knife

Chapter 190 Guests
Zhang Ruo was overcome with tears.

His daughter cooked him a bowl of porridge, and then resolutely embarked on the road back to Chang'an.

Watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance under the afterglow of the setting sun, Zhang Ruo wondered if she and her daughter would ever be able to travel together on the same road again.

He was still trying his best to keep the crumbling Qin Dynasty afloat.
Meanwhile, Zhang Qingyun was preparing for the collapse of the Qin Dynasty.

However, the person she served was Li Dachui.

Planning ahead in advance, remaining silent until the moment of truth, and then making a stunning debut – this is precisely Li Dachui's consistent style of doing things.

From plotting to establish Baoping Prefecture to setting up the Anxi Protectorate, everything was planned years in advance.

What outsiders perceive as luck is actually the result of years of meticulous planning by someone.

Zhang Ruo believed that her daughter's return to Chang'an this time was undoubtedly a move by Li Dachui to begin his scheme to seize control of the interior.

The first piece to be placed this time was his own daughter.

No wonder he, as a prisoner newly arrived outside the Great Wall, attracted such attention from this man, who not only tried every means to save his life but also treated his daughter with great courtesy.

Was it because he had anticipated this day?

Now that he is a third-rank deputy censor, once Zhang Qingyun returns to Chang'an, she will once again be a well-bred young lady and a highly sought-after figure in Chang'an's aristocratic circles.

With the manpower, material resources, and financial support provided by the Anxi Protectorate, coupled with her daughter's own abilities, Zhang Ruo believed that it wouldn't be long before Zhi Qiu Yuan would weave an incredibly vast network within the Great Wall. Then, when Li Da Chui needed it, they could begin to exert their influence.

"Yuan Tong, is the Great Qin Dynasty truly beyond saving?" Wiping away her tears, Zhang Ruo, her eyes red, turned to look at Yuan Tong, who had come to see her off.

“Scholar, I don’t know much about national affairs, but what Miss Qingyun said makes a lot of sense!” Yuan Tong, holding his sword, tried hard to recall what Zhang Qingyun had said on the way. “It’s only a matter of time before chaos breaks out within the pass. The defeat at Xiangcheng was a concentrated eruption of all the contradictions, giving the already unstable Qin Dynasty another heavy blow.”

"I don't believe it's true!" Zhang Ruo stubbornly insisted.

Yuan Tong glanced at Zhang Ruo without saying anything. He knew that Zhang Ruo didn't disbelieve, but simply didn't want to.

The truth is always the cruelest.

Zhang Qingyun would not lie about such a thing.

In particular, the fact that Wu De was actually the fourth-ranking figure in the Black Ice Bureau really made Yuan Tong gasp. This was incredibly unexpected. Along the way, neither he nor his elder brother, who considered themselves seasoned veterans, had noticed anything amiss.

Compared to these people, I was truly arrogant and ignorant in the past. It's really not easy to have lived to this age.

"Scholar, there's no need to be sad. In my opinion, you and Miss Qingyun may very well end up together in the future!" Yuan Tong comforted him.

"How so?" Zhang Ruo asked in return.

Now, he is desperately trying to find a more reasonable explanation for the different behaviors of himself and his daughter, like a drowning person trying to grab onto something. Even though Yuan Tong is essentially a rough and reckless man, he wants to hear what kind of reasoning this person can come up with.

What if it works?
Even a lame excuse.

“If Governor Li and his men want to dominate the area outside the Great Wall and launch a northern expedition against the Yuan Dynasty, it’s simply impossible without more than ten years of preparation,” Yuan Tong laughed. “And that’s assuming everything goes smoothly. According to Miss Qingyun, the area inside the Great Wall will be in chaos within two or three years. If it really gets chaotic, what does that have to do with Governor Li and his men? If that time comes and Governor Li and his men march their troops into the Great Wall, that won’t be a rebellion, that will be a suppression of a rebellion!”

Zhang Ruo smiled wryly: "Whether it's Linghu Ye or Li Dachui, they will definitely use the pretext of suppressing rebellions when they first enter the pass, but in the end, they will most likely change dynasties again!"

Yuan Tong hesitated for a long time before saying, "Scholar, whether or not the emperor is changed is really not important. What does it matter to ordinary people who are emperor? As long as they live well, that's all that matters. So, when that time really comes, in my opinion, the most important thing is how to end the chaos as quickly as possible. It's better to be a dog in times of peace than a person in times of chaos. Even we Jianghu figures don't want to be fighting every day or every day."

Yuan Tong's words offered Zhang Ruo some comfort.

"Let's wait and see!" Zhang Ru tried to cheer himself up: "Yuan Tong, no matter what, we must strive to grow stronger. Li Dachui once said something good: we should be the ones sitting at the table ordering the food, not the dishes on the table."

Yuan Tong nodded repeatedly.

Strength is everything.

This was true in the martial arts world in the past, and it is even more true in the officialdom now.

The difference is that the officialdom is more complex and more unpredictable than the martial arts world.

In the martial arts world, so-called strength can basically be summarized as martial prowess.

In officialdom, force is only one aspect of power. To navigate the officialdom successfully is far more difficult than to roam the martial world.

He was a figure in the martial arts world, but in the officialdom, he was still a complete novice. Moreover, Yuan Tong felt that he had entered the officialdom too late in his life, and if he wanted to achieve anything great, he could only choose to cling to a powerful figure.

Tomorrow is the official opening day of the Inspectorate, so Du County was still quite lively late into the night. After being persuaded by Yuan Tong with a mix of threats and encouragement, Xu Ziqi, the magistrate of Du County, whether out of fear of Yuan's power or because he had truly come to his senses, began to cooperate fully with the arrangements of the Inspectorate.

At least, the few pigs, a dozen sheep, and other animals such as chickens, ducks, fish, and geese brought out from the Xu family compound will make tomorrow's banquet look much better.

Otherwise, Zhang Ruo would most likely only be able to host a completely vegetarian banquet. He himself didn't care, but Yuan Tong felt that doing so would make him look down on by others.

People live a face, and trees live a skin.

Sometimes you have to pretend you're rich even if you're not!

You can choose not to show off, but you can't be without it.

As Zhang Ruo had predicted, the first group to arrive in Dushan County the next day was Cai Ming's men from Xuanwu.

The congratulatory party was of a very high standard. The leader of the delegation was Cai Ming's son, Cai Tianyou. As soon as the three boats arrived, they immediately filled the small dock in Dushan County.

Xuanwu Prefecture was the farthest from Dushan, but it was the first place they arrived at.

Cai Ming provided Zhang Ruo with the greatest support through his actions.

Of course, this is also because Cai Ming has always maintained considerable independence. Neither Linghu Ye nor Xiao Changche nor Li Dachui have many ways to restrain Cai Ming now. If you anger this guy, he will sail out to sea and you really can't do anything about it.

Now, this guy is determined to form a weak alliance with Zhang Ruo, and play a game where one plus one must be greater than two.

The gifts Cai Tianyou brought dazzled Xu Ziqi.

It also showed this guy, who was living in a small county town, what true wealth really is.

Especially the last thing that caught everyone's attention at the dock was the gold and silver ingots that filled ten trays.

They rarely saw silver in their lives; most of the time they used copper coins or even bartered. Such large ingots of gleaming gold and silver were extremely rare.

"Heavenly blessing, Heavenly blessing!" Zhang Ru smiled like a flower, pulling Cai Tianyou's hand and walking arm in arm: "You've really put me on the hot seat. With so many things entering my yamen, those thieves who are envious will probably wear down the threshold of the yamen!"

Cai Tianyou laughed loudly and said, "Scholar, you are too modest. You are the Inspector General of the Pass, someone that even Protector Linghu and Protector Xiao would have to give you some respect to. What thief would be so blind as to dare to mess with you? Besides, if there really is someone who is blind, with a great master like Brother Yuan here to keep watch, you can use him as a sacrifice. I have heard that when a new government office is opened in the pass, it is customary to arrest people and punish them in a public manner to suppress evil spirits!"

The two men talked and laughed loudly as they walked from the dock toward the Censor's Office.

Duxian County has been quite lively these past few days, with many merchants and solo travelers arriving here by sheer coincidence. It's obvious to anyone with a brain that these people are all spies.

They don't even really avoid people.

Actually, deep down, he looked down on Zhang Ruo, this empty government office!

This performance by the two is also telling some people that Scholar Zhang and Inspector Zhang are not alone, but have allies.

“This time, a certain family brought over a hundred men, all of whom are reserved for the scholar and will serve under his command,” Cai Tianyou said with a smile. “My father knows that the scholar’s ​​biggest weakness right now is his manpower. If the scholar finds someone useful, he can keep them; if he doesn’t like someone, he can send them back.”

“We are indeed short-handed, so I won’t thank you!” Zhang Ruo laughed. “However, they will most likely suffer if they follow me. Sometimes they might not even get paid in full. If they are unhappy then, they are free to come and go!”

“These are all people who used to make a living at sea. What hardships haven’t they endured?” Cai Tianyou laughed. “As for money, Scholar, you don’t need to worry about it at all. The harbor warehouses have already been partially completed, and the merchants who came from Nan Chu to scout ahead have also arrived. Some specific details are being discussed. At the latest, a large number of merchant ships from Nan Chu will arrive in about a month. Scholar, you will not be short of money.”

The two looked at each other, both extremely happy.

One side needed the full support of local powerful figures, both in terms of force and finances; the other side needed politically influential figures like Zhang Ruo to elevate their status and give them more say. It was a perfect match, a mutually agreeable arrangement.

The arrival of the second group of people in Duxian County greatly surprised Yuan Tong and Xu Ziqi.

It turned out to be Li Guohua, the chief secretary of the Andong Protectorate.

The entourage of over a hundred people, carrying gifts in more than ten carriages, was not as impressive as Cai Tianyou's, but considering the previous relationship between the two sides and Zhang Ruo's attitude towards them, the Andong Protectorate truly gave Zhang Ruo a great deal of face.

Zhang Ruoyi personally went out and welcomed Li Guohua into the house.

(End of this chapter)