Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

As Zong Ze watched Ren Yuan drink his liquor with great gusto in front of him, he suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

This wine, he admitted, wasn't very good to drink, but this man in front of him could drink it without any problem!

"What's wrong, senior? Are you afraid, or do you feel unworthy?"

After Ren Yuan finished his drink, he smiled and asked Zong Ze.

"Ren Yuan, I don't deny that you are capable, but don't forget that you were born and raised in the Song Dynasty, you are a Song citizen!"

Zong Ze, of course, would not admit defeat so easily. He rallied his spirits and spoke to Ren Yuan again.

"Reclaiming Yanyun is certainly a great achievement, and I admire you for doing so. But why did you declare yourself king? Why didn't you join the court and serve it? And then use the court's name to reclaim Yanyun?"

"Oh my, brother, what did I just hear?"

After Zong Ze said those words, Shi Qian couldn't hold back.

"Senior, if I may be so bold as to ask, does the imperial court you speak of tolerate people?"

This time, Xiao Jiahui spoke up, gesturing for Ren Yuan to eat more and leaving him the opportunity to roast someone.

"Why is the imperial court so intolerant of people? Your Majesty..."

Just as Zong Ze was about to say something, Xiao Jiahui unleashed her ultimate move:

"Senior, are you perhaps referring to Emperor Huizong of Song? Indeed, he was quite tolerant, tolerating people like Cai Jing and Zhu Mian. In my entire life, I have never seen an emperor tolerate a rebel in the court for so many years and still maintain such a high reputation. He truly had the capacity to forgive!"

"That's just that old traitor Cai Jing has deceived His Majesty!"

Zong Ze blushed slightly, and cursed Cai Jing several times in his heart.

"Is that so? Then who else does he tolerate? Oh, people like Gao Qiu and Yang Jian? Well, we in Dayi really can't tolerate such scoundrels. Brother, you should listen to the advice of the elders and learn from Zhao Ji. You should be more tolerant of scoundrels."

Xiao Jiahui's sarcastic and strange demeanor is very similar to Ren Yuan's.

"Old Xiao, you're right, senior. I am indeed not as tolerant of scoundrels as Zhao Ji. It's my fault. I'll punish myself with a cup."

Ren Yuan suppressed a laugh and poured himself another glass of wine.

"You, you're just making excuses! It's normal for the emperor to be deceived occasionally. You, Ren Yuan, are now a powerful figure. Can you guarantee that you will never be deceived?"

Zong Ze understood that defending himself was useless, so he could only turn his attention to attacking Ren Yuan.

"I wouldn't dare, but I'm not as stupid as him. If you can be so easily fooled, you shouldn't be an emperor. Wouldn't it be better to go back to growing vegetables?"

But to Zong Ze's surprise, Ren Yuan seemed genuinely unconcerned about saving face. Faced with his question, he readily admitted it! And he even took the opportunity to attack Zhao Ji again!

"Senior, I have a question for you."

Hsiao Chia-hui then launched an attack:

"According to you, Zhao Ji was a tolerant emperor, so there must be many talented people in your court, right? My brother told me that you, esteemed elder, are a rare talent. I would like to know, what position did you hold in the Zhao Song court?"

"I am the Prefectural Magistrate of Dengzhou."

When Zong Ze said this, he seemed a little unsure of himself.

"How could such a talented senior official only be a sub-prefect, while Cai Jing, Yang Jian, Gao Qiu, and others held high positions? Could it be that they were more talented than the senior official?"

"..."

Zong Ze remained silent. Even if he wanted to defend Zhao Ji, he couldn't bring himself to say it now.

“Senior, if a court is full of capable people, and there are only one or two villains, then you can say that the emperor is being deceived.”

"But if a court is mostly filled with treacherous officials and villains, with only one or two capable ministers occasionally, do you think that's being deceived? Senior, where is your conscience?"

Xiao Jiahui lived up to her reputation; her words made Shi Qian applaud enthusiastically, leaving Zong Ze speechless.

It took him a moment to recover.

"You are indeed quick-witted and should be Ren Yuan's right-hand man, but you are so reasonable, yet you just stand by and watch him be disrespectful to the royal family? The emperor will always be the emperor, and even if he makes a mistake, you cannot act like this!"

"Royalty? Who isn't royalty? Is the Zhao family the only royalty?"

Xiao Jiahui laughed loudly, completely disregarding Zong Ze's words.

"Senior, let me tell you, his name is Xiao Jiasui, a descendant of the Southern Liang royal family, who became royal several hundred years earlier than the Zhao family."

When Ren Yuan introduced Xiao Jiasui, Zong Ze said to Xiao Jiasui, "What are you talking about, royalty? She is royalty!"

"Well, the Liang Dynasty is several hundred years old now, and this empire belongs to the founding emperor..."

Zong Ze hadn't expected Xiao Jiasui to have this identity, so he could only say that time would tell.

"Senior, are you referring to Emperor Taizu, the same Emperor Taizu who was Zhao Kuangyin, the traitor who bullied orphans and widows?"

But before he could finish speaking, he noticed that the wealthy-looking man next to Ren Yuan spoke up and started insulting Zhao Kuangyin.

"And who are you? The founding emperor unified the Central Plains, how can you be so disrespectful to him?"

Zong Ze was certainly aware of how the Zhao family had come to power, but as a Song official, he had no choice but to speak out in their defense.

“My surname is Chai, my ancestors also had the surname Chai, and they could even have had the surname Guo. I am also a member of the royal family. So do you think I can criticize Zhao Kuangyin?”

Chai Jin didn't even bother to look at Zong Ze, and directly brought up his own background.

“Chai, Guo, you, you are…”

Zong Ze was helpless. Why was he encountering nothing but royalty all day? Moreover, any conscientious subject of the Zhao Song dynasty had to obediently bow down before the Chai family! They could only endure being scolded!

"Senior Zong, let me ask you something. You say you're now loyal to the Zhao family, so why are you here taking the imperial examination? And you're so protective of Zhao Ji, who's such a wretched man. Why couldn't Zhao Kuangyin have protected the orphans and widows of the Chai family like you did back then?"

Ren Yuan followed up with another blow.

"Judging from this, Zhao Kuangyin's character is even worse than yours. Why did you serve the dynasty established by such a morally corrupt person? If you really wanted to talk about loyalty and righteousness, you should have taken this opportunity to denounce the Zhao family's hypocrisy and made them return the world to its rightful owner."

"But you didn't do that, senior, and your ancestors probably didn't either. Your ancestors were born and raised in the Zhou dynasty, so why didn't they curse Zhao Kuangyin like you curse me today when he usurped the throne?"

Zong Ze was completely speechless. He felt that Ren Yuan was gradually stripping away what he had always held dear!

"Senior, you say your ancestors were all disloyal and unjust officials, and now you're advising me to be loyal? Don't you find that ridiculous? What gives you the right?"

Seeing Zong Ze's face turn red, Ren Yuan understood that the old man probably wouldn't say anything more, which gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction!

"Ren Yuan, you're so quick-witted..."

"Senior, which of my statements is not true? If it is not, tell me. I am not like Emperor Huizong of Song. I am good at accepting advice. Tell me."

Ren Yuan even tilted his head slightly and tapped his ear, signaling Zong Ze to speak.

That arrogant demeanor seemed to be saying to Zong Ze, "What are you going to do about hitting me? What are you going to do about hitting me?"

This made Zong Ze feel extremely aggrieved, but he was helpless because he was indeed in the wrong!

After feeling extremely frustrated, Zong Ze suddenly seemed to have made up his mind. He slammed the plate in front of him on the table and then used the broken pieces to stab himself in the throat!

"Ren Yuan! I can't argue with you! But the Great Song Dynasty still has people of integrity!..."