Self-struggle starting from Douluo

After leaving the bookstore, Qinghuan sighed silently.

The Duke of Zhenguo is seriously ill and there are no other male descendants in the family. Now there are seven candidates for succession. It goes without saying that it is impossible to see anyone by visiting them directly.

Put yourself in their shoes. If you were one of the seven, the first thing you would do is to eliminate other competitors.

The gatekeeper must be taken down first. If Qinghuan goes directly to the door, there is a high probability that he will be kicked out without even seeing the Duke of Zhenguo.

Leading the horse, Qing Huan passed by the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion according to the information he had heard.

Needless to say, the main gate is always closed and will only be opened when something important happens.

There were seven or eight servants guarding the side door, sitting crookedly on the benches, without any proper manners.

According to the information Qinghuan had inquired about, the Duke of Zhenguo ruled his family through military means, and the servants in his family had more or less received some training.

There was no sign of training on these gatekeepers, so they were obviously not servants of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

The corner door was closed. Qinghuan waited for a long time before seeing someone coming out.

The men who came out did not give any money to the gatekeeper. Except for the dying Bai Jingting, there were no other male descendants in the Zhenguo Mansion.

So either they gave enough at one time, or the gatekeeper was theirs.

It was just as I expected!
There is no way to enter the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion openly.

……

Qinghuan was not in a hurry and directly found an inn near the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion to stay in.

Then I started wandering around the capital.

After three days of shopping, someone came to visit, a young man wearing a futou.

After Qing Huan invited him into the inn room, he smiled and said, "This brother has been watching me for three days. What can I ask you?"

The young man with the bun was stunned: "You know?"

Qing Huan poured tea and said with a smile: "I don't know, but since you came to my door, I know."

The young man with a bunted head looked confused: "What do you mean?"

Qing Huan pushed the teacup over and said, “Before I came to the capital, no one knew me, and after I came to the capital, I did nothing wrong.

Now that you have come to me, it can only be that I asked someone something on the day I entered the city, which caught your attention...Is that the case?"

The young man with the bunted hair looked as if he had seen a ghost. He opened his mouth wide and blurted out after a while: "Are you Master Zhuang's disciple?"

Qing Huan asked in confusion: "Who is Master Zhuang?"

The young man with the bunted hair stared at Qing Huan strangely. His eyes were clear and honest, and he didn't look like he was lying. He couldn't help but ask uncertainly, "You don't know Master Zhuang?"

Qing Huan shook her head and said, "I've never heard of it."

The young man with the bunted hair exhaled and said, "It seems that you really came from a remote place, otherwise you would have heard of the name of Master Zhuang... By the way, I am Zong Da!"

It's obviously a pseudonym.

Qing Huan nodded and said, "My name is Qing Huan, nice to meet you, Brother Zong!"

After that, Qinghuan stopped talking and just drank his tea with a calm look on his face.

On the contrary, Zong Da couldn't hold it in any longer and said, "Brother Qinghuan is very perceptive. I wonder what you think of the current situation?" Qinghuan frowned slightly and said, "Brother Zong is a little too polite."

Zong Da pretended not to hear and said, "The immortal was born and regarded the common people as ants, causing cholera in the world, leading to the collapse of order and the country's suffering. Brother Qinghuan is a scholar, don't you have the heart to put things right?"

Qing Huan asked back: "Then I don't know what is right and what is wrong?"

Zong Da blurted out: "Of course the imperial court is righteous, and those who disobey the imperial court are rebels!"

Qing Huan couldn't help laughing and said, "So, the way of heaven is also wrong? Otherwise, there would be no immortals born."

Zong Da choked and said angrily: "Don't you have a heart of loyalty to the emperor and the country?"

Qing Huanle asked, "Who are you? What country is this?"

Zong Da was stunned for a moment, and said: "The monarch is naturally the emperor, and the country is naturally the Xia Kingdom."

Qing Huan smiled and said, "Two years ago, you were not this king, and a hundred years ago, your country was not this country... Many years later, you are not this king, and your country is not this country either. How can I be loyal to you and serve my country?"

Zong Da was dumbfounded, and after a while he said, "You are a Confucian student, how can you say such Taoism?"

Qing Huan shook his head and said, "There is no difference between Confucianism and Taoism. Only the king you recognize in your heart is the king, and the country you recognize in your heart is the country. In Confucianism and Taoism, loyalty is always to one's own heart!
The world is bustling with people, all for profit, the world is bustling with people, all for profit! Everyone in this world is loyal to their own heart!
In this world, there are those who seek fame, those who seek profit, those who seek to realize their ambitions, and those who seek a king, but they are only a minority... Brother, do you understand?"

Zong Da looked a little dazed, as if he had heard something unbelievable, and stammered, "Is there no loyal minister in the court?"

Qing Huan shook his head, stood up and said: "Brother Zong is talking the other way around. The court is full of loyal ministers, but what they are loyal to is only known in their hearts...

Let's stop here today, I still have things to do... Brother Zong, please!"

Zong Da stood up in a daze and walked out of the room with a staring look in his eyes.

Several of his younger brothers immediately gathered around him, asking questions with concern and looking at Qinghuan with vigilance.

Zongda finally came to his senses and scolded, "Don't be rude to the master!"

After that, he bowed to Qing Huan again and said, "Sir, I need to think carefully about what you said... I will come to you for advice next time!"

Qinghuan returned the greeting, smiled, and said nothing.

After Zong Da left under the protection of his younger brother, Qing Huan smiled and said to himself: "This emperor... is quite naive."

Yes, when Zong Da asked "What do you think of the world", Qing Huan guessed that he was not an ordinary person.

When we saw the position of his younger brothers when they were guarding him, we confirmed his identity: he was the current emperor.

Mencius said: "Confucius looked down upon Lu when he climbed the Eastern Hill, and looked down upon the whole world when he climbed Mount Tai. Therefore, it is difficult for one who looks at the sea to understand water, and it is difficult for one who visits the door of a sage to understand words."

Who would start by asking "the world"? Only those who have their sights set on the world from the beginning would ask this question.

However, this emperor, probably because he ascended the throne in a hurry, was forced to look at the whole world without even looking at his own feet clearly... This was a bit too hasty.

Judging from the emperor's performance, he is really eager for talent, but his methods are too naive. He doesn't even know what the other party is "asking for", but he wants to win over talents?
Is it just based on the slogan of "loyalty to the emperor and serving the country"?

Give those who seek profit the opportunity to make profit, give those who seek fame the opportunity to gain fame, give those who seek official position the opportunity to be an official, and give those who seek ambitions the opportunity to display their ambitions. This is the real way to win over talents!
However, the fact that he sent the princess to the immortal shows that the emperor was willing to endure hardships and was able to forbear humiliation.

It's just that the means are a bit immature.

Because of his forbearance, Qinghuan was willing to give him some advice. Whether he could figure it out depended on himself.

Qing Huan should just focus on her own business for now, meet the Duke of Zhenguo first, and then get her identity sorted! (End of this chapter)