Great commercial capital.
Li Ziye led the army back in triumph.
The people greeted each other along the street, and the scene was very spectacular.
As the triumphant king said before, one day, the cheers of the people will come to him.
However, no one could have imagined that this day would come so quickly.
In the Imperial Palace, Shou'an Hall, Emperor Shang stood quietly in front of the window, looking at the scenery outside, waiting for the arrival of the Buyi Marquis.
About an hour later.
In front of the palace.
Li Ziye dismounted his horse and entered the palace on foot.
Not long after, Li Ziye came outside Shou'an Palace and entered the palace under the leadership of the chamberlain.
"I am here to see you, Your Majesty."
Li Ziye saluted and said respectfully.
"The Buyi Marquis has not removed his armor yet, so there is no need to be more polite."
Emperor Shang looked at the person in front of him and said calmly.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Ziye straightened up and responded.
"Sit down and talk." Shang Huang said.
"yes."
Li Ziye took the order and walked to the opposite side of the chess table to sit down.
"Buyi Hou went north this time and made great contributions to our great business. What reward do you want?" Emperor Shang looked at the former and asked directly without beating around the bush.
Li Ziye hesitated for a moment and replied, "The position of King Wu."
"Um?"
Emperor Shang heard the answer from the Buyi Marquis in front of him, his expression changed, and he replied, "It stands to reason that based on your merits, it is not impossible to be crowned king. However, your time to be crowned a marquis is still short, so to be crowned king so soon, I’m afraid there will be a lot of objections, so I suggest you wait for a while.”
Li Ziye was silent. After a moment, he nodded and said, "Listen to your Majesty."
"Don't be anxious, the position of King Wu will be yours sooner or later."
Emperor Shang said seriously, "As an official in the court, you must know how to hide your strength and bide your time."
"Minister, please remember your Majesty's teachings." Li Ziye responded respectfully.
"Tomorrow in the court, all the ministers will debate endlessly about whether you can be crowned king. In addition, Mu Yuan is to blame for the fall of Baidi City. How to deal with it will be decided in the court tomorrow."
Emperor Shang picked up a white stone and dropped it on the chessboard, saying, "What do you think, Marquis Buyi, how should I deal with him?"
After hearing what Emperor Shang said, Li Ziye immediately understood something and said sternly, "The war in the north affects the whole body. Success is not the fault of one person, and failure is not the fault of one person."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Shang narrowed his eyes slightly, took a sunspot, dropped it, and said, "Marquis Buyi has been running around for many days. He should be tired, so he should go back and rest first."
"My lord, please retire."
Li Ziye stood up immediately, saluted again, and then turned and left.
"It's not one person's fault."
In front of the chess table, Shang Huang murmured softly, and a strange color flashed in his eyes. This commoner was really smart.
Outside Shouan Hall.
Li Ziye walked out and walked straight out of the palace.
The Shang Emperor wants to protect the eldest prince!
It just so happened that he didn't want the eldest prince to lose power so quickly.
For once, he and the old fox had the same purpose.
In addition, Emperor Shang meant that he would not be crowned king for the time being, but he also promised that this position would be his sooner or later.
It's also expected.
Within a year, he was promoted from a commoner to a marquis of ten thousand households, which was an exception. If he were to be crowned king again, the opposition inside and outside the court would be very strong.
It's okay to put it off for a while.
While thinking, Li Ziye walked out of the palace. Along the way, the servants in the palace either gave way or bowed respectfully.
Now, the news of Buyi Hou's victory has spread throughout the palace. The people in the palace, especially Qiqiao Linglong, do not dare to neglect the new noble in the court in front of them.
Just as Li Ziye was about to leave the palace, a woman dressed as a palace maid came forward with an imperial doctor.
"I've seen Buyi Hou."
When the imperial doctor saw the person coming from the opposite side, he quickly stepped forward and saluted.
"Where is Doctor Jiang going?" Li Ziye stopped and asked in confusion.
"Prince Wen is not feeling well. Please go and have a look." Dr. Jiang responded truthfully.
Hearing this, Li Ziye narrowed his eyes slightly and subconsciously looked at the maid next to Dr. Jiang.
That person should be the maid next to Prince Wen, Mu Jin.
No wonder her temperament and appearance are obviously different from ordinary palace maids.
Soon, Li Ziye came back to his senses and said, "Since Prince Wen is unwell, Imperial Physician Jiang should go as soon as possible."
"Thank you, Lord Marquis. I will take the first step."
Doctor Jiang responded and left in a hurry.
In front of the palace gate, Li Ziye looked at the two people's retreating figures, a strange color flashing in his eyes.
What a coincidence.
If he has the chance, he should also pay a visit to Prince Wen.
Thinking of this, Li Ziye gathered his thoughts and left the palace.
At the same time, the Buyihou Mansion.
Nan'er sat on the back of the big dog and looked at the beautiful sister in front of her without saying a word, staring with big eyes at her.
When Li Ziye entered the palace to meet the emperor, he first asked his personal guards to escort Nan'er to the Hou Mansion.
Being new to a strange place and meeting strange people, Nan'er was a little afraid of strangers and didn't know what to say, so she just sat on the back of the white wolf without saying a word.
Similarly, Yu Qingxuan didn't know the identity of the little girl in front of him, and was a little afraid of the monster under the little girl, so he didn't dare to get close.
Not only Yu Qingxuan, but also all the servants in the mansion were so frightened when they saw the huge white-eyed wolf queen that they hid far away.
"Ouch."
When the white-eyed wolf king saw the fearful expressions on everyone's faces, he felt proud instead of ashamed, and shouted proudly.
"Master Hou."
Not long after, Li Ziye stepped forward outside the mansion, and the servants in the mansion saluted respectfully.
In the courtyard, Li Ziye saw the two people staring at each other in front of him and said, "Nan'er, come down."
On the back of the white wolf, Nan'er saw that the bad guy was back and immediately slipped off the white wolf.
"Bad guy, do all these big houses belong to you?" Nan'er looked at the former and asked curiously.
"yes."
Li Ziye smiled and said, "It's all mine. If you like it, you can live here wherever you want."
"Master Hou."
Ahead, Yu Qingxuan stepped forward and saluted respectfully.
"Qingxuan, take Nan'er down to change clothes and have something to eat."
Li Ziye looked at the woman in front of him and warned, "She will live in the Hou Mansion from now on."
"yes!"
Yu Qingxuan bowed again and responded respectfully.
After briefly arranging Nan'er's daily life, Li Ziye left first and went to the backyard to change clothes.
In the backyard room, Li Ziye took off his armor, put on his regular clothes, and walked out of the house again.
Not long after, a carriage arrived in front of the eldest prince's residence and stopped outside.
In the mansion, Mu Yuan heard that the Buyi Hou was coming and immediately sent someone to greet him.
"Your Highness."
In the front hall, Li Ziye walked quickly and bowed respectfully to the person in front of him.
"No need to be polite, Lord Marquis."
Mu Yuan stepped forward to help the person in front of him and said, "I just heard that the Marquis has returned to the city. Why don't you go back to your home and rest before you come back."
"I was worried about His Highness's situation, so I changed my clothes and came here."
Li Ziye showed concern and asked, "How are you doing these days, Your Highness?"
"fine."
Mu Yuan nodded and said, "I'm just grounded by my father. I haven't received any other punishment yet."
"That's good."
Li Ziye breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I have just entered the palace. I listen to your majesty. Tomorrow, in court, you will be held accountable for the loss of Baidi City. Your Highness must be mentally prepared."
"tomorrow?"
Mu Yuan frowned and replied, "It doesn't matter, it will come sooner or later, there is no way to avoid it."
"Your Highness, there is no need to worry. I will do my best to plead for His Highness in court tomorrow."
Li Ziye said seriously, "Even if I don't need those military exploits, I will still try my best to keep His Highness safe and sound!"
