Exiled to the Frontier, He Became the Empire’s Most Powerful Lord - Chapter 3

Zhou Lingfeng’s gaze also fell on Chang Ningshuang’s playful face, and he couldn’t help but tighten his grip on her hands.

Chang Ningshuang possesses the Martial Saint Body. He entered the Yunxin Palace at the age of ten and his cultivation has already reached the peak of the third rank.

Martial arts cultivation is divided into nine ranks, and each rank is further divided into four stages: initial stage, intermediate stage, advanced stage, and peak stage!

The strongest among the first-rank individuals is one of the few in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

Those who can reach the second rank are already quite famous. Even Tie Xuan and Huo En are only at the peak of the second rank!

According to previous memories, the first person Yunxin Palace and the Left Prime Minister’s Mansion tried to win over was the former Crown Prince Zhou Lingfeng.

The moment Chang Ningshuang appeared, Hong Jiuming sensed danger, and his gaze became extremely sharp.

Hong Jiuming will intervene if she makes any unusual move!

“Seventh Brother, we’ll pay for this money, so please don’t make things difficult for your Fifth Brother!”

Chang Ningshuang looked at Zhou Lingfeng and spoke softly.

“My sister-in-law is still as gentle as ever! She’s truly unforgettable!”

“That figure, that feel…”

“If I don’t want money right now, I can just take the person…”

Zhou Lingfeng deliberately began to provoke Zhou Zhen.

“Shameless! That’s your fifth sister-in-law!”

“We’re willing to pay!”

Zhou Zhen couldn’t help but shout.

How could he possibly watch his woman be pushed down by Zhou Lingfeng again!

“Okay, I’m a man of my word! As long as the money is there, everything is negotiable!”

Zhou Lingfeng continued with a simple, honest smile.

Chang Ningshuang’s expression at this moment was extremely beautiful, but she knew that there was no desire in Zhou Lingfeng’s eyes at all.

You seem a little different than before!

“It seems we’ve been underestimating you all along.”

Chang Ningshuang exuded a faint fragrance, and her gaze towards Zhou Lingfeng became even more profound.

A captivating vortex seemed to flow within her beautiful eyes.

Mo Li had been watching Chang Ning Shuang closely, but his expression suddenly became confused.

“Your eyes are so wide open, trying to tempt me? After three years, do you really want to do it again?”

Zhou Lingfeng suddenly said jokingly.

Chang Ning Shuang, the most beautiful woman in the Great Zhou Dynasty, is virtually unmatched.

If there were a second time they could make love, it would never last just a few seconds like last time!

Chang Ningshuang’s pretty face suddenly showed a look of stunned anger.

She hadn’t expected that Zhou Lingfeng would show no abnormalities under her Chang Family Pupil-Seizing Technique!

Even Mo Li, a woman, was affected, so how could this person act as if nothing had happened?

“I heard that His Majesty wants you to persuade Tie Xuan to withdraw his troops, and then grant you permission to choose a concubine to enter a fiefdom, far away from Shengjing.”

“I’m willing to offer another million, I hope it’s not me, otherwise you’ll be the one who dies!”

Chang Ningshuang could only compromise and continue speaking. With her strength, killing Zhou Lingfeng would be an easy task.

“Okay, sister-in-law is so straightforward.”

“Although my sister-in-law is pretty, her skills are terrible, she’s like a dead fish! If you have the chance, you can take her to the brothel and give her a good lesson!”

Zhou Lingfeng waved his hand, seemingly reluctantly giving up.

“Here’s two million. Release them immediately!”

Although Chang Ningshuang didn’t fully understand what the dead fish meant, she knew that the Jiaofangsi (a government-run entertainment institution) was definitely not a good thing.

Isn’t it just a way to extort more money?

As long as Zhou Lingfeng doesn’t make an absurd demand like “sleeping with him again,” she’s willing to accept anything.

She readily tossed out twenty silver notes, her pretty face as cold as frost.

“Mo Li, take the money! Hong Jiuming, release the prisoners!”

Zhou Lingfeng said in a deep voice, and Mo Li only then seemed to wake up from a dream.

Chang Ningshuang stormed off with the Fifth Prince Zhou Zhen in a huff!

As for the two guards, she couldn’t be bothered with them; she could let Zhou Lingfeng deal with them however he wanted.

“The Fifth Princess Consort is very powerful!”

Hong Jiuming then spoke solemnly.

“How does it compare to you?”

Zhou Lingfeng asked casually.

“Give me another year, and I might be able to catch up with her!”

Hong Jiuming grinned.

“Your Majesty, why didn’t you kill that little eunuch just now?”

“We’ve finally got a chance, we should kill them all!”

On the way back, Zhou Zhen dragged his broken leg and kept complaining.

“That little eunuch is very strong. If a fight really breaks out, His Majesty’s men will find out immediately!”

“Also, we are not officially married yet, so please don’t call me Imperial Concubine.”

Chang Ningshuang coldly replied.

Zhou Zhen immediately shut up.

In front of this woman, he was willing to be the most pathetic lapdog in the world.

“Zhou Lingfeng’s temperament has changed drastically, making him difficult to understand! Could he also be a martial arts master who has been hiding something all along?”

“No matter what, we absolutely cannot let him go to the northern frontier!”

Chang Ning’s idea was fleeting!

She is the daughter of the Left Prime Minister and the Holy Maiden of Yunxin Palace who has entered the mortal world. Choosing the Fifth Prince is tantamount to placing the future fortune of the sect on Zhou Zhen.

Zhou Lingfeng told Mo Li to put away the silver notes!

For the past three years, he has been enduring hardship and biding his time, focusing on surviving.

He also knew that staying in the palace was actually the most dangerous thing to do.

Only by leaving will he have a chance!

“Your Highness, we’ve made such a fortune, we must eat well today!”

Mo Li said with a smug look on her face.

“You and Hong Jiuming should eat more, I might not be able to finish!”

Zhou Lingfeng shook his head.

Tie Xuan caused such a big commotion that all the major forces had been watching and probing for more than a month.

The fact that Zhou Zhen came to kill him like a madman today means that Emperor Yuanwu has already made a decision.

“Imperial decree has arrived! Seventh Prince Zhou Lingfeng, receive the decree!”

At this moment, the eunuch in red robes slowly stepped into Xian’an Palace and whispered a command.

A powerful pressure suddenly swept over.

“Greetings, Master An!”

Hong Jiuming and Mo Li became nervous upon seeing the eunuch and hurriedly bowed.

This is An Ruhai, the chief eunuch in charge of imperial affairs for Emperor Yuanwu. He is a top figure even in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

Legend has it that this Grand Eunuch in charge of the seal was a first-rank Grandmaster, but no one has ever seen him make a move!

Perhaps this is just a rumor.

“Eunuch An, please forgive my disability that prevents me from kneeling to receive the imperial decree!”

Zhou Lingfeng remained calm, showing no sign of fear.

“His Majesty has already shown grace; the Seventh Prince may sit and receive the decree!”

An Ruhai dissipated his aura and smiled with satisfaction.

“I hereby order the Seventh Prince, Zhou Lingfeng, to come to the Imperial Study immediately!”

An Ruhai said solemnly.

“Your subject obeys! Hong Jiuming, push me to see Your Majesty!”

Zhou Lingfeng gave the order!

The Imperial Study was completely silent at this moment!

Emperor Yuanwu, the Imperial Preceptor, the Left and Right Chancellors, and the Censor-in-Chief all waited quietly for Zhou Lingfeng’s arrival.

With the New Year fast approaching, if Tie Xuan doesn’t withdraw his troops before the New Year, it will be difficult for Emperor Yuanwu to save face.

Moreover, with Horn confronting Tie Xuan, the daily food supply for these hundreds of thousands of soldiers and servants is considerable; they are simply money-burning machines, and even the largest fortune cannot withstand such a drain.

If a crippled and deposed crown prince could be used to force Tie Xuan to relinquish his military power and then demote him to the frontier, this deal would be an incredibly worthwhile one.

Hong Jiuming pushed the wheelchair behind the red-robed eunuch, and soon they could see the brightly lit Imperial Study.

The power of emperors has long been deeply ingrained in people’s minds.

However, for Zhou Lingfeng’s soul from another world, it wasn’t anything special.

Moreover, the identity of this deposed crown prince and everything he had experienced were at least tacitly approved by Emperor Yuanwu.

Based on the memories of the previous owner, how could a perfect, virtuous, and unassuming woman like the Empress Dowager possibly want to rebel!

This was something that not only Emperor Yuanwu was fully aware of, but all the important officials must have known as well.

Although Zhou Lingfeng is a soul from another world, since he has taken over this body, he naturally has to accept all the consequences.

“Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince has arrived!”

The eunuch in red robes whispered outside the imperial study.

“Let him in!”

Emperor Yuanwu said calmly, his voice so cold it was devoid of any emotion.

“Seventh Prince, once you go inside, please do not anger His Majesty. You must speak politely!”

Suddenly, Zhou Lingfeng heard An Zhangyin’s voice.

The eunuch’s body seemed to be shrouded in a mist, and even Zhou Lingfeng could not detect the flow of his true essence, just like an ordinary person.

However, the fact that Master An was able to send a telepathic message to him at this moment was clearly a form of care.

The sound of a wheelchair soon echoed in the Imperial Study!

All eyes instinctively turned to Zhou Lingfeng at that moment.

I was quite surprised at first glance!

Although Zhou Lingfeng was sitting in a wheelchair and his face was somewhat pale, he did not look disheveled.

This is far removed from the image of the deposed crown prince who had fallen from power, was physically disabled, and was forced to accept handouts.

“Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty and the Imperial Preceptor!”

Zhou Lingfeng, sitting in his wheelchair, bowed.

Emperor Yuanwu did not speak, but simply stared at him intently!

An eerie silence suddenly descended upon the imperial study.

Everyone’s nerves tightened, wondering what the supreme ruler on the throne was thinking.

Princess Zhaoyang wore a veil, her expression calm, though a strange light flickered in her beautiful eyes!

She sensed that Zhou Lingfeng seemed to have changed, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Zhou Lingfeng kept his head down and remained completely still.

Emperor Yuanwu stared at him indifferently, the two of them like lifeless wooden sculptures.

At this moment, it seemed as if the entire power core of the vast Great Zhou Dynasty had ceased to function.

“Rise, no need for formalities!”

Finally, Emperor Yuanwu’s voice rang out softly, and the tense atmosphere in the imperial study eased somewhat.

“Seventh Brother, do you know your crime?!”

Emperor Yuanwu’s cold voice immediately followed, subtly containing murderous intent.

“Your Majesty, I have humbly obeyed your decree and been confined to Xian’an Palace. For the past three years, I have been reflecting on my actions, but I do not know what crime I have committed! However, since Your Majesty believes that I am guilty, I am willing to confess my sins!”

Zhou Lingfeng straightened his body.

“Heh, your good uncle Tie Xuan personally led 300,000 Northern troops south, didn’t you know?”

Emperor Yuanwu said coldly.

“Tie Xuan is first and foremost the Grand Marshal of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and only secondly my maternal uncle. What I know is merely what the world knows!”

Zhou Lingfeng replied calmly.

“It’s been three years, and your tongue has certainly gotten sharper!”

Emperor Yuanwu suddenly sneered.

The reason Zhou Lingfeng was appointed as the crown prince was simply because he was mediocre. Unexpectedly, he improved somewhat after being deposed for three years.

Emperor Yuanwu’s gaze fell on Zhou Lingfeng’s knees. He was already crippled in this life, and even with Tie Xuan’s 300,000 Northern Army, he was no longer qualified to succeed to the throne.

The Great Zhou Dynasty could not possibly accept a crippled emperor; no legitimate dynasty had ever done so before.

“Thank you for the praise, Father!”

Zhou Lingfeng’s words caused Emperor Yuanwu’s lips to twitch slightly.

Is he genuinely stupid, or is he pretending? He seems to think he’s praising him.

“Tie Xuan committed treason, do you think he should be killed?”

Emperor Yuanwu asked coldly.

“Old fox, whether to kill or not is entirely up to you.”

Zhou Lingfeng cursed inwardly; this was indeed a difficult question to answer.

Whether Zhou Lingfeng says to kill or not, Emperor Yuanwu might pin a heavy accusation on him and make Tie Xuan take the blame.

However, as a modern person, he naturally wouldn’t leave any evidence against him so easily!

Zhou Lingfeng’s mind raced, his body straightened even more, and then he raised his head to look Yuan Wu Emperor in the eye!

As the ruler of a country, the intimidation in his eyes is no less than that of a first-rank grandmaster!

“Father, Tie Xuan cannot die yet. He still needs to fight the Turks for the Great Zhou!”

“To sacrifice oneself for one’s country in times of crisis, to regard death as returning home!”

“Your subject is willing to commit suicide in place of Tie Xuan to repay the Emperor’s grace.”

Zhou Lingfeng suddenly faced death, speaking with great passion and fervor.

“To sacrifice oneself for one’s country in times of crisis, to regard death as returning home. Is this… is this really something a former deposed crown prince could say?”

“If he weren’t crippled, with such determination, he might still have a chance to contend for the throne!”

Several high-ranking officials were completely dumbfounded; Zhou Lingfeng had become a completely different person this week.

Looking at the other princes of the dynasty, none of them dared to look His Majesty in the eye, let alone have such a bearing!