Love Lock

Chapter 21 Replacement by one
Being confessed to so directly by an ancient prince left Han Lei at a loss. For some reason, the usually outstanding Han Lei felt a strange sense of panic.

"I myself am a warrior who has fought my way through the sands, so my queen does not need to be a lady from a noble family. As long as I like her, that's fine."

Zhao Zun's gaze grew increasingly profound as he spoke, pressing his hand to his chest, where he had placed the love lock.

Yesterday, Han Lei asked him to accompany her to find their way back. He couldn't refuse, but he felt very lost. After learning that Han Lei could never go back, he was excited all night long, feeling like the whole world was full of sunshine.

Last night I was just thinking about finding a suitable opportunity to confess my feelings to Han Lei, and today Han Lei actually came to my door on her own initiative.

Is there a better opportunity than this?

Therefore, he took the initiative and attacked at all costs.

For twenty-six years of his youth, he had never actively pursued any girl. Now that he had fallen for her, he was determined to seize his happiness.

His heart was pounding! He was afraid that the courage he had finally mustered would crumble because of a moment of cowardice. He was even more afraid of the heartache of not receiving a satisfactory reply.

After all, in his eyes, Han Lei was simply too outstanding.

Han Lei didn't speak, but blinked her long eyelashes and stared intently at the magnified face in front of her.

This aloof prince's confession was far too forceful and domineering, completely blocking any possibility of a marriage between equals. She hadn't expected Zhao Zun's feelings to be so intense, to the point of being almost aggressive. So… should she consider it?
"I……"

Han Lei had barely uttered a single word when she shyly bit her red lips, her face turning almost red to the back of her ears.

Although she's a modern person who's watched countless idol dramas and romance dramas, now, when she's personally facing a passionate advance, her girlish reserve still prevents her from saying those embarrassing things.

"What?" Zhao Zun's affectionate gaze was fixed on her slightly bitten red lips, eager to elicit an answer. "You agree?"

"Then... I..."

Han Lei lowered her eyes, unable to meet Zhao Zun's dark eyes, which were swirling with deep affection. She twisted her fingers, unable to utter the final words: "Then let's try dating!"

Although she has a cheerful personality, it was still too embarrassing for her to say such things to a grown man!

Finally, after stammering for a while, she kicked Zhao Zun in the ankle.

Ugh! How annoying!

She came here today to find a part-time job, how did it suddenly escalate to this issue? Han Lei felt speechless, her pretty face flushed, and she turned and ran out as if fleeing.

"Ouch...hiss..."

Zhao Zun screamed, stood on one leg, hugged his ankle, and jumped up and down.

Watching Han Lei's retreating figure, and recalling how shy and coy she had been, wishing she could disappear into a hole in the ground, Zhao Zun's foot ached, but a bright, spring-like smile appeared on his lips.

Does this mean she agreed?
This girl is still shy!

Ha ha ha ha ha……

The usually aloof and composed Zhao Zun suddenly grinned foolishly at the entrance of the main tent.

Pingchuan, who is usually serious and unsmiling, turned around with a smile and gave Zhao Zun a thumbs up.

"Your Highness, you are mighty!"

"Hehe... Hurry up and prepare some offerings, Your Highness is going to worship the gods now. Go quickly, go quickly."

As Zhao Zun spoke, he chuckled foolishly, hopping on one foot to the altar. He removed the love charm, still warm from his neck, and respectfully placed it on the shrine. Then he began to light incense…

In the imperial palace of the capital, in the imperial court.

Emperor Jing and his court officials were holding a meeting when a loud shout suddenly came from outside.

"Report... Urgent report from Beiguan!"

"pass!"

Emperor Jing's eyes lit up.

Finally, news came from Beiguan. After the great victory against the Turks following the autumn harvest, his greatest expectation was that Zhao Zun would accept the title of Prince Xiaoyao and voluntarily relinquish his military power to return to the capital to receive his reward. However, after the imperial edict was sent to Beiguan, there was still no news from Zhao Zun, causing him great anxiety and sleepless nights.

A messenger with a small yellow flag stuck on his back rushed in, knelt down in the middle of the hall, reached into his pocket and pulled out a wax-sealed envelope, holding it high above his head.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the Northern Pass!"

Chief eunuch Li Zhongxin took the urgent report from the messenger with small, quick steps, then turned and respectfully handed it to Emperor Jing.

Emperor Jing opened the app and quickly browsed through it. The more he read, the more his brows furrowed, and his eyes seemed to be filled with rage.

"I knew it! He was just trying to trick me out of my grain supplies!" Emperor Jing slammed his hand on the table, threw the letter on the ground, and roared in anger. "Take a look, all of you."

When the emperor got angry, the ministers below were all terrified.

Four years after Emperor Jing ascended the throne, all the civil and military officials in the court underwent a major reshuffle. They were all people whom Emperor Jing had secretly cultivated when he was still the crown prince, and who were promoted and gradually replaced.

As the saying goes, "a new emperor brings a new court," and now the entire court, whether civil or military officials, is composed entirely of Emperor Jing's confidants, who are utterly loyal to him.

As for the veteran officials from the previous emperor's time, they were either granted permission to retire and return to their hometowns, or they were granted various duke titles and allowed to retire without attending court.

Therefore, everyone in the court was well aware of what Emperor Jing was most worried about. Of the three major passes of the Great Jing Dynasty, the garrison commanders of the East Pass and the South Pass had been successfully replaced. Only Zhao Zun, the garrison commander of the Zhao family army at the North Pass, was still fighting against the Turks. The military power at the North Pass was still in the hands of Zhao Zun, who had made great contributions and whose merits overshadowed the emperor.

Li Zhongxin bent down to pick up the letter from the ground and presented it to the civil and military officials, so that they could read it one by one.

"What? The Turks have actually retreated?" The first to read the letter was Prime Minister Wei, whose face was filled with astonishment. "Since the Turks came with such force, why did they suddenly retreat?"

"Why is that? Is the war over already?" Minister of War Cao Ge handed the letter in his hand to the next official. "The battle report says that the Turks withdrew their troops on their own. That's strange."

"Could something have happened in the Turkic Khaganate?"

"Should we still procure our provisions?"

"The Ministry of War has delivered the rations for this month on time. Now that the war is over, there should be no problem with the rations lasting until next month."

……

The civil and military officials below began to discuss the matter animatedly, but none of them resonated with him, which infuriated Emperor Jing.

"What's the point of procuring provisions? Can't you see that the Turkic invasion after winter was a ruse? Zhao Zun is using this as an excuse to delay his return to the capital, not wanting to become a leisurely prince. He even dares to make outrageous demands for provisions for the army; he's clearly up to no good."

The people below were all his trusted confidants, so Emperor Jing made no attempt to hide his emotions.

Seeing Emperor Jing's anger, a military officer with a sleazy appearance quickly stepped forward to flatter him.

"Your Majesty is wise! Marshal Zhao Zun has been deceiving the court by using the war to obtain supplies. This practice must not be allowed to continue. We beseech Your Majesty to issue an edict to escort Marshal Zhao Zun back to the capital and hand him over to the Dali Temple for trial."