You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Ministry of Rites.

Zhuge Liang and the Thirteenth Prince sat next to each other.

"Prime Minister Zhuge, if I remember correctly, the Eastern Region should be ruled and guarded by the Azure Dragon Dynasty! When did your Great Zhou take over?"

"My imperial court has issued a strict order long ago, prohibiting the dynasties within our human race from attacking each other, so as to avoid internal consumption of our human race's strength. Your Great Zhou is so bold that you dared to start a war and destroy the Qinglong Dynasty. You really don't take my imperial court's strict order seriously at all!"

As soon as he sat down, His Highness the Thirteenth Prince looked at Zhuge Liang and said calmly.

There was no emotion in the tone, but an invisible pressure was emanating from it, filling the surroundings.

If it were an ordinary person, perhaps he might really be fooled by the Thirteenth Prince's show of power.

But Zhuge Liang was no ordinary man, he had seen all kinds of situations.

The Thirteenth Prince wanted to give him a warning, but he was still a little naive.

"Your Highness Thirteen, you don't know! My Great Zhou was also forced to resist. The Qinglong Dynasty attacked my Great Zhou for no reason and sent a large army to attack my Great Zhou. My Great Zhou had no choice but to fight back. It's impossible for my Great Zhou to remain indifferent and let others slaughter us when the knife is already on our neck."

"and."

"The Qinglong Dynasty also colluded with foreign races, destroyed the four top sects in my Eastern Region, and persecuted many loyal people in my Eastern Region who were unwilling to associate with foreign races. Does Your Highness Thirteen think that such a dynasty that associates with foreign races should not perish?"

Zhuge Liang looked at the Thirteenth Prince and said with a look of indignation.

When it comes to talking, Zhuge Liang was no less skilled throughout his life.

Upon hearing this, the Thirteenth Prince's mouth twitched involuntarily.

He originally wanted to give the other party a warning, but in the end, the other party ended up making things difficult for him.

How should he answer.

It is indeed damnable to associate with aliens.

If he answered like this, wouldn't he be indirectly admitting that there would be no problem for the Great Zhou to conquer the Qinglong Dynasty?

As a prince in the imperial court, even if he was not visiting the Great Zhou for a normal official purpose, his every word and action represented the imperial court.

Before the Imperial Court made a clear statement, he had already expressed his opinion on the affairs in the Eastern Region. Isn't that asking for trouble?

But what if he said he shouldn't die.

If one associates with aliens, he should not die. What does this highness of the imperial court want to do?

Betray the human race?

Or do you want to be a rapist?

"Prime Minister Zhuge Zhong is exaggerating! As far as I know, the two masters and several elders of the four top sects in your Eastern Region all died at the hands of your Great Zhou."

The Thirteenth Prince glanced at Zhuge Liang and spoke.

Even if they wanted to set a trap for him, his Thirteenth Prince was not the kind of playboy who only cared about romance.

"It seems that His Highness Thirteen knows a lot about the affairs of our Great Zhou!"

Zhuge Liang already understood that this was the Thirteenth Prince telling him that he, the Thirteenth Prince, was not completely in the dark about the affairs of the Great Zhou.

"Your Highness Thirteen is right. Two of the leaders and several elders of the four top sects in the Eastern Region died at the hands of the Great Zhou. Since Your Highness knows these things, then Your Highness should also be aware that the four top sects in the Eastern Region have long been infiltrated by alien races such as the Demon Race and the Monster Race."

"It can be said that the entire Eastern Region, not just the four top sects, many forces have been controlled by the demons and monsters, including the Azure Dragon Dynasty. If it weren't for my Great Zhou stepping forward at the right time, the entire Eastern Region would have become the world of those aliens. His Highness the Thirteenth Prince would not have the opportunity to come to the Eastern Region and sit here with me."

Since the other party knew all this, Zhuge Liang had nothing to hide, so he said nine truths and one lie.

"Haha, Prime Minister Zhuge is quite eloquent. Let's not talk about the fact that these are all one-sided statements from Prime Minister Zhuge. Just to talk about the matter of attacking and destroying the Azure Dragon Dynasty, your Great Zhou has violated the strict order of my imperial court. The Azure Dragon Dynasty was canonized by my imperial court, and the fate of the Azure Dragon Dynasty also affects the fate of my imperial court. Whether the Azure Dragon Dynasty is guilty or not, and how to deal with it, is not up to you, the Great Zhou, but my imperial court."

"However, I did not come to the East Region for these matters. These matters are taken care of by the elders in the imperial court. It is not my turn to worry about them. I want to meet the emperor of your Great Zhou to discuss important matters. Please lead the way, Prime Minister Zhuge."

His Highness the Thirteenth Prince did not want to argue with Zhuge Liang any more. There was no practical significance in their continued confrontation over these matters.

No matter who is right or wrong, what matters in the end is how hard your fist is.

Since ancient times, big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimps. This is an eternal truth.

He didn't care whether the Qinglong Dynasty would be destroyed or not. What he really cared about was whether this trip could achieve his intended purpose.

Everything is paving the way for what is to come.

"It's unfortunate that you came here, Thirteenth Prince. His Majesty has been in seclusion for many days. I'm afraid you will be disappointed if you want to see His Majesty."

Zhuge Liang didn't know what the Thirteenth Prince's purpose was in coming all the way to the Great Zhou, but he thought it was not a good thing.

It is impossible to see the emperor of the Great Zhou. Not everyone can see the emperor of the Great Zhou if they want to.

If someone came and said that he had important matters to discuss with the emperor of the Great Zhou, then the emperor of the Great Zhou would have nothing to do every day and there was no telling how many people he would have to meet.

"However, if you have any important matters, please tell me. If it is a trivial matter, I will never refuse to help if I can."

Zhuge Liang wanted to see what the purpose of the Thirteenth Prince of the Imperial Court was in coming all the way from the Central Region to the Great Zhou.

"In seclusion?"

Upon hearing this, His Highness the Thirteenth Prince could not help but frown.

The Great Zhou had just unified the Eastern Region and had gone through the turmoil of the war. Now it was in need of someone to take charge of the situation. At this juncture, how could the Emperor of the Great Zhou go into seclusion?

After looking at Zhuge Liang suspiciously, the Thirteenth Prince already had an idea in his mind.

Obviously.

This is the other party's excuse.

The talk about seclusion or not is just an excuse.

I'm afraid that the Emperor of the Great Zhou already knew about it when he was just outside the gate of the imperial city.

"Your Highness, I have come at the right time. I wonder when the emperor of your Great Zhou will be able to come out of seclusion?"

The Thirteenth Prince did not immediately state his purpose, but asked Zhuge Liang calmly.

Zhuge Liang shook his head. "I don't know when His Majesty will be able to come out of seclusion. Your Majesty should know that seclusion can last longer or shorter. As for when His Majesty will come out, how can we, as his subjects, know?"

Zhuge Liang's meaning was very clear, that is, if there was anything, one could talk to him, the prime minister of the Great Zhou, but if one wanted to meet him, the emperor of the Great Zhou, then no one knew when.

The Thirteenth Prince also understood what Zhuge Liang meant. He pondered for a moment and said, "This prince came to the Eastern Region to recruit the strong men of the Azure Dragon Dynasty, but now the Azure Dragon Dynasty has been replaced by your Great Zhou. In this case, your Great Zhou will take over. Gather all the strong men above the Saint level and follow this prince to the Central Region Imperial Court to serve."

Summon strong people above the level of saints?

Hearing the Thirteenth Prince's words, Zhuge Liang frowned slightly, and without thinking, he rejected it without hesitation; "I'm afraid that I will disappoint the Thirteenth Prince. The current situation of our Great Zhou is unstable, and there are foreign races such as the Demons and the Monsters who are eyeing us in the dark. If we gather all the strong men above the Saint level to follow the Thirteenth Prince to the Central Region Imperial Court, what will happen to our Great Zhou and even the entire Eastern Region?"

"By then, if the demons and other foreign races come to attack, what will our Great Zhou do to resist them?"

Zhuge Liang had not expected that the Thirteenth Prince's purpose was to recruit powerful men above the level of saints in his Great Zhou.

Let’s not talk about whether he, the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou, can make this decision. Even if he, the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou, can make this decision, he would not agree to it.

"Besides, His Majesty the Thirteenth Prince has not figured out one thing, that is, our Great Zhou is not the Azure Dragon Dynasty, let alone a vassal of the Central Region Imperial Court. Whether it is His Majesty the Thirteenth Prince or the Central Region Imperial Court, they have no power to command the strong men and soldiers of our Great Zhou."

Zhuge Liang looked at the Thirteenth Prince and spoke word by word.

He did not ask why the Thirteenth Prince came to the Eastern Region Great Zhou to recruit strong men above the level of Saints from his Great Zhou, nor did he care whether this was the Thirteenth Prince's own idea or the Central Region Imperial Court's idea. But it was simply impossible to recruit strong men above the level of Saints from his Great Zhou.

His Great Zhou was not a vassal of the Central Domain Imperial Court, nor was it a vassal state of the Central Domain Imperial Court. The Central Domain Imperial Court had no right to order his Great Zhou to do anything.

"What do you mean, your Great Zhou refused?"

The Thirteenth Prince raised his eyelids and his face darkened.

"You should know that my Central Region Imperial Court governs the entire Savage Realm. Any human dynasty in the entire Savage Realm is under the jurisdiction of my Imperial Court, and your Great Zhou is no exception."

"Besides, this time I came here to recruit strong men above the level of Saints to deal with the alien races. This is the righteous cause of our human race. If you, Great Zhou, refuse my call, do you know what the consequences will be?"

His Majesty the Thirteenth Prince, standing on the commanding heights of righteousness, looked at Zhuge Liang oppressively, and his tone was much sharper than before.

"Is your Highness Thirteen threatening me?"

Zhuge Liang was no pushover either, and he started to confront the Thirteenth Prince.

This is the confrontation on the table. Whoever loses momentum first is likely to be defeated by the other party.

"If Prime Minister Zhuge feels that this is a threat from my Highness, then take it as such."

"Oh, no one has ever dared to threaten our Great Zhou, but His Highness the Thirteenth is the first one."

Zhuge Liang sneered, his expression and tone showing no fear at all.

Perhaps others would care about the identity of this Thirteenth Prince, but Zhuge Liang would not.

The Central Region Imperial Court is strong, but his Great Zhou is not weak either.

If he wants to threaten the Great Zhou, this Thirteenth Prince is not qualified enough.

If it was the emperor from the imperial court who came, then perhaps there would be some possibility.

……

Half a day later.

The Thirteenth Prince walked out of the Ministry of Rites with a gloomy face.

In this confrontation, the Thirteenth Prince did not gain any advantage over Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of the Great Zhou.

"Your Highness, this Da Zhou is so bold that it actually dares to refuse your call. It really doesn't know whether it lives or dies."

The old man Guan who was following behind the Thirteenth Prince said with a look of indignation on his face.

A dynasty from a mere barren land in the Eastern Region actually dared to refuse the call of His Majesty the Imperial Court, and even shamelessly said that they were not subjects of the Imperial Court. This was simply a provocation to the majesty of his Imperial Court.

You must know that in the entire wild world, all human dynasty forces are under the majesty of his imperial court and are subservient to him. Even those sects and holy places are based on his imperial court.

If the Imperial Court’s attention had not been tied up now, coupled with incidents in the other three regions, just based on the fact that Great Zhou had conquered the Qinglong Dynasty, they would have been prepared to face the Imperial Court’s thundering wrath!

"It's expected. If Da Zhou agrees so easily, then Your Highness will have to think carefully about it."

Looking back at the gate of the Ministry of Rites, His Highness the Thirteenth Prince's face looked somewhat gloomy.

Although he had anticipated this result, he still couldn't hide his unhappiness.

As His Majesty of the Imperial Court, he had never been disobeyed like this before.

"Go find out the addresses of Li Cunxiao and other powerful people in the Great Zhou. We will visit them one by one later."

Since Zhuge Zhongxiang refused, he went to visit these people one by one.

He doesn't care how enthusiastic these people are towards him, as long as he can meet them once, his goal will be achieved.

He wanted to see how much the emperor of the Great Zhou trusted these people.

"Yes, Your Highness."

A guard left quietly.

This is Chi Guoguo's conspiracy.

As long as he visited these powerful men of the Great Zhou, no matter whether these people were enthusiastic or cold towards him, the Thirteenth Prince, it would leave seeds of doubt in the heart of the Emperor of the Great Zhou.

Once the seeds of doubt are planted, they are difficult to dispel.

Especially for emperors, suspicion and distrust are inevitable.

By then, there might be unexpected gains.

however.

Imagination is beautiful, but reality is often cruel.

If His Majesty the Thirteenth Prince knew that these powerful men of the Great Zhou were all signed in by Zhou Chen, and that Zhou Chen would not have the slightest doubt about their loyalty, I wonder what His Majesty the Thirteenth Prince would think?

"Li Mansion!"

After finding out the residence of Li Cunxiao, a powerful man who could resist the projection of a half-emperor, His Highness the Thirteenth Prince went there according to the address.

Looking up at the two large characters on the door plaque, His Highness the Thirteenth Prince looked for confirmation at the guard who had just gone to inquire about his residence.

"Your Highness, this is it."

The guard nodded in confirmation.

The Thirteenth Prince then signaled to Mr. Guan beside him.

The man who managed the second brother walked up to the door and knocked on it without saying anything.

"Squeak..."

After a while, footsteps were heard, and the door was opened a foot wide. A man who looked like a servant stuck his head out.

He glanced at the four of them, including the Thirteenth Prince, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"Is this the residence of General Li Cunxiao?"

Mr. Guan asked to confirm.

"It's my general's residence."

The man nodded and said, "However, my general has been in seclusion for more than a month and does not see any outsiders. Please go back!"

After saying this, the man was about to close the door.

"and many more."

Seeing this, Master Guan hurriedly stopped the man and said, "Young man, we are from the Central Region Imperial Court. I wonder when your general will come out of seclusion. Would you mind informing us?"

"I've already told you that my general has been in seclusion for over a month and is not seeing any outside visitors. Please go back!"

The man looked impatient and slammed the door shut.

This is not the first time.

In the past two months, people have come to ask to see his general from time to time.

But who is his general?

He is a powerful man at the peak of the Saint King level, a big shot who can withstand the projection of a Half-Emperor. Can anyone meet him?

Looking at the closed door, Mr. Guan's face turned pale and red.

It was outrageous that a great sage like him had never been blocked at the gate and couldn't even get over the threshold.

"Your Highness."

After returning to the Thirteenth Prince, Guan Lao called out to him, wanting to see what the prince would do next.

"Let's go to the next one."

After a moment's silence, His Highness the Thirteenth Prince said nothing more and turned to walk towards the next house.

His Highness the Thirteenth Prince understood that it didn’t matter whether this General Li was really in seclusion or just pretending to be.

When the person from Li's residence just now told them that they would not be seeing guests, there was no need for them to stay any longer.

If General Li really went into seclusion, he would not be able to see guests.

But if General Li had not been in seclusion, it would have been impossible for him not to sense their arrival with his strength.

Since he knew they were coming but still refused to see the guests, the meaning was very clear.

That means I don't want to see them.

In this case, there is no practical point in continuing to dwell on it.

You can't just barge in! Isn't that asking for trouble?

After leaving Li Cunxiao's mansion, the Thirteenth Prince and his men walked towards Bai Qi's mansion.

This is the next target they will visit.

They originally thought that they would be able to meet Bai Qi, the great general of the Great Zhou, this time, but the result was the same as what happened to Li Mansion just now. They still couldn't even enter the gate of Bai Mansion.

In this way, the Thirteenth Prince visited six mansions in a row, but the result was the same. Not to mention meeting anyone, he couldn't even enter the door of the mansion.

Such a result made the Thirteenth Prince, who was originally well-mannered, look gloomy.

"Your Highness, these people dare to ignore Your Highness like this. They really don't know how to write the word 'death'."

The old man Guan next to them had a grim look on his face. They visited six mansions in a row, but no one said anything when they saw them, and they didn't even get in through the door. What was this?

If one or two people are in seclusion or are away on some matters, does that mean all six of them are away on some matters at the same time and are not seeing guests?

It was obvious that they didn't want to see them and didn't take their Thirteenth Prince seriously.

"Haha, it seems that Your Highness has miscalculated."

"I didn't expect that these people are so loyal to the Great Zhou."

The Thirteenth Prince sneered, with a flash of coldness in his eyes.

"Since these people don't welcome us, there's no need for us to continue."

"Let's go! Let's go back to the Central Region first."

There were a few more places I wanted to visit, but there is no need anymore.

The result of visiting six companies in a row is the best answer, and the result will be the same if we continue.

The Thirteenth Prince knew this clearly, so he did not continue to visit the next few families, but left Chang'an directly with a heart full of gloom.

No one knows what the Thirteenth Prince is thinking. Is he just going to leave in such disgrace?

Only Mr. Guan, who knew the Thirteenth Prince well, knew that this matter would not be let go so easily.

Although the Thirteenth Prince is not a person who will take revenge for any flaws, he will definitely not tolerate such treatment.

Especially with such disregard and rejection. (End of this chapter)