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Crown Prince? Crown Prince?

When did Dayong establish a Crown Prince? How could he be unaware?

Shocked, Zhao Hongsheng’s mind was momentarily unable to turn the corner, until Tang Ruyan suddenly arrived by his side and reminded him with a whisper. Only then did he abruptly come to his senses.

The Crown Prince! The Crown Prince of Xiliang!

He Lieno!

He was the subject of rumors, the Xiliang fox known for his petty-mindedness and heavy suspicions, counting every detail!

Zhao Hongsheng’s body couldn’t help but tremble slightly—now he finally understood why Yan Xiangkai was so anxious, and why Xia Zheng allowed himself to be threatened without a word of defense.

Ha ha, it turns out that they already knew the identity of this person!

Only he, foolishly and naively thought that this He Lieno was just a nouveau riche from a wealthy background, even fancifully attempting to use his own princely status to discipline the esteemed Crown Prince!

"Sigh!"

He Lieno shook his head and sighed regretfully, "To think that Xiliang, with the heart of an innocent child, traveled thousands of miles to Dayong for marital alliance, solely to maintain amicable relations with Dayong. It’s truly unexpected that in the end, I, the Crown Prince, have to endure such unwarranted humiliation! "

He Lieno sighed repeatedly, and the words he uttered shocked everyone present.

Indeed, even if the other party is a Crown Prince of a defeated nation, they had come to Dayong with the intention of fostering neighborly friendship. How could their Prince treat them thus?

If Xiliang were to wage war again over this incident, then it would ultimately be the commoners at Dayong’s borders who would suffer!

Zhao Hongsheng naturally thought of this too, but he didn’t care about those commoners at all. After all, with the Xia Family Army around, they could just fight another war if necessary.

What he cared about was the Emperor’s attitude.

This morning at the early court session, the Emperor had particularly restated that if they could restore amicable relations with Xiliang, then the people of Dayong could enjoy peace and prosperity for many years.

The Emperor viewed this alliance with great importance. If he found out that his own son was secretly working against him, he would surely give him a severe scolding!

If the Crown Prince of Xiliang insisted on returning home to continue the war because of his few words, then he would surely be branded by the Old Emperor with the crime of undermining Dayong’s stability.

In that case, wouldn’t the position of Crown Prince become even more unattainable?

In just a few breaths’ time, Zhao Hongsheng’s mind had already flipped through countless thoughts.

When his gaze shifted to Xia Zheng, who was reveling in schadenfreude, and Zhao Hongde, who looked worried, his heart felt so frustrated he almost wanted to curse his own father!

Xia Zheng was indeed overjoyed. If not for the inappropriateness of the situation, he would have already burst into laughter with Lin Yuan.

It really was a twist of fate. He had been worried that He Lieno would make things difficult for them over a few thousand taels of silver, but now Zhao Hongsheng was eagerly resolving the crisis for them!

On one hand there was silver, and on the other his own face— even a fool would choose face!

But while Xia Zheng was pleased, Zhao Hongde was somewhat anxious. If the Crown Prince of Xiliang truly rekindled the war because of this, then the commoners of Dayong would truly be in for a calamity.

"It turns out to be the Crown Prince of Xiliang, my apologies, my apologies."

Zhao Hongsheng had already offended He Lieno, he must say something to salvage the situation, he couldn’t provide Xiliang with a reason to start another war.

If Xiliang had started a war before, it could still be said that they were coveting Dayong’s vast lands and wealth.

But if they started a war this time, it would be Dayong’s fault.

Setting aside whether they could win the war, Dayong has always governed with etiquette, and they couldn’t afford to ruin their reputation because of this incident.

He Lieno was also aware of Zhao Hongde, and his impression of him was somewhat better.

Whether it was deliberate or not, to aggravate Zhao Hongsheng, He Lieno smiled quite magnanimously at Zhao Hongde, cupping his fists in salutation: "Your Highness, my apologies, my apologies."

Such attitudes from both made Zhao Hongsheng’s face feel as if it had been harshly slapped, stinging painfully.

After Zhao Hongde stepped forward, He Lieno did not deign to spare another glance at Zhao Hongsheng, not even a disdainful look, leaving Zhao Hongsheng both stifled and infuriated.

Xia Zheng knew Zhao Hongde’s initial intentions, but he did not worry that Xiliang would rekindle war because of this.

If Xiliang really intended to provoke an incident over this matter, He Lieno would have left already, instead of waiting for Zhao Hongde to speak and mediate.

Lin Yuan also sighed softly; this Xiliang fox was indeed cunning, not taking the slightest loss, retaliating on the spot after being insulted by Zhao Hongsheng!