Chapter 1000 Declaring Himself Emperor

Tian Tian strode into the Appreciating Flowers Pavilion, followed closely by Fu Wang (Prince of Fu) Zhao Yuannian, similarly clad in armor.

How exquisite this building had been before, so too, now, it was chaotic and defiled.

Beauty and ugliness are often separated by only a hair's breadth.

For almost the entire day, the Prince had been in the private room upstairs, enjoying the local customs of Jiangnan. When Tian Tian entered, however, the place was filled with screaming female entertainers and scantily clad figures fleeing in panic from the rooms.

Scholars and their refined elegance were usually better admired from afar, because once they took off their clothes, they were either pot-bellied or nothing but skin and bones.

However, Tian Tian was different from his "father." At least, in Tian Tian's mind, there was no "fantasy" of Jiangnan elegance.

Born in the royal palace and raised in the army, he, to a certain extent, represented the common mentality of a group of young soldiers in Jinyang.

More than a decade ago, Qian people scolded Yan people as barbarians, while Yan people scolded Qian people as pedantic and sour.

But with the frequent wars of Great Yan over the past decade, which had basically all ended in great victories, what had been reaped on the battlefield was not only population, wealth, land, and food, but also… confidence.

People, no, whether they were people, demons, beasts, or other creatures, their most fundamental and essential culture was to admire the strong.

If martial prowess was not promoted, then no matter how flowery the literary arts were, in the eyes of outsiders, it would ultimately be nothing more than an embroidered pillow, or even a joke.

Moreover, as early as the Xuehai Pass era, although Great Yan had established the imperial examination system, Jinyang had not followed suit. Year after year, batch after batch, what was cultivated were either military seeds or artisans. With the prevalence of pragmatism, a huge sense of estrangement arose between Jinyang's culture and the Qian Kingdom, which represented the peak of Chinese civilization.

It could not be said that Jinyang represented something sufficiently advanced and excellent, as nothing had only one absolute side, but the current reality was:

Including Tian Tian and the Jinyang soldiers behind him who rushed into the Appreciating Flowers Pavilion, they had no feelings whatsoever for these literati, these paintings and calligraphy hanging in the building, and other "rare" and "exquisite" things.

All this fancy stuff, like the songs of Chu, not only did not feel beautiful, but rather like watching a "monkey show."

And this mentality did not exist in Great Yan, at least not before Zheng Fan emerged more than a decade ago.

At that time, the Wen family of Jin had a strong "literary style," and the Yan people at that time would also allow the Qian people to build a rear garden outside the capital for the emperor to visit.

Originally, neither Zheng Fan nor the Blind Man had noticed this change.

But at this moment, standing on the high building and looking at the strong sense of impact formed by his own soldiers rushing in and the previous environment, the Prince flicked his cigarette ash and frowned slightly.

Xie Yu'an, who had been "observing his expressions" and actively offering ladders, noticed this and immediately said:

"Exquisite things are just not resistant to falling. Fortunately, they can be kneaded and reshaped at any time in the future."

Xie Yu'an was a smart man, and smart people often seemed aloof and unsociable;

But it did not mean that he could not read expressions; it was just that he had been too lazy to do it before and had no need to do it.

However, when it was really needed, he could "lick" better and more professionally than anyone else.

For example, Xie Yu'an clearly knew that this Great Yan Regent, who had a fierce reputation outside, actually had a "gentle breeze and fine willows" sentiment in his bones;

So seeing this scene, he did not directly praise "Your Highness is mighty" and "Your Highness's soldiers are strong," but followed the Prince's temperament to talk.

But after hearing this,

The Prince shook his head,

Not like responding to Xie Yu'an, but more like talking to himself:

"It is not barbarism that creates an absolute military group, but an absolute military group that inevitably brings about barbarism."

Zheng Lin, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard his father's words;

Heh, here we go again.

However, when Zheng Lin looked at Xie Yu'an, he found that Xie Yu'an's expression had momentarily stiffened.

Zheng Lin believed that this was not an act, because in recent days, he had personally witnessed this Xie family prodigy flattering his father again and again. His level was very high, and he would not use such a blunt and direct method to set off and contrast.

So…

Did I not understand what he said?

"Your Highness has great foresight, I admire you," Xie Yu'an said sincerely.

Because he could hear that this Great Yan Prince was no longer limited to considering conquest… but was thinking about how to make conquest land and become an orderly rule.

This kind of height and depth of thought made Xie Yu'an feel admiration at this time;

Because it had surpassed the pattern of an excellent general, an excellent commander… or even an excellent emperor.

However,

The Prince quickly adjusted his emotions,

He smiled,

And looked at the many poems and scrolls hanging between the railings of the private room;

"I was just teasing people before, being in a brothel, aspiring to the battlefield. I've also made the same mistake."

In this highest-end brothel in Jinghai City,

Looking at the panicked and scantily clad men and women below,

He could actually take the opportunity to think about the long-term stability and cultural identity of the entire Xia.

Si Niang then smiled:

"Isn't this normal?"

Saying that,

Si Niang continued to reach out and play with the Prince's beard,

"The entire world, the closest to the Heavenly Dao, is not the back mountain of the Qian Kingdom, nor is it what Tianhu Mountain or the Snowfield Altar, or the Chu Witches, let alone the Qin Tian Prison.

It's here.

You know,

Every day, I don't know how many men here become Buddhas and enter the Saint Realm."

"Hahahaha."

The Prince laughed loudly.

Xie Yu'an was reserved and silent beside him.

The Princess and the Prince were racing, and he couldn't agree.

At this moment,

Below,

Tian Tian walked up to the courtesan, whose clothes were the most gorgeous and luxurious, and who was surrounded by the most maids.

Facing this silver-armored young general,

The courtesan restrained the panic on her face,

Knelt down,

And said crisply:

"This little girl, Su Su, thanks the General for the kindness of rescuing her."

Normally speaking, the guests in the red tent were, for the most part, either not as rich as the sisters, or… they didn't really have the same knowledge as the sisters.

The courtesan's reaction was extremely fast.

Tian Tian looked at her, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

However,

Tian Tian said nothing and walked straight past her.

The courtesan originally planned to say something more, at least she was clear that under this sudden chaos, this silver-armored general could protect her safety.

But the soldiers beside Tian Tian immediately held their sabers horizontally and stopped her.

Tian Tian began to go upstairs without looking back,

What a joke,

Although Tian Tian was his father's most beloved son, and it was reasonable to be filial to his father;

But Tian Tian was not so blindly filial as to send women to his father when he knew that his mother was by his father's side.

"Father, the General's troops and Nian Yao's troops have entered the city and are taking down the city gates, passes, armories, and granaries."

"Good."

The Prince nodded,

Then turned to the people in the private room and said:

"I've been here for a day, and I can finally go out for some fresh air."

Si Niang then asked:

"Master, do you want to change into a python robe?"

The Prince waved his hand,

Said:

"It's not like entering the capital, just Jinghai City, I'm too lazy to bother."

The Prince reached out his hand,

The Heir Apparent glanced at his mother and reached out his hand.

The father and son held hands,

The Prince looked at Tian Tian,

Said:

"Your Tian gege (older brother) has grown up, it's not appropriate to hold his hand anymore."

Tian Tian smiled.

He still remembered when his father took him on expeditions, he liked to hold him and sit on the back of the Pixiu.

Now, looking at his father holding A-Di, this scene made Tian Tian feel warm in his heart.

Zheng Lin pursed his lips slightly,

So it's not that I've grown up, you're just too lazy to hold me, aren't you?

If it weren't for my mother watching from behind, I'd let you hold me, I'd let you hold me!

However, on the whole, Zheng Lin was still very well-behaved, one was because his mother, who had been looking for reasons to break his legs recently, was watching;

The second was that he was very clear that Bei Gan's father was also here, and he was very disgusted with his lack of cooperation with his identity as the Heir Apparent in public.

Therefore, in any case, Zheng Lin had to cooperate and play this good show of fatherly love and filial piety.

However,

When he got downstairs,

Seeing the courtesan who was being held back by the soldiers,

Zheng Lin whispered:

"Aren't you taking her in? You've been staring at her for a long time."

The Prince was not angry, but instead, he taught earnestly:

"It's best not to touch the women of the Qian Kingdom. The Qian Silver Armor Guards are best at sending wives."

Zheng Lin then said: "With mother vetting for you, what can the Silver Armor Guards do?"

"I'm middle-aged," the Prince said with emotion. "When the war is over, I'll think about fishing and taking care of my health."

"Say so much, aren't you just afraid of mother?"

Zheng Fan "hehe" laughed,

Said:

"You still have the nerve to talk about me?"

The father and son muttered all the way and walked outside the Appreciating Flowers Pavilion.

The Pixiu was already waiting here, and Zheng Fan flipped over and got on the Pixiu.

"Where's my horse?" Zheng Lin asked the guards beside him.

Tian Tian, who was following behind, picked up Zheng Lin directly;

"Did my brother have a relapse?"

Tian Tian's voice came from behind.

"…" Zheng Lin.

Zheng Lin was held by Tian Tian and sent to Zheng Fan.

Immediately, Tian Tian also flipped over and got on his Pixiu beast.

The Prince looked at Tian Tian and said, "Yan Jing has cultivated two more Pixiu. I'll give you one."

"No need, father, I have feelings for it."

Tian Tian touched the mane of the Pixiu under his crotch.

Zheng Fan nodded. Tian Tian was a child who was nostalgic and valued relationships.

The team began to move forward, the goal was the Jinghai City Government Office, which was the power center of Jinghai City.

The Prince and the Heir Apparent rode on a Pixiu together, accompanied by Xie Yu'an, Tian Tian, and Zhao Yuannian, the Sword Saint and the Sword Master were in front and behind, and the outer circle was the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At this time,

Zheng Fan lowered his head and asked his son:

"What do you think should be done next?"

Zheng Lin calmly replied: "Plunder the city to boost morale."

The army had traveled a long way, making a big circle in the Chu Kingdom, and crossing mountains and ridges in the middle. It was not easy to get here, and it was bound to need some encouragement.

In addition, the army's supplies must also be resolved. There was no reason to ask the rear to continue to transport food after entering Jiangnan.

"Continue."

Zheng Lin continued:

"According to the Jinyang military law, the spoils of war must first be collected and then distributed. Previously, this military law had been repeatedly emphasized to the Chu army, and you had already allocated the shares with the Xie family.

Therefore, let the Chu army plunder now, and the Yan army will watch the show. Anyway, the spoils of war will be divided."

Xie Yu'an, who was next to him, twitched the corner of his mouth subconsciously when he heard this.

Zheng Fan said, "Continue."

"After the Chu army has plundered, you can pick a few Chu soldiers and kill them on the pretext of quelling the people's grievances and making a show.

When the Chu army plunders the large households, you can send people to watch them. After most of the looting is completed, you can come forward in the name of the Prince's Palace to stop and protect them;

Maximize the transfer of the Qian people's hatred to the Qian-Chu conflict."

"………" Xie Yu'an.

"Anything else?"

"As much as possible, capture the high officials of Jinghai City alive and force them to jointly issue a document responding to our army's entry into Qian this time in order to avenge the late Emperor of Qian and overthrow the traitors of the Qian Kingdom in order to achieve legitimacy."

"Is that all?"

Zheng Lin turned his head and looked at Zhao Yuannian, who was riding a horse beside him. He was transferred by a royal order when he was preparing to borrow a road from the Chu Kingdom to enter Qian. Originally, he had his own errands in Jinyang and had been doing a good job.

However, he did not participate in the first phase of the decisive battle with the Chu Kingdom;

Zheng Lin reached out and pointed to Zhao Yuannian,

Said:

"Forge a will of the late Emperor and make him the new official of the Qian Kingdom."

Zhao Yuannian's breathing suddenly stagnated!

"He is of the Fu Wang bloodline, and is of the line of Emperor Taizong, which is more justified than Zhao Mugou."

Zhao Yuannian gritted his teeth and forcibly suppressed his emotional fluctuations from being too obvious.

"The former Crown Prince is still in Shangjing, and the late Emperor of Qian still has princes alive."

Although the Yan army entered Shangjing that year, causing several princes to die, such as the prince with the most abundant martial virtue, who actually died in a firefight with his own people.

But the late Emperor of Qian was good at health preservation. Because his body was well maintained, he gave birth to an unusually large number of children.

"Don't you think that establishing him will seem insufficiently justified?" Zheng Fan asked.

Zheng Lin slanted his face and looked at his father;

He really wanted to say,

Then why did you specially transfer him here and bring him into Qian, is it fun to take off your pants and fart?

However, the Blind Man in the rear had been showing an approving expression, which meant that the child was teachable;

His mother, on the other hand, looked at the rare "father-son harmony" and her eyes were much softer;

Zheng Lin really didn't dare to directly tear down the stage.

As he grew older, he increasingly realized a fact, which was that it seemed that many people around him wanted to beat him?

Then, he had to discover another fact, which was that the only person who could prevent those people from hitting him seemed to be this father of his who he looked down on.

Over the years,

He had been stuck in a dead cycle,

The more he looked down on his father, the more he was beaten…

And if he could learn from this Xie family prodigy's way of treating his father during this time, twist a little, and lick a little,

He seemed to be able to gain a lot of freedom.

Because his father was actually the one who could make everyone around him surrender and not dare to disobey.

But he felt uncomfortable in his heart!

Zheng Fan had never had a particularly bad impression of his son. In Zheng Fan's view, ordinary people were still children, their unfamiliarity and fear of the world would make them instinctively worship and imitate their parents;

When they reached puberty, they would show a rebellious attitude, feeling that their parents, oh, were just ordinary people.

When they grew older and experienced the vicissitudes of life, they would realize the difficulties of being an ordinary person and being a parent.

His son,

Just skipped the first stage and directly entered the second stage.

Who hadn't been young, who hadn't been arrogant?

In the end, which parent would really be angry with their teenage children? They had all been there before.

Oh no, Si Niang was an exception, because she was forever young.

Zheng Lin said:

"Legitimacy is useless."

"Oh?"

"Once the檄文 (official proclamation) is issued, the Qian lands, including this Jiangnan, will not be looking at legitimacy, but at the strength behind it.

If we randomly pick out a Qian vassal king, even if we rescue the former Crown Prince of Qian from captivity in Shangjing and put him here, it will be useless.

Because what those who might gather look at are practical things.

What is truly practical and can make them feel at ease and willing to re-bet,

Is our Regency… and the Yan Kingdom."

Next,

Zheng Lin's eyes softened a little, and his tone slowed down a bit:

"Auntie is your woman, father, he…"

Zheng Lin once again pointed to Zhao Yuannian;

"He is my sworn brother, he is a member of our Prince's Palace, if he is this puppet emperor, the Prince's Palace will not give up, if the Prince's Palace does not give up, the Yan Kingdom will not give up, and those who are on the fence will dare to come down and stand in line, and there will be a little cohesion."

Zhao Yuannian had no fluctuations in his expression to the word "puppet".

He never thought about revitalizing the Great Qian after he became emperor, he was crazy!

But Zheng Lin's sentence "sworn brother",

Made Zhao Yuannian feel a deep sense of being flattered;

This was not flattery, because Zheng Lin's status was much higher than his, and the calmness, decisiveness, and wisdom he showed already had a very strong style of his father.

Although, the phrase "like father" was not a compliment to Zheng Lin, and might even make him go crazy with anger.

However, thanks to Si Niang's utter boredom with her son shortly after he was born, and her throwing the shopkeeper's hand to the Princess of Fu to take care of him;

As a result, Zheng Lin and the Princess of Fu were not as close as ordinary mothers and sons, after all, it was impossible for Zheng Lin to be as sweet-mouthed as Da Niu everywhere, but in Zheng Lin's heart, he was actually close to the Princess of Fu.

Along with it, he was considered… polite to her son.

You must know that when the Chu Crown Prince called him "brother," if he had not just been sealed, Zheng Lin might have directly smashed his head with a punch.

Zheng Lin continued:

"When the news of our army entering Qian reaches Shangjing, Shangjing may continue to grit its teeth and not withdraw its troops from the north, but think of other ways to continue to drag it out, because you, father, have used similar tricks too many times.

But if we establish a small court in Jiangnan, it will be like drawing Shangjing's tendons, this is a conspiracy.

If he doesn't care for the sake of the overall situation of the war, then the south will collapse;

If he cares, then the north will collapse.

No matter which one he chooses, one side will collapse."

Hearing this,

Zheng Fan subconsciously turned his head and looked at the Blind Man.

Did you teach these words?

Zheng Fan couldn't help but think about it, after all, he had also pre-tested the questions from Liang Cheng in advance and memorized the answers before running to Lao Tian to hand in the writing.

The Blind Man "saw" Zheng Fan's eyes and shook his head slightly, indicating that it was not him.

Then… it was Zheng Lin's own thinking.

Zheng Fan didn't think that the Blind Man would cover for Zheng Lin, after all, he was his only嫡 (of the main wife) son, equivalent to the emperor having only one crown prince, did this crown prince need to compete for favor?

Even Tian Tian, no one would think that Tian Tian would compete with Zheng Lin for the throne in the future.

Because everyone in the family was clear, including Tian Tian himself, that if he wanted it, Zheng Fan would not hesitate to break off half of everything he had and directly give it to this eldest son.

But Tian Tian's ambition was not here… The Blind Man had brainwashed and seduced him with "Sachima" when he was very young, but even this had not been successful, which was enough to see the child's determination.

What Tian Tian wanted was to give all the good things to his younger brothers and sisters, and then he would personally help them guard them, he was just an older brother, and he was willing to always be this older brother.

This had nothing to do with whether he was Lao Tian's seed;

Because in the original trajectory, Tian Tian, as the main force, overturned all of this.

The fundamental reason was that Zheng Fan had taught him by words and deeds since he was very young, the Zheng Fan of the previous life did not have a healthy and warm home, and Tian Tian's original trajectory also did not have one;

In this life, the father and son were real father and son, and they both valued this "home" very much.

So…

This stinky brat,

Is he so powerful?

Zheng Fan couldn't help but

Reach out and pinch his son's cheek,

And rubbed his head,

Zheng Lin's breathing became rapid, and he held back his anger,

Don't go too far, too far!

Seeing that his rubbing had angered his son,

Zheng Fan "hahaha" laughed.

Strangely enough,

He, Zheng Fan, could accept Tian Tian's "intelligence" back then, and he could also accept the "maturity" of Crown Prince Ji Chuanye back then,

But after all, that was… someone else's child.

Zheng Fan had never felt that his son could have much success in "brains", but more was to consider his bloodline from the side.

However,

What could not be denied was that,

Zheng Lin, who possessed the Demon King's bloodline and had been raised and cultivated by the seven Demon Kings,

He,

Was more like… no, he was the real妖孽 (monster genius) in this world!

At this moment,

Zheng Fan realized that he seemed to have always been in a misunderstanding, the Blind Man and the others sealed his power when Zheng Lin was just born, saying that they were worried that Zheng Lin would not be able to control himself and turn into a "beast";

Perhaps, what the Blind Man and the others valued was not only the so-called bloodline, but also his wisdom.

The Great Yan Regent, after all, did not get rid of the role and instinct of an "old father";

He looked at Xie Yu'an beside him,

And asked:

"How is it?"

If the child could recite ancient poems, he would have to be pulled out to show off in front of relatives and friends;

Not to mention that his son had just said, was a strategy to pacify the country, although it was somewhat immature and focused too much on skills, but you had to look at his age!

Compared to the Prince as a father, Xie Yu'an's inner shock was actually greater, because this Heir Apparent, after disguising himself, often poured tea and water for him in the handsome tent, they were in contact with each other almost every day, but he did not notice it at all.

In addition to the previous words, Xie Yu'an did not believe that this was a pre-arranged performance, one was that the Prince had no reason to let him memorize the book in advance in order to show off his son, and the second was that he could hide this so flawlessly with the honor of the Heir Apparent, this child was unusual.

"Your Highness, if His Majesty could have become familiar with and recognized his nephew earlier, I'm afraid…"

"I'm afraid we wouldn't fight?" Zheng Fan asked with a smile.

Xie Yu'an shook his head and said, "I'm afraid we would have fought long ago, because waiting any longer would be completely hopeless."

"Hehe."

In front, the "sharp-eyed and sharp-eared" Sword Master turned his head and looked here,

And shouted:

"Does the Heir Apparent need a sword?"

Zheng Lin shouted back:

"I like axes."

"Coincidentally, what I am best at in my life is making axes," the Chu axe maker said.

"Yuannian."

Zheng Fan shouted.

Zhao Yuannian had a激灵 (startled reaction), he subconsciously saluted on horseback, and then his body twisted, thanks to the Sword Saint's release of a streak of qi to help him, otherwise he would really have fallen off his horse.

Zheng Lin sighed,

It was no wonder that his master had been "eaten" by his father for so many years,

Didn't he see that his "sworn brother" deliberately wanted to fall and make a prelude to the next scene, why did he help him?

The Sword Saint did not know that he had been despised by his得意 (proud) disciple just now.

Zhao Yuannian, who had not fallen and did not show an ugly appearance,

Some embarrassed to straighten his body,

Said:

"Your Highness, I am here!"

"My son said he wants you to be an official, do you want to be?"

Zhao Yuannian swallowed his saliva, took a deep breath, did not 推测 (speculate), did not refuse, he was not qualified to, and directly said:

"If the Heir Apparent asks me to be, I will be, I will listen to the Heir Apparent!"

Zheng Fan pulled on the reins,

The Pixiu stopped;

Immediately, the entire team stopped together.

Zheng Fan waved his hand,

Said:

"Don't you greet the official yet."

For a time, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, along with Xie Yu'an, the Sword Master, etc., all said in unison:

"Greetings, Qian official!"

"Greetings, Qian official!"

Zhao Yuannian… oh no, Zhao official's face was flushed, he quickly dismounted, walked quickly to Zheng Fan's Pixiu, knelt down, his forehead pressed against the bluestone bricks, his hands spread out against the ground,

He shouted loudly in a five-body投地 (prostrate) manner:

"The Qian official, greets the Great Yan Regent, long live Your Highness, long live, long live!"

The Prince reached out and grabbed his son's right hand to help him up;

Zheng Lin felt that this scene and lighting a cigarette in the Appreciating Flowers Pavilion earlier had something in common.

But after all, it was for the sake of the Princess of Fu,

Zheng Lin chose to continue to cooperate,

Said:

"Rise."