Chapter 181 The world belongs to Jin, the will of the people is with them.

Su Muchen ordered the axemen to retreat, but they did not truly retreat. Instead, after releasing Luo Yucheng, the special envoy of the Prince of Jin, they continued to hold their swords and watchfully surround him.

If Luo Yucheng dared to make any unusual move, these royal guards and axemen would rush up without hesitation and hack him to death.

In contrast, Luo Yucheng remained unfazed even with a steel knife to his neck.

Seeing that Prince Zhongshan, Su Muchen, remained wary, Luo Yucheng unleashed his trump card, cutting to the chase: "Your Highness, to be honest, before I went to Prince Zhongshan's residence to pay my respects to you..."

"I have already paid my respects to the three princes at their residences: Prince Chu Xiang, Prince Chang Xin, and Prince Jiu Jiang!"

Luo Yucheng only said half of what he wanted to say before putting on a hesitant expression.

This was clearly a reminder to Su Muchen that this matter was of great importance, and given the current situation inside the council hall, it was no longer a matter of "walls having ears."

I'm afraid that the moment Luo Yucheng reveals the contents of his conversation with everyone, this top-secret information will be sent back to the capital by the spies of various forces planted in the Prince's Mansion, delivered by express courier.

As expected, when Zhongshan King Su Muchen heard Luo Yucheng mention the other three non-royal kings of the Great Xin Dynasty, his handsome face immediately furrowed slightly.

He was also secretly weighing how much the Prince of Jin's special envoy knew about his past secret dealings with the three princes!

At this moment, Luo Yucheng spoke up again, "Your Highness, you wouldn't be worried that I've come all this way from Dragon City just to harm you, would you?"

Ha ha!

With that, Luo Yucheng laughed loudly and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I am here on the orders of His Highness Prince Jin to pay you a visit. I have no ill intentions toward Your Highness."

"After all, what I represent is His Highness Prince Jin!"

snort!

"Nonsense! Who said I was afraid you would harm me? Do you really think I'm some weak and helpless scholar?"

Su Muchen glared fiercely at Luo Yucheng and said, "Let me tell you, I am proficient in all six arts of a gentleman. Not to mention you, even if Chen Huai'an himself stood in front of me, I would not be afraid!"

After saying that, Su Muchen waved his hand and ordered, "All of you, step back!"

"No one is allowed to enter without my order!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Soon, all the servants, guards, and axemen in the Prince's mansion's council hall had left the hall in the blink of an eye, and thoughtfully closed the door behind them.

Inside the council hall, Su Muchen mustered his courage and plopped down in the main seat, coldly saying, "Alright, now it's just the two of us in this room."

"Speak, why has this traitorous Chen Huai'an sent you to pay me a visit?"

Luo Yucheng bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness, I have been ordered by the Prince of Jin to travel to various parts of the south to pay respects to the four princes of the Great Xin Dynasty, including Your Highness."

"It is to save the common people in the south from the calamity of war, and to offer a bright future for the four princes and their families who fought alongside the late king, so that they may enjoy peace and prosperity for ten thousand generations to come."

"That's enough—"

Before Luo Yucheng could finish speaking, Su Muchen rudely interrupted him.

He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Luo Yucheng, get to the point. Save these empty platitudes for fooling ghosts!"

Cough cough!

Upon hearing this, Luo Yucheng looked slightly embarrassed and continued, "Your Highness is indeed a man of principle. I won't beat around the bush. I have come south on the orders of Prince Jin to persuade you princes to submit to him!"

"Your Highness, please don't be angry yet, let me finish speaking!"

Upon hearing this, Su Muchen suppressed the urge to angrily denounce Chen Huai'an for being disloyal, unfilial, and without loyalty to the emperor and father, and patiently listened to Luo Yucheng continue.

Luo Yucheng said, "Your Highness is surely well aware of the current situation in the court of the Great Xin Dynasty. The powerful ministers, led by the treacherous minister Qin Ruhui, have reached a point of irreconcilable conflict with the imperial power represented by Emperor Lingwu."

"Qin Ruhui supported Zhao Lingzhan, the son of the Prince of Fu, to ascend the throne in the capital, adopting the reign title Hongxi;"

"Meanwhile, the Emperor and Empress Dowager were taken hostage by Naval Commander Fang Tianyao to the Jiangyin Naval Headquarters, leaving Wu Sanjia, who was heading south to the capital to defend the Emperor, only able to look at the river and sigh in despair."

After a pause, Luo Yucheng changed the subject and continued, "On the other hand, in the north, the troops under the Prince of Jin's command in Longcheng are advancing with unstoppable momentum, not to mention the pacification of the Western Regions and the Tubo rebellion;"

"The two vanguard forces of the Longcheng Expeditionary Army have already reached the gates of Jinan and Kaifeng; it's only a matter of time before they breach the cities and advance south."

"Your Highness..."

Luo Yucheng continued to analyze the general trend of the world and the will of the people for Zhongshan King Su Muchen in a leisurely manner.

Under the rule of Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, he worked diligently to govern the country and allowed the people to rest and recuperate. In particular, after the Silk Road was reopened, the economy of the entire northern region developed rapidly.

In contrast, in the south under the rule of the Great Xin Dynasty, the court was rife with factional strife, the conflict between the imperial power and the ministerial power intensified, and there were continuous wars. The people suffered greatly, and the regional economy plummeted, leaving the area devoid of any vitality.

Luo Yucheng reasoned with people, presented the facts, appealed to their emotions, and explained the principles.

After all that buildup, it was all to reveal his ultimate purpose in sending this mission to the kings of the south.

Luo Yucheng said, "Your Highness, the unification of the world with Jin is the will of the people and an inevitable trend."

"His Highness Prince Jin also promised all the princes that as long as they submit to him, thus stabilizing the morale and economy of the southern region, His Highness will retain all their titles and rights."

"Your Highness, before I visited the Prince of Zhongshan's residence, the three princes, Prince of Chuxiang, Prince of Changxin, and Prince of Jiujiang, all expressed their stance to me. If Your Highness could take the lead in submitting to Prince Jin, they would respond to Your Highness's call and submit to Prince Jin as well."

"Like—"

At this point, Luo Yucheng smiled meaningfully and said, "Just like back then, when the Prince, acting on the Empress Dowager's decree, strongly urged the three princes to secretly recruit soldiers, ready to march into the capital to defend the Emperor at any time;"

"The three princes, Prince Chu Xiang, Prince Chang Xin, and Prince Jiu Jiang, will still follow Your Highness's lead without question!"

"fart!"

Seeing that his plan had been exposed, Su Muchen immediately roared in a fit of rage: "Those three old bastards, they want to pin all sorts of accusations on my head, what a bunch of trash!"

Cough cough!

Luo Yucheng coughed twice, watching the furious Su Muchen without showing any emotion.

He thought to himself, "This is nothing, there's even more shocking news to come!"

Then, Luo Yucheng said, "Your Highness, these past events are no longer important. As long as Your Highness submits to His Highness Prince Jin, I guarantee with my life that His Highness Prince Jin will forgive and forget what happened before!"

"If Your Highness can persuade the Empress Dowager to present the Imperial Seal to Prince Jin, I dare to guarantee that the Prince of Zhongshan's Mansion, the Emperor, and the Empress Dowager will live a life of ease and enjoy endless wealth and honor for the rest of their lives!"

"Of course, if Your Highness remains obstinate and insists on following the rotten-to-the-roots Great Xin Dynasty to the bitter end, then just pretend I was never here today!"

"How dare you threaten me?"

"Your Highness, I was merely stating the facts!"

Eh—

Su Muchen sighed deeply, hesitatingly saying, "Lord Luo, this matter is of great importance, please allow me some time to consider it!"