I became a prince in a martial arts world.

"Husband, these lily bulb chicken pieces are delicious, you should try them."

"Brother Yu, Yellow River carp is Chef Liao's specialty. The back of the fish is the most tender. Have a piece."

Wang Yu sat in the main seat, with Li Yunxiu and Qianqian on his left and right respectively. Fang Shaobai sat in the guest seat, with Zhao Rong accompanying him. Zhao Yingjie was not even allowed to sit at the table.

There were sixteen dishes on the table, eight cold and eight hot. Each person had a maid standing behind them, serving them wine and food as needed, ensuring that there were no leftovers on the table.

However, Wang Yu didn't need to, because he was well taken care of by Li Yunxiu and Qianqian.

He didn't stand on ceremony, because the real Zhao Yu would never stand on ceremony. A princess bestowed by the emperor, a fiancée arranged by her father, shouldn't she serve him, the prince, as a matter of course?

He ate whatever Li Yunxiu and Qianqian put on his plate, and also discussed Western Region wines with Fang Shaobai.

The luncheon was a great success, with both hosts and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves.

However, after the luncheon, Fang Shaobai had to take his leave.

"You should at least stay for a few days!" Wang Yu grabbed Fang Shaobai's hand, trying to persuade him to stay.

"Where are you going to stay?" Fang Shaobai pulled Wang Yu aside and teased in a low voice, "Are you going to watch me put on a show of two women fighting over a man?"

Wang Yu said calmly, "Don't misunderstand, it's not two women fighting over a husband, they are both my wives."

Fang Shaobai, "..."

"Now that's more like the aura of the Prince of Zhenxi!" Fang Shaobai laughed heartily, then said seriously, "Your father passed away not long ago, and you haven't returned for ten years. I'm sure you have a lot of affairs to attend to at the Prince's residence, so I won't bother you any longer."

"We're all in the Northwest, so we'll have plenty of time to get together in the future." As he said this, Fang Shaobai seemed to remember something, "And I guess I might come to the Northwest again in a few days."

"Oh, right!" Fang Shaobai added, "If you ever need to deal with the Qishan bandits, send someone to the Taihua Sect to let me know, and I'll bring some men to help you out."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony!" Wang Yu said.

"Don't mention it, I'm the one who should thank you." Fang Shaobai didn't hide anything, "There are many unworthy disciples from various sects among the bandits of Qishan, including one of my martial uncles."

Wang Yu understood. He thought to himself, no wonder so many experts had become outlaws. It turned out they were banding together for mutual support. The Qishan bandits were an organization similar to the Valley of Villains.

……

Fang Shaobai took a fine horse from the Prince's mansion and rode away.

Next, Zhao Rong arranged for Zhao Yingjie to take Li Yunxiu and his servant to visit the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion, and then he took Wang Yu to the main courtyard behind the mansion by himself.

"Your father didn't die of illness!" Zhao Rong, with his back to Wang Yu, dropped a bombshell with his first words. "He was murdered!"

Wang Yu's eyes widened, and he immediately asked, "Who is it?"

"It was the late emperor." Zhao Rong didn't keep him in suspense, turning to look at Wang Yu. "You should still remember what happened ten years ago, right?"

Wang Yu's face twitched. "Ten years ago, my father sent me to the capital as a hostage, but he didn't say why."

Zhao Rong sighed, "Because you were too young back then, it would have been useless to tell you, and it might even have attracted the covetousness of others."

"More than 30 years ago, my godfather led his troops across the Northwest and established his own independent regime. Although the imperial court had established its rule over the country, it dared not say that it could easily destroy us."

Zhao Rong looked up at the clouds on the horizon, a look of reminiscence in his eyes. "Therefore, the court conferred the title of Prince of Zhenxi upon my adoptive father, a hereditary title, and handed over the three prefectures of Longshan, Qing'an, and Fengming. The officials were appointed by us, and the taxes were controlled by the Prince's Palace."

The Prince's Palace nominally submitted to the imperial court, guarding the northwest and defending against the Qiang people of the northern deserts, but it managed its own power, finances, and military affairs, obeying orders but not summons, thus essentially operating as a state within a state.

Wang Yu nodded. Zhao Rong was talking about things from long ago, which he already knew.

"Fifteen years ago, with the passing of my adoptive father, many people thought that the royal family was about to decline. However, my adoptive brother suddenly appeared, wielding the Fiery Cloud Blade across the desert and rampaging through the northwest. He led his troops out of the pass and won a great victory over the Qiang tribe, becoming one of the youngest innate grandmasters in the world. His reputation was unparalleled, and even the imperial court was wary of him."

When Zhao Rong mentioned Zhao Zheng, his voice was filled with admiration, and his eyes shone brightly.

However, his eyes quickly dimmed. "But ten years ago, when he went south to Xingxiu Sea, everything changed."

Wang Yu continued, "The battle with the disciple of the Starry Sky Elder?"

"That's right." Zhao Rong nodded. "Everyone knows that my sworn brother fought two against one and won a great victory against the Twin Stars of Su Hai, cutting off Zhai Xingzi's arm and Zhui Xingzi's leg, but they don't know that he also suffered extremely serious internal injuries."

Zhao Rong sighed, "Unfortunately, our Zhenxi Prince's Mansion is still too weak to heal my sworn brother's injuries. My sworn brother had no choice but to send you, young master, to the capital as a hostage in exchange for the secret medicine that the Buddhist and Taoist sects made for the royal family: the Hundred Spirits Rejuvenating Pill."

My sworn brother only has you as his son, young master. Sending you to the capital as a hostage is actually a way of bowing down to the court. Little did he know that the old emperor was not satisfied and actually added a drug to the Bai Ling Rejuvenating Pill!

This medicine caused my sworn brother to appear outwardly normal, but in reality, the injury to his dantian had never fully healed, and his internal energy was burning like fire, growing ever stronger!

At this point, Zhao Rong's eyes turned ferocious. "If my sworn brother doesn't cultivate, his injuries will only worsen. If he continues to cultivate, he's extremely likely to suffer a qi deviation!"

"So my father died from a qi deviation?"

"Not bad!" Zhao Rong's eyes flashed with mockery. "The old emperor wanted to take over our Zhenxi Prince's Mansion without bloodshed, but he didn't know that his sworn brother would last longer than he imagined. Meanwhile, he himself suffered setbacks in the northern campaign and was also caught in a rebellion in the southwest. He died first."

"This is a turbulent time, with uprisings breaking out in various places. The new emperor dares not lightly touch our Zhenxi Prince's Mansion. If we are forced into rebellion, the world will likely descend into chaos immediately."

"So the emperor had no choice but to let me come back, but he wasn't giving up. He even betrothed Li Yunxiu to me, wanting to control the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion." Wang Yu raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Looks like I'm pretty lucky."

"That's true." Zhao Rong sighed. "Perhaps it was precisely because my sworn brother saw this that he was finally able to leave with peace of mind."

Wang Yu remained calm, thinking to himself, "Your sworn brother probably never imagined there was someone in the world who looked exactly like Zhao Yu."

"Therefore, our Zhao family, the Prince of Zhenxi, has a deep-seated feud with the royal family." Zhao Rong looked at Wang Yu. "Tell me, how can I not treat Li Yunxiu like a thief?"

Wang Yu nodded, "Of course!"

Zhao Rong narrowed his eyes, a palpable killing intent emanating from him. "How about..."

"We can't kill him!" Wang Yu said immediately.

"Why?" Zhao Rong asked.

Wang Yu's mind raced, and he immediately said, "Because the world isn't in complete chaos yet, if we kill Li Yunxiu, it would be a blatant slap in the face to the emperor. What if we anger him and he turns his attention to us?"

Zhao Rong pondered for a moment, then nodded. "That makes sense."

Wang Yu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

If it were really Zhao Yu, he might agree. After all, as long as the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion doesn't raise its flag, it means there's still room for negotiation, and the emperor wouldn't act immediately.

But I can't agree to that, because I'm a fake!

What if Li Yunxiu reveals this secret before he dies, and the capital then brings out the real Zhao Yu? He himself is not yet fully proficient in martial arts, so wouldn't he also be doomed?

Therefore, at this moment, his life and Li Yunxiu's life were actually tied together; saving her was saving himself.

"Then place her under house arrest in the Prince's residence, and forbid her from taking a single step outside," Zhao Rong said.

"That won't work either." Wang Yu refused again. If Li Yunxiu couldn't get things done, she would definitely need to rely on him. It would be better for him to resolve the matter now.

"Why?" Zhao Rong asked, puzzled.

"It's the same reason: the emperor has shown us goodwill, and we shouldn't be the ones to overturn the table before he turns against us," Wang Yu said solemnly. "Family grudges can be settled later, but the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion concerns the people of three prefectures and 50,000 soldiers; it cannot fall!"

Looking at Wang Yu's solemn yet willingly sacrificing expression, Zhao Rong was both surprised and moved. He couldn't help but take a deep breath. "Young Master, you've grown up!"

Wang Yu's heart skipped a beat, then a wicked smile appeared on his lips. "Moreover, the Emperor sending Li Yunxiu to make this move might not be a brilliant one. We can use his strength against him."

"How so?" Zhao Rong asked.

"Although Li Yunxiu was a woman, she was also very capable of governing the country."

"You want her to participate in the military and political affairs of the three prefectures?"

"But the military and political affairs of the three prefectures are all handled by our people. The better he governs them, the stronger the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion will be, right?" Wang Yu shrugged. "When it really comes down to it, will the three prefectures listen to me or her?"

Zhao Rong subconsciously replied, "Of course I'll listen to you."

At this point, Zhao Rong immediately realized, "She has no troops or power. Even if she interferes in the military and political affairs of the three prefectures, it's only because she has the backing of the Prince of Zhenxi's mansion and is using the name of the Princess Consort. All her power was actually given to her by you!"

Wang Yu raised his head and said proudly, "What I give her is hers. If I don't give it to her, she can't take it away."

Seeing Wang Yu's smug smile, Zhao Rong couldn't help but nod. Arrogant and domineering, this was the Zhao Yu he knew.

Moreover, perhaps because of his age, or perhaps because of his father's death, in addition to his arrogance and domineering nature, he has also learned to use his brain and has even managed to befriend Fang Shaobai.

Zhao Rong could finally rest assured to hand over the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion to Wang Yu. "Tomorrow, we will hold another memorial service for my sworn brother at the mansion. After that, you will move into the main courtyard and officially take over the mansion."

Wang Yu breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally gotten away with it.

Then he heard Zhao Rong say, "After you have observed a year of mourning, I will hold a wedding for you, Li Yunxiu, and Miss Qianqian."

Wang Yu paused upon hearing this, then asked again, "What happened to Miss Qianqian?"

"Qianqian was brought back by my sworn brother. He said she is the daughter of one of his old friends," Zhao Rong said. "But my sworn brother didn't tell me who she is, or even her surname. He only said that she would become a member of the Zhao family after she marries into the family."

I initially thought she was gentle and easily bullied, but I didn't expect her to be so principled and understanding. In less than six months since entering the household, she has earned the respect of the servants. Today's exchange with Li Yunxiu was subtle yet sharp, and she held her own.

Wang Yu nodded. Isn't this the legendary green tea or white lotus?

Zhao Rong laughed and said, "It's a good opportunity to let Miss Qianqian and Li Yunxiu have a competition, and also to give her some trouble, so that she won't have to put all her mind on the military and political affairs of the three prefectures. She also has to do some of the duties of a princess."

Zhao Rong winked at Wang Yu, letting Wang Yu know from whom Zhao Yingjie got his habit of carrying love potion and ecstasy powder with him.