The dining hall of the Duke's Mansion.
Lü Zhong sat in the host seat, Xu Chong sat in the guest seat, and Gongsun Mang sat next to Xu Chong.
Although it was inappropriate for a boss to sit with his subordinate, Gongsun Mang had no objection at all since the guest was his mentor and a descendant of Taizu.
"I've heard from Shunyi 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 didn't quite believe it at the time, but now it seems that it's true."
"You are welcome, sir."
Xu Chong also picked up his wine glass.
They both drank it in one gulp.
“Now I know you.”
Lü Zhong smiled and said to Gongsun Mang, "Tell Xu Xiaoyou about what's going on in the East Palace, so that you two can take care of each other in the future."
That's true.
Gongsun Mang can take care of Xu Chong's affairs, while Xu Chong can provide support to Gongsun Mang in terms of background.
Gongsun Mang himself was well aware of this.
After all, the Gongsun family is just a very small family.
The fact that he was able to enter the Eastern Palace and climb to the position of Chancellor was mostly due to his own efforts.
"Teacher, you have never been so worried about me before."
Gongsun Mang smiled and teased, looking at Xu Chong, "Since we will be colleagues in the future, it would be better for me to talk to you first."
"I'm all ears."
Xu Chong nodded seriously.
"You also know the duties of the Zhanshi Mansion. The most important thing is to teach and assist the Crown Prince."
Gongsun Mang shook his head and said, "But now, all I have left is to assist the Crown Prince."
"oh?"
Xu Chong raised his eyebrows.
"Because, in the entire Zhanshi Mansion, including the Prince's tutor, there is no one who can take on the responsibility of teaching."
Gongsun Mang sighed, "A long time ago, the prince's knowledge surpassed all of us..."
The prince's name was Jiang Xinghe, the seventh son of Emperor Yongtai, and he was twenty-nine years old.
Since Emperor Yongtai ascended the throne and made Jiang Xinghe the crown prince, he had only lived in the Eastern Palace for five years... When he was about fourteen or fifteen years old, there was no one to teach him.
Whether in terms of knowledge, conversation, etiquette, or imperial skills, Jiang Xinghe was the best in the Eastern Palace.
"Now, except for the mid-month political discussion and the end-month discussion, the prince studies on his own."
Gongsun Mang smiled bitterly.
"I have heard about Jixiangtian's rules. Does every generation of princes progress so quickly?"
Xu Chong asked calmly.
“That’s not clear.”
Gongsun Mang said helplessly, "After all, after the crown prince ascends the throne, most of the officials in the Eastern Palace will be transferred out as well."
"Is that so?"
Xu Chong seemed to be thinking about something, and then asked, "Is there anything I need to pay attention to in the Zhanshi Mansion?"
"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."
"What do you mean?"
Xu Chong's eyes flashed.
"Because the prince is not only excellent in knowledge, his character is also extremely rare."
Gongsun Mang said with emotion, "I think, in the whole world, no one is more worthy of the word gentleman than His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
This evaluation can be said to be quite high because there is no addition of the sentence 'except Your Majesty'.
It's not to the point of being a heinous crime, but this statement is enough to prove Gongsun Mang's high level of approval of Jiang Xinghe.
However, Xu Chong's heart sank.
Because, when Emperor Yongtai was the crown prince, he seemed to be so perfect...
"Put it this way."
After thinking for a moment, Gongsun Mang added, "A scholar will die for the one who understands him, and the prince knows me and all of us."
So weird?
Xu Chong was a little shocked.
Could it be that this prince is also the incarnation of Emperor Yongtai and has the ability to bewitch others?
"I feel the same way about this."
Lu Zhong suddenly interrupted, "The prince has won the approval of most of the court officials before he became regent. Even Your Majesty failed to do this in the past."
"oh?"
Xu Chong's heart was slightly moved, and he asked, "I heard that Your Majesty was also well-known in the court and the country in those days?"
“That’s because of political achievements.”
Lu Zhong's face showed a look of reminiscence, and he slowly said: "For example, there was a rebel from the Taiping Dao who defected to the court and brought with him a lot of secrets of the Taiping Dao."
"It includes the detailed locations, personnel, strength, etc. of the thirty provincial branches, as well as the overseas islands where the Taiping Dao headquarters is located."
"Soon, the location of the provincial branch was confirmed to be correct, and the Yangshen of the imperial court went overseas to investigate and indeed found the island."
"The late emperor wanted to send a large army to suppress the arrogance of the Taiping Dao and allow Daqing to remain stable for a period of time."
"And your majesty tried his best to stop it."
Prevent?
Xu Chong's expression changed, "Why?"
"Your Majesty said..."
Lu Zhong suddenly lowered his voice and said, "The existence of Taiping Dao is beneficial to the court. We can only curb its momentum, not suppress it completely, let alone completely wipe it out."
Xu Chong and Gongsun Mang were both shocked.
"Although this matter is not a secret, it is better for you two not to spread it around."
Lu Zhong gave a warning and continued, "In short, your majesty cited classics and listed several periods in history when the 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, and so on."
"After your majesty has finished listing, he will speak frankly in front of the late emperor and all the civil and military officials about the evil in people's hearts."
"If this evil has no place to go, it will only backfire on itself."
"And the existence of Taiping Dao can bear the evil of Daqing to a large extent."
Lu Zhong exhaled slowly, "These words almost caused your majesty to lose the position of crown prince. If it weren't for the death of all the officials, I'm afraid..."
"And then?"
Xu Chong asked with narrowed eyes.
"Later, although the late emperor did not demote the crown prince, he still insisted on sending troops."
Lu Zhong shook his head. "However, only a large number of low-level warriors were left in the thirty provincial branches of the Taiping Dao... All the high-level warriors, including the main forces of the six major families, returned to the island to ambush the main force of the court."
"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 was just a tragic victory. There were 500,000 soldiers, the lowest of which were at the third level of enlightenment, but only 50,000 returned."
“It shouldn’t be like that.”
Gongsun Mang frowned. "For such a big event, the first thing to rule out is conspiracy... and since they have decided to send troops, they will definitely strictly block the news. How could it turn out like this?"
“No one knows why.”
Lu Zhong shook his head.
I might know something...
Xu Chong sneered in his heart.
If nothing unexpected happens, the court's plan to send troops was leaked by Emperor Yongtai.
Does Emperor Wenchang know this or not?
Xu Chong seemed to be thinking about something, and asked, "What year did this happen?"
"It's been... about forty years, right? I can't remember exactly."
Lu Zhong answered, and then continued: "In short, after this battle, Taiping Dao disappeared for ten years."
"In the past ten years, as Your Majesty said, chaos has gradually emerged."
"It's still okay in the capital, but in the local areas, there have been widespread cases of killing innocent people to claim credit, murdering each other, and wanton exploitation."
Xu Chong curled the corner of his mouth.
There is no doubt that without the existence of Taiping Dao, local officials only had the imperial court as a channel to enhance their power.
If you rely solely on the imperial court, you will have to wait for time and pass the exams.
Those restless and ambitious people will naturally not be content with this.
"It was after this incident that the late emperor announced to the world that the crown prince would be regent."
Lu Zhong smiled and said, "It just so happens that the Taiping Dao has resurfaced and established branches in various places, laying down hidden forces."
"From then on, the court's attitude towards the Taiping Dao changed from trying its best to suppress it, preferably to eliminate it, to controlling and containing it."
"Every few years, we would find an opportunity to remove one or two branches to show the majesty of the imperial court."
"Well, that's the story of Taiping Hou Xie Changqing."
Lu Zhong winked at Xu Chong.
"I see."
Xu Chong nodded slightly, "What about what you said before, that the current crown prince is different?"
"Yeah, it's different."
Lü Zhong responded and explained: "Although the current prince is highly educated, he still makes mistakes. He is... relatively..."
"More realistic?"
Xu Chong guessed.
"Yes, that's it."
Gongsun Mang was amused and nodded repeatedly, "His Royal Highness is very real and will make mistakes, but he will soon realize his mistakes and then ask anyone who can help him correct them, and he will never make the same mistake again."
“No one is perfect.”
Xu Chong breathed a sigh of relief.
The so-called authenticity is being sincere while making people feel that it is not far away or superior.
It should be different from Emperor Yongtai.
"It's a pity that the wheel just passed. Otherwise, if Brother Xu had experienced it once, he would have understood that what I said was not an exaggeration."
Gongsun Mang shook his head with some regret.
The following topic was of little substance.
Lu Zhong tried to find out whether Xu Chong was married or had a lover.
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 the face of Lin Kuang, had already flown to the Endless Sea.
The ships of the six major families were all floating in different locations.
This location is basically changing anytime and anywhere.
But Lin Kuang said that the farthest distance from the shore would not exceed 30,000 miles.
Because if it is farther, it will be beyond the positioning range of the building ship.
What he needed to do was to find the Fang family's ship in the vast sea area with a radius of 30,000 miles with the Binzhou coast as the line.
No matter what the Fang family's attitude is, as long as Lin Kuang, the last Taoist master, appears on the Fang family's ship, the Fang family's side branches will definitely notify the main branch.
It will depend on your ability to respond to circumstances later.
"To be honest, this range... is too large."
Xu Chong was flying high in the sky, always keeping his eyes on the sea below.
Although with Yang Shen's speed, he could run 30,000 miles back and forth several times in a day and night, but that was traveling in a straight line.
A large-scale search like this cannot be completed in just a few days.
At this moment, dozens of points of light came into view.
"Hmm? So lucky?"
Xu Chong was stunned and quickly lowered his altitude.
That light is not light, but the blessing or misfortune revealed by the human body.
After a while, Xu Chong passed through the fog and was suddenly speechless.
He didn't know if this was good luck...
This is the Hua family’s houseboat.
"Go and have a look, now that you are here."
Thinking of this, Xu Chong fell towards the ship.
On the top floor of Taiyin Pavilion, Hua Nong Yue was still frozen, and the purple light from her body illuminated the entire top floor in purple.
After taking two glances, Xu Chongyang's spirit returned to his body and his physical body continued to fall.
"Hua Miaoyin, come out and see me."
The sound condensed into a beam and poured into the first floor of Taiyin Pavilion.
In an instant, Old Lady Hua's face changed color.
First it was thrilling.
Who is this person that suddenly appears on the Hua family's ship? Is he a friend or an enemy?
Then the thrill turned into horror.
Because she recognized the voice.
Swish!
Old Lady Hua appeared in the courtyard, her eyes wide open, staring at Xu Chong.
"haven't seen you for a long time."
Xu Chong smiled.
"Lin Kuang! Lin Dao Master?!"
Old Lady Hua was a little bit unbelievable.
"It's Lin Kuang, not bad."
Xu Chong nodded, "But he is no longer the Taoist master."
"What's going on?"
Old Lady Hua stepped forward anxiously, "For more than 20 years, everyone thought you were dead."
"Almost, but at least I didn't die."
Xu Chong said in a deep voice, "I can't tell you the specifics. I came here to ask you, is there any way for the Hua family to contact the Lin, Zheng, and Fang families?"
Old Lady Hua immediately showed an embarrassment, "To be honest with you, Master Lin, the Hua family has never had any dealings with the three ancient families, so we really can't get in touch with them."
The Gu family is an insider of the Taiping Dao, and is the name given to the Lin, Zheng and Fang families.
"All right."
Xu Chong was not too disappointed, and pointed in the direction of the roof of the pavilion, "Such a great fortune should be hidden under the building ship."
"Master Lin..."
Old Lady Hua obviously misunderstood, and her expression turned ugly: "The Hua family really has no way to contact them."
"You worry too much. I'm not threatening you."
Xu Chong shook his head. "In the eyes of Yang Shen, such great fortune can be seen from a long distance."
Although the ice layer is theoretically indestructible, Ji Qingzhi has now become Emperor Qing, so he should try to be as defensive as possible.
"Is that so..."
Old Lady Hua breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you, Daoist Master Lin, for your generosity."
Just like his character back then, it seems that he is the real Lin Kuang without a doubt.
"It's just a small matter."
Xu Chong waved his hand and said seriously: "In recent years, the deeper the ship is hidden, the better. If no tribesmen need to travel back and forth, then we can temporarily drive the ship 30,000 miles away."
"Why?"
Old Lady Hua was stunned and frowned: "Is the court going to make a big move?"
"No, it's not the imperial court that I'm asking you to be on guard against."
Xu Chong shook his head, "It's the new Taoist master."
"Ji Qingzhi?"
Old Lady Hua suddenly became serious.
"Remember, don't leak the news of my return."
Xu Chongyang's magic weapon was unsheathed, wrapped in his physical body and flew into the air.
Old Lady Hua opened her mouth, but eventually gave up asking further questions and just watched Lin Kuang leave .
"The previous Taoist master has returned."
"I discovered Nong Yue's good fortune."
"Let me be careful of Ji Qingzhi."
"Adding these three together, no matter which one, it's not good news..."
Old Lady Hua's eyes flickered for a moment, and after a moment she gritted her teeth and said, "Well, it's okay to give up the land business for the time being. The foundation of the Hua family is still Nong Yue... As long as we sail the ship 30,000 miles away, no one except Dou Tianyuan will be able to find this place."
Not long after, the Hua family's ship gradually changed direction, speeding up and down, heading deeper into the Endless Sea.
Xu Chong did not go far, but followed the Hua family's ship until the ship sailed to a depth of more than 40,000 miles, then returned to continue searching.
This time, real good luck came.
Perhaps it was because he was escorting the Hua family's ship that he deviated from his direction.
But he actually found another ship as soon as he returned to the 30,000-mile sea area.
One look at the building's shape and structure shows that it is undoubtedly the Fang family's.
Xu Chong took a deep breath and spoke slowly:
"Master of the Fang family, please show yourself!"
This time his voice was not restrained, and it just echoed throughout the entire ship.
There was a sudden chaos.
"Who are you, the rogue, to dare to trespass into the Fang family's important territory?!"
The wind was blowing and the clouds were moving, and a figure was rushing rapidly towards the sky.
"Fang Xiaoque, you're not dead yet?"
After seeing who it was, Xu Chong chuckled, " Oh no, now I have to call you Fang Lao Lame."
“…”
Fang Ren's body suddenly stiffened and he looked at Xu Chong with shock.
Memories from many years ago came flooding back.
He is not a cripple. Not only is he not a cripple, he is also very healthy.
The reason why he was called Fang Xiaoque was because he had a fight with Lin Kuang when he was young and was beaten to the point of limping and crying for help.
From then on, Lin Kuang always called him Fang Xiaoque.
"Lin...Lin Kuang?"
Fang Ren was confused and uncertain.
“It’s absolutely genuine.”
Xu Chong said calmly.
"impossible!"
Fang Ren rejected it in a deep voice, "Lin Kuang died a long time ago!"
"Do you want me to say something else?"
Xu Chong smiled and said, "For example, when I was working in Taiping Palace, I secretly watched Zheng's sister-in-law..."
"Shut up!"
Fang Ren's face darkened instantly.
He now has some faith in Lin Kuang's identity.
Because they did this together, there is absolutely no third person who knows about it.
"Would you like me to come down and sit down?"
Xu Chong pointed down and said, "In a little while, those people from your side branches will rush over. It's better 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's side branches were already standing in the courtyards, large and small, all looking up with curiosity.
"What are you looking at?"
Fang Ren shouted coldly, "Everyone, go back and practice!"
In an instant, everyone scattered like birds and beasts.
Just like that, Fang Ren brought Xu Chong to land on a flat platform.
There are a low table and a futon on the platform.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Xu Chong was not polite and sat down directly, saying with a sigh: "After so many years, this observatory has not been demolished... I said that the Fang family should be named the Imperial Astronomical Observatory of the Taiping Dao."
"After all these years, you are still so weird."
Fang Ren's suspicion was reduced again, and he waved his hand and said, "Seriously, what happened back then? We all thought you were dead."
"What else?"
Xu Chong shrugged, "I was tricked and thrown into the imperial prison for more than 20 years."
"Who is it?"
Fang Ren's eyes narrowed.
"Don't ask this yet, help me contact the Lin family."
Xu Chong's expression straightened up, "I need to go back first."
"Um?"
Fang Ren's eyes flashed, "From your tone, it seems like the situation is serious?"
As soon as he said this, he realized that something was wrong and quickly made amends: "In that case, you shouldn't have shown up in such a high profile just now."
"What are you afraid of? You're the only one on this ship who knows that I'm Lin Kuang."
Xu Chong said indifferently, "Hurry up, time is very urgent, wait until you have made the contact and then come and reminisce about the past."
"Okay, wait for me for a moment."
Fang Ren nodded and floated away.
Xu Chong knew that it was done.
In Lin Kuang's words, Fang Ren is the kind of person who has been completely brainwashed by the direct lineage.
No matter how close the relationship is, the first thing to consider is the direct lineage.
What's more... Fang Ren's friendship with Lin Kuang was just an act!
Lin Kuang knew this.
But Fang Ren didn’t know that Lin Kuang knew.