"Yingying, keep my becoming the Pacify the Rong King a secret for now."
Zhao Zheng instructed her, "Wait until the Sixth Rank Top Hundred Battle is over, so the Rong Tribe spies don't set their sights on me ahead of time."
"Don't worry, Fourth Brother. I've always been tight-lipped!" Zhao Yingying said.
After chatting with Zhao Zheng a while longer, Zhao Yingying said she was going to the Sifang Inn to see the Eldest Princess and left with Mama Wang.
Once she was gone, Zhao Zheng turned to Yang Ling with a solemn expression.
"Yang Ling, do you know why I became the Pacify the Rong King?"
Yang Ling thought for a moment. "Should I know, Your Highness?"
Zhao Zheng smiled. "It was because of this case in Xiangfeng Prefecture. Imperial Father originally intended to make Third Brother a king first.
"After all, the civil officials think highly of Third Brother.
"But because of this case, Imperial Father overrode all objections, reached an agreement with the grand secretaries, and bestowed the title of Pacify the Rong King on me."
Yang Ling's expression shifted, as though he was beginning to understand.
Because of the Xiangfeng Prefecture case?
The case had already implicated Zhao Fu, the Third Prince, and even the Star Gazing Academy.
In the end, it had been suppressed, with Wang Zhi's death serving as a hasty conclusion.
"So this was how the Civil Official Group resolved the case, with the price being the Fourth Prince receiving the title of Pacify the Rong King?"
Yang Ling felt this was a silver lining. He had thought all along that Zhao Fu hadn't suffered much of a loss over the matter, and it had secretly rankled him.
Now that Zhao Zheng had benefited, it indirectly meant Zhao Fu had suffered a heavy