Ouchi Taming the Cat, starting with the Ten Tiger Forms!

Chapter 672 Bait

At this time, Jiang Pu stood in front of Emperor Yongyuan in fear and trepidation, with a constipated look on his face.

At the celebration banquet, he repeatedly looked for opportunities to toast Prince Zheng, but was stopped by Emperor Yongyuan every time.

Emperor Yongyuan sent a group of young scholars who were waiting for official vacancies to toast King Zheng and ask for his advice on how to be an official.

The many civil servants standing by saw it all and were anxious.

They also tried to help King Zheng, but were fought back by these young and inexperienced scholars, who said righteously that they just admired King Zheng and wanted to take the opportunity tonight to ask for more advice.

With the tacit approval of Emperor Yongyuan, naturally no one could stop them at the banquet.

These scholars were idle in the capital for many years, and many of them could not bear it and returned home, thinking that their fame and fortune were just a false hope.

Those who have persisted until now are either new Jinshi in recent years or people with strong will.

As for those who have connections, they have already got some official positions. Why do they need to wait in misery like them?
The Jinshi scholars were also very clear that they were enemies of these high-ranking officials. If they had not disrupted the rules of officialdom, they would not have ended up in such a situation.

These Jinshi knew the overall situation of Daxing better than anyone else.

Therefore, they also understood that Prince Zheng did not have the wealth and status that they did, so they bet their lives on Emperor Yongyuan.

Apart from their lives, they have nothing else to gamble.

As it turned out, there was a future in following Emperor Yongyuan.

The most miserable ones among them have successfully taken office and become the local officials.

And as long as this southern tour continues, there will definitely be some of them who will get official positions.

Therefore, they were more anxious to see Prince Zheng's downfall than Emperor Yongyuan.

Emperor Yongyuan gave them a small task tonight, so each of them performed actively, trying to leave a deeper impression on Emperor Yongyuan.

Therefore, these young scholars gave the old-timers in the officialdom a good demonstration of what it means to be a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger.

Halfway through the celebration banquet, Emperor Yongyuan left early with Jiang Pu and returned to his room.

Jiang Pu had something to hide, so he naturally couldn't remain calm when facing Emperor Yongyuan alone.

He and Emperor Yongyuan knew exactly what was going on over the cliff.

But now the people sent by Emperor Yongyuan have returned victoriously, so there is no need to make some things too clear, and everyone knows what is going on.

The two of them let time pass slowly in silence.

One is extremely calm, the other is suffering.

"Your Majesty, I am guilty."

Jiang Pu hesitated again and again, but finally couldn't hold on and knelt down to apologize.

"Oh?"

"Why is this happening, Prefect Jiang?"

"You have done a great service by reporting the traitors, helping me to suppress the rebellion and protecting the safety of Jiaozhou City. This is a great achievement."

The more Emperor Yongyuan said this, the more cold sweat broke out on Jiang Pu's forehead.

The celebration banquet just now was already excessive enough. If it were announced to the public in the tone of Emperor Yongyuan, the consequences would be disastrous.

Jiang Pu was not unaware of the terrifying aura that appeared above the government office today.

Even an ordinary person like him could clearly feel that suffocating feeling.

Emperor Yongyuan was protected by expert guards, so he had nothing to fear.

But what can he do?
The cliff operation had gone awry.

Jiang Pu didn't even have the chance to approach King Zheng, let alone make any explanation.

And even if he explained it clearly to King Zheng, would King Zheng definitely believe him?
Not necessarily.

Those one hundred or so corpses outside are all King Zheng's men. I heard that each of them is very powerful.

With such a huge loss, King Zheng was able to say generously because of his explanation:
"Since it's all a misunderstanding, let it go."

"We are all good friends, don't let this little thing hurt our relationship."

King Zheng dares to say it, but does he dare to believe it?
At this point, Jiang Pu has no choice.

Otherwise, when King Zheng's master comes to ask him, he will be completely finished.

The fact that Emperor Yongyuan could see through Duanya's plan proved that he knew much more than Jiang Pu imagined, and in this confrontation, Emperor Yongyuan won a great victory.

It can be seen that the strength between the two is not as different as everyone thinks.

In order to survive, Jiang Pu can only follow the path designed for him by Emperor Yongyuan.

"Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and has helped me to find my way back to the right path."

"I am deeply terrified!"

Jiang Pu shouted and explained everything about the cliff clearly, including the words left by Lu Ji on his desk, the tip-off after the Ministry of Internal Affairs left the city, and even the dealings with King Zheng in recent years.

Now he can only hope that Emperor Yongyuan will spare his life.

Otherwise, it would be easy for either Emperor Yongyuan or Prince Zheng to kill him.

He must at least secure one side for himself now, otherwise his life will be over.

"It turns out that Governor Jiang has done so many great things."

After listening to this, Emperor Yongyuan said indifferently.

Jiang Pu kowtowed heavily and said to Emperor Yongyuan:
"I am guilty of a crime that deserves death. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Jiang Pu also knew that if Emperor Yongyuan wanted to take his life, he would have done it long ago.

The cliff incident was enough to cost him his life.

Emperor Yongyuan hadn't taken his life yet, obviously thinking he was still useful.

Jiang Pu had been in officialdom for his entire life, so how could he not understand these principles? He immediately straightened his attitude and expressed his willingness to be used by Emperor Yongyuan as long as the emperor was willing to give him a chance.

Jiang Pu knew very well that as long as his attitude was not right, Emperor Yongyuan would definitely not show mercy.

After all, he also met those young scholars who were eager to prove themselves tonight.

Although these people would not be of any use for a short time even if they were given official positions, they were at least loyal to Emperor Yongyuan.

If all is useless, Emperor Yongyuan might as well place someone loyal to him in the position of prefect of Jiaozhou City.

Jiang Pu is also gambling.

He bet that Emperor Yongyuan still could use him and was willing to use him.

Life is nothing but a series of gambles.

This is especially true for people like them who enjoy wealth and glory.

"Jiang Pu, you should be very clear about your current situation."

Listening to Emperor Yongyuan's words, Jiang Pu, with his head buried on the ground, silently closed his eyes and sighed softly.

After all, he is just a floating duckweed.

Fly wherever the wind blows.

In order to have a smooth career in officialdom, he had followed King Zheng.

Now, because he obeyed Prince Zheng, he was easily controlled by Emperor Yongyuan.

No one had expected, not even Jiang Pu himself, that Emperor Yongyuan had such power.

Thinking about it now, during so many years of dormancy and compromise, Emperor Yongyuan has grown quietly and possessed a strength that no one expected.

I'm afraid King Zheng has miscalculated this point.

"Over the years, Jiaozhou City has prospered under your governance."

"But I also know that you have gained a lot from it."

Jiang Pu hurriedly kowtowed and said repeatedly: "Your humble servant is terrified, your humble servant is terrified..."

Emperor Yongyuan waved his hand and said indifferently: "Forget it, forget it. I don't need you to give up all the embezzled money now."

"After all, you are now in a situation where you are struggling to survive."

Jiang Pu had unknowingly broken out in a cold sweat.

"You still have to continue to serve as the prefect of Jiaozhou City, but the southern tour team will continue its journey tomorrow..."

Jiang Pu clenched his fist silently. After Emperor Yongyuan left, he would be at the mercy of Prince Zheng.

Now King Zheng is trapped in the southern tour team and has difficulty communicating with the outside world.

Those masters who suddenly attacked above the government office today were obviously not good people.

Without the restraint of King Zheng, it was unknown how these people would treat him. After all, to those powerful people of the time, he, the prefect, was no stronger than an ant.

So after hearing what Emperor Yongyuan said, Jiang Pu couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and even wanted to ask Emperor Yongyuan to take him on a southern tour.

But Emperor Yongyuan had already thought of a solution for him.

"Whether you can save your life depends on the few days I am away from Jiaozhou City."

Emperor Yongyuan said meaningfully.

This concerns his own life and property, Jiang Pu could not care about anything else, and hurriedly looked up and asked Emperor Yongyuan:

"Your Majesty, please make it clear!"

"I am willing to make meritorious contributions while serving my sentence!"

Seeing Jiang Pu's anxious attitude, Emperor Yongyuan smiled even more.

"Well, Magistrate Jiang has turned over a new leaf. I am very pleased."

Emperor Yongyuan nodded and stopped roasting Jiang Pu. The fire was now ready and there was no need to prepare any more.

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"After the southern tour team leaves, King Zheng's people will definitely come to the government office to hold you accountable for your actions on the cliff."

What Emperor Yongyuan said was not a guess, but an inevitable result.

Both of them are very clear about this.

Otherwise, Jiang Pu wouldn't be so anxious.

Because he had no explanation at all, he had no idea how Emperor Yongyuan saw through their plan and used their tricks against them.

Even though Emperor Yongyuan now lives in the government office and is surrounded by countless experts, Prince Zheng's subordinates are not good-for-nothings and naturally know the principle of avoiding public attention.

Both sides are powerful men of the time, and King Zheng’s people would not leave him any information unless they were sure of their success.

Although Jiang Pu could put the blame on the other party and accuse them of being careless and thus leaking the news, the problem was whether the other party was willing to believe it and admit it.

Duanya's actions caused such great losses that even if Jiang Pu were in his place, he probably wouldn't admit it.

So now Jiang Pu can only save himself and put himself in front of Emperor Yongyuan and let him do whatever he wants.

"Does Magistrate Jiang know how to deal with it then?"

Jiang Pu shook his head obediently. He knew that he just had to follow the orders of Emperor Yongyuan and he didn't need to have his own ideas.

"After they come looking for you, if you can't go back, you will live."

"But if they go back..."

Emperor Yongyuan did not continue speaking, but just shook his head with a slight regret.

Jiang Pu suddenly realized that Emperor Yongyuan wanted to use him as bait to ambush Prince Zheng's men again.

Jiang Pu's body began to tremble uncontrollably, and he spoke tremblingly:
"Your Majesty, King Zheng has many talented people under his command..."

"Jiang Pu, do you know what's so interesting about this southern tour?" Emperor Yongyuan asked instead of answering.

"The humble minister is stupid."

"The wonderful thing is that Prince Zheng and I are in the same team, and we are very close." Emperor Yongyuan said, touching his two slender index fingers together.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Pu looked up at Emperor Yongyuan in shock, his eyes gradually becoming complicated.

Emperor Yongyuan's expression was firm, confident, and even had a hint of paranoia.

Jiang Pu understood what Emperor Yongyuan meant.

Emperor Yongyuan had to be on guard against Prince Zheng, and Prince Zheng also had to be on guard against Emperor Yongyuan.

The guards around them had to remain in a relatively peaceful state, which resulted in them not being able to spare much strength.

During this southern tour, Emperor Yongyuan himself was the biggest bait.

He gambled his life and the future of Daxing on this southern tour.

But the danger involved is difficult to explain to outsiders.

The further Emperor Yongyuan was away from the capital, the more dangerous he would be.

King Zheng would wait until the southern tour team arrived at a place he considered suitable.

It was just like Emperor Yongyuan was walking step by step towards the fire pit set by Prince Zheng, and when he took the last step, it would be completely over.

In order for Emperor Yongyuan to perish on his own, Prince Zheng will wait patiently.

Even if Emperor Yongyuan created trouble for him again and again as he was heading towards the fire pit, Prince Zheng would endure it.

Although Emperor Yongyuan had grown, he was still not strong enough to confront Prince Zheng, who had been in power for many years.

Therefore, he took a risky move and used the extreme method of touring the south to go to King Zheng's base camp himself, just to seek a chance of victory during the tour.

Jiang Pu had been in officialdom for many years. After Emperor Yongyuan's explicit instructions, he already understood his plan and naturally could not suppress his shock.

Regardless of whether Emperor Yongyuan succeeded or not, I am sure he would leave his name in the history of Daxing.

I am afraid there will never be another tragic emperor who is so desperate.

Jiang Pu felt a flash of regret in his heart, thinking that he should not have sided with Emperor Yongyuan.

But he soon came to his senses again. He never had any options in front of him.

"Your Majesty, I understand what you mean."

"I will do my best to cooperate and make up for my crime."

"I would like to thank Your Majesty for showing mercy beyond the law!"

Jiang Pu bowed heavily without any hesitation in his heart.

Emperor Yongyuan nodded slightly, still maintaining a calm smile.

No one noticed that his right hand, hidden behind the desk, was clenched into a fist with veins exposed.

"Uncle, let me give you another great gift."

……

The next morning, the southern tour team left Jiaozhou City.

The prefect Jiang Pu organized the people to see them off ten miles outside the city, and then reluctantly took the people back to the city.

Jiang Pu and Emperor Yongyuan said goodbye to each other reluctantly, and Jiang Pu almost followed Emperor Yongyuan to the south. This deep affection between the monarch and his subject moved countless people.

The common people were pleased with the harmony between the king and his subjects in Daxing, while the many officials accompanying him were silently looking at King Zheng's expression.

The smile on King Zheng's face was obviously more stiff than last night.

it is more than words.

The southern tour team left Jiaozhou City, but some people and cats stayed in this prosperous city.

"Is it reliable, meow?"

Li Xuan looked at the lineup in front of him, lazily lying on the table, and asked uncertainly.

"Ah Xuan, why are you unreliable? I think there is a lot of potential."

Wei Zhen shouted at the side.

That’s right, they successfully joined up with the Red Scarf Team in Jiaozhou City.

Tie Niu had been secretly sent to the Red Scarf Team.

The poor child was ultimately of no use.

Originally, Emperor Yongyuan wanted to use the incident of Tie Niu to control Jiang Pu's father-in-law.

But unexpectedly, Jiang Pu himself handed the handle to Emperor Yongyuan.

Jiang Pu sent someone to report Tie Niu's indenture, and he has regained his freedom.

When Princess Ankang saw that Tie Niu didn't want to live anymore, she prepared to give him a job.

Now, Tie Niu has directly joined the Red Scarf Team. Although he is just doing odd jobs, he has found a place to settle down.

Wei Zhen stayed behind to cooperate with the operation in Jiaozhou City, while the Red Scarf Team continued to secretly follow the southern tour team.

In addition to Wei Zhen, also present were Shang Zongguan and Tang Nu.

And this was the entire lineup they prepared for the ambush at the government office.

Honestly speaking, seeing this lineup, Li Xuan was a little confused as to whether they wanted to keep others or be left behind by others.

"Is it okay, meow?"

"This mission is too difficult, meow!"

(End of this chapter)