Chapter 266: The Empress Has ArrivedChapter 1219: The Zhou Brothers

While Li Chen and Zhao Rui were enjoying a romantic night together, thousands of miles away in the region of Gansu and Shaanxi, within the territory of King Ning's fiefdom, Danyuan Prefecture...

The wheels creaked and groaned as they turned, then at the driver's command, the horses bearing the carriage came to a halt with a snort.

The grayish curtain was lifted, and Zhou Ping'an, a scholar in a long robe, emerged from the carriage.

The driver helped Zhou Ping'an out of the car by bringing him a stool.

"Master, the wind and sand outside are strong, and it's bitterly cold. You should put on this cloak."

The coachman, very kindly, took out a black greatcoat and put it on Zhou Ping'an.

Zhou Ping'an, whose hands and feet were numb from the strong wind, tightened his cloak and smiled at the coachman: "Thank you."

"That's what he deserves."

The coachman chuckled and said, "Sir, this is the place you're looking for" He pointed to a mansion across the street.

Looking at the plaque above the mansion that read "Zhou Residence," Zhou Ping'an calmly nodded and said, "You go knock on the door."

The coachman, hearing this, walked up and rapped on the door.

Soon, the tightly shut door creaked open.

A young man with rosy lips and pearly teeth emerged from inside. His eyes glanced past the coachman and settled on Zhou Ping'an behind him, a smile playing on his lips. "Are you Mr. Zhou from the capital"

"Yes."

Zhou Ping'an nodded in acknowledgement.

"My family said that if we see a young man in plain clothes late at night, it must be Mr. Zhou from the capital. Just verify his identity and he can come right in."

Saying that, the young servant opened the door and made an inviting gesture to Zhou Ping'an at the threshold. "Please come in, sir," he said, "Master has been waiting for you in the side room."

Zhou Ping'an nodded slightly, and after entering, he followed the little servant through the hall all the way to a wing room courtyard.

In the small room, Zhou Ping'an pushed open the door and saw a thin man with a sickly pale face sitting by candlelight reading a thick letter.

The little servant obediently retreated, leaving only the two of them in the room.

A pale man looked up and met Zhou Ping'an's gaze.

"Here" the pale man said.

"Here I am." Zhou Ping'an replied.

"Haven't you eaten yet I had a whole table of dishes prepared for you, but then I thought, you probably prefer the rice noodles from home. So, I had the kitchen prepare a bowl of stir-fried rice noodles for you. It's still hot, go ahead and eat it first." the pale man said gently.

Zhou Ping'an nodded, walked to the table and picked up a bowl of fried rice noodles, beginning to eat.

The pale man smiled and continued to look at the thing in his hand.

After a long silence, when Zhou Ping'an put down his chopsticks, the pale man spoke again, "The Prince is very talented."

Having said that, he put down the letter in his hand. The content on it was the complete content of the new policies of the Crown Prince recently announced by the Imperial Court.

And it was very detailed, and there was no difference from what Li Chen said.

Zhou Ping'an just glanced at him and smiled, "As I said, my choice will never be wrong, second brother."

The pallid man let out a light chuckle and said, “That’s not necessarily so. Your prince may be talented, but to maintain an empire, talent alone is insufficient. In my opinion, he lacks many things, and these are precisely what Prince Ning possesses.”

Zhou Ping'an raised an eyebrow and said faintly, "But not everything the prince has is necessarily something the King of Ning has."

There is no one in the world who is perfect, King Ning's bravery and martial prowess are unmatched by others.

"To be emperor, one cannot rely solely on martial prowess."e You Another ChanceThe first words spoken by the great emperor as he entered the court created an atmosphere of intense solemnity within the palace.Zhao Xuanji bowed his head and answered in a soft v...