" Nan Yi!"
Abucha's face stiffened. He had originally intended to kill Jiumosong instead of targeting the Nan Yi. After all, this guy was the king's nephew, and there were even rumors that he was the king's illegitimate son.
If he were killed, it would completely sever ties with Zhennan, and a mere envoy like him dared not make that decision.
But at this moment he had no right to refute, and could only wait until Ashley was sober before speaking.
He took a deep breath, slowly walked towards Zhao Yun, and said with gratitude, "Thanks to Commander Zhao for reminding us this time, we were able to avoid being Jiumosong. The Frostwest Empire is extremely grateful."
"It's alright, it's my duty!" Zhao Yun waved his hand and laughed.
Abucha shook his head, took out a stack of Great Liang banknotes from his pocket and handed them to Zhao Yun, saying with a smile, "If it weren't for the commander's help, the Frostwest Empire would have been in complete chaos. Also, our princess was saved by you. Consider this a treat for the Hundred Riders brothers."
These are Hundred Riders, the personal guards of the Emperor of Great Liang. It's perfectly reasonable to have a good relationship with them.
Five thousand taels!
Looking at the banknotes in his hand, Zhao Yun's eyes flashed with a smile. He casually slipped them into the hand of his deputy behind him and said with a smile, "Then thank you very much, envoy!"
No, no.
Abucha waved his hands repeatedly, refusing any thanks. He asked with some concern, "Commander Zhao, is our princess alright?"
Princess Anne's role is of paramount importance, concerning the future of the Frostwest Empire; absolutely nothing can go wrong with her.
"Don't worry, that's the palace. Princess Anne is perfectly fine. The enemy wasn't even able to enter the palace before being killed!" Zhao Yun said calmly.
That's the imperial palace! What are they thinking, trying to get in with just a few people?
Abucha breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the princess was alright; all that mattered now was rescuing the minister. He pleaded, "Commander Zhao, please allow your country's doctors to treat our minister. The Frostwest Empire will be eternally grateful."
"Of course!" Zhao Yun nodded and smiled.
After saying that, he led them away to the Court of Diplomatic Reception to treat the unconscious Abucha.
After they left, the people in the restaurant went wild and started discussing it frantically.
"What do you mean? At first, someone from the Frostwest Empire was shot with an arrow, and then Zhennan Jiumosong was also hit by an arrow, but it turned out that Zhennan was just putting on an act?"
"That son of a bitch is such a drama queen! I even suspected it was us from Great Liang who did it."
"Hmph, it's obvious that this Jiumosong wants to frame the Great Liang, that's why he's causing this trouble. He'd rather take an arrow himself than let the Frostwest Empire get involved."
"Good heavens, this Jiumosong is ruthless; he's directly betting himself."
"Nonsense, everything was arranged. The enemy of the Frostwest Empire was targeted, and he himself was the one who hit the mark. What's the problem?"
"To hell with them, those treacherous villains! No wonder the Emperor wanted to wipe them out."
"Thank goodness he left quickly, or I would have beaten him to death!"
" Jiumosong is courting death. So what if the Frostwest Empire is dragged into this? Even if my Great Liang can withstand two great empires alone, it will still be invincible in the East!"
The common people naturally sided with Great Liang. When they learned that Jiumosong had actually plotted against their country, they couldn't help but curse and swear, wishing they could kill Jiumosong.
A country on the verge of being destroyed by the Great Liang dared to cause trouble; it was simply courting death.
Liu Kun and the others in the crowd also saw this scene and couldn't help but sneer.
"A mere Zhennan dares to offend the Great Liang? He's overestimating himself!" Zhang Wanhao sneered. This Jiumosong was rather ungrateful.
Although he's now forced to dye cloth, his profits haven't decreased at all; in fact, they've increased several times over.
These fabrics became luxury items in the West, their value increasing more than tenfold, and the profits involved were staggering.
It was precisely because of this that he felt the overwhelming power of the Great Liang along this trade route, and that was no joke.
Not only does the Frostwest Empire fear the Great Liang, but even the Great West Empire and the so-called Black Skull Army dare not touch the Great Liang in the slightest.
This is the strength of Great Liang. What makes Zhennan think he can challenge Great Liang?
Wang Hui nodded and sighed, "The current emperor is indeed a genius; the country has become stronger than ever before under his rule. It's a pity that we weren't with him from the beginning!"
To be honest, he also regretted it a bit. If he had known, he should have directly sided with Great Liang, at least he would have received some preferential treatment.
Even if we don't maintain the strength of the aristocratic families, at least they won't be suppressed like this.
The power of these aristocratic families has been repeatedly diminished, a far cry from their state during the Great Ning era. They have no way to express their grievances.
"With the introduction of the Imperial Examination System, the aristocratic families will eventually come to an end!" Liu Kun, the former head of an aristocratic family, couldn't help but say with a touch of melancholy.
When the Imperial Examination System was first introduced, he sensed something was wrong, and its subsequent Imperial Examination implementation instilled even greater fear in him.
The influx of talented individuals further compressed the already limited space available to aristocratic families, a fact that left him deeply saddened.
It was destined to decline.
Everyone was somewhat dejected. They had now become the emperor's people, but their status had plummeted; they had become mere tools.
At this moment, someone laughed. It was Huang Tai from the Huang Clan. He said happily, "I am content. At least we still exist. This is the greatest fortune."
Even the Western Regions and the Yamata Nation are gone, yet we still exist; that's already a miracle.
Besides, this Imperial Examination produced a good person; his existence has enraged the emperor, so we can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Upon hearing his words, everyone burst into laughter, and their previous gloom dissipated considerably.
Zhang Wanhao couldn't help but laugh, exclaiming, "That Zhao Zhong is a complete idiot. Everyone knows how much the Emperor dislikes the Yamata Nation."
"His excessive killing spree is utterly bizarre; he's really dug himself into this mess."
Hahaha!
Everyone was both amused and exasperated. Back then, in a fit of rage, the emperor purged several industries, making even their own empire tremble in fear. That was the extent of his anger.
Unfortunately, this fool had absolutely no discernment, which dealt a heavy blow to the Imperial Examination.
Seeing their gloating expressions, Wang Hui said irritably, "This time, Zhao Zhong has entered the Zhennan Battlefield and become a general in one of the regions. His future is still unknown."
"What if he comes back with a commendable achievement? That would be awkward."
"Him? A commander?"
Zhang Wanhao sneered, glanced around subconsciously, and then whispered, "Don't you know? It's said that although His Majesty appointed him as the commander-in-chief, he also had General Qi Jiguang follow him."
However, Zhao Zhong had no real command over Qi Jiguang. He only had forty-odd scholars under his command; what merit could they possibly achieve?
"Forty scholars destroyed Zhennan?"
"Damn, so he's a one-man army!"
Everyone was both amused and exasperated; this guy was no commander, he was practically throwing his life away.