Chapter 103
Xue Jin'an's blunt words ignited the entire hall, immediately eliciting a chorus of agreement:
"Get out!"
"We do not entertain unruly barbarians here!"
"You arrogant barbarians, get out of here!"
"..."
Some people were so excited that they couldn't help but clench their fists and step closer to the enemy. The leader's effect caused the people around to follow suit, and a dark mass of people surged forward. The Rongdi guards were startled and almost immediately tightened their protective circle. Their hands, which were gripping their scimitars, were sweating, and their eyes were very vigilant and wary.
Protected in the middle, Galdan met the gaze of those eyes looking down at him. Those eyes, pure black, seemed devoid of any emotion, only reflecting Galdan's grim face.
"Your Highness, we are outnumbered. Let's leave first..." a guard whispered in the Rongdi language.
No matter how brave and skilled their Rongdi soldiers were, even if they could take on many people, it was impossible for just a few of them to take down everyone in the hall! All of these people together could drown them with a single spit from each of them, not to mention there was also a guy who could strike the little prince's pressure points amidst the tight defenses, lurking menacingly.
A wise person knows when to yield; it's best to avoid direct confrontation for now!
Galdan, of course, knew all of these unspoken words of advice! It was precisely because he knew that his heart was filled with anger and resentment. He suppressed his surging emotions, and his facial expression gradually began to recover.
He turned his head first, interrupting their eye contact, and subconsciously opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out as he opened and closed his mouth. Only then did he realize that his speech acupoint had been pressed.
With a single piece of candy, he effortlessly broke through layers of blockade and silenced Galdan! Galdan's face, which had just regained its composure, twisted again. His eyes were extremely gloomy. In the end, before being blasted out by the crowd, he chose to leave gracefully, and his guards immediately followed.
Galdan walked out of Jiu Tian Yi with his head down, but instead of leaving the street immediately, he turned around and stared intently at the Jiu Tian Yi signboard with an ambiguous look in his eyes.
Just then, the shopkeeper came out with a wooden sign and hung it directly at the door. The sign read: "Dogs and people who do not follow the rules are not allowed to enter."
The ink on the wooden sign was still wet, clearly freshly written, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that it was aimed at. Faint laughter came from inside the shop.
Galdan's eyes were instantly clouded with gloom, and his back teeth clenched, making a chilling crunching sound.
What was most infuriating was that the shopkeeper, who had hung the sign up right in front of him and even adjusted the angle so he could see it clearly, turned around and gave an exaggerated, superficial look of surprise, as if to say, "Why are you still here?"
Then, with the utmost politeness and a smile, he said, "Please take care, guest."
He emphasized the word "please".
Five simple words shattered the protective wall that Galdan had just repaired, and he could no longer hold back, so he reached out and overturned the stall next to him.
The opening of Jiutianyi boosted the economy of the street, making the already bustling area even more prosperous, attracting many traveling merchants and vendors, and giving it the potential to become the most popular place in the capital. Indeed, quite a few young masters and ladies who had never seen the "market" before bought things because they found them novel, and they basically didn't haggle, since one tael or ten taels was a small amount of money to them.
The idea that customers here are "foolish and rich" has taken root in people's minds. Soon, more and more vendors set up stalls here, and young men and women who pursue novelty love to come here more. The street becomes more and more prosperous, and the business of Jiu Tian Yi becomes more and more booming, forming a virtuous cycle.
However, the stalls that have survived here for so long are not only because their products are indeed good and novel, but also because the owners are all clever and charming. After all, most of the young masters and ladies who like to stroll around here have their own tempers and are not easy to deal with.
In short, although there are many vendors here, most of them are quite shrewd. As soon as they saw that a group of barbarians had entered Jiutianyi and even used weapons, many of them ran away. A few who were reluctant to give up their thriving business here also quickly dropped their things and found a place to hide after seeing the barbarians being driven out.
After all, no matter how reluctant you are to part with a product, it's still a product; only by saving your life can you make more money.
The owner of the stall that Galdan overturned had already fled. The stall sold jade, and immediately there was a series of cracking sounds.
His chest heaved violently. He took two deep breaths but managed to suppress all the emotions that arose after the humiliation. He didn't rush back to cause trouble on the spot. He just gave the smiling shopkeeper a deep look before turning around and leaving.
However, the Rong and Di warriors protecting him remained vigilant and wary of outsiders, revealing their ferocious nature and speaking with murderous intent, "Your Highness, how dare they offend you like this! We shouldn't just leave like this, we should—"
"What can we do if we don't leave? Get beaten half to death and kicked out?" Galdan's hoarse voice was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. After speaking, he paused slightly, reached up and touched his throat, feeling the vibration coming from under his skin, and found that he could speak without realizing it.
However, he wasn't happy about it; instead, his mood became even more somber: was this just a coincidence, or had the other party deliberately timed it to force him to leave? If it was the latter…
"This is the territory of the Great Qi, you fools, don't do anything unnecessary." It was unclear whether Galdan's warning was addressed to the guards or to himself.
Although Galdan was temporarily defeated, it did not mean that he would let the matter go. He ordered people to investigate who the suddenly appearing boy was, and also arranged for people to keep watch at the entrance of Jiu Tian Yi. He also specially selected two people whose facial features looked like those of people from the Central Plains, and had them learn the Central Plains language. He planned to place them in Jiu Tian Yi in a while to have them gather information.
He had a strange premonition that the boy would be his lifelong enemy.
At that time, he thought it wouldn't be difficult to join Jiu Tian Yi, as long as he could speak the Central Plains dialect. Later, he discovered that there were two procedures to become an employee of Jiu Tian Yi. First, he had to register for a written test, and then he would receive an interview notice within seven days. Only after passing the interview could he start his internship, which lasted for three months. If he performed well enough to satisfy the company within three months, he could be promoted to a full-time employee; otherwise, he would be eliminated.
Moreover, applicants must submit detailed household registration information, take a written test and be scored, and participate in an interview, with the best candidates being selected.
This difficulty made Galdan's scalp tingle, but since he had already trained the people, the sunk costs forced him to grit his teeth and continue. In the end, he had to settle for spending money to make two people members and let them collect information as guests.
It's hard to say what information they gathered over the three months, but the two of them certainly became quite adept at fancy card-cutting, bringing the game directly into the ranks. Upon returning home, it quickly became a sensation throughout the Rongdi region. Of course, that's a story for later, so let's leave that aside for now.
Galdan returned to the post station with a heart full of worries. Soon after, someone knocked on his door. It was a man dressed in a scholar's robe and carrying a feather fan, dressed like a scholar from the Central Plains. His appearance had the characteristics of both Rong and Di people and people from the Central Plains. It was obvious at a glance that he was of mixed race.
"Senior brother." Galdan wasn't surprised that the other party would come to him. Rather, provoking and testing the attitude of the Great Qi was a shared idea between the two of them, so it was inevitable that the other party would come to inquire about this matter.
"It seems things aren't going well." The man Galdan called his senior brother was named Weng Tianxin, the eldest son of Bilge, the prime minister of the Rongdi Kingdom. He looked at the injury on Galdan's face and a knowing look appeared on his face.
Galdan slowly lowered his head under his gaze. Although he called Bileg "Father", the person who taught him more was Weng Tianxin. The two were called fellow disciples, but their relationship was more like that of father and son.
As for Weng Tianxin's attire, there was a reason for it. Bileg wanted to strengthen the Rong and Di tribes and take control of the Central Plains. He learned from the experience and lessons of his ancestors over thousands of years and believed that to invade the Central Plains, it was not enough to use force. He also needed to read more books and learn about the culture of the Central Plains, taking its essence and discarding its dross, and using it to govern the country. In simple terms, it was to learn from the barbarians and use their superior methods to control them.
Although they were the barbarians in the other party's eyes.
Bileg wanted to push the Rongdi Empire to implement a comprehensive Sinicization policy, but unfortunately, too many tribal leaders opposed it. They did not want to liberate the slaves under their control, nor did they want to change the current model. The reform was aborted in its infancy. If it weren't for his high reputation as a wise man of the empire, he would probably have been removed from his position as prime minister long ago to quell the anger of the opponents.
However, Bileg did not give up. He believed that as long as everyone saw that learning from the Central Plains could really strengthen the Rong and Di tribes and realize their ambition to conquer the Central Plains, they would agree to the proposal. To this end, he independently learned a lot about the Central Plains, and so did his sons. He even named his eldest son after the Central Plains to show his determination.
Perhaps because Weng Tianxin had Central Plains blood, he was able to accept and understand Central Plains knowledge more quickly than his younger brothers. He inherited his father's will and ideals and was also determined to Sinicize the Rong and Di peoples. Galdan learned the Central Plains language from him.
"What happened? Why did they take action?" Weng Tianxin asked.
"It's a long story, come in and talk." Galdan stepped aside to let him in, then closed the door behind him.
After learning the whole story of what happened to Jiu Tianyi, Weng Tianxin couldn't help but show a look of shock. Ever since the Han emperor dismissed all other schools of thought and exclusively honored Confucianism, Confucianism had become a tool for ruling the country in successive dynasties. Confucianism was also prevalent in the Great Qi Dynasty, and he naturally studied orthodox Confucianism.
Although modern Confucianism has not reached the extreme level of rigid adherence to the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues that it did in later generations, its basic ideology of respecting imperial, paternal, and husbandly authority remains deeply ingrained.
Weng Tianxin couldn't help but say, "He actually made a move knowing your identity? How dare he? Isn't he afraid of the Emperor of Daqi's wrath? No matter what, you are still my Rongdi envoy. The relationship between Rongdi and Daqi is already tense. If the two sides use this as an excuse to start a war, he will definitely be the first one to be sacrificed."
"Just what is the identity of Young Master Shi Quan that allows a mere young master to act so recklessly?" Weng Tianxin asked with a heavy heart.
Because Weng Tianxin believed Galdan's family's words and accepted their views from the outset, he concluded that Xue Jin'an was the child or grandson of the Ten Perfections Prince and the young master of the Nine Additions.
As expected of the person who taught Galdan, Weng Tianxin and the other man shared a surprisingly similar view: they both suspected Xue Jin'an's identity and decided to investigate him.
However, Jiu Tianyi was too mysterious, and the Ten Perfections Prince seemed to be a legend in the capital. They had too little information to confirm their identities. They couldn't help but wonder if the fact that a mere teenager from Daqi was so tough on them as envoys meant that the Daqi court had many pro-war factions who wanted to start a war with the Rongdi. The two of them became more cautious.
“Actually, there’s a shortcut to finding out his identity,” Weng Tianxin said, narrowing his eyes. “Just complain to the Emperor of Daqi and ask him to seek justice for you.”
The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously revealed a cunning smile.
*
Nine Plus One Private Room
Zhou Yushu first affirmed Xue Jin'an's actions before saying, "You were too impulsive."
"If you want to teach them a lesson, why do you have to do it yourself? This matter will inevitably reach the emperor's ears. Your identity cannot be hidden at all. Those powerful families and officials have been targeting you. If they find out that you left the palace without reason during your confinement and caused such a trouble, they will probably submit a joint petition to impeach you."
Zhou Yushu frowned at the thought of that scene, his face darkening. He was really annoyed by those old fogies, but as Chu Wenjing, he couldn't speak up for the Seventh Prince in public. After all, the Seventh Prince was responsible for Chu Wenwan's death, the decline of the Chu family, and a series of other events.
Zhou Yushu had a lot more to say, but in the end it all turned into a soft sigh. He rubbed his temples, hiding all his weariness, leaving only his sharp edge: "It's alright, do whatever you want. If anything happens, your uncle will find a way to solve it and won't let anything happen to you."
It was decided that from now on, whoever impeached his nephew, he would compile information about their illegal and criminal activities into a book, and then choose an auspicious day to bring them to the Ministry of Justice prison for retaliation. After all, he was the Minister of Justice, and it was his duty to seek justice and adjudicate cases.
Zhou Yushu's mind was filled with dark thoughts that needed to be censored.
“No need,” Xue Jin’an calmly refused.
Zhou Yushu thought the other party was worried about something and was about to persuade him when he heard Xue Jin'an say, "It would be a good thing if the emperor punished me for this."
Today's incident occurred in Jiu Tian Yi, a place where guests are all wealthy and powerful. It will surely cause a great uproar in the city by tomorrow. As long as we seize on the point of "two-legged sheep" and spread it widely, we can easily provoke the anger of the people. If the emperor really punishes him, the people's resentment will boil over. This matter will not cause a mutiny or shake the foundation of society for the time being. But you must know that there are still a lot of candidates in the capital who are going to take the imperial examination.
Scholars have always been the most rebellious group in the country. What they say and write may affect the imperial examination in March... and the emperor's prestige will plummet.
Zhou Yushu thought about what Xue Jin'an said for a moment, and suddenly realized that he had been worrying unnecessarily.
If the emperor were truly so stupid as to be utterly incompetent, he would never be able to hold onto his position. Moreover, the emperor is a proponent of war; otherwise, he wouldn't have spent so much money on conscription reforms despite opposition. However, the current financial situation of the Great Qi Dynasty does not support war, so Helian City can only wait for the right moment to go to war.
"My sister really gave birth to a wonderful son," Zhou Yushu couldn't help but exclaim once again.
Xue Jin'an's lotus sword was respectfully pulled from the door frame and returned. Zhou Yushu played with the sharp sword, clicking his tongue in amazement. He looked Xue Jin'an over several times, and then suspiciously felt his pulse. "You really don't have any internal energy?"
"No," Xue Jin'an denied.
Zhou Yushu was still skeptical: "Then how did you throw that sword?"
Xue Jin'an replied matter-of-factly, "Go ahead and throw it if you want."
Zhou Yushu: "..." So you didn't mean to choke the emperor, is it just that you're naturally this sarcastic?
"Won't I get beaten to death in the palace like this?" Zhou Yushu couldn't help but worry again.
The man who came to deliver the sword also showed a surprised expression upon hearing this—this man had defeated a group of experts in the shop to win the job of delivering the sword, just to observe this young distinguished guest with super martial arts skills up close, but he did not expect to find out that the person who intimidated the Rongdi prince did not have any internal strength at all!
So, the sword can be thrown entirely by brute force? My God! Is this innate superhuman strength? Terrifying! The servant delivering the sword looked at the boy's arms, which didn't appear particularly strong under his clothes, and his eyes showed even more admiration.
Zhou Yushu had finally managed to meet his nephew, and naturally wanted to spend more time alone with him. He looked at the servant who was still standing there and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Ah, uh, sorry!" The waiter realized he had been staring at the distinguished guest for too long, so he quickly apologized and tried to leave. Halfway there, he remembered something and turned back, saying, "By the way, there's an old friend downstairs who claims to be the Fourth Young Master Chu and wants to see you. What do you think?"
"What Fourth Young Master Chu? I've never heard of him." Zhou Yushu knew very well that the main branch of the Chu family only had one son, Chu Wenjing. As for the collateral branches of the Chu family, the Chu family was originally a declining noble family that couldn't even maintain its own dignity, let alone the collateral branches.
When Zhou Yushu was first promoted to Minister of Justice, some people did come to claim kinship, but Old Master Chu disliked these kinds of things and dismissed them all. Now that the Chu family has been stripped of its titles, those members of the collateral branches, fearing being implicated, immediately acted like quails, actively severing their ties with the Chu family and daring not to come forward again.
Zhou Yushu really didn't know if there was a fourth young master in the collateral branch of the Chu family.
Xue Jin'an immediately thought of the Fourth Prince, "I just saw my fourth brother, it must be him."
"Tsk, why is he still haunting me?" Zhou Yushu thought the Fourth Prince had seen Xue Jin'an and was coming to cause trouble for him, and he immediately became irritated. "Can't you understand human language? Do you have to beat him up to learn your lesson?"
Xue Jin'an immediately revealed the truth: "He came to see you."
The Fourth Prince's attitude towards Xue Jin'an was quite complex. He hated him, but in addition to hatred, there were many other emotions that Xue Jin'an did not understand. However, although Xue Jin'an did not understand what he was thinking, he knew that if he wanted to cause trouble for him, he would have jumped out at the palace banquet long ago.
Rather than causing trouble, the fourth prince is currently avoiding him more.
Therefore, it is more likely that the Fourth Prince specifically asked to see him because he saw Zhou Yushu.
Zhou Yushu was stunned for a moment, then understood the general idea. He frowned slightly but did not raise any further objections. Xue Jin'an didn't care whether he saw the Fourth Prince or not. The servant went downstairs to ponder the situation.
Then soon, he came up alone again, looking embarrassed and depressed, and reported, "The shopkeeper said that Young Master Chu left after I went upstairs."
He thought to himself: What's wrong with him? He said he was going to see someone, but then he ran off.
Zhou Yushu clicked his tongue again, disliking this fickleness, or perhaps he simply didn't like the Fourth Prince, so he found fault with everything he did. However, he didn't say anything harsh after all.
Xue Jin'an nodded calmly, "Understood."
Afterwards, Zhou Yushu and Xue Jin'an chatted about some court affairs. After lunch, Zhou Yushu left, though he was reluctant to part. Xue Jin'an, however, had dinner at Jiu Tian Yi before leaving. He casually checked the shop's accounts and, with the shopkeeper nervously watching, found a few unclear points.
The shopkeeper was sweating profusely and hurriedly tried to explain, stumbling over his words several times. He was annoyed and didn't know why. He could answer Cui's questions about the accounts smoothly and flawlessly, but when the young master stared at him with those dark eyes, he felt inexplicably flustered, as if everything about him was exposed.
Indeed, they had nowhere to hide, since all the few problems in the ledger were exposed, even a five-coin shortfall could be found.
I thought Boss Cui was impressive enough, but I never imagined there was someone even more impressive.
Xue Jin'an tapped the ledger and said in a neutral tone, "Don't repeat this mistake."
"Yes." The shopkeeper lowered his head dejectedly.
There wasn't much manipulation in the accounts, and the unclear amount of money was only a few taels of silver, which wasn't even a fraction of Jiu Tian Yi's daily profit. Yet, Jiu Tian Yi's wages were the highest in the market. The managers of ordinary large shops only earned three to five taels of silver a month, while Jiu Tian Yi earned twice as much.
Cui Zui was naturally generous, and Xue Jin'an implemented a high-salary anti-corruption policy. If the manager really wanted to be corrupt, he wouldn't have only embezzled a few taels of silver. It was probably just a mistake. With a business like Jiu Tian Yi, which brought in hundreds or even thousands of taels of silver every day, it was inevitable that some minor problems would arise.
This shopkeeper is quite skilled, has clean hands, and is reliable and decisive in handling affairs. If he is demoted and leaves, it will take a long time to find a new shopkeeper, and the new shopkeeper may not be as clean.
Mistakes should be punished, but punishment alone is not enough. Xue Jin'an thought for a moment, then dug out all the business novels in the database, integrated and sorted them out, and directly introduced a set of internal promotion and salary increase rules for Jiu Tian Yi.
"Copy this down, find a bookstore to print it into an employee handbook, and give a copy to every employee," Xue Jin'an said.
The shopkeeper stared wide-eyed at the words on the paper. Those words, which should have been rigid, seemed to come alive in his eyes, more unbelievably beautiful than the works of calligraphy masters.
"Is the performance bonus, seniority bonus, full attendance bonus, overtime pay... mentioned here all true?" The shopkeeper's voice trembled as he looked at Xue Jin'an with hopeful eyes, as if he were looking at a living Buddha.
Seeing his incredulous expression, Xue Jin'an directly used the seal given by Cui Zui to make a new seal on the paper, and replied firmly, "Yes."
The shopkeeper struggled to suppress his surprise, and he forced a "Thank you, young master" before happily sitting down to begin copying.
While copying, he was both excited and uneasy about taking such a good benefit, so he took the initiative to suggest saving money for his employer, "Actually, there's no need to go to a bookstore to print it, we can just copy it ourselves."
The bookstore is also a bookstore with nine books added to one. It is in operation every day printing playing cards. The biggest cost of printing employee handbooks should be labor. After all, nowadays, woodblock printing and movable type printing are used. Woodblock printing requires craftsmen to painstakingly carve a block, which takes at least ten days to half a month. Movable type printing is much simpler, but it still takes a lot of time to find and arrange the characters. It takes about three to five days to produce.
In ancient society, labor was the cheapest form of work. Even for just three coins, many young beggars would eagerly compete to do the job of picking up words.
The cost saved is less than the effort put into thinking. The shopkeeper naturally knew this, and he smiled and said, "Printed things are never as inspiring as handwritten ones."
The shopkeeper made this suggestion not primarily to save costs, but mainly to win people's hearts.
The shopkeeper had already guessed some of Xue Jin'an's identity. Although he didn't know this person, he knew Cui Zui and Chu Wenjing. One was the grandson of Cui Zai, a high-ranking official of the late emperor, and the other was a second-rank official in the current court. The way that Lord Chu looked at the young master was the way he looked at a junior. At that time, he didn't dare to guess too much, and only guessed that this was probably a prince.
In the chaos, he spotted the fourth prince. The prince's words were drowned out by the crowd, but the dragon pattern on the jade pendant was particularly eye-catching. This was something only a prince could use. Hearing that the young master called him "fourth brother," the young master's identity was obvious; he was clearly also a prince!
The shopkeeper was not clear about the affairs of the court. He only learned about Boss Cui's daily visits to the palace to "accompany the students" from snippets of conversation among the guests. However, he knew who the owners of Jiu Tian Yi were. In addition to Boss Cui, there was also a Seventh Young Master Xue.
The royal family of Daqi is surnamed Xue, and the seventh prince... isn't that the seventh prince?! It matches up, it all matches up! He vaguely heard that Boss Cui was serving as the seventh prince's "study companion"!
Ordinary families would fight tooth and nail over a few acres of meager harvest and a few taels of silver, let alone the royal family who possess a vast empire. The princes are raised in luxury and are treated like royalty. The addition of nine princes to one more is certainly not for money. After much thought, it can only be for accumulating strength for the future!
Looking at the recruited martial arts practitioners, the shopkeeper understood, so he decided to take the initiative to surrender and demonstrate his abilities.
If the young master is already so generous and kind, when he becomes successful, how can they not rise to prominence along with his entire family?
The shopkeeper's eyes shone with high morale.
Xue Jin'an was startled by his suddenly bright eyes, blinked, and nodded in agreement: "Okay."
I have a feeling that this person has thought a lot about things.
The shopkeeper's suggestion was indeed quite effective in winning people's hearts. After all, who wouldn't want a generous boss? They have retired from the world of martial arts, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, to live ordinary lives, but that doesn't mean they want to live a life where they can see the end from the beginning. A life with hope is more interesting.
From then on, Jiu Tianyi became completely involved.
Xue Jin'an returned to the palace before the gates were locked. Almost as soon as he stepped out of the palace, he noticed someone following him. It was a Rongdi spy and... the Fourth Prince's carriage.
Xue Jin'an opened the map of mischief and took an unconventional route. First, he shook off the Fourth Prince at the entrance of a narrow alley, and then he used the extensive transportation network of the capital to shake off the Rongdi people who were unfamiliar with the roads. After that, he leisurely returned to the palace.
Although Cui Zui only learned about Xue Jin'an's nighttime departure from the palace when he arrived at Zhaoyang Palace, Lingzhi and the others would have been startled if Xue Jin'an hadn't deliberately bumped into Fuling, who was on night watch, when he left.
However, they worked well together and managed to fool the Imperial Guards for another hour before they realized that Xue Jin'an was missing.
Cui Zui planned to stay overnight at Zhaoyang Palace. Firstly, it was his master's first time going out alone, and he was inevitably uneasy. Secondly, he was worried that his master's actions would anger the emperor, and he might be punished when he returned. He could ask the old man to intercede on his behalf, depending on the situation.
Thus, Cui Zui completely missed the excitement outside. When Xue Jin'an told him about it, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed what a pity. When he heard that some damned little prince had even sent spies to follow him, he was grinding his teeth.
“Those barbarian bastards dare to act so recklessly even in the capital of Daqi. Aren’t they just implying that Daqi has no one to rely on?!” Cui Zui’s hands were itching to beat up the group of Rong and Di people, especially that Rong and Di prince Ge Erdan.
Fu Ling had a rather strong aura of malevolence about her. She rarely agreed with anyone, so she nodded and said, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"Don't be impulsive." Lingzhi frowned. She also disliked those Rong and Di people, especially the term "two-legged sheep," but she still forcefully pressed Fuling's hand down. "They came in the name of envoys. Even in war between two countries, envoys are not killed. Your Highness has already deterred them. If we use this as an excuse to cause trouble, we will inevitably be at a disadvantage and lose face as a great nation."
Most importantly, if this were to be done, the Seventh Prince would gain nothing but impeachment.
Lingzhi couldn't help but sigh as she spoke, her gaze towards Xue Jin'an filled with complex emotions: "Your Highness, you beat someone every time you go out. This rumor of you bringing bad luck to people is impossible to clear up, no matter how hard you try."
"So we're just going to let them be so arrogant?" Cui Zui slammed his fist on the table in frustration.
Shouquan rolled his eyes and said, "I think Sister Lingzhi's words make sense. It would be harmful and not beneficial for Master to be involved. There are so many eyes watching Master. It would be better to be more conservative. Besides, it would be too lenient for them to just get a beating."
The conservatives felt that the radicals were too conservative, and that a mere beating wouldn't quell their anger.
"Is there any way to make them get beaten without them thinking about their master?" Shouquan asked thoughtfully.
Fu Ling suddenly spoke up, raising her fist again: "Put it in a sack."
“He has just offended His Highness. If he gets beaten up again now, even if we can’t see his face, it won’t lessen Master’s suspicions.” Lingzhi pressed down Fuling’s hand and shook her head. After a pause, she added, “Actually, the Rongdi people have offended more than just Master today. Once today’s events are publicized, they will surely incite the world’s anger. However, the situation will be difficult to control at that time.”
There is a difference between those who break the law and those who live in the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) and those who live in the outlaw world. Although Jianghu people are not very obedient, they have their own chivalrous spirit and take it as their duty to help the weak and oppressed and to rob the rich and help the poor. However, they disregard the law and are too ruthless.
Ordinary corrupt officials are punished with imprisonment or exile, but if they are江湖人士 (jianghu figures), they don't care how much you embezzled or whether you committed big or small crimes. They just kill you and then rob your family's property to distribute to the poor, regardless of whether these poor people are people the corrupt officials have wronged or whether the property was obtained through embezzlement.
If the matter concerning the Rongdi is publicized, people from the martial arts world will surely come to report it.
The Rong and Di people were attacked, and the court would turn a blind eye to the public's resentment. But the real fear was that someone might take advantage of the chaos, or that someone might lose their temper and kill all the Rong and Di people.
The Rongdi people can die, but they absolutely cannot die in the name of envoys within the territory of Daqi, especially the Rongdi prince. No matter how justified the initial reason for retaliation may be, once they die, Daqi will be at a disadvantage.
Cui Zui also understood the gravity of the situation and explained it to the others, "Da Qi currently does not support war, and the fact that an envoy and prince from another country were killed for making inappropriate remarks during a birthday celebration raises questions about how other countries' envoys will view this."
Even if Daqi is a powerful nation and can isolate other smaller nations, it is always better to have one more friend than one more enemy. If they wait until they go to war with the Rongdi, and the other countries unite to trip them up and stab them in the back, starting a multi-front war, even if Daqi is powerful, there is a risk of being caught off guard and capsizing.
"Many ants can kill an elephant," Xue Jin'an commented.
The others fell silent. They couldn't do anything to the Rongdi, but they really couldn't swallow their anger. The thought of having to treat these bastards to good food and drink made their anger rise even higher.
Seeing that they really wanted to fight the Rongdi, Xue Jin'an was about to offer a suggestion when he caught a glimpse of Fu Lu's thoughtful expression out of the corner of his eye. He then directly asked him, "Fu Lu, is there anything you want to say?"
"Ah, I... I have indeed thought of something..." Fu Lu began hesitantly, "Perhaps we could... hire someone to beat someone up?"
Fu Lu's Nine-Add-One Information Dissemination Center was still immature. He knew there were many people from the martial arts world in the shop, so he and Cui Zui collected a lot of relevant information and thought about how to arrange these people. After hearing this story so many times, he unconsciously became somewhat involved and his thoughts went astray.
"Find a江湖 (jianghu, a martial arts world) organization that deals in bounties, and request that the bounty be posted for three full days. Those who need to know will know. The Rongdi people, knowing the news, will definitely protect their prince. If they are attacked again, it's because they are outmatched. When the court investigates the Rongdi attacks, they will only focus on the bounty. As for preventing murder… prevention is worse than suppression. The stakes can be clearly stated when the bounty is posted. If they still kill after that, they are not from the Great Qi, they are spies…"
Lost in his own thoughts, Fu Lu finished speaking in a muttering manner. When he looked up, he met the complex gazes of the crowd and was immediately startled. He stammered, "Was there something wrong with what I said?"
The others were stunned by the words "promising future" and remained silent for a moment before turning to look at the culprit, Cui Zui.
Cui Zui coughed and said, "No, your idea is very good, very 'torture-like'."
The others all nodded with enigmatic expressions.
Feeling somewhat unsure of his own idea, Fulu looked at Xue Jin'an: "What do you think, Master?"
“Okay.” Xue Jin’an also felt that this idea was the most controllable, but it could be optimized a little more. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be issued by a Jianghu organization.”
Lingzhi and Cui Zuifu, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, said in unison, "Prince An."
Without Xue Jin'an needing to say anything more, the two of them started discussing how to set a trap for Prince An. As soon as Fu Lu heard that they were going to drag Prince An into this mess, he instantly perked up.
Fu Lu was one of the first people to follow Xue Jin'an. He grew up alongside the original owner of this body and knew far more than anyone else. He wasn't stupid either; Lingzhi could see some clues at the palace banquet, and Fu Lu could see even more.
Afterwards, he specifically asked his master and gleaned the truth from his attitude. He realized that Prince An had probably been involved in everything that had happened so far. Prince An immediately topped the list of his most hated figures, a position he has held ever since.
If you said that Prince An was about to be in trouble, Fu Lu would crawl out of bed to see him even if he was paralyzed. Now that he heard there was an opportunity to take action against Prince An, he immediately listened attentively and occasionally added his own comments.
For example, what if Prince An doesn't accept the challenge? Fu Lu replied: I suggest using moral blackmail directly.
The reason why Prince An was able to gather so many people from the martial arts world to work for him was simply because of his reputation for being public-spirited and righteous. As mentioned before, chivalrous people break the law with their martial arts skills. Righteous people from the martial arts world all have a bit of a chivalrous heart. If any injustice occurs under his nose, Prince An has no choice but to rush to resolve it.
If Prince An wanted to pretend to be deaf and dumb, then he should not be able to pretend to be deaf and dumb; he should open his ears and listen carefully to each word.
“If he doesn’t do anything then, it’ll be a collapse of his persona…yes, his persona will be ruined.” Fu Lu used a term he had heard from Xue Jin’an and gave the others a brief explanation of what a persona is.
"That's a great description, Master is really amazing!" Cui Zui seized the opportunity to praise Xue Jin'an, then huddled back into the small group whispering, "What if he'd rather have his image ruined than actually do anything?"
Although the collapse of Prince An's public image will inevitably disappoint his followers, he has supported them for so long that most of them will not leave in anger but will stay to repay his kindness. Besides, among so many people in the martial arts world, there may be some who know Prince An's ambition and deliberately come to join him.
Lingzhi, with her keener political sense, pondered for a moment and offered a new perspective: "The fact that Prince An can live so freely in the capital is a result of His Majesty's leniency. But if the image of Prince An as someone who doesn't compete or fight for power that he has cultivated in court also collapses, can His Majesty still allow him to win over the hearts and minds of the people on such a large scale?"
Faced with these dual threats, Prince An had no choice but to act.
"Master, what do you think of this method?" Cui Zui asked Xue Jin'an impatiently.
Xue Jin'an summarized their plan and simplified it, then nodded in approval of the proposal, "Taking Prince An into the Water to Fight the Rongdi One-on-One."
"Not bad." Xue Jin'an praised generously, and even gave a smile of satisfaction, about two pixels higher than a friendly smile.
It's good that the domesticated humans are now capable of independent thought.
While they were discussing the matter of Prince An, the Ministry of Rites also received a complaint from the young prince of the Rongdi tribe, who said that the people of their Great Qi had intimidated and assaulted envoys from other countries in the street. Their young prince was not only injured but also plagued by nightmares, and a fair and just resolution was required.
"Who dares to be so disrespectful?" The official in charge of liaising with the envoys under the Ministry of Rites was practically going crazy. He was already incredibly busy, and now he had to deal with this. His eyes were practically spitting fire. "If I find out who did this, I'll make sure they regret it!"
The official, in a menacing manner, led his men to the scene of the crime, intending to arrest the criminals. However, upon arriving at the location and seeing who was coming and going, his confused mind instantly cleared.
"Where...where is this?" He grabbed his subordinate's wrist, his voice trembling slightly.
"Nine plus one." The subordinate also wore a bitter expression.
"Oh, isn't this Lord Liu from the Ministry of Rites? What brings you here?" someone stepped forward, raising an eyebrow and calling out, their tone not exactly polite.
Lord Liu took a closer look and realized that it was the son of his direct superior, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. To his left was the son of the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and to his right, although he did not recognize the man, he was dressed as a prince.
Lord Liu: "..."
Lord Liu dared not utter a sound. He secretly glanced around and found few people of ordinary status. Even the son of the Minister of Revenue was among them. The young ladies leaning against the railing on the second floor, even if he didn't recognize them, were dressed in clothes that suggested they were not from ordinary backgrounds.
Lord Liu closed his eyes and dared not utter a sound, thinking to himself: "Nine Plus One is indeed worthy of its reputation; those who can come in to play are all either rich or noble."
—In fact, normally, Jiu Tian Yi wouldn't gather so many scions of prominent families in one day. It was because everyone who witnessed the scene yesterday was impressed by the bold words of Jiu Tian Yi's young master that they called on their friends and family to come and support Jiu Tian Yi, fearing that such a principled shop would be forced to close down. For a moment, it was even more lively than the opening day.
This Lord Liu has really bad luck; he just happened to run into this at this time.
With so many sons of powerful and wealthy families appearing together, Lord Liu, a mere sixth-rank official, dared not be presumptuous at all. When questioning Manager Jiu Tianyi, his voice was somewhat hesitant and submissive.
The innkeeper was also considerate. Seeing that Lord Liu was having trouble speaking properly in front of everyone, he led him to an empty private room, where he was able to give his statement smoothly.
Lord Liu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the matter was over, until he heard a word that made his eyes widen in horror: "What sword? What kind of sword did your young master carry? What does it look like?"
"I really can't answer your question so suddenly," the shopkeeper said with a smile, beckoning to a waiter. "That sword was more than three inches into the pillar that day. He was the one who pulled it out. He should be able to answer your question, sir."
This fellow happened to be the one who delivered the sword to Xue Jin'an that day.
He said, "The young master calls it the Lotus Sword. It is about two feet and three inches long, and the handle is engraved with lotus patterns."
Lotus Sword!!! Ahhhhhh!!! It's the Seventh Prince!!!
Lord Liu felt a sharp, piercing sound in his heart, his face blank, and his hand holding the pen trembled slightly.
He'd never met the Seventh Prince, but hadn't he heard the rumors about him? That was the Seventh Prince! The living Yama who could kill a concubine with a single stroke, beat the crazed Third Prince half to death, and still breathe peacefully—a jinx to his family!
"Lord Liu? Lord Liu?" The shopkeeper looked at Lord Liu, who was still trembling and unable to recover, and gained some understanding of the power of his young master.
Meanwhile, Lord Liu was inwardly roaring: "Rongdi people, why did you have to mess with the Seventh Prince? Even if we take a step back, are you completely without fault? Even if we take another step back, the Seventh Prince didn't kill you on the spot, what more could you possibly want?!"
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