Guangling

Being an official in the imperial court is not easy, especially when it involves factional struggles.

Gongsun Hong was a victim of choosing the wrong side.

If Shen Peigong and others were still in the Chang'an court, his failed mission to the Xiong State would have been a major issue, and even dismissal and returning home would have been difficult; he might even have lost his life.

Invited by the King of Jiangdu, and with Dong Zhongshu constantly hinting at needing his help, Zhang Xuezhou finally arrived at Guangling City, the capital of Jiangdu, and met Gongsun Hong, who looked dejected, three days later.

It wasn't until Gongsun Hong was introduced into the Guangling Palace and saw the King of Jiangdu sitting on the throne, along with Dong Zhongshu, Zhang Xuezhou, and others seated as guests, that Gongsun Hong's pale face, which had been forcibly carried there, regained its color.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Gongsun Hong bowed respectfully.

"Mr. Gongsun, you may dispense with the formalities!"

The State of Zichuan was a vassal state of the State of Qi, and its location was extremely close to the Northern Border.

The King of Jiangdu said he was indeed inviting people, but the Principle another matter.

In just six days, Gongsun Hong had been brought here.

"Why are you still tied up? Does Mr. Gongsun have some kind of special hobby?" King Jiangdu said, "To be honest, I also like to tie people up. My favorite concubine often plays this kind of bondage game."

"Second Minister!"

The King of Jiangdu acted in an extremely simple and brutal manner. The promised invitation turned into directly binding Gongsun Hong to the Kingdom of Jiangdu. Dong Zhongshu, who had been on tenterhooks, also breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

If the King of Jiangdu was diligent in governing and loved his people, and was praised by everyone, he would surely feel ashamed to choose the King of Jiangdu as the target for his cultivation of magic arts.

But the King of Jiangdu was increasingly reckless and incompetent; he showed no remorse whatsoever when he took action.

Dong Zhongshu waved his Law Treasure fan, and a wind blade flew out like a knife, instantly freeing Gongsun Hong from his bonds.

"Zhongshu!"

Gongsun Hong looked at his swollen and broken arm, and could only cup his hands in a respectful bow to Dong Zhongshu.

He rubbed the aching parts of his body, then looked ahead. He didn't know how Zhang Xuezhou had followed Dong Zhongshu to Jiangdu Kingdom, but he was somewhat acquainted with Zhang Xuezhou, so he greeted him.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Master Gongsun. I'm very concerned about your safety!"

Zhang Xuezhou stood up and returned the greeting.

Having witnessed Gongsun Hong's actions in Chang'an City, his impression of Gongsun Hong was neither good nor bad.

If he lacks ability and gets caught up in the vortex of being forced to go on a mission to the Xiong State, Zhang Xuezhou's performance will not be much better than Gongsun Hong's.

He could understand Gongsun Hong, but Zhang Xuezhou clearly wouldn't trust Gongsun Hong as much as he trusted Dong Zhongshu.

But Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't offend Gongsun Hong either.

He returned the greeting with a bow, and only after Gongsun Hong was offered a seat by the King of Jiangdu did Zhang Xuezhou return to his place.

"Mr. Gongsun, I heard from Erudite Dong that you spent more than ten years in the East China Sea and are extremely familiar with it. I wonder if you know about the Crystal Palace in the East China Sea?"

After raising his cup in a gesture of respect to Gongsun Hong, the King of Jiangdu quickly inquired about the purpose of his invitation to Gongsun Hong.

Gongsun Hong arrived in Guangling City three days later than them. During these days, Dong Zhongshu and the others read books such as "Jiangdu Yizhi" and also wandered around and explored the area near the Yangtze River and other rivers.

After Dong Zhongshu and his men's search yielded no results, the King of Jiangdu turned his attention to Gongsun Hong, whom Dong Zhongshu had recommended.

"The Crystal Palace of the Dragon King of the East Sea?"

Gongsun Hong was taken aback, finally understanding why he had been bound and brought here.

It's not uncommon for someone like the King of Jiangdu to kidnap people from afar just to get an answer; there were even more absurd feudal lords within the Great Han Kingdom.

"The Crystal Palace isn't located in the sea near Jiangdu," Gongsun Hong shook his head and said, "The entrance to the Crystal Palace in the East Sea is 1,200 li west of the coast of Lu!"

"There really is one?"

King Jiangdu's right hand, which was holding up the cup, paused.

He had only asked casually, never expecting that Gongsun Hong would directly reveal the location.

"The world is divided into the East Sea, the West Sea, the North Sea, and the South Sea, and each of these four seas has a Dragon Palace," Gongsun Hongdao said. "These places are the lair of the Dragon Kings, and are extremely heavily guarded. Only those who are proficient in water escape techniques and possess extraordinary combat strength can enter such dangerous places!"

"How amazing does it have to be for me to be amazing?" King Jiangdu asked.

"If Your Majesty's water escape technique is unparalleled in the world, allowing you to enter the water as if flying through the air like a bird, then your current combat power is already astonishing," Gongsun Hong said earnestly.

"What do you mean?" King Jiangdu asked Dong Zhongshu, "What water and birds are you talking about? This Gongsun Hong's words are a bit hard for me to understand!"

"Master Gongsun said that if one could swim in the water like a fish, then one could directly explore the Crystal Palace in the East Sea," Dong Zhongshu explained. "If that's not possible, then it would require building a large ship capable of traversing the seas."

"Even large ships won't work. Large ships can only sail up to the waters above the Dragon Palace in the East Sea. That Dragon Palace is hundreds of feet deep above the water, making it difficult for ordinary people to enter," Gongsun Hongdao said.

"Hundreds of feet deep in water? Are they out of their minds? Why would they build a palace in such deep water? How am I supposed to catch dragons here?"

The King of Jiangdu launched into a tirade, showing no regard for the differences in their races.

Dong Zhongshu then repeatedly winked at Gongsun Hong.

He invited Gongsun Hong to help him, not to sabotage him.

If the King of Jiangdu puts this matter aside and his thoughts of the Water Palace fade, Dong Zhongshu will have almost no other way to get so close to him.

"Your skills in the water are excellent, and you know a great deal. If you can't reach the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, you should be able to find other underwater palaces," Dong Zhongshu recommended.

"That's difficult!"

Gongsun Hong shook his head, a troubled look on his face.

He wasn't oblivious to Dong Zhongshu's subtle hint; rather, exploring the Water Palace was indeed extremely difficult.

After the fall of the Zhou imperial family, which was dominated by the Immortal Court, the Dragon Kings who lived in the water palaces of rivers and lakes also withdrew to find suitable places to live. Now it is difficult to find the Dragon Palace in the Southern Jambudvipa Continent.

"Your Excellency only said it was difficult, not impossible, so there must be some other solutions," Dong Zhongshu said with a forced smile.

"The Dragon Kings of the Seas are almost impossible to find, but there is indeed one Dragon King left in this world who is in charge of the waters of various regions," Gongsun Hong nodded.

"Oh, where is the Dragon King?" King Jiangdu stopped cursing and asked.

"This Dragon King patrols the Huai River, Ji River, Chang River, and Yellow River; his whereabouts are unpredictable," Gongsun Hongdao said. "Sometimes he even transforms into human form and wanders around, making him extremely difficult to find!"

"So you mean?"

Cough cough cough!

When the King of Jiangdu asked the question again, Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but cough to remind him.

Whether it's about dragons or not is unimportant, and whether it's about a water palace is also unimportant. What's important is getting the King of Jiangdu involved in this matter.

Even if they end up finding only a dilapidated water mansion, it's fine.

The longer they spent together, the more likely Dong Zhongshu was to promote the development of martial arts through the King of Jiangdu.

His focus was never on finding the dragon and the water palace, but simply on getting close to the King of Jiangdu to perform magic.

"Your Excellency must be tired from your long journey. Why don't you rest first, and then we can see if we can find a water palace for His Majesty?" Dong Zhongshu said.

"Alright!"

Most of the civil officials who could enter and leave the imperial court were intelligent. After being repeatedly reminded by Dong Zhongshu, Gongsun Hong belatedly realized what was going on.

If Dong Zhongshu repeatedly reminded them, it only proves that there are significant benefits to searching for the Water Palace.

Gongsun Hong thought about the bleak future of the Chang'an court, and then about Dong Zhongshu, who had also left Chang'an City in a similarly bleak state. In the end, he stood on the same side as Dong Zhongshu.