"Your son isn't in his hands, but look at who I have in my hands."
As he spoke, he handed the baby, who was wrapped up tightly and sleeping soundly with only his face showing, to Ye Lingfeng. Hai Ling, who was not far from Ye Lingfeng at the time, was overjoyed when she heard Yu Zhenzi's words. She quickly stepped forward, took the baby from Yu Zhenzi's hands, and held him in her arms. As soon as she held the baby in her arms, she became happy because she was most familiar with the milk scent of her son. She had been feeding him for several months.
“Little cat, he is our little cat.”
Hailin exclaimed with delight.
As soon as she finished speaking, her son, whom she hadn't seen for more than twenty days, immediately burst into tears, sounding very aggrieved, as if he were complaining to his mother. Hearing such crying, Yun Zhenzi couldn't help but chuckle: "This little guy knows how to play the innocent."
Upon seeing his son return, Ye Lingfeng was naturally overjoyed and couldn't help but look at Yun Zhenzi: "Uncle-Master, how did my son end up in your hands?"
"Oh, that day, I was passing through the outskirts of the capital when I saw a fight breaking out between two groups. They were fighting over a baby, and the baby was about to be harmed in their fight. So I intervened and saved the baby. After saving the baby, I noticed that he had a naturally noble appearance, and his name indicated that he was of high status. So I kept an eye on the situation in the capital. Later, I heard that the royal prince had gone missing, and I guessed that this child was no ordinary person. So I took him with me and prepared to send him back to the palace. Later, I received news that the royal prince was in the hands of Emperor Feng Zixiao of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I knew that your two families were about to go to war. In order to avoid bloodshed, I rushed over without stopping."
"I see."
Ye Lingfeng breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, his martial uncle had come by and saved Xiao Mao'er, so Xiao Mao'er was unharmed. As for the two groups his martial uncle mentioned, it was obvious that they were Xi Xiu's and Feng Zixiao's groups. They fought over Xiao Mao'er, and it was fortunate that his martial uncle saved her. Otherwise, it would have been hard to know what would have happened to Xiao Mao'er.
Hai Ling felt extremely frightened when she thought about these things. She hugged the kitten tightly and looked at Master Yu.
"Thank you, Uncle-Master, for saving the kitten's life."
Master Yu shook his head and said earnestly, "Fortune and misfortune can change in an instant. Little Cat is destined to suffer this calamity. Anyone who wants to achieve great things must first temper their will and strength. Therefore, he must undergo this tribulation. As for you two, as the emperors of two countries, I still hope that you will think of the common people and act accordingly."
After Yu Zhenzi finished speaking earnestly, he looked at Feng Zixiao behind him. The emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty was somewhat cunning. If he did not stop in time, he would probably only end up with a miserable end.
"I wonder if Emperor Jing agrees with what I have said."
Yu Zhenzi's fame is known throughout the world. Now that he has stepped forward to speak, Feng Zixiao naturally cannot refute him. Moreover, they are in the wrong this time, using a fake child to deceive people. If the fight continues, it may cause the people to resent them. Therefore, Feng Zixiao's face is cold and stern as he clasps his hands and speaks.
"Since Master Yu has spoken, I shall obey."
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to look at the soldiers and generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty behind him and said coldly and gloomily, "Go, go back."
"yes."
The people from the Great Zhou Dynasty left quickly. Ji Shaocheng was furious and glared at Yu Zhenzi. It was all because of that meddlesome old Taoist priest. If Feng Zixiao went back, he might not be at ease and might do something else in the future.
"Your Majesty, are we just going to let this go?"
Ye Lingfeng looked at Yu Zhenzi, and then at Ji Shaocheng. Yu Zhenzi was not only his uncle, but also a master who was proficient in celestial phenomena and the Eight Trigrams, so his words made a lot of sense. Since he had already spoken, he couldn't very well refute him directly, so he spoke slowly.
"Withdraw the troops and return to Tang to win."
At the Emperor's command, all the soldiers and subordinates behind him turned around and prepared to leave. Ji Shaocheng was furious and glared at Yu Zhenzi. Yu Zhenzi stroked his beard with one hand and shook his head with the other, speaking calmly: "Although the young general is a fierce general who loves fighting on the battlefield, can you really bear to see the people wandering around, begging for a living?"
"I don't like fighting, but that Feng Zixiao is too hateful. If we let him go this time, he may not be willing to let it go, so this battle will happen sooner or later."
"This is his last chance. If he doesn't understand, he will lose the hearts of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If he loses the hearts of the people, he can win them over when he attacks you. But if the two countries are at war now and each protects its own lord, the casualties will be bloody."
Yu Zhenzi and Ji Shaocheng walked at the very back and began to debate. After listening to Yu Zhenzi's words, Ji Shaocheng's expression gradually calmed down. Upon reflection, Yu Zhenzi's words were indeed very reasonable. No wonder he was a highly renowned master.
That's right. If a battle breaks out now, the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty will definitely protect their ruler, and the people of Northern Lu will protect their emperor. If this battle is fought, both sides will suffer heavy casualties. However, Feng Zixiao's unreasonable behavior this time does not mean that the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty are blind. If he makes any moves next time, he will lose the support of the people. An emperor who loses the support of the people will suffer fewer casualties. At that time, they will all surrender to the city, and they will be the biggest winners.
Thinking about it this way, he finally smiled and clasped his hands in a fist as he looked at Yu Zhenzi.
"You old Taoist priest with a bull's nose, you do have some strategy. No wonder you are called a master."
"You flatter me," Yu Zhenzi chuckled. He wondered who had looked like they wanted to fight him just now, but he wasn't concerned about that right now. He was more interested in something else and quickly caught up with the person in front of him, heading towards Tangying Pass together.
He had always envied his senior brother, Elder Xuanyue, for taking on a disciple with such extraordinary talent as Ye Lingfeng, who thus received the full essence of his martial arts. Although he had many disciples, none of them could truly inherit his teachings. Now, he had finally found a suitable candidate: Ye Lingfeng's son. This boy not only possessed talent for martial arts but was also extremely intelligent. Although he had only been a few months old, he had already shown great potential. Therefore, he was determined to take this little fellow as his disciple.
As Yu Zhenzi pondered this, she followed Ye Lingfeng, Hai Ling, and the others into the inner hall of Tangying Pass's residence. The Emperor and Empress were seated at the head of the table, as were distinguished guests like Yu Zhenzi. Next to them were Ji Shaocheng, Wen Bin, the Vice Minister of War, and the soldiers and officers of Tangying Pass. The inner hall was filled with people.
At this moment, Hailing couldn't care less about anyone else; she was only focused on whether her son had lost weight or gained weight. But to be honest, her son hadn't lost weight, which meant that Yuzhenzi had taken good care of him. Thinking that Yuzhenzi had saved her son's life and reunited her with her daughter, Hailing picked up her son and bowed to Yuzhenzi in gratitude.
"On behalf of Xu Rui, I thank Master Yu for saving me."
In front of outsiders, Hailing naturally wouldn't use the kitten's nickname, so she used its full name.
Yu Zhenzi dared not accept such an offer. Although he was of noble birth and highly praised by the world, he was still far inferior to the royal family. The Empress was indeed as benevolent as rumored. Yu Zhenzi quickly stood up and spoke gently.
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. I, Yu Zhenzi, have a rather impolite request. I wonder if Your Majesty would consider it?"
"Please speak, Master Yu?"
Hai Ling sat down again and looked at Yu Zhenzi. Yu Zhenzi smiled and stared at the kitten in Hai Ling's arms. After initially complaining to its mother about its grievances, the kitten was not afraid of strangers at all. It opened its big, black eyes and looked around. Every now and then, it put its little finger in its mouth and sucked on it, making a smacking sound. Hai Ling saw that the kitten had picked up some strange habit from somewhere in the past twenty days and couldn't help but ask.
"Little kitten, what are you doing? Sucking your fingers is unhygienic."
As soon as she spoke, Yu Zhenzi blushed and said somewhat guiltily, "It's my fault. I saw that he was unhappy, so I taught him this method, and it worked."
As soon as he spoke, everyone sitting in the inner hall laughed, creating a warm atmosphere. Yu Zhenzi seized the opportunity and said with a smile, "This humble Taoist wishes to take the young prince as his disciple. I wonder if His Majesty and Empress would agree?"
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent. Everyone looked at Yu Zhenzi, then at the young prince, and no one spoke.
Chapter 126 Queen Ruan Jingyue, adorned with flowers, reappears.
Inside the mansion, everyone looked at each other, wondering if they had misheard. Why? Because Yu Zhenzi was no ordinary person, nor was he a flatterer. They had never heard of him taking disciples outside of Taoism. They were all stunned to find that he was going to take the young prince as his disciple.
Ye Lingfeng was the first to react and immediately burst into laughter.
"Uncle-Master, are you really going to take Little Cat as your disciple?"
I've heard my master say that my uncle is a picky and provocative person. He doesn't think much of people. There are countless people in the world who want to become Yu Zhenzi's disciples, but almost none of them have succeeded. The few people he has taken in are among the most talented in Taoism. But now he's actually proposing to take Xiao Mao'er as his disciple on the spot. Is it because he's developed feelings for Xiao Mao'er these past few days and wants to take him as his disciple?
Yu Zhenzi laughed, his white beard trembling with excitement, and nodded firmly: "Yes, I want to take the young prince as my last disciple."
He never expected that he would take on such a talented young man as his last disciple in his old age. He was overjoyed, and his eyes narrowed with laughter as he thought about it.