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

Since he had decided to seek help from Prince Fu, Li Che set off immediately.

The Princess of Yan is a thoughtful person and needs to take care of three young children, so it is safest for her to stay in the inn.

He left behind Qu Jinshan and several of the most capable night watchmen, and ordered them to stay at all times and protect the safety of Princess Yan and the children.

Li Che's personal guard camp now has five commanders, ranked in order of status and qualifications, namely Hu Qiang, Qiu Bai, Ying Bu, Qu Jinshan, and Zhou Rui.

On this incognito trip, Li Che brought Hu Qiang, Qiu Bai, and Qu Jinshan with him, while Ying Bu and Zhou Rui stayed in Fengguo to look after their families.

After making all the arrangements, Li Che and Li Lin only took Hu Qiang and Qiu Bai with them. The four of them changed into relatively decent but not ostentatious casual clothes, and rode in an ordinary blue cloth carriage, heading towards the Prince Fu's Mansion in the west of Fuzhou City.

The Prince Fu's Palace covers a vast area, occupying almost one-fifth of the area in the west of Fuzhou City.

The courtyard is deep and the vermilion lacquered gate is tightly closed. Two stone lions stand in front of the gate, looking majestic and solemn.

The mansion is surrounded by green trees, the environment is quiet and elegant, and it is obvious that it has been carefully maintained.

Emperor Qing cared about his sons after all. Although he reduced the real power of the princes, he did not treat them harshly in terms of material treatment, and even improved it.

Although Prince Fu is the smallest prince, the palace is still magnificent, which is a clear proof of this.

The carriage stopped in front of the mansion gate, and Qiu Bai went forward and knocked on the door.

There is no pretentious or face-slapping plot. In ancient times, the upper class had a set of customary procedures for visiting people.

Li Che went out with a visiting card, which had the seal of the king on it, so it couldn't be fake.

When the doorman sees the seal, he will naturally invite the person in respectfully.

In novels and TV dramas, if you barge into someone's house without revealing your identity or showing a visiting card, the doorman will definitely not be happy with you, after all, that's their job.

Qiu Bai stepped forward, presented the visiting card, and said calmly, "Please inform His Royal Highness Prince Fu that His Royal Highness Prince Feng and His Royal Highness Prince Yan are here to visit."

The doorman was startled and took the visiting card to examine it carefully. He saw that the visitor was dressed in ordinary clothes but had an extraordinary demeanor. He did not dare to delay and hurried in to pass on the message.

The wait was not long before a burst of hurried and brisk footsteps could be heard from inside the mansion gate, accompanied by the clear and melodious voice of a young man:

"Fourth brother! Sixth brother! Is it really you?!"

Before he finished speaking, a young man of about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, rushed out like a gust of wind.

Li Che looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the man had a handsome face with a bit of childishness. The shadow of Emperor Qing could be vaguely seen between his eyebrows.

It was the tenth prince Li Shen, who was renamed Prince of Fu.

At this moment, Li Neng's face was filled with genuine surprise. He rushed to Li Che and Li Lin in a few steps, and affectionately grabbed one of their arms with one hand, his eyes sparkling:

"Fourth brother! Sixth brother! Why are you here?"

Seeing that their former younger brother was still so affectionate to them, Li Che and Li Lin felt warm in their hearts.

Li Lin laughed and patted Li Neng's shoulder: "Tenth Brother, you've grown a lot taller. You're almost catching up with your sixth brother."

Li Che also smiled slightly: "My fourth brother and I came to Fuzhou for a visit. I thought of my tenth brother being here, so I came to visit him."

"Okay!" Li Neng said excitedly, like a child eager to show off to his brother, pulling the two of them towards the mansion. "Come on, let's talk inside. I miss you guys so much!"

The three brothers exchanged greetings as they entered the palace, with Qiu Bai and Hu Qiang following behind.

Prince Fu's Mansion is very quiet. There are many precious trees planted in it, and you can occasionally hear the sound of birds singing. It is a quiet and elegant place.

After passing through a garden and several ceremonial gates, we arrived at the prince's palace.

Li Che keenly noticed that there were a lot of high-quality wood piled up in the courtyards along the way, emitting a faint pine aroma, and woodworking tools such as axes, chisels, saws and planes were scattered in some corners.

He raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling that these things were somewhat out of tune with the grandeur of the palace.

Arriving at the main hall, the host and guest took their seats.

Prince Fu Li Neng sat down in the main seat, his face still flushed with excitement.

"Ever since my father appointed me to Fuzhou, I haven't spoken to my brothers for a long time. My two royal brothers, please stay for a few more days and let me do my best to be a good host."

Li Che smiled and was about to reply.

A middle-aged civil servant in a dark blue official robe walked in quickly.

But this man had a serious face, about forty years old, and he bowed to Prince Fu, Li Che, and Li Lin meticulously:

"Your humble servant, Gong Qingwen, Chief Clerk of Prince Fu's Palace, greets His Royal Highness Prince Fu and the two... distinguished guests."

He glanced at Li Che and Li Lin's faces with a bit of scrutiny, but he was still cautious in addressing them.

"There's no need to be so polite, Mr. Gong." Prince Fu Li Neng waved his hand, his tone obviously a little more restrained, no longer as relaxed as before.

Li Che noticed this keenly and frowned slightly.

This Gong Changshi appeared respectful and polite, and there was nothing wrong with him. However, Li Che could not hide from his eyes the subconscious alienation and faint fear of Li Neng towards him.

This person was most likely sent by the imperial court to look after the Tenth Brother, and was definitely not a close confidant of the Tenth Brother.

"Master Gong, these two are my fourth and sixth brothers. They are here in Fuzhou to visit me."

Gong Qingwen was shocked.

Although Li Che has not mobilized troops for three years, his influence is still there.

Have you not seen the Feng flag flying near the coast? Have you not seen the Heaven on Earth buildings rising all over Daqing?

Although Feng State has focused on economic development in the past two years, it is still the most powerful vassal state, and the King of Feng is still the King of Feng.

Now that he saw him in person, Gong Qingwen, though always proud, bowed respectfully: "I am Gong Qingwen, the Chief Clerk of Prince Fu's Palace. I greet His Royal Highness Prince Feng and His Royal Highness Prince Yan."

Li Lin nodded, and Li Che also nodded slightly in response, but did not embarrass him.

However, in Gong Qingwen's eyes, it was a different matter.

He came from a prominent family, was highly educated, and always had a high opinion of himself.

Emperor Qing had sent him to Prince Fu as the chief secretary, which had already made him dissatisfied. Now that he saw that Li Che was ignoring him, he was even more unhappy.

Because everyone had their own thoughts, the atmosphere suddenly became cold.

Until the maid beside him served the fragrant tea, Li Che picked up the teacup, pointed casually at the pile of wood outside, and asked Li Neng with a smile:

"Tenth brother, those pieces of wood outside are... I see someone is doing carpentry work in the mansion?"

Upon hearing this, Li Neng showed a hint of youthful interest on his face: "Sixth brother, that's me..."

"To answer your Highness," Gong Qingwen took the lead, his voice calm and composed, "Your Highness Prince Fu occasionally uses carpentry as a hobby to while away the time in his spare time."

"I have repeatedly advised Your Highness to prioritize your studies and study the books of the sages. Such trivial skills are truly unsuitable for your status."

Li Neng opened his mouth, but after being interrupted by Gong Qingwen, the interest on his face instantly disappeared. He lowered his head awkwardly and muttered softly, "I just thought it was interesting..."

Li Che frowned slightly and said in a cold voice: "Did the king ask you?"

Gong Qingwen's eyes flashed with shame and annoyance. He bowed and said, "I am the Chief Clerk of Prince Fu's Palace. I am responsible for supervising Your Highness's studies. I am just fulfilling my duties. Why are you so harsh in your words?"

Hearing this, Li Che and Li Lin's faces instantly turned gloomy.

This guy surnamed Gong...does he really think he’s a big shot?

The dignified Prince Fu, His Majesty's biological son, how can you supervise him?

Li Neng saw that the atmosphere was not right and wanted to change the subject. He raised his head and said to Li Che with an envious tone:

"Sixth brother, from the highest attic in the mansion, I often see your Fengguo fleet entering the harbor. Those ships are so huge and majestic, much more impressive than the Fuzhou navy's ships!"

"I heard you went to faraway places like Luzon and Champa. Isn't the ocean particularly vast and blue?"

Li Che looked at Li Neng, the boy's eyes full of longing for the outside world.

He smiled gently, "Yes, the sea is vast and boundless. If you are interested, Tenth Brother, when Sixth Brother has the fleet dock, I will send someone to take you aboard and take you for a tour of the coastal waters to experience it for yourself."

"Really? That's great!" Li Neng was so excited that he almost jumped up from his chair, his eyes shining brightly.

"Absolutely not!"

Gong Qingwen's voice suddenly sounded like cold water poured over one's head.

He stepped forward and addressed Li Neng righteously, "Your Highness, the Emperor has issued a clear decree that you should remain in Fuzhou, cultivate your character, and stay put. You are not allowed to leave without permission. This is the law of the land! How can you just board a ship and set sail on a whim?"

"Where does this move place the laws of the court? And where does it place the will of Your Majesty? Please reconsider, Your Highness!"

Li Lin was already very angry with Gong Qingwen, and he could no longer hold back.

He slammed the table, glared at me, and started to speak: "Gong Qingwen, fuck you, you are just a student, a seventh-rank official in the palace, what right do you have to show off here?"

"How dare you speak to your master like that? Prince Fu is my brother. If he wants to go to the sea, what's wrong with that? Who are you to tell him what to do?!"

Gong Qingwen blushed at Li Lin's anger and said, "I am an official appointed by the imperial court. How dare Your Highness the Prince of Yan speak so harshly to me?"

He became more and more angry as he spoke, and he couldn't help but straighten his back, his voice becoming clearer and colder:

"Your Highness is the son of Your Majesty and is loyal to Him. As the Chief Clerk of the Prince's Palace, I have the responsibility to advise and assist Your Highness. I would never dare to sacrifice my personal interests for the public good and allow Your Highness to violate the laws of the court! Moreover..."

He changed the subject, his eyes sweeping sharply over Li Che and Li Lin: "Forgive me for speaking frankly, but according to the imperial court regulations, without the permission of Your Majesty or the approval of the Ministry of War, the princes are not allowed to leave their fiefdoms without permission."

"Your Highness the Prince of Yan and Your Highness the Prince of Feng, during their visit to Fuzhou... it seems... they haven't heard of any official imperial decree, right?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall instantly dropped to freezing point.

Not only did Gong Qingwen not give in, he even pointed the finger back. His tough attitude and arrogant attitude showed that Prince Fu had suffered a lot from him in his daily life.

Li Che's eyes turned completely cold. He slowly put down the teacup and said something in a bad tone.