Chapter 97 Awareness Chapter 97 Awareness...
Chapter Ninety-Seven: Notice
The martial arts world and the imperial court are intertwined, each influencing the other. A capable ruler must not only be able to govern the country but also balance the interests of the martial arts world and the imperial court.
Countless martial arts masters have broken the law, and many have tried to defy the court by virtue of their superior skills, believing that unparalleled martial arts prowess grants them the throne. In reality, they are nothing but frogs in a well, with a limited perspective. If those fools were to actually ascend the throne, the Great Zhou Dynasty would soon descend into chaos.
Wu Ming was a man who wanted to rebel, but he was just a slightly different kind of rebel. Aside from being somewhat skilled in martial arts and having Gong Jiu as his weapon, he wasn't anything special. Moreover, although Gong Jiu was Wu Ming's weapon, it wasn't exactly obedient, and his sister had ways of dealing with him.
In the past two years, the court had to deal with the problems left by the late emperor: Cai Xiang's usurpation of power had led to political instability, and there were also disturbances from the barbarian tribes on the border. All of these issues were more important than Wu Ming and Gong Jiu, who were within a controllable range.
Ling Hao opened and closed her mouth, but in the end, she didn't ask the question she wanted to ask. She wanted to ask if the emperor cared about the innocent people on the nameless island, but then she thought that whether it was the border barbarians or the turmoil in the court, the number of people affected was far greater than the number of people on the nameless island.
Like the classic train dilemma, no matter which track you choose, someone will die. It seems like choosing either track is wrong, and it also seems like choosing either track is right. Linghao wasn't the one making the decision; she didn't know what the person who did was thinking. And because of this, she couldn't judge the decision.
Gongzi Yu seemed to see through Ling Hao's thoughts. He reached out and poked her cheek. "You're worried about those people on Nameless Island, aren't you?" He only dared to poke her lightly before withdrawing his hand.
Ling Hao nodded.
"Don't worry, my sister won't just ignore it." Gongzi Yu seemed to remember something, his expression a mix of disgust and helplessness. "My sister is desperate for money right now. In her eyes, Nameless Island is a big fat sheep. Once she has some free time, she can start slaughtering it."
It can be said that among the emperors of this dynasty, his elder sister was the poorest. The key reason was that the previous emperor spent money too much, so much so that when she ascended the throne, the national treasury had very little silver. Whether it was managing the Yellow River, paying military expenses, or setting aside money for natural disasters, everything had to come from the national treasury.
Because of this, her coronation ceremony was as simple as possible, and her harem consisted of only a handful of women. Besides beauty, the most important criterion for choosing concubines was ease of care. Therefore, she was arguably the most frugal emperor of the dynasty. Oh, and she even moved all the silver from the emperor's private treasury to the national treasury, secretly buying treasures without imperial insignia and depositing the silver into the national treasury as well.
Otherwise, where would she get the money to deal with the barbarians and natural disasters across the land? She had previously brought down Prime Minister Cai, and after confiscating his property, she had emptied a large portion of the national treasury. It seems her elder sister has discovered a new way to make money. This time, the Six and a Half Hall and the Divine Power Marquis's mansion will likely both fall into her clutches.
Previously, his elder sister had thoroughly plundered the entire royal family, practically slaughtering them, leaving only a few seedlings. Gongzi Yu even suspected that her ruthlessness towards the royal family stemmed not only from their disobedience and desire to be her master, but also partly from her poverty.
With most of the members of the royal family dead, there's no need to spend money to support them, right? However, Gongzi Yu never voiced this speculation.
Upon hearing Gongzi Yu's description of the emperor, Ling Hao immediately burst out laughing. "Isn't it inappropriate for you to talk about the emperor like that?" She had only met the emperor once, and apart from feeling that he seemed a bit mischievous, she had no other impression of him.
But in Gongzi Yu's words, she heard of an emperor who loved his people like his own children, governed the country diligently, and didn't put on airs. From this perspective, she could truly be considered a good emperor.
Well, as for matters concerning the harem, Linghao has no comment. She simply has a few favorite men; she hasn't allowed them to interfere in politics. What a good emperor she is! There's nothing to say about it.
"She says the same thing about herself," Gongzi Yu said dismissively.
“No,” Linghao said, puzzled. “If the Emperor is poor, where did you get the money?” If she remembered correctly, both he and Mingyue described themselves as never lacking money from childhood to adulthood, and even now they lived a life that could be described as extravagant.
“My mother is rich. My people are good at managing things, so I’m even richer,” Gongzi Yu said. “My sister is desperate for money, but she’s not so poor that she needs someone else’s dowry.” In fact, some of the people he supported, who were scattered throughout the martial arts world, were working for the emperor. This was, in a way, giving her money to use.
However, since it was something he wanted to do himself, he didn't feel there was anything wrong with it.
Ling Hao asked, "In that case, when will His Majesty likely make his move against Nameless Island?" She was somewhat eager to try.
She might not be able to help with other things, but when it comes to fighting, she's the best. As she talked, she even felt a little tempted to grab a snow-white sword and start a fight. You could say fighting is addictive; she felt she hadn't had enough of a fight today.
Gongzi Yu smiled, "When Gong Jiu is ready to make his move against the Prince of Taiping." His Ah Hao is so adorable. "Judging from today, Gong Jiu's emotions are becoming increasingly unstable; it may be imminent."
"If you need me, please don't hesitate to ask." Linghao's eyes sparkled. "I will definitely help."
"Okay." Gongzi Yu nodded with a smile, "I may forget anyone, but I will never forget Ah Hao."
"Then it's settled."
"It's settled."
"Are those two going to make a move again this afternoon?" Gongzi Yu asked.
"Of course we should." Ling Hao nodded; a fight that was so close at hand couldn't be turned down.
Gongzi Yu said, "In that case, let's have lunch and rest for a while before looking for people." Lately, the martial arts practitioners in the capital have become much more well-behaved, making it a bit difficult to find someone who meets the criteria. But it doesn't matter, Nangong Ling and those flower thieves will be here soon; Ahao will definitely like them.
"Okay, okay," Ling Hao agreed with a smile. During her afternoon nap, she vaguely remembered that she seemed to have a question for Gongzi Yu. What was it? Her mind was a little foggy, and she couldn't remember for a moment.
"Never mind, I'll definitely remember when I wake up from my nap." Ling Hao went to sleep reassured, and when she woke up, she had completely forgotten about it.
Gongzi Yu also felt a sense of loss, as if he had lost something. However, he couldn't figure out what he had lost for the time being, so he put it aside for the time being.
Meanwhile, Gong Jiu was in a very unstable emotional state. He returned to the Taiping Prince's Mansion and ordered someone to bring Shaman to his room. Half an hour later, he entered the bath with his injuries, and his mood improved considerably.
The moment he saw Gongzi Yu holding the rope on the street, he understood; he knew his weakness. For a fleeting moment, he wanted to kill him, but he hadn't expected Zhuge Zhengwo to appear, so he had to give up.
Thinking of this, Gong Jiu angrily slapped the water, sending a three-foot-high wave crashing up. If this weren't a bathtub and not a pool, he probably would have been standing there awkwardly.
That annoying guy, Gongzi Yu, has been bullying him since we were little!
Gong Jiu disliked Gongzi Yu, but it wasn't from the beginning. He clearly remembered that their first meeting was at a palace banquet. When he was young, he was relatively introverted, didn't like to talk, and didn't like to talk to foolish people.
He preferred to stay quietly by his mother's side. Gongzi Yu, on the other hand, was guided by his elder sister, the Crown Princess, and navigated the palace banquet with ease. It was then that Gong Jiu became curious about him. Later, Gong Jiu and Gongzi Yu struck up a conversation, and they were surprisingly able to follow each other's train of thought.
Previously, only the Crown Princess could play with children, but she was too busy and didn't have time to play with them. Little Gong Jiu was very happy to meet Gongzi Yu. The two got along very well, but for some reason, during a palace banquet, he knocked out his own tooth.
Xiao Gong Jiu was already heartbroken, crying while clutching his teeth. It was only because of his mother's comforting words that he was able to return home in his sorrow. They seemed to never see each other again after that, and then that incident happened. He lost his mother and gained a father who became his enemy.
He was trapped, and Gongzi Yu was banished from the capital, even losing his surname. They never saw each other again. When they met again as adults, instead of sitting down for a proper talk, they attacked after only a few words.
After that, every time, they both had the urge to kill each other. Then, Gong Jiu discovered the existence of Gongzi Mingyue. He thought of the still-grown Mingyue Nu and felt that Gongzi Yu was too weak and incompetent, and looked down on him even more.
Gong Jiu had always believed that he was the one who knew Gongzi Yu's weakness, but he never expected that his weakness had also been known to the other party.
How did Gongzi Yu find out? Sitting in the bath, Gong Jiu pondered. After a short while, he narrowed his eyes slightly. It seemed that Gongzi Yu already knew about his affairs. Although Gong Jiu could be a little too naive at times, that didn't mean he was stupid; on the contrary, he was very clever, so he quickly concluded that Gongzi Yu knew about his affairs.
Therefore, there are only two choices left: either kill Gongzi Yu, or act now. Gongzi Yu is not so easy to kill, and even if he were killed, there's no guarantee that his plans wouldn't be exposed. So, the only option left is to act now.
It just so happens that Prince Taiping is about to return to the capital to report on his duties, so let's make our move this time. Gong Jiu tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the bathtub, thinking about how to persuade Wu Ming and how to carry out the plan. He didn't care at all about Wu Ming's ridiculously foolish ambition; all he wanted was for Prince Taiping to be disgraced and killed by his loyal royal family.
Gong Jiu felt happy just thinking about the pain and despair that Prince Taiping might experience before his death, so happy that he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The emperor, who was dealing with state affairs, felt a chill run down his spine, as if something was rushing towards him.
The people from the Divine Marquis's Mansion and the Ministry of Justice, who were so busy they were practically running around, also felt a chill run down their spines, as if there was something else they needed to do.
-----------------------
Author's Note: The Emperor and others: Don't come any closer!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
