The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Xu Wu read and pondered the text word by word several times, but some doubts still lingered in his mind.

He wanted to consult his elder brother, but seeing how exhausted he was, so much so that he was in a daze and could barely focus, he couldn't bear to let his brother waste his energy any longer. So he immediately took the official document, crossed his arms, and said, "I'll go and gather the men to discuss this."

After saying that, he wanted to take his leave, but he couldn't help but whisper and persuade him, "Brother, please take a rest. Even if it's extremely urgent, a little more time won't make a difference."

He didn't want to say such meaningless nonsense, and his relationship with Wang Wen didn't require such superficial gestures.

He knew better than anyone that their work was a battle against fate, and that every decree that flowed out of this hall, if given even a moment earlier, could save hundreds of lives.

But seeing his older brother in this state, he really couldn't bear it.

Although he himself has been working overtime non-stop for almost half a month...

"It's time to take a break..."

Wang Wen picked up the tea that had just been brought in and took a sip. He couldn't taste the bitterness and sweetness of the tea at all. He put down the teacup, leaned back in his chair, and said softly, "There's only so much we can do at the macro level right now. The rest is just delicate work like carving on tofu... How's your team of advisors coming along?"

Xu Wu felt relieved and replied calmly, "Don't worry about me, I'll take care of it as soon as possible."

Wang Wen propped up his groggy head, glanced at him, and asked, "Where is the problem?"

Xu Wu shook his head again: "I can handle these trivial problems."

Seeing that he wouldn't say more, Wang Wen stopped asking and simply rested his head back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. In a soft, almost dreamlike voice, he said, "Er Gou, you can't forget your roots. Don't forget who you are just because you've been eating the government's food for a few days..."

'What's your name? Xu Ergou!'

Xu Wu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled knowingly: "Big brother, I know what to do."

Wang Wen waved his hand: "Go get to work. Once the work-for-relief plan is finalized, let me review it as soon as possible. I have to go out in a couple of days, and my return date is uncertain."

Xu Wu asked softly, "Do you need to mobilize manpower from the manor to assist you?"

Wang Wen: "I've already made the arrangements. You all focus on your important matters."

Xu Wu said no more, crossed his hands, and took his leave.

Wang Wen rested for a moment, then called out softly, "Jin Jiu."

Kim Gu entered in response: "General."

Wang Wen: "Prepare the carriage, let's go home and have a feast!"

Kim Gu smiled knowingly: "Yes, General."

……

Tokyo to Kaifeng, the Wende Hall of the Imperial City.

Emperor Tianqi, Chai Shen, dressed in a dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne, intently reviewing memorials. The cautious look that once flickered between his brows had now transformed into a calm and composed demeanor. Though he remained silent, he exuded an aura of dominance that suggested he had the world under his control.

"Your Majesty, your servant is back."

The Grand Eunuch Liu Qi, who had changed his name to Liu Zhi'en, carried a cup of perfectly heated tea and tiptoed into the hall. He placed the tea beside Emperor Tianqi and said softly with his head bowed.

Without looking up, Emperor Tianqi gave a soft "hmm" and said in a low voice, "How is it?"

Liu Zhi'en said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, the monster promised to help my royal army pacify Liaodong, on the condition that Your Majesty issue an edict to officially recognize it, build a temple and shrine for it to enjoy state sacrifices."

Chai Shen laughed and said, "Your skills are still unknown, but you have quite the appetite."

Liu Zhi'en lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Chai Shen, however, was not going to let him be a mere figurehead: "You have dealt with the Prince of Weiwu more than I have. How do you think the Prince of Weiwu will view this matter?"

Liu Zhi'en hesitated upon hearing this, but in reality, she was not at all surprised that he would ask such a question.

Those who managed to rise through the ranks in the inner palace, regardless of gender, were not truly fools.

Liu Zhi'en knew perfectly well that the reason Emperor Tianqi would keep his promise and promote him to Grand Eunuch was not only because of his "meritorious service in supporting the emperor" when he boldly recommended Emperor Tianqi to Prince Weiwu in the Chuigong Hall, but also because he was the only person in the imperial palace who could speak to Prince Weiwu.

He understood this, and he knew that the Heavenly Emperor also knew and understood this.

Yet, Emperor Tianqi entrusted him with the very task of receiving the Yellow River God, a task he should never have been given.

He couldn't fathom the Emperor's thoughts, but he knew his own role in the matter...

After a moment's thought, he replied, "Your Majesty, I have only met the Prince of Weiwu a few times. I dare not presume to know how he will view this matter..."

Chai Shen seemed to have anticipated his response, and without hesitation nodded, saying, "Speak freely, I will pardon you!"

Liu Zhi'en, looking deep in thought, said, "Forgive me for speaking presumptuously... In my opinion, how the Prince of Weiwu will view this matter depends on whether the monster is good or bad. If the monster is truly a good monster that shelters the area, even if the Prince of Weiwu has some dissatisfaction, I don't think he will take it too seriously."

"But if that monster is an evil demon that harms the people, then not only will the monster not escape, but the entire nation will also be hated by the Prince of Weiwu."

Chai Shen stopped writing, looked up at Liu Zhi'en in astonishment: "Do you really think so?"

That reason is so apolitical!
They shouldn't have been here at all...

Liu Zhi'en then said, "Your Majesty, when I was sent to Yangzhou to deliver the imperial decree, I overheard a rumor that the Prince of Weiwu had ordered his demon army to register and record all the peaceful and benevolent mountain spirits and monsters in Huainan. The Prince of Weiwu not only allowed those mountain spirits and monsters registered with the Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion to live and cultivate in Huainan, but the Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion would also protect them and forbid cultivators from other areas from killing them to slay demons and monsters... Of course, those mountain spirits and monsters registered with the Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion also had to pay taxes to the Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion."

"As for those evil demons who dare to harm the people and wreak havoc on the Huainan Road, the Huainan Demon Suppression General's Mansion will kill them one by one as soon as they are found. If the ordinary Demon Suppression Guards cannot take them down, the experts of the Huainan Demon Suppression General's Mansion will take action. If the experts of the Huainan Demon Suppression General's Mansion still cannot take them down, the Prince of Weiwu will personally take action. To this day, no evil demon has escaped the Prince of Weiwu's hands and continued to wreak havoc on the world."

Chai Shen's expression gradually turned somewhat unpleasant as he spoke.

He knew about this; he had seen it in the memorials submitted by the Demon Suppression Division…

In that case, that so-called Yellow River God really can no longer be taken under our wing. That fellow has launched no less than five dragon-riding attacks this year alone, destroying countless fertile fields in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and drowning many people...

If that beast were to be given a title, he didn't know if it would survive, but he himself was certainly in grave danger.

If things go wrong, he might end up like his dead brother!
If he doesn't bring in a powerful ally to the court to counterbalance that tiger, he won't be able to sit securely on the dragon throne for even a day.

He, Chai Shen, will never become Emperor Xian of Han!

Seeing his ever-changing expression, Liu Zhi'en knew exactly what he was thinking.

At this point, the wisest course of action for him, in line with his situation, was to ignore everything and treat himself as a mere decoration. The palace was full of clever people, but most of those who couldn't control their cleverness and let it show on the surface met with bad ends.

Just like those beautiful palace maids who couldn't contain their beauty...

But at this moment, Liu Zhi'en looked at the ink mark under Chai Shen's pen that was about to drip onto the memorial, struggled for a long time, and finally decided to take a risk.

He lifted the lid of the teacup, held it up with both hands, and offered it to Chai Shen, saying softly, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Weiwu's temperament is indeed a bit too fierce, and he needs someone to restrain him. But in my humble opinion, this person should be more obedient than the Prince of Weiwu. There's a saying among the common people, 'Two tigers cannot share one mountain.' If the person chosen to restrain the Prince of Weiwu is just as fierce as him, what will become of the court? How can Your Majesty have peace of mind?"

"Although the Prince of Weiwu is a bit headstrong, His Majesty knows that he is of good character and is utterly loyal to His Majesty and the nation, with absolutely no disloyalty..."

“If it were someone else as capable as the Prince of Weiwu, it would be hard to say.”

The gist is: 'If you want to keep that tiger in check, you need someone you can control, right? If you find someone uncontrollable, aren't you afraid of two tigers fighting and innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire? Besides, you know what kind of person that tiger is. As long as you don't do anything stupid, he basically won't try anything funny with you. But if it were some other powerful person, things could get complicated…'

His seemingly heartfelt words to Chai Shen were actually an attempt to ease the conflict between Chai Shen and Wang Wen.

More accurately, it was about easing the conflict between Chai Shen and Wang Wen.

After all, his current status and position come from these two big shots. As long as the two big shots remain stable, his status and position will remain stable as well.

Conversely, if either of these two powerful figures were to be defeated, his best outcome would be to leave the palace and return to his hometown.

He's still young; he's only just tasted the power of authority...

After listening to his advice, Chai Shen did indeed have a sudden realization, and thought to himself that he had been too hasty: "You little thing, you are really a worm in my belly."

He smiled as he took the teacup from Liu Zhi'en's hand and cursed.

Liu Zhi'en hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "This servant has presumptuously guessed His Majesty's intentions, please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Chai Shen smiled faintly and said, "I'm praising you, why are you so flustered!"

He admitted that what the guy said made sense.

But a lingering sense of resentment remained in his heart.

But no matter how unwilling they were, they couldn't find a suitable candidate for the time being.

Daomen?

The three major talisman sects that hold sway over the Taoist sect are practically inseparable from that scoundrel Wang Laohu. They are leading the Taoist sect into the imperial court to check and balance Wang Laohu.

Isn't that aiding the enemy?

Buddhism?

That would be even worse. Taoism only values ​​fame, while Buddhism values ​​real benefits. If Buddhism were to use it to counterbalance a peerless expert like Wang Laohu, the price they would have to pay would be far greater than if they had kept Wang Laohu alive!

Moreover, Wang Laohu's aversion to Buddhism has never been concealed. Introducing Buddhism into the court to check Wang Laohu could easily turn into what Liu Qi described as "two tigers fighting, and the fish in the moat suffering the consequences."

Monsters are even more unrealistic...

Emperor Tianqi, Chai Shen, picked up his teacup and took a sullen breath: 'In all the vast land, is there really no capable person who can keep that scoundrel Wang Laohu in check?'

……

"Why should I believe that you can handle that scoundrel Wang Laohu?"

In the central command tent of the Qin King's camp in Jizhou, Qin King Chai Kun, dressed in military attire, sat high on the command post, looking down coldly at the hunched figure below him who wore a colorful feather robe, a white fox mask, and held a golden bell scepter.

The golden bell trembled slightly, and from beneath the white fox mask came the old woman's weathered yet sharp voice: "We have our own methods. Your Highness need not have so many doubts. Just wait patiently for the good news of that madman's defeat and death, and then lead your troops south to reclaim everything that belongs to Your Highness..."

"What's the price?"

Chai Kun remained unmoved: "The price shouldn't be that I cede Liaodong to you, should it?"

"That's natural. Everything has a price, and Your Highness, despite being of noble birth, is no exception."

The old white fox spoke with a calm yet resolute tone, as if she were conducting a business with no shortage of buyers: "If Your Highness were to reclaim everything you have lost, you would possess the magnificent rivers and mountains of the Central Plains and countless loyal subjects. Why then would you remain fixated on this desolate and cold place beyond the Great Wall?"

"Ha ha……"

Chai Kun chuckled, took out a gold ingot from the table, and casually tossed it at the feet of the old white fox: "That's a good joke, you deserve a reward!"

The old woman with the white fox ignored the gold ingot at her feet and continued to persuade her, "Your Highness, please do not act rashly. With that scoundrel Wang Wen interfering, no matter how brave and skilled your army is, it will be difficult for you to ever see the glory of Tokyo again. Cooperating with us is Your Highness's only chance, and all we want is this barren land beyond the Great Wall... We believe that this price is not high."

"If you want money, food, or cloth..."

Chai Kun said coldly, "Anything I have, you may take or ask for."

"But if you want land, even an inch of it, your clansmen must come and take it with their swords and spears!"

"No matter how incompetent I am, my ancestral legacy will never be lost by a single ounce of my hand!"

The old white fox watched him quietly, seemingly trying to discern whether he was truly so forceful or merely trying to lower the price.

Chai Kun met her gaze with unwavering composure.

After a long silence, the old white fox finally asked in a hoarse voice, "Isn't Your Highness afraid that we will cooperate with Emperor Tianqi?"

Chai Kun replied calmly, "Why should I be afraid?"

White Fox Granny: "Is there really no room for negotiation?"

Chai Kun: "If you insist on taking Liaodong, then there is absolutely no room for negotiation!"

The old white fox nodded, gently touched her scepter, and said softly amidst the tinkling of the bells, "Then farewell, Your Highness. Take care."

After saying that, she turned around and walked out step by step.

Chai Kun watched her departing figure with unwavering determination, not uttering a sound until the old white fox woman's hunched back disappeared outside the command tent.

Although the Great Zhou Dynasty is vast, not an inch of its land is superfluous… (End of Chapter)