Chapter 222: Awakening

Regarding the Prince of a Vassal State of the Ming Song and the Opening Dragon‑Tiger General's assessment of the enemy capital Yuanshan, a betrayal of the ancestors.

Zhen Ciyun, the eldest daughter of the Huayu Zhen Family of Jinling in the capital of the Ming Song Southern Kingdom, sneered outright,

"If we have to say that the Great Wolf Capital truly has the atmosphere of 'flourishing blossoms and blazing fire,'

but Yuanshan has no inherent wealth and prestige of its own.

Take, for example, this tavern beneath our feet.

Even the designs are copied from our Ming Song style.

In short, everything is contrived, borrowing east and west—what kind of skill is that."

"The world is realistic; being able to defeat you is true skill."

Zhang Gui sighed, weighed his words, and said:

"The sighs I've been letting out these two days amount to more than I usually exhale in two months.

Thinking that way, I feel the Ming Song Empire is nearing its end.

Otherwise you wouldn't have appeared in Yuanshan's Great Wolf Capital."

"I was deceived by Huaihe Xiansheng, sigh, though it can't quite be called deception.

The Academy Head's journey to Yuanshan saved billions of lives; how could someone of my junior rank casually comment?

But I truly am not—well, on this trip to Yuanshan, none of my elders objected, which is indeed rare.

As for me, I indeed came to escort Huaihe Xiansheng back home.

As for the others, I don't know either."

"Your standing in the Jinling Huayu Zhen Family is quite high, isn't it?"

"Second to none, or at least among the top."

If in the future you're willing to let a son under your knee bear the surname Zhen, the position of Family Head could be contested.

Zhen Ciyun answered candidly.

"So your 'Huayu Zhen Family' has already begun to hedge on both sides.

To put it plainly, for the illustrious clans of the Ming Song, being seized by the politically lax Yuanshan is far better than the strong rebels or revolutionary armies.

Given Chang Sheng Tie Mu's nature, if it truly swallows the Ming Song in the future—

as long as they obediently send troops and money, the power in the hands of the noble families might even increase.

In fact, upon closer thought, Tiemu Changsheng's governance model, though seemingly backward, does have its logic.

From his perspective.

'Since I was born to ride horses into battle, unrivaled under heaven, I devote myself wholly to riding into battle, a single move that devours the world.'

All other matters—land, people, wealth management, etc. —are left to others to worry about.

If managed well, fine; if plagued by corruption or poor governance, then—

I will ride into battle, annihilate their clan, reclaim all their money to fill the gaps and appease the populace, then find another noble house to take over.'

Tsk tsk tsk tsk, that really is convenient.

But for the overall civilizational development of humanity, it has a huge negative impact.

Yet for you, the scions of families that put clan above nation, it matters not."

Mid‑speech, the door of the private room was gently pushed open, and a group of maids brought over four plates and eight dishes of delicate banquet fare.

The dishes were set, two pots of yellow wine warmed, and ice was crushed into a bucket to chill two pots of fruit wine.

The maids quietly withdrew.

Zhang Gui, smelling the aroma of fish broth, couldn't help but twitch his index finger.

Leaving the window side, he took his seat and said:

"Come, Lady Ciyun, let's fill our stomachs first before discussing anything else."

Zhen Ciyun stood aside, silent for a long while, carefully savoring Zhang Gui's just‑spoken 'riding‑into‑battle theory,' noting every word precisely in her mind.

Then, sitting beside Zhang Gui, she earnestly warned him,

"You are so young, even if you have read countless histories, it is exceedingly rare to reach such 'investigating things and debating' level.

It is as if you were born with the knowledge.

Even someone of Baoshan Angyue's stature and temperament could be easily swayed by words.

That is not necessarily a good thing; one must know that 'wisdom determines lifespan.'"

Zhang Gui lifted a plump piece of fish belly with silver chopsticks, smiling:

"The reason Baoshan Angyue appears to value me is perhaps two or three percent because of those grand principles of 'words that do not shock the world never cease.'

The remaining seven or eight percent is because I, in the bamboo grove of Xianhezhai, casually broke the formation that restrained the 'Transcendent.'

In this world where 'great power returns to oneself,' there is no such thing as 'wisdom determines lifespan.'

It's merely a matter of whether the fist is big enough.

"Are you born to love arguing so much?"

Feeling that her good intentions were taken as 'donkey liver and lung,' Zhen Ciyun replied displefully.

Zhang Gui was startled and ceased his grandiloquent talk.

After a moment of contemplation, he offered an apologetic smile,

"It's my fault, my apologies, my apologies—do you prefer warm wine or cold fruit wine?"…

Although his stay in the Yuanshan Empire was brief, through firsthand experience Zhang Gui has concluded that even if his island nation Zhenlong expands tenfold faster—

he has already missed the chance to become the victor of the 'Great Contest of Dongzhou' due to entering too late.

And although Zhang Gui has constantly cultivated, striving to tap the Spirit Cong Power in his bloodline,

the crucial factor for transcendent advancement always remains: the Earthly Divine Kingdom granted by the Ancient God of Xihe Continent, with Giant Snake Head Island as the initial canvas.

Legal Divine Authority and the 'capital' element rule are the brush.

The national structure of the healthy development of government, society, and people is the 'pigment', depicting the trajectory of humanity's new civilization path.

And with this, lever the mysterious realm's certain powerful rules to obtain rewards.

In this situation.

The larger the 'canvas', the more powerful the 'brush', the denser the 'pigment', the clearer and deeper the depiction of humanity's new civilization trajectory.

The greater the force used to lever the mysterious realm's powerful rules, the richer the rewards.

But now, because the chance of winning the Dongzhou Great Contest has become slim.

The future chance for the 'canvas' to keep expanding becomes increasingly low.

As for the 'brush' being powerful, it requires time's honing.

Only by increasing the 'pigment' density is the shortcut easiest.

And the most likely winner of the Dongzhou Great Contest now is Chang Sheng Tie Mu; his 'human governance method' for ruling the nation is, in a sense, completely opposite to Zhang Gui's 'govern by law'.

Therefore, after Zhang Gui arrived at Great Wolf Capital, he subconsciously kept extracting Chang Sheng Tie Mu's governing philosophy from what he heard and saw.

Then he looks for a chance to express it, in pursuit of the 'collision of thoughts'.

Unwittingly, he became a troll…

'Steady and unhurried, one attains the end!'

Even if Chang Sheng Tie Mu's 'three down, five eliminate two' conquest of the Ming Song Kingdom deprives me of the chance to continue rapid expansion.

I still have the basic foothold of the sea's Giant Snake Head Island to act upon.

If I keep my composure, everything still holds great potential.

Why be so impatient?

Be careful not to go berserk.

Zhang Gui thought silently to himself.

Zhen Ciyun's voice, now gentle again, sounded at his ear,

'Warm wine is best.'

The hotter the summer heat, the more my stomach gets cold, needing warmth.

'Then I'll pour it for you.'

Zhang Gui snapped back, poured Zhen Ciyun a cup of warm Yellow wine, and handed it over.

When the lady took it, she raised her own cup and poured a full glass of chilled fruit wine,

'In summer I only love the cold.'

Cheers.

'Cheers.'

The two clinked cups and drank together, chatting casually.

Thus, Zhang Gui completely reorganized his thoughts over the course of a meal.

(End of chapter)