Protect Our Chief

Chapter 991 - 52: Wang Shouzhe! I Will Never Reconcile with You_5

This is his own camp.After a hard-fought and significant victory, it was here that he finally allowed himself to truly relax.

Inside the camp, a young man dressed in a scholar’s robe was sitting behind a desk, writing with his head down.

Seeing Prince Kang enter, he stood up and bowed, saying with a full smile, "Your Highness, congratulations on your triumphant return. This time you have truly elevated the reputation of our Daqian. I’ve heard that even those from the Immortal Dynasty are paying attention to you."

"Fourteenth Uncle, please don’t tease me."

Prince Kang took off his helmet, tidied up his appearance, then sat down opposite the young scholar, smiling, "While my accomplishments in Daqian may stand out, compared to the most elite talents of the Immortal Dynasty, they pale in comparison."

This young scholar named Zhao Zhikun, a descendant of the direct lineage of the Second-Grade Zhao Family of Daqian, and one of the Zhao Family’s divine power species of this generation. Although he appears youthful, in reality, he is over three hundred years old, ranking two generations higher than Prince Kang.

Princess Consort Zhao Jingyi of Prince Kang is the niece-granddaughter of Zhao Zhikun.

This time, Prince Kang won a significant victory, and even before his return, the news had been relayed from the front lines. Naturally, as Prince Kang’s strategist, Zhao Zhikun was aware of the news.

"I’m writing a memorial to the Imperial Court to request recognition of your achievements," Zhao Zhikun said, sitting down again and holding up the memorial he was writing, smiling, "With this victory, your military merits are now remarkably impressive. I think from now on, no one can doubt Your Highness’s capabilities in this regard. Internal to the Imperial Family, those Princes who rose through military merit will also recognize you more, making it easier to gain their support in the future."

Prince Kang nodded: "Indeed. This battle was won beautifully. It was worth having Younger Brother Gong Yang travel to the Cold Moon Immortal Dynasty to find someone to refine the Soul-Rattling Bell for me."

In fact, it was thanks to the Soul-Rattling Bell that this victory was secured so beautifully. Otherwise, relying only on his original skills, although not necessarily defeated, achieving such a beautiful victory would be difficult.

Speaking of which, Zhao Zhikun drew a letter sealed with animal skin from the pile of documents on the desk and handed it to Prince Kang: "By the way, here’s a family letter from Jingyi. According to the household servant who delivered it, this letter appears to be quite important, though its purpose is unknown."

Prince Kang took the letter, opened it, and took a look, his expression changing immediately.

"Your Highness, what’s the matter?" Zhao Zhikun asked with some confusion.

Prince Kang furrowed his brows without speaking, continued to read the letter. Until he finished the entire letter, he went back to certain sections, looking at them repeatedly, pondering deeply.

Seeing Prince Kang’s reaction, Zhao Zhikun was filled with suspicion but dared not interrupt, choosing to wait quietly.

After a while, Prince Kang finally exhaled deeply, handed the letter to Zhao Zhikun, then picked up a nearby pot of wine, poured himself a cup and drank it in one gulp.

Zhao Zhikun grew increasingly puzzled, but his actions remained swift, immediately opening the letter to read.

Soon.

His expression also changed.

"This Wu Yingji... You showed great patience in order to gain his support before, even when he disrespected you multiple times, you didn’t hold him accountable, yet he is still so ungrateful!" Zhao Zhikun said with a dark face, a cold glint in his eyes, "This matter cannot end like this."

"The Imperial Uncle is, after all, the eldest son of Sixth Grandpa. Even this prince cannot do anything to him. He knows this well, which is why he acts so unrestrained." Prince Kang put down the wine cup, his expression likewise unpleasant, "Fortunately, Ancestor Dexin is still biased toward us, immediately issuing a decree for appeasement, and has titled Jingyi as a Second-Grade Princess Consort, salvaging some face for us. Besides, the Imperial Uncle originates from the direct lineage; even if he no longer supports me, he cannot openly support Wu Mingyuan, otherwise not only Ancestor Dexin, but Sixth Grandpa would also not allow it."

"Your Highness, do you plan to just let this matter go?" Zhao Zhikun looked at Prince Kang.

"Naturally, this cannot simply be let go." Prince Kang lowered his eyes, a cold glint surfacing in his deep gaze, "I may not be able to deal with the Imperial Uncle, but that doesn’t mean I can’t handle others."

"Do you mean the Wang Family?" Zhao Zhikun immediately understood, picking up the letter again and looking at it, his brows furrowing, "This Wang Family is indeed not simple, acting repeatedly in such a short time and causing such a ruckus, catching us off guard. Considering their actions, this series of moves seems not spontaneous but long planned; it seems we’ve been used as a stepping stone by them."

"This Wang Family indeed can’t be underestimated, no wonder Younger Brother Gong Yang held them in such regard, trying multiple times either to draw them in or suppress them. I missed seeing how formidable they truly are." Prince Kang rubbed the wine cup in his hand, "However, no matter how formidable, the Wang Family is just a Sixth-Grade Noble Family, merely ants before the Imperial Family. Now the most crucial issue is smoothing out the adverse effects caused by the Imperial Uncle’s betrayal. Fourteenth Uncle, do you have any strategies for this?"

Zhao Zhikun pondered for a moment, saying, "To speak of this matter, I do indeed have a plan."

"Oh? Fourteenth Uncle, please share."

"When Ancestor Xiqing married into the Imperial Family, although there was some turmoil later on, she was ultimately the princess consort of Prince Yoong’an, an Imperial daughter-in-law. As such, the Imperial Family owes our Zhao Family one Great Celestial Pride." Zhao Zhikun tapped the table, contemplating, "Now, Princess Xue Ning is already fourteen years old."