"Hmph, you won't get to do whatever you want!"
Prince Qing walked down the corridor with his hands behind his back and an angry expression on his face.
Just as he turned a corner, he bumped into his youngest son, Jin Jianzhong, who reeked of alcohol.
Jin Jianzhong's face was flushed, and he was completely drunk. If Prince Qing hadn't supported him, he probably would have fallen to the ground.
"Oh... Dad, how did I end up running into you?"
"Sorry, sorry, hehe."
Jin Jianzhong, his steps unsteady, drunkenly chuckled while adjusting his hat.
Already harboring anger, Prince Qing glared at him fiercely and rebuked him:
"You're drunk again! Since you came back, you've been going to the embroidery garden or the gambling den every day! Or you're just swaggering around the streets!"
"You saw your friends off this morning and got completely drunk at the farewell banquet, and now you're drinking again tonight! Jianzhong! Drinking will ruin everything!!!"
Jin Jianzhong let out a burp, took off his hat, scratched his head, and laughed.
"If you're feeling down, can't you at least have a drink, Dad?"
“My friends have come all this way, and before they’ve even done anything, the smoke signals have already reached the capital. It’s really making us a laughing stock.”
At this point, he patted his flushed face and then said with a grin:
"As the host, I've lost all face. Everyone's in a state of panic. Father, tell me, what kind of mess is this?"
"Sigh, after coming back this time, I found that home is not as good as outside. If I had known, I shouldn't have come back at this time."
"I should wait until the rebels are wiped out before I return."
These words greatly angered Prince Qing. Looking at his drunken son, he was filled with rage and immediately roared:
"You bastard!"
"Face? What have you accomplished that gives you any face to back it up!"
"The traitor's rebellion is something we can decide! If he wants to rebel, who can stop him!"
"I told you not to help suppress the rebels, but you're already blaming me when a little bad news comes in!"
Jin Jianzhong waved his hand, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, and said, "Father, I heard from my second brother that we're leaving Jinling."
"It's a pity that Xiong Qian is useless. If he were useful, he could have directly suppressed the rebels, and there wouldn't have been so much trouble."
"I'm not going to talk to you anymore, Dad. I'm going back to sleep now. I need to get a good night's rest..." he yawned.
Suddenly, Prince Qing stepped forward and slapped him across the face.
The slap was quite forceful, causing Jin Jianzhong to stagger, blood even seeping from the corner of his mouth, and his hat falling to the ground.
"You bastard! Sooner or later, you'll ruin things because of this alcohol!"
"Don't let me see you drunk again!" Prince Qing shouted angrily as he stormed past him.
Jin Jianzhong covered his cheek in surprise, the bright red five-finger mark still vivid in his mind, stinging his skin, and this also brought him to his senses slightly.
Watching Prince Qing's departing figure, he gritted his teeth, glared, and muttered a curse under his breath:
"Hmph, all you do is bully your own kind! You hit me! Why don't you go and slap that traitor across the face!"
"From now on, you'll all have to rely on me! Let's see if you still dare to hit me then!"
"Ouch—that hurts!"
He angrily picked up his hat, covered his face, and left.
——
Under the moonlight, a convoy sped along the road heading south.
With a "click".
A carriage passed a protruding rock, causing a jolt inside. Merriel tapped his cane.
Beside him, the overweight Fan Lilun bent down, picked up the hat that had fallen to the ground due to the bumpy ride, and handed it to Mai Lirui.
"I didn't expect we'd have to go back so soon." Fan Lilun yawned.
Mai Lirui took the hat, half-closing his eyes, and said:
"Going back is so that we can come back even better next time."
There were only the two of them in the car; there was no one else inside.
Fan Lilun chuckled lightly: "I didn't expect the Great Gan to be in such a mess now."
"I heard that old guy say that the rebels weren't much of a threat and could be easily suppressed, but I never expected... haha."
Mai Lirui's expression remained calm, and his deep-set eyes finally opened fully.
"Isn't this good?" he said casually.
Fan Lilun nodded, lifted the curtain on the car window, looked at the night view outside, and smiled:
"This is indeed a good thing for us."
He exclaimed, "This Daqian is a wonderful place! It's so vast, truly as Jin Jianzhong said, a land of great expanse and abundant resources!"
"No wonder Japan has always wanted to come. They must be doing quite well now."
Looking out through the open curtains, Ma Lirui continued:
"Um."
"However, there is one thing that surprised me quite a bit."
Fan Lilun frowned. "What is it?"
Merriel stroked his beard: "The people from Tuyuan Kingdom didn't come to the meeting in Andenburg."
"Logically speaking, given Tu Yuanguo's consistent attitude, there's no reason for him not to get involved in this big undertaking."
"I had sent them letters before to discuss this matter, in order to avoid future conflicts with them over territory issues, but I didn't expect them to not send anyone."
At this point, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is not like Peter the Great's style. He had a large army with strong fighting power."
"Could it be that it's also because of the war in the country?"
Fan Lilun shook his head, "Hmm... I haven't heard of that."
“Prince Arthur, who served under Peter the Great, was very powerful, but he didn’t seem to have made any moves. Speaking of which, Mitri, the hero of the Red River, was also one of his men.”
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