The Demon Lords-Chapter 775 - 169: King of the Wild People_6

"Lord Pingye, the real King of the Wild People, has already been caught by the Jingnan Army. He may have already entered Yan territory and should not be far from the capital. It's a widely known fact in our army, so the King of the Wild People we are dealing with now must be an imposter."

This involved an issue of dignity. Because the meritorious service had already been reported in the military dispatches, and the imperial court was already beginning to distribute rewards. If you came forward now, claiming the first King of the Wild People was a fake, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to Lord Jingnan? As a direct subordinate of Lord Jingnan, he naturally had a duty to safeguard Lord Jingnan's honor.

Zheng Fan hadn't actually considered this at first. He understood Lord Jingnan better than most; The Marquis likely wouldn't care about such a thing at all. Caught the wrong person? Oh, well, then he was wrong. Just send the real one to the capital. That was probably Lord Jingnan's genuine reaction. Of course, only Zheng Fan possessed such confidence. Generally, within an organization, it was standard practice for subordinates to meticulously analyze every word and action of their direct superior, searching for deeper meanings.

However, the Eldest Prince's words also carried another layer of meaning:

Even if this King of the Wild People were real,

in my eyes, he's fake.

I'll keep your secret.

Lord Zheng, his mind still a bit slow, furrowed his brow and pondered for a long while before finally grasping these three layers of meaning. He pointed to his still slightly flushed face, a little embarrassed, and said, "Your Highness, my mind is a bit foggy right now. Let's just be direct, no need to beat around the bush."

With that, Zheng Fan habitually reached out and patted the Eldest Prince's shoulder. "Your Highness and I, no matter how you look at it, are fellow soldiers who have fought and risked our lives together, aren't we? I trust Your Highness completely, and it's natural that Your Highness wouldn't need to hide anything from me either."

The Eldest Prince naturally wouldn't take such heartfelt words, spoken under the influence of alcohol, entirely seriously, but he still nodded. "That's very good, Lord Zheng. Wujiang will be leaving for the capital tomorrow, so these matters here will naturally no longer concern me. I won't listen to the interrogation either. Wujiang bids farewell!"

With that, the Eldest Prince turned to leave.

Zheng Fan immediately reached out, grabbing the Eldest Prince's shoulder again to stop him. Because he was a bit unsteady on his feet, the Prince's movement caused him to stumble, and he ended up pressed against the Eldest Prince's back.

The Eldest Prince was silent.

"My apologies, my apologies, Your Highness. I didn't mean to bump into you."

Zheng Fan quickly straightened up, shook his head again, and said, "Your Highness, if the one inside truly is the real King of the Wild People, don't you want to kill him with a single stroke?"

In this matter, the one who hated the King of the Wild People the most wasn't him, Zheng Fan, nor the Demon King, nor even the Snow Sea Army, but the Eldest Prince, Ji Wujiang. If not for the disastrous defeat in the first Battle of Wang River, how could the Eldest Prince have fallen to such a state? Not only had he lost soldiers and generals, but he had also been reduced to a mere tool for a political marriage.

The Eldest Prince licked his lips, turned, looked at Zheng Fan, and said very seriously, "Lord Zheng, I am ninety percent certain that the man inside is indeed the true King of the Wild People."

Some things—a certain look, an expression, even a glance or a tone of voice—could be more convincing than countless pieces of evidence. When that Wild Person had looked up at him and called him a defeated foe, the Eldest Prince had become almost certain.

This… this is the true King of the Wild People!

"Then, Your Highness…"

"My vengeance has already been exacted by Lord Jingnan. The Chu Army in Jade Plate City won't be causing trouble for much longer. What I hate is this horde of Wild People, not just one individual. He has lost his army and has been reduced to hiding in a prisoner-of-war camp. The tribes of the Snow Plain will also undergo a new reckoning. He may be the King of the Wild People, true, but he is definitely not worth me, Ji Wujiang, going to all costs to kill him now! However, I believe that regardless of why this man has revealed his identity, with your methods, Lord Zheng, you can definitely handle him. Furthermore, the imperial edict arrived today. Lord Pingye's peerage signifies that Father has entrusted all matters concerning the Wild People of the Snow Plain to you, Lord Zheng. How to deal with him, how to use him—that is your affair, Lord Zheng."

"Wow, Your Highness is truly… making me so damn touched."

The Eldest Prince was speechless.

Zheng Fan shook his head vigorously again. "Next time, next time I'm definitely not drinking. No more! Drinking causes too much trouble, it really does!"

"Then, Lord Zheng, you should get some good rest."

"No, Your Highness…"

"Does Lord Zheng have more to say?"

Zheng Fan reached out his hand again, but his foot slipped, and he stumbled forward. The Eldest Prince had no choice but to reach out and steady him.

Zheng Fan forcefully raised his hand again, as if searching for something, but he just couldn't seem to find it.

The Eldest Prince, resigned, took Zheng Fan's waving hand and placed it on his own shoulder.

Once his hand landed on the shoulder, Lord Zheng felt a sense of ritualistic completion, and his heart settled.

He said, "Your Highness, this favor you've done me, I, Zheng Fan, will remember it. I owe you one."

"With those words from Lord Zheng, Wujiang hasn't lost out."

"We're all brothers here! What's there to lose or gain!"

The Eldest Prince paused.

"Your Highness, in the future, if you ever find life in Yanjing isn't comfortable enough, well, just bring your wife and children to my place. At that time, 5,000? No, 5,000 is too few. Ten thousand Snow Sea Cavalry! I'll give them directly to you, so you can gallop freely across the Snow Plain!"

Though these were drunken words, somewhat wild and presumptuous, they genuinely conveyed a candor, treating the Prince as a true friend. The Eldest Prince had grown up in the army and understood the camaraderie found there. He knew that in the barracks, you could truly find brothers willing to shield you from a blade, men of utmost loyalty.

"Wujiang will remember Lord Zheng's words."

"Don't forget! Really, don't forget! Brother, my good brother, if you ever have troubles in your heart, come tell me!"

Zheng Fan patted the Eldest Prince's shoulder.

At this moment, Liang Cheng walked in.

The Eldest Prince then handed the stumbling Zheng Fan over to Liang Cheng, nodded to him, and said, "I'm heading back."

"Farewell, Your Highness."

After the Eldest Prince left, Liang Cheng continued to support his staggering Lord toward a chair. After helping his Lord sit down, Liang Cheng fetched some tea, poured a cup, and handed it to him.

Zheng Fan took the teacup and took a sip.

Liang Cheng then said from the side, "My Lord, you really are quite drunk this time."

He had been listening to their conversation from outside for a while. Seeing that his Lord was about to completely let himself go, he had decided to step in.

Zheng Fan nodded.

He lamented, "It's just that some words have a better effect when spoken while drunk."