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

The third brother stroked his chin and nodded.

"Yes."

"There are four characters written on that large seal, two of which are 'Changlong' (昌隆)."

Boom!

Zhou Tiancheng was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

To avoid being exposed, he had crammed on the history of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Those who were arrested were very likely the Emperor Emeritus's personal guards!

More importantly, the retired emperor might not be dead!

How did Zhou Rui, a seemingly idle prince, become emperor?

Because the retired emperor personally led the army to fight against the Northern Xia and was defeated to the point of losing contact, many princes and nobles in the country began to stir.

Although Zhou Rui was just a leisurely prince, he had the qualifications, so he was invested in by powerful families and forced to enter the market, which is how he gradually got to where he is today.

The two characters "Changlong" were the reign title of the retired emperor!

"Did you tell the imperial guards about this?"

Zhou Tiancheng quickly inquired.

He had a premonition that the Northern Xia envoys' arrival was aggressive and they probably had ill intentions!

The third brother shook his head.

"We're still in talks; I only found out about this yesterday."

Zhou Tiancheng waved his hand.

"Tell them right away, something terrible is about to happen."

"Changlong was the reign title of the retired emperor; those people were probably his personal guards!"

"When the Emperor Emeritus personally led the expedition, his whereabouts became unknown. Now, this news has suddenly surfaced. I fear the Northern Xia has ulterior motives!"

The third brother smiled.

"Your Highness, I know what you're saying, but my people and horses need food and supplies, and I can't just do business at a loss, can I?"

Zhou Tiancheng rolled his eyes.

"Just say that the Emperor Emeritus might not be dead yet. Selling this news would be worth a thousand taels of silver!"

"The biggest problem now isn't the money, it's what the purpose of the Northern Xia sending people here this time!"

The third brother was stunned for a long time.

What the hell?

Is this how intelligence trading can be done?

He had no idea whether the Emperor Emeritus was dead or not. Apart from the imperial seal, nothing else in this matter had anything to do with the Emperor Emeritus. But according to the Crown Prince, the news that the Emperor Emeritus was not dead was worth a thousand taels of silver!

"Your Highness, won't the Imperial Guards think we're lying to him? We don't even know if the Emperor Emeritus is dead or not!"

The third brother is still an honest man after all.

Zhou Tiancheng couldn't help but roll his eyes at him.

"Does it matter whether he's dead or not? What matters is the purpose of Northern Xia bringing the Emperor Emeritus's seal here!"

"Don't worry, the Imperial Guard won't pursue this matter. If all else fails, I know Chief Steward Huang of the Imperial Guard. He's my elder and will never make things difficult for you."

The third brother was immediately relieved and quickly went down to arrange for people to carry out the transaction.

As soon as the news spread, the entire city of Kyoto was in an uproar!

What shocked Zhou Tiancheng even more was that some retired officials returned to the capital one by one, as if they were looking forward to the arrival of the retired emperor.

About half a month later, the envoy from Northern Xia arrived in the capital.

The entire Great Qian Dynasty court was on high alert!

Zhou Tiancheng got up very early, which was unprecedented for him, and arrived at the Qiankun Palace very early.

As a result, after waiting for a long time, the Northern Xia envoy did not come to pay his respects.

Huang Chen sent someone to inquire three times, and each time the message he received was that the messenger was still asleep.

The entire court was seething with anger.

We got up before dawn, and everyone was waiting in the court. You were still sleeping?

They're completely disregarding our Great Qian Dynasty!

Even Zhou Tiancheng couldn't contain himself any longer.

This envoy from Northern Xia is far too arrogant!

He turned and walked out, found Steward Liu, and whispered some instructions.

"Old Liu, go and fetch the Duke over here."

Duke Zheng Rong, the Protector of the Nation, was originally there specifically to deal with the Northern Xia.

Especially back then, he was successful on two fronts, suppressing both the Northern Rong and the Northern Xia with one hand, making him a renowned figure in the Northern Frontier!

Aren't you Northern Xia envoys arrogant?

Wait until you see Zheng Rong, then let's see how arrogant you'll still be!

Manager Liu understood Zhou Tiancheng's meaning and immediately went to fetch someone.

Zhou Tiancheng returned to the main hall and closed his eyes to rest. After quite some time, the envoy from Northern Xia finally arrived leisurely.

Upon seeing Zhou Rui, they didn't kneel or even bow; they simply stood at the bottom of the steps, smiling lazily.

"Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, we have come here to do a business deal with you."

Who was present?

The court was filled with civil and military officials, princes of various kinds, members of noble families, and retired ministers of the retired emperor.

Upon seeing this, everyone was filled with rage.

Zhou Tianze glanced at Zhou Rui, and seeing that Zhou Rui didn't speak, he immediately understood what Zhou Rui was thinking.

Zhou Rui was furious and needed someone to step in and suppress the Northern Xia envoy to restore the dignity of the Great Qian Dynasty.

How could Zhou Tianze let go of this opportunity to make a name for himself?

He immediately took a step forward.

"How dare you! You neither kneel nor pay your respects to the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty. Are you not afraid of death?"

The Northern Xia envoy turned his head and gave Zhou Tianze a disdainful look.

"I have come here on behalf of the Emperor of Northern Xia."

"Do you have the right to interrupt me when I'm speaking to the Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty?"

"Are all you people from the Great Qian Dynasty so ignorant of etiquette?"

This made the courtiers even angrier.

Many people even gave Zhou Tianze a reproachful look.

If you don't have the ability, why are you stepping forward?

Zhou Tianze's face was also flushed, and he stammered, unable to speak.

Because the envoy from Northern Xia was not wrong.

The envoy represents the emperor of that country, but according to unspoken rules, they all lower their stance because they are afraid of death!

If you offend someone else's emperor on their own territory, what is that if not courting death?

This was the first time Zhou Tianze had ever seen such a reckless young man. Was he really not afraid of death at all?

Just now.

A deep, resonant voice came from behind.

"Let alone you, even if the emperor of Northern Xia himself came, he would still have to pay his respects!"

"Don't forget, it was you Northern Xia who begged me to sign that contract. It's written in black and white that your Northern Xia emperor recognizes my Great Qian emperor as his elder brother!"

"Does this mean the contract is invalid?"

"Do I absolutely have to go to the northern frontier again?"

As they spoke, everyone turned to look at the door.

Duke Zheng Rongzheng walked in step by step.

The envoy, who had been so arrogant, turned ashen-faced upon seeing Zheng Rong.

His lips twitched incessantly. After hesitating for a long time, he finally cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Zhou Rui.

"Kazan, the envoy from Northern Xia, greets His Majesty the Great Qian."

Zhou Rui's ashen face finally softened, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

at the same time.

Zheng Rong also cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Zhou Rui.

"Duke Zheng Rong, the Protector of the Nation, greets His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince."

As soon as he finished speaking, he stood quietly to the side.

That position was right behind Zhou Tiancheng.

In other words, Zheng Rong only values ​​two people: Emperor Zhou Rui and Crown Prince Zhou Tiancheng!

As for the third prince?

Zheng Rong didn't even glance at him.

This scene immediately caused a stir among the crowd. They looked at each other, their expressions quite complex.

This demonstrates Zheng Rong's stance: he will stand up for Zhou Rui and Crown Prince Zhou Tiancheng!

But as for the others, you'd better be careful what you say, lest you embarrass the Great Qian Dynasty.

Zhou Rui didn't think much of it and looked directly at Kazan.

"What did you mean by the deal you mentioned earlier?"

Kazan glanced at the Duke of Protectorate, then finally suppressed his smugness and gave a formal bow.

"We've come for the retired emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty!"

"The former Emperor Changlong of the Great Qian Dynasty is currently a guest in my Northern Xia territory. My Northern Xia Emperor is benevolent and willing to give the Great Qian a chance to make a deal."

"We plan to sell Emperor Changlong to the Great Qian Dynasty!"

boom!

These words caused an uproar throughout the imperial court.

Everyone began to condemn Kazan.

Sell ​​the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty to the Great Qian Dynasty?

This is practically like dancing on Daqian's face!