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

It was obvious that Xiao Yang knew nothing about the situation outside.

Xiao Yang grew increasingly sorrowful as he spoke: "Brother, weren't you so powerful? Weren't you invincible? How could you have been captured by these bastards..."

Seeing Xiao Yang's expression, Xiao Ce didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Hey kid, open your eyes and look around before you speak, okay? It looks like I've been arrested!"

Xiao Yang calmed down a bit, staring wide-eyed at Xiao Ce: "Brother...Brother...you weren't arrested..."

Xiao Ce smiled at Xiao Yang and then said, "Do I look like I've been arrested?"

Xiao Yang, having regained his senses, pointed to Lian Zhan to the side and said, "Brother, that bastard tortured me severely... But don't worry... I didn't tell him anything..."

Although Xiao Yang was covered in injuries, his mental state was indeed quite good at the moment.

It seems Lien Chan wasn't lying to him...

Xiao Ce didn't waste words with Xiao Yang, and said to Hu Yidao, "Go and take him to treat his injuries."

Hu Yidao nodded, glancing at Lian Zhan with some concern.

Xiao Ce smiled at Hu Yidao and said, "It's nothing."

Then, he looked at Lien Chan and said, "Lien Chan, it seems we can have a proper talk now."

Lien Chan quickly gestured for Xiao Ce to proceed.

After arriving at the next room, Lian Zhan said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, the King of Mobei, I must apologize to you!"

Xiao Ce looked at him meaningfully: "Apologize?"

Lien Chan nodded and said to Xiao Ce, "To be precise, I should explain that what you just said about my purpose is not correct. Whether I kidnapped Xiao Yang or asked you to exchange for Xiao Yang, my purpose was to save you."

Xiao Ce listened to Lian Zhan's words with a half-smile: "Oh? You mean... you did all this in the first place just to save me?"

Lien Chan nodded and began to explain.

When he first heard that Xiao Ce had been taken to the capital by Xiao Yang, and then heard news from the northern desert, he guessed that Xiao Ce had been kidnapped by Xiao Yang.

Later, when Xiao Dingshan got into trouble and Xiao Ce was taken hostage, he became convinced that Xiao Ce was under their control.

Since Xiao Dingshan died, and rumors circulated that Xiao Ce was his illegitimate son, even if he wasn't, Xiao Ce was the only person Xiao Dingshan cared about.

After much deliberation, Lien Chan decided to try and save Xiao Ce.

However, no matter how powerful Lien Chan was, he was only the lord of a city and did not believe that he had the ability to go deep into the Western Regions to rescue Xiao Ce.

Although he was unable to rescue Xiao Ce, he happened to hear that Xiao Yang was coming...

He wanted to take advantage of Xiao Yang's strength and the power behind him, so he sent some people to sneak into Xiao Yang's side and then capture him.

He originally intended to interrogate Xiao Yang to get some information about Xiao Ce.

Lien Chan said that if Xiao Yang hadn't been so tight-lipped, he could have said something about Xiao Ce, letting Lien Chan know that Xiao Ce wasn't the useless person the rumors made him out to be.

He wouldn't go to unnecessary trouble...

Who knew that Xiao Yang was very tight-lipped? That's why Lian Zhan did this.

After all, Lien Chan's thinking was very simple: if Xiao Ce wasn't brought over to replace Xiao Yang, it meant that the rumors weren't true.

Of course, if Xiao Ce is brought here, Lien Chan will take good care of him.

Upon meeting him, Lien Chan realized he had made a grave mistake.

Xiao Ce was calm and composed, remaining remarkably composed even in the face of adversity. The aura emanating from him also revealed that Xiao Ce was no ordinary person.

Listening to Lian Zhan's words and looking at his expression, Xiao Ce realized that he wasn't joking.

"Looks like I was overthinking it..."

Lien Chan looked at Xiao Ce and asked, "King of the Northern Desert, what do you think it is?"

Xiao Ce said to Lian Zhan, "I thought you came to settle scores with me because of the death of the King of Zhen, and because I didn't help you."

Lien Chan shook his head and gave a wry smile: "Actually, everyone here knows... if the King of Zhen hadn't spoken, no one here would have rebelled. So, there's only one possibility for the Tiger Army to do this now: it's at the King of Zhen's behest."

Hearing Lian Zhan's words, Xiao Ce was both amused and exasperated: "So this whole thing started because you were coming to rescue me... and that's what caused all this trouble..."

Lien Chan gave an awkward smile: "Now it seems that it was you, King of the Northern Desert, who controlled Xiao Yang. It wasn't that Xiao Yang controlled you... it's just that he suffered..."

Seeing the guilty look on Lian Zhan's face, Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "It's alright. That kid has caused me a lot of trouble. It's no big deal if he suffers a little physical pain."

"Moreover, Lord Lian Zhan, your original intention was to save me! Ignorance is no excuse, and since I was sent to the Western Regions as a hostage, you were the first person to offer to save me and actually take action!"

Lien Chan gave an awkward smile: "The problem is, you don't need it. Besides, if I do this, it will definitely disrupt your plans in the Western Regions."

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "You're overthinking it. I just came over when I had some free time. Besides, it's not far... Also, I could visit Xiao Yang..."

"And also, I got to know you, Lord Lian Zhan... Either way, it's been a rewarding experience... Your Nufeng City's location is very important, and I was just wondering how to establish a relationship with the city lord here..."

As he spoke, Xiao Ce looked at Lian Zhan and asked with a smile, "City Lord Lian Zhan, we should be on the same side, right?"

Lien Chan immediately knelt on one knee and said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, King of Mobei, I don't know what you think of me! I used to be the King of Zhen, and now I am your man... If you need anything, just say the word. Whether I can do it or not, I will do it for you!"

Xiao Ce nodded to Lian Zhan and said, "Okay... I really will need your help in the future."

Xiao Ce paused for a moment, without mentioning what kind of help he needed.

Although Lien Chan had shown considerable loyalty, Xiao Ce reiterated that he trusted his own judgment more.

Lien Chan seemed to sense Xiao Ce's apprehension and said to him, "Your Highness, if you need anything, please just ask. Of course, if you don't trust me, you can also feel free to ask us."

Xiao Ce could tell from Lian Zhan's words that he was a smart man.

“Lord Lien Chan, those soldiers of yours just now were all quite old... and judging from their demeanor, they shouldn’t be ordinary people.”

Lien Chan smiled and nodded, giving Xiao Ce a thumbs up: "King of the Northern Desert, you have a good eye. These are all retired veterans. They have spent their lives fighting on the battlefield. If you asked them to go back to farming now, they probably wouldn't even know how to hold a hoe. Anyway, I need people here, so I took in quite a few veterans... These veterans are much more useful than ordinary constables."

Xiao Ce nodded. Once these veterans retire, they will have to fend for themselves, and the country will not give them any subsidies.

Unlike Xiao Ce, who provided extremely good benefits to his Northern Desert Army.

From Lien Chan's words, Xiao Ce could tell that these people trusted Lien Chan.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xiao Ce said he wanted to go see Xiao Yang.

As for what Lien Chan is like, Xiao Ce already has a preliminary opinion. All that's left is to get more evidence to support his view.

After leaving Lien Chan's place, Lien Chan sent someone to take Xiao Ce to another place where Xiao Yang was applying medicine.

As soon as I walked over, I heard Xiao Yang's scream.

Even without anyone to guide him, Xiao Ce could find his way by hearing that scream.

The door to their room was open. They had assumed that Hu Yidao's actions were driven by personal feelings, which was why Xiao Yang was screaming so miserably.

However, upon closer inspection, it turned out there was nothing there.

It's obvious that Xiao Yang is just playing the victim.

"Alright, so you want to yell for me to hear? If you keep yelling, I'll have Hu Yidao 'properly' apply some medicine for you, okay?"

After Xiao Ce spoke, Xiao Yang heard the voice and immediately held back his words.

"No! No! No! Brother, you're back... How did it go? Did you deal with that old man?" Xiao Yang said resentfully.

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Yang, "I've already found out, it's all a misunderstanding!"

Xiao Yang looked extremely embarrassed, clearly unconvinced, as Xiao Ce brushed it off with a simple "misunderstanding"...

However, he didn't dare to say anything.

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Yang, "Alright, stop looking so aggrieved. You should thank City Lord Lian Zhan. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have known you were so tough. You've really impressed me. If you're like this... I might really be able to entrust you with important responsibilities."

Xiao Yang, who had initially looked reluctant, suddenly became curious after hearing Xiao Ce's words: "Really...really?"

Xiao Ce nodded: "That's right! Stop playing the victim now. To be honest, if you had stuck to your tough guy image, I would have really looked at you in a much better light... Did you finally give in?"

Xiao Yang gave an awkward smile.

After watching Hu Yidao apply medicine to the last area on Xiao Yang's body, Xiao Ce told Xiao Yang to rest there.

Let Jiang Liu stay here with us.

Xiao Ce and Hu Yidao went back to rest for a while.

The next morning, Xiao Ce went to some taverns in Nufeng City.

Such places are a melting pot of all sorts of people, and are also the best places to obtain useful information.

Xiao Ce received quite a few messages in just one morning.

Lien Chan was the kind of old general that Xiao Ce knew, someone who stuck to the old ways. It seems that what he said was true.

He simply wanted to save Xiao Ce. Moreover, this Lian Zhan was a die-hard fan of the King of Zhen.

In fact, many aspects of Lien Chan's personality are quite similar to those of the King of Zhen.

Xiao Ce immediately decided to have all the weapons intended for Shanshan Kingdom transferred here.

After having lunch at the tavern, he went directly to find Lien Chan.

As Lien Chan watched Xiao Ce approach, he said to him, "Your Highness, the King of Mobei, you should be able to trust me now, right?"

Seeing this, Xiao Ce asked with some surprise, "Could it be that you know where I would go to inquire about you?"

Lien Chan laughed heartily: "King of the Northern Desert, you really know how to joke... Because I genuinely care about the people of Nufeng City. I believe in reciprocity; I wouldn't dare say 100% of them will think I'm good... but I believe 99% will acknowledge my sincerity..."

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded: "That's right, Lord Lian Zhan, please don't misunderstand... I went to inquire not because I don't trust you. I wanted to see what impression the people here have of you, because this concerns something I'll need your help with in the future."

Lien Chan asked Xiao Ce, "King of the Northern Desert, what do you think of your assessment?"

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded: "Lord Lian Zhan is very suitable. I have reached a cooperation agreement with the Empress of Shanshan Kingdom. In the future, money and goods will come over, and I need Lord Lian Zhan to let me store these goods in Nufeng City."

After listening, Lien Chan said, "King of the Northern Desert, of course there's no problem."

Xiao Ce asked Lian Zhan with some surprise, "Don't you want to know what kind of goods they are?"

Lien Chan is indeed a seasoned general; he is very intelligent and knows exactly how to conduct himself.

“King of the Northern Desert, if you will tell me, I will naturally know. If you don’t tell me, then it is not convenient for me to know. You can rest assured that as long as these things are within our Nufeng City, they are absolutely safe... I can also guarantee that no one will know what these things are?”

Lien Chan then added, "However, I can only guarantee the safety of your goods in this vicinity!"

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "With you here and Xiao Yang's army outside, there will be absolutely no problem."

Lien Chan nodded.

To his utter surprise, this time there was an unexpected gain. He had been worried about the storage of the large number of weapons he had brought over.

At that time, a transit point will inevitably be needed, and the previous plan was to place it in Xiao Yang's army.

Xiao Ce was worried because this army was not one he had led, and there were too many people and too many eyes on it.

If those weapons fall into the wrong hands, it could cause a lot of trouble.

Although Lien Chan has only known him for a short time, he has gone to great lengths to save him.

That alone is enough to prove that this person is trustworthy.

After reaching a consensus with Lien Chan, Xiao Ce bid farewell to Lien Chan.

Upon seeing this, Lien Chan was about to get up and see him off.

After taking only a few steps, Lian Zhan seemed to remember something and said to Xiao Ce, "King of the Northern Desert, may I ask you a question?"

Xiao Ce glanced at Lian Zhan, then said, "Of course, City Lord Lian Zhan, you may speak."

Lien Chan smiled at Xiao Ce and said, "King of the Northern Desert, you're the one who made all those rumors about the Northern Desert around you, aren't you?"

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded: "That shouldn't be hard to see, right?"

Lien Chan nodded: "Then your trip to the Western Regions was probably intentional, right? Was it to fulfill the last wish of the King of Zhen?"

After listening to Lien Chan's words, Xiao Ce smiled and nodded: "That's right, I guess so! Of course, I also have my own selfish motives."