We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

The summer breeze from the imperial capital blew gently, sweeping across the river valley plains, bringing the chirping of cicadas and scorching heat to Xi'an Prefecture.

Xi'an Prefecture was the fief of the King of Qin.

As feudal society continued to develop, a strict hierarchy of titles had emerged. The eldest legitimate son was the crown prince, and the King of Qin was the second legitimate son.

The same was true for Li Zhang. As the second legitimate son, he was greatly favored by Emperor Qing. When he came of age, he was granted a large piece of land in the northwest as a vassal state.

The Guanzhong region has always been a prosperous and wealthy place, but due to the turmoil of Emperor Yang of the Huan Dynasty and years of war, all industries in Guanzhong declined and the people had a hard time living.

After Li Zhang became a vassal, Emperor Qing repeatedly asked him to treat the people well and give them rest.

Obviously, Li Zhang listened to Emperor Qing's instructions and teachings, and did a satisfactory job in treating the people.

But as a lord, he is a little too cruel.

"Your Majesty, Daqing has its own etiquette. The five-clawed emperor, the four-clawed princes, and the three-clawed officials. As a vassal king, how can you use such an overreaching object as the five-clawed dragon bed?!"

A minister knelt on the ground and tried to persuade him earnestly.

In front of us is an exquisitely crafted dragon bed made of fine and luxurious materials, and the carving on it is a lifelike five-clawed golden dragon.

Sitting on the dragon bed was a young man about thirty years old.

He has sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and tightly pursed lips, and he has an innate noble temperament.

There was a hint of harshness and sharpness between his brows, and the corners of his eyes were slightly raised, as if he always had a hint of imperceptible contempt.

Li Zhang replied impatiently, "It's just a dragon bed. I'm the leader of all the kings. How can I be so presumptuous?"

"Precisely because you are the leader of all the kings, you must be more careful in what you say and do and set an example for the many vassal kings of Daqing!" the minister continued to advise.

"Enough!" Li Zhang flipped the incense burner beside him, and the ash sprinkled all over the minister. "You old dog, the emperor sent you here to assist me, not to teach me a lesson!"

The minister, regardless of his messy appearance, stood up and looked Li Zhang in the face. "As an official of the Prince of Qin's palace, it is my duty to report and advise!"

"Okay, okay!" Li Zhang laughed in anger. "Persuade me, huh? Come here! Cut off his tongue. I want to see how you can persuade me without a mouthpiece!"

Several guards from the Prince of Qin's palace pounced on the minister like wolves and tigers and captured him.

The minister cursed furiously, and Li Zhang's anger grew even stronger: "What are you standing there for? Cut it off for me!"

The guards no longer hesitated. Two of them held the minister's hands and feet, while the other pulled out a dagger and cut off a bloody tongue in a few strokes.

The minister stammered and rolled on the ground in pain. Not long after, he bled excessively and stopped breathing.

The eunuch beside Li Zhang immediately waved his hands and said, "Throw it out! Don't let it offend the king!"

The guards dragged the minister away in silence, leaving a long trail of blood along the way.

"Your Majesty, this man was just a minor official. It doesn't matter if he died. But I'm afraid his family will go to the imperial capital to make trouble. What do you think?" The eunuch asked Li Zhang flatteringly.

"Just do it the same way as before." Li Zhang said indifferently.

"Yes."

This was not the first time that the King of Qin had done such a thing.

Li Zhang abused private punishment in the palace, and his torture methods were countless. For example, he buried palace maids in the snow and froze them to death, tied them to trees and starved them to death, burned them to death, cut off their tongues, gouged out their eyes...

This made the palace maids and servants in the palace tremble with fear, fearing that their lives were in danger, and they lived in fear every day.

According to the Daqing laws, criminals in the princes' residences had to be escorted to the imperial capital for trial and punishment. However, Li Zhang was afraid that these people would reveal his brutal acts after arriving in the imperial capital, so he simply killed them all.

Not only that, in order to prevent anyone from going to the capital to file a complaint, he also specially arranged for his confidants to intercept them on the necessary route, and those who refused to return would be beaten to death on the spot!

"Report—" a guard's voice came from outside the door, "Your Majesty, there is an imperial decree from the capital!"

Li Zhang felt guilty and shuddered when he heard that.

But then he thought again, he had just executed a minister, and even his father did not have the ability to see through the eyes, so it was impossible for him to know so quickly.

It must be just a coincidence.

Li Zhang waved his hand, and the guard immediately handed over the letter.

After opening the letter and reading it, Li Zhang's expression suddenly became subtle:

"Forty thousand defeated one hundred and forty thousand? The Khitan Khan begged for surrender? Is this still that useless Li Che?"

After putting down the letter, Li Zhang's expression became increasingly gloomy.

Not all the kings enfeoffed in Daqing were as stupid as the crown prince.

Li Zhang knew very well that although he was not in the capital, he was not without the opportunity to succeed to the throne.

The prince is a stupid, evil, disabled good-for-nothing. That position should be mine!

However, his younger brothers are too capable. First there was the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Yan, and now even the low-key Prince of Feng has emerged!

Why do they have to fight with me? Why don't they just die?!

Li Zhang clenched the letter in his hand and opened the imperial edict with an expressionless face.

Then his expression became more subtle.

"Are the kings returning to the capital?"

Li Zhang was stunned for a moment, his thin lips curled up slightly, and a cold light flashed in his eyes:

"Maybe, it's a good opportunity!"

. . . . . .

The Prince of Jin’s Mansion also received the battle report and the imperial edict.

Unlike the Qin Palace, the Jin Palace was not extravagant or licentious. Instead, it was very frugal, even a little shabby.

Prince Jin silently put down the letter, and the anxiety and irritation in his eyes could not be concealed.

"Sir, my sixth brother has also made great progress." The King of Jin said in a gentle voice, "I just feel that this road is becoming more and more difficult."

The counselor beside him said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Although Prince Feng is brave and courageous, he is not a legitimate son after all. He lacks the legal basis to inherit the throne."

"What's more, his mother is Princess Xin'an of the previous dynasty, and she has the blood of the Huan Dynasty royal family. Your Majesty will definitely not choose him."

Prince Jin shook his head, a bitter look on his face. "I know my father. He is a resolute and prudent ruler. The so-called legal principles cannot restrain his thoughts."

Upon hearing this, the counselor remained silent.

After a moment, he slowly said:

"But you have the support of the Hedong noble families and the financial support of the Shanxi merchants. Prince Feng is in a barbaric land and has offended the noble families. It is not worth mentioning to you."

"What's more, Daqing's most elite cavalry is under your command. If the situation really develops to that point, the Jin cavalry may be able to advance straight down..."

Facing the counselor's rebellious words, the King of Jin did not react at all, as if he was accustomed to it:

"Sir, what you said makes sense. If you want to compete for that position, you still have to rely on your strength."

He looked outside the palace and through the back door, there was a vast training ground.

Thousands of heavily armored cavalrymen were running in the field, and the sound of their huge iron hooves was like a landslide.

If the title of King of Qin is given to the second son, it is usually reserved for the legitimate son.

Then the title of King of Jin was reserved for the emperor's most beloved son.

At the beginning of the founding of Daqing, there were no more than 10,000 armored cavalrymen, but the King of Jin had 5,000 armored cavalrymen under his command, accounting for half of the total number.

In addition to the favor of Emperor Qing, it is also inseparable from the strong support of local wealthy families and businessmen.

Shanxi has a long history of commercial capital and rich mineral resources. It has been a fertile land since the pre-Qin period.

. . . . . .

The Prince of Yan's Mansion is like a fortress.

"Hahaha." Li Lin raised his hand and drank the white wine in the glass, his face flushed. "This wine that Sixth Brother gave me is really strong. It goes down my throat for a long time and it's really enjoyable!"

Princess Yan slowly walked out of the room, picked up the wine jug and filled it for Li Lin, then asked softly:

"Why are you in the mood to drink today? Is there something happy happening?"

Li Lin smiled and said, "It's that guy Lao Liu. He sent an envoy through Yandi a few days ago. I knew something was wrong, but the envoy was very tight-lipped and didn't say a word."

"Today, my father sent me the battle report and the imperial edict. I learned that the Sixth Brother had actually defeated the enemy with a small force and won a great victory!"

"This battle was fought beautifully! Lao Liu is so brave. The barbarians outside the Great Wall must be trembling in fear. The Hu people on the grassland will also be wary of him. The pressure on our Yan land has been greatly reduced."

Princess Yan was surprised and said, "Prince Feng has never joined the army, yet he has such ability. Is there really someone in the world who is born with this knowledge?"

Li Lin shook his head: "Who cares where he learned it from? If he can beat the barbarians, he's my good brother!"

After saying that, he looked at the white wine on the table again, with a soft look in his eyes: "What's more, Lao Liu is a man of loyalty and righteousness. Even though he was in such a difficult situation outside the pass, he still remembered to send something to this king."

Princess Yan nodded, said no more, sat next to Li Lin, and gently held Li Lin's hand.

Li Lin held her hand in his own and whispered, "Father also said that at the end of this year, all the princes will be allowed to come to the capital so that the whole family can celebrate the New Year together. When the time comes, you will come back with me and bring Xian'er with you. Father will probably miss his grandson too."

Upon hearing this, Princess Yan frowned slightly.

"Your Majesty has always been frugal and dislikes vassal princes coming to the capital without reason, fearing that it will waste people's money and resources. Why did you suddenly summon the princes back to the capital this time?"

"Father is old and is almost at the end of his life. He misses his children and grandchildren." Li Lin replied.

Princess Yan shook her head and picked up the imperial edict: "I'm afraid it's not that simple. You are not allowed to disturb the people, you are not allowed to mobilize troops, and the number of followers cannot exceed 300..."

"This doesn't seem like a call for a reunion of the kings, but rather a warning to them."

Li Lin's body trembled when he heard this, and he sobered up a lot.

Yes, if you really want all the kings to celebrate the Spring Festival together, shouldn’t it be as grand as possible? It’s not a bad thing.

During the Daqing Dynasty, compared with previous dynasties, the power of the vassal kings was indeed too great.

Especially in recent years, although Li Lin was busy suppressing the Yan family and fighting against the northern Hu, he still had some understanding of the situation of other vassal states.

His second and third brothers, as well as other vassal kings, could not be considered honest.

"Hiss—" Li Lin took a breath, "Princess, you're absolutely right. I need to keep a low profile on this trip, so as not to offend my father."

"Your Highness should also write a letter to Prince Feng, giving him a subtle reminder." Princess Yan said softly, "Prince Feng is young, and he has accomplished such a great feat. His youthful arrogance will inevitably lead him to show off."

"Your Highness, by explaining the pros and cons clearly, you are doing Prince Feng a favor."

"That's right, I'm going to write a letter to Lao Liu right now!"

Li Lin stood up suddenly and looked at the Princess of Yan with a fiery gaze: "It is said that one should marry a virtuous woman. The ancients were not wrong."

A hint of shyness flashed in Princess Yan's eyes, while Li Lin's eyes showed a bit more tenderness.

He suddenly squatted down and picked up Princess Yan.

Princess Yan exclaimed, then scolded, "Your Highness, aren't you going to write a letter to Prince Feng?"

"Let Lao Liu wait!" Li Lin laughed. "I'll give him a nephew first, then we can talk about writing a letter!"

After saying that, he rushed straight to the bedroom.