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

Dalian Port.

The huge warship slowly approached the shore. Li Che stood at the bow, his black royal robe fluttering in the wind.

When he set his sights on the welcoming team and saw the faces in the front row, Li Che's brows instantly furrowed.

"It looks like trouble is coming." Li Che said to Li Lin, who was holding the little brown bear cub beside him.

Li Lin was stunned when he heard this. He followed Li Che's gaze and the relaxed look on his face quickly faded.

"Hiss... this scene... is truly extraordinary!"

However, most of the people in the welcoming team were our own people, but there were also many unfamiliar faces.

The appearance of Zhang Shengxiang was expected. This former commander of the Dalian Corps has now been appointed Governor of Liaoning Province.

This person has always been respectful and cautious. Even though he is now a high-ranking official in Fengguo, he still came all the way from Chaoyang City, the provincial capital.

But the appearance of several other people surprised Li Che and even made him a little alert.

Standing next to Zhang Shengxiang was Xue Zhen, the commander of Shanhaiguan.

Although Shanhaiguan was under the actual control of Feng State, Xue Zhen was still a border general appointed by the court and his identity was sensitive.

If there was no extremely important reason, he would never have left the defense zone so openly and appeared at the Dalian port to greet Li Che.

Not to mention the middle-aged man next to Xue Zhen, who was wearing the Duke's uniform and had a calm demeanor.

It turned out to be his father-in-law, Duke Zheng Chang Pan!

Li Che never expected that his cheap father-in-law would appear here now, even though he didn't come to Fengguo for his wedding.

A provincial governor, a border general, and a noble duke are already a very strong lineup, but none of them stands in the C position.

Standing in the front of the crowd was an old man wearing a red robe and with a graceful demeanor.

Li Che also knew this person. He was a high-ranking official in the court and one of Emperor Qing's most trusted and close ministers, the Minister of Rites Yang Lian.

Yang Lian is a powerful minister with great authority and a very high reputation. He will not leave Beijing easily.

The things involved that could make him leave the capital and go to Fengguo in person were definitely extraordinary.

"Alas." Li Che sighed slightly.

I had thought that after the war I could take a break, go to the bathhouse to take a long bath, and watch some singing and dancing... But now it seems like a pipe dream.

As the warship slowly approached, Wen Zaiyin on the ship also saw the situation on the shore clearly.

The mature and prudent counselor's expression also became solemn, and he whispered to Li Che:

"Your Highness, the important officials of the court have gathered here. I'm afraid that something big has happened in the court. Your Highness needs to make a plan to deal with it as soon as possible."

Li Che nodded slightly: "It's quite a big deal. I don't know what the emperor's intention is."

When the ship is stable, the gangway will be lowered.

Li Che walked down first, followed closely by Li Lin, and surrounded by trusted generals such as Wen Zaiyin, Wang Sanchun, and Ying Bu.

Everyone on the shore shouted in unison and bowed in greeting:

"Your Highness, we respectfully welcome your triumphant return!"

Li Che walked steadily towards the vermilion figure in the front and said cheerfully:

"It's Lord Yang himself! I'm so rude for not welcoming you."

Facing this highly respected court official, Li Che still gave him enough face in terms of courtesy.

Yang Lian is nearly sixty years old. Although his hair and beard are gray and his face is gaunt, his eyes are sharp and bright.

Seeing Li Che's initiative to greet him, he immediately put on a gentle smile, bowed deeply, and said in a very humble manner: "Old minister Yang Lian, I pay my respects to His Majesty the Prince of Feng!"

"Your Highness has made great contributions in the expedition to Japan, and has enhanced the prestige of Daqing. I, an old minister, have been ordered to come here to welcome the king. How can I be said to be neglectful? It is I who am disturbing Your Highness."

Li Che stepped forward and helped Yang Lian up: "Mr. Yang, you are too kind."

Then, he turned to Tokiwa who was standing beside him and said, "I greet my father-in-law."

Duke Chang Pan of Zheng dared not accept Li Che's full greeting, so he quickly stepped aside and returned the greeting, saying, "Your Highness has returned safely. I am deeply relieved."

At the moment when the father-in-law and son-in-law's eyes met, Li Che keenly caught a hint that flashed quickly in Chang Pan's eyes.

Seeing that there was no anxiety or worry in those eyes, but instead a hint of joy, Li Che felt relieved.

It seems that the news brought to me by my cheap father is not bad news, but may even be good news.

Li Che nodded slightly to Xue Zhen, Zhang Shengxiang and others. Xue Zhen responded with a calm look, while Zhang Shengxiang looked respectful.

After the pleasantries, Li Che got straight to the point: "I wonder why Minister Yang has come to Fengguo in person this time? Does the emperor have any instructions?"

Yang Lian still wore that gentle smile, as if everything was under control. "Your Highness, you have traveled across the ocean and are exhausted. Why don't you go into the city to rest for a while, bathe, change clothes, and relieve your fatigue? I will then report to Your Highness."

Li Che replied: "It's okay. I have been resting on the boat for several days. I still have to focus on state affairs."

"Although state affairs are serious, there is no need to rush at this moment." Yang Lianxiao still smiled, "Your Majesty has an imperial decree, Your Highness should still..."

Li Che understood.

Yang Lian's thoughtfulness showed that what was about to happen was of great importance and required a formal occasion and ceremony.

It is likely that Emperor Qing received his memorial and asked Yang Lian to bring him a reward.

And it should be a more formal reward, the kind that requires bathing and changing clothes to receive the order.

"Mr. Yang is considerate, and I appreciate it." Li Che continued, "Since it is the emperor's will, I will treat it seriously."

"In that case, please wait a moment, Lord Yang, so that I can change my clothes."

He then turned to Zhang Shengxiang and said, "Governor Zhang, please entertain Minister Yang and the other officials well on behalf of this prince."

"I obey your command, Your Highness. Please rest assured!" Zhang Shengxiang immediately bowed and accepted the order.

Li Che said no more and strode towards Dalian City surrounded by his personal guards.

When passing by Xue Zhen, he paused slightly and gave him a very slight look.

Xue Zhen understood what he meant and silently left the welcoming team, following Li Che and his group not far away.

After entering the headquarters, Li Che dismissed his attendants, leaving only Xue Zhen behind.

"What happened? Why did Yang Lian drag you along?"

Xue Zhen smiled wryly and said, "Your Highness, I am also confused."

"Just a few days ago, Minister Yang and his entourage suddenly arrived at Shanhaiguan and specifically requested that I accompany them, stating that it was His Majesty's order."

"As for the specific matter, Minister Yang was extremely tight-lipped and didn't mention a single word."

He paused, then added nervously, "Your Highness, could it be that His Majesty has learned that I secretly dispatched troops to assist Your Highness in this expedition against the Japanese, and is planning to bring charges against you?"

"Impossible." Li Che flatly denied, "You are mine. This is no longer a secret in the court."

"If Father wanted to take action against you, why would he choose the moment when I return with such great victory? Father understands this tacit understanding."

"Besides, judging from Duke Zheng's expression, this doesn't seem like a bad thing."

Xue Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, but his confusion grew even stronger: "Then I am even more confused."

"Forget it." Li Che waved his hand, "When the enemy comes, we will fight them; when the water comes, we will block it with earth."

"Whether it's a blessing or a curse, you'll know after listening to what Yang Lian says. Just follow me to receive the order and wait and see what happens."

Li Che has always lacked respect for imperial power and had no intention of actually performing any rituals like bathing or burning incense.

He just hurriedly ate some snacks to fill his stomach, changed into a new set of prince's uniform, fastened his jade belt, and then ordered someone to invite Yang Lian and others to the main hall of the headquarters.

In the main hall, the incense table has already been set up, and the smoke of incense is curling up.

Yang Lian held a scroll of imperial edict in his hand and stood solemnly in front of the incense table.

Chang Pan, Zhang Shengxiang, Xue Zhen, Wen Zaiyin, Wang Sanchun, Yang Xuan and others who had already followed Li Che back to Fengguo were on both sides.

Li Che strode into the hall, stood in front of the incense table, and looked at Yang Lian calmly.

Yang Lian cleared his throat and his face straightened.

He unfolded the imperial edict in his hand and said in a loud voice: "His Majesty the Emperor of Daqing has ordered, Prince Li Che, to receive the order——"

When a "receive the order" was shouted, Yang Lian's eyes naturally raised and swept towards Li Che and the people behind him.

However, the scene before him made the Minister of Rites' eyes twitch.

Li Che still stood firmly in the same place, with an upright posture. Not to mention kneeling, he didn't even bend his waist.

Although Yang Lian had heard that His Royal Highness the Prince of Feng was not particular about trivial matters in front of His Majesty, seeing his tough attitude with his own eyes still exceeded his expectations.

He remembered a joke that was widely circulated in Beijing:

It was said that during the New Year's Day court meeting that year, when all the ministers were chanting "Long live the emperor" and kneeling in homage, someone noticed that His Royal Highness the Prince of Feng secretly squatted down instead of kneeling in order to avoid being conspicuous...

In the past, Yang Lian just thought it was a rumor in the streets, but now it seems that it is probably... There is no smoke without fire.

What surprised Yang Lian even more was.

The group of civil and military officials who were loyal to the country behind Li Che stood upright as if they had taken root.

Only the old Confucian scholar Wen Zaiyin was still a bit pedantic, with deep-rooted concepts of Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, Parents and Teachers. When he heard the words "receive the order", his body instinctively drove him to kneel down.

Unexpectedly, just as he bent his knees and his body had not yet lowered much, he felt a sudden tightness under his armpits.

Two large hands like iron pliers, one on the left and one on the right, firmly supported his armpits.

On the left was Wang Sanchun, and on the right was Xue Zhen. The two of them worked in perfect harmony and held up Master Wen, who was about to shrink.

Wen Zai Yin looked up and saw that both of them had an expression of "it's natural, it should be like this" on their faces, and their eyes clearly said:

Mr. Wen, please stand still. We in Fengguo don’t do this!

We, the generals, don't even need to kneel to His Highness, let alone the Emperor of Daqing?!

Wen Zaiyin was like a little chicken being held, with his feet slightly off the ground, hanging awkwardly between the two fierce generals.

He couldn't go forward or backward, his face flushed red instantly, and he dug his toes into the ground in embarrassment.

And Wen Zaiyin is not the most embarrassed one.

The only person in the audience who actually knelt on the ground after Yang Lian shouted "I will receive the order" was Duke Zheng Chang Pan!

As soon as Tokiwa's knees touched the ground, he was shocked to find that he was the only person in the audience who followed the rules.

He looked up and saw, wow!

The son-in-law Li Che stood there like a door god, and the arrogant and brave generals under him were all like iron-cast arhats.

Even Wen Zaiyin, who looked honest and upright, only bowed symbolically at this moment.

Tokiwa's old face suddenly turned purple, and he glared at his good son-in-law angrily.

You guys are making me, your father-in-law, lose face by doing this!