Chapter 43 Undercurrent surges, now in Luoyang!
What Li Zhen said was very cruel and realistic. At Zhu Wen's age, he was so indulged in sensual pleasures and neglected state affairs just after he became emperor. It was simply a foolish dream for him to accomplish the great cause of unifying the world. Li Zhen was very clear about the status of the two of them in Daliang. They were Zhu Wen's close ministers and were only loyal to Zhu Wen. But Zhu Wen could no longer be persuaded. Seeing that the storm was coming in Luoyang, he had to consider a retreat.

Jing Xiang frowned. He understood what Li Zhen said, but Zhu Wen had been kind to them all. It was not Jing Xiang's way to be a minister if his monarch was still alive and he had second thoughts.

"Xingxu, can the Second Prince do better than Your Majesty?" Jingxiang looked at Li Zhen and asked. Li Zhen and Jingxiang had been friends for decades, so how could they not understand what he meant? He just frowned and sighed, "Zizhen, how could I not know that the Second Prince is weak? But in such a chaotic world, only if you and I survive can we have a slight chance to see the day when the world will be united."

Jing Xiang placed the last chess piece on the chessboard and said firmly: "I am willing to gamble again!"

Seeing his old friend so insistent, Li Zhen sighed helplessly. He knew it would be like this. However, Li Zhen smiled at this moment, with his hands in his sleeves, and said, "When I was young, I had lofty ambitions. I had high aspirations and did not want to be an official of the Tang Dynasty. But now I have gray hair and have not yet accomplished my great cause, but I am thinking about the way out. I am old, old, hahaha..."

"Xingxu, let's meet at Yonghe Tower some other day. I want to drink." Li Zhen said loudly and turned to leave. Jing Xiang looked at Li Zhen's somewhat hunched back, and suddenly sighed, saying: "Who will end this chaotic world?"

……

Luoyang Palace City, Yingtian Gate.

Jing Xiang, who was about to go and discuss matters with Zhu Wen, stopped in front of a carriage, bowed and said calmly: "Greetings, His Royal Highness Prince Jun."

The curtain of the carriage window was opened, revealing a man with a haggard look on his face. "My father has something to do. Please go back, sir. I have been waiting for him since this morning and have not seen him."

Prince Jun, also known as Zhu Youzhen, the third son of Zhu Wen and the son of Empress Zhang, was once famous in Daliang for his handsome appearance and elegant character. He was very much loved by Zhu Wen. But after the death of Empress Zhang, not only did Zhu Wen's temperament change drastically, but Zhu Youzhen also seemed to have become a different person. He was irritable and often beat and scolded his subordinates.

Jing Xiang raised his eyes slightly and said, "Your Highness, I have something important to discuss with Your Majesty. This matter is urgent and cannot be delayed."

"Oh? What makes you so nervous?" Zhu Youzhen's eyes suddenly became sharper as he looked at Jing Xiang.

"This... please forgive me, Your Highness..." Jing Xiang bowed slightly. He really couldn't talk about the matters between His Majesty and the Underworld Emperor.

"I understand. Your Excellency has worked hard for the country. How dare I blame you? Haha, Your Excellency is busy with official business. I will not bother you any more." Zhu Youzhen closed the curtain with a smile on his face, saluted Jing Xiang and said, "I respectfully send you off, Your Highness."

As soon as Zhu Youzhen drew the curtain, his expression suddenly changed. He put away his smile and said, "Humph, these old foxes are only good at playing dumb."

Another middle-aged man in the car said, "These scholars are all like this, corrupt, but they still have abilities. If you want to compete for that position, you still need the support of Jing Xiang, Li Zhen and others." The man who spoke was Zhang Hanjie, the younger brother of Empress Zhang, and the uncle of Zhu Youzhen. Zhu Youzhen frowned slightly and said, "Let's talk about this later. The most urgent thing now is to find the legendary Bingying Tomb. Only the Bingying Tomb can keep my mother's body intact for a thousand years!"

Zhang Hanjie frowned slightly when he heard this. Logically speaking, her sister had already passed away and it would be better for her to be buried in peace. However, her son refused to agree and even threatened to preserve her body and find a magic method to revive her someday. He even had a big quarrel with His Majesty for this. But how could such a legendary thing as resurrecting the dead really come true?
Zhang Hanjie knew very well what his nephew's obsession was, but he could not tell him directly, let alone dissuade him, as that would affect his relationship with Zhu Youzhen. He could only guide him. Their Zhang family was now closely tied to Zhu Youzhen, and they would prosper together and suffer together. Some time ago, the Underworld Emperor left the capital, and the whole Luoyang was undercurrent, but His Royal Highness Prince Jun could not focus on business!
Sighing, Zhang Hanjie persuaded: "If His Majesty doesn't want to see you, what else can we do? If you want to find the elixir of immortality and the art of rebirth, you must gather the power of the whole world. Now the most important thing we should do is to win over the court officials and win over the local officials. You have no power, so what can you use to revive your mother?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youzhen took a deep breath and became more alert. He said:

"I know. I understand what you said. Father and my elder brother are at loggerheads. Jing Xiang entered the palace probably for this matter. I think Luoyang must be in trouble recently. Uncle, contact my brother-in-law Zhao Yan immediately. We will take our guards and withdraw from Luoyang first, and then send someone to Wei Bo to see General Yang. Although this man is arrogant, my mother has done him a favor. If we can get his support, no matter what changes we encounter in the future, we can remain calm."

Yang Shihou and Ge Congzhou, the commanders of Wei Bo's troops, were both founding heroes of Daliang and also the most powerful generals of Daliang. It can be said that without Yang Shihou and Ge Congzhou, there would be no Zhu Wen today.

Today, Ge Congzhou has already taken sick leave and is resting, but Yang Shihou is still active in the officialdom of Daliang. Yang Shihou is brave and good at fighting. Both his personal strength and his ability to command troops are superior to Wang Yanzhang, who is now in his prime. As long as Zhu Youzhen can get the support of Yang Shihou, he will be invincible.

Zhang Hanjie saw that although Zhu Youzhen had been depressed recently, he was as clear-minded as a mirror, and he felt relieved immediately. In this crappy world, more than 500 people in their Zhang family risked their lives to support Zhu Youzhen. At this critical juncture when Daliang was about to appoint a crown prince, they could not relax. If they took a step forward, they would be credited with following the emperor, but if they took a step back, their entire clan would be in danger!

"Understood. I'll do it right away and try to prevent the Luoyang disturbance from affecting us!" Zhang Hanjie bowed and got off the carriage. A servant had already brought the horse. Zhang Hanjie rode away, while Zhu Youzhen sat on the couch in the carriage and murmured, "Don't worry, mother. As long as there is a slight chance, I will not give up..." After saying that, Zhu Youzhen couldn't help shedding tears from the corners of his eyes...

……

night.

"Sir, please go back. His Majesty has been tired all day and has gone to sleep." A red-robed eunuch said respectfully to Jing Xiang who was waiting outside the palace gate. Jing Xiang frowned and looked at the sky, sighed, and waved his hand, "I know."

……

The next day, the long shadows of two knights were imprinted on the city gate by the early sun. With the sound of creaking, the gate of Luoyang City opened wide. Li Xingyun pressed the bamboo hat on his head and whispered, "Replace our people at the South Gate as soon as possible."

Shangguan Yunque on the side responded, "Understood!"

(End of this chapter)