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

The emperor was worried that the generals would rebel. The generals knew that the soldiers below only wanted peace and had no ambition. Moreover, the soldiers' respect for the generals was greater than their respect for the court.

The three parties were intertwined and mutually restraining, which led the imperial court to frequently recall border generals back to the capital to act as watchdogs.

Now Zheng Rong has given Zhou Tiancheng a chance to gain the recognition of the soldiers in the northern border region, and also a chance to change the situation!

Zhou Tiancheng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"I will always remember your kindness, Your Excellency. Please rest assured, I will not let you down."

Zheng Rong simply smiled, then raised her chin, gesturing for Zhou Tiancheng to look at the door.

"Have you seen the Ten Demons of Fengcheng?"

"What do you think of my soldiers?"

Zhou Tiancheng gave a wry smile.

The crisis in Rong State was resolved in two days. If this kind of army isn't powerful, what kind is?

But he didn't forget his previous speculations.

"My lord, if I am not mistaken, these ten people are definitely not from our Great Qian Dynasty; they are barbarians!"

Zheng Rong looked slightly surprised, then burst out laughing.

"Unexpectedly, the Ten Ghosts of Fengcheng were never suspected in the Northern Frontier, but they came to the capital and were seen through by His Highness the Crown Prince at a glance."

"I am somewhat curious, how did His Highness the Crown Prince find out?"

Zhou Tiancheng looked slightly smug.

"It's understandable that these ten people cover their faces with black iron in the northern frontier; perhaps they are quite famous and don't want to reveal their identities."

"But in Kyoto, no one knows them, yet they still cover their faces. I thought about it and realized there was only one possibility: their appearance is vastly different from that of the people of Daqian, so they have no choice but to do so."

Zheng Rong immediately stood up, laughing and waving.

"Then Your Highness, please take them back and learn from them. I won't stay any longer."

Zhou Tiancheng bowed and took his leave.

He stood at the entrance of the Duke's mansion, lost in thought.

Throughout the conversation, Zheng Rong switched between three different self-references.

When he referred to himself as "this man," he was putting pressure on Zhou Tiancheng.

When he refers to himself as "I," it means he is speaking as someone of the same social class, perhaps asking questions or offering explanations.

When he refers to himself as "this old man," it means that he is an investor investing with the intention of making a profit, and Zhou Tiancheng is precisely Zheng Rong's investment target.

"In that case, it all depends on whether I can gain the approval of the Northern Frontier Army. My life is at stake, so I'll have to show some real skills."

Back in the carriage, Zhou Tiancheng closed his eyes to rest, pondering how to capture the Ten Ghosts of Fengcheng.

If he can't accept the generous gift Zheng Rong offered him, then it would be a sign of his incompetence.

The carriage paused for a moment, and Zheng Ye'er climbed in.

"Hey, what did my dad say to you?"

Zheng Ye'er was a little curious.

Zhou Tiancheng opened his eyes, his face full of mockery.

"Oh, I proposed to your father, and he agreed, but he set a few conditions for me. I'm thinking about how to get past them."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Ye'er blushed deeply, feeling both ashamed and angry.

"Nonsense! My dad would never agree to that!"

She had just boarded the carriage when she turned around and intended to get off.

After all, she hadn't felt this way before, but now she did feel that it was far too ambiguous for a man and a woman to be alone in a room together.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Tiancheng had no intention of letting her leave. Seeing that she was about to leave, Zhou Tiancheng turned his head and deliberately started talking to Steward Liu.

"It is said that the world, after a long period of division, tends to unite; after a long period of unity, tends to divide..."

That's right, he started telling the story of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

He had read this book countless times when he was acting in his previous life. He might not remember some of the exact words, but he could recite the gist of it perfectly!

Although there were some stumbles along the way, once the story was told, Zheng Ye'er found herself in a difficult position.

Seeing that Zhou Tiancheng didn't pay attention to her, she immediately scurried like a little mouse to a corner of the carriage, listening eagerly to the stories Zhou Tiancheng was telling.

When the carriage stopped, Zhou Tiancheng feigned surprise.

"Eh? Miss Zheng, didn't you get off the carriage a long time ago? Why are you still in my carriage?"

"Could it be that Miss Zheng has already fallen for me and is eager to marry me?"

Zheng Ye'er gritted her teeth in anger and stomped her foot fiercely.

"You bastard!"

She turned and left, but Zhou Tiancheng's unrestrained laughter came from behind her.

"When someone is in a weak position, even when they are angry, it looks like they are just being coquettish."

"I must say, Miss Zheng's coquettish manner just now was quite eye-catching."

Zheng Ye'er almost fell off the carriage.

She returned to the military camp, determined to stay away from the Crown Prince, but her face was so red it was almost bleeding, yet she herself didn't even notice.

On the other end.

Zhou Tiancheng led the Ten Ghosts of Fengcheng directly to the training ground.

Looking at the ten neatly arranged cavalrymen in front of him, Zhou Tiancheng immediately asked a question.

"Do you understand Mandarin?"

The ten riders were clearly taken aback. Several of them turned to look at each other, obviously not expecting the Crown Prince to have guessed their identities.

The leader spoke in a deep, muffled voice.

"Your Highness, we understand Mandarin."

"In fact, we are orphans rescued from the battlefield by the Duke. We have been eating the food of Daqian since we were young and have learned the language of Daqian. We consider ourselves to be people of Daqian, only... we look a little different."

Zhou Tiancheng nodded slightly.

"This is the essence of cultural integration."

"In my heart, if you acknowledge your identity as people of the Great Qian Dynasty, then I acknowledge you as people of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"Perhaps you encountered some injustices in the Northern Frontier, but here, I can treat you all equally!"

One of the cavalrymen in the far corner immediately snorted.

"Your Highness, we are not fools. If you have something to say, just say it directly. Why beat around the bush like this!"

Zhou Tiancheng was somewhat embarrassed, but after all, he had come to subdue these people, not to make enemies.

He didn't take the other person's offense to heart, but instead spoke calmly.

"I have met your lord. He sent you here to give me an opportunity to see if I can gain your approval."

"I want to know what I need to do to gain your approval."

The ten people were stunned.

I told you to just say it, and you actually did?

However, they couldn't bring themselves to feel resentful about this frankness.

The leader remained in a muffled, gruff voice.

"I will listen to you, my lord."

Zhou Tiancheng's heart sank. He immediately realized that of the ten people, the leader was the most difficult to deal with.

What he meant by saying "I'll listen to the Duke" was actually just saying, "I look down on you, and you don't deserve my approval!"

at the same time.

The one on the far right spoke up again.

"Your Highness, you look delicate and frail, not like a hero at all. I advise you to give up on this idea."

"We people of northern Xinjiang only admire those who can fight. You look so vulnerable!"

Zhou Tiancheng took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.

"You, remove your armor, dismount, and come to fight me!"

The cavalryman burst into laughter.

"Your Highness, please, I'm afraid you'll get hurt!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he laughed even more unrestrainedly.

At this moment, Zhou Tiancheng slowly took off his outer clothes, and rolled up the sleeves of his undergarment, clearly indicating that he was about to make a move!