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

As she spoke, Lou Yao held his head and examined it repeatedly for a while, seemingly confirming that it was indeed Chi Gao.

He threw his head into the box and raised his hand.

A palace maid held up a snow-white handkerchief, and Lou Yao wiped herself on the handkerchief.

Then he turned to look at Dilit, whose face was deathly pale.

"Grand Preceptor, are you satisfied with the gift I gave you?"

Diliti nodded with a smile: "Satisfied...satisfied...very satisfied..."

After Lou Yao finished wiping her hands, she had someone remove the head.

"Grand Preceptor, now that this blind scoundrel is gone, there's no longer any barrier between us. I no longer need anyone to relay my messages; you will carry out all my orders. I will transfer all of Chi Gao's connections to you. From now on, you will directly obey my commands!"

Lou Yao said calmly.

Diliti simply nodded obediently, without even a hint of resistance.

Not only did he not dare to resist, he felt no joy whatsoever.

It evokes a sense of shared sorrow, like the death of a rabbit and the mourning of a dog.

He had heard of the First Lady before, but at that time, he was still somewhat dismissive of her.

However, after just this brief encounter today, he felt a deep sense of despair.

He had struggled to deal with Chi Gao before, but now, Lou Yao killing Chi Gao was as easy as crushing an ant...

This shows that he and Lou Yao were no match for each other.

All he can do now is be a dog next to Lou Yao.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I won't be as foolish as him... I'm very satisfied with my current position! Your Majesty, I will dedicate myself wholeheartedly to you!"

Lou Yao smiled and said, "Of course I believe you. If I didn't believe you, I wouldn't have come to you!"

Without further ado, Lou Yao said, "Now, go do what you need to do. After all, there are still many things to arrange in those newly captured cities."

Diliti nodded and said to Lou Yao, "Your Majesty, do you have any instructions?"

Lou Yao shook her head with an innocent smile and said, "Of course not. Just do what you're supposed to do!"

Without further ado, he had someone send Dilit away.

Diliti wanted to exchange a few words with the coach, but the coach completely ignored him.

Diliti, however, felt uncertain about the situation.

However, after returning home, Diliti realized that Lou Yao had not lied to him.

Previously, many people from Chigao took the initiative to contact Dilit and expressed their loyalty to him.

Diliti knew very well that what they said sounded nice, but Lou Yao really wanted him dead.

These people will be the first to turn against him and kill him...

But at that moment, he dared not do anything.

...

Compared to Diliti's bewilderment, Xiao Ce seemed much more carefree at this moment.

When they arrived, they were under strict guard by Diliti of Uzbekistan.

Now, along the way, you can also take in the local customs and culture.

I thought there would be many obstacles along the way.

However, the journey was unexpectedly smooth.

Even after entering the borders of various countries, there were no inspections.

This surprised Xiao Ce quite a bit, and it took him some effort to reach Yumen Pass.

The border is under strict control due to the presence of Uzbek troops stationed there.

Although one of the points in the negotiations at that time was that trade between the two countries would increase.

However, it is clear that this is not what people want to do.

Fortunately, Jiang Liu had already found an inside accomplice.

These informants were family members of the former Tiger Legion. Before their rebellion, the families of those Tiger Legion soldiers were brought here to avoid being purged.

This inside man was a comprador who helped the Western Regions army.

According to Jiang Liu, this man is called Old Wang. He was a veteran of the Tiger Army. After retiring, his son followed in his footsteps.

Now I'm helping the garrison here to purchase some things inside Yumen Pass.

When Jiang Liu led Xiao Ce and Hu Yidao to a mud house.

"Your Highness, Mr. Hu Yidao, please bear with this old man later. He might have some unpleasant words to say!"

As he spoke, Jiang Liu gave Hu Yidao a serious look.

Hu Yidao glared at Jiang Liu and said, "What do you mean, kid? I'm a professional, okay? If you don't believe me, ask the Prince! If needed, even if that old man pees on my head, I'll still smile and open my mouth to catch it!"

Seeing Hu Yidao say that, Xiao Ce gave him a disdainful look: "There's no need for that!"

Then, Xiao Ce said to Jiang Liu, "Jiang Liu, you don't need to worry too much. What he said isn't an exaggeration. Don't let his carefree attitude fool you. He'll definitely not let you down when it matters!"

Jiang Liu nodded and went to knock on the courtyard gate.

A short while later, an elderly man who was about 1.6 meters tall, but thin and with white hair, opened the door.

The old man was probably around sixty years old, but after watching him walk a few steps, it was clear that he was in very good health.

You should know that in ancient times, sixty was considered a very old age.

For ordinary people, the average lifespan is less than 55 years.

The old man first scanned the crowd, and finally fixed his gaze on Jiang Liu.

"Xiao Jiang, you're back pretty quickly."

Jiang Liu scratched his head: "Hey, it's just that we have something urgent to attend to. We'll have to trouble you again, sir, to give us a ride."

The old man sized up Xiao Ce, then said, "If I asked you who these two people are, you certainly wouldn't tell me, would you?"

Jiang Liu chuckled, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Seeing this, the old man stepped aside and said, "Alright, let's go inside and talk."

Seeing this, Jiang Liu nodded with a smile and followed him inside.

Upon entering the house, the old man immediately bowed deeply to Xiao Ce.

"Veteran Wang Shouyi greets Your Highness, the First Prince! Your Highness, you have suffered greatly!"

Seeing that the old man recognized him, and judging from his attitude, he didn't seem to have any ill intentions.

At this moment, Hu Yidao showed a wary expression.

Xiao Ce asked the old man, "Do you know me?"

Wang Shouyi nodded: "Your Highness, of course! I even held you in my arms when you were little. I was fortunate enough to serve as a guard for the King of the Northern Desert. Later, I also had the honor of seeing you a few times. So, when you were sent here as a hostage, I recognized you at first glance!"

Wang Shouyi said with a bitter expression, "It's a pity the old prince is dead, otherwise, how could he have let you fall to this state..."

As he spoke, a hint of excitement flashed across Wang Shouyi's face: "However, it's fortunate that you've already escaped! Your Highness, are you planning to return to Xiao Kingdom? As a hostage, if you rashly escape back to your country, it's a capital offense... There are many people in the entire Xiao Kingdom who want to kill you... If you go back, wouldn't you be walking into a trap?"

Xiao Ce was somewhat moved to see Wang Shouyi so indignant and thinking of him.

These are all good deeds left behind by the King of the Town.

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, sir. I'm not fleeing back to Xiao Kingdom. I have some things I need to do... so I'd like to ask for your help this time!"

Wang Shouyi patted his chest and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. Judging from your expression, you've made up your mind to leave, and I know the rules. I won't ask anything... It's getting late, and we can't leave now. Your Highness, please stay here and try my cooking."

Xiao Ce didn't stand on ceremony. Wang Shouyi then went to get busy.

Hu Yidao, looking wary, warned Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, this old man recognized you... what if he betrays us?"

Xiao Ce raised an eyebrow, then said, "Don't worry...it won't happen!"

Hu Yidao looked at Xiao Ce with such certainty and asked, "Your Highness, why are you so sure?"

Xiao Ce sat down to the side, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "This old man has the temperament of a veteran of the Tiger Army, or perhaps the spirit of a veteran."

Hu Yidao listened to Xiao Ce's words and felt they were very mysterious.

"The spirit of veterans."

Xiao Ce nodded: "That's right. These veterans are often stubborn. Once they've made up their minds, they won't easily change them. Even the King of Jiushu Town, who is now being 'notorious' by them, doesn't affect them at all!"

"Moreover, people like them, with their veteran spirit, disdain using underhanded tactics. Even if they wanted to arrest me, they would do it openly and honestly, binding me..."

Seeing Xiao Ce say this, Hu Yidao was somewhat surprised: "Where did you see all this? I didn't see it."

Xiao Ce smiled at Hu Yidao and said, "You should learn from him."

In the evening, Wang Shouyi prepared a rather lavish table of farm-style dishes. They weren't particularly delicious, but you could tell he put a lot of thought into them.

Wang Shouyi let Xiao Ce sit in the main seat.

Xiao Ce wanted to refuse, but he couldn't persuade him otherwise.

He sat down, and Wang Shouyi did not call anyone else.

During the meal, Xiao Ce chatted with Wang Shouyi and learned that Wang Shouyi had three sons.

One died in battle, and the other two are now in the Tiger Legion.

Now, they have joined the main force and stationed themselves near the capital of Uzbekistan.

Xiao Ce listened and said, "Old sir, why are you all willing to follow the King of Zhen in his rebellion without hesitation?"

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Wang Shouyi frowned deeply: "Your Highness, it is because we are the Tiger Warriors of the King of Zhen. Our strength was not given to us by the emperor in the capital of Xiao Kingdom, but by the King of Zhen! We have all witnessed the grievances the King of Zhen has suffered over the years. He did not rebel then, but now he has rebelled! So there must be a reason for his rebellion!"

"We are too insignificant to do much, but we can still cheer for the King of Zhen. Although the King of Zhen is now deceased, he must have already made all the arrangements! After the three generals, Instructor, Wuwei, and Linbang, went to the Kingdom of Uz, they were all granted titles, and the military power of the entire Kingdom of Uz is now in their hands!"