When Zheng Gui heard this, his hand, which was supported by Yuchi Jiming, trembled noticeably, and the muscles on his face twitched involuntarily twice. He said, "So you are the daughter of the leader of the martial arts world. I am so sorry, so sorry."
Zheng Miao immediately said, "The people I lead are used to being arrogant and domineering. They are still stirring up trouble even in the capital. I am afraid that without my control, they will have conflicts with the elite soldiers under my uncle. My uncle is seriously ill now, so why bother with these trivial matters? You should go back and rest quickly so that I can tell him what my father said."
After that, Zheng Miao pursed his lips and said, "Jiming, why don't you help Prince Lingnan get on the sedan chair and escort him back?" He waved his hand again and said, "All soldiers follow closely behind, don't make any noise. If you scare Prince Lingnan, he may be too kind to punish you, but I will punish you according to military law!"
Zheng Gui wanted to refuse, but when he thought about the fact that there was a master standing next to him whose kung fu was said to be no less powerful than that of Wulin leader Yuchi Lianghong, he knew that if he accidentally caused a conflict, he would be the first one to be injured or even killed.
So Zheng Gui said: "Then please follow me into the city. The city is too small, so please forgive me for any inadequacies in care." However, his face had an unfathomable and dull expression, making it impossible to guess his true intention.
Zheng Gui’s statement that “the walled city is too small” is really too modest.
After Qiu Yizhi led his troops into the city, he discovered that in addition to a palace, several villas and gardens, and three or two military camps and warehouses, the rest of the city was a playground and grass field, which was very spacious. Therefore, let alone the 18 personal soldiers, 200 local militiamen, and more than 20 ceremonial guards that Qiu Yizhi brought, even if the number of these 200 people was multiplied several times, it would be enough to maneuver in it.
So Qiu Yizhi carefully observed the terrain of the city while calling Zhao Chengxiao and said, "Brother Zhao, I'm afraid we will have to stay in this tiger's den today. You must be careful and don't get eaten by the tiger!"
As they were talking, the Third Prince Zheng Miao, who was walking side by side with Lingnan King Zheng Gui, stopped. Following closely behind him, Qiu Yizi also stopped. Looking up, he saw that he was not standing in front of the palace in the center of Shicheng, but standing at the door of a quiet villa.
The owner of Shicheng, Lingnan King Zheng Gui, was supported by Zheng Yu and Yuchi Jiming on the left and right. He turned to Zheng Miao and said, "I will rest here. If Your Highness Third Prince doesn't mind, how about going in for a cup of tea? But the smell of medicine in my room is too strong, and I'm afraid it will bother Your Highness."
Zheng Miao nodded quickly and said, "Of course. When my nephew left Beijing, my father gave him a lot of instructions to say to my uncle!"
Zheng Gui nodded and said, "Then please come in!"
This villa was the private residence of the prince. Even the first-rank officials and royal relatives could not enter without the prince's invitation. Yuchi Jiming, who was holding Zheng Gui, was just an ordinary man, and a girl, so of course she could not enter. She had no choice but to let go and let the King of Lingnan step into the room with a shaky step.
Without a martial arts master like Yuchi Jiming by his side, even a calm and steady man like Zheng Miao felt a little guilty, but he could not show weakness as he had the emperor's order, so he had to bite the bullet and walk into the house.
Qiu Yizi was afraid that there were some traps and ambushes in the house, so he quickly winked at Yuchi Jiming and Zhao Chengxiao, then grasped the Western Region sword in his hand and rushed into the house.
However, the room of King Lingnan was quite large, but the furnishings were extremely simple. Apart from a couch placed against the wall, there were only two chairs and a few other simple furniture, making the huge room look empty.
King Zheng Gui of Lingnan, supported by his second son Zheng Yu, half-lay down on the couch. He then saw a stranger coming in besides the three Zheng brothers, so he asked, "Who are you? We are just close relatives talking now, how dare you come in? Hasn't the Third Prince taught you etiquette?" His tone was quite stiff and tough.
The first time Qiu Yizhi spoke to the King of Lingnan, he was criticized by him, which aroused his pride. So he bowed and said, "I am Qiu Yizhi, I have always..."
Zheng Miao knew Qiu Yizhi's character and knew that he was always bullying the strong and afraid of the weak. He was afraid that he would get angry and offend the King of Lingnan, which would make everyone lose face, so he quickly took over the conversation: "He is the adopted son of my father. He has always been on an equal footing with my brothers. He is more casual when talking to the emperor than us, his own sons! If the uncle finds it inconvenient, you can ask him to step aside for a while."
Zheng Miao's words were full of hidden thorns - first, he introduced Qiu Yizi's identity, and second, he showed that he was also a person who had a say in front of the emperor - Zheng Gui listened and guessed that even if his status as a vassal king was noble, it was not as good as the emperor's, so he couldn't drive him out, but said: "So this is the adopted son of my brother, I have heard of you for a long time!"
Qiu Yizi cupped his hands again and said: "I am just a young boy. Doesn't it make me feel ashamed when Prince Lingnan says this?" Although his meaning was polite, his tone was not weak at all.
"No, no..." Zheng Gui said as he half-lay down, "Your Highness Yi is a handsome man with a promising future. You have long been famous. You were a small county magistrate in Shanyin County. First, you overthrew the old governor Yin Chengliang, and then trained troops to quell the Japanese pirates. Such a great reputation is deafening even for a small vassal king in a remote and poor place like me! It's a pity that there are only two seats in my small house. I'm afraid there is no place for Your Highness Yi to sit!"
Qiu Yizhi was about to retort, but saw Zheng Miao beside him pulling his sleeve hard, so he had to keep silent. But he heard Zheng Miao say: "My brother is indeed quite capable. Even the emperor often praises us brothers and asks us brothers to learn from him. Oh, uncle, you must be tired after talking so much. Do you want to ask someone outside to bring in a bowl of ginseng soup?"
As Zheng Miao spoke, he picked up a cushion on the couch and stuffed it under Zheng Gui's shoulders.
Zheng Gui heard Zheng Miao speak politely and behave very appropriately, and the anger he had just stirred up was immediately extinguished. He sighed and said, "I have never wanted to fall behind others in my life, but I didn't expect that I would end up like this in my old age due to my poor health. I am really embarrassed to be your nephew."
Zheng Miao laughed and said, "Uncle Wang, what you said is off base. Who hasn't had some serious or minor illness in life? I think uncle is very healthy, but he just has some minor illness occasionally. As long as he takes good care of himself, he will recover as usual."
Zheng Gui smiled slightly when he heard that, waved his hand and said, "No, I'm not as good as before!" Seeing that Zheng Miao was still standing and talking, he said, "Why is the Third Prince still standing? Zheng Yu, why don't you show your third brother a seat?" But he deliberately omitted to mention Qiu Yizi.
In fact, Qiu Yizhi felt that it was more convenient for him to stand, so he put his hand on the precious sword to protect Zheng Miao behind him, and then he heard Lingnan King Zheng Gui say: "My wife has been with me for more than 30 years, and she was always in good health. She suddenly passed away after the New Year. I was hit so hard that I fell ill and couldn't get up..."
Zheng Yu, the second son of the King of Lingnan, finally followed orders and moved a chair to Zheng Miao's side. He panted and continued, "Although my mother is not my biological mother, she raised me. Hearing such bad news is like a bolt from the blue!"
Zheng Gui interrupted Zheng Yu's words and said, "I am talking to His Majesty the Third Prince, how can you interrupt me? Sit aside and don't talk."
Zheng Yu was embarrassed and quickly shut his mouth. He shook his head, moved a chair, sat next to his father's couch, lowered his head and dared not say another word.
Zheng Miao found this a little strange, but he didn't want to ask more, so he just said, "When Uncle Wang was young, he was also a man who fought in the army. His physical foundation must be very good. We have to take good care of him, and he will recover immediately."
"Thank you for your kind words, nephew!" Zheng Gui said, "But I wonder how His Majesty is doing?"
Before Zheng Miao left Beijing, his father, the Emperor Zheng Rong, had caught a cold. Although it was not a serious illness, his face was covered with snot and tears. Therefore, although he did not stop reviewing memorials, he had not attended court for several days.
However, the health of Emperor Zheng Rong is the most confidential matter in the imperial court, and it must not be mentioned in front of Zheng Gui. So Zheng Miao thought for a moment, clasped his hands and said, "The affairs of state are numerous and the emperor is a person who has to do everything himself. He often says that if he had not trained a good body when he was young, he would have been worn out and sick. When it comes to this, father often blames us sons for being useless and unable to share the worries of the emperor and father. He also laments that there are no capable and reliable helpers around us. Whenever we hear this, the three brothers really want to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it."
Zheng Gui moved his body and said, "The emperor has many talented people around him. Not to mention his nephews, his former prime minister Zhongli Kuang and marshal Dai Luanxiang are also capable people. Even my third brother, although he doesn't care about the court's political situation, is a man of real talent and knowledge. If the emperor can invite him to come out of retirement to assist, he will surely be of great use."
Zheng Miao immediately said, "In fact, Prince Heluo has been helping father with his work. Although he is not in charge of any specific affairs, he often goes among the scholars on behalf of the court and has made great efforts to win over the hearts of scholars for the court!"
Zheng Gui was somewhat surprised when he heard this: he was very familiar with his third brother, Heluo King Zheng Hua. Although he was a royal relative and indeed a man of great talent, he was unwilling to show his face and participate in court affairs. In addition, he had read too much and had acquired some scholarly spirit, so he was even more stubborn. With such a temper, even the previous emperor could not do anything about him. If he was willing to come out and work for the court, he must be sincerely convinced and willing to serve the current emperor Zheng Rong.
Thinking of this, Zheng Gui felt a little sad, but he didn't want to show it. He just said, "That's good. That's good."
But Zheng Miao continued, "But the emperor said that he has more literary skills than military strategy. Although he has the assistance of Prince Heluo, he is still not perfect."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Gui frowned, moved his body, and said, "I don't quite understand what you're saying. The emperor is my own brother, and I know how capable he is. The emperor was born a prince who led troops to fight. He guarded the bitter cold land of Youyan for more than ten years for the court. Not only did he not let the northern barbarians retreat southward, but he also expanded the territory of hundreds of miles to the north. Who in the world doesn't know about such martial arts? Just a few years ago, the emperor... The emperor also won a great victory in the battle against the rebellion. It can be said that his sword is still sharp. How can you say that he lacks martial arts?"
Zheng Miao was waiting for these words, so he quickly took over the conversation: "Uncle, you hit the nail on the head. Just now, Uncle said that before the emperor ascended the throne, he was the Prince of Youyan who guarded the northern border for the court. Since he inherited the country, the north has inevitably been empty. When I left Beijing, my father told me that although my third brother is temporarily guarding Youyan Road, my father commented on my third brother, saying that he is not a talent for ruling, and can only maintain it with difficulty, and has absolutely no talent for expanding territory. Therefore-" (To be continued)