Chapter 329: Seeking Entry into Chuan Shu

After arranging the Imperial Examination in Liangzhou, Liu Zheng handed everything over to the Cabinet to handle.

Since the Cabinet had been established.

It had to be allowed to operate perfectly and healthily as an administrative tool. He even instructed Liu Dahao that as long as the Cabinet was operating healthily and within a certain scope, he should delegate power to it, whether it be the power to deliberate on policy or the power to make decisions.

He always believed that only by pooling wisdom could one avoid certain decision-making errors.

Let professional people do professional things.

As for Liu Dahao, it would be fine for him to just be a wealthy man of leisure.

In this way.

As long as there was a Cabinet, whether it was Liu Dahao or himself, they could be hands-off managers; why not do so?

After arranging all of this.

He rode a horse alone, with Pei Qianyun accompanying him, and arrived in Yinzhou.

Looking at Yintan City from afar, Liu Zheng suddenly felt his heart expand. Today's Yinzhou was already a world-renowned city. At a glance, one could see the busy factories, the anxious passersby, the drunken merchants, and the speculators frantically flipping Yinzhou Coins. The chimneys, the horse carriages, and the Cement Road that stretched on endlessly.

"Brother Du!"

To Liu Zheng's surprise, when he arrived at Yintan City, he happened to see the logistics Grand Eunuch of the Yinzhou Chamber of Commerce at the time, Du Biao!

"Little Brother Liu!"

Du Biao was also very happy, and he linked arms with Liu Zheng and laughed.

"I heard recently that Little Brother Liu stood up to the Third Prince; that was truly gratifying!"

Du Biao had clearly just returned from the Western Regions, and his attire was still that of the Western Regions. Liu Zheng felt a bit strange and looked behind him.

Sure enough.

Du Biao's old face flushed, and he laughed heartily: "Come, come, come, meet Little Brother Liu!"

A woman with a rather exotic appearance walked forward shyly, but she could not help the curiosity flashing in her eyes toward Liu Zheng. It seemed the reputation of the Protector of the State of Loulan was still something people kept in their hearts.

Liu Zheng asked in surprise: "Brother Du has settled down?"

Du Biao chuckled: "I'm not young anymore; settling down and starting a family is how it should be."

Liu Zheng felt quite happy inside.

When he first knew Du Biao, he was the Third Leader of Baiya City, but he had never seen his family. It was likely that at that time, he felt he was merely a man of the wild and had no thoughts of starting a family, but after coming to Yintan City, he now held an official position and was someone everyone had to flatter when they saw him.

Therefore, the desire to start a family had arisen.

Liu Zheng respectfully called out "Sister-in-law," and seeing that the woman was already pregnant, he laughed even more heartily: "Then today, we must drink to our hearts' content!"

The two entered Yintan City together.

Qingyang Shuo had long heard that Liu Zheng was coming and came out in a wheelchair to welcome him, with Hu Xi'er and Zheng Yueru following behind.

It had been a long time, and Hu Xi'er had grown even more stunningly beautiful and much more mature. After seeing Liu Zheng, she gave him a fierce glare.

"Sir, have you been well?"

Liu Zheng smiled and walked forward, then greeted the others one by one.

Qingyang Shuo chuckled: "Young Master's measures in Liangzhou have deterred the petty, and the whole world knows it. Here in Yinzhou, the Yinzhou Coin has naturally risen sharply, so we are naturally well!"

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

Liu Zheng was also left speechless.

Sure enough.

Unknowingly...

His own actions could directly influence the rise and fall of the Yinzhou Coin. If it rose, the people within Yinzhou would naturally live in luxury.

If it fell, they would naturally suffer losses.

As he further consolidated control over Liangzhou, he feared this influence would only grow deeper and more far-reaching.

This time, when Liu Zheng came to Yinzhou, Qingyang Shuo naturally knew what it was for. As the banquet began, he smiled and asked Liu Zheng: "Does the Young Master intend to enter Chuan Shu?"

Liu Zheng gave a wry smile: "Sir knows me!"

Qingyang Shuo said indifferently: "The Southern Barbarian invasion sounds like a small matter at first glance. But for Liangzhou at this moment, it is of the utmost importance."

Liu Zheng's eyes lit up, and he listened attentively.

The others also put down their chopsticks and listened seriously.

Qingyang Shuo smiled: "When the Young Master invited me to come out of seclusion back then, I offered two strategies."

"Advance West, move South!"

Everyone nodded.

Advancing West meant taking the Western Regions. Now, not only had the Silk Road been successfully opened, but Loulan had also become a partner, and they had even taken Yanqi and Cheshi, rebuilding the Western Regions Protectorate.

The current Dayuan Kingdom had been beaten so badly in one battle that it could not recover for over a decade.

As long as Liu Zheng wanted to, he could wipe them out with a military expedition.

The path of advancing West was undoubtedly a complete success.

And moving South.

This involved Liu Zheng's Grand Canal project. The Battle of Hanzhong had made the Prince of Yong a supporter of Liu Zheng, and furthermore, the Liangzhou Army was stationed in Hanzhong. It could be said that if the Prince of Yong continued to follow him as obediently as before, that would be fine, but if things changed one day, it would not be difficult for Liu Zheng to deal with Hanzhong.

He now firmly controlled the vital point of Hanzhong.

Therefore.

Aside from internal development in Liangzhou, what Liu Zheng was now plotting was to continue moving South!

Chuan Shu!

This had been the world's granary since ancient times; if one gained Chuan Shu, one gained the granary!

At this time, with the Prince of Shu critically ill, it would be impossible for Liu Zheng not to have any thoughts about it!

Now, it was time to carry out the advanced plan of "moving South"!

Therefore.

Even though Qingyang Shuo believed that Liu Zheng was already capable of handling things on his own, Liu Zheng still felt that he should first make a trip to Yinzhou to plan things out properly with Qingyang Shuo.

Of course.

To set out for Chuan Shu, one had to go to Kezhou Port to board a ship, so naturally, one had to pass through Yinzhou.

Qingyang Shuo chuckled and said, "If the Young Master wishes to obtain Chuan Shu, he must be prepared to pay a price."

"Oh?"

Liu Zheng's heart skipped a beat.

Qingyang Shuo continued, "First and foremost, there is the price of reputation. If you plot to take Chuan Shu, there will be the suspicion of taking advantage of someone's misfortune! The King of Shu is asking for aid, yet I am plotting against him; how will the world view and judge this?"

Liu Zheng fell into deep thought.

This was indeed a very heavy price.

Because ever since he began developing Yinzhou, his reputation had always been good, and after successfully managing the plague, he had even earned the title of Contemporary Sage; in the end, taking over the entire Liangzhou was also forced by circumstances.

All this time...

He had never displayed his ambition!

But...

If he were to plot for Chuan Shu, he dared not imagine the consequences once this ambition was revealed. He was already "a tall tree attracting the wind" enough as it was; if he made people think he had the ambition to plot for the world... wouldn't those Feudatory Kings unite to devour him alive?

Qingyang Shuo laughed heartily and said, "Secondly, there is the reaction of the imperial court."

Liu Zheng gave a bitter smile again.

Xie Tianyao undoubtedly trusted him right now.

But...

The bottom line he had set for him should be limited to Liangzhou.

If he were to reach his hand into Chuan Shu...

How would Xie Tianyao react?

Would it invite the thunderous wrath of the imperial court?

But...

He believed that now was the best time to continue moving south! There could be no better opportunity than this! If he lost this chance, it would be even harder to enter Shu in the future!

At this moment.

He was truly conflicted.

【Author's Note】

With this update speed, I really don't dare to ask for tips to urge updates, hahahaha. A big climax has ended, I need to outline the detailed plot for what comes next.