So he directly stopped the argument among the ministers, ordered them to prepare various precious gifts, and immediately transformed into human form again to come to Chang'an City to visit Yuan Shoucheng once more.

Upon seeing his arrival, Yuan Shoucheng was clearly surprised: "What brings you here, sir?"

Zu An then had his men bring over the gifts, and then bowed admiringly: "Sir, your wisdom and strategy are truly admirable. I hope you will forgive my previous offenses."

Many onlookers nearby still remembered him. He had been so arrogant before, threatening to smash Mr. Yuan's stall, but now he was all smiles and fawning over him, making them think Yuan Shoucheng was even more awesome.

Yuan Shoucheng stroked his beard and smiled mysteriously, "How can you know you've lost before tomorrow? Let's try again tomorrow."

Zu An stared at him: "Since you are so insightful, how could you not know why I came here?"

Yuan Shoucheng was taken aback and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Zu An bowed again sincerely: "If you need a golden carp, sir, I will send someone to deliver one to you every day. If you are in the mood, you are welcome to visit the Water Palace at any time."

As the Yaksha had said, the reason Yuan Shoucheng taught the fishermen where to cast their nets to catch fish was so that the fishermen would deliver a golden carp to them every day.

Seeing his enthusiasm, Yuan Shoucheng could no longer be so formal: "You flatter me. It was just a misunderstanding before. Let's not take it to heart. The Jing River is next to Chang'an. In a way, we are neighbors. We should visit each other more often in the future."

“Of course,” Zuan agreed with a smile. The two chatted happily for a long time before taking their leave.

After Zu'an left, Yuan Shoucheng's smile vanished, and the boy beside him also changed, his body radiating various rays of light.

The common people outside the door who were seeking fortune-telling and asking questions seemed to have been frozen in time, unable to see any changes here.

The "boy" said in a deep voice, "You don't really want to be friends with him, do you?"

Yuan Shoucheng smiled slightly: "Just a chess piece, how can it be called a friend or not?"

"But this time the Jinghe Dragon King didn't fall for it, and our plan has been disrupted. What should we do next?"

Yuan Shoucheng said calmly, "The Jinghe Dragon King wants to escape this game, but it's not that easy. Those golden carp are the sons and grandsons of the dragon, all candidates for succession. Every now and then, their dragon palace will be wiped out. Besides, human nature is greedy. Those fishermen knew the pattern of the fish's appearance and, in order to make more money, they always cast those destructive nets. If this continues, in a few years, probably only one in ten of the aquatic creatures in the Jinghe Water Palace will survive. At that time, as the Dragon King, he will still be condemned to death for failing to protect his territory. No matter what, he will not be able to escape his predetermined fate."

The other "boy" smiled upon hearing this: "Such a great blessing. This calamity was destined for the Jing River Dragon King, so we can't be blamed."

After Zu An left the Yuan residence, his previously beaming face suddenly turned serious.

He certainly didn't think that the "apology" he had just made would truly solve the problem. If that strategist didn't have some kind of mysterious presence inside him, and if he hadn't read Journey to the West or experienced all sorts of great trials and tribulations, he might have actually believed it.

The reason for putting on this show was simply to temporarily lull that guy surnamed Yuan into a false sense of security.

He did not return to the Dragon Palace, but instead came to the vicinity of the Imperial Palace and stayed at the nearest inn.

After nightfall, he directly astraled his body and used the dream-entering technique.

The imperial palace is protected by the Heavenly Dao, making it difficult for someone like him to enter without making a sound. However, he could use the art of entering dreams to lure the Tang Emperor out.

This is a skill that the Jinghe Dragon King possesses innately, and coupled with recalling some related plot points, it's not difficult to figure this out.

Speaking of the Jinghe Dragon King, although his combat power is not that strong, his skills are quite amazing, such as the transformation technique and the dream entry technique. Even Zu'an is a little envious. I wonder if he still remembers how to use these spells after leaving this body.

Unbeknownst to him, his spirit had arrived outside the palace gates and saw Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, strolling around. Judging from his state, he was clearly dreaming.

He then stepped forward and bowed, saying, "The Dragon King of the Jing River greets Your Majesty."

Emperor Taizong was startled: "You...you are the Dragon King?"

After all, he was an emperor who had fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Seeing that the other party had no ill intentions, he gradually calmed down.

Zuan admired his composure. Despite being an ordinary person, his composure was unmatched by countless experts in the world: "Your Majesty is the true Son of Heaven of the whole world. I am merely a dragon of a certain water area, far inferior to Your Majesty."

Emperor Taizong laughed heartily: "Your Majesty the Dragon King is too modest. May I ask what brings you here to see me?"

"There is indeed a small matter I would like to trouble Your Majesty with. Recently, many fishermen have been fishing heavily along the Jing River. It is only natural for people to catch some fish and shrimp in order to make a living. However, for some reason, these fishermen can always accurately find the fish schools, and they are greedy and cast nets that kill all fish. If this continues, the fish and shrimp in the Jing River will be wiped out, which will not be a blessing for the future generations of the Tang Dynasty."

Emperor Taizong was taken aback: "I know that such a thing has happened. Tomorrow I will send the relevant departments of the court to investigate this matter. We must not exhaust the resources and leave a lifeless Jing River for future generations."

Seeing his expression, Zu'an immediately knew that he didn't take it too seriously. After all, for an emperor, there are countless important national affairs to deal with every day, and it's hard for him to care much about the livelihood of fishermen in this area.

However, he was prepared and continued, "Actually, these are all minor matters, and I didn't need to come in person. It's just that those fishermen catch a golden carp every day. Has Your Majesty heard of the saying 'carp leaping over the dragon gate'?"

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