Jiangdu's Tribute Mission

The journey from Jiangxia to Chang'an City was very fast, but after exhausting the vast and pure Demon Power given by the Dragon Pearl, it took Zhang Xuezhou two days to return to Guangling City in Jiangdu.

Combining the Technique Within the Clouds travel, cloud soaring, and the black and white twin horses, Zhang Xuezhou finally stood in Guangling City.

This is related to his physical fitness, as well as the terrain from Jiangdu to Chang'an City.

It was so difficult for him to travel alone, let alone when he was escorting 100,000 gold coins and also had to take Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong with him.

It is always extremely inappropriate to do personal things while performing official duties. If he passes through certain cities, he will inevitably leave relevant records.

"Is the King of Jiangdu going to send a tribute mission to Chang'an City?"

Dong Zhongshu was unlikely to leave anytime soon, so Zhang Xuezhou found him at Xuanhua Tower, where he had previously stayed, as well as Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong.

The King of Jiangdu kept his word, and Dong Zhongshu indeed possessed the virtues that put the King at ease. With just a brief mention, Dong Zhongshu accepted the reward on Zhang Xuezhou's behalf.

Zhang Xuezhou also sought Dong Zhongshu's help on how to safely transport this batch of money back to Chang'an City.

Zhang Xuezhou would not try to do everything on his own; he would always seek help from others for things that he found difficult to accomplish.

This led him to learn, rather unexpectedly, of the 'Sword Appreciation Gathering' and that the King of Jiangdu would lead eight hundred strong men to Chang'an City to offer his congratulations.

"That's good. If you find it difficult to transport this bounty back to Chang'an City, you can have Chang Gong and the others travel with the King of Jiangdu's caravan. This way, you won't have to go against the imperial court's orders," Dong Zhongshu nodded.

That's wonderful!

Zhang Xuezhou a sigh of relief.

Ten thousand gold coins is nothing to a feudal lord, after all, the number of soldiers and retainers a feudal lord can be several thousand, tens of thousands or even more than one hundred thousand, and the daily consumption of these people is astronomical.

However, 100,000 taels of gold was a life-saving sum for Zhang Xuezhou at the moment, and he could not afford to lose it. He also needed to send it back to Chang'an City as quickly as possible.

The Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong were not strong enough to escort the money, and Dong Zhongshu could not return to Chang'an City without being summoned. Gongsun Hong had just been dismissed from his post and sent back to his hometown. As for Zhang Xuezhou, who was carrying out official duties, let's not even talk about him.

None of them were truly capable of doing what seemed like a simple task.

However, the participation of the King of Jiangdu in the sword-appreciation event undoubtedly resolved this matter perfectly.

As long as he gets a ride, Zhang Xuezhou can safely transport this money to his home in Chang'an City. In fact, as long as Lady Yourong and Zhang Changgong accompany him, he can accomplish everything.

"But the King of Jiangdu has a problem right now," Dong Zhongshu said with a smile.

"What's the problem?" Zhang Xuezhou asked, puzzled.

"He excitedly searched for the Water Palace hoping to slay a dragon and present it to His Majesty, only to find it was merely the dwelling place of a crab demon," Gongsun Hong interjected. "He neither saw nor caught the dragon, and now he's racking his brains over what gifts to bring to Chang'an City when he goes to pay tribute!"

The colors in Dong Zhongshu's and Gongsun Hong's eyes looked somewhat strange.

Dong Zhongshu participated in the Water Palace's schemes, but it's unclear how Zhang Xuezhou orchestrated everything, why he had the ability to persuade a Dragon King of Ao Li's caliber, and what his relationship with Ao Li was like.

Gongsun Hong invited the King of Jiangdu to his water palace, but many things remain unclear.

Both of them had unresolved doubts and were trying to subtly probe for information to avoid being unwittingly dragged into the mess.

"As you all know, I've been bedridden for over ten days," Zhang Xuezhou said helplessly, spreading his hands. "My situation is almost exactly the same as yours—being imprisoned and unable to do anything. I can't find the dragon for the King of Jiangdu, and I don't recommend that you all continue to get involved in this matter!"

"Oh?"

Gongsun Hong asked in doubt.

"Is there a risk in continuing to get involved?" Dong Zhongshu asked, frowning slightly.

"All I know is that the Dragon King is named Ao Li, the Great Dragon God who controls rain," Zhang Xuezhou said. "We've run into an insurmountable wall; we can't afford to offend him!"

"So it was the Great Dragon God! Then our defeat wasn't in vain!" Gongsun Hong said. "The Great Dragon God is the strongest of the current dragon race. No wonder he was able to summon the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas!"

Zhang Xuezhou revealed very little information, but it was enough to deal with Gongsun Hong.

His words were concise and to the point, making them acceptable to Gongsun Hong.

Dong Zhongshu also breathed a sigh of relief.

He wasn't good at lying, especially to his colleagues like Gongsun Hong, but he did have a secret agreement with Ao Li, and this clandestine affair weighed heavily on his mind.

Only when Gongsun Hong stopped asking questions did Dong Zhongshu finally feel at ease.

The matter of the Water Palace has concluded, and Dong Zhongshu has successfully taken a step closer to the King of Jiangdu, even learning about the King's next plans.

As long as Dong Zhongshu contributes to the Jiangdu tribute mission, he can gradually get closer to the King of Jiangdu, thereby becoming more intimate with him and even developing further interactions.

"Do you know this Great Dragon God? It seems to me that he invited the Four Dragon Kings to punish you," Gongsun Hong asked in a low voice.

"How would I know them?" Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "They must have seen that I was sick and then kindly came to help me!"

"That's it?" Gongsun Hong asked incredulously.

"So what do you want me to do?" Zhang Xuezhou said, "You guys fell into the underwater palace, I ran over right after, and then I fainted, completely unconscious. You all saw what happened when I regained consciousness!"

"That's true!"

Gongsun Hong nodded.

Aside from attributing everything to the good intentions of the Rain God, he felt there was no other explanation, given the extremely short time allotted for any action.

"That dragon is quite kind of him, actually willing to give you the East Sea Dragon Pearl," Gongsun Hong said.

May you have a peaceful and prosperous life!

Zhang Xuezhou nodded in agreement.

As long as there is no conflict of interest, people in high positions tend to be more generous than ordinary people.

What may seem insignificant to someone of a lower level is a great fortuitous opportunity to them.

For example, Ao Li borrowed Zhang Xuezhou's Dragon Ball to heal his injuries, which seems incredible, but for Ao Li, using the Dragon Ball to heal his injuries was a normal thing to do, since Ao Li had no other means of healing besides using the Dragon Ball.

Gongsun Hong couldn't understand why Ao Li would stuff such a precious dragon pearl into Zhang Xuezhou's mouth, but he could easily categorize it as a good deed.

"Gentlemen," Dong Zhongshu said, "Why don't we talk about the Jiangdu tribute matter? As long as I'm listed in it, and His Majesty sees the tribute and asks a few questions, and the King of Jiangdu mentions my name, my return to Chang'an City will be a sure thing!"

"This matter seems simple, but it's difficult to incorporate this kind of thought into it," Gongsun Hong said.

"As long as I can return to Chang'an City, it will be just around Chang'an City corner for you to return as well," Dong Zhongshu said.

"That's difficult," Gongsun Hong said helplessly. "I was just kicked out by His Majesty, there's no way His Majesty would invite me back to Chang'an right after that."

"It should take three to five years," Dong Zhongshu guessed, then said helplessly, "I have no interest in developing Chang'an, but welcoming the Vice Minister requires some effort. It's impossible to get him here as soon as we arrive. We need three to five years to buffer this. It's better to start early now."

"Zhongshu's words make sense!"

Gongsun Hong nodded.

The Confucian School was leaderless, but Dong Zhongshu couldn't simply go to Chang'an City and quickly resolve everything.

This will take time to process.

This also gives the new emperor time to calm down his anger towards Gongsun Hong. Only after Dong Zhongshu has established himself firmly can he possibly return to take over everything that Dong Zhongshu has managed in Chang'an City.

After hearing Dong Zhongshu's explanation, Gongsun Hong's enthusiasm for the Jiangdu tribute mission was immediately aroused.