Ye Zhen's return to Luoyi spread through the city like it had grown wings.
Not long after Ye Zhen returned to the North Sea Prefecture Duke's Mansion in Luoyi's inner city, the usually deserted mansion became thronged with visitors.
Of course, it was not because Ye Zhen himself was so sought-after.
Rather, a political faction of no small size had already gathered around him, composed mainly of officers, priests, and their families from the Zhenhai Army, the former Zhennan Legion, Fire Spirit Hall, and Barbarian Spirit Hall.
In recent days, as Marquis Taichuan Liu Ye and Bai Tai's fifth son, Bai Pin Feng, were handed over to the Supreme Court, this political faction united around Ye Zhen had felt an inexplicable threat.
Now that Ye Zhen had arrived, it was as if they had found their backbone, and they immediately came to pay their respects.
Yet what worried Ye Zhen more at this moment was Princess Changle, who had entered the palace. He had no mind to receive these people.
And resolving their crisis of confidence was, in truth, simply a matter of resolving the threat posed by the First Prince, Prince Huan Ji Ao.
Ye Zhen had the steward send word that he was exhausted from the long journey and would hold a banquet to receive them another day.
Even the trusted aides sent by the Fourth Prince and Seventh Prince were dismissed in the same manner.
Ye Zhen had already sent Niu Er orders to investigate with all his strength the changes in Luoyi over the past few days.
But Luoyi was, after all, Luoyi—the imperial capital of Great Zhou. Even though Niu Er had deployed himself with all his might over the years and planted some personnel there,
it was basically impossible to rely on them for