Chapter 189: Driving ducks onto the shelf

Facing Zhang Gui's expression that was hard to tell whether it was true or false, Zhang Jiuqing smiled indifferently:

"Since ancient times, 'only names and vessels cannot be lent to others.'

Prince Zhen originally cherished his feathers, so he used you, this Dragon Tiger General who has the power of 'Opening, Conquering Barbarians, Acting at Discretion, and Deciding on the Spot,' as a tiger skin..."

"Cousin, wait, the words you are saying sound very familiar to me.

Next, do you want to say:

Since the momentum of the 'Nine Islands and Ten Cities' has risen, although you, this 'fake,' are fake to the officials and gentry,

but for the general public, who have not read much and are busy for the sake of their families, it is difficult to distinguish between true and false.

But the real reputation is precisely the word-of-mouth in the hearts of the hundreds of millions of people.

On the contrary, those aristocratic families who are like roly-polys and worship Buddha in all directions don't need to care.

Anyway, as long as it is a member of the Zhao family of Ming Song who is the emperor, they won't be in chaos.

And in this way, I have the opportunity to pass off the fake as the real."

After Zhang Gui finished speaking, Zhang Jiuqing asked in surprise:

"Cousin Guitang, who told you these words?"

"It wasn't someone else who told me, but I used this set of rhetoric to fool others before."

"Without help and support, these words are indeed just rhetoric.

But if there is the support of the Emperor of the Ming Song Kingdom, things will be completely different.

Don't you even understand such a simple truth?"

"Cousin Jiuqing, is it that you don't understand, or I don't understand?

Are the "Heaven-Supporting White Jade Pillars and Sea-Spanning Purple Gold Beams" of Prince Zhen's "Traveling Palace" the Nine Islands and Ten Cities?

Not those, it's that Mr. Yin.

A supernatural world where great power belongs to the individual.

Facing a powerhouse who might be at the Heavenly Rank, without "hedging" with equivalent force, all schemes and tricks are just "paper tigers."

Hedging, do you understand hedging!"

"Although I haven't heard of hedging, I still have the ability to interpret the meaning from the words.

You can rest assured.

As far as I know, Mr. Yin comes from an ancient sect; as long as you are in the officialdom, then according to the ancient rules,

as long as you don't provoke him first, he won't make a move against you."

Zhang Gui curled his lips upon hearing this,

"Cousin, the word 'provoke' has thousands of meanings.

If I look at Mr. Yin with my eyes, it might count as 'provocation in expression, deserving of death'."

Seeing that he couldn't be coaxed, Zhang Jiuqing stopped being purely gentle,

"Cousin, how can you achieve great things without taking any risks?

Besides, since the 'Current Emperor' has already chosen you as a chess piece, do you still have room to refuse?

The imperial decree replacing Prince Zhen's 'Traveling Palace' and formally designating the Nine Islands and Ten Cities of the Eastern Inner Sea—Tianmeng, Tianwei, Tianfu... —as the place for the Dragon-Tiger Curtain Office to raise funds and station troops is likely already on its way."

"Aren't you forcing a duck onto the perch!" Zhang Gui said angrily with a flushed face:

"Since you decided to be so unreasonable, why did you bother spouting nonsense for so long just now?"

"This is called courtesy before force."

"However, Cousin Gui, don't be angry with me; we brothers are actually in the same boat.

I am also about to become the Censor-in-Chief of this Eastern Yue Province.

Compared to you, a hollow big shot who is temporarily famous but powerless,

Prince Zhen is probably even more annoyed by me, a sixth-rank sitting civil official."

Censor is an official title that has existed since the medieval era of the Dongsheng Continent.

It began in the pre-Qin period.

Originally, they were historians responsible for recording the words and deeds of the Son of Heaven and the feudal lords.

The "Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of Jesters" once recorded, "The emperor is above, history is beside, and the censor is behind."

This means that although no one can control you as an emperor, if you are too absurd, you can still leave your name in history and be reviled for ten thousand years.

This shows that this official position was used to restrain the emperor,

and later it not only restrained the Son of Heaven and feudal lords, but gradually the censors began to be able to intimidate all officials.

To this day, it has become a profession of "snitches" specifically for reporting to the emperor and sovereign.

Although the rank is not high, the power is immense.

Especially local censors outside the capital.

Although the yamen is only set up at the province and commandery levels, and the chief official of the provincial censor yamen, the Censor-in-Chief, is only a mere sixth-rank civil official.

The rank might not even be as good as the magistrate of a large county.

But in terms of real power, the Censor-in-Chief can even impeach high-ranking frontier officials.

And they have the privilege of "reporting based on hearsay," so they don't need any evidence at all; they just report if they want to.

No one can do anything about them.

It is the very model of "the large and small restraining each other."

"I see, it seems the Current Emperor really regards Prince Zhen as a major threat."

"Even if you have the nine overseas islands and build nine large counties on them, gathering millions of people and training tens of thousands of armored soldiers with a militaristic spirit,

can you withstand a few charges from three thousand Flower Dragon Cavalry?

But in the same situation falling on Prince Zhen, who knows if that general commanding the Flower Dragon Cavalry, when meeting on the battlefield,

might kneel and submit to him, earning the merit of following a dragon.

You know, back when the Prince of Yan swept the north, there were plenty of such stories."

After saying this, Zhang Jiuqing stood up.

For a moment, the wind shook the trees in the courtyard, and then it returned to normal.

Only then did Zhang Gui realize that he had sealed the space with a treasure before talking freely with him.

He couldn't help but laugh dumbly, "It seems you are much more meticulous in your actions than I am."

"An old saying goes, 'If a ruler is not secretive, he loses his ministers; if a minister is not secretive, he loses his life.'

It is better to be careful in everything.

Cousin Gui, since things have reached this point, I shall take my leave."

After speaking, Zhang Jiuqing bowed to Zhang Gui to say goodbye, seemingly about to walk away.

But he stopped his steps just before leaving the door,

"Cousin, if you are really that afraid of death, you might as well imitate me."

Afterwards, he pushed open the gate and disappeared into the night.

As for Zhang Gui, he was so disturbed by this sudden turn of events that he had no heart to eat any more stir-fried noodles.

He told Amu that he was tired, returned to his bedroom, and buried his head into a deep sleep.

He didn't wake up from this sleep until noon the next day.

Regarding the future, the yawning Zhang Gui summarized seven words in his dream: when the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road.

"These two grandsons, Emperor Hezheng and Prince Zhen, one is stubborn and refuses to repent;

the other is arrogant and forgets wisdom for small gains.

Now that they are forcing me, their grandfather, like this, they will have their retribution sooner or later."

Thinking silently in his heart, he dressed neatly and took a bath in the courtyard with well water.

Seeing that his mother and two aunts were not at home, they must have gone to work at the large grocery store at the dock.

He couldn't help but mutter,

"Is Amu addicted to her career now? I come home so rarely, and she doesn't even care."

Not caring whether there was food left by Caiyang Duojie in the kitchen, he went out and walked towards the seaside.

Just as he jumped off the main road of the town and stepped onto the beach,

Zhang Gui suddenly felt a wind behind his head, as if a sharp weapon was attacking.

Instantly, his intent followed his heart, and the several "Zongheng Ruyi" Divine Cong in his body sensed it.

His whole body shrank, suspended in mid-air like a ball, rolling and escaping through the air to a hundred meters away.

As his figure stretched out again, his gaze fixed on a young man and woman, and he said expressionlessly:

"Miss Zhen, I don't know your companion, but we can be considered old acquaintances.

Back then, whether it was on the Eight-Arm Octopus mechanism ship or in Zhihai Town, I never offended you, did I?

Why are you here to measure me with others now?"

(End of Chapter)