorate might not have refused."

Zhou Tiancheng chuckled softly.

"Let's not make things difficult for the Duke."

"In fact, I should have figured it out sooner. The reason we were able to get through that door was most likely because of Shi Cheng and the others."

"The Duke and Shi Cheng can be said to be in the same boat. In his early years, he led troops on the battlefield, but in the end, he was tied to the capital. His passion gradually cooled down, which was truly disheartening."

"It's already a favor to Shi Cheng that he's allowed us to come in and talk. He's probably only focused on educating his daughter. If I were to ask for her hand in marriage, he would definitely not agree and would only look down on me."

Steward Liu couldn't help but laugh:

"That Shi Cheng has no sense of shame at all. We were given a lot of trouble when we entered the Duke's mansion. This old servant almost got angry several times."

Zhou Tiancheng laughed loudly and patted Steward Liu on the shoulder.

There's one more thing I need you to do for me.

Manager Liu immediately bent down.

"Your Highness, please speak freely. There's no need for such formalities between us."

At this moment, Zhou Tiancheng put away his smile and whispered in Steward Liu's ear.

"The true Crown Prince lacks this ability. If I merely draw a picture, it might arouse the Emperor's suspicion. Therefore, I need you to personally leave the palace and assassinate Zhou An!"

Manager Liu narrowed his eyes instantly.

kill?

Was the one killed the son of the Minister of Works?

Isn't the fake crown prince afraid of making enemies with the Minister of Works?

But when he thought about the true prince's character, Steward Liu felt that doing so was reasonable.

When will someone who has offended the Crown Prince ever live more than three days?

If the fake crown prince doesn't react to such provocation from Zhou An, that would be truly strange.

……

The Imperial Study.

The old eunuch handed several blueprints to Zhou Rui.

Zhou Rui glanced at it twice, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Is this something the Crown Prince could draw?

The old eunuch spoke in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, this painting was indeed painted by His Highness the Crown Prince, and the principles behind this part were also explained by His Highness the Crown Prince himself."

He began to repeat Zhou Tiancheng's words to Zheng Rong, without a single mistake, even the tone was exactly the same.

Zhou Rui's expression gradually darkened. He leaned back in his chair and didn't speak for a long time.

"Is he really my son, Cheng'er?"

The old eunuch was taken aback.

"Does His Majesty mean that this old servant should send someone to the Eastern Palace to investigate?"

Zhou Rui shook his head.

"Let it go. The birthmark has been examined, the body has been examined, and there's nothing wrong with it. Even Steward Liu spoke up for him."

"This Chief Eunuch Liu is just like you; he's an old hand who's been with me and the Empress since the beginning. How could he stand by and watch a fake crown prince take the place of the Empress's son?"

"I just didn't expect that Cheng'er would have this ability."

The old eunuch nodded slightly and added in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, something strange happened at the Eastern Palace before curfew. Liu Li left the Eastern Palace and we don't know where he went."

Zhou Rui suddenly looked up.

Why didn't you tell me something so important sooner?

"Given Cheng'er's temperament, how could he possibly let Zhou'an live until tomorrow?"

"Manager Liu went to kill someone to cover his tracks!"

At this point, Zhou Rui had no more doubts whatsoever.

Although he didn't know where the Crown Prince learned his skills, he knew the Crown Prince's personality all too well; he could kill without hesitation!

But he was, after all, the son of the Minister of Works!

"Quickly send someone to stop Steward Liu; we absolutely cannot let him kill Zhou An."

"If Zhou An dies, this matter will be impossible to explain. I'm afraid the entire court will be urging me to depose the Crown Prince tomorrow!"

The old eunuch bowed his head and hurried away, but he already understood what was going on.

Zhou Rui is still the same Zhou Rui; he's still hesitating and indecisive!

Even though the Crown Prince killed Zhou An, Zhou Rui could rightfully expel the Crown Prince from the capital, but Zhou Rui still wanted to prevent it from happening.

Perhaps, he still harbors some lingering affection for the Empress?

"But why did you choose to appoint the third prince?"

"No matter how bad the Crown Prince is, he is still the Empress's son. This empire is his, and it will always be his. Not just anyone can lay a finger on it!"

The old eunuch arrived at a corner of the palace.

The place was bustling with busy eunuchs and guards.

He coughed softly, and everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Immediately send someone out of the palace to stop Liu Li, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace, from assassinating Zhou An, the son of the Minister of Works."

"If we fail to stop you, none of you will survive."

"Furthermore, if you succeed in stopping them, you can teach Zhou An a lesson. How dare anyone offend the Empress's son?"

Everyone immediately tensed up, and large numbers of people began to move about.

The side gate of the palace opened in the darkness, and countless people rode out of the palace on fast horses.

The old eunuch sat in his chair, the tea in front of him had gone cold, but he had no desire to refill it. A slight smile played on his lips, and his heart was filled with satisfaction.

"Your Majesty, if you have a spirit in heaven, you can rest in peace now."

"The Crown Prince is not a useless fool; he is capable."

"This empire belongs to the Crown Prince; this old servant will never allow outsiders to take it away!"

"Let this old servant serve you one last time!"

As he pondered, tears streamed down the old eunuch's face, and the empress's gentle face reappeared deep in his memory.

at the same time.

Outside the palace, Kyoto was in an uproar.

The streets were filled with the sound of horses' hooves, and countless people curiously peered through doors and windows.

A furious roar suddenly erupted.

"Liu Li! Do you want to kill the Crown Prince?"

"Come down here and surrender!"