Chapter 277 Zhao Youchen Returns
Xiao Qing sighed.
She knew Fu Mingyi fairly well. If it weren't for something important, he wouldn't have returned so quickly after telling her those things.
Since it was an important matter, Xiao Qing pulled her thoughts away from the past, steadied herself, and said, "Come in."
She opened the door and slowly walked in, with Fu Mingyi following behind.
“Your Majesty,” Fu Mingyi lowered his voice, “General Zhao has secretly returned.”
Xiao Qing turned around, somewhat surprised.
Firstly, because Zhao Youchen returned, and secondly, because Fu Mingyi used the word "secret."
She quickly processed the thought in her mind, and her expression became somewhat anxious. "Are you injured?" Otherwise, why would she need to return secretly? She could have entered the palace openly and honestly.
Fu Mingyi shook his head, "Your Majesty, please dismiss your attendants."
Xiao Qing frowned and glanced at Ma Hong and Chu Lianzhou who were waiting at the door.
The two withdrew tacitly and waved away the guards standing outside the hall.
Fu Mingyi got up and closed the door. Not long after, Zhao Youchen slipped in from somewhere and knelt down in front of Xiao Qing.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty." Zhao Youchen's voice was more steady and deep than before. He was covered in dust, had a scraggly beard, and his clothes were torn in some places. He had only tidied himself up a little so that he wouldn't look too disheveled.
Xiao Qing felt both surprised and heartbroken.
"Youchen! Get up! What happened to you?" She went forward to help him up, thinking about how he must have had a difficult journey to get back safely.
Zhao Youchen looked up, stood up with her help, and even grinned.
As he looked up, Xiao Qing saw a scar extending from his forehead. Although it had scabbed over, it didn't look shallow.
"This is……"
Zhao Youchen casually touched it, not caring much. "It's just a minor injury. It healed on my way back. It's just that the scab looks unsightly, but it will be fine in a while."
He looked at the young emperor he had missed for so many days. Oh dear, the young emperor had lost weight again, and seemed to be in a bad mood. The Grand Tutor really didn't know how to take care of people.
Zhao Youchen's gaze was so focused that Xiao Qing felt a little embarrassed to face him, so she pulled him down to sit and asked him about his trip.
Fu Mingyi quietly stayed by his side.
Zhao Youchen presented the complete Lion Guard Token he had obtained with both hands, then knelt on one knee before Xiao Qing again, and said piously, "Your Majesty, this is the complete Lion Guard Token. I have it! From now on, I will always stay behind Your Majesty, hiding in the shadows, and be loyal to Your Majesty for life. If I break this oath, I will surely die a terrible death, be torn to pieces, and be condemned to the deepest hell where I will never be reincarnated!"
Xiao Qing was startled and quickly helped him up, saying, "I know your loyalty, how could you make such a vicious oath!"
Zhao Youchen then began to recount his experiences during his trip to Yingzhou.
"Your Majesty, it is truly an honor for me to be able to go to Yingzhou."
Although the trip to Yingzhou was perilous, Zhao Youchen gained a great deal from it.
As previously speculated, Yingzhou was the birthplace and retirement site of the Lion Army, while Feng County, as the birthplace of Emperor Taizu, provided a natural cohesive force for the Lion Army's century-long continuation. The Lion Army's most glorious moment was when they followed Emperor Taizu in founding the nation.
Unfortunately, as the closest and most powerful army under the command of Emperor Taizu, for some unknown reason, he did not keep it by his side, nor did he pass on its rule from generation to generation.
Even though Zhao Youchen has now penetrated deep into Yingzhou and has managed to subdue the descendants of the Lion Army, he still hasn't found a definite answer. Not only does Zhao Youchen not understand, but the two most influential envoys in the Lion Army, the chief envoy and the deputy envoy, also cannot give a specific reason for the decision made by the founding emperor back then.
They only obtained an eight-character code of conduct from the oral tradition of the Lion Army's two envoys: "The phoenix hides in the darkness, waiting for the right time to emerge."
When is "暝" considered?
No one can say for sure, but after the founding of the nation, the Lion Army moved away from the Emperor Taizu's side and the political center of Beiding. The Lion Army's commander divided the lion-head jade seal in two and appointed two envoys, one principal and one deputy, to be passed down through generations to this day.
When is "time" considered?
No one can say for sure, but ever since the Great Xiao lost Beiding and moved the capital to Nanhua, the descendants of the Lion Army have been restless and have gathered in Feng County, a small place, in a few years.
So it wasn't that Zhao Ziyuan originally intended to recruit so many extraordinary people; Feng County is a place that naturally has its own traditions.
Zhao Youchen's crisis lies in the fact that, after over a century of generational succession, the two Lion Army envoys have gradually lost their common ground, and are even beginning to show signs of conflict. This generation's deputy envoy is exceptionally capable, but has also demonstrated a strong ambition to lead the Lion Army and make a difference in the chaotic world. He does not want another legitimate Lion Army successor to rise above him.
Of course, this was just the deputy envoy's opinion.
Coincidentally, the number twenty-two that Zhao Ziyuan brought to Nanhua was the successor of the Lion Army's chief envoy in this generation.
He knew that although he had a lineage in the Lion Army, he lacked seniority. Neither his martial prowess nor his prestige could compare to the deputy envoy who had not yet stepped down. With the deputy envoy's years of management, the Lion Army had almost gained absolute control over half of the Lion Army.
In other words, this group of people no longer need to see the seals of both the chief and deputy envoys to obey orders; instead, they have chosen to report directly to the deputy envoy.
If no legitimate successor emerges in the Lion Army, this once-renowned founding imperial guard will largely fall under the control of the Ghost Realm Deputy Envoy, who will then inherit the mantle of the Deputy Envoy's family. The original system of succession between the Lion Army's chief and deputy envoys will thus be severed.
From then on, the Lion Army was no longer a part of the Great Xiao Dynasty.
When Number Twenty-Two saw Zhao Youchen's lion head jade, he was indeed pleased that the Lion Army had a successor, but he also knew very well that with Zhao Youchen's abilities and condition at the time, it was impossible for him to take back the Lion Army from the deputy envoy.
Fortunately, after so much time observing Zhao Youchen in Nanhua, he not only observed Zhao Youchen's character and abilities, but also his relationship with Xiao Qing, and carefully observed Xiao Qing's actions as the ruler of the Great Xiao Dynasty. Well... his merits outweighed his flaws.
Most importantly, only by handing the Lion Army over to Zhao Youchen can it return to the center of imperial power and restore its legitimate status. Otherwise, generations of Lion Army descendants will gradually lose themselves in the process of inheritance, unable to find their place or purpose, ultimately becoming tools for personal power struggles and a negative force that further destabilizes the Great Xiao Dynasty.
So, during the journey to Yingzhou with Zhao Youchen, he truly made the most of every minute to train Zhao Youchen. Whatever he knew, he would teach Zhao Youchen with all his heart; whatever he knew, he would tell Zhao Youchen in great detail, for fear of missing anything.
Zhao Youchen has a good foundation and high comprehension. Although some things require time to accumulate and cannot be improved much in a short period of time, his progress along the way is obvious.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
