Chapter 195: Clouds in the Sky, Water in the Bottle
Chapter 195: Clouds in the Sky, Water in the Bottle (Subscription Request)
Prince Yu, in the eyes of outsiders, always kept his emotions to himself. This time, he lost his composure because this incident ruined a big plan in his mind.
In fact, he had a bad temper and was very impatient in his early years. It was only after being beaten by the old emperor for many years that he developed his current cunning character.
Even so, he was still quite dissatisfied with the old emperor.
The old emperor was a Taoist, but Prince Yu liked to hide in a secret room and recite Buddhist scriptures in private. He also carried a string of prayer beads with him in private, and when he was impulsive, he would move the prayer beads to suppress his inner unrest.
At this moment, he was moving the rosary beads in his sleeve, and his mood slowly calmed down.
"Mr. Dai, now that things have come to this, what can we do?"
Prince Yu has four trusted confidants in his mansion, codenamed "Jiangshan", "Xueying", "Nianhua" and "Zhulu".
Jiangshan is this Mr. Dai, Prince Yu’s trusted adviser. Many important matters are decided by him and Prince Yu.
As for Shen Mo, as Prince Yu's teacher, he did not get involved.
Of course, Prince Yu had no intention of discussing these matters with Shen Mo.
Mr. Dai has another advantage, that is, he was framed in his early years, which led to his failure in the imperial examination, so Prince Yu was able to use him with ease.
It was under Mr. Dai's planning that Prince Yu had a huge potential power in the court, which made his foundation even stronger. Although he did not have the title of crown prince, he was a crown prince in reality.
In fact, Princess Dongming's proposal to conceive a child with Xu Qing's bloodline was partly due to Mr. Dai's secret planning and guidance, but she herself was not aware of it.
And this is an almost unsolvable conspiracy.
If Xu Qing agrees now, it will lay a fuse.
Mr. Dai looked calm, and bowed to Prince Yu, saying, "Your Majesty, Xu Qing and Princess Dongming agreed to consummate their marriage in three years. Our plan did not fail, but the result was not as good as expected."
He summed up the matter in one sentence and comforted Prince Yu.
Prince Yu: "Xu Qing has only been rising for a few years. I am worried that he will be even more uncontrollable in three years."
Madam Haisha's affairs actually touched Prince Yu's weak spot. He had known the truth long ago, but kept it to himself for the sake of the court's overall interests.
Because Xu Qing was working for the Dayu Dynasty.
He had no reason to object.
Even though he makes a lot of small moves, when it comes to such fundamental matters, the old man knows it clearly and will not let him do whatever he wants.
In fact, he made many invisible efforts to clear the fields, quell the maritime threat, and even to obtain the silver needed to implement the Single Whip Law.
In Prince Yu's opinion, even without Xu Qing, he could still open up the seas, clear the fields, implement the One Whip Law, and become the greatest emperor of all time after he came to power.
Xu Qing's existence will even affect his evaluation in later generations.
But the old man protected Xu Qing, so Prince Yu could only endure it.
In particular, the old man's favoritism towards Xu Qing made Prince Yu jealous.
Look at what Xu Qing has done, which one is not worthy of death?
The results of it?
The old man never thought there was anything wrong with these things, and he became Xu Qing's true backer.
Without the old man's protection and Fang Laogou's protection of Xu Qing at the old man's instruction, Xu Qing would have been killed several times for what he had done.
Of course he understood that this was because Xu Qing's appearance just happened to be in the old man's interests.
In the past few decades since the old man came to power, there have been many people like this who have shined under his leadership, but they were all quite old and eventually fell from power.
Xu Qing is different, he is not even a Jinshi.
The old man was suppressing him, and even had the intention of keeping Xu Qing for him to use.
But Prince Yu did not approve of this good intention.
He had been oppressed by the old emperor all his life, and he didn't want to live in the old emperor's shadow after his death. Even if Xu Qing was Zhuge Liang, he didn't want to be Adou.
He wanted to be a famous king throughout history and to restore order.
In his opinion, the old man would not be highly regarded after his death.
Therefore, when he restores order, he will be a completely different emperor.
He is the true leader destined by heaven to revive the Great Yu Dynasty.
Mr. Dai, as Prince Yu's trusted adviser, knew his thoughts very well. He said calmly, "Your Highness, now is not the time to take action against Xu Qing. Have you forgotten what I said? Be patient. We'll see what happens in three to five years."
"Just bear with it, bear with it. How long do you have to endure this?" Prince Yu lifted his sleeves to reveal the rosary inside.
He is too depressed.
Mr. Dai: "The clouds dispersed and the moon rose in the sky. The water dried up and the pearl appeared. As long as Your Majesty is patient, everything will develop in Your Majesty's favor."
Prince Yu crushed a rosary in his hand, his expression became calm, and he said, "Mr. Dai, you are right."
In his position, not making mistakes is more important than anything else.
Well, let Xu Gongming deal with the chaos of the Haisha Gang himself.
Prince Yu smiled coldly.
Mr. Dai picked up the broken pieces of the tea bowl on the ground slowly and came to Prince Yu. "Your Majesty, the Emperor's Birthday is coming soon. It is our top priority to prepare a birthday gift for His Majesty carefully."
Prince Yu: "What do you think, sir?"
"Your Majesty's filial piety is so touching, I think the best thing to do is to give you a copy of the Blood Sutra written by your own hand."
"Ah this."
Prince Yu was startled, and Mr. Dai cut Prince Yu's fingertip with the sharp fragments of the tea bowl.
Prince Yu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and then began to write the blood sutra.
He was not disgusted by Mr. Dai's behavior, and even looked forward to the day when Mr. Dai would take the initiative to add a piece of clothing to him.
As for how he will treat Mr. Dai after that, only God knows.
And when he becomes emperor, he is the heaven!
...
...
"Sir, Madam Haisha wants you to come forward and help her." Su Lianqing sent a new piece of information.
Xu Qing knew that unless it was a huge problem, Madam Haisha would not look for him.
It also shows that Prince Yu has no intention of helping with this difficult problem.
Have you been abandoned?
Xu Qing unfolded the letter and learned about the problems within the Haisha Gang.
Mrs. Haisha is actually the daughter of the previous leader of the Haisha Gang, but now the Haisha Gang is leaderless.
All matters, big or small, are decided by the gang elders and Madam Haisha.
Previously, Madam Haisha had the secret support of Prince Yu, so she had a greater say.
However, after the incident with the Dongming Gang, it was clear that Prince Yu's support for Madam Haisha was decreasing.
The people in the gang saw the clues and naturally pressed on and tested Madam Haisha.
Now that the time is ripe, it is only natural for an ambitious person to emerge and want to become the new gang leader.
Moreover, the Haisha Gang is now colluding more and more with the Ministry of Households, and the benefits are getting bigger and bigger. No matter who becomes the gang leader, there will be huge benefits.
Behind them, they each have the support of powerful figures in the court.
If Madam Haisha still has the support of Prince Yu, others will naturally be wary.
Now, the situation is completely different.
Some people have even figured out from Madam Haisha's actions that she has defected to Xu Qing of Jiangning Prefecture.
The Haisha Gang was no stranger to Xu Qing, but they would not be scared off by a name when it came to interests. Xu Qing had a backer, and so did they.
Moreover, once Madam Haisha loses power in this gang meeting, she will inevitably be kicked out of the Haisha Gang, and her subordinates will also be liquidated together.
Xu Qing knew clearly that this was a common practice among underworld gangs.
In terms of power and scale, the Haisha Gang is even larger than the Jujing Gang. Moreover, if Xu Qing wants to contact Dongshan Province by sea, he cannot avoid the Haisha Gang.
The other party has a deep official background, so it is simply unrealistic to forcibly annex them.
He had another reason to take action in this matter.
He had just started cooperating with the Dongming Gang and Master Gu of Fang Xian Dao. If he couldn't even protect Madam Haisha, it would obviously make Princess Dongming and others waver again.
It will also make the outside world look down on him.
Xu Qing's current prestige was gained through repeated struggles.
Although it brings him great benefits, it also prevents him from failing easily.
This is one of the most difficult aspects of grassroots rise.
You can win countless times, but if you lose once, you will be surrounded by wolves.
Even though he is a famous scholar, he cannot compare to the other person's background of three generations of officials, so he can't afford to lose.
Xu Qing can't afford to lose.
Xu Qing does not shy away from his disadvantages.
He knew that once he succeeded, this would also be his advantage, because with less baggage, he could solve many difficult problems in a drastic manner.
"Write her back and tell her I will take care of this matter."
"that is all?"
"enough."
"only."
Su Lianqing replied quickly.
Xu Qing then asked her about the specific affairs of the Haisha Gang. Knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in every battle.
The more you know about the enemy, the fewer uncontrollable factors there are.
"Sir, do you want King Lin to go with you this time?"
Xu Qing waved his hand: "No need. After all, it is not appropriate for Big Brother to have too much open involvement with me, otherwise it will easily cause disputes in the court."
Some things can be done, but they cannot be brought to the surface. Xu Qing is not at the stage to overturn the table yet, so he must follow the rules.
Of course, if necessary, you don't have to be so strict.
In the final analysis, if I follow the rules with you, it is because I am giving you face; if I don’t follow the rules with you, it is because you are not giving me face.
Sometimes, things in the world are just so simple and clear.
The simpler the matter, the more it needs to be solved with fists.
Being too flashy is often because your fists are not strong enough.
There are not many things worth Xu Qing's brainstorming right now, and the matter of the Haisha Gang is obviously not among them.
This also reduces the burden on yourself.
...
...
When Xu Qing and Su Lianqing were discussing the Haisha Gang's affairs, Duke Wei's Mansion welcomed an unexpected guest.
"Let me find a chance to delay Xu Gongming for a month and prevent him from going to the Haisha Gang?" Duke Wei was a little hesitant after receiving the letter from his allies in the capital.
Recently, he and Xu Gongming have been getting along peacefully.
And as everyone gets rich together, the previous festivals are almost forgotten.
But the tree wants to be still but the wind doesn't stop.
It is obvious that Xu Gongming is a big man and he attracts a lot of attention, and he is not the only one who is offended.
The key point is that this person is Prince Yu’s open supporter.
"Could it be that Prince Yu has this intention?" Duke Wei temporarily arranged for the visitor to stay in the guest house and returned to his study to think about the matter.
If Prince Yu wanted to deal with Xu Qing, wouldn't it mean that Xu Qing would be in trouble?
But at this time, dealing with Xu Qing would obviously not be beneficial to the royal family.
Duke Wei looked at the letter and was very hesitant.
From a long-term perspective, weakening Xu Qing would be extremely beneficial to the Duke of Wei's Mansion. But the Duke of Wei knew very well how powerful Xu Qing was, and even the Duke of Yansheng's Mansion had been defeated by Xu Qing.
Although Duke Wei was keeping a low profile and his potential power was not comparable to that of the Confucius Mansion, it would not be good for him to win the battle against Xu Qing.
"This is a rare opportunity." Deep in Duke Wei's heart, an evil voice seemed to be speaking to him.
Duke Wei suppressed the evil thoughts in his heart and repeatedly pondered the contents of the letter.
In fact, he also has his people in the Haisha Gang.
Duke Wei knew very well what was going to happen to the Haisha Gang in the near future.
He pondered over it again and again, and suddenly an idea came to him.
...
...
"Duke Wei will go to Jinguang Temple to burn incense tomorrow and invite me to come over for a chat." Xu Qing was surprised for a moment.
There are so many temples in Yingtian Prefecture, why go to a faraway place?
Burning incense was of course an excuse; the point was wanting to meet him in private.
In any case, the choice of Jinguang Temple shows that Duke Wei has no hostility.
Xu Qing knew that as his foundation became more solid and his strength grew, people like the Duke of Wei would be less and less willing to fight with him.
All reactionaries are paper tigers.
Before, Duke Wei didn't even dare to risk his life with him, let alone now?
Xu Qing naturally went to the appointment calmly.
The next day, he rode his Fire Cloud Horse out of the city and arrived at the Jinguang Temple at the appointed time, where he was entertained by Fayue.
The two new and old giants of today's South Zhili began to meet.
In later generations, Zen Master Fayue's letters recorded this meeting.
At that time, although Duke Wei had the potential to control the southeast, he was overshadowed by Xu Jieyuan.
The fact is, Xu Qing came up first and showed all courtesy to the old senior.
This was the first official meeting between the two.
When they met, they were very happy and soon became friends regardless of age difference.
Xu Jieyuan said that the Duke of Wei had the overlord spirit of King Fuchai of Wu. The Duke of Wei praised Xu Jieyuan as a young hero, like the Little Overlord of Jiangdong a thousand years ago.
Anyway, everyone tries their best to compliment the other person.
After some communication, Duke Wei took out the letter with its origin erased.
Xu Qing took it, looked at it, and asked, "Does the Duke want to keep Xu?"
Duke Wei smiled slightly and said, "I don't mean that."
Xu Qing immediately understood that the old beast was going to get some benefits.
You really know how to find opportunities.
He also understood what Duke Wei meant. As long as he could get some benefits from Xu Qing, the amount didn't matter. The key was to be able to restore his reputation within the four major families.
This is also the bad consequence of the recent cooperation between the Zhu family and Xu Qing.
Business is business, but the Zhu family's close dealings with Xu Qing behind Duke Wei's back clearly show that they do not take Duke Wei's Mansion seriously and can't tell who is the boss.
Xu Qing sighed and said, "I understand what the Duke meant. I was planning to talk to Madam about the matter of Wei Yuan, the last disciple of the Chaotian Temple Master, before I left. Since the Duke is so kind, I will not say anything."
The smile that Duke Wei had just revealed froze, and he resisted the urge to curse the little beast.
If you bring up such things, are you, Xu Gongming, still a human being?
He originally thought that due to the indirect relationship between Xu Qing and the master of Chaotian Temple, even if Xu Qing knew about this, he would not make it public.
I didn't expect this kid to have no bottom line at all.
He immediately understood that Wei Yuan had failed to deal with Xu Qing, and he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed with this illegitimate son, as he turned out to be a good-for-nothing.
While feeling disappointed, I also seemed to be relieved. It seems that I don’t have to worry about the future. Everyone is the same. I should just let things take their course.
Duke Wei was an old fox after all, and he quickly regained his composure and said with a smile: "Gongming is a wonderful man, I accept your kindness and will not hold you back this time."
Xu Qing smiled and said, "I am planning to establish a college specializing in textile technology. I wonder if the Duke is interested in participating?"
Duke Wei did not expect that there would be a sudden turn of events, and asked curiously, "What is the benefit of this move?"
Xu Qing then talked about the benefits of establishing the college.
Duke Wei naturally understood after hearing this, and then asked: "But how can we ensure that these craftsmen who are researching the technology will not keep it to themselves, and are willing to teach it to their apprentices?"
Xu Qing gave the answer: "Share the profits with them."
Duke Wei was a little unhappy. Who the hell was a craftsman? Was he worthy of eating at the same table with them?
Xu Qing then patiently explained the restrictions and details. After hearing this, Duke Wei realized that these craftsmen could indeed get some benefits, but not much.
Xu Qing's intention was to stimulate the enthusiasm of the craftsmen.
In fact, getting something started is more important than actually achieving results.
Even if he teaches mathematics, physics and chemistry now, it is difficult to promote them because there is no motivation.
Although there is such a strong motivation to learn eight-legged essay, in fact many scholars cannot continue to learn it, let alone this practical knowledge.
It's better for him to start now than to have no start at all.
Success does not have to be mine.
Do whatever extra you can.
Xu Qing finally convinced Duke Wei, because he came here but didn't get any benefits, which was very embarrassing.
In fact, when he really met Xu Qing, he actually liked this young man a little.
Festivals are festivals, but when you see the beauty of the world and compare it with the rotten wood in your own home, it’s hard not to appreciate it.
He even considered practicing a trumpet with his wife.
These years, his wife's beauty had faded, and it was indeed a bit hard for him to bear to have sex with her anymore. But for the sake of the long-term prosperity of the Duke of Wei's Mansion, it was time for him to make another sacrifice.
After Duke Wei returned, he had a close time with his wife.
The lady was flattered. Afterwards, she inquired and found out that the Duke of Wei had previously met Xu Qing and thought it was Xu Qing's credit.
Not caring about the fact that his son had suffered at the hands of Xu Qing, she happily picked out several gifts and sent them to Feng Wu in Jiangning Mansion.
There are also antiques, calligraphy and paintings cherished by Duke Wei!
...
...
The headquarters of the Haisha Gang.
"It's just Xu Gongming, why are you all so scared? Last year, I was collecting ginseng in Changbai Mountain and met an old immortal in the mountain who gave me some pointers and taught me the formation. I have made great progress in my enlightenment this year and I will teach him to be a man of no return."
The person who spoke was full of arrogance.
His face and arms have obvious wood texture and the roots of the demon tree.
Everyone in the headquarters has also seen his formation, which is indeed powerful.
It is even said that it can even trap martial arts masters and spiritual masters.
As for the old immortal this person met, everyone knew that he was the Black Mountain Demon, the old demon lord of the Seven Killing Demon Palace in Changbai Mountain.
People who are knowledgeable about this formation have also figured out its origin. It is the Qingmu Heavenly Demon Formation from Changbai Mountain. It is truly extremely powerful.
The previous master of the Demon Palace had set up this formation once in Taihe Mountain. If it weren’t for the sloppy Taoist who was so powerful that he could sense the core of the formation and use the Three Yin Demon-Slaying Sword of Xuantian Shenglong Dao to break the formation, he would have suffered a great loss.
Naturally, the formation this man set up could not be compared with that of the Demon Palace Master, but it was not an exaggeration to say that it could trap a martial arts master.
As a result, everyone's uneasy hearts calmed down a little.
(End of this chapter)