The Great Seminary

Chapter 188 A Showdown

The noisy neighbors of Youyufang watched as the two outstanding members of the Zhang family of Pingyang, the "ninth generation," walked into Zhang Gui's courtyard with brotherly affection and respect.

Several 'capable people' immediately began to discuss it with great interest.

"Brother Gui and Jiuqing are both shrewd and capable men from our Youyufang, who have been the driving force behind the market for hundreds of years!"
Now that both the scholar and the warrior have become prominent figures, it seems they intend to join forces to accomplish something significant.

“Our Pingyang Town has been built for hundreds of years, and they’ve been digging up the wind veins for so long.”

If your son is useless, so be it. Don't blame the toilet for your own problems.

"Guaqi, you have a really sharp tongue. What did I mean?"

"Alright, alright, we're talking about something important, what are you getting onto?"

However, I also feel that Jiuqing's return trip was unusual.

"Never mind whether it's unusual or extraordinary."

With these two pillars of support in the future, the Zhang family of Pingyang can at least maintain its prosperity for another 60 years.

Great goodness, great goodness! ! "

"What a great act! Uncle Bagong, you only studied for two or three years when you were young, is it really worth it to keep pretending like this?"

"Given our status, even if our clans are prosperous, we can't possibly ascend to heaven."

"What do you know, you brat? These days, a prosperous family doesn't guarantee your wealth."

Instead, it's about ensuring you live a normal, law-abiding life.

"That's right, there are also towns in the Siyang County area that are experiencing famine."

I heard there was even a food-grabbing incident that resulted in a death, but the authorities didn't do anything about it.

What does "stealing food" mean?

"It's people who are starving and looking for food on the street."

They don't give you money, they just grab you and stuff you in their mouths, letting you beat and scold them as you please.

Some of them were killed.

Some people who were grabbing food didn't dare to grab adults, but instead targeted children.

But think about it, a child of that age is so tender, one punch to the head could kill him.

In short, when people really reach the point where they have no food to eat, they cease to be human.

So being able to be protected by one's family and have enough to eat and wear is already a very good life.

We must remember the kindness of the elders in our clan.

Outside the door, the chatter of the miscellaneous people was noisy.

On the stone pier in the courtyard.

Zhang Jiujiang stretched out his long legs and lightly tapped his knees with his fists.
"Brother Gui, did you hear the discussions among your fellow villagers outside?"

"Brother Jiujiang, it's so noisy outside, my hearing isn't good enough to hear clearly."

Sitting opposite him, Zhang Gui continued eating his noodles while feigning ignorance, saying:

"Aren't you hungry? Please don't be shy."

My mom's shrimp paste noodles are absolutely amazing.

I've never had enough of it since I was a child; I think it's sweeter and more delicious than any seafood delicacy.

"That's how it should be."

A child who can eat his mother's cooking from childhood to adulthood is a blessing that not everyone can have; it is naturally incomparable to any delicacy.

However, after I became an adult, I stopped eating after noon, practicing self-discipline and cherishing blessings; I simply didn't have that kind of fortune.

These words seem ordinary, but when considered in the context of Zhang Jiuqing's background, they reveal a sense of desolation.

Zhang Gui usually couldn't stand this kind of tone, so he stopped talking in a vague and ambiguous way.

He gave a dry laugh and continued eating his noodles in silence.

The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease.

Zhang Jiuqing said:

“My dear cousin, ever since I started school, I have always been good at secretly assessing people, and I rarely make mistakes.”

You've been the most blind person in my life.

"Brother Jiuqing, you flatter me. I was able to rise rapidly in just two or three years, all thanks to my bloodline."
Secondly, it depends on luck, which is different from someone like you who truly has substance.

"So, according to you, my good grades and deep understanding of the scriptures are all thanks to the good brains my parents gave me."

Wasn't the opportunity to present that memorial to the Emperor about the blood ties between father and son a result of the old man's appreciation and guidance, which allowed him to enter officialdom at a young age?

In fact, kings, generals, talented men, beautiful women, wealthy merchants, and so on—in short, all of them are people with their own special skills and are quite capable.

Who isn't born with God's favor?

However, some blessings are intangible talents, such as having a photographic memory when reading, making rapid progress in cultivation, or having inspirations sprout while sleeping.

Some of these were merely tangible treasures like gold and silver, fiefdoms, lands, servants, and slaves.

Zhang Guixin actually wholeheartedly agreed with Zhang Jiuqing's argument.

But not knowing Zhang Jiuqing's purpose, in order to get the conversation going, he deliberately played the pipa backwards:

“Brother Jiuqing, according to you, doesn’t that mean a person’s fate is predetermined by heaven?”

Why bother striving and struggling?

"Then how do you know that the spirit of self-reliance and independence isn't a kind of innate talent?"

Zhang Gui was taken aback, put down his chopsticks, and burst into laughter.
"Brother, you are truly adept at sophistry. I am completely convinced."

"Actually, I admire you, my cousin. You rose to a high position at such a young age, yet you know when to use your skills and when to be humble and unassuming."

This could very well be a formidable talent that makes one a 'ruthless and powerful figure.'

Upon hearing this, Zhang Gui's face twitched, and he could no longer suppress his doubts.
"Cousin, I am deeply moved that you suddenly came to me and opened up to me."

Although I hold the title of Fourth-Rank Opening Dragon and Tiger General, seemingly having my own established position.

But in reality, his territory was just a small town called Zhihai, and he had less than two thousand soldiers under his command.

Moreover, they were all ragtag troops.

They rarely conduct drills; their duties mainly involve collecting taxes and patrolling for security.

He's nowhere near being a true tyrant.

Besides, I'm such an honest and upright person, I don't have such ambitions.

Please stop beating around the bush and tell me what you're trying to say.

“My dear cousin, your Dragon Tiger General’s headquarters is not as bad as you say.”

They also established nine islands and ten cities in the East Inner Sea, built cities and stationed troops there, and called it the "Nine Islands Expedition".

On Xianrong Island, will they contend with the Yuanshan Guard, the Baiyang Borchin Elite Cavalry, and the Qianji Warriors?

Zhang Gui's eyes widened immediately, and he understood what Zhang Jiuqing meant.

He stood up with a sudden, half-joking motion, as if he were not really.
"You want me to turn this pretense into reality and compete with Prince Zhen!"

"That's right. If you succeed, you will be the ruler of the Ming Song Kingdom, a powerful and influential figure."

Moreover, it would be extremely difficult for anyone else to obtain such a position from the imperial court; they shouldn't even even think about it.

But you are the genuine Crown Prince of the Stone Corpse Kingdom.

Once we truly occupy those nine islands in the East Inner Sea and establish them as our territory, everything else will fall into place naturally.

And this was something the Emperor himself promised me before I left the capital.”

Zhang Gui then truly realized what was happening.

"I knew that the name of He Xianggong as a 'royalist' was known throughout the world."

As his last disciple and his son-in-law, how could you possibly side with Prince Zhen?

On the surface, the "Memorial on the Bonds of Father and Son" seemed to be a way to resolve Prince Zhen's predicament.

But in reality, as long as Emperor Hezheng and Prince Zhen don't break off relations...

As the sovereign, the emperor can always exert overwhelming power over his son, Prince Zhen.

You helped Prince Zhen break free from a tangible constraint.

From then on, he was able to recruit refugees throughout the Ming and Song dynasties without any hindrance, migrate them overseas, and station troops to establish cities.

But it reinforced an invisible constraint.

If a father is so lenient and magnanimous towards his son, wouldn't the son be worse than a pig or a dog if he were to oppose his father in the future?

"Brother Jiuqing, oh Brother Jiuqing, your methods are truly brilliant!"

(End of this chapter)