Chapter 218 Brothers Meet

Lu Chenyang brought Zhao Xi back to the room and asked, "Where is the prince? Has he come back?"

"No, the prince has not shown up since he entered the city." Zhao Xi said.

Lu Chenyang nodded. He had just returned to the capital and had a lot of things to do.

Yan Xing was in the Prince's Mansion at this time.

As soon as the prince returned home and knew Yan Xing had arrived, he was startled: "Then sir..."

"Your Highness, don't worry. The master is in the backyard and has not met the prince."

The prince breathed a sigh of relief.

After Lu Chenyang arrived in the capital, he knew that Yan Xing would definitely come to see him, so he reminded him in advance.

Now is not the time for them to meet.

When the prince walked into the study, he saw Yan Xing sitting in a chair, playing with a long sword in his hand.

The prince's eyes were slightly red: "Cheng Xiao!"

Yan Xing stood up, his expression calm, and bowed, saying, "Your Highness."

The prince said, "You and I are brothers, there is no need to be so polite." He looked very moved. Yan Xing was sent to Lingnan because of him. Yan Xing suffered for him.

For him, the son of the Duke of Zhenguo, to waste his time in a place like that. Back then, Yan Xing was a young and ambitious general.

The more the prince thought about it, the sadder he felt, and his eyes showed guilt. His cousin must have been in great danger and suffered a lot of injustice.

As he thought this, he looked at Yan Xing and realized... uh, he seemed to be doing pretty well? He seemed to have gained a little weight? And he seemed to be in good spirits?

Those sparkling black eyes, bright and brilliant, didn't they look the least bit worn out? His skin was a little darker, but his expression was calm, his eyes were sharp, and he seemed to have a bit more composure than before.

"You...are living well?" the prince said in disbelief.

Yan Xing curled his lips and said, "Well, I'm doing pretty well indeed." Thinking of his experiences over the years, he said seriously, "Going to Lingnan is a blessing, not a curse, for me."

Yan Xing would not lie, so the prince believed him.

The prince breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm glad to see that you are doing well. Otherwise, I would really feel guilty towards my uncle."

Yan Xing smiled and said, "Didn't I already write that in my letter? I also sent someone to tell me that I'm living well in Lingnan."

"I've always been worried about you. Ever since you were exiled to Lingnan, I haven't had a good day. Those were just words on paper, but I'm still worried in my heart," the prince said. He carefully observed Yan Xing's expression again, "Now that I see that you are indeed doing well, I'm relieved."

The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion had always sacrificed so much for him, and the prince always remembered it. He knew clearly what his uncle and cousin had given up for him, and he dared not forget it at any time.

Yan Xing's expression softened as he thought of Lu Chenyang. He was indeed living a very good life.

"Tell me quickly, what does that person mean now?" asked the prince.

Yan Xing said, "Lord Lu only wants to quell the civil unrest and ensure the people live and work in peace. He has no intention of fighting for power."

The Crown Prince sneered, "Cheng Xiao, you have a pure heart, so you would believe such words. He has no intention of fighting for power? If he didn't, how could Lingnan, Shu, Ningzhou, and Quzhou all be governed according to his wishes? I heard that Quzhou is now building a school and requires all children of school age to attend. Do you know how difficult it is to do just this? Right now, the people of these four places are praising his kindness. After gathering the refugees this time, his reputation has even flourished."

The prince continued, "If he doesn't fight for power, what will become of the Lu family army under his command?" He felt a pang of indignation. "You were deceived by his appearance! If he has no intention of fighting for power, what's the point of having this reputation and military power?"

Yan Xing frowned. He didn't like the prince's tone, as if Lu Chenyang did all this to fight for power and profit.

"He did this for the people, not for power!"

Yan Xing said, "It's what he did for the people that earned him these rights. You haven't been to Lingnan, but if you have, you'll know. It's a place full of evil people, where children steal money, fights break out on the streets at any time, and people die at any time."

The prince was stunned when he heard this. He knew that Lingnan was in chaos, but of course he had never seen it with his own eyes.

"That's a place where even natural disasters don't provide disaster relief, and the people are left to fend for themselves. If it weren't for the Dongyi people, there wouldn't even be a garrison there," Yan Xing said. "It was the court that abandoned it, and now he's transforming it and bringing it back to life. His good reputation, his military power, his authority, were all earned on his own. If the court had done something, how could he have earned the people's love? He didn't abandon those people abandoned by the court. He gave them a chance to survive. He deserves everything he gets!"

The prince was lost in thought, muttering to himself, "He truly loves his people like his own children..."

He had spent his life fighting for power and profit, so he instinctively doubted everything. Even though he knew Lu Chenyang was a good official, he still believed that Lu Chenyang might be doing this for power. Loving the people is loving the people, and loving power is also loving power. There is no contradiction.

But from what Yan Xing said, he seemed to be truly wholeheartedly devoted to the safety of the world and the people's well-being.

Yan Xing exhaled. "Your Highness, you can go and see for yourself." He said, "You are the Crown Prince now, and will be the Emperor in the future. You should make your own judgment."

The prince thought to himself that it was not certain whether he could become the emperor in the future.

However, isn’t Yan Xing too trusting of Lu Chenyang?

The prince smiled and soothed him, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. You and I are brothers, we haven't seen each other for so many years. Today we won't talk about business, just reminisce about the past."

Yan Xing also nodded. The relationship between Lu Chenyang and the Crown Prince needed to be developed slowly. He didn't want the Crown Prince to doubt Lu Chenyang, nor did he want a rift between the two of them.