Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

He almost instinctively knelt down, his voice choked with emotion, and said, "This old minister, Yin Weiyong, pays his respects to Your Majesty..."

"father in law!"

Xiao Ce reacted quickly, stepping forward and firmly supporting Yin Weiyong's arms as he was about to bow, preventing him from performing the grand gesture.

His strength was just right, showing both respect and unquestionable authority.

"This is neither the imperial court nor the royal palace. And I hold no official position in the current Xiao Kingdom. If anyone should be bowing, it should be me bowing to you..."

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Yin Weiyong immediately adopted a humble and fearful expression, waving his hands and saying, "I dare not... I dare not... This old minister is terrified..."

Looking at Yin Weiyong's expression, Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Father-in-law, today is a time for family reunion, not a time for ruler and subject. Let's skip the formalities. Please come in."

Xiao Ce's words were calm yet firm, instantly calming Yin Weiyong's somewhat out-of-control behavior caused by the huge emotional fluctuations.

He felt the steady strength from his arm and saw the unwavering gentleness and determination in Xiao Ce's eyes. His heart warmed, filled with both gratitude and trepidation: "This old minister... obeys. Thank you... thank you for your consideration, Your Highness."

He ultimately used an honorific title; the distinction between ruler and subject ingrained in his bones was not easily erased.

Especially after he governed the country using Xiao Ce's policies, he realized where Xiao Ce's brilliance lay...

To outsiders, calling Xiao Ce "God of Xiao" might be an exaggeration, but only those who truly understand him know that Xiao Ce truly deserves the title...

At this moment, Yin Pan'er came to her senses and quickly reached out to support her father's other arm. Her voice was hoarse from crying and filled with deep affection: "Father, let's go inside and talk."

The father and daughter helped Yin Weiyong into the house.

Lin Feng, Xiao Yue, and the others stood guard outside the door in tacit agreement, and no one went in.

Da Lei and Mi Long were in charge of guarding the area to ensure absolute quiet and privacy.

Inside, soft light streamed down...

Yin Weiyong was helped to sit down on the sofa by his daughter and son-in-law, but his gaze lingered on Yin Pan'er's face for a moment, as if he wanted to deeply engrave this lost treasure into the depths of his soul.

His hands trembled as he tried to stroke his daughter's cheek, but stopped halfway, fearing that this was really just a dream.

“Pan’er…my Pan’er…it really is you…” Yin Weiyong’s voice choked with emotion, tears streaming down his face. “These years…you’ve suffered so much…Father…Father is so sorry…for letting you wander outside, enduring so much hardship…”

This once powerful and influential man, who remained unmoved in the face of countless open and covert attacks, was now just an ordinary father filled with endless guilt and heartache in front of his daughter.

Because Yin Weiyong was different from others; unlike others who had many children, he had...and only one daughter, Yin Pan'er.

As Yin Pan'er listened to Yin Weiyong's words, tears streamed down her face once again.

She suddenly realized how ridiculous her previous assumptions about Yin Weiyong had been...

She knelt down, resting her head on her father's lap, sobbing uncontrollably: "Father... your daughter is unfilial... I've worried you... I haven't suffered... The Prince... he found me and has been protecting me ever since... I'm fine, really fine... It's my fault for being unfilial, I should have followed what you said..."

Watching the father and daughter embrace and weep, pouring out their hearts to each other.

Xiao Ce stood quietly to the side, deeply moved...

He didn't interrupt this belated outpouring of family affection; he simply waited quietly by the side...

After a long while, the two of them calmed down a little.

Yin Pan'er wiped away the tears on her father's face with a handkerchief and tidied herself up.

Yin Weiyong took a deep breath, trying to calm his turbulent emotions.

He turned to Xiao Ce, who had been standing quietly to the side, his eyes filled with complex emotions, gratitude, awe, and a deep sense of inquiry.

He tried to get up and bow again, but Xiao Ce stopped him with a look.

"Your Highness..." Yin Weiyong said respectfully, "I cannot express my gratitude! You traveled thousands of miles to save Pan'er in the treacherous West and brought her safely back to my side. This kindness and virtue, I... I could never repay even a fraction of it, even if I were to be shattered to pieces!"

Xiao Ce, catching Yin Weiyong off guard, gave a helpless, bitter smile and then said, "Prime Minister Yin, you are really being too polite... Pan'er is your daughter, and more importantly, my wife... All of this is what I should and must do..."

Yin Weiyong listened, nodding gratefully and with deep appreciation.

I didn't dwell on this issue.

He paused, then asked the most crucial question, "Your Highness, when...when did you return to the country? Why...why was it so secretive? Has...something serious happened?"

Xiao Ce walked to the single sofa next to him and sat down, his posture relaxed yet exuding an invisible pressure.

He did not answer Yin Weiyong's question immediately, but smiled gently, his gaze sweeping over the luxurious suite, as if he could see through the walls to the brand-new Kyoto outside.

"father in law..."

Xiao Ce used that form of address again, closing the distance between them: "Let's not talk about that for now. As we entered the city, I've seen that this capital... no, this Dragon Capital, is magnificent and full of life, far exceeding my expectations."

People live in peace and prosperity, all industries thrive, new roads are open, and factories stand tall...

This is all thanks to my father-in-law and his trusted advisors, Han Da, Shen Bao, Wei Wuji, and others, who worked tirelessly day and night to govern the country! Thank you for your hard work.

When Xiao Ce said these words, his tone was sincere, and his praise was undisguised.

These words, like a warm current, instantly flowed into Yin Weiyong's heart.

He knew Xiao Ce had high standards, and to receive such praise from him was the greatest affirmation of their years of painstaking and arduous reconstruction! An indescribable excitement and pride welled up within him, overshadowing his previous sorrow.

"Your Highness flatters me!" Yin Weiyong quickly cupped his hands, a relieved smile appearing on his face!

"This is our duty, and it is also in accordance with the national policy established by Your Highness. If it weren't for Your Highness's efforts to turn the tide, lay the foundation, and point out the direction, how could we have achieved what we have today? However... Your Highness's sudden return, and so secretive at that, truly unsettles this old minister. Could it be... that something has changed in the West? Or... domestically..."

His keen political sense told him that Xiao Ce's return was by no means a simple family visit.

Xiao Ce's smile gradually faded, his eyes becoming deep and unfathomable, like a cold pool. He picked up his water glass, took a small sip, and looked sharply at Yin Weiyong. He spoke slowly, each word carrying immense weight:

“Father-in-law, you guessed correctly. I have indeed returned on important business, and the situation is urgent and has far-reaching implications.”

He leaned slightly forward, lowering his voice even further, yet it resounded like thunder in Yin Weiyong's ears:

"Firstly, my uncle, Xiao Dingshan, was kidnapped by a mysterious person in the Roman capital. The person left a letter, naming me specifically, demanding that I return to Xiao Kingdom to meet him!"

Yin Weiyong's pupils suddenly contracted, and he exclaimed in shock, "What?! The King of Zhen... he's still alive?! He's been... kidnapped?!"

This news shocked him even more than the return of Xiao Ce and Yin Pan'er!

The news of Xiao Dingshan's death shocked the court and the public. Now he is still alive, and has been captured in the West. He is even being asked to bring Xiao Ce back to the country.

This series of news messages was undoubtedly like a series of bombs exploding in his mind.

Without pausing, Xiao Ce continued to drop even more shocking news:

"Secondly, I have noticed in the West that there is an extremely secretive and powerful force operating in the shadows, and its tentacles seem to have quietly extended into East Asia. Its purpose is unclear, but what it is after is by no means trivial."

Thirdly...

Xiao Ce's gaze was fixed on Yin Weiyong, carrying a power that could see right through people's hearts.

"On my way back, I made a brief stop at Panshi Port. General Qi Lin reported to me that for the past year, rumors about my life or death have been rampant in the capital and throughout the entire Xiao Kingdom, and have even... recently there have been rumors that I am about to return! The timing is almost exactly the same as when my uncle was kidnapped and when I received the letter! Father-in-law, you are in the central position and in charge of the overall situation. Have you noticed anything about this? What kind of demons and monsters are lurking beneath these undercurrents?"

Yin Weiyong's expression instantly turned extremely solemn, even pale. He had actually heard about this news before...

Every piece of news Xiao Ce brought was like a heavy hammer blow to his heart.

The King of Zhen was kidnapped, a mysterious Western force infiltrated him, and rumors within the country were precisely coordinated...

This is no coincidence! An invisible and dangerous net seems to be closing in on the Xiao Kingdom and on Xiao Ce!

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. His brain raced, quickly connecting and analyzing the various intelligence he had recently gathered, the obstacles he had encountered, and those seemingly insignificant anomalies, all with the key information brought by Xiao Ce.

"Your Highness, indeed, there have been more rumors circulating lately. Before you arrived, we heard similar stories every now and then... but we didn't pay much attention to them... However, now that you're really back, we can't help but worry..."

Yin Weiyong said with a serious expression.

Looking at Yin Weiyong's expression, Xiao Ce asked curiously, "Oh? Father-in-law, what do you mean by that?"

Xiao Ce couldn't change Yin Weiyong's respectful address to him, so they would each stick to their own way of speaking...

Yin Weiyong nodded, then respectfully said, "Your Highness, every now and then, some people come claiming to be rebelling under your name. They say we stole your achievements or something... Because of your high reputation, using your name is the best option..."

"However, this time, we were still wondering... those who leaked the news of your appearance didn't stop the resistance... Now, I understand... it turns out you really did appear..."

Xiao Ce nodded, then said to Yin Weiyong, "That's right. Besides that, is there anything else strange?"

After listening to Xiao Ce's words, Yin Weiyong pondered for a moment: "There's nothing strange about it. Although those countries in East Asia may have occasional squabbles, our Xiao Kingdom controls the financial power and various lifelines. Even if they wanted to cause trouble, they couldn't really do anything..."

As Yin Weiyong spoke, his mind drifted into deep thought once again...

"Your Highness, what you're saying... they wouldn't be trying to overthrow our regime, would they? I think it'll be difficult for them... Your Highness, you must have seen the changes in us. The foreigners we recruited from the West have told us that our technology has fully caught up with the West... although some aspects are still lagging behind, we already possess leading technology..."

"A complete lead is only a matter of one or two years... so it's still very difficult for Westerners to overthrow them..."

Hearing Yin Weiyong say this, Xiao Ce realized that Yin Weiyong was completely unaware of what was happening outside.

He knew nothing about even the original owner of the body, Xiao Ce...

Thinking of this, Xiao Ce asked:

"Father-in-law, you've never seen me before, have you...?"

Yin Weiyong was bewildered by Xiao Ce's abrupt question and immediately said, "What do you mean? You mean before... you said that after you went to find Pan'er, I haven't seen you..."

"Your Highness, is there a problem?"

Looking at Yin Weiyong's expression, Xiao Ce realized that he truly knew nothing about the original owner of Xiao Ce's affairs.

Seeing this, Xiao Ce also had a rough guess.

That means the original owner of this body, Xiao Ce, probably couldn't shake the overall situation, so he must have established some kind of underground organization, or even a terrorist organization, here...

At this moment, seeing that Xiao Ce did not answer directly, Yin Weiyong glanced at Xiao Ce in confusion, and then looked at Yin Pan'er.

Yin Pan'er was very excited and moved to see her father.

However, Yin Pan'er, having experienced so much, is very clear about it.

Public is public, private is private.

Therefore, she wouldn't say anything about these matters unless Xiao Ce brought them up himself.

Xiao Ce did not hide anything, based on his observations along the way and his own observations.

There's nothing wrong with Yin Weiyong.

The following discussion of the Hidden Dragon Tomb, and even other matters, will require Yin Weiyong's cooperation.

It wouldn't work without their cooperation...

So, after a brief moment of surprise, Xiao Ce said to Yin Weiyong, "Father-in-law, what we are about to tell you may be beyond your expectations and understanding. Are you sure you want to listen?"

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Yin Weiyong immediately adopted a serious expression: "Your Highness, if you wish to repeat what I have to say, I will certainly listen... and rest assured, I will absolutely keep it a secret..."

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded: "Alright, then I'll begin..."

Looking at Xiao Ce's expression, Yin Weiyong realized that this matter might be of great importance.

He nodded with a serious expression...

Xiao Ce didn't hide anything and first briefly recounted the story of the original owner of the body, Xiao Ce.

As expected, Yin Weiyong was shocked.