Liaoyang City.
The Liao Prince's Palace.
Prince Li Kecheng of Liao sat in a chair, holding a piece of paper in his hand, his brows furrowed tightly.
"Your Highness, what did Prince Xin say?"
An elderly man with a white beard, sitting to the left, asked softly.
"Take a look."
Prince Li Kecheng of Liao handed the note in his hand to the old man and said calmly.
After taking the note, the old man glanced at it and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.
"hehe,"
The old man chuckled and said, "Prince Xin may look young, but he is actually quite shrewd!"
Why didn't I see it back when I was in the capital?
If His Highness the Crown Prince knew that Prince Xin had done this, I wonder what he would think.
Listening to the old man's words, Li Kecheng understood what he was thinking.
"I really can't tell!"
Prince Li Kecheng of Liao frowned slightly, seemingly pondering his views on Prince Xin.
Last year, when Prince Xin was enfeoffed in Dongning City, he passed through Liaoyang City and we met once.
However, Prince Xin at that time looked sickly, pale, and frail, as if he could fall ill at any moment.
However, this situation did not occur upon arriving in Dongning City.
On the contrary, Dongning City has become increasingly better.
It seems that, as he said, Prince Xin is indeed extremely cunning.
Perhaps, back in the capital, he deliberately concealed his abilities and feigned weakness to deceive the current crown prince so that he could be enfeoffed in Dongning City.
When this idea appeared in the mind of Prince Li Kecheng of Liao, it really startled him.
If that's really the case, then Prince Xin's cunning is truly terrifying!
King Li Kecheng of Liao let out a long breath, turned to look at the old man, and asked, "So what should we do now?"
"Your Highness,"
The old man stroked his beard and frowned, saying, "The entanglement between Prince Xin and the Crown Prince seems to have nothing to do with us."
However, it is also related to us.
After all, we are currently negotiating the matter of the Heaven-Shattering Thunder with the Prince Xin's Mansion.
If we accept the thunderous attack from Prince Xin's mansion, no matter how others see it, from His Highness the Crown Prince's perspective, we will be bound together with Prince Xin's mansion.
If another power struggle were to occur then, we would not be able to remain uninvolved.
Moreover, the Prince Xin's Mansion is now demanding that we make this choice, which is an attempt to force us to the opposite side of His Highness the Crown Prince.
At the very least, they won't allow us to side with His Highness the Crown Prince's faction.
Now, Prince Xin is using the threat of thunderbolts and grassland bandits to force us to make a choice.
If there wasn't a mastermind behind this, then Prince Xin would be far too terrifying!
After some analysis, the old man looked at Prince Li Kecheng of Liao and continued, "As for how we should choose, we must naturally consider the situation in Liaodong."
In recent years, the strength of the grassland bandits has increased significantly, and they have launched repeated attacks. Not only have many prefectures and counties in Dongning Province fallen into enemy hands, but our Liaodong Province is not far behind.
Now that the grassland bandits have suffered a setback in Dongning Province, it's hard to say they won't seek revenge elsewhere.
The next target is very likely to be Liaodong.
After all, if the grassland bandits were to take over Liaodong, they could cut off the land route to Dongning Province, and the grassland bandits would have a chance to consolidate their rear.
Therefore, we must also consider the threat posed by grassland bandits.
At present, Liaodong is short of troops, and in order to protect the borders and people, it can only rely on external forces.
The only possibility is to unite with Prince Xin!
Therefore, we had no choice but to do so.
"well!"
Hearing the old man's words, Li Kecheng sighed.
He was well aware of Liaodong's situation; it appeared powerful, but in reality, it was all just a facade.
If the grassland bandits launch a full-scale attack on Liaodong without the help of external forces, it would be difficult to defend Liaodong.
Perhaps, as the old man said, we should join forces with Prince Xin to fight against the grassland bandits.
"Of course,"
The old man paused for a moment, then continued, "We joined forces with Prince Xin to fight against the grassland bandits."
Simply explain the reasons to the imperial court.
Perhaps, it could even persuade the imperial court to send troops to unite with a group of border kings and jointly fight against the grassland bandits.
In this way, it would be a fair thing to do.
"At that time, there won't be so many secrets between us and Prince Xin, and the Crown Prince won't think too much about it."
"Alright!"
Li Kecheng nodded.
He knew that sometimes you should be honest with each other so as not to give people any reason to overthink.
And they were able to remain detached from trivial matters, impartial and uninvolved in power struggles.
After all, if something like this is not handled properly, it could lead to the stripping of one's power and status.
Their strength in Liaodong is insufficient, so they still do not participate in such matters.
After thinking for a moment, Li Kecheng said, "Let's do it this way."
The Prince Xin's Mansion has temporarily agreed.
Furthermore, we must be frank with the imperial court; I will personally submit a memorial explaining this matter.
"good!"
The old man hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Your Highness, shouldn't we also discuss this matter with His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"right!"
Prince Li Kecheng of Liao patted his head and said, "This is a must!"
Let's make things clear beforehand, so we can meet again in the future.
Immediately, Prince Li Kecheng of Liao and others prepared to mediate the matter.
Meanwhile, the news also reached Dongning City.
The two sides signed the relevant trade agreement in a pleasant atmosphere.
As we entered the latter half of May, Dongning became even hotter.
After some preparations, Prince Xin, Li Xin, along with a host of gifts and his Tiger Guard troops, left Dongning City and headed towards the capital along the official road.
Accompanying Li Xin were Zhao Bingzhang, a councilor of the Prince's Palace; He Tongyuan, a steward of the Prince's Palace; Bai Fenglan, a member of the women's guard team; and others.
Princess Ning Xiaoqian was pregnant and did not accompany the group.
A year later, as Li Xin embarked on his journey back to the capital once more, he felt a sense of unease.
After all, the waters of the capital are extremely deep.
The struggle for power and position also involves one's own life.
One wrong step and you will fall into an abyss of no return.
Li Xin was not good at these things, whether in his past life or now.
Therefore, Li Xin is also trying his best to avoid such a thing from happening.
Fortunately, with Councilor Zhao Bingzhang present, they were able to fill in the gaps and make up for any shortcomings.
After traveling along the official road for eight or nine days, the group crossed the mountains and arrived outside Liaoyang City.
Meanwhile, in Liaoyang City, the Chief Secretary of the Liao Prince's Palace, the Prefect of Liaoyang, and other officials were already waiting outside the city to welcome Prince Xin.
Upon seeing the arrival of Prince Xin's carriage, all the officials quickly stood up and straightened their clothes.
Before long, Prince Xin's carriage slowly approached.
"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Shin!"
Immediately, the officials bowed in respect.
Although these officials were not subordinate to the Prince Xin's residence, the hierarchy and etiquette still had to be observed.
"Get up, everyone."
From inside the carriage, Li Xin waved to signal everyone to get up.
After exchanging pleasantries, the coachman drove the carriage towards the Liao King's Palace in Liaoyang City.
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