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

"The Ten Ghosts of Fengcheng? Is there any explanation?"

Zhou Tiancheng looked at Xinhua with some curiosity.

Xinhua's eyes seemed to be shining as he looked at the ten people.

"These ten men are the sharpest daggers by the Duke's side."

"Six years ago, the Rong Kingdom was in turmoil. A rebel general led his troops to attack the northern border. At that time, the Duke was attacked from both sides and had no time to deal with it. So he sent these ten men to the Rong Kingdom to quell the rebellion."

"In just two days, the traitorous general of Rong died suddenly, withdrew his troops and returned home, and presented a letter of state to the emperor."

"These ten men became famous overnight, and were known by the northern barbarians as the Ten Ghosts of Fengcheng!"

Zhou Tiancheng looked shocked.

He had crammed on the history of the Great Qian Dynasty, so he naturally understood which event Xinhua was referring to.

"Are you referring to the matter of the Rong state's letter from six years ago?"

"If I remember correctly, the news of the Rong invasion came in the morning, and the Rong's letter requesting submission was delivered in the afternoon."

"These ten people actually possess such abilities?"

Zhou Tiancheng could not help but be shocked.

This incident caused a great uproar in the Daqian court at the time. Civil and military officials thought that Zheng Rong was making a mountain out of a molehill, which is why he was transferred back from the northern frontier.

Who would have thought that there were ten people behind this?

Zhou Tiancheng turned to look at the ten cavalrymen in front of him, his mouth practically watering.

If only they were my subordinates!

But he also noticed something unusual: these ten people wore black iron masks, with only their eyes exposed to the air, making them seem very mysterious.

Zhou Tiancheng had a bold guess in his mind, but he didn't say it directly. He bypassed the Ten Ghosts of Fengcheng and went straight into the Duke's Mansion.

A moment later, Zheng Rong came out and gave him a mocking look.

"I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince was assassinated?"

Zhou Tiancheng gave an awkward laugh.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Duke."

Zheng Rong didn't respond. Instead, he turned to look at Zheng Ye'er, who was standing to the side. Seeing Zheng Ye'er's lips pouting, he looked helpless.

"Who are you trying to impress with this gesture?"

"If you don't want to go home, then stay in the military camp. Your father isn't forcing you to go home."

Zheng Ye'er looked up in surprise.

"Dad, are you serious?"

"Aren't you worried about your daughter's safety?"

Zheng Rong sat down, picked up her teacup, and took a sip.

"I have summoned the Ten Ghosts of Fengcheng. They will accompany you to the military camp to protect your safety."

Zheng Ye'er was overjoyed and ran to Zheng Rong's side to tell him about the interesting things that happened in the military camp.

Zheng Rong, who had been calm and composed, gradually changed his expression when he heard Zhou Tiancheng's unusual training method. His brows furrowed, as if he was pondering something.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Xinhua submitted the completed summary.

"My lord, these are the key points of troop training that I summarized under the Crown Prince. I have already obtained the Crown Prince's approval. You may take your time to read them."

Zheng Rong glanced at Zhou Tiancheng in surprise, then took the summary and waved her hand.

"You may leave now. I have something to discuss with the Crown Prince."

Xinhua was a soldier; he nodded in agreement and left.

Zheng Ye'er was overjoyed to learn that she could return to the military camp and left the camp.

Now only Zhou Tiancheng and Zheng Rong remain.

Zheng Rong flipped through two pages of Xinhua's summary of key training points before putting them down and turning to look at Zhou Tiancheng.

"Your Highness, since you've put so much effort into training the troops, you must be aiming for the top prize. If you do win, to whom do you intend to give the spot to the Northern Frontier?"

Zhou Tiancheng did not hide anything.

"I intend to leave it to Shi Cheng."

Zheng Rongdu was stunned for a moment.

"If I remember correctly, His Highness the Crown Prince and Shi Cheng only met once, right?"

That's undeniable.

After all, the real crown prince might not even know who Shi Cheng is.

Zhou Tiancheng did not hide his thoughts and spoke frankly.

"Giving this spot to Shi Cheng will not only gain favor with the military faction, but also leave me with a glimmer of hope in the northern frontier. If I lose to the Third Prince, having troops at my disposal means I won't have to fear his retribution later."

Zheng Rong sighed.

"This must be the reason why His Highness the Crown Prince visited me earlier."

"I don't blame Your Highness for having ulterior motives, I just want Your Highness to take good care of Ye'er."

"Ye'er grew up with me in the Northern Frontier since she was a child. The situation in the Northern Frontier is complicated. I kept her confined in my mansion, so she had never seen the wickedness of people's hearts and was almost deceived by Zhou An."

"I am old and have long since disregarded life and death, but this one woman is the only one I cannot let go of."

Zhou Tiancheng was somewhat surprised.

"Does Your Highness trust me so much?"

Zheng Rong chuckled softly.

"As the Crown Prince said, you have troops under your command. Even if the Third Prince ascends the throne and takes action against you, he will have to consider the consequences."

"By the same token, I trust not you, but my brothers in the northern frontier!"

The implication is that if you, Crown Prince, intend to harm Zheng Ye'er, you should consider the consequences.

Zhou Tiancheng was not angry at the threat in his words; instead, he smiled magnanimously.

"Excuse my bluntness, but isn't the Third Prince more trustworthy than I am?"

Zheng Rong shook her head.

"The Third Prince may seem gentle, but he is actually arrogant. If Ye'er does not follow his wishes in the future, I'm afraid he will be in grave danger."

"On the contrary, Your Highness, you did not show any dissatisfaction even when you were harassed by the gatekeeper. You were left out in the main hall for an hour, yet you still maintained your composure when you saw me. It is clear that you are more worthy of my trust than he is."

Only at this moment did Zhou Tiancheng realize that Zheng Rong's previous difficulties were for a purpose.

He wanted to ensure his daughter's lifelong peace and also used this opportunity to observe people, and eventually Zhou Tiancheng caught his eye.

Zhou Tiancheng said no more, stood up and clasped his hands in greeting.

"Rest assured, my lord, all I ask for is peace. If it weren't for the Third Prince's aggressive behavior, I would rather stay away from the capital and live a carefree life as a prince."

"The reason I came to visit is simply to use your influence to ensure my safety."

"I hereby swear that if I am protected by the Northern Frontier army, I will never mistreat Miss Zheng. If I break this oath, may I be condemned by both gods and men, and may I be struck down by heaven and earth!"

Zheng Rong simply smiled and waved his hand.

"Forget about making oaths. Throughout history, countless people have made oaths, but how many have truly been punished by heaven?"

"However, there is one more thing that I must tell His Highness the Crown Prince in advance."

"In the Northern Frontier, the so-called nobles are all castles in the clouds and the moon in the water. If you want the protection of the Northern Frontier army, you have to earn their recognition yourself. I can't help you with that."

That's what he said, but Zhou Tiancheng knew the truth in his heart.

If Zheng Rong hadn't nodded, he wouldn't even have had the right to fight for recognition!

After all, he was in the capital, while the army was in the northern frontier, tens of thousands of miles apart. Even if the imperial edict were delivered, it would be subject to some degree of influence, let alone the fact that he was only the crown prince.

This doesn't mean the army is disloyal to the court; deep down, they still identify themselves as people of the Great Qian Dynasty.

They simply didn't have that much respect for the powerful and wealthy in Kyoto who indulged in lavish meals.

This creates a strange closed loop...