Upon hearing Li Baiqiu's words, Zhao Zheng's expression turned serious, but his gaze did not fall on Li Baiqiu.
Instead, it was placed on the scarred man behind Li Qiubai.
Upon seeing Zhao Zheng's gaze, Li Baiqiu immediately understood what Zhao Zheng meant and quickly said...
"Your Highness, please rest assured. Although General Chen is not a member of the Li family, he is no different from one of us. So please speak freely."
Although Li Qiubai said this, Zhao Zheng did not speak up immediately. Instead, it took a long time before Zhao Zheng slowly spoke.
"Alright, I'll trust Brother Li this once, and I hope he won't let me down."
"good."
Li Baiqiu looked very serious.
"Actually, the legacy of the ancestor Hu Hai is in my hands."
At this point, Zhao Zheng calmly picked up the tea beside him and took a sip.
Upon hearing Zhao Zheng's words, Li Qiubai was startled and instinctively picked up the tea beside him and took a sip to mask his inner turmoil.
However, Zhao Zheng noticed the slightly trembling teacup.
"Is Your Highness aware of the wisp of remnant soul that appeared last night?"
"I understand. Even that wisp of remnant soul was a legacy left to me by Ancestor Hu Hai."
Zhao Zheng was lying through his teeth. At this moment, such a grand gesture was extremely intimidating to the Li family.
"Now that Your Highness has acquired such resources, do you have any plans?"
Li Baiqiu's voice trembled slightly.
Although Li Baiqiu was very capable, he was still too young and found it difficult to remain calm in the face of such a situation.
However, Li Baiqiu had no choice but to ask this question, because the Li family's ancestor wouldn't live much longer.
Therefore, the Li family is in a great hurry. If they cannot find a royal descendant worth following among the current royal family members, they will have no choice but to withdraw from the historical stage of the Northern You Empire.
Only in this way can the Li family's strength be guaranteed, but now Zhao Zheng clearly has the ability to make their investment worthwhile.
After all, the background of one of the three heirs is no joke.
"Me?"
Zhao Zheng smiled slightly.
"The Empress has devoted herself to the country for too long; it's time for her to rest. Ultimately, the future of the Northern You Empire depends on us young people."
At this point, Zhao Zheng stopped talking, because he knew that Li Baiqiu in front of him was a smart man who could understand the meaning behind his words.
As expected, as soon as Zhao Zheng finished speaking, Li Baiqiu immediately stood up, knelt on one knee, and said.
"My Li family is willing to lead Your Highness to rebuild the unparalleled glory of Da Ying."
"Are you so sure that following me will lead to success? Aren't you afraid that I'm the Empress's man, or that I'll fail in my rebellion like the third son of the King of Wei?"
Zhao Zheng smiled, a smile that was utterly eerie.
"Your Highness, you should know that our Li family was once a family that followed our ancestor Hu Hai. Because of this, our Li family suffered a heavy blow from the Empress. Now, our ancestor does not have much time left, and our Li family is unwilling to give up. Therefore, we have decided to fight back."
Whatever decision Your Highness makes, the Li family will follow you to the death.
Li Baiqiu made his promise once again, and at the same time, the scarred man behind Li Baiqiu respectfully knelt down.
Clearly, the fact that a Venerable Master could kneel before Zhao Zheng demonstrates the Li family's sincerity.
After all, there has always been a saying on the mainland that the respected should not be insulted.
Therefore, no matter how humble Mu Lao is in front of Zhao Zheng, Zhao Zheng still respects Mu Lao very much.
"Haha, with the help of the Li family, my fate is sealed. Brother Li, please rise quickly."
Zhao Zheng quickly went to Li Baiqiu's side and helped him up.
"My lord, there is a distinction between ruler and subject. From now on, you may address me by my name."
Li Baiqiu immediately adopted the demeanor of a subject and corrected Zhao Zheng's error in speech.
"Brother Li, there's no need to be so polite. We're still very close friends in private."
"No, my lord, etiquette must not be disregarded. If the servants see you like this, where will your dignity be?"
Li Baiqiu gave a very serious piece of advice.
Hearing this, Zhao Zheng smiled helplessly, then suddenly became serious.
"Bai Qiu, let me explain the forces under my command now, and you can analyze them for me."
Seeing that Li Baiqiu had already settled into his role, Zhao Zheng was determined to test him and demonstrate his own power to intimidate the Li family behind him.
After all, Zhao Zheng didn't believe that a thousand-year-old family would invest all its capital in him.
They will only stake their most valuable assets when they have demonstrated sufficient strength.
"Yes, please give your orders, my lord."
Li Baiqiu said respectfully.
"Old Mu."
Zhao Zheng didn't say anything first, but instead gave a soft instruction.
Then, to Li Baiqiu's astonishment, an old man with a hunched back appeared.
Although Li Baiqiu had met this old man before, he had not sensed any cultivation level from him, so Li Baiqiu thought he was just an ordinary person. But now, it seems that he is not as simple as he thought.
"This old servant is here."
Old Mu's hoarse voice rang out.
"Bring all the worshippers of the Hall of Worship and seal this room. I do not want anyone to hear the conversation here, not even the Empress of the Northern Netherworld herself."
"Yes, ma'am."
Elder Mu responded and then disappeared again, but after leaving, he took a deep look at the Venerable One behind Li Baiqiu.
Then, the auras of several Venerable experts emanated from outside the hall, causing the Venerable of the Li family inside to break out in a cold sweat instantly.
Because he was being watched closely by two powerful figures, as if he would die without a sound if he made the slightest mistake.
Of course, Li Baiqiu was completely unaware of all this; he was still waiting for Zhao Zheng's instructions.
After all, Li Qiubai's strength was still too weak, and there was a huge gap between him and experts at the Venerable Realm.
"Bai Qiu, now, starting from Nanya Pass, all the countries within three million miles to the south have been secretly brought under my control."
Besides that, we also have an elite cavalry force in the Western Desert. You may have heard of this elite cavalry force; it was the mysterious cavalry that annihilated the Northern Ghost Wolf Cavalry in the Western Desert half a year ago.
After speaking, Zhao Zheng slowly picked up the teacup in his hand and brought it to his lips, but his eyes never left Li Baiqiu's face.
Li Baiqiu gasped in shock. He knew that Zhao Zheng had only been gone for two years, yet he had already created such a powerful force.
If the Northern You Empress hadn't intervened, the Northern You Empire might not have been able to absorb the force under Zhao Zheng's control.
As for the venerable one known as General Chen, he was also shocked when he heard Zhao Zheng say that the mysterious army was his; others did not know the terror of the Northern Nether Wolf Cavalry.
As a descendant of military strategists, he was well aware of the terrifying nature of the Northern You Wolf Cavalry.
Especially six months ago, the loss of 5,000 members of the Youlang Iron Cavalry in the Western Desert shook the entire Northern You Empire.
Putting aside everything else, the commander of the 10,000-man unit who was in command of this force was immediately dismissed from his military post.
This demonstrates the impact of the event.
"Although my current power is still considerable, I feel that my scholar group is beyond my control internally, and externally, the Xia Kingdom in the south is a tough nut to crack. If I want to continue the attack, I am afraid that I will expose my power."
Zhao Zheng said with some worry.
Upon hearing Zhao Zheng's words, Li Baiqiu, with his intelligence, instantly understood that Zhao Zheng was testing him and wanted to see his abilities.
At the same time, he also needs to rely on the power of his Li family to form a check and balance with the scholar group under his command.
"My lord, conquering the Xia Kingdom in the south is not actually that difficult. We can start with the prime minister who has just arrived in the countryside."
"continue."
Zhao Zheng smiled with interest.
"Li Yuanhuai has served three generations of the royal family and is a highly respected figure in the Xia Kingdom. Countless ministers in the Xia court have received his favors, and countless people remember his kindness. Now that Li Yuanhuai has been forcibly sent to the countryside by the Xia emperor, he will undoubtedly be the subject of much discussion throughout the Xia Kingdom."
If Your Highness can obtain Li Yuanhuai's help, then you will definitely be able to easily seize the Xia Kingdom without making a sound.
Secondly, Li Yuanhuai, as one of the Five Gentlemen, enjoys a prestige in the Central Plains that is unmatched by ordinary people. If our lord can recruit him, then there will be no need to worry about logistics.
Li Baiqiu expressed his inner thoughts, and it was clearly a very good idea.
Zhao Zheng greatly coveted such a talent as one of the Five Ranks.
However, Ye Yi in Zhao Zheng's mind understood that this prime minister, who had been deeply hurt by the Xia Kingdom, would absolutely not help Zhao Zheng.
Ye Yi didn't say anything to remind Zhao Zheng, after all, everything Zhao Zheng had experienced so far had been too smooth, and he needed to be given some proper training.
Ye Yi thought to himself.
"Why would Li Yuanhuai, the former prime minister of the Xia Kingdom, help us?"
Zhao Zheng clearly grasped the key points of Li Baiqiu's plan.
Li Baiqiu calmly said.
"Li Yuanhuai's resignation was certainly unwilling. At the same time, the Xia Kingdom's emperor sent countless assassins to take his life during his resignation journey. If it weren't for Li Wenshu's help along the way, he might have really died on the way. Therefore, Li Yuanhuai definitely harbored resentment and dissatisfaction towards the Xia Kingdom."
Upon hearing Li Baiqiu's analysis, Zhao Zheng nodded slightly and then fell into deep thought.
An eerie silence fell over the entire hall. General Chen was locked in place by the auras of the two Venerable Ones and dared not make any rash moves.
As for Li Baiqiu, he respectfully waited to the side for Zhao Zheng to make a decision.
Finally, Zhao Zheng stood up and said.
"Brother Li's plan is excellent. If the Empress sends me down to Nanya Pass, I would appreciate it if you could bring more of your clansmen to help me."
Zhao Zheng cupped his hands in greeting and said nothing more.
Seeing this, Li Baiqiu became even more humble and immediately bowed down.
"I dare not, my lord, please rest assured, the entire Li family awaits your orders."
"Haha, alright. It's getting late, Brother Li, would you like to have dinner together?"
Zhao Zheng glanced at the sky outside the door, then slowly asked.
"My lord, my family is waiting for good news from you, so I must take my leave now."
"Indeed, the remnants in the capital have not yet been eliminated. Brother Li, you should go back as soon as possible and not worry your family."
Zhao Zheng nodded with a smile.
He then loudly gave the order to the person outside the door.
"Old Mu, please see Brother Li off for me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Old Mu reappeared in front of the two of them and gestured for them to enter.
After seeing Elder Mu see Li Baiqiu and General Chen off, Zhao Zheng immediately started chatting with the ancestor in his mind.
"Ancestor, tell me, how much trust can I place in the Li family?"
Zhao Zheng's words were quite clever, because in his eyes, the Li family already belonged to his camp, but Zhao Zheng was not quite sure about the Li family's position.
"Consider it as a group of scholars to counter the scholar group under your current command. Given the arrogance of the Li family, they will absolutely not allow anyone to surpass them in the field of scholars. So you can use them with confidence. However, this young man from the Li family is quite good, just a bit inexperienced now. If he is properly trained, he might just become a prime minister."
Ye Yi spoke softly, revealing his innermost thoughts.
"Grandfather, are you saying that Li Baiqiu's idea just now is impossible to implement?"
"Hahaha, nobody knows. But this kid from the Li family is still too young and underestimates the fickleness of human nature. Alright, you decide for yourself. It's fine to give it a try."
Ye Yi said with a light laugh.
Zhao Zheng seemed to understand something and nodded.
As for the other half, Li Baiqiu and General Chen also returned to the Li residence.
As soon as he entered the Li residence, he found a large group of current members of the Li family waiting for Li Baiqiu to appear in the main hall.
Even the patriarch of the Li family, who had killed a Venerable One last night, was in the hall, but the aura of death emanating from him spoke of his imminent demise.
"How's it going, kid Bai?"
As Li Baiqiu stepped into the hall, everyone's eyes were filled with anticipation, but no one dared to speak until the Li family patriarch slightly opened his eyes and asked.
“Ancestor, I have already pledged allegiance to His Highness Zhao Zheng on behalf of the Li family.”
Li Baiqiu bowed respectfully and said.
"Hmm." The Li family patriarch gave a soft "hmm" and then fell silent.
However, many members of the Li family around frowned, because in their minds, this son of the Prince of Yan was a good-for-nothing, so how could they expect the Li family to invest in him?
“Ancestor, what I mean is that the entire clan has been placed on Zhao Zheng’s shoulders.”
Li Baiqiu suddenly said something that shocked everyone.
In an instant, Li Baiqiu's father immediately reprimanded him.
"Bai Qiu, don't be ungrateful. Quickly apologize to the ancestor. When did you become qualified to speak on important clan matters?"
Although Li Baiqiu's father's tone was somewhat reprimanding, it was clear that he wanted to protect Li Baiqiu.
He was afraid that Li Baiqiu would anger the old ancestor because of his youth.
The Li family patriarch showed little emotion, instead softly uttering two words.
"reason."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com