After the wrong flirtation, I became the villain's favorite

When he lifted the curtain and entered the carriage, he saw Xie Tan sitting there steadily, his thin lips tightly pursed, his fingers clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"What's wrong? Why are you so angry?" Zhou Zhong said, not caring about the hierarchy between the emperor and his subjects. "When we were in the northern border, you were so anxious and worried about me. Now that you see me, you are still angry? Why?"

"She doesn't have me in her heart." Xie Tan said.

"Hey! My Majesty, she has been a wife for as many years as you have been in the northern border. Moreover, she and Lord Xie are famous for their deep love. If you hadn't become the emperor, would she, a wife of a wealthy family, be taken into the palace and hidden away? We have to consider her feelings as well!" Zhou Zhong said.

"I didn't take her by force, it was my subordinate... Forget it, I won't explain to you." Xie Tan said.

"If she wasn't taken away by force, there's still hope." Zhou Zhong didn't dwell on how Song Nihuan became the emperor's mistress from Mrs. Xie. He sat next to him and comforted him, "If she follows you, forget about the previous one. Do you dare to want a woman like this?"

"She has to be with another one while her man is still here. If she doesn't die headfirst, then she still has you in her heart!"

"Yes... you are right." Xie Tan murmured, "She has been following Xie Yunji all these years. It's all my fault..."

Zhou Zhong slapped his thigh, "Yeah! Why didn't you snatch her away earlier? You let her marry someone else, and now you want her to be like the one she didn't have before, how is that possible, Brother Tan, this will take time!"

Xie Tan nodded, "Yes, I was impatient. I shouldn't be angry with her."

Zhou Zhong breathed a sigh of relief and asked again, "Don't tell me she misunderstood you because of the rumors outside."

What rumor was it? Of course, it was the rumor that Xie Tan killed the king and seized the throne.

All kinds of rumors are spread, and there is no limit to the nasty words used.

In fact, even Zhou Zhong couldn't help but wonder, if Xie Tan had no intention of seizing the throne, why would he insist on launching a surprise attack when attacking Yecheng?

Nowadays, when people talk about the Battle of Yecheng, they all praise the emperor for his great achievements in both civil and military affairs, and for being a star general who was able to break out of the siege in such a war and launch a surprise attack on the remnants of the former dynasty in Jinzhou.

To put it bluntly, this is called a surprise attack only when you have achieved success, but if it involves bloodshed on the battlefield, it is called reckless and reckless.

But if it was said that Xie Tan had been scheming and plotting a rebellion and usurping the throne when he was in the northern border, Zhou Zhong didn't believe it.

Would a person with such ambitions risk his own life? Would he risk his life in the snowy plains that even the locals could not stand to save the then great prince?

After all, they were friends for life and death, and Zhou Zhong had never doubted Xie Tan's character.

But the fact is that he sat on the throne, killed the king and usurped the throne, and became infamous.

"Brother Tan, do you regret it?" Zhou Zhong couldn't help asking, "If you send troops from Yecheng without the imperial decree, and you lose, do you regret it?"

Sometimes, the emperor's suspicion is more terrifying than the rebels.

If Yecheng had not been captured at that time, and if he had mobilized the Northern Border Army guarding the border to interfere in the battle of Yecheng without orders and without waiting for reinforcements... any of these actions would have been a serious crime tantamount to treason.

If the army is defeated, not only will he lose his head, but he will also be infamous and infamous for eternity.

Even if he wins, the emperor still won't be happy. How can a king allow the existence of a disobedient supreme commander of the North?

Zhou Zhong suddenly realized that from the moment Xie Tan gave the order, he might not have wanted to live.

But this dead end was somehow revived.

As for Xie Tan, gossip, prejudice, and malicious speculation are what he has been experiencing since he was born.

It doesn't matter, he doesn't care.

Xie Tan hesitated for a moment and said, "No regrets. Win or lose, I won't regret it."

At that time, his heart was filled with anxiety and despair, and he just wanted to return to Yunjing to see her.

And Ye Cheng was the natural barrier between him and her.

He had to get over it.

At that time, the Northern Army was at the gates of the city. It was a huge mass, but very quiet. The only sounds in the air were the uneasy clatter of horses' hooves and the occasional sound of weapons and shields colliding with each other.

The 100,000-strong army that trudged here all obeyed his orders.

Xie Tan didn't know whether they were obeying him or they thought he was following the emperor's orders.

Rumor has it that he forged an imperial edict, ordering troops from the northern border to come to Yunjing to rescue the emperor.

He himself can't explain it clearly.

He was indeed wrong. He used the Northern Border Army to destroy Ye City. If he said it was just for a woman, would people believe him?

Forget it, now that things have come to this, the right thing to do is to protect this country.

Since he ascended the throne, he has reversed the bad policies of the previous dynasty, rectified the administration of officials, and brought forth new ideas, hoping that after his death he could look up to the world with a clear conscience.

"What if we had lost back then?" Zhou Zhong asked.

Xie Tan thought at the time that if he lost, he would follow Song Nihuan to avoid suffering day by day.

But he won.

If he had not become the usurper emperor, he would never have met Song Nihuan again.

Maybe he died in battle defending the northern border, and she would be sent to an unknown place. The two of them would never have the chance to meet again.

Therefore, he has no regrets, whether he wins or loses.

"Old Zhou, whether you regret it or not is a later matter." The emperor changed his expression to a warm one. "Now that you have joined the Ministry of War, you don't need to lead troops to fight anymore. Why haven't you gotten married yet? You need someone who understands you. It has not been easy for both of us in the North these years."

"Oh, I do want to. But for upstarts like us, which prince or minister would be willing to marry their daughter to us?" Zhou Zhong sneered.

A large part of the officials in the court were those who stayed over from the previous dynasty. They either had made meritorious services or were protected by their ancestors. On the surface, they were polite to Zhou Zhong, a direct descendant of the new emperor, but turned around and showed a completely different face.

If you stay in the original position for a long time, you will think it is yours and you will be in the position securely.

The Yunjing court is divided into two factions: the former important ministers and old officials, and the direct descendants brought back by the new emperor from the northern border, as well as those who were admitted from humble backgrounds and were willing to get closer to the new nobles.

How could Xie Tan not know this? He thought for a moment and said, "I'll arrange a marriage for you. Which girl do you want?"

The people in the northern border, represented by Zhou Zhong, must have had such troubles.

Since the old ministers wanted to draw a clear line, he would arrange a marriage between the noble lady of an aristocratic family and the new noble to see who dared to object.

"You have worked hard for my political affairs and have made great contributions. You are my right-hand man. Any girl is worthy of you." Xie Tan said.

After saying this, even though the relationship between brothers who had fought bloody battles had changed again to that of a king and his subjects, Zhou Zhong felt warm in his heart.

Nothing can make one's blood boil more than being recognized by the emperor and having his old friendship taken into consideration.

He was a rough man who had fought in the battlefields of the North a few years ago. Now that he had settled down, deep in his heart, he longed for a gentle and innocent girl to be his bride.

It would be even better if you could read and write.

After coming to Yunjing, I can't walk when I see beautiful girls, let alone those beautiful and graceful ladies from noble families who are kept in seclusion. I dare not even think about it.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! If Your Majesty grants me a marriage, I will not be picky!" Zhou Zhong knelt down quickly in the carriage.

Xie Tan knew that any relationship had to be maintained, and it was the right thing to do to marry the daughter of a clean official to the direct lineage of the Northern Territory and break the current situation of non-interference.

Something that must be done.

This would not only reassure the legitimate lineage in the north, but also allow those senior officials to see his determination to rectify the government.