900 Once the reins are broken, my fate is in my own hands.
Jiang Luzi's thoughts were in turmoil. He used to be a petty thief, struggling to make a living, an inconspicuous figurehead among the crowd.
Being personally greeted by so many distinguished figures in dazzling brocade robes today fills me with an unprecedented sense of pride.
"I've come! I've come! I will surely become King Wu in the future, and they will surely kneel before me. If they don't kneel before me, I will kill you all."
Jiang Luzi felt proud and excited, and said as if in a daydream,
Today, I am no longer that unknown passerby. I am the son of my adoptive father, the son of King Wu, and I am King Wu Keqi.
Gently straightening his clothes, Jiang Luzi tried his best to look more presentable and confident.
It proclaims, "I have arrived, I bear witness, I am King Wu's adopted son, I am Jiang Luzi, the future King Wu, even the Martial Emperor."
Destiny is in my hands; you are all stepping stones for me.
Closer, closer. For no apparent reason, a sense of tension and a hint of fear rose in You Jiao's heart. He secretly encouraged himself, "He's just a dying Martial King. I'm not afraid of him."
He said, "I have the young master behind me, and the young master will surely make him fearful."
But I must not provoke them, otherwise I will have no valid reason, and it will be difficult for you to help me.
Yes, that's it, that's it. Don't provoke him, and you should assist him properly. After all, he is King Wu, and he has some connections.
I've heard he has some colleagues and subordinates; I can't afford to offend them.
The more You Jiao thought about it, the more afraid he became. His face, which had been slightly arrogant just moments before, was now full of respect, humility, and pleading. He bowed down like a hunchbacked old man.
Behind him were several village chiefs, neighborhood leaders, and several wealthy households, landlords, or, more accurately, gang leaders from the town.
They formed tea gangs, water gangs, rice gangs, and so on. Whether you went to the river to fetch water, to the well to fetch water, or to sell grain, you had to pay a share. Otherwise, they would beat you up and rob you of your money.
Seeing You Jiao so humble and obsequious, their eyes held various expressions of schadenfreude, some even contemplating switching allegiances, others of replacing him!
These people are not kind; the kind ones would have been eaten by wolves long ago.
The village head, with a broken blade tucked at his waist, had triangular eyes. His gaze, though seemingly calm, flickered with a hidden thought: "Seeing his humble and obsequious manner, it seems this matter is not so simple."
He glanced at everyone's movements and expressions. Although they were all trying to remain calm, he could still sense a familiar feeling.
gloat!
A strange sense of pleasure and satisfaction welled up in everyone's hearts, as if they were watching such an absurd and unchanging spectacle!
It's so true that local officials are more powerful than distant ones!
He chuckled inwardly at the coldness of the world, at the distortion and depravity of humanity in the face of power;
Some, however, revealed a thoughtful expression, perhaps secretly calculating in their hearts how long such changes of allegiance and sycophancy could bring stability and prosperity.
Should I also go further and flatter this person?
Even more so, their eyes revealed a hint of restless ambition and desire. Instead of scoffing at this, they secretly plotted how to seize power at the right time with more skillful tactics.
Gaining the favor of the town mayor is extremely rare, after all, the favor of the King of Wu is very difficult to obtain.
"Greetings, Mayor," You Jiao stepped forward three steps and greeted the mayor in a hurried, humble, respectful, and obsequious manner.
The dozen or so people behind him didn't lag behind or try to steal the spotlight; they immediately followed, all bowing respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Mayor."
Jiang Huangyuan lifted the carriage curtain, nodded slightly, a satisfied smile playing on his lips, and said softly but firmly, "Gentlemen, you're too kind. Please rise."
Seeing Jiang Huangyuan's kind and amiable appearance, You Jiao quickly stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Greetings, Mayor. I am You Jiao, a local official." Behind him were the town's gentry and constables.
Jiang Huangyuan nodded slightly, and said softly with satisfaction, "You are very thoughtful. With everyone working together, the town will surely develop even better."
I am new to this place, and I hope everyone will lend me their full support in the future!
"Yes, Mayor. Please rest assured, Mayor, we will certainly follow your lead." Ying Youjiao said excitedly, expressing his loyalty.
It was as if the chilling atmosphere before I saw it was all a dream.
The village head and other officials behind him quickly chimed in, "Mayor, you are too modest. We will certainly do our utmost to assist you."
In an instant, voices rose and fell, and everyone hurriedly expressed their loyalty.
Jiang Luzi and his opponent exchanged a quick glance, their eyes revealing a tacit understanding: "Given the current situation, we should immediately put aside our differences and unite to deal with the local forces."
Let them know that we are a powerful force crossing the river, and they are nothing but worms.
As if they were telepathically connected, the two grown men were incredibly close at this moment, both seeing the undesirable situation in each other's eyes.
The two had originally thought, "Since we're new here, the local powers will definitely be very hostile towards us and will try to intimidate us. Therefore, Jiang Huangyuan will certainly need to rely on them."
However, this situation is quite the opposite; the local gentry and powerful figures are too cowardly to submit so readily.
Both sides immediately felt immense pressure. If the local gentry cooperated so readily, then they would be of little value.
Once King Jiang Wu has gained his insight, he will be very difficult to fool.
Before the two could discuss a solution, Ying Wujueyou respectfully said, "Mayor Jiang, we have prepared a cup of wine at the restaurant."
We hope that Mayor will not refuse. If our preparations are inadequate, please forgive us and we will certainly make improvements.
We'll do whatever the adults say!
His posture was extremely humble; he was almost kneeling down.
'Alright, that's very kind of you. Since you're being so polite, I'll accept it without further ado.'
You've all been waiting a long time, so let's go to a restaurant together. We can have a good meal and then chat.
"Let's have a good chat later." Jiang Huangyuan nodded in satisfaction upon seeing You Jiao's humble and sensible manner.
Seeing the town mayor's very satisfied expression, Ying Youjiao felt a great weight lifted from his heart.
He gave a look to the scout beside him, signaling him to hurry up and get ready, as they would be arriving soon and they couldn't afford to be negligent.
In front of the most magnificent restaurant in Yingbai Town, a three-story building with carved railings and painted beams, and windows decorated with auspicious dragons and phoenixes, the area in front of the restaurant was kept spotless.
However, the stench of urine from the street still wafted over.
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