Chapter 173: Twin Walls

This question of Zhang Gui actually contains many mysteries.

As a result, Lü Zhenduan really fell for it.

He sighed, while squatting down to untie the meat strips tied to the dead donkey;

He replied: "What else could Prince Zhen want to do?

Naturally, continue his 'Small Nation War' and make a name for himself."

"But the last battle already killed nearly three hundred thousand new troops, how can he continue to fight?"

Zhang Gui clearly knew through his sensing of the

Yet he still pretended to be bewildered and asked.

Lü Zhenduan picked up a string of dried meat and looked at him with a strange expression.

"Longhu, you are not only the grandson of the Caiyang family of the Stone Corpse Kingdom, but also a scion of the Pingyang Zhang family.

How is it that after returning to the Eastern Continent, you don't even know how your noble clan has made its name famous throughout the world?"

"No, I don't," Zhang Gui replied, shaking his head like a bobblehead in a daze.

"Then perhaps it's because you returned to Xianrong Island early, and the news hadn't reached Zhihai Town when you left."

"Yes, yes.

When I returned to Xianrong Island this time, I encountered a small storm and was delayed for several days before arriving at Chuanshen Port."

Zhang Gui said hurriedly, spouting nonsense:

"Tell me quickly, what happened? What is the news, and what is this thing?"

"Don't be impatient, Longhu. Such a strange tale must be told from the beginning.

You should know that our Ming Song Kingdom's Hezheng Emperor and Prince Zhen..."

Lü Zhenduan coughed lightly and replied in a leisurely manner.

Zhang Gui snatched the dried meat from the hand of this mysterious 'grandson',

"Old Lü, I limit you to ten sentences to explain things clearly to me.

Otherwise, forget about the donkey meat hotpot later; you won't even have pork jerky to chew on."

"The most difficult thing to reconcile between the Current Emperor and Prince Zhen is actually that the martial fortune of the son, as a subject, has already overshadowed the father, as the monarch, in the hearts of the general public.

And you know the temperament of our Gengzheng Emperor, Longhu.

To describe him as fond of grand achievements and stubborn is not an exaggeration.

With his face at stake, it is absolutely impossible for him to take the initiative to make concessions.

And Prince Zhen, regardless of whether his momentum is real or fake, cannot find a reason to back down even if he wanted to.

As a result, at this time, a young talent from your noble clan submitted a memorial titled...

It said that father and son are of one flesh and blood.

When the Hezheng Emperor was a prince, he once drafted memorials on behalf of the late emperor when the latter was unwell..."

"There is such a thing? Isn't it said that the 'Current Emperor' served as Crown Prince for twenty-nine full years before this?

He couldn't even make decisions about the money to repair the 'Chufu Palace' where he lived when it was struck by lightning and caught fire on a rainy day."

"That is exactly so; the late emperor was also famous for hoarding power.

However, on the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the third year of Minchun, when he was having a eunuch read and annotate memorials due to an eye ailment, he encountered a memorial written by an idiot and flew into a rage.

He wanted to write the four characters 'not worth dog shit', but his eyes hurt and he couldn't write them well.

He casually ordered the Current Emperor, who was heating medicine nearby and acting filial, to write them on his behalf.

As a result, this incident was recorded.

And the late emperor only did that once in his life by sheer coincidence.

Therefore, no one in the world paid any attention to it.

Yet it was remembered by that genius of your Pingyang Zhang family, who used it to 'break the theme'.

He said that the Current Emperor's dispatching of his sons to inspect the Southern Kingdom while he recuperates from illness, giving them instructions before they left and guidance through letters after they left,

was just like when he acted as a prince to draft memorials for the late emperor, belonging to the category of 'father orders, son performs duties'.

Now, the princes have each achieved results.

Especially since Prince Zhen knew the Current Emperor was furious over the subversion of the vassal state Hanli.

Yet he could not lead the army in person due to his sick body.

So, taking advantage of the arrogance of the Yuanshan Guard Army on Xianrong Island when they attacked Zhihai Town—oh, by the way, your fief, Zhihai Town, was mentioned here.

Also, you, General Longhu, were also named in it.

It said that although your mother's family is barbarian, that, but your father..."

"Alright, alright, I get the point.

It means that the memorial ostensibly resolved the conflict between the Current Emperor and Prince Zhen.

Letting everyone 'eat dumplings' together again, right?"

"What is meant by 'eating dumplings' together?"

"It means that because the Current Emperor has a decent, face-saving way to take a small step back.

The situation, which was becoming increasingly acute over time, now has room for ice-breaking, easing, and mediation."

"That is exactly so.

After the memorial was submitted, the attitude of the imperial court, including the inner court, toward Prince Zhen's 'traveling capital' changed.

Not to mention anything else, just take the 'Nine Islands' population filling, training new troops, and opening cities that the traveling capital cares about most.

Previously, except for Dongyue Province, the government everywhere delayed immigration in every possible way.

Even when people were starving to death locally and uprisings were breaking out, they were still unwilling.

Sometimes they were so tough they were almost ready to use force to stop it.

But now, they are opening the door of convenience everywhere..."

"So that's it.

That's why the 'Heavenly Craft Nine Islands and Ten Cities' suddenly gathered so much cannon fodder.

Letting Prince Zhen's traveling capital continue to play the 'meat grinder' game."

Zhang Gui heard this and a doubt in his heart was suddenly resolved, he thought to himself.

He heard Lü Zhenduan continue to chatter,

"... In short, the words were so earnest, the sentiments so moving..."

"Alright, alright, why the nagging? In the end, it's just a memorial.

You make it sound like a masterpiece for the ages."

Lü Zhenduan detected the strangeness in Zhang Gui's words and asked curiously:

"Longhu, didn't you know about this before?

How come it seems, hiss, it seems..."

"I hadn't heard of it before.

But I know that only one person in the Pingyang Zhang family could write such an article.

That is Zhang Jiuqing, right?"

"It is indeed Master Jiuqing.

Well, with you excelling in civil and martial arts respectively, you can be called the two gems of the Pingyang Zhang family..."

"Alright, Old Lü, don't try to make up for it anymore.

To tell you the truth, I grew up with Zhang Jiuqing, and it is true that I have never liked seeing him.

I used to endure it politely and pretend, but now I see through it and don't want to endure it anymore.

If I dislike him, I dislike him.

But one should not deny a person's talent just because of personal feelings.

Zhang Jiuqing being able to write a memorial to reconcile the conflict between the Current Emperor and Prince Zhen at such a time, whether in terms of courage or talent, can be counted as a top choice of the time.

No wonder Mr. Huaihe appreciated him so much back then, regarding him as his successor and even marrying his granddaughter to him."

Lü Zhenduan just chuckled upon hearing this.

Fortunately, Zhang Gui did not really save the donkey meat hotpot just because he didn't explain the matter clearly within ten sentences.

He personally broke the donkey skin, cut off half a batch of ribs, washed them repeatedly with well water, and began to prepare dinner.

After a while, the Hanli coroners who had gone out to patrol the streets and bury corpses during the day returned to the courtyard one after another.

Seeing the leader from the suzerain state breaking meat bones and plating them, they hurriedly gathered around.

"Death sentence, death sentence.

How can we let you and Master Lü, nobles of the 'Superior State', be exhausted by food!"

"Yes, Master, let us do these chores in the kitchen.

You and Master Lü should go inside to warm up."

(End of this chapter)