Star Trace Gate

Chapter 483: Meeting the Emperor Again and Negotiating a Price

Outside the palace, the third prince, wearing a bright red robe and with an uninhibited smile on his face, walked into the room.

Behind him, Lord Rat shouted in a hoarse voice, "Prince Shuo has arrived."

Many of the brothers in the Qianli Green Camp did not recognize the Third Prince, but they knew Lord Rat, so when they heard him call them, they immediately stood up and knelt to salute.

"Haha, no gift, no gift."

The Third Prince laughed loudly, his eyes swept over the twenty or so outlaws in the hall, and he waved his hand and said very straightforwardly: "You risked your lives to save my second brother. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart, and I will reward you. Lord Rat, everyone present here will be rewarded with 2,000 Star Sources each...!"

"?"

Mr. Rat was confused, thinking, if I give you this money, should I care about you later, or should I ignore you?

So this steward was desperately trying to get some money just to do you two a favor? Alas, when I was castrated and entered the palace, I was still too young and too careless...

"Long live the prince, long live the prince."

The perfunctory expressions on the faces of the group of green forest heroes suddenly disappeared, and some of them just shouted "Long live the king" with great piety.

"Everyone, get up. Go have your meal over there. I and my brother Prince Huai will have a few drinks together." The third prince, dressed in a very bright red robe, walked over to Ren Ye and sat down in a very familiar manner.

Ren Ye lowered his head to eat the delicious food and ignored him.

Lord Rat led his group away, and the Third Prince looked askance at his brother: "My dear brother, I have come all the way to see you, why are you so indifferent?"

"I'm annoyed when I see you, a little bye."

Ren was almost killed by this guy, and he knew his temper, so naturally he had nothing nice to say. He just said coldly: "If you have something to say, just say it. If you have something to say, just fart. We are not good people, so let's be simple and straightforward."

"hey-hey."

The Third Prince smiled and said, "My dear brother, you are indeed smart. You and my second brother set up a brilliant plan in Sunset Town to "use your body as bait to attack the enemy", and completely wiped out the backbones of Guan Feng and Han Chan's party. This move is truly a stroke of genius and is admirable."

"Oh, no need to flatter me." Ren also waved his hand: "Just tell me what you want."

The Third Prince paused for a moment, and said with a flattering look, "Father has summoned you to the palace to discuss military matters."

"No more?" Ren Ye raised an eyebrow.

"No more." The Third Prince said softly, "He will see you when we get to the capital."

Ren also thought about it for a while: "When do we leave?"

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. We will set off in an hour." The third prince replied: "From now on, we must change from being passive to being active."

Ren also drank the last mouthful of soup and said simply: "Okay, I understand. I will discuss this with the accompanying military advisor."

After saying this, he stood up and was about to leave.

"No, brother Prince Huai, please wait a moment. We haven't finished our private conversation yet." The third prince immediately pulled him aside, and a sly smile appeared on his face again: "Hehe, this prince has another favor to ask of you."

"What?" Ren also looked at him.

“After entering the capital, if the emperor asks you who you are more familiar with among the eldest brother, the second brother and me, or who you would like to lead the army to fight alongside you, then you must not mention me.” The third prince whispered: “You can even say something mean to me, but in short... just don’t tie me to the carriage.”

"You don't want to go to the battlefield?" Ren Ye asked.

"Of course." The Third Prince spread his hands and whispered, "I am a loyal minister, not good at wielding swords and guns. I can only hold you back on the battlefield."

"Tens of thousands of people in Sunset Town were massacred, and you, as a prince, remained indifferent? What's the difference between you and a person without any balls?" Ren also said sarcastically.

When the Third Prince heard this, he immediately retorted in a reasonable manner: "Father, Big Brother, Second Brother, and all the other brothers under you, their testicles are all very hard. Does it matter if I have them or not?"

When Ren Ye heard this, he was speechless for a moment.

"Brother Prince Huai, if I don't wear armor, I will most likely be responsible for mobilizing money, food, and supplies." The third prince showed a shameless smile and whispered, "Your Qingliang Prefecture is so poor that you don't even have a hair. If a war breaks out, you will definitely get support from Southern Xinjiang. When the time comes, I will wave my hand and approve anything more... You will benefit a lot."

"You want to bribe me?" Ren Ye raised his eyebrows.

"Can you afford the bribe?" The third prince looked at him sideways.

The two looked at each other, and Ren Ye gritted his teeth and said, "You are damn good at judging people."

"Haha, good brothers, we must work together."

They laughed loudly and walked away like brothers.

……

A quarter of an hour later.

In a side room, Ren Ye asked Feng Lin: "The emperor invited me to the palace. What do you think about this?"

Fenglin sat on the chair, frowned slightly and said, "Your Highness must go, and your attitude must be completely different from last time."

"How is it different?"

"Last time, I told you not to agree to anything and just shirk your responsibilities. But this time, no matter what excessive demands the Emperor makes, you must agree to them. Even if he wants Qingliang Prefecture to become a vassal state of Southern Xinjiang, you must agree to it." Feng Lin said bluntly, "As long as it can help facilitate military affairs, it's fine."

"And then?" Ren Ye asked.

"Just remember one thing." Fenglin raised a finger: "No matter where you lead your troops or where you attack, you cannot share the conquered territory with anyone. Your path is to the north, this is the bottom line."

Ren also fell into thought: "What if he doesn't agree?"

"Haha, as long as you insist, he will definitely agree." Fenglin stood up and said, "Emperor Wanwu is a man of great talent and strategy, and his plans are far-reaching. He will not care about temporary gains and losses. Besides, you still have the Earth Dragon Six Armors with you. In time, it will not be him who will have a headache, but Emperor Jing."

"Okay." Ren nodded.

Not long after, he took his beloved concubine and Fenglin, packed up simply, and got on the Third Prince's carriage.

What he expected was that the Dragon Head was also summoned to Beijing and they went together this time.

However, she went alone, without bringing any expert with her.

The woman had just politely disobeyed the emperor's order, but as soon as the emperor called her, she went. This action was not only stubborn, but also very courageous.

After saying goodbye to the person who stayed behind, everyone took a carriage to Kyoto.

Before leaving, Ren also communicated with Lao Liu, who had gone to Meishan and was at the headquarters of the Qianli Green Camp, accompanying the injured Angkor. He would come to Lingnan in two days to meet up with Li Yan and others.

……

They galloped all the way at lightning speed, and even the horses did not stop.

Two days later, Ren arrived in Kyoto.

After noon, Lord Rat sent an order, ordering him to appear before the emperor at Yingyue Lake.

Let’s not talk about the tedious things that happened when he entered the palace for now. Let’s just say that after he arrived at Yingyue Lake, he met the skinny Emperor Wanwu in an elegant bamboo house.

He was wearing a dragon robe and sitting on a bamboo chair, with a calm expression on his face and a restrained aura.

"Little Prince Huai pays respect to His Majesty. Long live the emperor."

He wanted to salute.

"Forget it."

Emperor Wanwu waved his hand calmly, and said in a relaxed manner: "Sit on my left."

"Yes!"

Ren also came over happily, bent down and sat on the left side of Emperor Wanwu.

He did not mention the previous land purchase case, nor did he ask why Ren Ye suddenly "escaped from prison" on the journey to the Styx Realm. He only said gently: "How is the investigation of the case going?"

"Your Majesty, we have some clues." Ren also replied truthfully: "I have captured Monk Peng alive, but he is very stubborn and his consciousness is in a special state. He has not confessed yet. However, it is only a matter of time."

"Ah."

Emperor Wanwu nodded slightly and changed the subject again: "I intend to lead an army to the north to seek justice for the tens of thousands of wronged souls in my southern border. Does your Qingliang Prefecture want to go with me?"

Ren also blinked his eyes: "What Guan Feng and Han Chan did was too cruel and despicable, and it is unforgivable. Although my king's Qingliang Mansion is weak, I am willing to go with you to take revenge! However... Qingliang Mansion is a first-level secret realm, and the troops are only major generals, so I am afraid it can't be of much help."

Emperor Wanwu picked up the teacup, frowned slightly and asked: "Where are you from?"

“……!” Ren was also stunned for a moment.

"When you seized power in Qingliang Mansion, a large number of unknown magical powers suddenly descended to help you succeed." Emperor Wanwu took a sip of tea and said bluntly: "Outsiders think that your Qingliang Mansion is weak and not worth mentioning. But you and I both know that you have a backer, which is also the capital for you to come here and discuss with me."

It's over, he made it clear, and I was seen through at a glance.

"I won't force you to do the soldiers' thing. But can you do fifty fourth-grade masters of supernatural powers?" Emperor Wanwu looked at him sharply.

Ren also swallowed, considered it carefully, shook his head and replied: "I can't do it."

"What about thirty?" Emperor Wanwu asked again.

Ren also scratched his head, his eyes still full of hesitation.

Emperor Wanwu paused for a moment, then asked abruptly, "What do you want?"

Of course, it's the territory, which is what I lack the most. However, he thought so in his heart, but did not respond.

"I am raising an army in southern Xinjiang. You are neither good at civil affairs nor military affairs. How can we talk about benefits?" Emperor Wanwu added in a flat tone.

Ren Ye clenched his fists, and suddenly remembered Feng Lin's instructions on his attitude, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Thirty is fine."

"The more people with third-grade supernatural powers there are, the better." Emperor Wanwu added.

"Xiao Wang will do his best." Ren Ye replied.

When he said this, he was thinking, where should I go to get the thirty fourth-rank officials? Now I want my beloved concubine to give birth, and I don't know if it will be too late.

Emperor Wanwu slowly put down his teacup, stared at the scenery outside the bamboo house, and spoke in a stream of consciousness: "You have been to the capital twice, singing and dancing, and you should have met some of the princes. If we really raise an army this time, who do you think can take on this important task?"

When Ren Ye heard this, he immediately became energetic.

Emperor Wanwu's words actually had a very deep hidden meaning, because the rebels in the court had not yet been found out, and at this time he asked who could lead the troops, which was almost like asking Ren Ye, do you have anyone you suspect?

Ren Ye stood up upon hearing this, and suddenly clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I think the Third Prince is a loyal and courageous man, and a rare and famous general! If he were to lead the troops, success would be achieved immediately, and it would also demonstrate the power of the Southern Xinjiang royal family."

"......!" Emperor Wanwu remained silent, thinking of that impotent son in his heart. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure out where his loyalty and courage came from.

Outside the palace, the third prince was drinking wine when he suddenly sneezed.