Zuo Zhu gritted his teeth and said, "This matter is absolutely true, and it has already spread throughout Shangyang County."

"Are Zhou Chuan and his sister that powerful? Although Yu Beipiao is old, his Yushan broadsword can be used for both defense and offense. Even if he can't kill Zhao Cheng, he should be able to escape unscathed."

Yang Qingzhi tried hard to control his emotions and asked, "What exactly happened?"

"It wasn't Zhou Chuan and his sister who killed them, but a man named Xu Qingshan."

"Xu Qingshan..."

Yang Qingzhi closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "I know this person, Xu Qingshan, the Impermanent Sword!"

Why is he with Zhao Cheng?

Zuo Zhu shook his head and said, "I don't know about that. Little Commander, our intelligence system in the central government of Jingguo has been severely damaged... The speed and accuracy of our messages are not as good as before."

"Damn it!" Yang Qingzhi slammed his fist on the table, turning around abruptly, his emotions unusually out of control.

"Zhao Cheng! It's Zhao Cheng again!! Who called him the 'Southern Spy Killer'? Did he cast a curse on our spies?!"

"Young Commander, please calm down..."

"Immediately send someone to investigate what happened to Xu Qingshan. Yu Beipiao and Chen Chong cannot have died in vain!"

"yes!"

Zuo Zhu stood up, thought for a moment, and asked, "What about Zhao Cheng's side..."

Yang Qingzhi raised his hand to stop Zuo Zhu from speaking, saying, "Don't touch Zhao Cheng yet, let's wait a bit..."

Looking at Yang Qingzhi's retreating figure, Zuo Zhu could sense that this usually spirited young governor was now somewhat forlorn.

"Two top-notch masters, the Seven Generals of Yangmen, and spies from Yanchuan, Jingdong, and Changsui... He's a bit strange."

Yang Qingzhi said, "Let him grow wildly if he wants to. He needs to grow, and so do I. Let's give each other time to grow..."

"Let's see who comes out on top when we've all grown up!" Yang Qingzhi continued to mutter to himself.

Zuo Zhu wondered if the young governor had been scared by Zhao Cheng.

"Zuozhu!"

"exist!"

“I know you want to avenge Bao Xin, but some things can’t be rushed.”

Zuo Zhu nodded. He had been Bao Xin's deputy general. After Bao Xin died at Lingshan, Yang Qingzhi kept him by his side.

Yang Qingzhi knew that Zuo Zhu was loyal to Bao Xin and harbored a strong hatred for Zhao Cheng.

Yang Qingzhi patted Zuo Zhu's arm, then suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, saying, "I even taught you not to be so stubborn, but actually I'm the one who's stubborn."

Zuo Zhu asked, "What do you mean by that, Junior Commander?"

"Since we've decided to temporarily refrain from provoking Zhao Cheng, why don't we make peace with him?"

Yang Qingzhi put his hands behind his back, took a few steps forward, and said, "If he can serve Southern Zhou, wouldn't Southern Zhou gain a valuable talent? Of course, the possibility is very low, but we can give him a safety net and establish an alliance first. In the worst case, we can maintain a proper friendship to lull him into a false sense of security."

"Therefore, befriending him is entirely beneficial and without any harm."

Why not?

Zuo Zhu said in a deep voice, "Then what about our losses..."

"We'll settle accounts later," Yang Qingzhi said coldly. "And we'll have to collect interest then too."

Zuo Zhu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subordinate will obey the young commander."

"I'll think about this some more. I'll send him a big gift first," Yang Qingzhi thought seriously, muttering, "He's a womanizer, so..."

...

Several days later, Zhao Cheng arrived safely in Yanchuan City.

Xu An and Li Guanyu, along with other young men from Yanchuan, came to greet him, displaying the grand slogan, "The Southern Spy Star defeats the enemy and brings victory; the victorious general returns home in glory."

Zhao Cheng wanted nothing more than to beat Xu An and Li Guanyu to death. He didn't even need to think to know that the idea came from the show-off Xu An, and the slogan was definitely from the self-proclaimed talented Li Guanyu. But this was Yanchuan, not Qingdong, and Zhao Cheng had nowhere to hide.

Li Lu met with his cousin Li Dai, and Zhao Cheng took them and Park Moo-di to meet Zhao Huan.

Zhao Huan rarely receives guests when he is at home, but he was very happy to see Park Moo-di, and was also very polite to the Li brothers.

After talking with Park Moo-di for a while that night, Zhao Huan arranged for someone to take Park Moo-di to rest, leaving Zhao Cheng in the hall.

Zhao Cheng knew that Zhao Huan would definitely want to talk to him about the Eldest Princess.

After all, this matter was too big for Zhao Huan.

Since arriving in Yanchuan, Zhao Huan has kept a low profile, and he has the same expectations for his children and servants. Therefore, he does not require Zhao Cheng to marry someone of equal social standing. He can accept Zhou Nuo, and he can also accept Yang Cai'e. He even discussed with his wife that Zhao Cheng should marry a maid from his own household.

But now, Zhao Cheng went to the capital and brought the Eldest Princess back!

This is more than just being discreet...

Zhao Cheng observed Zhao Huan's expression and saw that Zhao Huan was just half-lying on the chair, with his eyes half-closed, as if he were asleep.

"Father, tell me!"

"You go first."

"What did I say? What did I say?" Zhao Cheng stood up and said, "If you have nothing else, I'll go back to sleep."

"Then go to sleep. When you wake up, go find your mother yourself."

Zhao Cheng turned around and knelt down with a 'thud,' saying, 'Father, this really isn't my fault. I don't know what the Princess sees in me! As for Mother... go and talk to her. It's really not that I don't want to marry Chunqin...'

Zhao Huan remained languid and said, "I know every word you said at the state banquet. You sounded quite happy. What did you say again?"

As he spoke, Zhao Huan raised his hand and then clenched his fist.

"What kind of person is a man if he can't even protect his own woman?"

"How can a country be called a great nation if it cannot even protect its own eldest princess?"

"I, Zhao Cheng, will marry no one but the Eldest Princess! If Southern Zhou wants to fight and separate us, this ill-fated couple, then let them fight!! When that day comes, even if I am powerless to kill a chicken, I will don my armor and go into battle, vowing to defend my wife to the death!"

Zhao Huan laughed and said, "Son, you have quite the spirit! You and Yuan Yun are truly in love!"

"father……"

"Keep this integrity and say these words to your mother as well."

“Father, I was saying that to Zhou Jinghuan. The situation was special at the time, and I was doing it for the sake of our Great Jing Kingdom’s prestige.”

"Yes, you're right. Dad believes you can handle your mother."

"You should handle things with Mother yourself..."

"Boss, you're getting bolder and bolder. You've only just gotten home and you're already teaming up with your dad to deal with me?"

Suddenly, Mu Zhaojun walked in from outside the door.

Almost reflexively, Zhao Huan's eyes snapped open, and she quickly sat up straight in the chair, completely abandoning her previous lazy demeanor.

Seeing Zhao Huan's stress response, Zhao Cheng thought to himself that he definitely couldn't count on his father.

Mu Zhaojun stared at Zhao Cheng with a serious expression and said angrily, "These past few years I've been busy taking care of the second son's illness, and I've put you in charge of the household and helped take care of the third and fourth sons, which you've done well. But do you really think that you're the one who calls the shots in this family?"