Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 298 Drunken Ramblings, A Gamble for Life

Hejian Prefecture, Luohua Tower.

Inside a secluded private room.

Several scholars sat there, exchanging cups and toasts, showing no concern whatsoever for the impending change of the Ming Dynasty. Instead, after a few rounds of drinks, they couldn't help but engage in lively discussions, dreaming of the future. "Gentlemen," one of them said, "the news of Prince Su's pacification of the Ming Dynasty has spread throughout the entire Ming Dynasty. I will not waste any more words."

"The reason I invited you here today is that our elders are preparing us to serve under the Prince Su's command ahead of schedule."

"Does anyone have any thoughts?"

One of them, his hand holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air, clearly stunned for a moment, before shaking his head and saying with a dazed look in his eyes, "I'm sorry, I can't accompany you on this! The bright future you think you have might..."

"perhaps??"

Everyone present was astonished.

Could there possibly be any more twists and turns in Prince Su's campaign against the enemy?
"Can't you?"

"The Prince Su's forces are like fire and water, coming on strong. The two powerful armies, Tian Ce and Cang Yun, are invincible and have won every battle. Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Sichuan and other places are under the control of the Prince Su's forces."

“The Cangyun Army has been patrolling the surrounding areas these past few days, and we have all witnessed it with our own eyes. They are indeed a hundred times more terrifying than tigers and wolves.”

"Yes! And it's said that the capital has long been under the control of Prince Su."

"I simply cannot imagine why Prince Su's campaign against the enemy failed!"

As they talked, they all turned their gazes toward the scholar who had just refused with a mysterious smile on his face, and they all looked on with questioning expressions.

Zhang Qian smiled slightly and said, "The Prince Su's mansion has indeed shown its overwhelming power early on. Although the troops stationed in various parts of our Great Ming Dynasty have tried to resist, it is nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot!"

"But have you not heard that the weather is unpredictable?"

The scholars were even more surprised. They were all intelligent men, and although they had not achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination, most of them had official titles. They understood the implied meaning in Zhang Qian's words.

One of them, his eyes gleaming, said, "Prince Su is the youngest and strongest sword immortal in our Great Ming Dynasty. It is even rumored that even Master Zhang of Wudang is no match for him. Even if there are unforeseen events, they are unlikely to affect him."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

Vajra, pointing to the mystery, celestial phenomena, terrestrial immortals, terrestrial celestial beings.

Although most people's understanding of Zhu Jinzhen's cultivation level was still based on the realm of a terrestrial immortal from a few years ago, they had already learned that the Prince Su's mansion had produced a terrestrial celestial being, and guessed that he had most likely already reached the terrestrial celestial being realm.

That is a supreme realm of martial arts that even the Great Ming Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong had not reached.

Even if it were a natural disaster or a man-made calamity, they couldn't imagine what could possibly prevent Zhu Jinzhen from ascending to that position.

Looking at the puzzled and confused crowd, Zhang Qian deliberately showed off, his face flushed as he smiled and said, "That's right, Prince Su has already reached the realm of the terrestrial celestial being. His strength is so great that, throughout the history of our Great Ming Dynasty, no one can compare to him. Even Master Zhang of Wudang is far behind him."

"But you all don't know that the terrestrial celestial beings are called the Great Longevity Beings, much like the immortals in Taoism, who live on in the world for eternity and never die. From ancient times to the present, is it possible that only Prince Su is a terrestrial celestial being?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and their faces showed expressions of horror.

They understood that Zhang Qian's implication was that a terrestrial immortal at the Celestial Realm was about to make a move against Prince Su.

The person who had just asked the question had a furrowed brow and a strange glint in his eyes, but he adopted a humble and inquisitive posture, bowing to Zhang Qian and asking, "Thank you for your explanation, Brother Zhang, but I still have a question. Could you please answer it for me?"

"what's up?"

"We are all from similar backgrounds, so where did you get this information from? How can you be sure it's true or false?" The person asking the question looked puzzled. Their family backgrounds were similar, and their intelligence and information channels were almost identical. There was no reason why Zhang Qian knew certain inside stories while they knew nothing.

Furthermore, how could Zhang Qian dare to reveal such top-secret information in public?
Zhang Qian, looking confident, let out a burp before continuing, "Indeed, logically speaking, I shouldn't know the inside story, nor should I reveal it. However, I heard that your elders had arranged for you to serve under Prince Su, and I couldn't bear to see you go astray, so I kindly spoke up!"

"These words may come from my mouth and enter your ears, but once they leave this place, I will not recognize a single word." "As for the source of the information..."

Zhang Qian revealed a mysterious smile and lowered his voice, saying, "Have you all ever heard of... the Azure Dragon Society!"

The Green Dragon Society?

Some of the people present were startled, while others looked bewildered.

"Brother Zhang, you mean the information was leaked to you by the Azure Dragon Society... to you?"

"No!"

Zhang Qian shook his head, seemingly about to say something, but then realizing he had let something slip, he pretended to be drunk and changed the subject, refusing to continue the conversation.

After Zhang Qian was completely drunk, the person who had asked the question earlier slowly had someone help him downstairs, making a gesture as if to send him home.

"Hiccup, everyone, Brother Zhang is quite drunk today, so I'll give him a ride." Fang Hui, leaning against the edge of the carriage, feigned drunkenness and bowed in a deserted direction: "Farewell!"

"Haha, Brother Fang, you're drunk too."

"Farewell, farewell! Next time at Baihualou, Chunfengruyuyuan, it's my treat!"

The group, shouting and clamoring, were helped onto their respective carriages by servants and maids.

But when they got into the carriage, their hazy, drunken eyes suddenly became perfectly clear. There was even cold water prepared in the carriage for them to wash their faces and sober up.

After the carriage had traveled some distance, Fang Hui did not send anyone back to the manor. Instead, he took a detour and headed towards a certain place in the city.

Looking at Zhang Qian, who was completely drunk and unconscious, Fang Hui felt uneasy. "Brother Zhang, I, Fang Hui, have staked my life on you this time. Don't let me down!"

Among the major families in Hejian Prefecture, there was no Fang family.

Even though Fang Hui's father was a wealthy merchant, he still had to bow down in front of Zhang Qian and others. If Fang Hui hadn't worked hard and passed the imperial examination, he wouldn't have even been able to squeeze into Zhang Qian's circle.

Therefore, Fang Hui's desire to improve is the strongest.

The carriage sped past against the night wind.

Fang Hui had only one thought in his mind, which became increasingly firm: "Although the Azure Dragon Society is mysterious and powerful, and Zhang Qian seems to know a lot of inside information, I still bet that Prince Su will win!"

Compared to the mysterious and unknown Azure Dragon Society, Zhang Qian knew some previously unknown information.

Fang Hui had indeed thoroughly studied the materials related to the Prince Su's residence.

He couldn't imagine how Prince Su, Zhu Jinzhen, would lose.

Although Zhang Qian ultimately did not explain the reason, he did reveal that other experts at the Celestial Realm of the Land would deal with Prince Su, but...

"Brother Zhang, have you forgotten that Prince Su's rise to fame was achieved by stepping over the most powerful land immortals of the era to ascend to the position of the number one land sword immortal in the Ming Dynasty!"

"After he ascended to the ranks of the celestial beings, who dares to assert that he cannot continue his legendary myth?"

"Moreover, have you forgotten that the Prince Su's mansion has produced a terrestrial Celestial Realm expert? If that Heavenly Sword is real, the power of the Prince Su and his mansion will be even more terrifying than what is exposed to the world."

"And the Azure Dragon Society..."

A hint of disdain flashed in Fang Hui's eyes. In his eyes, although the Azure Dragon Society was powerful, it was ultimately just a Jianghu organization that lurked in the shadows and could not be brought to the forefront. How could it be compared with the imperial power of the Prince Su's Mansion, which had a million soldiers?

(End of this chapter)