Li Zhu smiled at Eunuch Tang. He knew exactly what Eunuch Tang was thinking, especially since the latter's last words carried a hint of threat. After all, with him not around, Eunuch Tang could say whatever he wanted. If he were to say a few bad things about him, Li Zhu might have to step down from his position as Crown Prince…
Eunuch Tang returned a sheepish smile. Both sides understood each other's thoughts; now it was a matter of who would choose. He certainly wouldn't speak ill of Li Zhu, nor was he threatening him. He simply wanted Li Zhu to share the Emperor's anger with him…
"Uncle Tang, don't worry, I'll go back with you..."
Li Zhu still decided to go with Eunuch Tang. He was leaving Luoyang tomorrow, and he had to at least see his father, the Emperor…
Imperial Study!
The Emperor paced back and forth, feeling that sending Eunuch Tang to snatch the person was a bit reckless, and that it might anger Li Zhu...
Just as he was deeply conflicted, Eunuch Tang's voice came from outside.
"Your Majesty, this servant has brought His Highness the Crown Prince back!"
Crown Prince?
The Emperor was taken aback. Wasn't he sent to bring back that group of Taoist priests? Why was the Crown Prince brought back instead? Could something have gone wrong?
This made him somewhat anxious and uncertain. In order to maintain his dignity, the emperor adjusted his thoughts before speaking.
"Come in..."
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"
"Get up..."
"His Majesty…"
Eunuch Tang called out "Your Majesty," intending to explain the situation, but the Emperor had no intention of listening and interrupted him directly.
"Okay, I understand..."
"Zhu'er, you should know what I'm thinking. You can't take those Taoist priests away..."
Upon hearing his father's words, Li Zhu sighed inwardly. He understood his father's intentions perfectly and knew that his father had guessed he was using these Taoist priests to create gunpowder. However, the other side still didn't know what gunpowder was, but that didn't diminish their emphasis on this strategic resource…
“Father, I understand what you mean, but these Taoist priests don’t even know what they’re doing. The key information is still in my mind. Even if you keep the Taoist priests here, it won’t do you any good. It’s better to let me take them with me and have them help me…”
Li Zhu explained helplessly, hoping that his father, the emperor, could understand!
The Emperor paused for a moment, then looked at Li Zhu and said...
"I regret sending you to Xiliang now..."
Hearing his father's words, Li Zhu felt a sense of satisfaction. "So you looked down on me, so you ignored me. Now you can't even reach me anymore, can you?"
"Father, I will always be your son..."
Li Zhu had to pledge his loyalty at this point, otherwise it would be difficult to say whether he could leave alive. Since ancient times, the struggle for the throne has always been bloody and cruel, and it is rare for fathers and sons to be loving and affectionate...
The Emperor looked at Li Zhu before him, understood Li Zhu's meaning, and then he sighed and said...
"Yes, don't worry, you will always be the Crown Prince of the New Tang Dynasty..."
Both gave each other the promises they wanted. Li Zhu expressed that he would not pass on important things to foreign lands, and the emperor also expressed that as long as he was loyal to the new Tang Dynasty, he would be the crown prince of the new Tang Dynasty…
"Thank you, Father..."
"Alright, I'm tired too. You can go now..."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave..."
Li Zhu respectfully left the imperial study and hurriedly returned to the Eastern Palace to prepare for his departure…
When a crown prince travels, his attire and entourage are quite elaborate, and these have already been prepared. What he needs to prepare are some personal items...
Liao Dynasty!
The northern landscape is a scene of ice and snow stretching for miles...
Although such a scene did not exist in the Liao Kingdom at this moment, the temperature had already dropped considerably…
The bleak wind blew against my face like a blade. On the boundless grassland, warhorses neighed, and herdsmen waved their long sleeves while making sounds by slurping their tongues in their mouths…
Upon hearing the herdsmen's voices, the warhorses immediately began to gallop, kicking up clouds of dust across the grassland...
A burly man walked across the grassland, and even as warhorses galloped past him, nothing hindered his progress…
"We've finally arrived. This northern region is truly a harsh and cold place..."
The speaker was none other than the Dragon King, who had come to Liao to challenge the ascetic monks. In Liao, the ascetic monks were a special existence. Generally, only the core members of the royal family knew of their existence. Unless Liao faced a life-or-death crisis, such beings would never appear in the palace, as such a luxurious place was incompatible with the ascetic monks' philosophy of practice.
The ascetic monk's whereabouts are elusive; even the Dragon King would find it difficult to locate him, and could only search in the places where the ascetic monk might appear…
He had been searching in the Liao Kingdom for many days. If he went any further, he would be leaving the Liao Kingdom, and that place would not only be a bitterly cold land, but practically a forbidden zone for life...
That area is suitable for growing potatoes, but there's a lack of people from Japan to dig them up...
The Dragon King sat cross-legged, his inner power surging like rivers and seas, his powerful aura slowly spreading out. This aura would not affect ordinary people, but once the ascetic monk sensed his presence, he would definitely appear immediately. This was a provocative act, and even if the ascetic monk was indifferent to worldly affairs, he had to respond!
The warhorses neighed, agitated by the Dragon King's aura. Animals' senses are far more acute than those of ordinary people, and naturally, they would feel an instinctive fear in the face of such an aura…
The wind rises!
The sand and stones that were flying around randomly suddenly began to tilt to the left and then to the right in mid-air, as if guided by someone…
The Dragon King opened his eyes and saw a withered old man, as if he had crawled out of a grave, slowly walking towards him. With each step he took, the flying sand and stones pressed closer to the Dragon King...
But the Dragon King was not to be outdone. With each breath, it was as if he were striking a morning bell and evening drum, pushing back the pressing sand and stones...
A slight smile appeared on the Dragon King's lips; he had finally found the ascetic at the very end…
He looked at the emaciated old man and couldn't understand his way of practicing asceticism. He insisted on torturing himself into a state that was neither human nor ghost. It was only because of him that he was like this. If an ordinary person saw an ascetic monk like this, they would probably be scared half to death, thinking that some old man had come back to life...
"haven't seen you for a long time…"
The Dragon King slowly rose and greeted the ascetic monk as if he were a long-lost friend!
The ascetic's face was withered and emaciated, completely unrecognizable. He didn't open his mouth, but a chilling voice rang out in mid-air.
"Dragon King, you are in your Central Plains, why have you come to the Liao Kingdom?"
Upon hearing the ascetic's question, the Dragon King smiled slightly and looked at the ascetic, saying...
"Of course I'm itching to beat you up..."
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