As the saying went, one who humbled himself before another must be asking something of them.
Luoyi had treated Ye Zhen as a powerful minister, while Tong Dehai, the Grand Supervisor of the Inner Palace who had once held sway over Great Zhou, did not even dare sit long before Ye Zhen. The reason was simple: Tong Dehai had come with a mission.
Whether it was the title of Duke of the State, the generous bestowal of noble ranks upon Ye Zhen's generals, or his marriage to Princess Changle—with the wedding date and venue all left for Ye Zhen to decide, even appointing Chancellor Bai, the former Grand Priest who was extremely close to Ye Zhen, as the wedding envoy—all of it was, in truth, Luoyi's bargaining chips.
Bargaining chips for a political deal with Ye Zhen.
Naturally, such a political deal would not be openly spoken of. It was raised by Tong Dehai, the Grand Supervisor of the Inner Palace, as though in passing.
"Lord Duke Ye, His Majesty has been so generous because both His Majesty and the lords of the court have placed great hopes upon you."
"Oh? Great hopes?" Ye Zhen understood that this was Luoyi's condition. An amused curve appeared at the corner of his lips again. "I only fear that the hopes of Your Majesty and the lords are too heavy for Ye to bear."
"How could that be? Absolutely not." Tong Dehai gave an awkward laugh, then hurriedly said, "His Majesty and the lords of the court hope that Lord Duke Ye will firmly guard Great Zhou's seas and territory, crush the Devil Race in the east, crush the Water Clan in the north, ensure lasting peace along Great Zhou's northeastern coast, and keep the northeastern inland regions—the source of Great Zhou's taxes—stable