Chapter 919 Ruler and Subject

Zheng Fan reached out to scratch the Pixiu's mane. The Jinyi personal guards were encamped thirty miles from Jiangdong, with Sword Saint and Xu Chuang waiting not far away.

After all, as the dignified Prince of Pingxi, he couldn't really ride a Pixiu in black armor alone from Fengxin City to this place with such ease.

Some things, Lao Tian could do, but Zheng Fan couldn't, not yet.

Even so,

facing thousands of imperial guards alone,

he deserved the title of welcoming the Emperor with a lone ride.

If something were to happen, the Sword Saint and Xu Chuang on the outskirts wouldn't be able to come to the rescue in time.

It could be said that,

with a single order from the Emperor,

the Great Yan's Prince of Pingxi… no, the Great Yan's traitor, Zheng Fan, could be quietly killed here.

The process wasn't important; what mattered was that Zheng Fan had already shown his attitude.

When this scene was spread, the world would be amazed at the frankness of Prince Pingxi, and the ministers in Yanjing City would probably be speechless for a while upon hearing this news.

But for those who truly understood and were familiar with Zheng Fan,

especially the Emperor standing on the imperial carriage at this moment,

how much did this Zheng fear death?

For him to do this really exceeded the loyalty of so-called ordinary officials, because this guy didn't have any loyalty at all…

The Emperor took a deep breath,

imperceptibly suppressing the slight mist that had just begun to gather in the corners of his eyes,

and said with a smile and a curse:

"Still so affected, still so concerned about appearances. We're not a flood or a fierce beast, nor are we enemies from Qian or Chu. He has to create this kind of lonely hero facing the wind and rain.

You dog slave,

do you know,

he's just bullying us."

Wei Zhonghe, behind the Emperor, also wore a smile on his face.

The imperial guards around the imperial carriage,

and even these imperial guards around them, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this scene.

The further east they went, the greater the pressure in everyone's hearts.

The Emperor didn't mobilize the garrison from Jin to support them, which meant that if something happened here, they had no reinforcements to rely on.

Hold their ground and wait for reinforcements?

Wait for whose reinforcements?

The county magistrates loyal to the Emperor in nearby counties, bringing their yamen runners and commoners to rescue them?

Everyone was prepared for the worst, but when Prince Pingxi appeared in this manner, in an instant, the rain cleared and the sky shone, and everyone felt that life was so beautiful.

This was a very strange feeling.

Zheng Fan patted the Pixiu's head.

The Pixiu shook its body,

and the shiny armor directly fell down, covering its body, vying for brilliance with the sunset in the dusk.

Immediately afterward,

it began to walk toward the imperial guards in front of it.

The leading general of the imperial guards would naturally not be foolish enough to order his men to raise their spears, lift their bows, and shout:

"Who goes there? Do you know the punishment for trespassing on the Emperor's temporary residence!"

Although the location of the Emperor's temporary residence was like the imperial palace, where anyone who wanted to see the Emperor had to report their identity and then go through the levels, and finally see if the Emperor was in the mood to summon you;

but clearly, the Prince of Pingxi was not in this category.

The general looked back and saw that His Majesty's figure had already appeared on the imperial carriage.

The Prince of Pingxi was still riding his Pixiu, continuing to approach,

and the eunuch relaying the order from behind hadn't arrived yet.

The general took a deep breath, took three steps back to his side, and knelt down on one knee:

"This humble general greets Prince Pingxi, may the Prince enjoy happiness and prosperity for ten thousand years!"

The rest of the imperial guards around them all knelt down:

"Greetings, Prince Pingxi!"

The Prince nodded slightly, not interacting with the imperial guards, but letting the Pixiu continue forward.

It wasn't that Zheng Fan wanted to show off here.

But when a person reached a certain position, they would naturally have corresponding dignity. He didn't need to be ostentatious, but there was no need to demean himself, was there?

When Lao Tian and Lao Li went to see the late Emperor, would the imperial guards around the Emperor stop them?

Dare to point at his nose and say that he had to wait for the Emperor's edict?

Lao Tian directly abolished the Third Prince in the capital, and Lao Li roasted lamb legs in the imperial garden.

They were officials, that was true,

but you also had to look at your own status;

at this level, it was better to be straightforward.

Don't look at how those big shots in the capital shouted "national traitor, national traitor" at him all day long, and often said that he was "domineering," "arrogant," and "transgressing the law."

If he was really cautious, disciplined, respectful, and walked on thin ice,

they would probably be the first to be scared half to death.

The Prince himself didn't straighten his back, his posture was a bit lazy.

As the Prince passed by, each layer of imperial guards retreated and knelt down.

The Emperor stood there, with a smile on his face.

As they got closer, one could see the Emperor's hands unconsciously rubbing against each other, as if he was a little hesitant.

If the occasion wasn't right,

if it were in private,

Zheng Fan would have teased this Ji Lao Liu for acting like a young wife eagerly awaiting her husband's return.

Finally,

the Prince arrived in front of the imperial carriage.

He didn't dismount to pay his respects;

in the late Emperor's time, he was allowed to ride a horse in the palace, and the one who led his horse into the palace was His Highness the Crown Prince.

This temporary residence was the same as the imperial palace in terms of regulations, so he still didn't need to dismount.

The new Emperor issued an edict as soon as he ascended the throne, stating that because Prince Pingxi had fought in the north and south and had injuries to his knees, he was exempt from paying his respects when he met the Emperor.

For others, if the Emperor bestowed a piece of meat, they would have to take it back, marinate it, and enshrine it as a family heirloom. They would be sincerely grateful for any favor the Emperor gave them.

But Prince Pingxi took it seriously,

if you let me ride a horse, I'll ride,

if you exempt me from paying my respects, I'll be exempt;

whatever the Emperor gives me, I'll take it, I'll use it, and I'll accept it.

Oh,

except for one thing,

that was, if the Emperor were to bestow some kind of "death-exemption iron certificate," then the Prince would never believe it.

The Emperor reached out, wanting to pull the Prince onto the carriage.

The Prince glanced at him, but didn't take his hand;

it wasn't to show off. He was a big man, and the black armor he wore was heavy. If he borrowed the Emperor's strength, he didn't know if the Emperor would fall, but he was afraid that he would fall with him.

At the steps of the imperial carriage, the Prince jumped directly from the Pixiu's back and walked up.

The Emperor stepped forward, reached out, and hugged Zheng Fan.

The Prince's arms were still open, not returning the hug.

Fortunately, he was wearing armor, with a thick layer in between, otherwise it would have been a bit too much.

"Alright, alright, that's enough."

The Prince reminded him.

The Emperor said, "When you came over just now, I was thinking about how to greet you for the first time. I realized that nothing was appropriate, so I simply went with this direct approach."

As the Emperor let go, he made a fist and knocked on the position of the Prince's chest mirror.

"Zheng, you've gotten taller."

"You've also gotten fatter. When I first saw you from the front, I thought Xu Wenzu had rebelled and donned the yellow robe."

"Plop!"

The prefect of Yingdu, who was standing behind the curtain, knelt on the ground.

Lao Xu was indeed a very flexible person, but he was still a man of this era.

He was once loyal to the Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion. After the Zhenbei Marquis made it clear that he would not compete for that chair, he honestly became a loyal subject of the Great Yan.

Those reverences that Zheng Fan had always scoffed at, Fatty Xu had really always adhered to.

"Come in and have a drink of water."

Since Prince Pingxi had appeared, the Emperor had stopped referring to himself as "朕."

The inside of the imperial carriage was very luxurious.

However, in the eyes of outsiders, the most luxurious thing was the thirty-six Pixiu beasts pulling the imperial carriage, which fully demonstrated the Emperor's nobility.

But Zheng Fan knew that those thirty-six Pixiu beasts were just silly-looking things, appearance-only products cultivated by the Imperial Beast Bureau. Their charge couldn't compare to ordinary warhorses, and their endurance couldn't compare to packhorses. They were really just for the role of a guard of honor.

After its master entered the carriage, the Pixiu shook the shiny armor on its body, pacing with restraint and elegance in front of the thirty-six Pixiu beasts pulling the imperial carriage.

Lifting the curtain, he saw a mountain of flesh kneeling in the corner as he came in.

Zheng Fan stepped forward and helped Xu Wenzu up.

Even as a fifth-grade peerless master,

he still found it a little difficult to help Fatty Xu up;

mainly because Fatty Xu was a little weak from being frightened by the previous sentence, "donned the yellow robe."

The Empress He Si Si, who was wearing a phoenix skirt and not court dress, was already standing there. Seeing Zheng Fan come in, she gave a slight blessing,

and said:

"I'm really embarrassed, that Brother actually came to pick us up in person."

The Empress came from the common people and had a natural layer of approachable aura.

In the early years, when Ji Lao Liu was still a prince, He Si Si, as a princess consort, was very popular in the Yanjing circle of noble ladies. Everyone thought she was genuine.

But Zheng Fan knew,

no matter how genuine a person was, after being a princess consort and empress for several years, how much of the original simplicity could still be left?

The butcher's family didn't open a dye shop. Even if they did, even the deepest true colors would have been washed away long ago.

It was just that this imperial couple was best at this kind of approachable means of winning people over, especially when it was used on him, they spared no effort.

But precisely, the Prince really ate this up.

The Empress greeted him, and the Prince didn't put on airs. It was impossible for him to perform a bow. In this life, except for Lao Tian returning from the west, Zheng Fan felt that, in all of the Xia, no one would be qualified to receive his knees.

But Zheng Fan still smiled and took half a step back, nodding and saying;

"The Empress looks really good."

This wasn't just polite talk, because the Empress's face was rosy.

The Empress smiled shyly.

The Emperor was much more casual, sitting down and捶着 (chuí zhe - patting/massaging) his waist, and sighed:

"I irrigated it!"

The Prince nodded and responded: "It's been hard on you."

"What do you mean!" The Emperor became anxious, "Zheng!"

"Practice squats more often when you have time."

The Prince gave his suggestion.

The Emperor patted the dragon chair beside him,

and said:

"Be a good boy, come up."

The Prince didn't go up to sit on the dragon chair, but turned to look at the cushion beside him. The inside of the imperial carriage was arranged like a small court, and the officials received along the way all knelt on the cushion to make their reports.

At this moment, Wei Gonggong brought over a chair and placed it behind the Prince.

The Prince didn't wait for the Emperor to say "bestow a seat" and sat down himself.

"I know you're a lazy person, and since you had children, you've been staying in the palace to accompany them. It's been hard on you to come all this way to pick me up."

The Prince smiled,

reached out and took the tea that Wei Gonggong handed over,

took a sniff,

Da Ze Fragrant Tongue.

Wei Gonggong whispered: "Your Highness, His Majesty specially brought this from the capital and kept it for you. His Majesty has always remembered that you like this tea."

The Emperor shouted directly:

"Does he only like this tea? Could he tell the difference if you gave him Longjing or Maojian? He only knows this one."

The Prince lowered his head, took a sip, and since he had used this tea as a herbal tea at the Fan residence and slept for a long time, he had to savor it slowly from now on.

Putting down the teacup,

the Prince said:

"I wasn't planning to pick you up, but I was afraid that you would cross the river like this and be directly冲 (chōng - charged/clashed) by the military leaders under my command, so I had to make a trip myself."

When Xu Wenzu on the side heard this, he only felt a little虚 (xū - empty/hollow) inside. Was this too straightforward?

If it was something else, such as chatting with the Emperor and exchanging pleasantries, he could accept it, but to state the reason so blatantly was really disrespectful to the Emperor, wasn't it?

He had long known that the Emperor and Prince Pingxi had a very good relationship, but he didn't expect it to be so "good."

The historian recording the conversation between the ruler and his subject had already been petrified.

When the Empress heard this, she also looked at her husband with some concern.

Not worried about safety, but worried that her husband would get angry.

But the Emperor wasn't angry,

instead, he leaned towards Zheng Fan's direction,

and asked:

"Has it really reached this point?"

"I have children."

Mainly, he had a legitimate son.

The Emperor nodded and pointed at Zheng Fan again,

said:

"That's where you're wrong. Jinhdong, no matter what, should be considered the territory of my Great Yan, right? So, the Emperor of my Great Yan has to worry about being冲 (chōng - charged/clashed) by his own troops when he goes to his own territory?

How are you running your principality!"

The Prince rolled his eyes at the Emperor,

said:

"Alright, then give me all the overdue military pay for Jinhdong for the past two years, and then I'll lead them to thank the Emperor for his great kindness."

"Hmm…" Ji Lao Liu.

The Emperor搓 (cuō - rubbed) his hands,

said:

"You understand, I originally accumulated some last year, but after that great war, the national treasury started to run out of money again. I, I really don't have a single drop left."

"You've also done business before. If the boss doesn't pay wages, do you expect the guys below to still be wholeheartedly loyal to you?"

Xu Wenzu tried to smooth things over, "No matter what, His Majesty is the true Son of Heaven, the Lord of Great Yan, even if…"

The Prince spat out the tea foam,

said:

"Under my command, there aren't many truly native Yan people."

"………” Xu Wenzu.

"Zheng, I haven't even crossed the river yet, and you're already giving me medicine?"

"Pre-application."

The Prince didn't think he was being offensive in saying these words. Their correspondence was actually even more casual.

"Actually, I've thought it through." The Emperor shook his leg, "How can it be possible to want the horse to run and not want the horse to eat grass? Anyway, you, Zheng, are good at governing a place, so just keep an eye on it for me.

These words, actually, don't scare me.

Back then, even if my father went to Beifeng County, he would have to worry about being冲 (chōng - charged/clashed) by those arrogant and brave soldiers of the Zhenbei Army, haha."

"………” Xu Wenzu.

Fatty Xu felt an arrow hit his knee.

The Emperor said again: "Zheng Fan, after we cross the river, take me around Jinhdong.

I want to see the Snow Sea Pass city tower.

I also want to see the national war site of Zhennan Pass.

Father, two uncles, you, the territory that so many Great Yan soldiers fought and bled to defend, I want to see it.

Let's look at this place first,

and later,

take me to see Yingdu, see Shangjing…"

Speaking of this,

the Emperor suddenly frowned,

said;

"Damn it, both of these famous cities have been destroyed by you, Zheng!"

The Prince stretched.

At this moment, an imperial guard general came in to report that the boats were ready.

"Alright, is there anyone on the other side?" The Emperor asked the Prince.

Zheng Fan nodded, said: "I have my personal guards."

"Then let's cross the river first. The imperial guards can stay here, so we don't have to take so many people over and cause trouble."

When Wei Gonggong heard this, he hesitated and wanted to step forward to dissuade him, but before he could speak, the Emperor preemptively said:

"You, Zheng, are always stingy, so I won't bring thousands of extra mouths over, so you don't have to ask the Ministry of Revenue for IOUs after it's all over."

The Prince nodded and stood up, said: "Let's go then."

The boats were very large. The Wangjiang Water Army had specially dispatched three large ships for His Majesty to use.

It was true that the imperial guards were left behind, but the palace maids, eunuchs, and officials accompanying the imperial carriage had to go with them.

In addition, a group of spies from the Secret Intelligence Division also had to follow, so that the Emperor could maintain contact with Yanjing.

In fact, reports were sent to the imperial carriage every day since they had left.

If the Emperor was really so洒脱 (sǎ tuō - carefree/easy) that he only took the Empress with him and followed the Prince of Pingxi across the river, then the outside world would immediately think that the Prince of Pingxi had kidnapped the Emperor and Empress.

After boarding the ship,

the Emperor and the Prince stood on the deck, looking at the river.

The Emperor ordered the ship to stop in the middle of the river. He wanted to pay tribute to the Yan soldiers who died here in the Wangjiang battle of that year.

Wei Gonggong stood a little further away, standing next to the Sword Saint.

He asked with suspicion:

"My lord, where's your Longyuan?"

The Sword Saint replied: "I gave it to my disciple."

"Congratulations, congratulations."

After the tribute was paid,

watching the smoke rising,

holding a wine glass, the Emperor said with some melancholy:

"I used to travel around a lot, but after becoming Emperor and coming out again, looking at this beautiful landscape, it's really completely different from before.

It's beautiful,

but it's also too heavy."

The Prince didn't speak, standing there and blowing the river breeze.

He himself was a person who liked to express his feelings in scenic places, so he naturally didn't bother to help the person next to him捧哏 (pěng gén - to feed lines to a comedian), even if that person was the Emperor.

Fortunately, the Emperor had long been used to this;

after a short silence,

the Emperor waved his hand, signaling the ship to continue.

"Many people are actually watching, watching to see if I dare to cross this river."

"I knew you would come." The Prince said.

The Emperor supported himself on the ship's railing, looking at the layers of ripples caused by the ship's movement, said:

"Compared to my father, how much do you think I'm lacking?"

"Not much different."

"Don't be perfunctory."

"Really not much different, I didn't have much interaction with the late Emperor, I didn't enter the capital many times in total."

The Emperor laughed,

said;

"The whole world thinks that when my father was in power, he uprooted all the thorns, whether outside or inside, he uprooted them all, giving me a Great Yan that was a bit broken, but pretty safe.

I don't deny this.

But in one thing, it's more difficult for me than it was for my father, and I'm doing it better than he did.

Trusting the two Princes of the North and South, letting them do what they want, supporting them,

is it difficult?

Is it really difficult?

Li Liangting, Tian Wujing, what emperor wouldn't like such subjects?"

Zheng Fan looked at the Emperor and asked: "Are you saying that I'm not likeable enough?"

The Emperor reached out and grabbed Zheng Fan's arm,

said:

"Zheng, ask yourself, if we switch places,

you are the Emperor, I am the Prince of Pingxi,

you,

what would you do to me?"

"Me? I'd probably slap you to death a long time ago."

"Hahahaha!"