Chapter 1045: Self-Praise

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xie Gechen weighed the pros and cons and finally decided to trust Chen Guanlou once. Trust that under a sufficient price, the other party would not turn against him, would not kick him while he was down, and would not go back on his word.

He had plenty of money.

If it could be solved with money, then mere wealth—if it was discarded, it was discarded!

Chen Guanlou clicked his tongue twice; he was worthy of doing big things. Look at this crisp and decisive method of handling things, never dragging his feet, making trade-offs in a short time!

With the letter of commitment, Chen Guanlou put down half his heart.

"Give the money first! After the money arrives, I will go to Yuquan Palace to talk to Pure Yang Zhenren. If the Emperor gets angry, you had better fulfill your promise. Otherwise, don't blame me for turning against you!"

"Money is simple; it can arrive today! I hope this matter can be done as soon as possible. The Emperor has become increasingly crazy recently. If it is not stopped, the next person he targets will be Marquis Pingjiang. I am not alarmist! If it weren't for this official's repeated obstructions, do you think the Hou Fu could be peaceful, and the Northwest could be peaceful?"

"You mean, the Emperor wants to carry out an assassination? He's crazy!"

"I already said, he is acting increasingly crazy." Xie Gechen's expression was serious. "I risked letting Yuquan Palace change the pills, not just for myself, but for the imperial court, for the world. You serve in the Heavenly Prison and have experienced the late Emperor's later years. Once an emperor goes crazy, how much destruction it will cause—you have seen it."

Chen Guanlou remained silent.

He had seen the late Emperor's muddled madness. The prisoners in the Heavenly Prison changed batch after batch, died batch after batch; just the people he personally sent to the execution ground were no less than a hundred.

One person holding the world's power alone—how terrifying.

"Don't think of me as so selfish! I, even if I have selfish motives, also have a heart to seek profit for the country and the people! The Emperor's words and deeds—if they are not restricted, I dare not imagine what the consequences will be."

Chen Guanlou listened to the other party's words and laughed.

"Not in that position, don't seek that government. Since you are in the political affairs hall and hold the position of Left Prime Minister, you should seek profit for the country and the people; this is your job. Don't make yourself sound so great. Everyone is working hard to complete their own job, and you have nothing worth praising."

Upon hearing this, Xie Gechen gave a self-deprecating smile. "Being said so by you, I suddenly feel that this official's work doesn't seem that important."

"If someone else sat in that position, they could also do it well, perhaps even better than you."

"Impossible!" Xie Gechen would never admit that he was inferior to others. Only others were inferior to him! He would do better, best! Better than anyone else!

He would let the Great Ming Dynasty flourish in his hands!

Chen Guanlou did not argue with the other party.

The serious business was settled, and he stood up to say goodbye.

"Are you sure you have certainty?" Xie Gechen was a bit worried again.

Chen Guanlou smiled but not really. "Lord Xie, it's still not too late to end the cooperation now."

"No need! I trust you!"

"If you trust me, don't ask if I have certainty. I don't take every deal. At least I have to have fifty percent certainty."

"Only fifty percent certainty."

"Fifty percent is enough! Farewell!"

Xie Gechen's efficiency in handling things was impeccable; half an hour after he arrived home, the money was sent over. Paid in full at once, no second price! There were silver notes, gold and silver jewelry, and house and land deeds, ready to be transferred at the yamen at any time.

Chen Guanlou received the money, pondered for a moment, and still sent a post to Pure Yang Zhenren.

Two days later, after a heavy rain, the weather was cool, and he came to Yuquan Mountain's Yuquan Palace.

A little Daoist priest welcomed him in. "Grandmaster has been waiting for a long time."

"How has your Grandmaster been recently?"

"Very good!"

Since the scripture debate, Pure Yang Zhenren had been in seclusion for cultivation and did not see outside guests.

Chen Guanlou was the first outside guest he had seen since his seclusion.

The two met in the tea room.

"Congratulations, Zhenren!"

As soon as they met, Chen Guanlou looked at the other party and immediately showed a face of joy.

"Zhenren's cultivation has progressed; it is gratifying and worth celebrating."

Pure Yang Zhenren laughed. This seclusion was not long, but the harvest was quite a lot. The scripture debate had been a big blow to him, and he thought he would never recover. But he didn't expect that misfortune and fortune would depend on each other; he realized from failure, and in just a few months, he had undergone a rebirth. It was comparable to the cultivation of the past ten or twenty years.

"Thanks to your blessing, this poor Daoist has gained from misfortune and made progress. It is you, this poor Daoist can see less and less clearly!"

Pure Yang Zhenren could no longer see through Chen Guanlou's cultivation; it was as if he had returned to simplicity. At first glance, he looked like an ordinary person, carrying a bit of wealth and faint official aura. But if one looked closely, it made people feel unfathomable and not easily tested.

In short, it was unfathomable, unclear, shrouded in clouds and mist, appearing and disappearing, mysterious and unpredictable.

Chen Guanlou smiled knowingly. "If you can't see clearly, then don't look; don't force yourself."

"That is true. On the path of martial arts, one also needs to follow nature, follow one's heart, and not force it. Qi deviation is mostly because of forcing it!"

"Being free and following one's heart is the superior way. This is why I don't like Buddhism. Buddhism seems gentle, but in reality, it is forcing people everywhere, forcing people to violate their nature and heart, fishing for fame! Daoism is different; it respects everyone's differences, and whatever cause is planted, that fruit is reaped. The Jixia Academy next door gives me the feeling that their path is also biased; they don't learn the good things but learn that set of Buddhism, forcing people, and sooner or later they will become a third-rate academy."

Chen Guanlou unceremoniously attacked Buddhism and the Jixia Academy.

He really didn't like the look of these two families the more he looked at them.

Even the murderer Chen could be packaged as an enlightened high monk; there was nothing Buddhism couldn't do.

Pure Yang Zhenren smiled. "They have their path; this poor Daoist never argues with them. Prison Warden Chen, you also don't argue with them; it has no meaning."

"Zhenren is absolutely right. As long as they don't provoke me, I definitely won't go out of my way to provoke them."

The two chatted about gossip, and after a cup of tea, Chen Guanlou entered today's main topic.

"Coming up the mountain today, apart from visiting you, there is one more thing I want to discuss with you."

"Speak!"

"I heard from others that the pills you offer to the palace have very powerful effects; His Majesty can serve three women at night without the slightest fatigue, and can still review memorials and handle state affairs normally. It is truly amazing! His Majesty's age can be considered not young; being so vigorous, can it last long?"

Pure Yang Zhenren frowned slightly. "These days, because of seclusion, the refining of pills has been handled by my disciples. As long as the pill formula is correct, the medicinal materials are not wrong, and the refining process has no mistakes, even if there are some abnormalities, it will not have any bad effects on His Majesty's body."

"Being so vigorous—is it not burning the body's original essence?" Chen Guanlou asked curiously.

"The pill itself can replenish essence, but perhaps it replenished it too intensely. Someone, bring the refining records of the past half year!"

Pure Yang Zhenren gave an order, and a Daoist bowed to accept the order and went to take the refining records. ===== CHAPTER 1046 =====