Chapter 139: There Are Many Ways To Like Someone
There are no new things under the world, especially among the Han People. The new things you think of can always find corresponding examples in the history books.
Even this branch of Great Han people far away on another planet can refer to the history books of the ancestral land to find the general development patterns of things.
When the Emperor is forced too severely by his ministers, he really can do anything.
“Now this news is being suppressed by the Grand Marshal, but it’s probably impossible to keep it suppressed. Once people from other military prefectures lead troops to come to the rescue of the king, the Grand Marshal will have to draw troops from Iron Enclosure Pass to reinforce…”
Hearing Zhang Min speak halfway, Yun Ce immediately said: “There are three hundred military prefectures in the world, two hundred protectorate prefectures. If only a few military prefectures come to the rescue of the king, and the Grand Marshal still has to draw troops from Iron Enclosure Pass, which is responsible for resisting powerful enemies, then this Grand Marshal must be extremely incompetent at his job, unable to even find a few prefectures and counties loyal to him?”
Zhang Min was once again left speechless by Yun Ce’s words, and only after a long while said: “In these years, the Grand Marshal has offended the military prefectures of the world severely in order to rush to reinforce Iron Enclosure Pass.”
Yun Ce looked at Zhang Min and said: “Since that’s the case, why hasn’t the Grand Marshal died yet?”
Zhang Min looked at Yun Ce in shock and said: “Why should the Grand Marshal die?”
Yun Ce snorted coldly and said: “Because he alone has stirred up chaos in the world. If he doesn’t die, who does?”
“In that case, wouldn’t that benefit the Emperor?”
1 “Who said to benefit the Emperor? He commits suicide to atone, his subordinates take over, and continue fighting the Emperor. However, I think the reason the Grand Marshal refuses to die is that he has a way to defeat the Emperor and the troops coming to the rescue of the king summoned by the Emperor.”
1 Zhang Min said anxiously: “There’s no way out. Children over twelve years old in the Grand Marshal’s family have started to don armor.”
1 Yun Ce stared fixedly at Zhang Min for a long time, then said to E Ji: “Watch this stupid woman from now on. Don’t let her get involved in major family matters, otherwise, the whole family won’t even know how they die.”
1 E Ji nodded emphatically. Zhang Min hurriedly said: “Where am I stupid?”
1 Yun Ce said angrily: “The news that the Emperor wants to establish elective electors must have been released by your Grand Marshal, right? Also, a twelve-year-old child donning armor—can he even wear it?”
1 “Also, do you think the Yun Clan counts as a force in Chang’an and plan to ask me to take over ten thousand slaves to Chang’an to help the Grand Marshal?”
1 “Impossible—”
1 “Don’t you think the news you spoke of is as ridiculous as child’s play? Such a huge country, such a huge Chang’an City—does it fall into chaos just because someone says so, and stabilize just because someone says so?”
1 If Great Han were as easy to overthrow as you think, it would have been overthrown ten thousand times already.
1 “Clumsy Wu Tong, what do you take me, Yun Ce, for?”
2 Zhang Min chased after him and asked: “Are you saying Wu Tong is deceiving me? Also, how do you know the one who told me this news is Wu Tong?”
2 Yun Ce sighed and said: “You were originally quite smart, but you overly trusted Wu Tong and those former brothers who shared life and death with you, so you lost your own judgment.
2 When Wu Tong and the others left you in Yun Prefecture as a secret agent back then, I believe they truly meant well for you. Now, they have transferred you back to Chang’an, and I think their intentions are not simple.
2 Let’s go. We’ll leave Chang’an immediately and head straight north of the Great Wall to do our proper business.”
2 Zhang Min said incredulously: “Wu Tong deceived me?”
2 Yun Ce smiled and said: “Go, get the reclamation document from Wu Tong. This thing must be on paper; his previous verbal promise doesn’t count.”
2 Watching Zhang Min mount a Thunder Smoke Beast and gallop off, Yun Ce said to Feng An and Liang Kun: “Prepare dry rations, prepare for long-distance marching, prepare to leave Chang’an.”
2 Feng An nodded and said: “Two days will be enough.”
2 Zhang Min whipped her horse and, in an hour and a half, arrived once again at the foot of Panxing Tower.
2 Looking up at the towering Panxing Tower piercing the clouds, she felt for the first time that it was extremely unfamiliar.
3 She dropped the reins and walked into Panxing Tower. At this moment, her mind was full of Yun Ce’s words exploding, every word booming, making her head dizzy and swollen.
3 Riding the lift cage to the highest place, secret agents were busy everywhere. People kept reporting directions and data, and secret agents occasionally handed sheets of paper to Wu Tong sitting in the center.
3 Wu Tong remained calm amid the changes, methodically and unhurriedly writing a few words on the paper, or after listening to a secret agent’s report, casually giving a few instructions, and immediately someone would hold documents or turn to go downstairs to carry out Wu Tong’s orders.
3 Wu Tong was like a big-bellied spider sitting in the center of a spider web; nothing on the web could escape his gaze.
3 Seeing Zhang Min enter, he wrote with one hand and beckoned her with the other. Before, Zhang Min would have happily run over and sweetly called ‘Brother Wu Tong’.
3 This time, she slowly moved to kneel on a soft cushion opposite Wu Tong.
3 Wu Tong handed the approved document to a man in green robe and whispered a few words in his ear. After the man in green robe left, he sat down, took a sip of clear water, and handed a document to Zhang Min.
3 After Zhang Min opened and read it, sure enough, as Yun Ce had predicted, it was a genuine reclamation document.
3 “Don’t be sad. Once you’ve come to Chang’an, you should have the awareness of a Chang’an person.” Wu Tong still smiled very warmly.
3 “What is the awareness of a Chang’an person?”
4 Wu Tong smiled and said: “Utilizing and being utilized. How about it, did Yun Ce scold you?”
4 Zhang Min’s nose immediately soured, tears about to fall. Wu Tong took out his handkerchief and handed it over, saying: “After you cry it out, don’t cry anymore.”
4 Zhang Min looked up and said: “You wanted to test Yun Ce, so why put me in the middle?”
4 Wu Tong frowned and said: “I wanted to see how much Yun Ce could tolerate you, whether he would suspect you, whether he would see you as one of his own.
4 At the same time, give you a lesson: don’t easily point out your former colleagues.
4 Alright, the matter is over. Yun Ce didn’t take the bait, proving that this person, aside from easily coveting wealth and forgetting his homeland, still has redeeming qualities. Take the document back, and he won’t be angry with you anymore.”
4 Watching Wu Tong busy again, Zhang Min hugged the document and stood up, asking tremulously: “Will the Grand Marshal win?”
4 Amid his busyness, Wu Tong looked up at her and said: “This is not something you should know.”
4 Zhang Min nodded darkly and hugged the document as she took the lift cage back to the ground.
4 “Will the Grand Marshal win?”
5 Zhang Min galloped back to Yun Clan Manor on horseback, handed the document to Yun Ce, and asked again.
5 Yun Ce nodded and said: “It’s not just a matter of the Grand Marshal winning; it’s a matter of winning big. If I’m not mistaken, after this incident, Great Han will probably be peaceful for a very long time.”
5 “How so?”
5 Yun Ce looked into Zhang Min’s eyes and said: “Because this time, it is a premeditated, planned self-purification action by the Great Han Court, a deliberate chance to burst the abscess and treat itself.
5 I don’t know if the Emperor will be unlucky, or if the Grand Marshal will be unlucky. I only know that those who believed the rumors and came rushing to Chang’an to rescue the king will definitely die miserably.”
5 “Doing this is no good for the Emperor.”
5 Seeing Zhang Min finally emerge from her confusion, Yun Ce smilingly pushed a bowl of soup in front of her and said: “For an Emperor with ambition, naturally no good. For an Emperor without ambition, of course there is benefit.
5 And Emperor Liu Mu happens to be one without much ambition. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be treated as an experimental subject to observe the changes in his offspring after consorting with a Gui Fang woman.
5 Honestly, Liu Mu is really afraid of death. He doesn’t even dare to have real relations with Yu Heng. Who would bear to kill such a wise Emperor?”
5 Zhang Min took a sip of the soup and found it was sweet soup. She moved her stool closer to Yun Ce and softly said: “The Emperor and Imperial Consort Yu have no relations between man and woman?”
6 Yun Ce shook his head: “No.”
6 “Why?”
6 “Because Yu Heng dares to go so overboard, yet the Emperor always forgives her.”
6 “Why does the Emperor forgive her?”
6 “Because they are friends, allies, just not husband and wife.”
6 “Tell me more in detail…”
6 Yun Ce was of course very willing to explain things clearly to Zhang Min by breaking them down. But then E Ji came in, and Yun Ce couldn’t continue breaking them down.
6 Not having explained thoroughly, Zhang Min shyly covered her face with her sleeve and left. E Ji stared at Zhang Min’s wrinkled skirt hem for a long time, then said to Yun Ce: “Tell me in detail too.”
6 Yun Ce pulled E Ji’s slender waist and said: “Tell you. What do you want to know? I’ll tell you everything I know.”
6 E Ji said: “Zhang Min is very sad, right?”
7 Yun Ce nodded and said: “She was used as a stick, but couldn’t get angry, so she came to me for answers. I gave her an answer… Actually, what the answer is doesn’t matter, right or wrong doesn’t matter. This dead woman stubbornly wants an answer, and by the way, ruin herself.”
7 “So, you ruined her?”
7 “No, I just remembered you telling me that night that she has one that glows, and couldn’t hold back…”
7 “Pretty good.” E Ji generously placed Yun Ce’s hand on her buttocks.
7 Yun Ce prepared for a full two days. The marching route, dry rations, and supplies for tents for the long journey were all ready. Leaving Steward Qiu to guard this bit of industry in Lantian County, in a rainless clear morning, the large group departed Yun Family Manor and slowly advanced northward.
7 No one in vast Lantian County came to see them off.
7 No one in vast Chang’an City came to see them off either.
7 Wu Tong did come, but he wasn’t there to see off Yun Ce; he was there to see off Zhang Min.
7 He threw a large bundle to Zhang Min, said nothing, turned, mounted a Thunder Smoke Beast, and returned to Chang’an.
7 E Ji stared fixedly at that huge bundle, gritted her teeth, and said: “Did you cuckold the Young Master?”
8 Zhang Min looked at the large bundle in front of her and said: “When I wasn’t injured, he sneered at my looks and treated me like a man. After I was injured, he started treating me like a woman, always considering my feelings, always taking care of me. After my body recovered, he no longer treated me as a person.
8 Tell me, can such a person be cuckolded by anyone?”
