Compared with the cold winter in the north, the capital city already has a hint of spring.

The palace maids changed into spring clothes and flitted around the palace like butterflies, adding a touch of brightness to the solemn imperial palace.

It's a pity that the emperor had no intention of appreciating this beautiful scenery.

Lu Yunqi stood outside the palace gate and heard the sound of the emperor slamming the table with a memorial inside.

"We have already agreed to negotiate peace, so why are these Jin people still making trouble? What is Huang Cheng doing?"

"Master Huang has been negotiating diligently with the Jin people to gain more benefits for our Great Zhou."

"What is the golden man still arguing about?"

"Something happened in the north recently, and the Jin people are very unhappy."

"What could possibly happen in the North? Is Zhu Shan causing trouble again?"

A Jinyiwei came forward hurriedly and interrupted Lu Yunqi who was listening to what the emperor was saying.

"Sir, there is news from the North." He bowed his head and saluted, then took a step forward and spoke in a low voice.

Lu Yunqi walked a few steps outside and stood under the column looking at the Jinyi Guards.

"Where is she?" he said.

"In Shenzhou." said Jinyiwei.

Lu Yunqi frowned slightly.

"He actually went from Qingyuan Prefecture to Shenzhou? Why didn't Jin Shiba send any news back?" he asked.

The Jinyiwei was stunned for a moment and looked up at Lu Yunqi.

"Sir, I'm talking about the news about the Prince of Chengguo." he said.

Lu Yunqi smoothed his brows.

"It's time for news about him to come out." He said calmly, "He really went to Shenzhou."

The adults already knew about this? Jinyiwei was a little surprised.

Lu Yunqi took a few steps forward, and the spring breeze lingered in the palace, blowing up the corners of his big red clothes.

"Mrs. Chengguo and Mrs. Shizi went to Bazhou." He said calmly, "As a son and husband, you can't hide behind and let a woman be questioned and harassed."

The Imperial Guard understood. When the wife of Duke Cheng and the wife of the Crown Prince appeared in Hejian Prefecture, they knew about it at the first moment and indeed had to go to Hejian Bazhou to look for them.

Now that the Prince of Chengguo has appeared in Shenzhou, the Jinyi Guards naturally don't need to look for Mrs. Chengguo anymore.

"What's more, the women are all doing the important work of defending the country and the people, so why would the prince hide away?" Lu Yunqi said woodenly, "These loyal and courageous people for the country and the people are really admirable and respected."

These words seemed to come from the heart, yet they sounded cold and distant. The Imperial Guard didn't know how to react for a moment.

They just

"Catch him?" asked the Royal Guard.

"No need to catch him." Lu Yunqi said.

Because Zhu Zan was loyal and righteous for the country and the people, was he going to Shenzhou to rescue the people of Baozhou and go south? After all, this was a righteous cause.

An idea flashed through the Jinyiwei's mind.

"Kill him." Lu Yunqi said, turning around.

The Jinyiwei felt a chill in his heart, lowered his head and replied yes, then turned around and walked away quickly.

Lu Yunqi walked towards the palace gate again, and someone staggered over from the side.

"Hey, Lu Qianhu."

Some exaggerated voices followed.

Lu Yunqi looked over and saw a man wearing a prince's formal attire who was standing towards him. He was not sure if he was smiling or was fat and his eyes were invisible.

"Your Majesty." He bowed.

King Hyeon had already reached out and taken his arm.

"You are too polite, sir." He said, winking at him with a smile, "No, I shouldn't call you commander-in-chief."

Lu Yunqi officially became the commander of the Imperial Guard years ago, although his status had already been like this.

Lu Yunqi bowed his head again.

"What is your majesty doing?" King Xian asked in a low voice with a hint of stealth.

"Talking to Lord Liu and others in the Cabinet." Lu Yunqi said.

King Xian's eyes lit up, but even if he stared again, they only opened a slit.

"Great." He said, "Does the Jin people want to give money?"

Without waiting for Lu Yunqi to say anything, he hurried into the hall and poked his head inside with a smile.

"Your Majesty," he called.

Lu Yunqi did not stop them and heard the conversation inside being interrupted.

"What are you doing here?" the emperor shouted unhappily.

King Xian was not frightened by the emperor's attitude and walked in with a smile.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, when will the Jin people give you the money?" he asked.

The emperor stared.

"You only care about money." He said, looking at him and thinking about something, "What are you doing at the Queen Mother's place again? Do you want money again?"

King Xian sat down in front of the emperor and waved his hands casually to the ministers who saluted him.

"No." He shouted with a look of grievance, "Now that the country is at war, the queens have cut their expenses. How can I come to ask the queen for money?"

The emperor sighed and looked at his ministers.

"I understand things that I didn't understand before." He said with a bit of helplessness, "Everyone used to explain things clearly, but now they are still making trouble for me."

This is naturally referring to Duke Cheng.

The ministers nodded one after another.

"So the Jin people are very angry now." A minister continued, "Ask us whether we are sincere in negotiating. If not, forget it..."

Of course they had to continue fighting. The emperor suddenly became nervous and was about to speak when King Xian leaned forward and spoke first.

"I heard that the troops from Hejian Prefecture were escorting the people south from Bazhou and other places," he said, gesticulating with great joy, "and they beat the Jin people and made them flee in panic."

The ministers nodded.

"Yes, it was clearly announced that a ceasefire had been reached, but Duke Cheng allowed his wife to bring people to Hejian to incite the soldiers to act in this way. It's really..." They said, shaking their heads with a worried look on their faces.

King Xian said hi.

"This is a good thing," he said, clapping his hands. "It shows how great we are."

Amazing? The amazing thing is that Duke Chengguo didn't even listen to the emperor, which made the emperor look incompetent.

The ministers looked as if they were smiling.

"Okay, it's not a big deal now. What's the point of being so powerful?" the emperor said unhappily.

"Your Majesty," King Xian waved his hand and said, "No, it's not the time now. It's time to negotiate peace. If we are more powerful, it will make the Jin people more afraid, and the conditions will naturally be more favorable to us..."

He chuckled and moved closer to the emperor when he said this.

"Your Majesty, why don't you let me negotiate with the Jin people as well? Other things don't matter, just ask for more annual coins."

This wise king only cares about money.

The emperor snorted.

"So you put your money on the golden man's head," he said. "How ridiculous."

Then he pressed his forehead.

"Money is not a big deal. The most important thing is that the country is safe and the people enjoy peace." He said, tolerantly to the ministers, "Tell Huang Cheng that the Jin people are sincere, and we are more sincere too. Let's end this matter quickly."

If you are sincere, then it will be easy.

The ministers bowed and responded with yes.

Walking out of the palace, the ministers left chatting and laughing, and King Hyeon was the last one to leave with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face.

"Master Lu hasn't left yet?" He also greeted Lu Yunqi.

Lu Yunqi bowed his eyes and saluted.

King Xian walked past him, the smile on his face faded, and he looked at the towering palace.

"The country and the people are at peace." He murmured, his squinting eyes slowly widening, revealing a hint of mockery.

…

"Of course it's for the well-being of our country and the peace of our people!"

In the Shenzhou government office, Zhu Zan said, pointing his finger at the officials in the hall.

“This is what you do.”

He pointed at himself again.

"As for me, I have certainly made up for my crime by making amends for it."

He said, waving his hands.

"Everyone knows that I am wanted now. I also know that I am guilty, but I think that instead of wasting food in the capital, I might as well do something useful. Even if I die at the hands of the Jin people, killing a few more gold thieves will be considered atonement."

Everyone in the hall looked at each other. In fact, after watching for so long, seeing the Hejian Prefecture's troops being invincible in Bazhou, and seeing the spread of Mrs. Chengguo's words about great merits, everyone had their own ideas, and all they needed was an opportunity.

This opportunity naturally comes from someone who gives orders, and is also the one who will be responsible if anything goes wrong in the future.

After all, Mrs. Chengguo has not come here to give them orders.

Now, the Prince of Chengguo has actually come, and asked them to go to Baozhou to rescue the people and evacuate.

As for the fact that the Prince of Chengguo is a wanted criminal by the imperial court, we must treat him differently in extraordinary times.

Jiang Cheng, the governor of Shenzhou, nodded solemnly.

"That's what we are going to do," he said. "Since the prince is willing to redeem himself for his crimes, let's do it together. But the prince must obey our orders and not flee privately. After all, you are now a criminal. Wait for us to report to the court and wait for your punishment."

These are extraordinary times, so it is understandable that the reporting process takes a little longer.

Zhu Zan nodded.

"I will follow your instructions, sir." He said with a straight face.

Jiang Cheng's expression softened a little, and he looked at Zhu Zan as if he had thought of something.

"So the prince is already engaged?" he asked.

Zhu Zan laughed out loud.

"Yes." He stopped laughing and said seriously, "I'm engaged."