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

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall.

"This... absolutely cannot be done!" Du Fuchen's face suddenly changed drastically. "Your Majesty is worth a fortune, how can you put yourself in danger?!"

Huo Tao also advised: "Your Majesty, please think twice before you act. How can a ruler of a country go to the border in person?"

Zhu Chun was furious, his hair and beard standing on end. "How can this be? How dare you, a barbarian boy, be so arrogant!"

All the ministers in the hall seconded the motion, and for a moment, the voices of opposition came like a tide.

Your Majesty has not left the capital for several years, and all the ministers are very satisfied with this.

For the ministers, what they fear most is that the emperor would go out for no reason and make a fuss and waste money.

He made six inspection tours to the south of the Yangtze River, consuming countless manpower and financial resources, yet he was still complacent.

There's a dragon boat parade, three visits to Jiangdu, and finally the line "What a beautiful head, who shall chop it off?"

The most incredible thing is that I wanted to join a tour group to Tumubao, but ended up going abroad to study while traveling.

To put it bluntly, the emperor's tour has, if not 100% side effects, at least 80% of them.

When the emperor travels, every ceremony is very particular, not to mention staying in the temporary palace and dispatching troops.

Every day outside is a huge amount of money flowing out.

Moreover, unless you go on a secret visit, you won't be able to see anything when you get there, as local officials have made preparations early on.

Today, Daqing is thriving. As long as the emperor remains firmly in the palace and the country is allowed to develop for another three to five years, it will surely be another prosperous era that will go down in history.

Why take the risk and go to that barren land outside the pass?

What's more, now that Prince Feng holds a large army and his achievements are so great that they threaten the emperor, what if...

Although the probability of this "what if" is extremely small, it is like a thorn that pierces everyone's heart.

Prince Feng is brave and good at fighting, and has made many outstanding achievements. Now he has pacified the Khitan and his prestige is at its peak.

If he had ill intentions, this trip to the northern border would undoubtedly put the emperor in danger.

Emperor Qing sat upright on the dragon throne with a calm expression. As he listened to the advice of his ministers, his eyes became brighter and brighter.

Huo Tao below took a look and immediately closed his eyes silently without saying anything.

Based on his understanding of the emperor, he had already made up his mind and no amount of persuasion would be of any use.

Sure enough, Emperor Qing slowly raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and the hall suddenly fell silent.

"I have made up my mind and will personally go to the capital." Emperor Qing's voice was low, yet it carried undeniable authority. "The barbarians outside the Great Wall have been pacified, and the invincible Fengtian Army is there. This journey will be safe."

"Also, I want to see with my own eyes what Prince Feng has done to develop the land outside the Great Wall in less than two years."

"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable!" Someone stepped out from the stage. It was Qin Huizhi. "Since ancient times, there has never been a precedent for an emperor to travel to a vassal state, let alone for Your Majesty to go to Shangjing, where we had just fought a war."

"Moreover, Prince Feng commands a large army and has always been on good terms with Prince Yan. Your Majesty must be on guard!"

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers looked at Qin Huizhi.

Emperor Qing's expression also turned grim.

Everyone knew that Qin Huizhi and Li Che had a grudge, but no one expected him to be so bold.

This statement almost directly implied that Li Che had rebellious intentions.

But Qin Huizhi had a serious expression on his face, as if he was a loyal minister who was only concerned about the safety of His Majesty.

Of course, Qin Huizhi also knew that King Feng would never rebel, because rebelling would not benefit him at all.

But this is a good opportunity to make trouble for Li Che and show his loyalty to Emperor Qing, so he naturally would not miss it.

Seeing Qin Huizhi like this, Emperor Qing couldn't get angry in public, so he could only scold him gently: "Stop talking nonsense! Che'er and Lin'er are my sons. I trust them."

"I spoke without restraint, Your Majesty, and I beg your pardon." Qin Huizhi hastily admitted his fault. "However, even if Prince Feng and Prince Yan are loyal and filial, Your Majesty is safe. But now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is ill, and Your Majesty is leaving the imperial capital, how will the important affairs of the court be handled? The court cannot be without a ruler for a single day!"

Emperor Qing thought for a moment and looked at Huang Jin: "Among the princes, are there any who have not yet left the capital?"

Huang Jin quickly replied, "A few days ago, Concubine Jing was seriously ill, and Prince Jin has been attending to her by her bedside, so he has been delayed and has not yet left the capital."

"Alright, then let Prince Jin serve as regent." Emperor Qing looked at everyone. "Prince Jin has the talent for civil governance, and with the support of the ministers, I have nothing to worry about."

The ministers looked at each other, their worries growing even more intense.

However, the king had made up his mind, and even though they were unwilling, they could only bow their heads and obey his orders.

Emperor Qing looked towards the north, his eyes were deep, as if they could penetrate through the mountains and rivers.

He believed in his son as much as he believed in himself.

Feng State's power is expanding too fast, and he must find a way to suppress it. This is the emperor's duty.

But despite the suppression, Emperor Qing believed in Li Che and Li Lin, and they would never do anything rebellious.

This is not only the love between father and son, but also the loyalty between ruler and subject.

The war in the northern border has been burning for hundreds and thousands of years. Now that there is an opportunity to bring true peace to the Central Plains, he naturally has the responsibility to do it.

. . . . . .

On that day, when the news that Prince Feng had destroyed the Khitan spread, the entire capital was in an uproar.

A general amnesty and celebration with the people are essential, but there has already been a general amnesty before the New Year, and the Tianlao Prison is almost empty.

The people ran around to tell each other, cheering and celebrating this hard-won victory.

The streets and alleys are filled with the sound of gongs and drums, and every household is decorated with lights and is full of joy.

When the army stationed in the imperial capital received the news, the soldiers felt extremely heroic and admired Li Che even more.

The night watchman hiding in the crowd was so proud of seeing this that he almost burst out, but he could only pretend to be shocked.

The common people and soldiers were celebrating for King Feng, but the people from the aristocratic families were silent.

The more outstanding Li Che's achievements were, the more angry and powerless the aristocratic families felt. They knew that it would become more difficult to bring Li Che down.

The General of Tiance is in a higher position than the three dukes and kings. What a favor!

In addition, the Crown Prince is now seriously ill, so His Majesty’s meaning is very clear.

The aristocratic families dared not even to imagine what kind of disaster they would face if this Prince Feng, who was full of martial virtues but had deep hostility towards the aristocratic families, were allowed to ascend the throne!

In the palace, Emperor Qing hosted a banquet to entertain all officials.

Civil and military officials gathered together and raised their glasses to celebrate this great victory.

At the banquet, there was constant drinking and laughter.

However, before the officials could be happy for long, their own emperor told them what it means to be overjoyed and then be sad.

After three rounds of drinks, Emperor Qing stood up and announced his decision to tour the north and let Prince Jin serve as regent.

All the officials fell silent and looked at Emperor Qing in disbelief.

No, did we hear correctly? Your Majesty is going to the border areas in person?!

Could it be that what we drink today is not rice wine, but white wine that is tributed from Feng State?