Chapter 143: Closing the Gate to Beat the Dog

A vast and mighty procession.

Slowly marching toward Baiya.

After the appreciation of merits, the various armies were all filled with joy.

Grand Eunuch Zhou sat inside a luxurious horse carriage, enjoying a full-body massage from a young eunuch; the incense inside the carriage made one feel drowsy. As summer arrived, the weather grew hotter, so while one young eunuch massaged him, another fanned him.

"Old Ancestor, these are the gift lists sent by several generals from General Zheng's side! Would you like to see them?"

At this moment, another young eunuch came into the carriage to pay his respects.

Grand Eunuch Zhou did not even lift his eyelids, giving a light grunt: "What good things could there be in a poor place like Liangzhou! You lot, take them and divide them up!"

The three young eunuchs hurriedly offered various flatteries and thanks.

Over these past few days, Grand Eunuch Zhou, acting as the "Imperial Envoy," had received so many gifts that his hands were tired; especially from the Crown Prince's side, there were all sorts of rare treasures. Although these items had not been brought along, since they appeared on the gift list, they would certainly be sent to Grand Eunuch Zhou in various ways after returning to the capital. The Third Prince's gifts were not bad either, mostly consisting of Silver Notes.

"Hmph, two days have passed already, is there still no movement from Prince Lu?"

Grand Eunuch Zhou slowly sat up, changed his posture, and let the young eunuch knead his shoulders.

"Exactly, Old Ancestor, this Prince Lu is truly too tactless!"

"We should impeach him when we return!"

The three young eunuchs chimed in one after another.

Grand Eunuch Zhou chuckled: "That old fox Prince Lu, do you think he really doesn't understand the situation? He is waiting to sell at a high price! This cautious old fox cannot figure out my intentions for coming to Baiya Prefecture this time, hehe..."

The three young eunuchs laughed along.

Sure enough.

Just past noon, Grand Eunuch Zhou felt the weather was too hot and ordered a rest on the spot. This journey, which should have taken only three days, had already taken four, and they hadn't even reached the halfway point. Zheng Yuxing was impatient, but he dared to be angry yet dared not speak.

Fortunately, the war had just ended, so it could be considered a chance for the soldiers to relax.

Just after resting for a while, Prince Lu had indeed arrived.

"Oh my, oh my, Grand Eunuch Zhou, Grand Eunuch Zhou, I have been suffering from heatstroke these past few days and have truly been negligent. I have only just recovered and come to pay a visit. Please be magnanimous, you must be magnanimous!"

Prince Lu, this fat man in brocade robes, covered in sweat, gave Grand Eunuch Zhou plenty of face.

Grand Eunuch Zhou also looked pleasantly surprised: "Prince Lu, what are you saying? You are shaming this old servant! Prince Lu is a member of the royal family, this must never happen, it must never happen!"

The two exchanged fake pleasantries before Prince Lu took his seat.

He accompanied him with a smile and wiped his sweat, but in his heart, he was sneering. This Grand Eunuch Zhou, stopping and starting along the way, was likely just waiting for him to come over.

In the entire Longyan Dynasty, everyone knew that Grand Eunuch Zhou was immensely greedy! But so what? An old fox like Prince Lu naturally understood that Grand Eunuch Zhou's greed and his own feigned stupidity were actually the same concept. Both were just an act!

Or rather, it was all just trying to cover up something by making it more conspicuous.

A person must have some flaws to be considered a trustworthy person.

As the saying goes, accompanying the Emperor is like accompanying a tiger. For someone like Grand Eunuch Zhou, who had grown up accompanying the old Emperor and knew too many secrets of the old Emperor Xie Tianyao, the single flaw of being a "Eunuch" was absolutely not enough! Beyond being physically incomplete, he also had to have flaws in his humanity!

Therefore, he was greedy.

Only by being greedy could he make the current Emperor feel at ease and continue to reuse him.

In reality...

What was the use of his greed?

A eunuch who was castrated and entered the palace at fourteen, without even an heir, what was the use of hoarding so much silver?

But greed is something that, once tainted by it, is truly impossible to quit. If the previous Grand Eunuch Zhou was greedy for self-preservation, the current him had already made greed the greatest joy of his life.

"Grand Eunuch Zhou conveys the Emperor's will, laboring his heart and spirit; he should be comforted, he should be comforted!"

As soon as Prince Lu sat down, he took a gift list out of his sleeve.

When Grand Eunuch Zhou saw it, his face blossomed with smiles, yet he hypocritically said: "Prince Lu, what is this, what is this..."

But how could he resist Prince Lu's "great kindness"? In the end, the gift list still fell into Grand Eunuch Zhou's pocket. He took a quick look, and his heart couldn't help but jump—a grand gift indeed!

"Oh my, Prince Lu, this... one should not accept rewards without merit..."

Grand Eunuch Zhou coughed and looked over sideways.

Prince Lu chuckled: "Grand Eunuch Zhou, that is being too much of a stranger. Since ancient times, there have been strict time limits for an Imperial Envoy leaving the palace..."

He did not finish his sentence, ending it with a chuckle.

A sharp glint flashed in Grand Eunuch Zhou's eyes, and he smiled without warmth: "The world says Prince Lu is foolish, but this old servant knows that Prince Lu can see through the world at a glance. Since Prince Lu has asked, this old servant naturally knows everything and will answer everything."

Prince Lu looked left and right.

Grand Eunuch Zhou waved his hand, and the three young eunuchs left the carriage one by one.

Only then did Prince Lu take out an even heavier gift list. After Grand Eunuch Zhou accepted it again, he took a deep breath and smiled bitterly: "Grand Eunuch Zhou, please instruct me, is this trip to Baiya related to that Refined Salt?"

This was the question he cared about most!

The Baiya Army's previous Refined Salt business had been under his protection.

If this matter had alarmed the Emperor and he had sent an Imperial Envoy to investigate, it would be truly serious.

Along the way, Prince Lu's heart had been pounding.

Thinking it over, this was the only reason that could have brought Grand Eunuch Zhou to Baiya.

Grand Eunuch Zhou accepted the heavy gift and then smiled: "Prince Lu, can one say that the current Emperor is the most sagely since the founding of Longyan without exaggeration?"

Prince Lu was shaken: "Naturally not!"

Grand Eunuch Zhou said indifferently: "Since the Emperor is the Emperor, he represents the will of Heaven! Is a mere trifle like Refined Salt worth the Emperor's personal supervision?"

Only then did Prince Lu heave a sigh of relief and curiously asked: "Then..."

Grand Eunuch Zhou glanced at him: "Prince Lu, you are the Emperor's own brother; you should know the Emperor's temperament—he is a person who is single-mindedly focused on wealth..."

"Great Good!"

Prince Lu took a deep breath upon hearing this, looking at Grand Eunuch Zhou in shock.

Grand Eunuch Zhou smiled and said nothing, refusing to say another word.

Finally. The Viscount got off the carriage, drenched in sweat. He glanced at the Longyan Army behind the carriage and suddenly burst into loud laughter, feeling much more relaxed in body and mind.

……

Liu Zheng had indeed gone out to the street to distribute flyers.

This left Du Biao and Yang Ke both dumbfounded.

Especially Du Biao, who had previously witnessed the power of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce's overwhelming advertisements. Who would have thought that even with all his wealth, this Young Master Liu would still not let go of any opportunity to make money.

Yang Ke rubbed his eyes and said with a bitter smile, "Du Biao, is this Young Master Liu always such a... person obsessed with wealth?"

The corners of Du Biao's mouth twitched.

Soon, within a few days, this Baiya Prefecture became an ocean of advertisements for the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce.

Following the appeal of the War Horse Fair, more and more merchants, representatives of various heroes, and shopkeepers flooded into the city.

As soon as they entered.

They would receive a flyer.

On it was written in striking characters.

"A good horse needs a good saddle; Yinzhou saddles ensure you have a 'worry-free' stay at the inn!"

"War horse heroes, swords and fans fragrant; produced by the Yinzhou Weaponry Workshop, Refined Steel long swords!"

"The divine artifact that bravely repelled the Xiongnu, the nightmare of the Cavalry, the mysterious wolf-fang broom, will be officially unveiled at the venue!"

"Yinzhou Drunk, Drunk Yinzhou; the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce launches a new series of twin-city collaboration products, Baiya Sentiment, enjoy to your heart's content!"

The entire venue became lively.

Du Biao glanced at Yang Ke and said with a bitter smile, "Second Brother, no matter what, with Young Master Liu's thirty thousand troops outside, the Baiya Army should be worry-free this time!"

Yang Ke sighed, filled with worry: "Eldest Brother has not yet returned, I dare not speculate on this matter."

Du Biao's heart sank: "Is Second Brother worried that..."

Yang Ke looked leisurely toward the horse track: "How I wish I were just being too suspicious... How I wish that our band of brothers could still gallop on the horse track, sit and watch the heroes of the world... eating meat in big mouthfuls and drinking wine from big bowls, hahaha!"

"I am but a man of the wilds, why envy the imperial court?"

"I am but a man of the wilds, why be tied to the world?"

"I am but a man of the wilds, I should return to the vastness!"

"I am but a man of the wilds, why worry about the descendants of Yan and Huang!"

Du Biao was shaken to the core, clenching his fists tightly: "Second Brother!"

Yang Ke lowered his eyelids and mused: "Du Biao, things have reached this point, there is one thing I must tell you."

Du Biao looked over in confusion.

Yang Ke looked calm, but his words were shocking: "The entire Baiya Army thinks that our transaction Account Book from the past years is in my hands, but I only discovered a few days ago that the Account Book in my possession is a fake!"

"What?"

Du Biao was shaken, his face full of horror.

……

Liu Zheng had just returned to his residence after distributing flyers.

Jiang Xuan was already waiting in the room. Seeing Liu Zheng return, he stood up and said: "Young Master, these past few days I have visited the city's laborers, merchants, and various flower houses, filtering the intelligence I collected, and finally obtained definitive news..."

"Oh? And?"

Liu Zheng asked with a smile.

Jiang Xuan took a deep breath: "Young Master's guess was correct. This time, the Baiya Army is using the crisis of their military defeat and promising heavy profits to invite mostly the great generals of the various Feudatory Kings, and even a few Feudatory Kings will come in person!"

Bang!

Liu Zheng slapped the table and stood up, a crooked smile on his face: "This is exactly what I meant by the place to subvert power!"

Zheng Yueru and Hu Xi'er were listening nearby and looked at each other in dismay, both asking curiously.

Liu Zheng's eyes burned, his words ringing with clarity: "Have you ever thought about what it would mean if the Baiya Army possessed an Account Book that could prove these Feudatory Kings have been purchasing war horses over the years?"

The expressions of the three changed simultaneously.

Jiang Xuan said in even greater terror: "Young Master, do you mean... the Great Leader of the Baiya Army wants to hand over this Account Book to seek self-preservation?"

The Account Book!

In the current Longyan Dynasty, Feudatory Kings are numerous, each governing their own territory. The old Emperor Xie Tianyao is still holding on, so the Longyan Dynasty will not fall into chaos; after all, his remaining prestige still holds. But what if he were gone? Anyone could imagine that by then, whether the Crown Prince takes the throne or the Third Prince succeeds to the throne, they would simply be unable to suppress the power of these Feudatory Kings!

And in recent years, as the old Emperor's health has been failing day by day.

Every Feudatory King has actually already begun an arms race!

The goal is to be able to contend for the Zhongyuan after the old Emperor passes away!

And under such circumstances...

What does an account of war horse purchases mean?

It means the old Emperor could take the opportunity to see which Feudatory Kings have ulterior motives and which are seeking stability.

And this time...

The Baiya Army has invited these Feudatory Kings over.

And then the Imperial Envoy, Grand Eunuch, has brought over the army that just repelled the Xiongnu...

There is naturally no need to elaborate on what they want to do!

The Account Book is the evidence of the Feudatory Kings ignoring the imperial order and privately preparing for war!

Shutting the door to beat the dog!

If this Account Book truly appears, there is no doubt that these Feudatory Kings who came to the meeting will have no chance of returning.

"Good heavens!"

Thinking of this, Liu Zheng felt a chill run down his spine.

Who was it that said the old emperor was on his deathbed?

Who was it that said the old emperor had become muddled?

This emperor, who only grows more cunning with age, is trying every possible way to clear the path for his son!

"Jiang Xuan!"

"Present!"

Liu Zheng was just about to issue an order.

At this moment, Du Biao and Yang Ke also knocked on the door and walked in.

Liu Zheng had not yet spoken.

Du Biao fell to his knees with a thud, sobbing uncontrollably: "Brother Liu, the Baiya Army is in danger. I beg you, Prefect Liu, to save the Baiya Army!"

【Author's Note】

Thank you to the brothers for your concern over these past few days, and thank you to the brothers who have kept reading. Thank you all, truly. Without further ado, I will speed up the updates while maintaining quality and quantity.