Wife, you didn't really drug me, did you?

Chapter 559 Chen Jie: You think you can trick me with just these two moves?
At this moment, only three people remained in the palace: Gematai, the most trusted by Zhaofachai, the old prime minister, and Heiligu.

At this moment, Zhao Fa looked at the old prime minister and said, "Old prime minister, why did you stop me from helping them obtain this formation diagram?"

Upon hearing this, the old prime minister looked at Zhao Fa and guessed, "Your Majesty, they are asking for the battle formation diagram in order to release Fang Guozhen. Fang Guozhen is the biggest pirate in our South Seas. If he is released, our Siam will be in danger."

“Our Siam has experienced this great upheaval, with almost all of its high-ranking officials killed or wounded, and its most skilled warriors nearly perished. If another Dragon King were to emerge from the South Seas at this time, wouldn’t our Siam become their vassal state?”

“That’s absolutely not possible. So what I’m thinking is that we must not release Fang Guozhen. As long as Fang Guozhen is not released, our Siam still has a chance to survive in the cracks.”

"As long as Your Majesty works diligently and with the assistance of this old minister, the Kingdom of Siam will surely prosper and its national strength will be restored in no time. At that time, we can train some experts, and the Kingdom of Siam will still be the Kingdom of Siam, and will not become a vassal of others!"

The old prime minister spoke up, and upon hearing this, Zhaofa guessed, "But Fang Guozhen is Sister Fang's father, and Sister Fang has taken good care of me along the way. How can I bear to let Sister Fang suffer the pain of being separated from her father!"

Zhao Fachai spoke up, and upon hearing this, the old prime minister immediately said, "Your Majesty, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. You are the ruler of a country, no longer a child. You should consider the country, not personal feelings."

"If you were to become a wise ruler, someone like your father, or even surpass him, His Majesty would surely agree with this old minister's words and would never release such a formidable threat as Fang Guozhen!"

The old prime minister looked at Zhao Fachai and said, and his move was very ruthless. He actually used the old emperor as bait. After all, the old emperor was like a god in Zhao Fachai's heart. Now, his mind was still full of the glorious image of his father.

At this moment, Zhao Facai muttered to himself, "If Father were here, he would never have done this."

Seeing Zhao Facai's expression, Gematai squinted at the old prime minister and thought to himself that his lord was right. With this old fellow around, he would definitely influence the prince's decisions. Indeed, he couldn't be kept around for too long.

Thinking this, Gematai narrowed his eyes, a murderous glint flashing in them, but he quickly concealed it, still keeping his head down and appearing harmless.

However, Hei Ligu, who was standing to the side, said unhappily, "Your Majesty, the Divine Dragon Sect helped us quell the rebellion. Their kindness is so great. If you don't help them rescue their father, what kind of people will we become? I can't understand this!"

After Hei Ligu finished speaking, the old prime minister immediately retorted: "What a military man's opinion! Is governing a country based on emotions? If everyone were based on emotions, wouldn't the country be in chaos? As an emperor, one cannot be bound by ordinary emotions. What do you, a military man, know? Step down now."

"you……"

Hei Ligu was thoroughly scolded and stared blankly, unsure how to retort. He could only look at Zhao Fachai beside him. Zhao Fachai was still immersed in his father's wise decision and waved his hand at Hei Ligu, saying, "Hei Ligu, you are not a civil official. You do not understand how to govern a country. Do not speak."

Hei Ligu was furious when he heard this, but there was nothing he could do. Wasn't this blatant ingratitude?

Thinking this, Heiligu looked at Gematai and saw that Gematai was standing there without saying a word. Heiligu cursed in his heart: "You Gematai are not saying anything at this time. You are an ungrateful person."

At this moment, the old prime minister spoke up again: "By the way, Your Majesty, there is one more thing."

Zhao Fa looked at the old prime minister and said, "Please speak, old prime minister."

At this moment, the old prime minister spoke up: "The affairs of our Siam should be decided by the people of our Siam. The people of the Divine Dragon Sect and those few others, especially that one surnamed Chen, should not stay in our country for too long. We must find a way to send them away."

"Send away?"

Zhao Fachai was taken aback and said, "But they just helped me quell the rebellion, and I'm already kicking them out? Isn't that too heartless?"

The old prime minister spoke up: "Your Majesty, the Divine Dragon Sect has five thousand members in the capital. How can we allow others to sleep peacefully in our own bed? We must deal with this as soon as possible, otherwise, it will surely cause trouble if it goes on!"

Zhao Facai frowned slightly upon hearing this, feeling that it was not a good idea to do so, but he did not know how to refuse the old prime minister's suggestion, after all, the old prime minister's suggestion was a wise and experienced advice!
Zhaofa guessed, then looked at Gematai, who had been silent all along, and said, "Gematai, you've been listening for a while, say something."

Upon hearing this, Gematai immediately stepped forward, bowed, and clasped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe that the old prime minister's words are all reasonable and wise, and every word is the words of a seasoned and capable ruler."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fachai paused for a moment before replying, "Continue."

The old prime minister's gaze towards Gematai revealed his appreciation. "Look, this Gematai is much better than Heiligu. He saw through my plan immediately. He should also be a loyal and brave man for the country. I should promote him in the future."

Hei Ligu frowned and glared at Gematai. He didn't expect that Gematai, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, would say such ungrateful things at this time. If it weren't for Master Chen, they would not know what would have happened.

Perhaps His Highness's heart has been ripped out by the false emperor. Now that His Highness has escaped danger, he has begun to treat people with such petty-mindedness. He is simply an ingrate, ungrateful wretch. Thinking of this, Hei Ligu no longer wanted to stay here, but as a loyal guard, he could not leave.

Gematai looked up and took in everyone's expressions, then said, "I believe the old prime minister's words are wise and prudent. How can we allow Han people to run rampant on our land? I also suggest that we immediately expel all these Han people from our Siam to restore order to our Siam."

Upon hearing this, the old prime minister was even more pleased. He stroked his beard and thought to himself, "I should promote this young man more in the future. He truly has insightful views, which are very much to my liking."

Thinking this, the old prime minister looked at Zhaofa and guessed, "Your Majesty, I think what Gematai said is true. These Han people must not be allowed to stay. They should be driven out of the country as soon as possible."

Zhao Fachai frowned slightly upon hearing this, then looked at Gematai and said, "But how can I get there in time?"

Zhao Facai was a bit of a headache. After all, he knew that directly saying "get rid of them" at this time would be very offensive to Chen Jie and the others. If they didn't understand his thoughts and turned against him, how should he deal with it?

Thinking this, Zhao Facai frowned, and Gematai immediately said, "Your Majesty, this is indeed a problem. If we openly drive them away, I'm afraid they will get angry. The entire palace is now filled with people from the Divine Dragon Sect, and they even have a powerful expert who can kill the Imperial Preceptor. With just a few of us, we're going to get into trouble!"

Gematai spoke with great restraint, only mentioning that something had happened, but anyone with eyes could see that this "something happened" meant something serious. If they were not satisfied now, they could even kill them outright.

In other people's eyes, their emperor was probably nothing more than a plaything.

Having figured all this out, Zhao Facai became more rational. He then looked at the old prime minister and said, "Old prime minister, what do you think of this matter?"

The old prime minister frowned and said, "It's really too big to handle, too big to handle."

Hearing the old prime minister's words, Hei Ligu thought to himself, "What do you mean by 'too big to fail'? If it weren't for their sacrifices, would you still have the nerve to scheme against them?"

But he couldn't say it outright, after all, he was just a guard, and all he could do was his duty as a guard. So, Hei Ligu remained silent and stayed still.

The old prime minister said, "Why don't we hold a farewell banquet for them and then give them precious treasures? That way they won't misunderstand our intention to see them off."

As the old prime minister spoke, Gematai looked at him and said, "Your Excellency, this method may be effective against ordinary people, but it will be difficult to deal with them."

"Oh, tell me about it."

Gematai said, "They came to rescue their father. What use is a batch of gold and silver jewelry to them? Who would abandon their father for a batch of gold and silver?"

“Especially important figures like them, they probably don’t lack gold and silver.”

Gematai was quite reserved. The old prime minister said, "Alas, this is really troublesome. This won't work, that won't work. It seems this matter is really difficult to resolve well!"

Zhao Facai also frowned, realizing the saying that it's easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away.

It's not easy to get people to leave now.

Thinking this, Zhaofa looked at Gematai and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

Gemartai said, "I can think of no other way but to fulfill their wishes."

Hei Ligu said, "It's a simple matter. Just gather the array diagrams from all the temples and have them rescue Fang Guozhen. Wouldn't they leave then?"

"If all your scheming here angers them, or if you actually trap Fang Guozhen in our demon-subduing formation, then we will have truly offended them, and we will be the ones who suffer in the end."

"It's such a simple principle, why can't you understand it?"

"Hei Ligu said angrily."

Did they not understand what Hei Ligu was saying? No, they understood perfectly. However, because they had been scheming, they harbored a sense of wishful thinking. They believed that if they managed to send them all away, then the Dragon King of the Sea wouldn't need to be released.

They can also develop well within this country, wouldn't that be a win-win-win situation?

But now that Hei Ligu has exposed this flaw, we have no choice but to seriously consider this issue; it seems that we can no longer fool him.

Even Hei Ligu could tell the difference, so the other side certainly could too. Having figured this out, the old prime minister sighed and said, "Alas, well, it seems we can only agree to their demands for now!"

The old prime minister spoke very reluctantly, as if he had suffered a loss in this matter.

Zhao Fa glanced at Gematai, who said, "Let's listen to the old prime minister. He is a mature and prudent man."

Upon hearing this, the old prime minister looked at Gematai with a very pleased expression. After all, this man was quite self-aware, and it seemed that he should be promoted in the future. Moreover, he was a loyal minister who had shared hardships with the young emperor, and having such a person under his control would be of great benefit to him.

Having understood all this, the old prime minister became increasingly satisfied with Gematai.

Zhao Facai thought for a moment and looked at the old prime minister, saying, "Then I will issue an edict ordering all the major temples in the country to hand over their temple formations so that they can rescue Fang Guozhen. Once they have achieved their goal, they probably won't stay any longer."

Upon hearing this, the old prime minister sighed and said, "There is only one way."

Gematai watched the two of them acting so affectedly, their expressions remaining perfectly polite, but inwardly he cursed how disgusting they were.

Hei Ligu was also somewhat disappointed. He didn't understand why his former prince had become like this in just a few hours. Did the throne really have such magic that it could so easily turn a person bad?
Hei Ligu thought to himself, turning his head away from them, wondering if all his efforts along the way had been worthwhile, and whether he would be treated the same way in the future. As they pondered this, the meeting essentially ended. The old prime minister suggested that since they were going to send the person away, it was better to do it sooner rather than later. Tomorrow morning, along with Zhao Fachai's appointment letter, they should be sent directly to temples throughout the country, assigning them the task of delivering rubbings of the battle formation diagrams left by Bodhidharma to the capital.

The group thus devised their plan, and the meeting adjourned. Gematai personally escorted the old prime minister away from the palace and back to his former mansion. Throughout the process, he appeared extremely humble and obedient, which pleased the old prime minister greatly.

The old prime minister looked at Gematai and laughed, "Hahaha, good, good. I, Gematai, am getting old. This Siam will belong to you young people sooner or later."

Gematai immediately said, "Your Excellency is still vigorous and full of life, you are in the prime of your life and not old at all. Your Excellency is too modest. Now that the new dynasty has just been established, it is the time for Your Excellency to lead us forward. Your Excellency cannot refuse, otherwise we juniors will be afraid that we will not be able to manage the government well!"

Upon hearing this, the old prime minister said, "I originally intended to retire gracefully after helping the new emperor stabilize the court, but now that I hear what you've said, I really can't retire too early. The court still needs me to steer it."

"That's right. The old master is the pillar of our Siam, the golden beam that holds up the sea. Without you, we younger generations would have no confidence."

"Hey, you younger generation shouldn't underestimate yourselves. You do things in a very methodical way. For example, I find you quite pleasing to the eye. You should try to get closer to me in the future!"

"Order!"

"I will inevitably bother you in the future, but I hope you will not find me troublesome."

"Hahaha... What are you saying? What I like most is to be close to you young people. How could I be annoyed?"

"Haha, then I'll definitely have to bother you more often in the future."

"Very well, I will certainly welcome you with open arms."

Gematai smiled and escorted the old prime minister into his residence. The people in the old prime minister's residence were extremely excited to see him return, as they had been terrified by his absence for some time.

At this moment, the old prime minister's concubines all came forward to greet him. The youngest of these concubines was only sixteen years old. They all swarmed around him, and some of the bolder ones directly hugged the old prime minister, saying, "Husband, you haven't been back for so many days, and we've been bullied terribly! Those jewelry shops actually dared to come to our door demanding money! We've bought jewelry all these years, and we've never paid them! You must teach them a lesson when you come back this time..."

Hearing the chattering sounds, Gematai's gaze gradually turned cold. He then mounted his horse and turned to head towards the palace, arriving at the palace gate.

Then they saw Hei Ligu riding his horse and blocking the door. Gematai saw Hei Ligu and said, "Old Hei, why aren't you going home to sleep so late? You've been busy all night."

"Hmph, you weren't asleep either, were you?"

Upon hearing this, Gematai looked at Hei Ligu and said, "Heh, Old Hei, judging from your tone, you have a problem with me!"

"I wouldn't dare! You're now a favorite of His Highness!"

"Hehe, Lao Hei, you're not one to beat around the bush. Your tone clearly indicates you have a problem with me. Just say what's on your mind."

"Germatai said to Heligu."

Hei Ligu then spoke up, "Gematai, how dare you ask me? I've known you for five or six years, how come I didn't know you were such an ungrateful person?"

"How can you talk about ingratitude?"

Gematai looked at Heiligu and asked, Heiligu replied, "Hmph, you still won't admit it. What did you say to His Majesty in the palace just now? That hero Chen went through all the trouble to come to Siam to help us defeat Basong and help us reclaim the throne, and what did you want to do? You drove him away and even prevented him from rescuing Fang Longwang. Is what you did even human?"

Upon hearing this, Gematai frowned slightly and then said, "Brother Hei, this is His Highness's business, you shouldn't interfere so much."

"Yes, I shouldn't interfere, but I have a conscience, and I can't watch His Majesty go astray."

Upon hearing this, Gematai fell silent. At that moment, however, his keen eyes noticed someone lurking in the corner. He didn't know who was watching them, but Gematai knew what he was doing and that he couldn't tell the truth to anyone but his lord.

Then Gematai spoke up: "Heiligu, don't forget your identity. You are just a guard. Your responsibility is to protect His Majesty's safety, not to find fault with His Majesty."

"Don't forget your job."

"Gematai, don't forget your conscience!"

Upon hearing Gematai's words, Heiligu immediately spoke up. Hearing this, Gematai frowned slightly and said, "Heiligu, my conscience is that everything is for His Majesty. Whatever His Majesty says is what it is, and His Majesty cannot be wrong."

"I will never forget that I was a guard, not a treacherous minister who interfered in politics!"

After saying this, Gematai turned to Heiligu and said, "Brother Hei, don't take advantage of your merit in supporting the emperor to do whatever you want. Remember, the current emperor is not the same as the emperor before. You need to know your place, or you will regret it!"

After saying that, Gematai rode his horse into the city. Heiligu's face turned pale and then red, looking very unwell. It was unclear whether he was offended by Gematai's words or something else.

He just stood there, utterly disappointed, realizing that everything seemed to have changed, becoming something he didn't recognize.

How could this be?!

At this moment, Gematai rode his horse into the city. As he entered the city gate, he deliberately glanced at the person hidden in the darkness. Chen Jie recognized him immediately; it was a person with an extremely alluring appearance. Such a person is called a "demon" in Siam!

A "human demon" is a person who is male but has female features. Such people are usually sent to the imperial harem to serve as attendants to the emperor, similar to eunuchs in the Central Plains dynasties.

They also undergo minor surgeries to remove male characteristics.

This little demon was just rescued by His Majesty today, so he should be considered one of His Majesty's people. Therefore, the one who was listening to them talking just now was actually His Majesty.

Having figured this out, Gematai's gaze sharpened. It seems our little emperor isn't as weak as he appears!
Thinking this, Gematai continued riding forward, seemingly unaware of everything that had just happened.

Upon seeing Gematai, the little demon nodded slightly to him, then turned and ran into the palace.

Inside the palace, Zhao Fachai sat there, looking at the little demon who had run in, and asked, "How was it?"

"Your Majesty, Commander Hei and Commander Gematai have met at the city gate..."

"Oh, what did they say?"

Zhao Fa asked, and upon hearing this, the little demon replied, "They said..."

After recounting the events, Zhao Fachai's gaze sharpened as he said, "That guy Hei Ligu thinks he can do whatever he wants just because he saved my life!"

Hearing this, the little demon dared not speak, while Zhao Fachai continued to look at him and asked, "What do you think of Gematai?"

The little demon immediately said, "I feel that Commander Gematai is extremely loyal to His Majesty and knows his place very well."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fachai said, "Hmm, it seems that Gematai is still the one who can be given important responsibilities!"

Zhao Fa guessed something, then waved his hand and said, "You can go down now."

"Yes."

The little demon retreated immediately. Seeing the little demon leave, Zhao Facai's expression turned somewhat gloomy. At this moment, he looked at the wall inside the palace, where there was a portrait, a portrait of his father.

At this moment, Zhao Fachai whispered, "Father, I will definitely become a king as valiant as you!"

……

"Lord!"

Just then, a sound came from outside Chen Jie's room. Chen Jie said, "Come in."

The next moment, Gematai walked in and immediately knelt on one knee, saying, "My lord."

Chen Jie said, "Stand up and speak. There's no need for such elaborate formalities anymore."

"Thank you, my lord, but we must not disregard etiquette!"

Gematai still insisted that he use the kneeling prostration, and Chen Jie glanced at him and said, "How about it?"

Gematai immediately replied, "Just as my lord suspected, they are indeed up to something..."

When Gematai recounted what had happened that day, Chen Jie wasn't surprised at all, but simply sighed, "Power can change a person far too quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Gematai said, "My lord, should we teach them a lesson?"

Chen Jie said, "No need. Since they have already agreed to give me the array diagram to save people, there is no need to worry too much. Just proceed according to our plan."

"Yes!"

Gematai immediately agreed!
(End of this chapter)