Cyber ​​Daming

Chapter 641: Others’ Ministers
Songjiang Prefecture in Nanzhili, the residence of the Xu family.

As the new year approaches, this mansion, which occupies the best feng shui location in the entire Songjiang Prefecture, has already hung up lanterns to welcome the festival.

The couplets were painted with gold powder, red silk was wrapped around the green tiles, and the festive atmosphere was particularly strong, as if it was not disturbed at all by the rumors that had been spreading throughout the empire in recent times.

But if there are elderly people who have lived in Songjiang for many years, they will find something strange and abnormal hidden beneath this peaceful scene.

Normally speaking, at this time of year in previous years, the Xu family's house would already be bustling with people, with cars and horses flowing like water.

In the whole Songjiang area, no matter which line of society, as long as they are important figures, they will come to visit with valuable gifts.

At the busiest times, even the Songbai Avenue where the Xu family lives, which is as wide as a river, would be blocked by all kinds of expensive cars.

Officials from various state governments and business owners who were waiting to come in to pay their respects no longer acted superior, but jumped out of the cars impatiently and began exchanging business cards and chatting and making friends on the street.

So much so that among the Confucian scholars in Nanzhili, there was a saying that three or two words from the Xu family were worth eight promotions in ten years.

But such a grand scene is nowhere to be seen this year.

The lonely cold wind blew through the lanterns under the eaves, and the swaying red light reflected the spotless steps in front of the door.

The street was not bustling with activity, but rather cold and desolate.

"This year's early spring is colder than in previous years."

At the highest point of the clan residence, Xu Haichao stood with his hands behind his back on a rooftop that extended out of the building, looking out at the quiet Songjiang Prefecture under the night sky.

The wind blew my clothes, making them rustle.

"Chao'er, you shouldn't come back at this time."

A concerned voice sounded softly behind Xu Haichao.

"Why do you think so?"

Xu Haichao did not turn around, but a disdainful smile slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"You should be able to see the current situation clearly. The empire is just in the midst of a storm. These companies seem to be ready to fight, but they are just pretending. Their real purpose is to force us to take sides as soon as possible. But right now, there is no sign of who will win or lose. If you rush in before you can determine the odds of winning, you will only get into trouble."

The old voice sighed and said earnestly, "Chao'er, everyone is watching now. At this time, it is best for you to continue to stay in the Japanese area as your envoy. That is the best choice."

"As long as we can control the Japanese area, no matter how the situation changes, even if something unexpected happens, the Xu family will still have a safe way out. You should understand these principles."

"So, father, what you mean is that I should only do the icing on the cake and not help when the time is right?"

Xu Haichao turned slowly and looked indifferently at the hunched figure standing behind him.

The fine dust was clearly visible in the light and shadow, and the old man who was talking to him was obviously not a real person.

At the end of the projection light, there was a tablet placed on the altar. The neatly written name of the old man was written: Xu Shengyue.

"The Xu family is already a first-class family, and there is no way forward. Even if you help them in their time of need, can you still help them advance further?"

The old man raised his eyes slightly, and his gloomy gaze fell on the smiling face.

"How to safely get through this difficult time is what the Xu family should really consider."

"Safe?"

Hearing this, Xu Haichao couldn't help but shake his head and laugh: "It is because you put safety and security first in everything you do in your life that the Xu family has been trapped in Songjiang Prefecture. In the end, let alone entering the imperial city, even a small Nanzhili cannot be fully controlled. What is the meaning of such safety and security?"

The old man showed a deep bitterness, and his eyes, which had just been raised, fell again, his figure full of loneliness.

"As for the first-class family you mentioned? That's just a joke."

Xu Haichao sneered, "In Zhang Fengyue's eyes, the value of us is just to pave the way for him to break into the order. He will attack us sooner or later anyway, why should I choose to sit and wait for death?"

Xu Haichao paused and said, "So, father, I came back this time not to take sides, and no one is worthy of my taking sides."

"Then what do you want to do?"

Xu Shengyue's voice became angry and rapid: "Do you think the Prime Minister doesn't know about your existence and what you did behind his back? Chao'er, you haven't experienced the chaotic era of the three religions fighting each other, so you don't understand his terror at all."

"Hasn't he known about our existence for a long time?"

Xu Haichao sneered and continued, "In order to implement the new policy, he deliberately watched us kick out all of you old and dying people one by one. Isn't this the truth?"

The old man's expression froze, his lips moved, and he was speechless.

"At present, he has indeed achieved his wish. With the new policy, he has successfully pacified the criminal areas and the aboriginal lands, cleared the external threats left by the previous emperor for the empire, and successfully completed part of the ritual of breaking the order. But unfortunately, he finally misjudged the overall situation and forgot that the real hidden dangers have always erupted from within!"

"Father, we in the Chunqiu Society have never looked down on Zhang Fengyue, but he has lived for three decades and is as old as can be. The current Zhang Fengyue is no longer the strategist and insightful Prime Minister of the Empire in your memory. He is now just an old man struggling to survive!"

Xu Haichao's voice gradually rose, and a frightening fanaticism burst out of his eyes: "Zhang Fengyue has been sitting in that position for too long, so long that he thought that no one in the Confucian Order dared to resist him. He thought that he could still hold on to the overwhelming power that could decide the life and death of millions of people with a single word, and that he could let his decaying genes be reborn in an even more turbulent and fierce power. But... is this possible?"

"It's impossible!"

Xu Haichao asked himself and answered: "We are different from you. You are afraid of him because he stepped on you and broke your bones, and you can never stand up again. But we are not afraid of him. We will not let anyone ride on our heads again, and we are not willing to live under the nose of others and live in disgrace!"

"Chao'er, even if you can really pull him down from the position of Prime Minister, so what?"

The old man asked back: "The final outcome is just that someone else will take that position. But will that person be you? No! Since you know it won't happen, why do you still want to help others? What good will this do for you and the Xu family?"

"Of course there are benefits! Because we won't stay in that position anymore!"

"What did you say?"

"Since Confucianism must be based on a country, why can't we just abandon this corrupt empire and build a country of our own? Why should we be a king and a ruler and serve others?"

Xu Haichao spoke these words almost word by word, with great passion, but the old man's body could not stop shaking violently.

"You guys are really crazy!"

"We are not crazy, but completely awake!"

At this moment, Xu Haichao's eyes flashed brightly, he was full of energy and vigor, and every word he spoke was powerful.

"Since Zhang Fengyue wants to control this empire and is unwilling to let go until his death, then he might as well destroy it completely, let the world return to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period a thousand years ago, and create a glorious and prosperous era with a hundred schools of thought contending with each other!"

Xu Haichao clenched his fists, stretched out his arms, and said loudly: "The Confucian country is full of territories and mountains and rivers! Compared with this, official positions and family backgrounds are not worth mentioning at all! Because by then, we ourselves will be the fate of the country and the history!"

Xu Haichao lowered his eyes and looked at the old man steadily: "This is what we really want, this is what we should do! Do you understand now, father?"

"Since you have made up your mind, what else can I say? The Xu family is yours now, do whatever you want."

Looking at his son who seemed to be possessed by a demon and listening to his unorthodox words, Xu Shengyue felt that he had lost all hope.

No, I no longer have a so-called heart.

I am now just a brain in a jar, a wandering soul.

The projected light gradually dimmed, and the sadness and despair in the old man's eyes became blurred.

“Just a trend.”

Just as the old man was about to disappear, he suddenly asked, "Do you know why I didn't resist on the day you seized power, and was willing to let you cut off my head and dig out my brain?"

Xu Haichao was stunned when he heard this, and the fanaticism in his eyes faded a little.

"Because when I saw you and your men rushing to me, I suddenly felt that you were more ruthless and decisive than me. It might be better for me to hand over the Xu family to you."

The old man smiled as he spoke: "So Chao'er, please don't let your father down."

"Don't worry, father."

Xu Haichao stood silently for a long time, and only then did his clenched fingers gradually loosen.

He walked to the altar filled with memorial tablets of the Xu family's ancestors, lit a stick of incense, and knelt down respectfully and kowtowed.

"It won't be long before the Xu family is no longer just a powerful family, but a true Confucian nation!"

"What the hell is this world?"

Chongqing Fujinlou, the headquarters of Sichuan and Chongqing gambling clubs.

Wang Xie was holding a jar of old wine and was amused by He Zangjia's words as soon as he entered the door.

"What's wrong with you? You're just a gang leader at best. How dare you care about national affairs?"

He pulled a chair and sat opposite He Zangjia, asking.

"I don't want to care, but it's affecting my business now." He Zangjia cursed, "Look at what a horrible state this golden building is in now. There are only two or three cats and kittens left upstairs and downstairs. In a few days, I'm afraid there won't be even a ghost left. I think it's better to fight early and decide the outcome early so that we ordinary people can continue to live a stable life."

"Your business is just bad now. If a fight really breaks out, you may not be able to see the sun tomorrow."

After the incident with Li Jun, the relationship between Wang Xie and He Zangjia, a soldier and a bandit, became much closer, and they no longer had the same concerns when talking to each other.

"So just be content."

"That's true. Even if the business is not doing well, being alive is better than anything else."

He Zangjia was just complaining, and of course he couldn't expect anything to really get out of hand.

"But my dear Captain Wang, how come you have time to visit my humble abode today?"

Wang Xie held the jar of wine in both hands and placed it on the table. "Big people have their big things to do, and we small characters also have to live our small lives. Would you like to have a drink?"

He Zangjia lifted a corner of the mud seal, took a deep breath of the fragrant wine aroma, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"Great stuff! This kind of cellar-aged wine brewed using traditional methods is rare nowadays. Where did you get it from?"

Wang Xie brushed his sleeves and said, "Just because you don't have good sense doesn't mean others don't have it either."

"I see. Captain Wang is pointing at me."

He Zangjia clicked his tongue, but suddenly changed the subject: "But drinking this good thing here would be a bit of a waste."

"What's wrong here?"

Wang Xie looked around at the rich and luxurious furnishings and asked in confusion.

"Scholars value the company of a beautiful lady when reading. Although we brothers are all rough men, we should at least have four beauties by our sides."

He Zangjia narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to grab, with an obscene smile on his face.

"Forget it. I'm not in the mood." Wang Xie waved his hand.

"You're so young and already you're sick? Do you Jinyiwei have any occupational diseases?"

He Zangjia suddenly grinned strangely, looked him up and down, then patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, brother, I am a serious farmer. I can even cure Old Li, so your little problem is even easier to solve."

"What's wrong with Lao Li?"

As soon as Wang Xie finished speaking, he suddenly realized that the other party was making fun of him, and cursed angrily: "Get lost."

He Zangjia laughed, picked up the wine jar with one hand, and pulled Wang Xie up from the chair with the other.

"Okay, even if you don't want a beautiful woman to accompany you, you should at least cook two dishes, right? We can't just drink without anything else, right?"

A moment later, the two appeared at a roadside stall outside the Golden Building.

The open flames of the stir-fry illuminated two pairs of smiling eyes, and the choking smoke enveloped their figures.

"Wow, that's pretty exciting!"

He Zangjia drank a full bowl of wine, exclaimed happily, and said to Wang Xie with a smile: "Good wine should be accompanied by the smell of fireworks, otherwise it will be a little less interesting, don't you think?"

"Sometimes you really don't seem like a farmer."

Different from He Zangjia's wild and unruly demeanor, Wang Xie seemed much more calm and took small sips of wine.

"I don't look like Nong Xu, so what do I look like? Do I look like Wu Xu?"

He Zangjia shook his head and laughed: "Wu Xu's group of reckless men fight and kill purely for personal hobbies. I had no choice but to go to the streets to steal food from others. There is a big difference. But speaking of this, I also think you are not like Zongheng."

"Why, Zongheng who didn't rebel is not a decent person in your eyes?"

"That's not the case. The main thing is that the Zonghengxu I've come across are all full of bad intentions. If they stand up and shake, they will make a lot of noise."

He Zangjia smiled and said, "You are different from them."

"According to you, we are all aliens?"

"No, you can't say it's an alien."

Wang Xie raised his eyebrows, "What is that?"

"People like us should be called good people!"

He Zangjia raised his wine bowl with a serious expression.

"Your words are not a compliment now."

Wang Xie also raised his wine bowl and said, "Good people don't live long, but evil deeds last for a thousand years. Haven't you heard of that?"

"Of course I have heard of it, but I have also heard a saying: There is a god above your head. God is watching what you do."

"You are a farmer and you still believe in God?"

"Of course I don't believe it. If it really existed, I would have changed to the Taoist or Buddhist order long ago."

"Where does the sky come from?"

"The sky I'm talking about is actually my own field. It gives me what I sow. If I sow gratitude, I'll get love. If I sow resentment, I'll get hatred. If I sow the heart of a wolf, it will only grow into the lungs of a dog."

Wang Xie was silent for a moment, and looked at the other person with a strange look in his eyes: "Where did you eavesdrop on all this? Are you showing it off to me?"

"What are you talking about? These are all my serious insights into life."

He Zangjie frowned and said seriously, "Behind each of these words, you must have been stabbed at least ten times before you could understand them. Every word is so blood-curdling."

Wang Xie laughed dumbly: "Okay, then I will salute your every word that sheds blood."

"Here's to my immortality."

The two men looked at each other, clinked their wine bowls together, and drank them all in one gulp.

Wang Xie refilled the wine for the two and asked slowly, "Lao Jia, how did you get to know Li Jun?"

He Zangjia threw some side dishes into his mouth and rolled his eyes when he heard this. "Do you still need to ask me this? You Jinyiwei have already investigated it clearly."

"Then you overestimate us."

Wang Xie smiled bitterly and said, "Before the Jinlou changed its owner, we were just assistants and chores in Chongqing Prefecture."

"Actually, there's nothing special about it. He just happened to be in trouble at that time, and was chased here from Chengdu Prefecture. When he was about to die, I happened to save him. He begged me to be his elder brother. I am a soft-hearted person, and seeing that he was not a bad person, I simply accepted him."

He Zangjia said with emotion: "I just didn't expect that after a short time, that kid would become a big shot that we can only dream of. What do you think of fate's tricks on this little demon?"

"Really? Lao Li calls you his big brother?"

Wang Xie raised his eyebrows and smiled mischievously.

"How can this be false? If you don't believe me, go ask him."

Wang Xie grinned: "Okay, I recorded everything you just said."

"You son of a bitch, this is a bit wicked and outrageous."

"Don't be scared, it's all the truth anyway, what are you afraid of?"

"Wang Xie, I realize you really can't stand seeing me doing well, and you want to push me into the fire pit, right?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

The two drank one bowl of wine after another. The huge jar of wine was emptied, and before they knew it, the night was getting darker.

Perhaps it was because the wine was strong and the person's mouth was changed, the lights of the golden building not far away suddenly became dim, and the voices of the people around became empty and vague.

"I'm drunk?"

He Zangjia suddenly widened his eyes, spread out his palms, and caught a piece of falling crystal.

Snow?!

Wang Xie's face suddenly changed, and the embroidered spring sword leaning against the table came out of its sheath with a clang.

"Who is dreaming? Come out!"

(End of this chapter)