Chapter 62
Xue Jin'an's suggestion to open a shop was purely based on his observation that they were very interested in selling board games, but they didn't know how to do it properly, so he just casually mentioned it without expecting any feedback or reward.
However, Cui Zui and his group didn't think that way.
While Xue Jin'an went to recharge (eat), Cui Zui, Fu Lu, Shou Quan, and Ling Zhi exchanged glances and tacitly began to discuss privately, avoiding the crowd (mainly avoiding Xuan Shiyi). To ensure privacy, Ling Zhi even had Fu Ling stand guard outside.
"Don't let a single mosquito in," Lingzhi said.
“Okay.” Fu Ling didn’t feel excluded by the clique at all and carried out the task very dutifully.
The conversation was mainly between the three people inside. Shouquan very considerately took out paper and pen to help jot down some key points, so as not to miss any details when reviewing the conversation.
Fu Lu was the first to speak; he was eager and his excitement was undisguised.
"If this chess and card room really opens, with so many people coming and going, it might be a good place to gather information." Fu Lu is now Xue Jin'an's ear. Through his tireless efforts over this period of time, he has become the palace's know-it-all. Sometimes even Lingzhi is amazed by the sources of his information, such as the news that the emperor seems to have recently become somewhat devout in his belief in gods and Buddhas.
Since ancient times, Confucianism has been a means for emperors to consolidate their rule. However, there is another organization that serves a similar purpose: Buddhism. As a foreign religion, Buddhism was able to successfully rival the native Taoism, and even often prevailed over other religions in many dynasties, becoming the favorite of the ruling class. This is because Buddhism, after evolving over time, is very suitable for the ruling class to brainwash the lower classes.
Buddhism advocates the afterlife, while Taoism places more emphasis on this life. Buddhism says that the hardships and difficulties in this life are accumulating blessings for the next life, and that one should just endure them. Taoism, on the other hand, promotes revenge for wrongs and grievances. If a dog bites me, I will stew the dog, otherwise my Taoist heart will be unstable and it will hinder my cultivation.
With such a comparison, it's not hard to understand which approach the rulers of feudal dynasties, who favored policies of keeping the people ignorant and controlling them, would prefer.
But while it may be beneficial to rule, it's not necessarily a good thing if those in power become deeply involved and believe it wholeheartedly. In fact, historically, emperors who were devout believers in religious sects were often incompetent and foolish rulers.
While the current emperor may be too benevolent in his political performance, he cannot be called a foolish ruler. In fact, if he continues to uphold this governing philosophy, as long as there are no major villains among his officials, no major mistakes in his administration, and he is lucky enough to avoid any major natural disasters during his reign, he might even receive the posthumous title of Emperor Renzong after his death.
Therefore, even if the emperor truly believed in these things, he would not allow such news to spread, especially now that the Empress Dowager was somewhat dissatisfied with him.
Indeed, Lingzhi had not heard any of these rumors, indicating that the matter had not even spread beyond Qianyuan Palace. To verify the authenticity of this news, Lingzhi deliberately leaked it to Xuan Shiyi, and Xuan Shiyi's reaction just happened to show that the news was very likely true.
Lingzhi was quite surprised, and thus completely acknowledged Fulu's ability to gather information. She even pondered in her heart that Qianyuan Palace was now an impenetrable fortress, yet Fulu was still able to plant people in it. He was truly remarkable. Such a person should be carefully recruited, otherwise, if he were to betray her, the consequences would be unimaginable.
If Fulu knew what she was thinking, he would surely say with a wry smile, "Sister, you think too highly of me."
Fu Lu's people weren't even close to being placed in Qian Yuan Palace, let alone in the palace. In other words, the people he used to gather information were low-level, inconspicuous individuals. The most noticeable one at the moment was probably the one who was exceptionally allowed to stay in the Imperial Hospital to do odd jobs.
It is precisely for this reason that Fu Lu has developed the skill of digging out big news from trivial and seemingly useless details.
He would know that the emperor had recently become somewhat devout in his belief in gods and Buddhas, entirely because Chu Wenwan was dead and the Buddhist hall in Yihe Palace had been demolished. However, the amount of incense on the list of supplies purchased by the palace this month had not decreased but increased.
Fu Lu felt something was wrong, so he had someone take a look. They discovered that most of the extra incense sticks were sandalwood, which had been purchased from a temple.
Fu Lu then came to this conjecture and told Ling Zhi about it, hoping she could help verify it. As it turned out, he was right.
In short, Fulu has become a qualified intelligence provider. His first thought upon hearing about opening a shop was that it would be a stable source of intelligence.
Lingzhi agreed with Fulu's idea, but also offered her own opinion: "If those noble families manage things well, they might become a great help to His Highness. His Highness can't stay in Zhaoyang Palace forever; he'll have to leave sooner or later. And His Highness's status as the legitimate prince will inevitably be attacked and suppressed. We should make some plans as soon as possible."
The Empress Dowager had been immersed in power for many years, and even after retiring, she was still a very politically astute person. This can be seen from the fact that she summoned the ladies of the capital to come and watch the burning of the relics. Lingzhi, on the other hand, came from Lu Bingzhu's side, so her thoughts and actions naturally carried the flavor of the Cining Palace.
Lingzhi and Fulu were quite satisfied with each other's ideas, and after a few words, they basically finalized the plan. Then they both turned their attention to Cui Zui, who hadn't spoken until now: "What do you think? Is there anything to add?"
Shouquan immediately handed over the manuscript he had written down.
Cui Zui, who only vaguely felt that there was something to be done about opening a shop, but hadn't yet come up with a plan: "..."
Good heavens, are all the eunuchs and palace maids around Master this capable? I feel completely outmatched! Luckily, he has already abandoned his literary pursuits for martial arts, thank goodness.
Cui Zui took the manuscript with great relief and found that he was not so useless after reading it. At least he had experience in the outside world, and he had read a lot of books and had a wide range of knowledge. He picked up a brush and circled a few points, and asked about some ambiguous details.
The three of them discussed for almost an afternoon, and Shouquan also spent the afternoon writing, which resulted in a complete plan.
Cui Zui had fully understood the importance of this task during the discussion. The thought that this was the first task his master had given him filled him with ambition, and he even rediscovered his ideal of entering officialdom.
Although he is only a scholar now, the person he serves is still young and it is not yet time to formally recruit staff. Moreover, he has lowered his generation to acknowledge the other party as his master. But the saying goes that true beauty lies in the bone, not the skin. The same principle applies here. What he did fits the definition of a staff member. Who can say that he has not fulfilled his long-cherished wish?
Cui Zui took this matter very seriously, regarding it as his first mission and a test from his master. He was determined to do it perfectly and left the palace without even saying goodbye to Xue Jin'an.
Xue Jin'an watched his retreating figure disappear into the gates of Zhaoyang Palace in a flurry, and raised an eyebrow slightly: "He's leaving already? He's not planning to keep the money for opening the shop?"
Cui Zui really didn't intend to touch Xue Jin'an's secret stash of money. In his mind, his master was a prince who wasn't well-liked and was living a hard life. Where would he get the money? When he volunteered to take on this task, he might have been thinking of paying for Xue Jin'an's money.
Of course, Cui Zui himself didn't have much money. The Cui family didn't take him seriously, especially after he repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. He earned his way to the capital by working as a bodyguard.
But Cui Zhuo, the most promising candidate for the top scholar in Jiangnan Prefecture, is the darling of the Cui family—he's rich! And if all else fails, there's always Cui Pengfei, isn't there? With a single word from Cui Zai, the entire Cui family's wealth is at his disposal.
However, Cui Zui would not bring up this matter with Cui Pengfei unless absolutely necessary. The reason was simple: Cui Zui wanted to bring Cui Zhuo into the Seventh Prince's camp. Cui Zhuo was somewhat arrogant and naive, and could be described as upright and honest with a strong backbone. He was good material to be a censor, but he was really not good at playing the intrigues of officialdom.
However, Cui Zui must also admit that Cui Zhuo's talent and ability are outstanding, and he has inherited his grandfather's true skills.
As the saying goes, "Don't let good things go to outsiders." Now that Cui Zui has entered the Seventh Prince's household, he naturally wants to bring any promising talents into his fold.
However, he dared not let his grandfather know this idea. His grandfather admired the Seventh Prince, and every time he saw the Seventh Prince's answer sheet, he would marvel at how he was so talented and unparalleled. But admiration was one thing, but it did not mean that his grandfather was willing to bet the entire Cui family on the Seventh Prince.
The proverb "Don't put all your eggs in one basket" is a truth my grandfather learned from the Empress Dowager. It is also the lesson he learned from his experience in successfully retiring from officialdom and becoming the only regent who survived and preserved the family's power.
As for Cui Zhuo, his grandfather probably preferred him to be a pure royalist, a loyal subject who only obeyed the emperor's orders and did not take sides, so that the Cui family could be protected when the court situation became turbulent again.
Cui Zui, however, felt that it wouldn't work. It wasn't that he thought his grandfather's idea was wrong, but rather that he thought the emperor above might not be right.
Previously, Cui Zui was more disappointed with the officials in the court, feeling that the emperor might be too lenient, but it was understandable. After all, strict governance must be followed by lenient governance, which is an inevitable trend. In addition, the emperor wanted to break away from the influence of the Empress Dowager and show his own political attitude, so it was understandable that he would do the opposite.
Take the burning of Chu Wenwan's relics as an example. Cui Zui also felt extremely satisfied. However, from the perspective of the Cui family, a prominent clan, he also felt that the Empress Dowager was too ruthless. Thus, the emperor who tried to give Chu Wenwan a favor appeared to be benevolent.
The more aristocratic families hated and were hostile to the Empress Dowager and the Seventh Prince, the closer they would be to the Emperor.
However, ever since playing that game with Xue Jin'an, Cui Zui's feelings towards the emperor have become extremely complicated, making this incident seem quite subtle.
Well, to use Xue Jin'an's words: Emperor, you are so useless.
Despite the outrageous nature of this idea, Cui Zui couldn't control himself. He believed that anyone who had witnessed the Emperor's attack power in this game would have had a similar thought.
In short, Cui Zui did not intend to explain this matter to his grandfather. However, considering that Cui Zui would definitely discuss it with his grandfather if he knew that the Seventh Prince was behind it, he simply told Cui Zhuo that he wanted to do business in the capital.
Since arriving in the capital, Cui Zhuo had been quite worried about his cousin Cui Zui, especially since Cui Zui hadn't gone out to a gathering with his grandfather for a long time. However, Cui Zhuo also knew that if he asked Cui Zui about these things, Cui Zui might misunderstand and think that he was mocking or ridiculing him.
Cui Zhuo held back, wanting to wait for Cui Zui to bring it up himself before having a long talk with him all night. However, when Cui Zui came, he was met with an excited Cui Zui who even said he wanted to do business.
Cui Zhuo frowned deeply and held back, but in the end, he didn't ask "Why did my cousin willingly fall into depravity?" Instead, he suppressed his thoughts and asked what kind of business his cousin was in.
Cui Zui didn't hide anything from him and told him about the board game and card room business, even providing some details. After all, this was an investment promotion effort, and making the project sound more appealing would make it easier to attract unsuspecting investors.
Cui Zhuo's brows relaxed upon hearing this, and he became interested in this board game he had never heard of before. He wanted to ask more questions, but Cui Zui kept him in suspense: "You'll know when it's made."
Cui Zhuo smiled silently, but still gave him a sum of money, saying, "I'm investing in this, so I can't be left out of the dividends."
“Of course, even brothers should keep clear accounts. I won’t lose you if I lose anyone else.” Cui Zui wrote a contract for him on the spot, and they both affixed their seals. They also went through the official channels.
Seeing that the paperwork was complete and not just for fun, Cui Zhuo felt more at ease and said, "Houses and mansions in the capital are quite expensive. If you still need money, you can come to me again, but it must be clearly written down in black and white."
"Don't worry." Cui Zui took the money and left.
Cui Zui spent several days running around in the capital to finalize the two shop deals.
Bookstores are relatively easy to find; they don't care about location or size, as long as they can print. Cui Zui found one and took it over without much effort on the day he left the palace. However, it was really hard to find a chess and card room. After all, it was a place that catered to noble families. First of all, the shop couldn't be small, and it had to be located on a bustling main street in the capital. Furthermore, the interior decoration was also important, and the staff had to be of good quality.
Regarding manpower, Cui Zui wanted to use people from the martial arts world. He originally thought of contacting Prince An, since Prince An had many martial arts figures under his command. However, after some consideration, he rejected the idea.
He felt that this was the Seventh Prince's business, and not just a simple card and mahjong parlor, so it was best to avoid getting involved with other forces. In the end, he personally wrote a letter to the brothel where his mother used to work, asking them to help him find the chivalrous men who had taught him, and from them he found quite a few people.
In this world of martial arts, there are many who yearn for a life of chivalry and revenge, but there are also many who want to retire. Cui Zui recruited just such people. At the same time, he also recruited some frontline soldiers who had retired due to injuries, so the shop's security was secured.
Of course, that's all in the future. Now, Cui Zui has gone to great lengths to secure a shop in the most bustling area of the capital and is busy with renovations.
With the task half completed, Cui Zui felt relieved and headed back to the palace with a pile of scrolls.
Cui was itching to play the sandbox game again, but his master said he was tired of it and wanted to try something different, a four-player game he had mentioned before called "PUBG".
Cui Zui was somewhat reluctant, feeling that this game might not be as fun as the previous one.
"Then stop playing around." Xue Jin'an was about to kick him when he told Shou Quan to call Xuan Shiyi in.
"Hey, hey, I didn't say I wasn't going to play, Master!" Cui Zui quickly admitted his mistake, clinging tightly to the sand table and refusing to let go.
Cui Zui stubbornly stayed, and then he was overjoyed. He found that this game was even more fun than the previous one.
Originally, PUBG was a shooting game, but gunpowder in the ancient world was still under development and had not yet become a complete system. Therefore, after the game was adapted, guns became bows, and the strongest weapon in the airdrop, the AWM, became a crossbow that could be used by a single person and had tremendous power.
Cui Zui, who loves bows, was like a mouse falling into a rice jar when he entered this game. He experienced all kinds of bows in it, and even the composite bow that he had learned from Xue Jin'an before, he directly experienced the complete version. He became extremely excited and did not want to leave the game at all.
This game doesn't have a complicated skill system. You can figure out how to play it after just one look or one playthrough. The key is that the game is all about killing from the moment you land, which is very exciting and stimulating. No martial arts practitioner can resist it. It's even more attractive than the previous game, as evidenced by the increasing number of online players.
In fact, Cui Zui felt that the most important thing was not whether the game was fun or not, but that this game had greater benefits for martial arts practitioners. If the previous game tested strategy more, then this game didn't play any tricks and purely tested individual ability. Whether you could win or not depended entirely on your physical fitness, reaction speed, and weapons.
Most importantly, Cui Zui discovered that the abilities he honed in this game could actually be reflected in his body!
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