Pondering

"The Yin and Yang Emperors, one is Emperor Jing, the other is King Liang!"

"Is this revenge against the King of Liang?"

Information about many things is delayed, and sometimes it's not clear until long after someone has died.

Zhang Xuezhou had witnessed Emperor Jing and the Prince of Liang's life-or-death struggle, and he also dragged the King of Huainan into the battle.

Zhang Xuezhou once thought that Emperor Jing and Prince Liang were fighting amongst themselves within the royal family, but he never expected that the two of them could almost fool everyone when they cooperated.

It's no wonder that the Prince of Liang wanted to become emperor, and that Emperor Jing wanted to drag the Prince of Liang down with him.

When Emperor Jing left the Emperor Jing, the Prince of Liang was the ruler of the dynasty, practically another emperor. If Emperor Jing died, he could perfectly replace Emperor Jing, or even just have Emperor Jing die quietly, and the Prince of Liang would be the new Emperor Jing.

Emperor Jing was likely afraid that everything after his death would be replaced by Prince Liang, so he kept encouraging Prince Liang to do dangerous things such as fortune-telling and physiognomy after he was injured, which also prevented the other party from recovering. In the end, he dragged Prince Liang to his death.

Based on the information provided by Yao Yuanguang, many things kept swirling in Zhang Xuezhou's mind.

The King of Liang gained nothing good, but he certainly got into a lot of bad things, which even affected his successor.

"Emperors are truly fierce tigers!"

Although he himself was not skilled in magic, Emperor Jing kept the King of Huainan, who was skilled in magic, as a backup plan. Even after being seriously injured in a fierce battle with the Emperor, he still had the ability to clear away many obstacles.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that it was not unjust for Emperor Jing's tomb to have been repeatedly vandalized.

From Emperor Jing's perspective, Emperor Jing did nothing wrong.

However, from anyone else's perspective, Emperor Jing's capriciousness and ruthlessness are hard to accept, even for his most trusted and tacit brothers.

"If even the Prince of Liang and Emperor Jing, who are brothers, could not avoid a fierce battle, how can I possibly avoid clashing with His Majesty!"

To expect everything from the emperor's kind and benevolent nature is undoubtedly the greatest foolishness.

Zhang Xuezhou did not study genetics at university, but his knowledge of genetics from junior and senior high school was enough to make judgments about many things.

Biological genes are deeply engraved in the body's memory and passed down. Half of the new emperor's genes came from Emperor Jing, and he would inevitably bear the significant influence of Emperor Jing, even after Emperor Jing's death.

A leopard can't change its spots; cuckoos are born knowing how to push other birds out of the nest. Genetic memory tells the body what to do when making choices.

If the Great Han Dynasty Dowager's genes have limited influence on the new emperor, the new emperor will be just another version of Emperor Jing.

When it comes to treating his subjects, the new emperor's behavior is not much different from that of Emperor Jing.

No matter how good a new emperor is to people, this type of emperor will not hesitate to take drastic measures when necessary.

The news from State of Liang that Yao Yuanguang relayed was of no practical use to Zhang Xuezhou, but it helped him to better understand Emperor Jing and to gain a better understanding of the new emperor's character.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you!"

After exchanging ideas in hushed tones, Zhang Xuezhou and Yao Yuanguang both felt they had gained a lot, but it seemed that it hadn't been of any practical use.

Zhang Xuezhou gained no real benefit, and Yao Yuanguang remained unaware of the owner of the secret place, nor how to enter it.

The information about the two individuals was extremely confidential, yet lacked any practical impact on them personally.

If we had to pinpoint any advantage, it would simply be that both of them have become more stable in their mindset.

Zhang Xuezhou had his own assessment, while Yao Yuanguang was certain that there was a large cauldron in the secret place, and knew that this lead was feasible.

He was extremely annoyed and gave Zhang Xuezhou a high five. He couldn't help but recall Zhang Xuezhou's mention of the more than one hundred 'human medicines' imprisoned in the King of Huainan's Household.

This is not a good job. People are not commodities. Even if Yao Yuanguang gets his hands on them, he still has to be able to deliver them safely.

However, compared to the conflict with the Lord of the Sacred Land, dealing with the King of Huainan doesn't seem so difficult.

Moreover, with over a hundred 'human medicines' in hand, Zhang Xuezhou would have to answer at least a hundred questions for him, which would be enough for Yao Yuanguang to question Zhang Xuezhou's ancestors for three generations.

Yao Yuanguang was quite satisfied with the task, feeling that once he completed it, Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't be able to pull any tricks he wanted.

See you next time!

Grabbing a half-pound donkey hoof from the dining table, Yao Yuan decisively resigned from his job, even closing the door behind him for Zhang Xuezhou and the others.

"This old fortune teller seems to have an extraordinary background?"

After seeing Yao Yuanguang leave, Gongsun Hongcai asked in a low voice.

"Wouldn't it be even better if they had an extraordinary background?" Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "The more extraordinary their background, the more accurate their physiognomy will be!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Gongsun Hong gave an awkward smile.

He had hoped to glean some information from Zhang Xuezhou, but Zhang Xuezhou's reply made Gongsun Hong blush slightly.

Whenever Gongsun Hong recalled Yao Yuanguang's mentions of "the appearance of the Azure Dragon," "entering the imperial court," and "being ennobled and appointed prime minister," he felt an uncontrollable joy.

He felt a bit like an old man suddenly experiencing youthful exuberance, as if the impulsiveness of adolescence had returned to him.

However, this was ultimately not something that could be brought to light. If everything succeeded, things would be much easier to discuss, but since it hadn't yet reached the highest levels of government, Gongsun Hong could only subtly remind Zhang Xuezhou not to spread the news around, lest he be ashamed in the future.

"Don't worry, I definitely won't spread it around," Zhang Xuezhou assured him. "I'm counting on you to guide me when you return to Chang'an City!"

"Of course, of course!"

Gongsun Hong readily agreed.

Zhang Xuezhou's words were not meant as a compliment, but rather because Zhang Xuezhou was new to the imperial court in Chang'an City and it would take him at least ten years to rise to an important position.

With Dong Zhongshu's support, Gongsun Hong, backed by Confucian School, would gain considerable power in the court, and his promotion after meritorious service would be much faster than that of ordinary officials.

Although Gongsun Hong will enter Chang'an City later, his official rank will most likely be higher than Zhang Xuezhou's, and he will also be promoted faster.

Zhang Xuezhou's statement that he should offer advice was not just polite flattery, but a statement that this situation was highly likely to occur.

Gongsun Hong was pleased by what he heard and stopped thinking about Zhang Xuezhou and Yao Yuanguang's whispers for a moment.

From this day forward, he will be a confident person.

As long as he can hold out until he moves into Chang'an City, everything he has will be no less than what Shen Peigong possesses.

Gongsun Hong felt wonderful, as if spring had arrived and flowers were blooming in his heart.

"I probably won't be returning to Chang'an City anytime soon. I'll be stuck at home for the next few years," Gongsun Hong said after some thought. "Coincidentally, I'm quite familiar with the East Sea. If your court has some free time, I can take you there for a trip. Finding some high-quality agarwood on the islands shouldn't be too difficult. If we can find the School of Mohists's mechanical city, that would be an even greater fortuitous opportunity!"

"Going to sea?"

"Yes, you don't need to worry about falling into the water if you come with me. I'm a pretty good swimmer!"

Agarwood was the material that Gongsun Hong recommended Zhang Xuezhou to purchase for making ambergris, and Zhang Xuezhou vaguely felt that he had heard about the Mohists's Mechanized City before.

When Zhang Xuezhou recalled that he, Dong Zhongshu, Jin Chang, and others had presented their top-grade skills at the King of Huainan's Household in order to gain entry into the Wenying Pavilion, he remembered that Dong Zhongshu had mentioned the Mohists's mechanical city.

Zhang Xuezhou was pondering something, and Gongsun Hong, seeing Zhang Xuezhou, was also pondering something.

If there were no need, Gongsun Hong wouldn't have brought a burden to the East Sea.

But having witnessed Zhang Xuezhou's friendly interactions with the Dragon Kings, this burden of Zhang Xuezhou suddenly seemed important.

Even if Zhang Xuezhou can't be of much help, having him as a mascot would be more useful than having many other people around.

If we're talking about whether someone is familiar with a certain place in the sea, it's definitely not a human, but an aquatic creature that roams the ocean. And the relationship between humans and aquatic creatures isn't exactly good.

A relatively reliable bridge is also important. Even if Zhang Xuezhou cannot obtain relevant information through it, it may at least help prevent risks from aquariums, especially those involving high-level aquariums.