If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

Until the end of the Tupo War, there were no new disturbances in the East China Sea.

The people on board the several warships that were captured earlier said they were sent by Fusang. The Great Dragon Dynasty also sent an official letter to question this matter. Su Yuan immediately denied it, saying that Tubo Kingdom was probably trying to sow discord between Fusang and Great Dragon.

Because Su Yuan refused to admit it and adopted a very humble attitude, even when the naval fleet sailed its warships right up to the doorstep of Fusang, Su Yuan did not make any move, so the matter was eventually dropped.

However, it was precisely because of this that Zhou Wu felt that Su Yuan was a very cunning and terrifying person. So he ordered the navy to maintain long-term routine patrols in the East China Sea between Dalong and Fusang. To put it bluntly, it was to closely monitor Fusang.

. . . . . . . .

With Gaoli and Dazi still under construction, and now another Tubo (a type of landlocked country) has arrived, Li Tiancheng is now experiencing a happy headache. As the ruler of Dalong, he expanded the territory of Dalong several times over during his reign. Such an honor will definitely earn him the title of "Emperor of the Ages" from future generations.

However, the reality is that there is too much land and no one is in charge. Officials have always been very nervous, and recently, in addition to a corruption case, a number of people were also arrested, which has made them even more nervous.

So Li Tiancheng used the pretext of celebrating the victory in the Tubo War to recall all these exiled lords, officials, and regional governors back to the palace.

"You all have worked hard guarding this place for my Great Dragon. It's a rare occasion for us to gather together today, so let's drink to our hearts' content."

Li Tiancheng hosted a separate banquet for these high-ranking officials who had been sent to remote regions.

The people there were all high-ranking officials guarding their respective areas, but Zhou Wu didn't recognize any of them, nor could he help them. All he knew was how to manage his own little territory on South China Sea Island.

"This must be Lord Zhou Wu, he is indeed a young man of great talent."

"The future life is terrible."

"He is truly a handsome man."

Over the years, the conversation has been steered towards Zhou Wu, perhaps because he is young. Moreover, these people are all veterans who have been away for many years and are very familiar with each other. Only Zhou Wu is a newcomer to this group, and he seems to be quite ignorant of the rules. He has been in office for several years, but he has never greeted anyone or paid his respects to anyone.

So what seems like praise and flattery is actually more like a form of sabotage.

Although Zhou Wu was not old, he had been an official for many years, so how could he not see this?

"You are all my seniors, and I will need your guidance in the future. I will drink this first as a sign of respect."

Without saying a word, Zhou Wu raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp. This action won the approval of many people present. Of course, there were still a few troublemakers who felt that Zhou Wu was too ignorant of the rules.

“I say, Lord Zhou, this won’t do. There are so many of us, how can we just have one cup of wine and call it a day? Why don’t you go for a round by yourself?”

The speaker was an elderly man over sixty years old, but despite his age, he looked just as energetic as a young person.

Zhou Wu didn't know this person and didn't know why the other party was making things difficult for him. Usually, people would just go through the motions in such situations, unlike this old man who was taking it so seriously.

"This man is named Zhang Fan. He is a general who guards the northeastern border of Dalong and the Bohai Kingdom. He has some connections with Hou Zhenghao. If Hou Zhenghao hadn't gotten into this mess, he would probably be his son-in-law."

Crown Prince Li Junren whispered to Zhou Wu, who then suddenly realized why this old Bi Deng was making things difficult for him. So that's what happened. But Hou Zhenghao's matter can't be blamed on me. It was your son-in-law who brought it upon himself.

"General Zhang, this wine is a strong liquor produced in Niujia Town. If I keep toasting you cup by cup, I'm afraid I'll pass out before we even finish one round. Please forgive me and let me go."

Zhou Wu said this half-jokingly, which was actually giving the other party plenty of face. Generally speaking, the conversation would end at this point, but the old man was not as pleased as Zhou Wu.

"After all that talk, it turns out the young people look down on us old folks. Humph."

Zhou Wuheng couldn't help but slap the old man twice. He was being given face, but the old man threw it on the ground and refused to accept it.

Li Tiancheng, who had just taken the position, also looked rather displeased. However, since they were all important officials of the empire, he couldn't afford to offend them over such a trivial matter, so he could only turn to look at Zhou Wu.

“Zhou Wu, General Zhang is your senior. You should offer him a toast.”

Knowing Zhou Wu's temperament, Li Tiancheng kept winking at Zhou Wu as he spoke, indicating that he was giving him face.

"General Zhang, I was very rude just now. Please forgive me."

Zhou Wu had already toned down his behavior considerably. Since the emperor had made such a gesture, he couldn't very well put on airs. So he raised his wine cup and approached Zhang Fan, exchanging a few polite words.

Even though Zhou Wu had already adopted such a humble attitude, Zhang Fan still acted like an old man, not even glancing at Zhou Wu, but simply raising his glass and drinking it all in one gulp, leaving Zhou Wu holding his glass in mid-air, extremely embarrassed.

Li Tiancheng suppressed his anger as he watched Zhang Fan's actions, thinking to himself that it seemed that the lack of restraint outside had made some people arrogant and fearful of imperial power.

The others nearby seemed to notice the emperor's displeasure, and perhaps also felt that Zhang Fan had gone too far. They quietly tugged at Zhang Fan, but he ignored them.

The emperor did not pursue the matter further, but instead had the dancers come on stage to ease the awkward atmosphere.

"Is it because of Hou Zhenghao?"

As everyone turned their attention to the dancers on the stage, Zhou Wu calmly asked the Crown Prince a question.

"I'm not sure, but I personally think it's quite likely. I heard that Zhang Fan's daughter and Hou Zhenghao were already engaged."

Li Junren wasn't entirely clear on the specifics, as it was someone else's family matter.

"That's not right. Hou Zhenghao is pursuing immortality and the path to eternal life. How could he have romantic feelings for his children?"

Zhou Wu always felt that things might not be so simple. If Hou Zhenghao had other reasons, Zhou Wu might still believe in his engagement with Zhang Fan's daughter. But after getting to know Hou Zhenghao, Zhou Wu felt that Hou Zhenghao did not seem like the kind of person who was attached to personal relationships.

However, Zhou Wu didn't delve into the matter. He was just giving the emperor face today, but if this old man provoked him again next time, he wouldn't be so rude.

At the center of the stage, amidst beautiful women and after several rounds of drinks, the emperor began to get down to business.

"Everyone, there is another matter today that requires your support."

"Your Majesty, what are you saying? We are subjects of the Great Dragon, and it is our duty to serve the Great Dragon wholeheartedly."

"Your Majesty, please give your orders."

When the emperor spoke, everyone responded enthusiastically.

Li Tiancheng pretended to be drunk, but he was actually very sober and remembered the behavior of his subordinates.