Chapter 20 Arrogant
Now that I've recognized it.

But he didn't stand up to salute!

That can only mean one thing, that Zhao Yi has no respect for Wang An at all.

Moreover, this person must have a strong backing, otherwise even the old foxes in the court would at least show superficial respect to a vassal king with no future like him.

He would never be like Zhao Yi, who refused to bow to the king when meeting him. He was extremely arrogant.

However, Wang An did not show any dissatisfaction. Instead, he strode up to Zhao Yi without waiting for Chen He to introduce him.

"I guess this must be General Zhao. He is indeed so heroic and extraordinary!"

Zhao Yi was slightly stunned. He obviously did not expect that Wang An, whose surname was Wang, would be so humble and even respectful to others.

Although he looked down on him in his heart, since the other party, as a vassal king, had taken the initiative to show goodwill, Zhao Yi did not want to appear too domineering.

So he stood up, and without kneeling, he just lazily clasped his fists and said, "Your Highness, thank you for your kindness. I am here to say goodbye to you."

Wang An frowned slightly. Although he had a vague feeling that Zhao Yi in front of him would most likely not be of any use to him, the other party said he wanted to leave as soon as he arrived, without saying a single extra polite word, obviously not wanting to give Wan An a chance to stay.

However, it is already July and there are less than two months left until the autumn harvest. No matter what the result, Wang An will try to retain him.

"I just arrived in Jizhou yesterday. I have so many things to deal with and I need to rely on General Zhao. Why is General Zhao in such a hurry?"

"Haha," Zhao Yi laughed nonchalantly, with a hint of sarcasm on his lips: "Since the founding of our Daliang Dynasty, the vassal kings have withdrawn their troops after they were enfeoffed. This is also the law of the imperial court."

Wang An pretended not to notice the other party's sarcasm, suppressed his smile and said: "Even the laws of the court do not require the garrison to withdraw immediately."

"I heard that there is a custom among the garrisons at the border of Daliang that after the princes take up their fiefdoms, the imperial garrison will stay for three to six months to take over military affairs?"

Seeing Wang An was pestering him, Zhao Yi simply sneered and said, "I am not one who would beat around the bush when talking, so I'll just say it straight!"

"Do you know who is the father-in-law of the current crown prince?"

"Isn't he just the current Chief Censor Mao Huan?" Wan An shook his head disdainfully.

Speaking of the Chief Censor Mao Huan, Wang An can be said to have a grudge against him.

Because the late emperor passed away on his way back to the capital, when the news reached the capital, Shen Shaozhu had already been confirmed by the imperial physician to be pregnant.

The mainstream opinion of the court ministers at that time was to wait until Shen Shaozhu gave birth to the baby before deciding on the successor to the throne.

However, it was this Chief Censor Mao Huan who debated with many scholars and overcame many objections, and colluded with many ministers to support Wang Hongyuan's ascension to the throne.

Otherwise, if they could wait a few more months until Wang An was born and it was proven that he was a boy, then the one who could ascend the throne could only be Wang An.

As for Wang Hongyuan, no matter how ambitious he is, in the face of ancestral laws and rites, the most he can get is the position of regent.

After Wang Hongyuan came to power, he returned the favor by not only allowing Huang's eldest son Wang Qianqiu to marry his eldest daughter, but also bestowing on him the imperial sword and the golden medal of immunity from death.

Although the Chief Censor was only a second-rank official, he controlled the court censors and the supervisory censors of the prefectures and counties. It can be said that he would investigate and impeach anyone he disliked, and as long as it was someone impeached by Mao Huan, Wang Hongyuan would generally give face, and it can be said that every time he impeached someone, he would hit the mark.

Over time, everyone in the court feared him like a tiger, and even the prime minister had to show him courtesy.

Zhao Yi was quite dissatisfied with Wang An's disdainful expression when he mentioned Mao Huan. He snorted coldly and said, "My father was once a student of Lord Mao. Your Highness, you should understand now, right?"

Wang An's heart skipped a beat, but he still looked at Zhao Yi calmly, his tone colder: "Is such a complicated relationship worth trying to please you?"

"What's more, I am the Prince of Daliang and the only son of the late emperor. The current emperor is my uncle. If General Zhao is willing to submit to me, I may grant you a title for your wife and children!"

However, Zhao Yi seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world, holding his stomach as if he couldn't straighten his back.

This made Chen He, who was standing behind Wang An, break out in a cold sweat. As a small fifth-rank clerk, he felt that he really shouldn't be standing here today and hearing things that he shouldn't hear.

However, at this moment he couldn't leave or stay, so he could only lower his head and reduce his presence.

Wang An just watched Zhao Yi laughing wildly with cold eyes, and waited until Zhao Yi finished laughing before saying in a cold voice: "General Zhao, why don't you tell me what's so funny, so that I can also be happy."

Zhao Yi wiped the tears from his eyes, and the mockery on his face became more intense. "Your Highness, if you tell these heroic words to those small minions in the remote areas, you will surely win their hearts and minds."

"But if you use these empty words to win over this general, it would be too naive... No, it should be said to be stupid!"

Zhao Yi pointed at Chen He and said, "These little minions may not know who His Highness is, but don't I know?"

"Humph, a so-called vassal king who is insecure and has nothing but appearances wants to win over this general. You can wait until you can survive the autumn harvest!"

Zhao Yi's remarks were extremely treasonous. After all, Wang An was the Prince of Daliang, a person of extraordinary quality.

Zhao Yi, a third-rank guerrilla general, dared to speak so arrogantly in front of Wang An just because he had some connection with the eldest prince.

This made Chen He, who didn't want to cause trouble but was strict with etiquette, unable to tolerate it any longer. He pointed at Zhao Yi with a trembling finger and rebuked him, "General Zhao, don't be so presumptuous. How can you be so rude to His Royal Highness Prince Xin!"

Zhao Yi glanced at Chen He coldly, then suddenly stepped forward and slapped Chen He.

"One is that you are a fifth-rank official, and you have the right to speak here? I usually ask you to send more food and wages, but you are always stingy and refuse to give more. This general has long wanted to kick you to death!"

As he spoke, Zhao Yi's slap pierced the air and hit Chen He's cheek.

Zhao Yi is big and strong, and his palm alone is bigger than Chen He's entire face. If he were to slap him hard, I'm afraid all his teeth would be knocked out.

Chen He was startled but it was too late to dodge and he could only close his eyes and wait for the slap to come.

However, as time passed, the imagined huge force still did not come. Chen He could not help but open his eyes, but saw an unbelievable scene.

Wang An was seen holding Zhao Yi's wrist tightly, his cold eyes gleaming with ferocity.

(End of this chapter)