Chapter 55 Preparations for War
Gao Xueshi obviously could not understand the shock that Prince Mu was feeling at that moment. He thought that Prince Mu was disgusted by Prince Yin's unreasonable attack, so he consoled him:
"It is possible that members of the royal family have submitted random petitions, so you don't have to worry too much, Your Highness."
But when it came to this, Master Gao couldn't help but hesitate slightly. To be honest, the accusation of being possessed by evil spirits and behaving strangely is simply bullshit. Any normal emperor would have thrown him directly into the charcoal basin. But if it were the current Emperor Wanshou, Feixuan Zhenjun, it would be hard to say what this impeachment led by the alchemists would do - if Feixuan Zhenjun could believe that "two dragons cannot meet", why couldn't he believe in "possession by evil spirits"?
Such an accusation was more vicious than groundless speculation, and it was impossible to explain or investigate. It was a despicable tactic rarely used by civil officials to tear each other apart. But now it happened to be raised by a royal family member who was almost immortal in the emperor's heart, and the effect was multiplied. In order to show the royal family's closeness, respect, filial piety and righteousness, memorials from princes and above could be submitted directly to the emperor without going through the cabinet's Silijian. In other words, all of Prince Yin's political moves could be carried out secretly. If Prince Yu had not heard some rumors from the clan leader and specifically told his dear teacher, the entire court would have been kept in the dark.
The Prince of Duke Mu remained silent for a moment with his eyes wide open, and finally he suppressed the fear in his heart that was like a tsunami, and barely regained a little composure. Now was obviously not the time to panic, so he could only try his best to keep his tone calm:
"I really have no grudge against Prince Yin."
"Maybe it's something from the previous generation." Master Gao sighed.
He didn't think that the Crown Prince would have any deep hatred with the foreign vassal states. After all, the Dian Gong could only act crazy in the capital, so how could he provoke the King Yin who was far away in Luoyang? I guess there's some unexplainable old grudge between Prince Yin and Duke Mu, and now they're just bullying a child.
He shook his head slightly and said, "You don't have to worry too much, my prince. The letter submitted by Prince Yin this time has thoroughly criticized the cabinet and the six ministries from top to bottom. His words are very sharp and cunning, accusing us ministers of 'splitting the royal family' and 'calling it a blessing but actually cursing it'. His intention is to isolate the emperor. To be honest, it's not uncommon for princes to submit memorials to express their opinions over the years, but to be able to hit the sore spot so accurately, his skills are really extraordinary."
Mu Qi gradually recovered from his shock and immediately understood what Master Gao hinted at - Prince Yin's impeachment was not directed at him alone, but a sweeping attack that involved important officials both inside and outside the court. In other words, this was not just a matter involving the Prince of Mu, but an attack by relatives from other places on most of the court. We are all in this together, so we should work together.
The ministers in the court had emerged from the hail of bullets, so they would not be afraid of a mere impeachment memorial; but the autumn wind rises from the falling leaves, and even if they only found out a little bit of the vague content of the impeachment memorial, it was enough to make the close civil servants extremely vigilant - unlike the nonsense articles and speeches of ordinary clan members, this memorial was clear and logically rigorous, and the text always exposed the hidden concerns of Master Feixuan. It was definitely a good memorial, with a high level and a stable position, and it could almost compete with several cabinet ministers.
How could a vassal who lived in seclusion in Luoyang have such sophisticated and vicious knowledge? This is either because Prince Yin is gifted and has experienced political regression, or there are talents hidden in Prince Yin's mansion who have not been recruited by the court.
——No matter which one it is, it is absolutely bad news for civil servants!
When Emperor Gaozu established his government, the idea was probably to use the royal family and nobles to restrain the civil officials, and the emperor to balance the government amidst the conflicts between the left and the right. However, the world changes unpredictably. After the Jingnan Rebellion, the political situation changed dramatically. Emperor Taizong's pig-raising policy completely destroyed this idea - yes, the royal family did still have legal immortality, and could even communicate directly with the emperor through secret memorials to interfere in state affairs; but hundreds of years of living a life of drunkenness and doing nothing had completely corroded the royal family's last bit of political talent and aspirations, and they lost all possibility of checking the political situation.
No matter how much the emperor favored his cliques, and strengthened the power of the princes and vassals by hundreds or thousands of times, zero times a thousand is still zero. This group of good-for-nothings were basically quickly eliminated from the government, and now have become mere feces-making machines that can only disgust people. Even if later emperors balanced the government again, no matter whether they chose eunuchs, nobles, or spies, even if they were as crazy as Emperor Wuzong who jumped down himself to fight 1v1 with the civil officials, no one dared to count on their resentful relatives anymore.
When the power is too weak, even getting angry is ridiculous; for a long time, the royal family and vassal states have been regarded as the absolute stabilizing factor in the government. They are so weak that it is reassuring. Apart from occasionally disgusting the big guys, they have no other function and are basically not taken into consideration.
——However, if one of the princes had a genetic mutation and developed some extraordinary political talent, the situation would be completely different!
The bond of royal family affection, the immortal golden body ensured by the "Great Edict", the supreme privilege of being able to communicate with the emperor in secret at any time - all these buffs added to a dung-making machine can only create a dung-making machine that eats more and poops more; if the one enjoying these buffs is a shrewd political genius, the power unleashed would probably be thousands of times stronger than that of a mere prime minister. If we let such a person in, the situation will be turned upside down immediately!
——In a nutshell, the Da'an court must never allow such a powerful person to exist!
As a future top politician, Gao Suqing keenly sensed the terrible crisis hidden in this simple memorial, so he sent the news to several of his peers without hesitation, and decisively leaked the content to the Crown Prince, expressing a little goodwill for cooperation - as victims of Prince Yin's firepower, they should join hands to resolve this possible crisis in advance.
The prince obviously understood what Master Gao meant. He looked around and suddenly spoke in a low voice:
"Prince Yin is interfering in government affairs like this. Aren't you afraid that His Majesty has something on his mind?"
The current Master Feixuan is not a fool. Mr. Gao can see this extraordinary political talent, and of course the Master can see through it even better. The emperor of Da'an has always used and been wary of the prince. When he is friendly with him, he treats them as "one family under heaven", but when he is suspicious, he treats them as "enemies". With the current emperor's personality of making waves even when there is nothing wrong, would he really trust a distant uncle who is so talented and inexplicably keen on court affairs?
You have completely forgotten the lessons of the Jingnan Campaign, right?
The emperor's suspicion has always been a powerful weapon to check and balance the royal family, and all the civil servants in the court should understand this.
But Master Gao was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and shook his head:
"I dare not speculate what your majesty thinks, but I just received news last month that the youngest son of this - this King Yin has passed away. Now he has only one daughter who is married and is now seriously ill in bed, waiting to die. Apart from this, there are no other relatives in the direct or collateral line."
Mu Qi was stunned for a moment, thinking that based on the average fertility quality of the Da'an royal family, this was simply a fate like being unlucky from heaven, and it was truly a rare occurrence. But after a brief moment of shock, he quickly reacted, his heart suddenly sinking:
Of course the emperor would be suspicious of the royal family, and this suspicion might even be indelible; but politically the suspicion was only directed at the possibility of the royal family usurping the imperial power. According to the current patriarchal system, an old royal family member who did not even have a son would have absolutely no way to shake the imperial power!
Without a son, there would be no stable political successor, and without a political successor, it would be impossible to form cliques; in other words, Prince Yin has now become the most ideal tool of imperial power, the non-partisan, selfless and unattached person that all emperors dream of.
What's this? This is absolutely reliable insurance, a completely secure line of defense, a guarantee more reliable than a million oaths. In the face of such strong evidence, even with Master Fei Xuan's incredible suspicion, there was absolutely no way he could doubt that his elder had any ambitions to seize power and usurp the throne.
In a family-run empire where thousands of people serve one family, the emperor's suspicion is almost the last constraint on the royal family. Once this constraint is removed, the royal family members who possess all kinds of political resources can almost be regarded as absolutely indestructible, immune to all attempts to sow discord!
A powerful political character with outstanding and impeccable talents who knows how to find alchemists to lick the emperor. This is already a cheating player who has maxed out all the hexagons. He is the ultimate buff monster that has never appeared since the founding of Da'an. Seeing that such a buff monster was about to step onto the political stage and make a big splash, it was no wonder that the promising Master Gao would be so impatient and break the news so quickly.
Most of the civil servants are test-takers who have studied hard for ten years and are almost achieving success. How can they tolerate a buff monster falling from the sky? The Qingliu and Yan party civil servants can quarrel and fight as much as they want, they can pull each other's hair, spit and scratch each other's faces, but they all compete fairly and the outcome is decided by fate. They absolutely cannot accept a cheating royal family bootlicker!
God will punish those who cheat! This is the cry from the bottom of the hearts of thousands of civil servants!
However, this is not just a matter for the civil servants. There are only so many political resources in the court. If members of the royal family want to eat at the table, they will inevitably squeeze out the space for everyone else, especially the nobles with highly similar ecological niches. This is also the reason why Master Gao is willing to risk being backstabbed in the back to have a chat with the Prince of Duke Mu:
Prince, you don't want to see this kind of person showing off in the court, right?
Of course, Master Gao did not expect that just a few flattering words would be enough to get the Prince of Duke Mu off the hook. He whispered these few words during the palace examination, just to drum up some steam and lay the foundation for further cooperation in the future. Now, after saying a few words, he bowed and was about to retreat into the crowd.
But just as he raised his hand, the prince suddenly grabbed his arm:
"Did Master Gao say these words only to me, or do other ministers know about it?"
Master Gao was stunned: "Such news cannot be made public."
"That is to say, Master Gao only intends to mobilize the manpower of the small circle of the Qingliu - oh, at most to win over a noble like me." The prince immediately replied, but almost talking to himself: "I don't care about other things, but if Master Gao really wants to compete with a character like Prince Yin, is the current manpower really enough?"
Mr. Gao: …………
Isn't this a weird reaction?
"What does the prince mean?" he couldn't help but speak.
"Master Gao, tell me the truth, and I won't treat you as an outsider." The prince said quickly, "What is the first principle of political struggle? It is to make the enemies fewer and your own people more numerous, to bully the few with the many, to bully the weak with the strong! What kind of person is Prince Yin? If he is not interested in government affairs, it would be fine. But if he really wants to disrupt Chunshui and take the opportunity to ascend to the throne, then the prince is coming with great force and is well prepared. Can you and I stop him?"
Mr. Gao: ...Ah?
...No, buddy, how come you are more proactive than me, the person who leaked the information? Aren't you really treating yourself as an outsider? !
The civil officials are not even anxious about the power struggle in the court, so why should you nobles be anxious?
"The prince is saying..."
"I mean, either don't do it, or make up your mind to make it bigger." Mu Qi said word by word: "It's not enough to rely on a small group. If you really want to take action, you must leverage all the forces that can be united."
What does it mean to “leverage all forces that can be united”? As a top figure with full points in internal affairs, Gao Suqing of course understood it the moment he heard it, without any misunderstanding; but it was precisely because there was no misunderstanding that Master Gao was shocked!
That's right, everyone wants to fight back when their power is touched. Mr. Gao now has a bright future and is arrogant, and his desire to fight back is as strong as a flame; but even so, after hearing this incredible idea, he only had one thought in his mind:
Is Prince Mu a bit too extreme?
...At that moment, thousands of thoughts lingered in his mind. Mr. Gao was confused and bewildered, and almost regretted coming to explain this today. He just wanted to add fuel to the fire and provoke the prince to his fate, but he also wanted to throw firecrackers into the toilet to expand the battlefield to an uncontrollable state - what is "uniting all those who can be united"? After uniting everyone, can the situation still be controlled? !
It doesn’t matter to you, a madman, but I will be in the cabinet in the future!
Gao Suqing, who was really as arrogant as two bulls, had his eyes wide open and simply stopped talking. The prince saw what Master Gao meant and could only sigh and shake his head helplessly:
"...Well, since you can't make a decision, we can only wait until something unexpected happens in the future."
People with a little capital are always the most compromising and capitulating. What else can he say?
·
The palace examination lasted for two hours before it ended. The cabinet scholars and the officials of the Ministry of Rites jointly reviewed the test papers, ranked them, and presented them to the emperor for his review. The candidates were divided into three classes and the rankings were determined.
Perhaps the changes have not yet affected this area, and the rankings of the top three are similar to those in history. Among them, Zhang Taiyue improved slightly and got the sixth place in the second class. Even without the prince's manipulation, it would be a sure thing for him to enter the Hanlin Academy. Gui Zhenchuan failed slightly and only got the thirty-seventh place in the third class, which meant he was just a Jinshi. But anyway, I already have an official position, so I am satisfied with it.
After the announcement of the Golden List, the capital city immediately became bustling with joyful banquets and literary gatherings everywhere. Newly-appointed scholars went out to enjoy the spring and pay visits to their teachers. They were surrounded by countless servants in front and behind, and the bustling flow of people surged everywhere, really blocking all the roads in the capital.
But in this joyous atmosphere, the atmosphere in the cabinet suddenly became tense because of a memorial - it seemed that Prince Yin felt that writing a secret memorial to criticize the court in private was not satisfying enough. Although Prince Yin had not yet entered the capital, he sent someone by express horse to deliver a memorial and asked General Zhu Chongzhuo to deliver it on his behalf. This memorial was an official memorial and should have been submitted to the Cabinet by the Ministry of Public Administration as usual. However, the General Zhenguo broke into the Cabinet's duty room, opened the memorial in front of all the cabinet elders, and read this terrible document aloud.
As usual, the memorials were written to greet the Emperor and describe the customs and habits of the fiefdom; but in such an official document, there was an extremely powerful killer move hidden - the memorial listed in detail the various natural disasters and man-made disasters that Henan had suffered in recent years, and then changed the tone, saying that the reason why the celestial phenomena gave warnings was because the officials were not doing their job well; and the first to bear the brunt were the cabinet ministers who were in office but doing nothing, hesitating and harming the country! It was these ministers who deceived their superiors, acted tyrannically and abused their power, and hindered the emperor's good governance!
The wording of this memorial was equally brilliant. While denouncing natural and man-made disasters, it did not even mention the emperor's responsibility. Instead, it tried its best to whitewash the situation, saying that Lord Feixuan's retreat to the Western Garden was "ruling by inaction" and "ruling the world by hanging clothes." The reason why there was any unrest in the local area was because the ministers were unable to work attentively. In other words, your Majesty's original intentions were all good, but it was the ministers who executed them poorly.
It would have been fine if the execution had simply been bad, but this memorial went into great detail, arguing that the ministers had deliberately messed things up in order to shift the blame to their superiors, intentionally ruining the Zhu family's kingdom, and plotting to seize power and usurp the throne!
As the saying goes, "I wonder who controls the world in this city today? The hearts of the ministers cannot be guessed. I humbly ask Your Majesty to take a look!"
After the general finished reading this manifesto-like memorial in a rhythmic manner, there was a dead silence in the cabinet duty room. As soon as Lord Yan and Lord Xu returned to the cabinet, they were accused of being "arrogant and reckless" and "having unclear intentions". At this moment, they could only look at each other, as if they couldn't believe that there were such shameless people in the world!
Are we the ones who have ruined the world? Is it us who delayed the country? Are we deceiving the emperor?
If the censors and local governors really criticized this, no one would say anything. But you, Zhu, dare to speak so shamelessly. How thick is your face? !
The Henan treasury was dry, which was why man-made disasters occurred so frequently and there was no means of providing relief. But how did the Henan treasury become empty? What did your Prince Yin’s Mansion do in the local area? Do you really think that the cabinet has no idea?
Comparing yourself to others will make you feel nauseous. Those who made it to the position of cabinet minister under Lao Deng were basically all celebs, the moral low point of the court; but no matter how despicable they were, those who climbed to this position still had to do some practical work for the stability of the country, and they had to rob Peter to repair Paul to keep the court together. Morality is always relative, and the cabinet can only be speechless in the face of the bottom line of normal people. However, just relying on the practical things they have done is enough to maintain complete moral superiority in front of the first-class good-for-nothing King Yin, and they can easily stand on the high ground and look down on them for ten thousand years.
Now, with a memorial to the emperor in their faces, those good-for-nothings who can only wallow in the mud of human conscience actually dare to jump up and point fingers!
This operation may not be very harmful, but it is extremely insulting; after hearing a few words, the cabinet members immediately turned greener than leeks. In addition to the nausea, an inexplicable suspicion arose. They were all veterans who had worked in the imperial court, and they could tell at the first listen that the level of the memorials was indeed extremely high - although they were shameless and had no bottom line, and even though the contents described were close to conspiracy theories, the wording and sentence structure were profound and subtle, always able to stir people's hearts and trigger some unpredictable guesses. It is not uncommon for such a sharp and sophisticated memorial to come from the hand of an important official, but it was submitted by a vassal king...
It would have been fine if it had just been submitted, but they had to arrange for an old man to read it publicly. This was undoubtedly tantamount to declaring war in public and openly humiliating a group of ministers - the struggle in the court was all about momentum. If they swallowed their anger today, they would probably find it difficult to refute in the future!
Unfortunately, no matter how angry they were, the ministers who were publicly reprimanded could not refuse this memorial written by the prince himself. They even had to make personal annotations and instruct the Imperial Household Department to forward it as soon as possible.
No one was willing to endure such humiliation, so everyone could only remain silent and stare at the general who walked away after the demonstration. The group of orange-peeled old men had no choice but to sit there and sulk. In this depressing and mysterious atmosphere, Prince Mu of Duke Mu huddled behind the crowd, his expression becoming even more subtle.
That's right. In a memorial, Prince Yin mentioned Mu Qi's name once again. Although it was just a passing remark, accusing him of "deceiving the emperor" and "spreading heresy", which was not worth mentioning in the long speech, for Mu Qi, this sentence once again aroused a huge uproar and led to a certain idea:
There is no time to hesitate, we must strike hard!
·
That afternoon, Mu Qi quietly found Hai Gangfeng and showed him the memorial in which Prince Yin cursed all officials. The wording was so vicious and ruthless that even Hai Gangfeng, with his temperament, was shocked after reading it:
“This, this——”
"Very courageous, isn't it?" Mu Qi said calmly, "Even if the other ministers impeached him, at most they would only criticize one or two ministers. This method of sweeping away the whole group is something we have rarely seen in our dynasty. He is indeed a son of the dragon and a grandson of the dragon, and he is different from others."
The most important thing in political fights is not attack, but defense. With the help of various buffs, King Yin's defense has undoubtedly reached the extreme, and he is truly an indestructible golden body. Even though the cabinet would hate him to the core after this sweep, after exhausting all the means as a minister, the best they could do was to withhold the clan salary as a form of revenge - but for King Yin, whose descendants had all died and who himself was very old, what was the point of such revenge?
A thousand-foot-high wall is strong because it has no desires; a prince without a son has no weaknesses. One of the biggest and most vicious bugs in the Daan system was finally found.
Hai Gangfeng took a few glances at the memorial. Although he was still surprised and couldn't believe it, he still reacted:
"Your Majesty, with your wisdom, should not believe such words..."
"Of course His Majesty will not listen to it. Who would reprimand all the important officials in the court because of a memorial? I am afraid that even Prince Yin himself would not dare to have such delusion." The prince said directly: "But it doesn't matter whether the memorial is effective or not. The key is beyond the memorial. If you know that the memorial will not be effective, why bother with it?"
Hai Gangfeng was silent.
"He insulted all the civil and military officials in one memorial. There are probably only two possibilities for someone who dares to do this." The prince said calmly, "Either this person is really the most loyal and upright official in the world, a selfless and upright gentleman who will serve the emperor and fulfill his duties even if it costs his life. He will never follow the crowd and drink the water of Canglang. Or... Or this person is a treacherous person who looks loyal, a pure Jiang Chong-class person. He wants to offend all the officials to cut off the chance of forming a party, and then cut off the chance of forming a party to curry favor with the emperor. This is a common method used by cruel officials."
...As for what kind of person King Yin is, it goes without saying.
Hai Gangfeng was stunned for a while, and could only reluctantly say:
"Your Majesty is still wise."
"Your Majesty is wise, but is Emperor Xiaowu not wise? Cruel officials are such useful tools, and the more wise and discerning the monarch is, the more he likes them."
Hai Gangfeng could only remain silent. He had a bit of a filter for Master Fei Xuan, but after all, he had stayed in the prosperous capital for so long, and had spied on the current situation in the world from the official documents brought home by the prince, so he could guess what kind of person the current emperor was. I couldn't come up with any words to defend myself.
"Of course, things haven't been finalized yet, so it's not good to speculate." The prince put away the memorial, and seemed to be comforting, but also seemed to be talking to himself: "But, after all, my name has been mentioned in the memorial, so it's definitely not a good intention; if this Prince Yin really shows his cruel face in the future, Duke Mu's Mansion may not be able to escape the storm in the court. When that time comes, many things will be delayed."
Hai Gangfeng stared at him blankly, but saw the prince take out a document from his sleeve and put it on the table:
"This is an urgent letter from the Cabinet, and it has been stamped with the seal of the Ministry of Personnel. Mr. Gangfeng can take this document and leave immediately to Jiangsu and Zhejiang to take up his post." The prince said slowly: "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, and a whole ship cannot be capsized in a storm. Please leave today, sir. I have prepared a carriage."
Things have come to this! Hai Gangfeng stood up suddenly, his expression changing suddenly. But the prince raised his hand, stopping him from saying:
"I know what Mr. Hai is going to say, but I really don't have time to argue with you about this issue." His tone was still calm, but with an unquestionable decisiveness: "I will only say two points. First, no matter how high the wind and waves are, the Duke Mu's Mansion is always more than enough to protect itself. There is no need for Mr. Hai to stay and share any hardships with me, and no one can share this hardship with me; second, I am sending you out not to protect you, but to protect the overall situation of the anti-Japanese war. In order to preserve this overall situation, I must exhaust all means."
"Can……"
He waved his hand and interrupted directly:
"In the world, great principles govern small principles. Fighting against the Japanese pirates is the most important principle at the moment, and no political action will be allowed to undermine it. Today, it is you, Hai Gangfeng, who is here, and I will send you out of the capital. Tomorrow, if another talent who is fighting against the Japanese pirates is here, I will also do my best to send him out of the capital. This is not a favor, but a pure responsibility. I will do my duty in the capital, and Mr. Gangfeng will do your duty in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. We have fulfilled our responsibilities to each other, and we will naturally meet again in the future."
After saying that, the prince also stood up, picked up the document that he had worked so hard to obtain, and handed it to Hai Gangfeng with both hands.
Having said that, it would be too petty to continue to argue about gratitude and loyalty like little children. Hai Gangfeng did not hesitate any longer, and also took the document with both hands, bowing his head in response:
"I remember every word that the prince said."
No longer calling himself a junior but calling himself a lowly official means that the two sides have finally reached a political consensus. Mu Qi smiled slightly, feeling that a huge weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders. Hai Gangfeng has a spirit that even gods and ghosts fear and no one in the world can compete with him. With such a peerless magic sword guarding the southeast, he can finally rest assured.
Of course, if you want to go straight, you still need to have some covert protection; Mu Qi bent down, opened the secret compartment in the study floor, and took out a half-person-high rosewood box from it. After opening the box, the aroma of medicine filled the air. On top of the snow-white silk, I saw a three-foot-long red Ganoderma lucidum with a branch as thick as a child's arm and a cap as big as a dining table!
Hai Gangfeng was shocked: "What is this?"
"This is a magical item that can help you advance in government affairs. It is an absolutely reliable backer." The prince said quietly: "No one knows how deep the water in the southeast is. If the day really comes when everyone attacks and there is no other choice, please ask Mr. Gangfeng to take out this Ganoderma lucidum and declare that it is a good omen to be presented to the emperor. Then, the Jinyiwei stationed in the southeast will definitely take action, at least to protect you and return to the capital safely."
Hai Gangfeng stuttered for a moment: "Is this too..."
In previous years, the Ganoderma lucidum presented as tribute by Yunnan and Guizhou was only a foot in size, which was already a rare treasure once seen in hundreds of years, worthy of Master Feixuan's special decree to commend the ministers, declaring that it was a lucky ganoderma bestowed by heaven and a good sign that the emperor had become an immortal. And now that this Ganoderma lucidum is so huge, how rare and precious it is!
Even though Hai Gangfeng did not believe in the so-called art of taking elixirs, he was shocked at this moment!
The prince was right. This was indeed an absolutely reliable backing and an unrivaled trick for a comeback. As long as this kind of thing is presented, is there anything the emperor cannot agree to?
——But why should such a precious and rare item be entrusted to a mere scholar like myself?
In front of Hai Gangfeng's surprised expression that was almost speechless, Mu Qi just smiled slightly:
"Sir, don't take this kind of thing too seriously. If I can take out one, I can certainly take out two. But after all, this thing is rare and valuable, so it's better to keep it well..."
Of course, it is impossible for Ganoderma lucidum to grow to this size in its natural state, but human science does have power beyond imagination. This huge "Ganoderma lucidum" was cultivated by Mu Qi after he imitated the "vibration method" mentioned in the materials, using vibration and electric current to promote the fusion of Ganoderma lucidum spores. He spent more than half a year to cultivate this thing. It is said to be a special weapon for Lao Deng, a fatal trump card that can defeat the enemy with one shot. He had kept this trump card for a long time, and now it was finally put to proper use.
Of course, although it looks like an incomparable auspicious sign and an unparalleled fairy fungus, because it has been growing and reproducing for too long, its surface has long since become woody. If Lao Deng intends to take it and absorb it after receiving it, he will probably only be able to chew on a mouthful of wood residue.
...However, considering Lao Deng's obsession, even if he really chewed a mouthful of wood, he would probably comfort himself and feel that he had won mentally, right?
——Why fear the difficult and dangerous road to becoming an immortal? Every step forward will bring joy. Right, Lao Deng?
·
The conversation with Hai Gangfeng that day lasted for several hours. At 3 p.m., a carriage drove out from the side door of the Duke's Mansion and headed straight for the city gate silently. But the day's events were not over yet. After dinner, the tutor Gao Suqing quietly entered the gate of the Duke's Mansion. After paying his respects, he got straight to the point:
"Prince Yin sent another message, saying that he is old and ill, and requested to find a few doctors in the capital to see him!"
Upon hearing this, the prince's face changed drastically - they were all thousand-year-old vixens, who couldn't see through this trick? What does "call a doctor" mean? He just wants to wait for an opportunity to stay in the capital so as to disrupt the political situation!
The foreshadowing has been going on for thousands of miles and the ambush has lasted for such a long time, and finally at this moment, its face of fighting for power is revealed!
He gritted his teeth and said, "What does the emperor say?"
The foreign vassal states cannot stay just because they want to. Even if he was "old and sick", the palace could have sent an imperial physician to accompany him. How could he have stayed in the capital?
"The Emperor did not explicitly refuse."
...Well, Mu Qi's anxious heart finally settled down. The emperor's ambiguous attitude meant that what he had been worried about for a long time might be gradually coming true - because Xuan Xiu had been neglecting state affairs for a long time, Master Fei Xuan really needed a reliable, steady and ruthless tool man; in the original history, this tool man should have been Yan Fenyi; but now it seemed that a prince who posed no threat of seizing power and took the initiative to approach the imperial power was undoubtedly the most suitable and convenient option.
Once the clan members' desire for power and the emperor's political needs were combined, things immediately became troublesome!
He let out a long breath:
"...Now that it has come to this, what does the Maester think?"
Master Gao did not hesitate any longer. The situation was right in front of him and he had to use his iron fist. What extremists? I think the prince’s previous approach was really too conservative!
"Everything is subject to the prince's orders!"
"Okay!" The prince immediately turned around and told the butler, "Prepare a car for me and Master Gao immediately. We are going to Young Lord Yan's residence!"
The housekeeper agreed and left. Mu Qi then pulled up the stunned Master Gao and strode out to the outer gate. Obviously, even though he had made up his mind before, after hearing the prince clearly say the words "Young Master Yan", Master Gao still couldn't hold back.
"Is this..."
The prince glanced back at him, and Master Gao stopped talking.
·
The butler prepared quickly. In just a few moments, he had prepared a very light and inconspicuous carriage, two sets of ordinary people's clothes, and arranged for the most capable houseboy to drive the horses. Mu Qi hurriedly put on his clothes and pushed the still hesitant Master Gao directly into the carriage. When he finally drew the curtains, Mu Qi glanced at the little starlight that was faintly visible in the dim sky.
Obviously, as long as this carriage starts moving, a huge storm will arise and it will be difficult to reverse the direction. But perhaps the impeachment, theft, and humiliation in recent days stirred up the anger hidden in his heart. Mu Qi's heart was in turmoil, but he had no fear of retreating.
He pulled down the curtain with a swish and ordered loudly:
"Set off!"
·
The vassal states have bullied me too much, to the point where I am unable to advance or retreat! Rather than trying to survive in a cowardly manner and bringing eternal shame, it would be better to launch a full-scale attack and decide the outcome. I solemnly swear today: to declare war on General Fuguo! Declare war on the general who guards the country! Declare war on King Yin! Declare war on all those parasites who gain something for nothing and oppress the people!
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