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

"Bet on Shi Cheng, it's a sure win! Shi Cheng killed barbarians when he was only eight years old. Do you think I don't know whether he can fight or not?"

"I bet on the Third Prince; his odds are higher. Mainly because I heard he hired a military instructor—the Imperial Guard instructor, no less!"

When others started exchanging information, Zhou Tiancheng realized that there were many things he had never heard of before.

He turned to look at Steward Liu and asked in a low voice.

"Is this Imperial Guard instructor really that skilled? Why wasn't he mentioned before?"

In Zhou Tiancheng's mind, the Imperial Guard instructor must be a formidable figure like Lin Chong.

Manager Liu looked completely bewildered.

"I've never heard of it either!"

Zhou Tiancheng's heart sank.

Could it be that Zhou Rui is still thinking of letting the Third Prince inherit the throne?

Is he trying to build momentum for the Third Prince? He's even lent out the Imperial Guard instructors.

Now Zhou Tiancheng has a headache.

"Old Liu, is His Majesty planning to let Zhou Tianze rise to power by stepping on us?"

Steward Liu's expression also changed.

There's not much to say. As the emperor, Zhou Rui's every move deserves careful consideration.

Now, he not only tacitly approved Zhou Tianze's formation of cavalry, but also lent out the Imperial Guard instructors, clearly intending to help the Third Prince win the competition.

Hearing this, Zhou Tiancheng lost his appetite.

He got up and gestured for Steward Liu to leave.

"Let's go back to the barracks. Let's inform the Duke of Protectorate about this and hear his thoughts."

After all, Zhou Tiancheng couldn't guess what Zhou Rui was thinking.

He's just a good actor; he can't read minds.

Just then, a man rushed into the tavern.

"Brothers! Big news! The odds for the Crown Prince have dropped! Just now, they dropped to 4 to 1!"

Zhou Tiancheng immediately stopped and sat back down in his seat.

The group of people over there immediately started discussing it.

"The Crown Prince's odds have dropped? Does this mean someone's brought in a large sum of money?"

"The odds have dropped to 1:4? That's over 200,000 taels of silver?"

"I don't know who did it, but they must be mentally challenged. Does this crown prince even know how to fight?"

"You know what, the Crown Prince has never shown any military talent before. Maybe he really does know how to fight?"

The crowd was buzzing with discussion.

Manager Liu turned to look at Zhou Tiancheng and asked with a puzzled expression.

"Could it be that our 30,000 taels of silver had some effect?"

Zhou Tiancheng shook his head.

"Impossible! The prize pool has already piled up. I reckon someone has bet on me, and it's not just 200,000 taels of silver, it must be at least 500,000 taels!"

"But who could this person be?"

"The Duke has already placed his bet. Now that the odds have dropped, there's no point in him placing another bet. And who else but the Duke would trust me this much?"

At this point, a name suddenly popped into Zhou Tiancheng's mind.

Zhou Rui!

This is Kyoto, right at the foot of the imperial city; many things cannot be kept from Zhou Rui.

For example, the Duke of Huguo sent armor-piercing spikes and composite bows.

For example, there were the drawings he once made at the Duke of Huguo's residence.

Zhou Rui must have been aware of these things.

Even the appearance of the Ten Ghosts of Fengcheng might not be something Zhou Rui was completely unaware of.

Besides, Zhou Rui had seen the soldiers under his command, so it was normal for him to have confidence in him.

In conclusion, Zhou Tiancheng believes that there is only one possibility.

Even if others knew these circumstances, they wouldn't bet on him, except for Zhou Rui!

Because Zhou Rui still had a slight fatherly affection for him!

Zhou Tiancheng settled himself down, and a bold guess popped into his mind.

This training competition was a test given to him by Zhou Rui!

This could very well determine whether the crown prince can continue to sit on the throne!

If that's the case, then everything makes sense.

"Father is trying to make things more difficult for me. He wants to see my limits and whether I can shoulder the heavy responsibilities of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

Zhou Tiancheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Since Zhou Rui has placed a bet on him, it certainly doesn't mean he wants to make the Third Prince the Crown Prince.

And this moment.

The discussion in the tavern continued.

"Let's not discuss whether the Crown Prince has any military talent. I just remember one incident: His Majesty once ordered the Crown Prince to supervise an examination, and the Crown Prince broke a scholar's hand. Can such a Crown Prince accomplish anything?"

"I expect this military training competition to be quite a show. I plan to go to the Royal Hunting Grounds to check it out; maybe I can see the results there."

"In short, I don't trust the Crown Prince. Everyone knows he's an incompetent fool. Let alone fighting a war, he probably can't even manage his few dozen guards properly!"

In their eyes, betting on the crown prince was no different from throwing money into the water.

Zhou Tiancheng looked surprised and turned to look at Steward Liu.

"Your Highness... I've even broken a scholar's hand?"

Manager Liu nodded awkwardly.

"Your Highness, it is true. At that time, you accepted bribes from others and pre-selected a group of people. When the results came out, some scholars were dissatisfied and you beat up a group of them."

"There were a few of them who were specifically targeted, and it's likely true that their hands were broken."

Zhou Tiancheng closed his eyes in pain.

No wonder.

No wonder the Crown Prince's reputation has been so tarnished.

Scholars!

Is this someone I can afford to offend?

More importantly, if he tries to win over scholars again in the future, he will likely be ridiculed severely.

That makes it difficult to evaluate.

It feels like the crown prince has exhausted all other avenues, leaving him, the fake crown prince, struggling to survive.

"Since things have come to this, let's eat first."

Zhou Tiancheng sighed.

The food in the restaurant smelled delicious, but he found it tasteless and increasingly bland.

at the same time.

Duke Zheng Rong, the Protector of the Nation, was sitting in the Imperial Study at this moment.

Zhou Rui looked at Zheng Rong, asking with a puzzled expression.

Are you really sure?

"So, you're choosing the crown prince?"

Zheng Rong nodded.

"Your Majesty, I am already this old, and even if I wanted to fight, I no longer have the energy. I have no other thoughts in my mind but to find a good family for Ye'er."

"Since Ye'er loves the Crown Prince, even if I am dissatisfied, there is nothing I can do. Rather than forcing the lovers apart, I would rather see Ye'er smiling."

He had more to say than that he and the Crown Prince had a mutually beneficial relationship. Even if Zheng Ye'er and the Crown Prince fell out of favor in the future, the Crown Prince would not be able to control Zheng Ye'er.

But the Third Prince is different. He has Qin Zhi'ang behind him, as well as several uncles who hold important positions. He has the power to wipe out his family line!

If Ye'er were to marry into that family, it would be like giving them a perfectly legitimate reason to do so.

When the time comes, if the Third Prince really tries to seize military power, with so many people as his helpers, even the Duke of Protectorate won't be able to protect him!

Zhou Rui sighed.

"If the third brother finds out about this, he'll probably become your enemy."

As he was speaking, the old eunuch hurriedly walked in and placed a gambling ticket on Zhou Rui's table.

Zhou Rui glanced at it, then turned to the old eunuch and spoke.

"Have someone keep an eye on the Crown Prince and see how he reacts."

The old eunuch nodded and accepted the order.

Zhou Rui then spoke to Zheng Rong.

"I wonder if the Crown Prince knows my good intentions."

"His reputation throughout the land is utterly ruined. If he can't fight his way out of this desperate situation, simply killing Hou Tian or winning the championship won't be enough to reverse his reputation!"

"What he needs to do now is completely reverse everyone's perception of him, make everyone feel like a stranger to him, and shock them! Let's see if he can do it!"

It turns out that this competition was neither paving the way for Zhou Tianze nor a test for the Crown Prince.

This is a father's painstaking efforts for his reformed son!