Iron Dynasty

Li Chuyuan almost shed tears standing in front of the familiar Chu palace.

After more than two years, he finally returned to the hometown he missed day and night, but when he saw Cao Zhengtong come out of the Chu palace, the joy of returning home turned into resentment.

The King of Chu who came out with Cao Zhengtong was now looking at Li Chuyuan somewhat incredulously.

How dare you escape from Qingzhou and return to Lin'an? Don't you know the consequences of doing so?

Seeing Li Chuyuan, the King of Chu not only didn't ask for help, but instead scolded him severely, which made Li Chuyuan's face even more ugly.

In order not to scare the snakes and attract the attention of Cao's family, the process of his return to Lin'an this time was very secret, even the King of Chu never knew about it.

Father, my son's return this time is not on his own accord, but the emperor asked him to come back. Li Chuyuan's tone was very indifferent, and his father's attitude just now made him very chill.

He even suspected that his father's promise to him was just a hoax. Anyway, he had many children, and if he died in Qingzhou, someone would take over the throne of Chu King.

Your Majesty! The King of Chu was a little surprised, Why did he let him go back to Lin'an?

Li Chuyuan's heart became colder and colder. Now his father looked like he was interrogating a prisoner. He couldn't feel the warmth of a father and son meeting.

After pondering for a while, he said: I don't know very well my son. On that day, the emperor summoned my son for an audience, and only said that my son does not need to stay in Qingzhou, because he trusts his father very much.

Nonsense, this Xiao Ming must have bad intentions. The King of Chu paced back and forth irritably. After the Northern Expedition ended, his mood became unstable.

Because Xiao Ming from the north hangs over his head like a murderous sword, which could be cut off at any time.

Don't worry, Your Highness, the lower official thought that Xiao Ming wanted the prince back to hide his ill intentions, in order to lure His Highness to fight. Cao Zhengtong looked strange, but he only said half of it, and the other half is not suitable to say now, that's for the sake of Deal with their Cao family.

It can be said that this is Xiao Ming's conspiracy.

The King of Chu's mood gradually calmed down, he nodded slightly, You are right, if this king might have fallen for his tricks before, but now the state of Chu needs time, but since Xiao Ming asked Chu Yuan to come back, it must be I have been wary of Chu State.

The Cao family bank in Qingzhou was removed almost overnight, which means that Xiao Ming is already targeting the Cao family and the state of Chu. Your Highness, we are running out of time. Cao Zhengtong said sternly.

The King of Chu was a little worried, If the North and South are at war now, it is estimated that the Chu State has no chance of winning. How should this be done?

A strange look flashed in Cao Zhengtong's eyes, and he urged: His Royal Highness, the only solution for now is to open up private groups to train and allow merchants to train soldiers. With this, with the strength of the merchant council, we can jointly resist the attack from the north.

For a moment, Li Chuyuan's face was as gloomy as water, and he said angrily: Father, the merchant council must not be allowed to support troops, otherwise the state of Chu will no longer be the state of Chu, and Xiao Ming will not hold back the state of Chu at that time.

Why did the prince say this? Now that the Merchant Council and His Royal Highness the King of Chu are one, the common enemy is Xiao Ming, how can the Merchant Council be disadvantageous to His Highness? Cao Zhengtong looked harmless to humans and animals.

The King of Chu frowned. He also had some doubts, but as Cao Zhengtong said, now that Xiao Ming's army is about to go south, he seems to have no choice.

Because there is still a chance of cooperating with the Merchant Council, if you face it alone, you will definitely lose.

With a long sigh, he said to Cao Zhengtong: As long as the state of Chu can be kept, this king will promise you.

Cao Zhengtong was overjoyed when he heard the words. He is really grateful to Xiao Ming now, because it was Xiao Ming's threat that allowed them to get what they dreamed of.

Li Chuyuan opened his mouth, and he said anxiously, Father, you must be crazy, the Cao family will destroy the foundation of our Li family.

Shut up, I don't have your share of words here. I know what you're thinking. Did Xiao Ming's three or two sentences make you dizzy? Is King Wei his uncle? What happened to him? Do you think he Will you let us go? The King of Chu suddenly became furious and rebuked Li Chuyuan loudly.

Cao Zhengtong can see through, but he can't see Xiao Ming's purpose.

After a pause, he said: Since you are back, you should be your heir. If you dare to disturb the Chu country, I will never let you go.

Li Chuyuan's face was pale, and at this moment he was finally discouraged by this father.

Chu Guo didn't care about Li Chuyuan's expression, he said to the guards behind him: You are responsible for protecting His Royal Highness, and you must not let him have an accident.

The guard heard the words and immediately walked behind Li Chuyuan.

Cao Zhengtong showed a triumphant smile. The state of Chu put Li Chuyuan under house arrest in disguise, and now his fear of Xiao Ming has made him lose his eyes, and this is the opportunity for their merchant council.

They have already received news that Xiao Ming will not attack the Chu country immediately, because attacking the south is not at all easier than the northern expedition of the barbarians, and it will take some time for him to prepare for the south.

After all, the war with the barbarians cost the North a lot.

Thinking of this, Cao Zhengtong continued to the King of Chu: His Royal Highness, the envoys we sent to the grasslands and the Japanese country have all brought good news. The Japanese Yamada Daimyo promised us to deal with Xiao Ming together, especially the Golden Horde. Ming dared to go south, and then he would move his whole body in one shot.

The King of Chu nodded with satisfaction. This was the reason why he believed in the Cao family. Now the situation in the state of Chu is developing in a more favorable direction.

While the group was talking, a carriage passed by on the street outside the palace, and a pair of eyes in the gaps in the carriage's curtains were observing the King of Chu and the others.

This person is none other than Li San.

In order to ensure that the assassination of the King of Chu would succeed in one fell swoop, he personally came to Lin'an to plan. Now he has figured out the surrounding environment of the King of Chu's mansion, and at the same time he has formulated different plans.

For him, the best chance is when the King of Chu is hunting. At this time, he can not only kill the King of Chu, but also be able to evacuate perfectly.

But if the King of Chu canceled the hunt, then they could only do it in Lin'an City, but it would be very difficult for them to retreat.

Glancing at Li Chuyuan's body, Li San lowered the curtains, thinking in his mind when to do it.

From the situation just now, it seems that the conflict between the King of Chu and Li Chuyuan has been made public, and according to the information he has obtained, many noble families in the state of Chu are also opposed to the King of Chu's reliance on the Cao family.

It can be said that the undercurrent of contradiction is already surging in Chu State. If the King of Chu is killed now, those dissatisfied conservative forces will definitely fall to Li Chuyuan.

At that time, the internal contradictions of Chu State will definitely intensify, and this is exactly what they need.