Another World Da Ming: I use a hundred lives to become holy

......

April is a time of clear skies and gentle breezes after rain.

Inside the imperial city, Emperor Zhu Chongba seemed to have aged rapidly in the short span of less than two months.

Why do I say it's similar?

Because his aging is not like most people in the world whose energy declines with age, but the complete opposite, it is heading towards another extreme.

For example, it's only late April, and he's already taken over a lot of the work that even ordinary doctors in the cabinet could handle, and he still thinks it's not enough.

It wasn't until Crown Prince Zhu Biao couldn't stand it any longer and seized power, issuing an edict, that his "diligence in governance" was finally extinguished.

But with this end cut off, he couldn't just do what an ordinary farmer would do, stepping out the door to find a place to sit, gazing at the sky in a daze or chatting with neighbors.

Therefore, since they could not arbitrarily seize the cabinet's political affairs or excessively interfere with the normal operation of the dynasty, the various government offices in Yingtian Prefecture could only suffer unspeakable misery.

Under normal circumstances, all government departments should prioritize doing things well and adhere to regulations.

During this period, there won't be any stubborn individuals who have no way to dispose of their property. Therefore, all government departments should be clear-headed and consider themselves to be benevolent.

No matter what!

The emperor has been watching you closely!

Fortunately, this continued until Crown Prince Zhu Biao was about to lose his temper again.

He had finally had enough of staying in the Imperial Study, and temporarily lost his enthusiasm for politics, or perhaps he felt the influence he had on his eldest son.

On this day, the eunuch Wang Ban summoned two people: Zhao Zheng in his blind disguise and Xu Jin.

The three of them set up a tea table outside the Imperial Study, seemingly deciding to return to the normal life that elderly people should have.

Why is there still one that seems to be there?

In any case, Crown Prince Zhu Biao was nervously peeking out from the Imperial Study from time to time, constantly praying that nothing would go wrong with the three of them, completely lacking the sense of relief one would feel when one's father had turned into a normal old man.

And the facts proved just as Crown Prince Zhu Biao had predicted.

Emperor Zhu Chongba, this seemingly born political monster, would never casually invite Zhao Zheng and Xu Jin for tea.

Even though Zhao Zheng, this puppet, had already fulfilled his mission, and Xu Jin had long since ceased to be involved in affairs, the emperor's every move was either real or not.

......

“A month ago, my sister left. There’s still a gap between us and Biao’er. Biao’er also wanted to take on a side job, and he was just as badly hurt as we were. So we didn’t have the time or space to say a few heartfelt words to each other.”

"But we don't blame him, we feel sorry for him!"

"But we're so lonely. There's no one to confide in in this backyard, and no one to bicker with. Do you know what that feels like?"

"There's no other way, we had to call you here."

Emperor Zhu Chongba's opening remarks perfectly captured the sorrow of an old man in his twilight years.

But with the gurgling of the teapot, the footsteps of the retreating eunuch Wang Ban, and Zhao Zheng and Xu Jin opposite him, they could not even look at each other.

For a moment, the situation became incredibly awkward.

"Your Majesty, you must take good care of your health. Our dynasty is becoming more and more prosperous every day. This is a blessing for all people, and it is also our blessing."

"Our children and grandchildren will have their own blessings in the future; let's just focus on the present."

Finally, it was Xu Jin, who was closer to him, who took the initiative to speak and steered the conversation back on track.

"Yes, that's true, and that's how it should be done, but there are just more things to deal with right now."

"The princes have all left the capital, but do you two know what they brought back with them?"

Unfortunately, Emperor Zhu Chongba was not like them; he could easily change the subject whenever he wanted.

After he finished speaking, he stared intently at Zhao Zheng.

But Zhao Zheng couldn't see it, nor did he want to see it; he simply continued drinking his tea.

After all, regardless of what positions he held before or what part-time jobs he had recently taken, he was still a figure of honor.

Now, none of that has anything to do with his puppet persona.

“Each of you vassal kings has inherited the heroic spirit of your predecessors, and I imagine you must possess many treasures from foreign lands.”

Seeing this, Xu Jin wondered why Zhao Zheng beside him was not saying a word, but he also sensed the strange atmosphere and had to continue to speak to ease the tension.

He felt bitter inside, wondering why he had to be involved in this battle between the two.

Why isn't it enough that we've remained neutral for over a decade?

Is it really necessary to abandon everything like Brother Tang, not only staying away from the court, but also physically distancing oneself from it?

But Xu Jin and the Xu family, even if they had wanted to separate from each other from the beginning, had already been unable to do so for a long time.

"treasure?"

"Xu Jin, you're underestimating the situation. The world's treasures are nothing more than gold, silver, jewels, rare animals, and so on. They just come in different forms."

"Guess again."

Emperor Zhu Chongba still didn't look at Xu Jin, but continued to let Xu Jin guess.

His entire demeanor was quite intriguing, as he kept watching Zhao Zheng, who was silently drinking his tea without making a sound.

Even if Xu Jin didn't have the brains or didn't want to, he could only grow one on the spot.

Could it be that those treasures are related to the Zhao family?

Thinking of this, Xu Jin was horrified, but how could he say it and put Zhao Zheng in a disadvantageous position?

After all, even setting aside the connection between the Zhao family and him.

Looking back over the years, if it weren't for Zhao Zheng, he would have been tormented to death by the poisonous carbuncle behind his back.

He cannot repay kindness with enmity.

"Could it be... some kind of royal scepter over there?"

“Recently, a lot of news has come back, saying that the customs and traditions of the Western barbarians are completely different from ours.”

"Didn't His Highness the Prince of Qin also exterminate an entire clan, falsely claiming to be barbarians with the power to control vassal states, under the guise of an imperial edict from our ancient dynasty?"

This is an interesting story that has recently been circulating among the people.

A group of fence-sitters among the Western barbarians, traitors among the barbarians, spared by the royal army, did not think of living peacefully and benevolently, but instead took out the imperial edict of the ancient Chinese dynasty and presumptuously tried to be on par with the King of Qin.

They even dare to claim that they've ceded territory to themselves!

It can be described as the embodiment of greed, the human form of the Pixiu.

Fortunately, the kings who marched westward were no pushovers.

Ceding territory was the most sensitive red line set by Zhu De after the founding of the country.

In addition, they encountered King Zhu Xuan of Qin.

This is the epitome of a scoundrel among vassal kings, possessing almost every trait of scoundrels throughout history, except for filial impiety.

Its fate was very dry.

"neither."

However, this one good deed that the King of Qin did, which is talked about by countless people, still did not stop Emperor Zhu Chongba from stopping.

"Indeed, there are quite a few texts that corroborate the sacred principles presented by our Vice Minister Zhao."

"You wouldn't have guessed this, would you, brother?"

Now, Emperor Zhu Chongba finally looked at Xu Jin, which made Xu Jin even more terrified.

It's not surprising that the Western barbarians have texts that can corroborate the sacred principles presented by the Zhao family, since Zhao Zheng once said that sacred principles are also derived from the truths summarized by predecessors.

But now that the emperor has said it in front of the two of them, it's a completely different story!