Lu Zhong took the host seat, Xu Chong took the guest seat, and Gongsun Mang sat beside Xu Chong.
Although it was inappropriate for a boss to sit with his subordinates, since he was his mentor's guest and he was a descendant of Taizu, Gongsun Mang had no objection at all.
"I've long heard that boy from Shunyi say that Brother Xu is the person he admires most in his life."
Gongsun Mang picked up the wine glass and said with a smile, "I still didn't believe it at the time, but now it seems that it is really true."
"You're welcome, Your Excellency."
Xu Chong also picked up his wine glass.
The two drank it all in one go.
"We know each other now."
Lu Zhong smiled and said, signaling to Gongsun Mang, "Tell Xu Xiaoyou what's going on in the East Palace, and you two will take care of each other in the future."
This is true.
Gongsun Mang can take care of Xu Chong's affairs, and Xu Chong can give Gongsun Mang background support.
Gongsun Mang himself knew this very well.
After all, the Gongsun family is just a very small family.
He was able to enter the East Palace and climb to Zhan Shi's position, mostly because of his own efforts.
"Teacher, you have never worried about me so much."
Gongsun Mang joked with a smile and looked at Xu Chong, "Since we are colleagues in the future, I might as well talk to you first."
"All ears."
Xu Chong nodded seriously.
"You also know the responsibilities of Zhan Shifu. The most important ones are to teach and assist the prince."
Gongsun Mang shook his head as he spoke, "But now, all that's left is to assist the prince."
"oh?"
Xu Chong raised his eyebrows.
"Because, no one in the entire Zhan Shifu, including the Crown Prince and Tutor, can take up the position of teaching."
Gongsun Mang sighed, "A long time ago, the prince's knowledge surpassed all of us..."
The prince's name is Jiang Xinghe, he is the seventh son of Emperor Yongtai, and he is twenty-nine years old.
Ever since Emperor Yongtai ascended the throne and established Jiang Xinghe as the crown prince, he had only been stationed in the East Palace for five years... when he was about fourteen or fifteen years old, there was no one left to teach him.
Whether it is knowledge, conversation, etiquette, or imperial skills, Jiang Xinghe has achieved the best in the East Palace.
"Now, except for the political discussions in the middle of the month and the Taoist discussions at the end of each month, the prince studies alone."
Gongsun Mang smiled bitterly.
"I heard about the rules of Jixiangtian. Do the princes of every generation make such rapid progress?"
Xu Chong asked calmly.
"That's not clear."
Gongsun Mang said helplessly, "After all, after the prince ascends the throne, most of the subordinates in the East Palace will be transferred out."
"Is that so?"
Xu Chong was thoughtful and asked: "Is there anything I need to pay attention to in Zhan Shifu?"
"Haha, you want to ask about the prince's likes, dislikes and temperament, right?"
Gongsun Mang chuckled, "You don't have to worry about this at all."
"How to say?"
Xu Chong's eyes flashed.
"Because, the prince is not only excellent in knowledge, but also has extremely rare character."
Gongsun Mang said with emotion, "I think there is no one in the whole world who is more worthy of the word gentleman than His Royal Highness."
This evaluation can be said to be quite high, because there is no word "except for His Majesty".
It's not enough to call him a treasonous person, but this kind of rhetoric is enough to prove Gongsun Mang's high recognition of Jiang Xinghe.
However, Xu Chong's heart sank instead.
Because Emperor Yongtai seemed to be so perfect when he was the crown prince...
"Let's put it this way."
After thinking for a while, Gongsun Mang added, "A scholar dies for one who knows himself, but the prince knows me and all of us."
So evil?
Xu Chong was a little speechless.
Could it be that this prince is also a clone of Emperor Yongtai and has the magical power of bewitching?
"I feel the same way about this."
Lu Zhong suddenly interrupted, "The prince has already won the approval of most of the courtiers before he took charge of the country. Even His Majesty was unable to achieve this back then."
"oh?"
Xu Chong's heart moved slightly and he asked: "I heard that your Majesty also had a good reputation in both the government and the public back then?"
"That's because of political achievements."
A look of reminiscence appeared on Lu Zhong's face, and he said slowly: "For example, there was a rebel from Taiping Dao who defected to the court and brought a lot of secrets about Taiping Dao."
"It includes the detailed locations, personnel, strength, etc. of the thirty provincial branch churches, as well as the overseas islands where the Taiping Dao main gate is located."
"Soon, the location of the provincial branch hall was confirmed to be correct, and the Yang Shen of the imperial court went overseas to investigate and indeed found the island."
"The late emperor wanted to send out a large number of troops to suppress Taiping Dao's arrogance to a minimum and make Daqing stable for a while."
"And Your Majesty, try your best to stop it."
Prevent?
Xu Chong's expression changed, "Why?"
"His Majesty said..."
Lu Zhong suddenly lowered his voice, "The existence of Taiping Road is beneficial and harmless to the court. It can only curb the momentum, but cannot completely suppress it, let alone completely eliminate it."
Xu Chong and Gongsun Mang were shocked at the same time.
"Although this matter is not a secret, it would be better for you two not to spread it around."
Lu Zhong warned and continued: "In short, your Majesty cited scriptures and listed several periods in history when Taiping Dao was extremely weak."
"Without exception, those periods were also the most chaotic times for the imperial court."
"Chaos has emerged in government affairs, military power, laws, etc."
"After His Majesty finished listing them, he bluntly stated in front of the late Emperor and all the civil and military officials that there is evil in people's hearts."
"If this evil has nowhere to go, it can only bite back on itself."
"And the existence of Taiping Road can bear the evil of Daqing to a large extent."
Lu Zhong breathed out slowly, "These words almost caused His Majesty to lose his position as Crown Prince. If all the officials hadn't remonstrated, I'm afraid..."
"What happened next?"
Xu Chong asked with narrowed eyes.
"Later, although the late emperor did not demote the prince, he still insisted on sending troops."
Lu Zhong shook his head, "However, there are only a large number of low-level warriors left in the thirty provinces of Taiping Dao... All the high-level warriors, including the main forces of the six major families, returned to the island to ambush the imperial court.
Main force."
"What was the result?"
Gongsun Mang couldn't help but ask.
"Of course the result is victory."
Lu Zhong glanced at Gongsun Mang and said, "It's just a tragic victory. Five hundred thousand soldiers, at least the third level of enlightenment, only fifty thousand came back."
"It shouldn't be."
Gongsun Mang frowned, "For such a big thing, the first thing to rule out is conspiracy...and since we have decided to send troops, we will definitely block the news strictly. How could it be like this?"
"No one knows why."
Lu Zhong shook his head.
I might know something...
Xu Chong sneered in his heart.
If nothing else, the imperial court’s troop dispatch plan was leaked by Emperor Yongtai.
Did Emperor Wenchang know this or not?
Xu Chong was thoughtful and asked: "In which year did this happen?"
"It's...forty years, right? I can't remember exactly."
Lu Zhong answered, and then continued: "In short, after this battle, Taiping Road disappeared for ten years."
"In the past ten years, as His Majesty said, chaos has gradually emerged."
"It's okay here in the capital. In the local area, large-scale killings of good people have begun to take place, murders are committed against each other, wanton exploitation, etc."
Xu Chong twitched his lips.
There is no doubt that without the existence of Taiping Road, local officials only have the court as a channel to enhance their strength.
But if you only rely on the court, you can only endure the time and pass the exam.
Those who are restless and ambitious will naturally not be content with this.
"It was after this incident that the late emperor announced to the world that he would let the prince supervise the country."
Lu Zhong smiled and said, "Just in time, Taiping Dao resurfaced again, establishing branches in various places and laying secrets."
"Since then, the imperial court's attitude towards Taiping Dao has changed from trying to suppress it and preferably annihilating it, to controlling and containing it."
"Every few years, we look for opportunities to remove one or two branches to show the majesty of the imperial court."
"Well, that's what happened to Taiping Hou Xie Changqing."
Lu Zhong blinked at Xu Chong.
"I see."
Xu Chong nodded slightly, "So as you said before, the current prince is different?"
"Well, it's different."
Lu Zhong responded and explained: "Although today's princes are highly knowledgeable, they still make mistakes. Compare... compare..."
"Realistic?"
Xu Chong guessed.
"Yes, that's it."
Gongsun Mango was delighted and nodded repeatedly, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is very real and will make mistakes. However, he will soon realize his mistakes, and then consult anyone who can help him correct his mistakes, so that he will not make them again."
"No one is a saint, and no one can make mistakes."
Xu Chong breathed a sigh of relief.
The so-called authenticity means that it is sincere and at the same time makes people feel that it is not far away or superior.
It should be different from Emperor Yongtai.
"It's a pity that the cycle has just passed. Otherwise, Brother Xu only needs to experience it once to understand that what I said is not an exaggeration."
Gongsun Mang shook his head with regret.
The next topic has no nutrition.
Lu Zhong tested Xu Chong to see if he was married and if he had a sweetheart.
Gongsun Mang kept saying that he had a niece who was eighteen years old and as beautiful as a flower.
At the same time, another Xu Chong, wearing Lin Kuang's disguise, had flown to the endless sea.
The boats of the six major families are all floating in different locations.
This position basically changes anytime and anywhere.
But Lin Kuang said that it would not be farther than 30,000 miles offshore.
Because if it is further away, it will exceed the positioning range of the building's sub-body.
What he needs to do is to find the Fang family's building ship in the huge sea area with a radius of 30,000 miles, taking the Binzhou coast as the line.
No matter what the attitude of the Fang family is, as long as Lin Kuang, the master of the end of the world, appears on the Fang family's boat, the side branches of the Fang family will definitely notify the direct lineage.
Later it will depend on adapting to circumstances.
"To be honest, this range...is too big."
Xu Chong was flying high in the sky, always staring at the sea below.
Although Yang Shen's speed can cover 30,000 miles several times in one day and night, it is a straight line.
And a large-scale search like this cannot be completed in a few days.
At this moment, dozens of points of light came into view.
"Huh? So lucky?"
Xu Chong was stunned and quickly lowered his height.
That light is not a light, but the blessings and misfortunes revealed by the human body.
After a while, Xu Chong walked through the fog and was speechless.
He didn't know if this was good luck...
This is the Hua family's boat.
"Go and have a look, it's here."
Thinking like this, Xu Chong fell towards the building boat.
On the top floor of Taiyin Pavilion, Hua Nongyue was still frozen, and the purple light from her body reflected the entire top floor in purple.
After two glances, Xu Chongyang returned to his body, and his body continued to fall.
"Hua Miaoyin, come out and see you."
The sound condensed into bundles and poured into the first floor of Taiyin Pavilion.
In an instant, Mrs. Hua suddenly changed her color.
First is the horror.
It's scary. Who suddenly appears in Huajialou's boat? Is the visitor a friend or foe?
Then the horror turned to horror.
Because she recognized this voice.
Whoosh!
Mrs. Hua appeared in the courtyard, her eyes widened, staring at Xu Chong.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
Xu Chong smiled.
"Lin Kuang! Lin Dao Master?!"
Mrs. Hua was a little in disbelief.
"It's Lin Kuang who is pretty good."
Xu Chong nodded, "But he is no longer a Taoist master."
"What's going on?"
Mrs. Hua stepped forward eagerly, "For more than twenty years, everyone thought you were dead."
"Almost, but I didn't die anyway."
Xu Chong said in a deep voice, "I can't tell you the specific things. I'm here to ask you, is there any way for the Hua family to contact the Lin, Zheng, and Fang families?"
Mrs. Hua suddenly looked embarrassed, "To be honest with Master Lin, the Hua family has no contact with the three ancient families. It is really impossible to contact them."
The Gu family is the name given to the three families of Lin, Zheng and Fang by insiders within Taiping Road.
"All right."
Xu Chong was not too disappointed. He pointed towards the top of the pavilion and said, "It's better to hide such a great blessing under the boat."
"Master Lin..."
Mrs. Hua obviously misunderstood, her face turned ugly: "The Hua family really has no contact method."
"You are worrying too much. I am not threatening you."
Xu Chong shook his head, "In the eyes of Yang Shen, such a great blessing can be seen from a long distance."
Although the ice layer cannot be destroyed in theory, now that Ji Qingzhi has become Emperor Qing, he should try his best to prevent it if possible.
"Is this so..."
Mrs. Hua breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, Dao Master Lin, for your noble hand."
Just like his character back then, it seems that he is truly Kuang Lin.
"Little things."
Xu Chong waved his hand and said seriously: "In recent years, the deeper the boat is hidden, the better. If there are no tribesmen who need to go back and forth, then temporarily drive the boat 30,000 miles away."
"Why?"
Mrs. Hua was stunned for a moment and frowned: "Is the imperial court going to make a big move?"
"No, it's not the imperial court that I asked you to be wary of."
Xu Chong shook his head, "It's the new Taoist master."
"Ji Qingzhi?"
Mrs. Hua suddenly became solemn.
"Remember, don't leak the news of my return."
Xu Chongyang God unsheathed his body and flew into the air.
Mrs. Hua opened her mouth, and finally gave up questioning, just watching 'Lin Kuang' leave.
"The previous Taoist master returns."
"I discovered the blessing of the moon."
"Let me be careful about Ji Qingzhi."
"Total of these three, none of them is good news..."
Mrs. Hua's eyes flickered uncertainly, and she gritted her teeth after a moment, "No matter whether we give up the land industry for the time being, the foundation of the Hua family is still Nongyue... As long as the building ship is sailed thirty thousand miles, everyone except Dou Tianyuan
, no one can find it here again.”
Not long after, the Hua family's big boat gradually changed its direction, getting faster and faster, heading deeper into the endless sea.
Xu Chong did not go far, but followed the Hua family ship until the ship sailed to a depth of more than 40,000 miles before returning to continue searching.
This time, real good luck came.
Perhaps escorting the Huajialou boat made him deviate from the direction.
But really, as soon as he returned to the Thirty Thousand Miles Sea Area, he discovered another building ship.
One look at the building shape, there is no doubt that it belongs to the Fang family.
Xu Chong took a deep breath and spoke slowly:
"Master Fang family, please show up and see me!"
This time his voice was not restrained and reverberated directly throughout the entire building.
All of a sudden there was a lot of excitement.
"How dare you, Fang Xiaoxiao, to intrude into the important place of the Fang family?!"
The wind and clouds were moving, and a figure flew straight towards the sky.
"Fang Xiao Lai, you're not dead yet?"
When he saw who was coming, Xu Chong chuckled, "Oh no, now I'm going to call you Fang Lao Lai."
"..."
Fang Ren's body froze suddenly, and he looked at Xu Chong's face in shock.
Memories from years ago came flooding back quickly.
He is not a cripple. Not only is he not a cripple, he is also very healthy.
The reason why he was called Fang Xiaoqi was because he had a fight with Lin Kuang when he was young and was beaten until he limped and shouted for help.
From then on, Lin Kuang kept calling him Fang Xiaochan.
"Lin...Lin Kuang?"
Fang Ren was shocked and confused.
"Guaranteed replacement if fake."
Xu Chong said calmly.
"impossible!"
Fang Ren objected in a deep voice, "Lin Kuang has been dead a long time ago!"
"Would you like me to say something else?"
Xu Chong smiled and said, "For example, when I was working in the Taiping Palace, I peeked at the Zheng family's sister-in-law..."
"Shut up!"
Fang Ren's face instantly darkened.
He now somewhat believed in Lin Kuang's identity.
Because the two of them did this together, absolutely no third person knew about it.
"You don't want me to come down and sit down?"
Xu Chong pointed downwards, "In a while, those people from your side will rush up. It's best not to let them know my identity."
"Let's go."
Fang Ren shook his head helplessly and floated down.
At this time, many members of the Fang family were already standing in the large and small courtyards, all looking up curiously.
"What are you looking at?"
Fang Ren shouted coldly, "Go back and practice!"
In an instant, everyone dispersed like birds and beasts.
Just like that, Fang Ren took Xu Chong and landed on a flat high platform.
There are low tables and futons on the high platform.
"Tsk tsk tsk."
Xu Chong was not polite, sat down directly, and said in a loud voice: "After so many years, this observatory has not been demolished... I said that the Fang family should be conferred the title of Taiping Daoqin Tianjian."
"After all these years, you are still so yin and yang."
Fang Ren's suspicion dropped again, and he waved his hand and said, "Seriously, what happened back then? All of us thought you were dead."
"What else could it be?"
Xu Chong shrugged, "I was tricked and imprisoned for more than twenty years."
"Who is it?"
Fang Ren's eyes flashed.
"Don't ask about this yet, help me contact the Lin family."
Xu Chong looked serious, "I need to go back first."
"Um?"
Fang Ren's eyes flashed, "From your tone, the matter is serious?"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, he realized something was wrong and quickly made up for it: "In that case, you shouldn't have shown up with such a big fanfare just now."
"What are you afraid of? In the whole building, you are the only one who knows that I am Lin Kuang."
Xu Chong said nonchalantly, "Hurry up, time is urgent. Let's talk about old times after you finish contacting me."
"Okay, wait for me for a moment."
Fang Ren nodded and floated away.
Xu Chong knew that it was done.
According to Lin Kuang, Fang Ren was the kind of being who was completely brainwashed by his direct lineage.
No matter how great the friendship is, the first thing to consider is the direct lineage.
What's more... Fang Ren's friendship with Lin Kuang was just an act!