Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Five days later, escorted by 30,000 troops, Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan escorted Zhao Gou to the city of Bianjing.

Looking at the city before them, a symbol of the highest power of the Song Dynasty, even though it was now in ruins, Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan felt their blood boil.

It was as if I could see myself standing at the pinnacle of power, controlling the life and death of others.

Lin Fei was already waiting in front of the city gate, with a "welcoming team" composed of righteous soldiers beside him.

Upon seeing Zhao Gou's entourage arrive, Lin Fei pondered for a moment and stepped forward.

"You two must be the renowned Lords Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan. I am Lin Fei. Greetings."

Huang and Wang glanced at Lin Fei, then arrogantly bowed to him.

Wang Boyan: "Thank you for your help, General Lin. The entire Song Dynasty will always remember the contributions of our allies."

Huang Qianshan confidently assured them, "General Lin, rest assured, our Great Song Dynasty will pay our allies every penny of the military expenses for the recapture of Bianjing."

Lin Fei smiled slightly: "I naturally believe in your country's sincerity. May I ask where His Highness Prince Kang is? Would you be so kind as to introduce us?"

"It's natural."

Wang Boyan immediately brought Zhao Gou to Lin Fei.

“Your Highness, the person before you is General Lin Fei.”

Zhao Gou glanced at Lin Fei with his youthful eyes.

With just one glance, he felt a nameless fear.

Lin Fei stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Kang."

Zhao Gou's forehead broke out in a cold sweat, and he hurriedly grabbed Wang Boyan's hand and said, "Right Chancellor, let's go back. I am very uneasy."

Wang Boyan, however, was already blinded by the impending power and reassured his father, "Your Highness, there is no need to panic. This is a general from our friendly neighboring country who helped our Great Song Dynasty to recapture Bianjing."

"But……"

Zhao Gou wanted to say something more, but Huang Qianshan impatiently interrupted him.

"Alright, Your Highness, please don't be so rude, lest our friendly nations look down on you. You're about to take over the capital, so please cheer up."

Zhao Gou had no choice but to suppress his unease and cautiously observe Lin Fei.

Lin Fei maintained a smile throughout, showing no concern whatsoever for Zhao Gou's strength.

"A banquet to welcome Prince Kang has been prepared. I would like to invite you gentlemen to accompany me to the Bianliang Palace for the banquet."

"Alright, then General Laurin will take care of it."

Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan smiled and escorted Zhao Gou into the city with Lin Fei.

They weren't worried at all that Lin Fei was treacherous, after all, the information Qin Chuan gave them indicated that there was no such fearsome firearms unit in the city, but rather a militia composed of Song people.

Since we are from the Song Dynasty, we should be loyal to the Song Dynasty emperor.

Even if they were bribed by Lin Fei, there are still 30,000 troops stationed outside the city, and 50,000 troops in Guangling and Guangping. Are you afraid that we can't take down Bianjing?

Besides, there are still 19 million taels of military expenses to be paid, so how could he possibly take action?

With this in mind, they were all certain that Lin Fei wouldn't dare to harm them, so they followed him into the city without worry.

The road to Bianliang Palace had been cleared. Although there were traces of war everywhere along the way, the main road was exceptionally clean.

"General Lin, has anything major happened in the city recently?"

"It's nothing serious. It's inevitable that there will be petty thieves after the recapture of Bianjing. Just deal with them easily and there won't be any problems."

"That's good. Oh, it's all thanks to General Lin that our Great Song Dynasty was able to see the light of day again."

"You flatter me. I am not worthy of such praise."

“Yes, yes, after Your Highness ascends the throne, I will definitely order all the artisans in the land to sculpt a statue of General Lin.”

The group chatted and laughed all the way, creating a very cheerful atmosphere.

When they arrived at the palace gate and saw a group of fully armed guards, Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan's expressions changed instantly.

"You two need not be nervous. There are still quite a few Jurchen spies in the city. Necessary palace security is necessary."

Upon hearing this, Wang Boyan and Huang Qianshan breathed a sigh of relief, repeatedly saying, "It's our duty, it's our duty."

"Lord Huang, Lord Wang, Your Highness, the banquet is ready, please."

After Lin Fei finished speaking, he took the lead and rode his horse into the palace gate.

Zhao Gou quickly pulled Wang Boyan aside: "Prime Minister, I am feeling very uneasy. Why don't we head back home?"

Wang Boyan's face darkened: "Your Highness, you are about to inherit the throne, how can you say such a thing?"

Once you enter the city and sit on the throne, the entire Song Dynasty will regard you as a god, and you will rule over everything in the Song Dynasty.

"but……"

Zhao Gou wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Huang Qianshan.

"Alright, Your Highness, show some of the grandeur of the Song Dynasty emperor. Remember that you are the sovereign ruler of the world."

Do not let those inexplicable thoughts in your mind control your emotions; a ruler should always look forward.

Zhao Gou was on the verge of tears. Hearing the two trusted advisors offer such comfort, his unease only intensified.

From the moment he saw Lin Fei, a strong signal came to his mind: Run!

However, as a puppet, he has no control over his own destiny at the moment; everything is decided by Huang and Wang.

With a mix of trepidation and excitement, they entered the palace gates, only to be stopped by a group of cooks who were accompanying the Prince of Kang's entourage.

"Come, come, everyone, you've all worked hard. It's cold, and there's not much to offer in the city."

We specially slaughtered two sheep today and roasted some mutton for everyone. Please help yourselves to the food.

Upon hearing that there was mutton to eat, the guards' eyes lit up instantly, and they immediately swarmed forward to grab it.

During peaceful times, mutton in Bianjing (Kaifeng) sold for as much as 900 wen per jin (500 grams), while mutton in other regions generally fluctuated around 300 wen per jin.

Meanwhile, the price of beef in various regions at the same time hovered between 100 and 150 coins, while mutton was definitely a luxury enjoyed by the nobility.

(In the early Song Dynasty, it was forbidden for private individuals to slaughter oxen for plowing, but a tax was levied on the slaughter of oxen. A live ox cost 8 strings of cash, but a dead ox cost 27 strings of cash. Driven by profit, both officials and commoners profited from the slaughter of dead oxen. By the time of Emperor Renzong, the tax on the slaughter of oxen was abolished, and the law against the private slaughter of oxen became virtually ineffective.)

Moreover, cooking beef back then wasn't as easy as it is now. A bottle of soy sauce was more expensive than the meat itself, and the beef cooked that way was tough and unpalatable, far less delicious than lamb.

Therefore, the scenes of people eating beef heartily in Water Margin are actually quite normal. It's not a problem for ordinary people to grit their teeth and eat beef a few times a year.

After all, according to the Song Dynasty history, during the reign of Emperor Huizong, commoners could earn one or two hundred coins a day by working in the city, and if they were noticed by officials, they could easily earn three hundred coins a day.

Watching the more than one hundred guards of the Prince Kang's mansion wolf down the mutton, the cooks who delivered the food revealed a subtle smile.

At this moment, Zhao Gou, Huang Qianshan, and Wang Boyan entered the palace without any precautions.

But the moment he stepped into the Golden Palace, Lin Fei, who had been all smiles, suddenly turned sullen, took a few quick steps forward, and distanced himself from the person behind him.

Huang Qianshan and his companions were also stunned. There was no banquet in the Golden Palace; instead, there were fully armed soldiers.

Before he could even ask a question, Lin Fei's cold voice rang out in the hall.

"Take them all."

As soon as he finished speaking, two figures jumped down from the roof beam and subdued Zhao Gou's two personal guards.

The next moment, the soldiers swarmed forward, giving Zhao Gou and his companions no chance to explain, and pressed them to the ground.

Before Huang Qianshan and the others could say anything, their mouths were gagged with ropes.

Then, in an instant, Zhao Gou and the others were all subdued and knelt before Lin Fei.

Having just finished all this, Wang Rui entered the main hall, glanced at Zhao Gou and the others, and then whispered in Lin Fei's ear: "Guangling and Guangping counties have been completely recovered, all 50,000 troops have been disarmed, and the guards outside the palace gates who had eaten mutton with added ingredients have also been captured."

Lin Fei: "Very good. Immediately send a message to the Regent and await his next instructions."