Chapter 356: The Unparalleled Patience of Liang

The eunuch bitterly regretted that he wasn't born a woman, otherwise he would have devised every possible way to climb onto the Son of Heaven's dragon bed…

Zhang Zhang Jie screamed like a terrified groundhog: Don't come near me!

He was no Longyang Jun from the Spring and Autumn period, nor Emperor Ai of Han—he had no taste for male love or the habit of cutting the sleeve.

As a man who was proudly straight and utterly uninterested in women, Zhang Zhang Jie firmly declined.

"The right to meet the Emperor?"

Zhu Jin Lian murmured to herself, suddenly remembering the words Zhang Zhang Jie had spoken to her that morning with absolute authority—

"My woman is mine alone. From today on, I forbid Zhao Huan from touching you!"

"My woman is mine alone. From today on, I forbid Zhao Huan from touching you!"

…

"How did it go?"

An hour later, in the Imperial Study, Zhang Zhang Jie was reviewing a memorial when he casually glanced at the eunuch prostrate on the floor and asked offhandedly.

An hour later, in the Imperial Study, Zhang Zhang Jie was reviewing a memorial when he casually glanced at the eunuch prostrate on the floor and asked offhandedly.

Though he greatly admired and favored the virtuous Zhu Jin Lian,

he still knew clearly which weighed more: a woman or the empire.

"Your Majesty, thanks to your heavenly might, your servant has not failed in his mission—Lady Lady Jingkang has received the edict and expressed her gratitude."

Once arrogant and domineering before Zhao Huan, even treating Zhu Jin Lian with condescension masked as respect,

the eunuch now bowed so low he seemed to sink into the dust,

forehead pressed to the ground, respectfully reporting to Zhang Zhang Jie without daring to lift his head.

"Very good."

Zhang Zhang Jie smiled in satisfaction upon receiving the answer he wanted.

His enfeoffment of Zhu Jin Lian as Lady Lady Jingkang was not merely driven by lust,

nor was it simply because he coveted her beauty—it carried political calculation.

Though Zhu Jin Lian, the last Empress of the Great Song, held her title for less than an hour, just like Emperor Qinzong,

she remained the Empress of the Great Song and enjoyed considerable prestige among the Song dynasty's remaining loyalists.

Now that he had openly claimed even Zhu Jin Lian as his own, without any concealment,

he naturally sent out friendly signals—surely those loyalists, whose abilities were negligible but whose talent for opportunism was unmatched,

would not miss this chance to prostrate themselves before Zhang Zhang Jie's jeans.

After all, they hadn't wanted to kneel before—he simply hadn't given them the opportunity.

When the Great Gan was first established, it had been necessary, as the founding emperor had said, to "clean the house before inviting guests,"

lest these old men who relied on their seniority occupy too many positions.

These men could never, of course, steal the fruits of revolution like Yuan Yuan Shikai—they lacked the capability, obviously.

Yuan Yuan Shikai was the man who turned the New Army into his personal troops,

so that the Beiyang New Army knew only Yuan Yuan Shikai, not the court,

and even after being stripped of his rank and office, no one could move troops without him.

If the Song dynasty's remaining loyalists had possessed such power, they would never have allowed Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong to perform such absurd acts as

believing in the Six Jia Divine Soldiers and personally offering themselves up to beg for peace while the Jin army stood at the city gates.

Zhang Zhang Jie lamented bitterly: "Our Great Song's greatest threat is not in the north, nor the west, nor the south—it lies right here, in this court, in this golden hall!

For the sake of the Great Song, I have no choice but to depose Prince Duan and Prince Ning!

They are no longer capable of shouldering the burden of this realm."

Yet when it came to causing trouble, each of these men was a master among masters.

They were incapable of achieving anything, yet endlessly skilled at ruining everything.

Now that the Great Gan is gradually stabilized, it is time to win hearts and bring these remaining loyalists into the Great Gan's rule.

Why not simply exterminate them and eliminate the source of the problem?

First, Zhang Zhang Jie is no bloodthirsty monster who feels unwell unless he sheds blood every day.

Second, there is no such thing as a complete waste—even a sheet of toilet paper has its use,

let alone a living human being.

Zhang Zhang Jie thought it fitting to send them off to the grasslands and plateaus to propagate

the very doctrines that had fooled the people and ultimately left them deluded and broken.

It would be perfect if his adoptive brother, the current Duke Duke Yansheng, Kong Kong Duanyou, led them.

Surely they could spread Confucius's teachings to the wild frontier,

civilize those barbarians—they'd be delighted, wouldn't they?

Speaking of which, Zhang Zhang Jie's Great Gan and Zhao Jia's Great Song

were, from the perspective of dynastic succession, legitimate heirs.

Zhang Zhang Jie's identity as the third-place Jinshi of the Great Song had been personally certified by Emperor Huizong Zhao Ji.

Zhang Zhang Jie: Though I overthrew the Great Song, imprisoned Emperors Huizong and Qinzong,

took all of Prince Duan's imperial princesses into my harem, and even claimed Empress Zhao Huan's wife,

I know—I remain the loyal minister who served the Great Song with all my heart, until death.

Whoever dares to question this, let them look at Zhang Zhang Jie's fist—the size of a mortar—

that crushed the Great Song, shattered the Liao beyond recovery, and left them gasping their final breaths…

"How did Zhao Huan react?"

Zhang Zhang Jie, returning from his wandering thoughts, asked with interest.

Though he had no intention, like some vulgar webnovel protagonist, of deliberately humiliating the victim,

he still found it fascinating to observe the victim's reaction.

"Your Majesty, Zhao Huan…"

The eunuch dared not conceal anything, recounting Zhao Huan's reaction without embellishment.

But it also seemed quite interesting to observe the victim's reaction.

Hearing that Zhao Huan had shown no reaction at all after his initial response, Zhang Zhang Jie couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose.

Is this even reasonable?

They say the hatred of a father's murder and a wife's theft is unforgivable—from a man's perspective, this is utterly unreasonable.

But remembering that Zhao Huan had endured the humiliating Qianyang ceremony,

then cheerfully followed his father, the "Duke of Obscurity," to become the "Duke of Extreme Obscurity" under the Jin, Zhang Zhang Jie understood.

For a man like him, this reaction was perfectly reasonable.

His response naturally reminded Zhang Zhang Jie of the massive scandal he'd consumed before being crushed by a Da Yun truck and sent to the myriad worlds—the legendary patience of Liang, unparalleled in history.

After the "Lu Zhang Jie hair incident" went public, the entire internet expected Liang Ge to tear apart PG1,

kick Lu Zhang Jie, and vent his fury.

But no one expected Liang Ge to play the family card—he posted no rants, leaked no secrets,

only wrote a single post about forgiving everything for the sake of his child.

No wonder Liang Ge is the modern Goujian—if anyone called him weak, they'd seem heartless toward the child;

if anyone defended Lu Zhang Jie, they'd appear to endorse her actions.

Liang Ge simply slapped the label of "perfect father" onto himself,

rendering himself utterly invulnerable—no one could find a single flaw to attack.

No wonder Brother Liang is a modern Goujian; if someone calls him incompetent, it makes you seem uncaring toward your child;

If someone speaks up for Sister Lu, it implies you endorse this behavior.

And Brother Liang directly slapped the label of "perfect father" onto himself,

rendering him utterly impregnable, leaving no opening for anyone to attack him.