Chapter 1 A Unique Greeting

A very unique way to say hello,
Simple,
Direct,
Yet it strikes straight into the heart.

Inside and outside the palace gates, from the high-ranking officials and princes to the eunuchs, guards, and servants, anyone who could be associated with this imperial palace was no fool.

The beggars on the streets knew which people were kind-hearted and would give them alms, so they targeted them specifically. Those who "begged" by the palace walls understood even more the deep meaning hidden within a single sentence or expression.

In their eyes,
These two greetings,
Were the Sixth Prince deliberately showing off his relationship with the Earl of Pingye in front of the civil and military officials.

The political situation in Great Yan, due to the Sixth Prince's strong rise, had caused the battle for the throne to suddenly divide. The Crown Prince's faction continued to decline, while the Sixth Prince's party continued to gain momentum.

Everyone knew that the Earl of Pingye had risen to prominence in his early years through the Sixth Prince's connections.

Because he had saved the Sixth Prince and, through the Sixth Prince's machinations, the Earl of Pingye was transferred from a commerce escort commandant in Hutou City to become the garrison commander of Cuiliu Fort in Nanwang City, catching up with the Three Kingdoms War.

After that, the Sixth Prince's funding and support for the Earl of Pingye never ceased. Back in Cuiliu Fort, when the Earl of Pingye's men went to battle, everyone was armored and had two horses each. To put it bluntly, it was a local military head's establishment, but it had been built up to a level not inferior to the Zhenbei or Jingnan armies.

No one doubted that the Earl of Pingye was good at fighting.

But everyone also knew that no matter how good a businessman was, if he didn't have capital to start with, he would still have to work as a coolie at the river docks to support his family.

The Earl of Pingye entered the capital,
The Fifth Prince led his horse,
The Crown Prince guided his carriage,
The Sixth Prince stood inside the palace gate,
And opened his mouth with one sentence:
"Beast."

This was undoubtedly a political signal.

Of course,
The Earl of Pingye could have directly knelt down to the Sixth Prince,
And shouted:
"This dog under Your Highness's command, Little Fanzi, greets Your Highness."

However, that would have been a low move. For the dignified Earl of Pingye, valued by the Jingnan Marquis and implicitly the number one general of Great Yan's new generation, to do such a thing would be too demeaning.

Great Yan was not Great Qian after all,
And even in Great Qian, the civil and military officials would not humiliate themselves in this way when facing the imperial family and princes.

But the Earl of Pingye directly replied with "Bastard,"
Was this to show that the two of them really had a good relationship, inseparable as Meng and Jiao?

Or was it,
To show that although he, the Earl of Pingye, had risen to prominence with the Sixth Prince's support, he now had the qualifications to sit on an equal footing with the Sixth Prince?

Beast,
Bastard;
These two words,
In the next two days,
Would become the most talked-about words in the taverns and teahouses of Yanjing,
Even the high-ranking officials and nobles would have to ruminate over these two words when they lay in bed at night.

And the more they tasted it, the more interesting it became.

Of course,
From the perspective of the people involved, there weren't that many twists and turns.

The reading comprehension questions that outsiders were desperately trying to solve,
Were actually just the purest way for these two to greet each other.

Ji Chengjue stood inside the palace gate, watching Zheng Boye in his golden armor, so radiant, and felt envious.

Watching him so smug in his heart, yet still maintaining absolute composure on his face,
He couldn't help but,
Curse him directly.

When Zheng Boye saw Ji Chengjue, he already had a dirty word that he couldn't hold back. Since the other party had made the first move, he naturally let it out顺势.

Ah,
So comfortable.

Ji Chengjue raised the imperial decree,
"Zheng Fan, the General of the Xuehai Pass, Great Yan, General Cheng, Great Yan驸马 (imperial son-in-law), and Earl of Pingye, receive the decree."

Zheng Boye took two steps forward,
And knelt down.

Ji Chengjue looked at Zheng Boye kneeling in front of him, smiled, and said:
"The Earl of Pingye is granted permission not to kneel to receive the decree."

"........." Zheng Fan.

The Earl of Pingye stood up, looked at the guy in front of him, and suddenly wanted to beat him up to let him taste the power of a sixth-grade peerless expert.

"By the Heavenly Mandate of the Emperor, it is decreed that the Earl of Pingye is allowed to ride a horse in the palace, let it be so."

Riding a horse in the palace was a kind of honor and a kind of treatment. Unless His Majesty issued another special decree, Zheng Boye could also ride a horse when he entered the palace next time.

Of course, most people would only ride once. In the future, they would still walk into the palace. No one dared to take their favor for granted.

"This subject thanks the Emperor for his grace."
Zheng Boye looked at Ji Chengjue.

Ji Chengjue looked Zheng Boye up and down and said:
"You've lost weight."

In fact,
The two had only met twice.

Once, at the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion;
Once, at the roast duck restaurant when Zheng Fan followed the Jingnan Marquis into the capital.

But the two had exchanged a lot of letters, and their lives were often affected by each other. It really didn't feel like they had only met twice.

Ji Chengjue still remembered the scene outside the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion when the man in front of him kept persuading him to rebel.

Now,
He already possessed twenty thousand iron cavalry. Although the distance from Yanjing was too far, no one dared to ignore him.

Zheng Boye also looked at Ji Chengjue,
And said:
"You've gained weight."

When they first met, Sixth Master Ji was a carefree prince whose body had been hollowed out. The second time they met, he was making roast duck himself. His body was very weak. Now, he was a father and resembled a "Minister of Revenue." He was obviously a little fatter, and his face had more flesh on it.

"Who told my father-in-law to be a butcher? It's hard not to gain weight."

"That's true."

"Let's go, let's go into the palace."

Zheng Boye was about to lead his horse, but Ji Chengjue stopped him and said, "You and the princess ride your Pixiu. These few are for the Zongzheng, the Crown Prince, and me."

The Pixiu was a symbol of the Great Yan royal family.

It was etiquette for Zheng Boye to enter the palace wearing golden armor and carrying a barbarian blade. Therefore, riding a Pixiu granted by the Emperor into the palace was also part of the etiquette.

Although the Pixiu was a fierce beast, riding it into the palace was not a taboo.

"Okay."

Zheng Boye walked to the back and came to the princess.

"Kneel down."

The princess subconsciously wanted to kneel down,
However,
The Pixiu next to her knelt down even faster.

"........." The Princess.

No, he was telling me to kneel.

Zheng Fan reached out and helped the princess onto the Pixiu, and then sat on it himself. The Pixiu stood up, and Zheng Boye, hugging the princess, slowly drove into the palace gate.

The others, those who could ride, rode, and those who had to walk, walked.

Ji Chengjue rode his horse and leaned over to ask:
"How does it feel to ride a horse in the palace?"

Zheng Boye said lightly:
"Last time, I galloped through the palace with Qingshuang."

"........." Sixth Master Ji.

That day,
Qingshuang received the order from the Zhenbei Marquis, and he received the order from the Jingnan Marquis. The two of them galloped into the back garden of the palace together to mobilize two iron cavalry.

"Don't you think it's strange? We haven't seen each other for more than two years, but there's no sense of estrangement at all," Ji Chengjue said.

"Don't be so disgusting when we just met."

"Disgusting?"

"I've been in Jin for too long."

"Oh, I get it." Sixth Master Ji smiled, "Come to my place for a drink tonight. I have my own mansion now. I don't live in what you used to call... oh, a dormitory."

"I'm very busy. I'll see if I have time. You know, there are many princes and ministers who want to invite me to dinner."

"Beast."

"Bastard."

The two rode side by side, entering the inner gate from the outer gate.

The Imperial Guards of the inner gate had already opened the gate,
Waiting for the team to enter,
Ji Chengjue took the initiative to slow down his horse, letting Zheng Boye go ahead alone.

Ahead,
Was the majestic hall, the place for the daily morning court.

At this time, on the white marble brick ground, stood rows of knife-wielding guards.

Zheng Boye whispered: "Is it too late to turn around and run now? This formation is too big, and there's even more?"

Ji Chengjue shook his head and said, "After all, the Emperor is the Emperor. If he wants to bestow favor on someone, who can not be devoted to him?"

The one sitting on the dragon throne,
Symbolized the Great Yan orthodoxy, and was the rightful supreme ruler of Great Yan.

The guards were divided into two rows,
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
They collectively drew their knives, holding them diagonally upwards, creating a corridor of blades.

This was the highest etiquette for generals,
Happening in the inner palace,
Happening in front of the main hall.

In his arms, the princess whispered:
"Imperial Brother said that the more the Emperor favors someone, the more he wants to extract from them. The Emperor is the best businessman in this world."

Businessmen traded in gold and silver.
The Emperor,
Traded in lives!

Zheng Boye lowered his head and gently kissed the princess on the forehead, saying:
"Don't worry, no one can take my life."

Immediately,
Zheng Boye drew his barbarian blade and raised it high.

The Pixiu under him stepped forward,
Wherever it went,
The guards on both sides sheathed their knives, like a ripple on a calm lake, and the starting point of the ripple was Zheng Fan.

"The Earl of Pingye is mighty!"
"The Earl of Pingye is mighty!"
The guards shouted in unison, the sound waves resounding throughout the inner palace.

At this moment,
In Zheng Boye's heart,
He suddenly felt a little confused.

The Yan Emperor had bestowed such a grand favor on him. Were people not sentient beings?

But just as Zheng Boye had said to the princess earlier, his life was his own.

He closed his eyes,
And then opened them again,
After a single opening and closing,
The fanaticism in Zheng Boye's eyes gradually faded.

He didn't want to be a loyal minister of Great Yan, not because he didn't like the black dragon banner, but simply because he didn't like to go through the same kind of drama as Yue Wu Mu.

The experience of the Jingnan Marquis was even more tragic than Yue Wu Mu's.

I just want to be myself,
I just want to be happy,
None of you,
Can even think about kidnapping me!

"The Earl of Pingye is mighty!"
"The Earl of Pingye is mighty!"
Amid the cheers,
Zheng Boye let out a low roar, and the Pixiu, which had followed him to the battlefield, immediately let go of its hooves and began to run.

From a distance,
It was like a golden scale galloping in a black wave!

After passing through this forest of armored soldiers,
Zheng Boye held his knife horizontally,
With a beautiful woman in his arms,
And shouted:
"Long live His Majesty, long live Great Yan!"

"Boom!"
The guards shouted in unison:
"Long live His Majesty, long live Great Yan!"
"Long live His Majesty, long live Great Yan!"

In the distance,
Ji Chengjue sat on his horse, watching the scene in front of him.

Slowly,
The Crown Prince rode his horse to his side.

"A long time ago, I thought Zheng Fan was a chicken rib, and even now, I still think so."

If Zheng Fan was not the General of the Xuehai Pass, but the general of the Imperial Guards, or even the General of Nanwang City, then the twenty thousand iron cavalry under his command would be able to exert an extremely terrifying effect.

If something happened in the capital, or if an incident was forcibly created, they would be able to respond and support.

But,
Xuehai Pass,
Was too far away.

Ji Chengjue smiled and said, "Is studying useful, Second Brother?"

Without waiting for the Crown Prince to answer,
Ji Chengjue continued: "Can you gain a few more pounds by studying? Some accounts should not be calculated in this way. Many people think that my younger brother and Zheng Fan are the kind of ancient princes and generals leading troops abroad, but in reality, he and I are friends."

The Crown Prince sighed and said:
"It's hard to imagine you would say something like that."

"Do you think it's pretentious?"

"A little bit."

"That's the feeling I want. It's too boring to live a life so seriously all the time."

The Crown Prince pointed his chin forward and said:
"Your chicken rib is about to be subdued by Father."

This time, the Yan Emperor's courtesy could be described as high as a mountain.

And the earliest title of Earl of Pingye was also bestowed by the Yan Emperor, breaking the rules.

"He is a subject of Great Yan, and it is only natural for him to be loyal to Father."

"You're not someone who likes what's natural, and neither is Zheng Fan."

"Second Brother, you are the foundation of the country. Such an evaluation of a subject will chill the hearts of meritorious officials."

"He crippled Third Brother in front of me back then."

In front of the Crown Prince,
With the scabbard,
Against Third Brother's crotch,
"Pa!"

At that time,
The Crown Prince was just a prince,
And Third Brother was also a prince.

Zheng Fan crippled another prince in front of one prince. It was impossible not to feel some sympathy for his own kind.

At that time, the Jingnan Marquis went to the Crown Prince first, and then to the Third Prince's mansion. At that time, the Crown Prince and the other princes were living in the princes' mansions, so after the Jingnan Marquis went, the Crown Prince and Li Yinglian also went to see him together.

The Crown Prince also breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head.

"You weren't there at the time, but I was there. I clearly saw the look of excitement in his eyes when he crippled Third Brother."

"If I didn't have to pay for it, I would be very excited to break an expensive vase."

"In his eyes, we members of the imperial family are not worth mentioning."

"In the eyes of the Jingnan Marquis, the imperial relatives and nobles are even less worth mentioning."

"Heh, Sixth Brother, do you think I'm trying to sow discord between you?"

"No, Second Brother, I'm sure I know better than you what kind of person he is. Besides, did you see that? The one Zheng Fan crippled with his own hands was also Father's son."

The Crown Prince's expression suddenly turned cold and stern.

"No one in this world is made of silver, and you can never be loved by everyone. Just like us Ji family members, there are many who don't accept us even within Great Yan, let alone the vast countries outside of Great Yan.

The Jin Emperor is also orthodox, but aren't he and the Empress Dowager living in our Yanjing now?"

"Are you saying that even this last thing I have is of no value?"

Ji Chengjue turned his face and looked at his Second Brother seriously, and found that there was no anger on the Crown Prince's face, only peace.

"Second Brother, find a chance to invite Zheng Fan to the East Palace for a meal tomorrow and chat with him. You'll feel a lot better."

"Are you willing?"

"I never regarded him as my dog in the first place."

"That's right, even I, as the Crown Prince, can't hold him back now."

"Too much depression is bad for your health."

"I thought you wanted me to give way sooner."

"Don't, you have to keep supporting me. Without Second Brother in front, I'm finished."

The Crown Prince took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled,
And said:
"Will he come?"

"I'll tell him."

"Will you come together?"

"I won't go, lest outsiders think I'm taking the Earl of Pingye to the East Palace to show off my power and rebel against my superiors."

The Crown Prince smiled,
And suddenly said:
"Sixth Brother, do you hate it?"

The Sixth Prince then spurred his horse,
And said:
"Zheng Fan is going up the imperial steps. Let's go to the Chunfang Hall and wait for the banquet."

......

At this time,
Zheng Boye, holding Xiong Liqing's hand, climbed up the steps.

The Great Yan Imperial Palace was actually far less resplendent than the Great Qian Imperial Palace, but perhaps because the Great Yan's national power was at its peak, the palace also flowed with a magnificent atmosphere.

Zheng Boye had been to the Qian Kingdom Imperial Palace and the Jin Kingdom Imperial Palace, but he had not been to the Chu Kingdom Yingdu, so he whispered:
"How does it compare to the Great Chu Imperial Palace?"

Xiong Liqing spat out two words: "Shabby."

"Hahahaha."

Zheng Boye laughed very loudly.

Xiong Liqing was a little puzzled. She was speaking in a low voice, so why did he suddenly laugh so exaggeratedly?

But Xiong Liqing believed that her husband definitely had his own purposes and arrangements.

Finally,
The two walked up the last step,
Ahead,
Under a golden Wu Long Banner,
The Yan Emperor sat upright;
Beside him stood Wei Zhonghe.

Eunuch Wei had already taken the Sword Saint to a place to drink tea, where there were two barely qualified people to keep the Sword Saint entertained;

Afterwards, Eunuch Wei immediately rushed back to His Majesty's side. He was the Emperor's close attendant, and even if he went out to do errands, he had to return immediately.

"This subject greets His Majesty, long live, long live, long long live!"
"Liqing greets His Majesty, long live, long live, long long live!"

"Liqing, stand up and let me take a look."

The Yan Emperor did not call Zheng Fan first, but first asked Xiong Liqing to stand up.

Xiong Liqing stood up.

"As expected of a Xiong family girl, dignified and generous, Zheng Fan."
"This subject is here."

"Treat her well."

"This subject obeys the decree."

"Liqing, if this kid dares to treat you badly in the future, tell me, and I'll take care of him."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

This was not all false pretense, nor was it purely a formality.

Because the only family that the Ji family felt was a neighbor and qualified to live next door was the Xiong family of Great Chu.

The Jin Kingdom had been destroyed, and the imperial family had entered Yanjing;

The Qian Kingdom had only been established for a hundred and fifty years. Although the Zhao family officials of the Qian Kingdom had always ordered civil servants to write history, forcibly trying to connect their ancestors with the Great Xia Emperor, to be on par with the Yan Marquis, Jin Marquis, and Chu Marquis, the other three families simply looked down on him.

"Rise, be at ease."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Zheng Boye stood up.

"Why were you laughing when you went up the imperial steps earlier?"

The Yan Emperor asked.

Zheng Fan's laughter earlier was too loud, and it carried a kind of unrestrained boldness.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject just asked the Princess, how does our Great Yan Imperial Palace compare to the Chu Kingdom Imperial Palace?"

The Yan Emperor became interested,
And said:
"Oh? How did Liqing answer?"

Standing on the side, Xiong Liqing now understood that her husband's loud laughter earlier was for this purpose,

But how should her husband answer?
He couldn't possibly say what she originally said.

But what happened next shocked Xiong Liqing.
She saw the Earl of Pingye directly smile and answer:
"The Princess said that our Great Yan Imperial Palace, compared to their Great Chu Imperial Palace, is just two words."

"Tell me."

"Shabby."

The Yan Emperor was silent.

Xiong Liqing's heart suddenly tightened.

Eunuch Wei looked at the Earl of Pingye in some astonishment.

Zheng Fan still had a smile on his face, as if he was saying something auspicious.

After a short while,
The Yan Emperor slapped the dragon chair armrest,
And laughed loudly:
"Hahahaha, what a shabby, good, hahaha, good!"

Zheng Boye also laughed loudly along with him.

Eunuch Wei didn't understand why he was laughing, but he also laughed along.

At this time,
Xiong Liqing suddenly realized,
Saying that the Great Yan Imperial Palace was shabby would not make this Yan Emperor angry.

Because since this Yan Emperor ascended the throne, he had forbidden all extravagance and luxury, and even directly gave some of the original Yan Kingdom Imperial Palace's palaces to the outer court offices to be used as office space. The princes lived in the princes' mansions until they were almost adults.

As an emperor, he was almost harsh on himself, and he worked hard to govern.

Now,
Great Chu had first been defeated by the Great Yan army on the banks of the Wangjiang River, and the Great Chu Princess had even been snatched back by his own general to be his wife.

Great Yan,
Whose national power was at its peak,
Forcing Qian and Chu to unite to dare to compete with Great Yan.

The shabbiness of the palace,
Was not a mockery and contempt for this emperor,
But a compliment and recognition!

Look,
This is what I have paid,
Look,
This is what I have worked for,
My Great Yan, wherever its soldiers point, all countries must tremble.

This was simply flattering to the point of turning decay into magic, hitting the Yan Emperor's itchy spot directly.

Xiong Liqing couldn't help but raise her head,
Looking at her husband, who was laughing with the Yan Emperor,
A feeling of looking up at a high mountain suddenly rose in her heart,
No wonder the Jingnan Marquis regarded him as a son,
No wonder her imperial brother was talking and laughing happily with him in the carriage,

If he didn't come forward,
Who would come forward?