Da da da da~~
The sound of horses' hooves woke Zhao Zheng from his sleep.
"Elder Mu, are these the Northern Nether Wolf Riders?"
Zhao Zheng said leisurely.
"Yes, Your Highness. Since this morning, countless Dark Wolf Iron Cavalry have been galloping outside our palace."
Old Mu said softly.
"It seems that the person who appeared last night made the Empress somewhat uneasy."
Upon hearing Elder Mu's words, Zhao Zheng immediately narrowed his eyes and began to ponder.
However, Zhao Zheng did not act rashly, because he knew that now was the time for him to show off.
Although Zhao Zheng now has a supreme figure protecting him, this is the capital of the Northern You Empire, which belongs to the Northern You Dynasty.
Therefore, Zhao Zheng must not be allowed to be too presumptuous.
"Ancestor, do you think I can bring those Northern You families into my camp yesterday?"
Zhao Zheng asked.
"Sure, as long as you dare to take out the Tian Wen Sword, you will be able to command those aristocratic families. As long as the Emperor's Decree doesn't appear, your status in the Northern You Empire will be absolutely unparalleled."
Ye Yi said.
Upon hearing Ye Yi's words, Zhao Zheng's eyes lit up at first, but he quickly relaxed again, because he knew that these things were definitely not so easy.
Moreover, based on Zhao Zheng's understanding of the Northern You Empress, it was absolutely impossible for her to allow him to be so at ease and content.
The powerful families might listen to him, but the Northern You Empress would definitely not show any mercy. After all, the Northern You Empress was a descendant of the Great Ying Emperor, and she had no reason to be so afraid of the Heavenly Inquiry Sword.
"Um, Ancestor, do you have any chance for me to secretly win over those powerful families?"
"have."
"real."
Zhao Zheng's eyes lit up once again, as if he had seen a bright future.
"Well, for you, the Bai family is the hardest to subdue, while the Ma family is the most likely. As for the remaining Meng and Wang families, I don't recommend you try to subdue them."
"Why?"
Zhao Zheng was somewhat confused.
"There's no reason why. It's just that the Meng family and your ancestor had a feud. As for the Wang family? I can't say, I can't say. Anyway, ancestor, I don't recommend that you provoke them."
"Then what do you think of the Li family, Ancestor?"
A figure instantly flashed into Zhao Zheng's mind, and then he asked.
And this figure was Li Qiubai, whom Zhao Zheng had met at the banquet.
In Zhao Zheng's mind, Li Qiubai was a rare talent, especially the group of literati under Zhao Zheng's command, which Zhao Zheng both feared and relied on.
All the territories under Zhao Zheng's control are now under the rule of this group of scholars. Although they are very prosperous and peaceful under their governance, they are also difficult for Zhao Zheng to control.
Zhao Zheng even had a strange feeling that his voice in the scholar group was ultimately not as loud as Elder Chen's. Therefore, this sense of unease made it very necessary for Zhao Zheng to introduce another scholar group to create a balance.
This is the way of the emperor that Zhao Zheng now envisions.
As a guest in Zhao Zheng's mind, Ye Yi naturally understood Zhao Zheng's thoughts very well. So he thought about it carefully for a moment and then looked through the Li family's past.
After a long while, Ye Yi finally spoke slowly.
"I can't guarantee it, but you can expose a bit of your power to Li Baiqiu. If the Empress doesn't kill you the next day, then you can trust the Li family. So you'll have to control the risks yourself."
Although Ye Yi understood that because the Li family was severely suppressed by the Northern You Empress, as long as Zhao Zheng showed even a little power, the Li family would definitely stand up for him.
However, Ye Yi would not say it aloud, because he wanted to see what Zhao Zheng thought and whether Zhao Zheng had the guts.
After all, Zhao Zheng's power is largely due to Ye Yi's behind-the-scenes support, and there hasn't been much of a test for Zhao Zheng.
That's why Ye Yi said that the vast majority of things went smoothly.
As expected, Zhao Zheng fell silent after Ye Yi finished speaking, looking somewhat conflicted.
After all, he coveted the power of the Li family, but he was also afraid that his wrong decision would cause his power to suffer a fatal blow.
Just as Zhao Zheng was hesitating, the steward brought a visiting card to Zhao Zheng's door, handed it to Old Master Mu, and said something.
"Young Master, Li Baiqiu, the son of the Li family, has sent a visiting card, saying he will visit the Prince of Yan's residence this afternoon. Young Master, do you have time?"
This question made a glint of light flash in Zhao Zheng's eyes, and then he spoke.
"I'm free this afternoon, so I'll prepare some tea and water early. I want to properly entertain Li Baiqiu."
"It's young master."
After the butler had completely left, Zhao Zheng suddenly spoke again.
"Old Mu, do you have any information on this young master of the Li family?"
Old Mu recalled for a moment, then nodded and said.
"Your Highness, we have received it."
"Alright, then take it to the study first. I'll go take a look at it later."
"yes."
When Zhao Zheng walked into the study, his eyes were immediately drawn to a piece of intelligence on the top shelf.
The master of the intelligence was Li Baiqiu, whom Zhao Zheng was about to meet.
The Li family had sided with Hu Hai during the great struggle for the three successors.
However, the current Empress of Northern You ultimately prevailed, and the Li family suffered a severe blow from her.
Unlike the other four great families that produced many talented individuals through military achievements, the descendants of the Li family appeared quite weak.
Therefore, during the crackdown, the Li family's power became increasingly weak, completely losing the demeanor of the leading civil official family of the Great Ying Empire.
Actually, it's not entirely the Li family's fault. None of the other four great military families had pledged allegiance to the Northern You Empress.
Because in their eyes, how could a woman possibly lead them well?
However, these four families with military achievements have a rich heritage and a long history.
Moreover, among the four great military families, the Wang and Bai families were very clever. Although they did not support the Empress, they did not side with the other two heirs. Next were the Ma and Meng families, one of whom supported Huhai and the other supported Fusu.
However, these two families were military families with a long history of military achievements, which the Great Ying Emperor took very seriously, so he could not fully support them and could only make empty promises.
Therefore, it did not pose a significant threat to the Northern Empress at the time.
But the Li family was completely different.
However, the Li family reacted most strongly when the empress ascended the throne.
When the Empress successfully ascended the throne, the entire lineage of Li Si's younger brother, the patriarch of the Li family, died during the Empress's coronation ceremony in Beiyou.
The fact that the Empress of Beiyou could tolerate the Li family so much truly shows her remarkable magnanimity.
Although the Empress did not wipe out the entire Li family, the blow was certainly significant. At least now, only one or two members of the Li family can speak in the entire court.
However, having once won a great victory against the first scholarly family, the Li family still owes them a great debt of gratitude, and thus still holds considerable influence within the scholarly community.
However, everyone in the Li family understood that once they had exhausted all the favors owed, the Li family would definitely decline.
Therefore, they do their best to cultivate the most outstanding individuals in each generation, and Li Baiqiu is the one that the Li family is currently focusing on cultivating.
Li Baiqiu is also a formidable man, and he has now become a messenger outside the palace of the Northern You Empress.
Don't underestimate this official position; it's a civil official exclusively serving the Northern You Empress.
The position was still held by a member of a powerful family whom the Northern Empress disliked, which shows how capable Li Baiqiu was.
It was also Li Baiqiu's appearance that greatly improved the Li family's current situation.
While looking at Li Baiqiu's intelligence report, time passed by and it was already afternoon.
Zhao Zheng even forgot that he hadn't eaten lunch.
It wasn't until the butler knocked on the study door to tell Zhao Zheng that Li Baiqiu had arrived that Zhao Zheng came to his senses.
"Bring them to the lobby first, I'll be there soon."
Zhao Zheng gave the instructions.
Soon Zhao Zheng left the study and hurried towards the main hall.
Not long after Zhao Zhenggang left the room, Old Mu carried an iron bucket into the study.
After a while, Old Mu continued to carry the iron bucket out of the study. If you looked closely, you would find that the iron bucket contained the ashes of burned paper.
"Haha, Brother Li has arrived. It's been a long time since I've seen you, and I've missed you dearly."
Zhao Zheng entered the hall and greeted the guests with his hands clasped in respect.
"Haha, I've missed Your Highness very much too. That's why I came to visit you as soon as I finished my business."
Li Baiqiu also stood up and cupped his hands in response.
Behind Li Baiqiu was a middle-aged martial artist in a tight-fitting outfit. Zhao Zheng could tell at a glance that he was a soldier. At the same time, a scar across the martial artist's face told him that he was also a warrior who had experienced life and death.
"This martial artist is no ordinary person."
Ye Yi squinted and said with emotion.
"What did our ancestor mean by that?"
Zhao Zheng sat in his seat, seemingly chatting and laughing with Li Qiubai, but in private, he asked Ye Yi a question.
"The strength of a Martial Dao Venerable is not that of an ordinary Martial Dao Venerable. Although the aura of a military strategist on him cannot compare to that of Li Ge under your command, he is still a rare talent in the entire Northern You military."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zheng was filled with shock.
There are two shocking aspects to this. First, the Li family truly lives up to its reputation as the foremost family of scholars in the Great Victory Dynasty, having actually cultivated such a talented and capable leader.
Secondly, what was even more shocking was that Li Baiqiu held such a high position in the Li family that they were able to send such a talented person to protect him.
Zhao Zheng understood perfectly why Li Baiqiu still had powerful protectors.
Although the rebellion has been quelled, the aftershocks in the entire Northern You capital have not completely disappeared.
Therefore, the important heirs of these prominent families are likely to become the focus of attention.
After all, wouldn't it be better to just let these important scions of noble families die and then pin the blame on the rebels?
As for who killed him, that's not so important.
"I was unaware of the rebellion last night. Is Your Highness aware of it?"
Li Baiqiu was the first to lose his composure and speak.
"Alas, I was fully aware of the commotion last night. It's a pity that I'm powerless to personally go into battle and kill the traitors. It's truly frustrating."
Zhao Zheng, also a renowned actor, immediately feigned utter helplessness, perfectly embodying the image of a member of the royal family who had no way to serve his country.
Seeing Zhao Zheng's appearance, Li Baiqiu cursed inwardly, "Old fox," but continued to smile and say something on the surface.
"Yes, but everything turned out alright in the end. Fortunately, our royal family's resources came into play. However, I really didn't expect His Highness to have his identity token appear before. I wonder what His Highness thinks about the appearance of the Hu Hai token?"
Li Baiqiu's probing once again made Zhao Zheng inwardly complain, "How else can I see? Of course, I'll see with my eyes." However, Zhao Zheng had the idea of taking the Li family under his wing, so he fell into deep thought.
He needed to figure out the meaning behind Li Baiqiu's question: was it Li Baiqiu's own initiative to ask, or was it on the orders of the Northern You Empress? There was a huge difference between the two.
Therefore, Zhao Zheng must think carefully before answering.
Suddenly, Zhao Zheng remembered something. He had his ancestor Hu Hai in his mind. Given his ancestor's understanding of the Li family and the Empress, he must know the secrets behind this.
So Zhao Zheng immediately asked.
"Ancestor, what does Li Bai mean by asking this question?"
"What else could it mean? Of course, it's a test of you. As for what you do, that's up to you. But from what I know, that bitch is extremely arrogant, so she will definitely not let a family that once caused her so much trouble come out to work."
Ye Yi stopped responding at this point.
If Zhao Zheng still can't understand after all this has been said, then he might really only be trained as a tool.
However, Zhao Zheng did not disappoint Ye Yi's expectations; his eyes quickly hardened.
Then he said it with a chuckle and in a joking tone.
"Brother Li, why have you taken a liking to the token of Ancestor Huhai? Could it be that you still harbor thoughts of Ancestor Huhai?"
Although Zhao Zheng was joking, Li Baiqiu understood that there was definitely a test involved.
Seizing on this point, Li Baiqiu instantly revealed a strange smile.
Although Li Baiqiu wasn't 100% certain, the man in front of him definitely had considerable ambition.
And this is exactly the kind of person the Li family needs right now.
"Alas, the Li family is truly declining with each generation. Our ancestor won't live much longer either. After seeing that token yesterday, I've been longing to see our ancestor, Hu Hai."
Li Baiqiu squinted and pretended to be deep in thought as he spoke, but his eyes, hidden beneath his eyelashes, were fixed on Zhao Zheng, as if trying to see through him.
That's a real old fox; he's even thought of his own escape route.
Zhao Zheng once again deeply realized the extent of the trouble caused by these scions of aristocratic families.
However, Zhao Zheng didn't have that much time, so he could go around it.
So Zhao Zheng narrowed his eyes instantly and said calmly.
"May I ask Brother Li a question?"
"ask."
"Can I trust you?"
Zhao Zheng looked at Li Qiubai with sharp eyes.
This put Li Qiubai under a lot of pressure.
After waiting for a while, Li Baiqiu nodded solemnly and said.
"Your Highness, do you trust me completely?"
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