Fairy, please let me explain.

Chapter 752: Fate Plays Tricks on People
After Mr. Qi left, it started raining again.

There was no sound of people, only the crackling of firewood in the room and the drizzle of rain seeping in through the sandalwood. Li Yunqing was wrapped in a blanket and sitting alone in a recliner by the fire, glancing at the city view outside the window with half-closed eyes, holding a jade token left by Mr. Qi in his hand.

In Hanxuan City, pedestrians are walking on the densely packed streets, colorful oil-paper umbrellas are passing through the streets and alleys, and huge merchant ships are coming and going on the seaside docks.

As one of the largest cities in the three northern continents, this huge city is undoubtedly lucky.

The cold wave disaster from the south destroyed many territories, and the imperial army from the north also destroyed many places, but this port city was preserved remarkably well amidst these natural and man-made disasters.

Affected by the warm currents on the sea, this port city never stopped functioning even during the natural disasters a few years ago when the land was frozen by snow. By the time Li Zhaoyuan's troops reached the city, the northern sects were already doomed, so after a symbolic resistance, they surrendered.

Since Li Zhaoyuan took over the entire city's political affairs, within a few months of governance, the martial law in the entire port city was lifted and normal maritime trade was restored.

In this devastated northern land,
This Hanxuan City may really be worthy of the name Ruicheng.

Li Yunqing lowered his eyes and looked at the exquisite jade order in his hand, with a hint of complexity in his black pupils.

This was the tiger-shaped talisman and jade order that Li Zhaoyuan passed on to him through Mr. Qi, and it was also the ultimate purpose of his coming to this port city.

A fleet composed of warships with formation patterns.

Like previous dynasties in the Central Plains, Dayan did not need a maritime ban to strengthen central power, so there had never been a similar maritime ban decree. But conversely, the dynasty had never attached importance to the interests of overseas trade.

China is rich, so naturally no one cares about overseas.

Therefore, even though the scale of shipping in the Great Yan Dynasty is comparable to that of land, river, and air transportation, the Great Yan Marine Division is still laughably decadent. After all, the Great Yan shipping is all for the internal circulation of economic exchanges, and the routes are all near the sea. It is much more cost-effective to directly use high-level cultivators to patrol and escort than to have a navy on standby.

This also directly led to the fact that the maritime violence machine of the Great Yan Dynasty, the military branch named after Great Yan, had a terribly low status in the court. Not only was it not directly loyal to the emperor, it was also not affiliated with the Ministry of War. It was a palace soldier under the Maritime Customs under the Ministry of Revenue. Last year, the imperial army that went to sea for an expedition to Japan had already withdrawn all the battleships of the Great Yan Dynasty.

So in order to reorganize a fleet, Li Yunqing contacted many people and used many connections, but he kept running into obstacles.

Neither the royal family nor the prime minister's mansion had a ship that could form an army for him to purchase, but the sect did have one. After all, the benefits of sea trade were insignificant for Da Yan as a whole, but for a single sect, the benefits were still very considerable.

But the problem is that there is no way they would sell the foundation of their own clan to him unless he goes to his second brother Li Zhaoyuan.

In the court's gluttonous feast of dividing the three northern continents, the Prime Minister's Office was more focused on occupying those industrial centers to maintain the needs of future wars, while the royal family, at the instruction of Li Yaoxuan, seized those rare earth mines and transportation routes to curb possible future rebellion of the Prime Minister's Office.

In other words,
Most of the ships of the northern sect fell into Li Zhaoyuan's hands.

After careful consideration, Li Yunqing gave up the idea and prepared to cross the ocean by merchant ship, but at this time, his royal brother took the initiative to find him and proposed a deal.

He used the seven battleships with formation patterns from the Northern Border Sect to exchange for the control of the Imperial Shadow Guards in his hands.

There is no such good thing as a pillow for you when you are sleepy. Li Yunqing could certainly understand his second brother's plan.

Nothing more than two things.

First, tell him to stop dawdling and get out of here immediately so as not to threaten his inheritance rights.

The second reason is to intervene and plan in Japan.

His ambition is very grand, and he seems to be the common ruler of the world.

So he agreed.

The future second master of the Great Yan court wants to place a bet with him. No matter who wins in the future, he will feel very involved.
Thinking about these things, Li Yunqing's thoughts kept dancing with the jumping bonfire.

During the days of waiting to go out to sea, the memories and thoughts of this land, everything, kept spinning in my mind.

But now, it seems that he really should go.
Outside the warm little pavilion, the winter rain is bleak.

Sitting around the fire, enjoying the scenery and listening to the rain, in the comfortable atmosphere, sleepiness was brewing. But just when Li Yunqing was about to fall asleep in the complicated emotions, there was an untimely knock on the door.

"Tuk Tuk Tuk"

"."

The mood was destroyed, Li Yunqing slowly opened his drooping eyes and sighed:
"come in."

The visitor was a feminine man in coarse linen clothes. When he saw Li Yunqing, he immediately performed the martial arts etiquette and knelt down, saying:
"Third Master, I have something important to report."

"Either just call him Your Highness, or remove the number three from the word gongzi."

"Uh, Your Highness, I just received news that the Dao Alliance will be here."

"The Imperial Shadow Guard has informed me of this matter."

“.”Eunuch Hou.

After a moment of silence, Eunuch Hou hesitated and asked tentatively:
"But Your Highness, haven't you already handed over the control of the Imperial Shadow Guard to His Royal Highness the Second Prince?"

Li Yunqing looked at his big partner, crossed his legs, and asked:

"Then how did you get this news?"

Eunuch Hou was silent for a moment, then answered truthfully:

"When I traveled around the world with His Highness, I became friends with the top leaders of three or two sects. This news was specially sent by them out of nostalgia for the old friendship."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunqing stood up, walked to the wine cabinet in the pavilion, took out a bottle of fine wine, turned his back, poured the wine, and said softly:

"Everyone in the sect can remember the old friendship. The chiefs of the Imperial Shadow Guards are grateful to me for finding a wise leader for them. Is it strange that they informed me of this matter?"

What happened at the Taoist Alliance General Assembly was not a small matter, but it was not a big secret either. Sooner or later it would spread among the nobles of the world, so it was better to use this news to do a favor.

If the giant ship of the sect alliance is eventually sunk, the people from the sects who sent the message may be able to jump ship through this relationship.

The same is true for the Imperial Shadow Guard.

Anyway, the news is not that important, so it is better to use it to gamble on the hope of jumping ship in the future.

Eunuch Hou knocked his head heavily on the ground:

"Your Highness is teaching me that I am short-sighted."

Li Yunqing was wearing a fur coat, holding a wine pot in one hand and a porcelain cup in the other. He leaned against the window, took a sip, and asked casually:

"Get up. Anyway, I've gotten used to your stupidity over the years. I've got the Jade Order Tiger Talisman. How are the iron battleships with battle arrays prepared?" Eunuch Hou looked ashamed. He slowly stood up, bowed his head and said:

"We have already prepared six ships. The last battleship has already sailed from Minghai Port. It will take at most half a day, or at least three days, to reach Linhan Xuan Port."

"That's it."

Hearing this, Li Yunqing turned his eyes and looked out the window.

His eyes swept across the city and looked towards the endless sea horizon.

Countless huge ships were anchored on the sea, waiting for the message of entering the port, and among them, six giant warships were extremely dazzling.

I stared at it for a few breaths.

A hint of sadness flashed across Li Yunqing's eyes, and he suddenly asked for no apparent reason:
"Eunuch Hou, do you also think that I am cold-hearted?"

"Boom!"

Before he finished speaking, Eunuch Hou knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said:

"Your Highness, I have never..."

Li Yunqing was inexplicably annoyed when he saw this, and he cursed out loud:

"I've already said that when I go to Japan, I've already given up my identity as the Great Yan Prince. You and I are no longer the king and his subject, but hired men. So can you please stop kneeling down at every turn?"

Eunuch Hou's body trembled when he was scolded. He was silent for a few breaths, then hesitantly said, claiming to have changed again:
"Then the villain dared to speak out."

"explain."

"You are definitely not a cold-hearted person."

Eunuch Hou lowered his eyes, and after his voice stopped trembling, he quickly introduced: "The emperor's attitude is clear, the crown prince's dethronement is a foregone conclusion. You acted as a matchmaker between the chiefs of the Imperial Shadow Guards and His Royal Highness the Second Prince in exchange for the formation-patterned iron warship. This is a move that takes into account the current situation."

Li Yunqing quietly poured himself a glass of wine, drank it all, and sighed:

"You are a good talker, but I handed the Imperial Shadow Guard to the eldest brother on the surface, but I reached a cooperation with Li Zhaoyuan in private. No matter how you look at it, I betrayed him."

Eunuch Hou still lowered his head:

"Sir, please forgive me for speaking frankly, but have you forgotten how the prince treated you?"

Li Yunqing was silent for a while, then said quietly:

"But he ultimately wanted to hand over the power of the crown prince to me, his younger brother."

"There is no point in belated regret."

"."

After a moment of silence, Li Yunqing drank the wine from the jug, put it down casually, and walked out of the pavilion. When he passed by Eunuch Hou, he gently patted his shoulder:

"I am too sentimental. Get up. You don't have to follow me. I want to go and see those ships by myself. Maybe that place will be my home in the future. Haha."

After all,

Li Yunqing paused for a moment, raised his eyes and looked upward, as if he saw the inky sky through the eaves, and then he disappeared into the small pavilion in an instant.

"."

The closer he got to leaving his hometown, the more complicated his highness's mood became.

But think about it, given His Highness's ambition, he would be a little reluctant to leave in such a lonely way.
After kneeling on the ground for a few more breaths, Eunuch Hou slowly stood up, walked gently to the window, tidied up the furniture in the pavilion that had been messed up by His Highness, and rearranged it according to his habits.

The companions prepared by the royal family for the princes are always the people they trust the most and are closest to. Even the emperor and empress who share the same bed cannot compare to the bond established since childhood.

So,
He, Hou Xinghao, may be the person in the world who understands His Highness's temperament best.

So what he said in response just now was not empty talk.

Your Highness asks yourself if you are cold-hearted. If you were really cold-hearted, why would you ask such a question?

The truth is often the opposite of what appears.

The Third Prince's emotions have always been sincere and passionate.

But he was too smart. He was so smart that he could see through other people's intentions since he was young, and then learned to suppress his emotions.

But people, there will always be times when they relax.

As the other party's senior companion, Eunuch Hou saw these emotions clearly.

After meeting His Majesty, His Highness will sigh.

After discussing matters with the Crown Prince, His Highness would laugh at himself.

When discussing Taoism with Xu Changtian, His Highness would laugh and complain about the unkind behavior of the third son of the Prime Minister's Mansion, but whenever he talked about the Prime Minister's family, His Highness would suddenly become silent.

That is an emotion called loneliness.

After tidying up the animal blanket, adding firewood to the stove and replacing the empty wine jug, Eunuch Hou slowly looked out the window at the scene that His Highness had just seen, and sighed softly in his heart.

His Royal Highness the Third Prince probably really wanted to stay, but it was a pity that in this vast Yan country there was not a single reason that could make him decide to stay.

Thoughts stretch on,

Eunuch Hou subconsciously glanced in Di An's direction.

If His Majesty could be less cold-blooded,

If the emperor and empress could pay less attention to ethics and care more,
Even if the prince was willing to have more trust, this prince would never leave Dayan.

Even if I die, I will never leave
It's a pity that fate plays tricks on people.

(End of this chapter)