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

The military officers stepped forward one by one, each speaking in a single sentence.

"Your Majesty! Cut off this scoundrel's head, and we are willing to immediately lead our troops to attack Northern Xia. We will not rest until we bring the Emperor Emeritus back!"

Civil officials weren't much better off.

"How dare you, Kazan! Today you betray my Great Qian Emperor! When your Northern Xia Kingdom falls, your King will become nothing more than merchandise in the marketplace!"

"You've completely abandoned all decorum! What's there to talk about? If you want war, then let's fight! My Great Qian's sword is certainly not ineffective!"

What is an emperor?

They are the masters of the entire country, and the face of the nation.

Normally, even if the emperor is arrested, and even if the two sides have a falling out, a monarch would not be humiliated in this way.

After all, nobody knows if they'll be the one arrested next.

In the Central Plains where the Great Qian Dynasty was located, nothing so terrible had ever happened before. At most, people would be placed under house arrest and occasionally humiliated, but they would not completely lose their dignity as emperors.

But what did Kazan mean by that?

In his words, the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty was like a cow or a horse, a commodity to be sold for money.

Who could bear such humiliation?

If even the emperor has become a commodity, then what are his ministers?

What are the common people of this Great Qian Dynasty?

However, in the imperial court, there were a few people who didn't say a word, frowning and making no statement.

These people are among the most powerful individuals in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Zhou Rui, Qin Zhi'ang, the chief officials of the three provinces, the Duke of Huguo, and other representatives from various regions.

They held either military or political power, controlling the core power of the entire Great Qian Dynasty. Every word and action represented the will of the Great Qian Dynasty.

They remained strangely silent.

the reason is simple.

The retired emperor is still alive.

If he returns, there will be two emperors in the Great Qian Dynasty at the same time. Who will be in charge then? Will their power still be valid?

The person who suffered the most was Zhou Rui.

If he doesn't save the Emperor Emeritus, then he is being unfilial.

Having saved the retired emperor, must we also relinquish the imperial power?

By that time, the Great Qian Dynasty would truly be in chaos.

What should he do?

Zhou Rui was still hesitating, but Kazan saw through his thoughts and immediately burst into laughter in front of the entire court.

"A bunch of clowns, you're certainly having a good time hurling insults, but haven't you noticed that your emperor doesn't dare utter a single word?"

"Everyone says that your Great Qian Dynasty governs with filial piety, but now that your retired emperor is a prisoner in Northern Xia, your emperor is still hesitating. Is this your Great Qian Dynasty's way of showing filial piety?"

"How about this, Emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, give me a quick answer. If that doesn't work, I'll go back and have my emperor kill your father."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Zhou Rui, his face full of mockery, as if he were waiting to see the Emperor of Daqian make a fool of himself.

The civil and military officials fell silent. At this moment, even the most oblivious official suddenly realized that something was wrong.

Yes.

If the retired emperor is brought back, what will happen to the current emperor?

What will happen to these high-ranking officials and nobles who wield great power?

A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, but it also cannot have two rulers at the same time.

When the old ministers who had served the retired emperor saw that something was wrong, they all panicked and quickly came out.

"Your Majesty! That is the retired Emperor! If you ignore him, you will be condemned by the entire world!"

"How can the Great Qian Dynasty allow a son to enjoy wealth and luxury while his father suffers?"

"We humbly request Your Majesty to welcome the Retired Emperor home!"

These veteran officials knelt on the ground, tears streaming down their faces, their heads banging against the ground.

Are they selfless?

wrong.

They had only one thought: only if the retired emperor returned would they have a chance to regain their official positions and power.

They would never allow Zhou Rui to ignore this matter.

Zhou Rui's brows were still tightly furrowed, and his lips were pursed tightly.

He couldn't speak.

His words reveal his inclination, and whether he welcomes or rejects them, it will leave a great hidden danger for the Great Qian Dynasty.

He desperately needs someone to help him out of this predicament.

Qin Zhi'ang didn't move because he didn't know what to say.

Zhou Tianze didn't move either, because he had already brought shame upon himself. If he messed things up again now, he might become a sinner of the entire Daqian Dynasty.

Duke Zheng Rong did not speak, because he could not make the decision on behalf of Zhou Rui.

The only person to step forward was Zhou Tiancheng.

As the Crown Prince of the Great Qian Dynasty and the grandson of the Retired Emperor, he had the right and the obligation to help Zhou Rui out of this predicament.

He lazily picked at his ear, looking nonchalant, and spoke without any politeness.

"Father, what are you still hesitating about?"

"How can we allow this envoy from Northern Xia to leave the Great Qian alive, having so blatantly insulted our Imperial Grandfather?"

"Just order them to be dragged out and beheaded."

The expressions of those veteran officials changed drastically.

"Your Highness, you mustn't! The envoy from Northern Xia has come to discuss welcoming back the Emperor Emeritus. If we behead him, what will happen to the Emperor Emeritus?"

"That's right! Your Highness! If the Northern Xia were to kill the Emperor Emeritus in a fit of anger, wouldn't that place His Majesty in a position of disloyalty and unfilial piety?"

"Your Highness, what can't we discuss? Don't be so rash! Welcoming back the Emperor Emeritus is the most important thing!"

None of these old ministers truly cared about the Emperor Emeritus's life or death; for so many years, none of them had even gone to the northern frontier to see him.

They are worried about their future.

How could Zhou Tiancheng not know this principle?

But who is Chou Tien-cheng?

He had no intention of making a choice in a step-by-step manner!

He spoke calmly.

"Father, what these old gentlemen said makes sense, but things should be considered separately."

"Kazan insulted the nation first and deserves to die."

"The Emperor's imprisonment is a serious matter and should be discussed."

"Your subject's opinion is that we might as well kill Kazan and send his head back to Northern Xia as a gift. After all, returning to one's roots is a tradition of our Great Qian. By sending his head back, we can show the Northern Xia Emperor our attitude and sincerity."

"Alternatively, we could send envoys to the Northern Xia emperor to discuss welcoming back the retired emperor. Wouldn't that solve both problems?"

"It's just that I'm a little indignant. Kazan has so provoked our Great Qian, and we still want to send his head back to Northern Xia? This is simply a disgrace to our Great Qian!"

Everyone was startled when they heard this.

Killing the messenger and sending his head back is a disgrace.

This is a provocation!

Why do you make it sound like you're the one who suffered a loss?

Isn't this just blatantly provoking Northern Xia?

Several senior officials immediately started shouting.

"Your Highness, you mustn't! Wouldn't that anger the Emperor of Northern Xia? Then the Emperor Emeritus would be in danger!"

Zhou Tiancheng suddenly turned around, his young face now exuding an intense sense of pressure.

His acting skills came in handy once again.

"So, according to you, just because they captured the Emperor, the dignity of our Great Qian can be trampled underfoot and trampled on at will?"

"I will absolutely not allow such a thing to happen!"

"If that's the case, even if the Emperor returns, how will he face the people of Daqian? Will he still be able to appear openly in the Daqian court?"

"More importantly, if our Great Qian loses its backbone, won't anyone be able to trample on us in the future? If word gets out, won't our Great Qian become a laughing stock in the mouths of other countries?"

"How can you expect my imperial grandfather to accept this?"