The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 166 Fishing, First Meeting with Wanyan Honglie

Su Ming sneered, a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes, "High position, generous salary, glory and wealth? If you want me to be a dog for you and your son just with these conditions, then you really underestimate me."

"There is no one in this world who has no desires, but you can't give me what I want!"

What did he want? It was simple. He wanted to end the Jin Dynasty, and to destroy it by Guo Jing. In this way, he could obtain the greatest legacy of the Jin Dynasty, split the land and become a king. He already had the capital to occupy the entire Shanxi Province. Now it was up to him.

Although Yang Kang is a Han Chinese, his heart belongs to the Jin people, just like the banana people in later generations. He is more innocent than the Jin people. The Jin people may betray his country, but Yang Kang never will. The butt determines the head.

There are people in this world who betray their own class, but Yang Kang will never be one of them.

Hearing this, Yang Kang suppressed his thoughts and said, "Senior, please calm down. I apologize for my words." After saying this, he was stunned for a moment and said carefully, "Senior, you are visiting me late at night. If you can use me, please let me know. I will do my best."

Su Ming put down the report in his hand and said in a mocking tone, "Where is your help needed? You and your son are both in trouble, so you should think about yourselves."

Yang Kang's eyes widened, his handsome face full of astonishment, he quickly came to his senses, bowed to Su Ming, and said, "Please give me some advice, senior!" Because of the precedent, although Yang Kang remained skeptical about Su Ming's words, he still chose to believe it.

Ever since the capital was moved, the atmosphere in Kaifeng City seemed a little weird, and Yang Kang couldn't see the situation in the court clearly. He felt it was a mess and couldn't make sense of it. Even though his father was smart and capable, with a long-term vision, he was restricted everywhere. Thinking of what Wanyan Honglie said to him tonight, he felt quite uncomfortable.

Su Ming reached out and took the white jade paperweight from the table and played with it. "The Jin Dynasty is now facing internal and external troubles. The external threats have temporarily disappeared, but your internal conflicts have quietly erupted. Your father must know this, but you definitely don't know."

"Your ancestors left you a rich legacy. Even if you lose the North, you can still survive by ruling a separate territory. The Jin Kingdom is rich, but that doesn't mean the imperial court is rich. The successive defeats have dealt you too much of a blow. Not only have they shaken the foundation of the country, they have also shaken your rule."

"Not to mention the lost Hebei, Liaodong, Guanzhong, Longyou and other places have already shown signs of instability. Don't forget that to this land, you are always outsiders."

Yang Kang's eyes flashed with confusion, "Unstable? I didn't see any local rebellion in the report, how can you say that?"

"Of course you can't see it in the report, but don't you find that the disasters I mentioned happened too coincidentally? There were droughts in Guanzhong and Longyou, and floods in Henan. The local governments requested to withhold taxes for disaster relief."

"This is an obvious test. You've been the crown prince for quite some time, yet you didn't notice the trick. No wonder your father doesn't let you participate in court affairs and only lets you watch." His words were full of contempt for Yang Kang.

In essence, this was because the local authorities saw that the Jin court had suffered repeated defeats, lost cities and territories, had lost all its dignity, and was unable to suppress local factions, so they made this attempt. If Wanyan Honglie could not handle it well, the situation would be even uglier.

Yang Kang was shocked and muttered to himself, "Is state affairs so difficult?" Then, he looked at Su Ming as if he had seen a life-saving straw, "Senior, please teach me!"

"Teach you? There is no such thing as a free meal in the world. What does your Jin Kingdom's affairs have to do with me?" After saying that, Su Ming stood up, walked to his side, and glanced at him sideways. "Yang Kang, don't forget, you have the blood of the Yang Family Generals flowing in your veins!"

The next moment, he appeared outside the palace and disappeared into the night.

The blood of the Yang family generals?

A trace of resentment flashed in Yang Kang's eyes. If possible, he would rather not have this bloodline. If the result of being a descendant of the Yang family was poverty and destitution, he would never acknowledge this identity.

When he came to his senses, he found that Su Ming had disappeared, "Senior! Senior!" He ran out of the palace but still couldn't find the man's shadow. Finally, he returned to the East Palace in disappointment.

Looking at the magnificent but empty palace, he felt quite uncomfortable. Yang Kang walked to the desk again and flipped through the report. With Su Ming's hint, he could easily interpret the hidden meaning behind the same news.

How can you miss a target by drawing an arrow? It is easy to use the result to trace back to the cause.

However, the more he read the news, the more annoyed he became, and before he knew it, he had sat there until dawn.

The next day, he attended the morning court with a pair of tired eyes.

After the court session, Wanyan Honglie kept him.

Wanyan Honglie drank a sip of fragrant tea and glanced at him calmly, "Kang'er, I see that you don't look well. Did you not sleep well last night?"

In front of Wanyan Honglie, Yang Kang did not hide anything, "Father, I indeed did not sleep well last night." Then he repeated exactly what happened last night.

When Wanyan Honglie first heard that someone had sneaked into the Eastern Palace, he was shocked and angry. How could the Jin Dynasty's imperial palace allow others to enter and exit without the guards noticing anything?

If this person sneaks into his bedroom, I'm afraid he will be killed!

However, later on, I was completely surprised. It was not easy for this person to analyze so much information through the report.

Yang Kang continued, "Father, I am unable to impress this senior. If you come forward, you will definitely be able to recruit him. This person is very scheming and his wisdom is far beyond that of ordinary people. If we can use him, it may help ease the current situation."

"You are right, this person is indeed not an ordinary person." Wanyan Honglie agreed with Yang Kang's words, but did not think that this person could provide a solution. The Jin Dynasty had been ill for a long time, like a big ship that was about to break. It could not carry out drastic reforms, otherwise it would die faster.

"I am quite curious about this person. Next, you should concentrate on finding him. I want to meet him in person."

"My son, I obey!"

……

"Did Brother Seven gain anything?"

In the Taoist temple, Su Ming and Hong Qigong sat opposite each other. Hong Qigong was holding a wine gourd and gulping down the wine. Hearing Su Ming's words, he nodded heavily, "Yes, I ran through all the military camps around Kaifeng before I found their traces."

"This group of Jin people is very special. They are strong, tall and fierce, just like wild beasts. They don't know how to use weapons. The reason they massacred the village is to train this Jin army."

Su Ming pondered for a moment, "I think I have roughly guessed their origins."

"Appreciate further details."

Then, he told his guess, "Before Wanyan Aguda, the Jin people had been bullied by the Khitans. It was not until Wanyan Aguda rose up and rebelled that the current Jin Dynasty was established. Before that, they had been living in the White Mountains and Black Waters, which are rare deep mountains and old forests with few people. Those Jurchen tribes made a living by fishing and hunting and had little contact with the outside world."

"This group of Jin people must have come out of the old forests of Baishan and Heishui."

Hong Qigong thought for a moment and asked again, "No, since they are Jurchens, why didn't they follow Wanyan Aguda and the others?" Su Ming smiled and explained, "The Jurchens are also divided into many tribes. To the current Jin nobles, these tribes are just poor relatives living in the deep mountains and old forests. Not only are they far away, but it is also difficult to communicate. Now that there is no one available in the Jin Kingdom, I finally thought of them."

At this time, outside the Taoist temple, Yang Kang and a group of people knocked on the door.

"Boom boom boom!"

When the people at the Taoist temple saw that it was the Prince of Jin who came in person, they did not dare to neglect him. The temple master came out personally to greet him. Yang Kang ignored their attempts to curry favor with him and directly asked about the news of the pilgrims living in the temple.

With the cooperation of Wanyan Honglie, Yang Kang mobilized people and spent several days to finally find Su Ming's whereabouts. Of course, he didn't think about hiding. He went to the palace just to fish.

In view of the prince's identity and the number of people he brought with him, even though the master of the Taoist temple was a disciple of Quanzhen Sect, he had to give in and take Yang Kang into the backyard of the Taoist temple.

After a while, he stepped into the pavilion where Su Ming and the others were, "Senior, I finally found you."

Before Su Ming could say anything, Hong Qigong's face was filled with anger. "It's you? You kid who recognizes a thief as your father!"

Yang Kang looked at Hong Qigong, who was dressed as a beggar, and felt murderous intent in his heart, but his face remained calm. "Senior, who are you?"

Su Ming stood up and glanced at him calmly, "What do you want to talk to me about?"

Yang Kang maintained a respectful attitude and said in a deep voice, "Senior, my father has learned that you are a great talent, so he specially sent me to invite you to the palace. Please forgive me for my abruptness."

"No need. Wanyan Honglie and I have nothing to say. You can go now."

Yang Kang lowered his head, his lips slightly raised, "Senior, you are joking. I have never had the chance to repay your kindness. Now I have finally found you. Please do me the honor of being a good host, father and son."

Before Su Ming could say anything, Hong Qigong on the side angrily cursed, "Why are you still wasting words with this brat? Just kill him with one palm. This traitor who takes the enemy as his father is not worthy of being a human being!"

The angry words hit Yang Kang's mind, making him furious. It had been a long time since anyone dared to speak to him like this, or to scold him like this! Since Su Ming was here, he couldn't get angry. He secretly remembered this man in his heart, and planned to find someone to deal with this old guy after he got out.

“Seventh Brother, if we fight today, it’s easy for you and me to escape, but I’m afraid no one in this Taoist temple will survive.” Although Su Ming didn’t care about these people, he had to give Hong Qigong a reason. He couldn’t really let him kill Yang Kang and ruin the overall situation.

After hearing this, Hong Qigong was stunned. With his martial arts skills, he could go anywhere in the world, but he forgot that he was in a Taoist temple. If he killed Yang Kang, the royal family of the Jin Dynasty would definitely vent their anger on other people. He could run away, but others could not.

Then, he looked at Hong Qigong again and said in a serious voice, "Seventh Brother, Kaifeng is a place of troubles. It is not suitable for you to stay for long. You should leave early. I will go with him."

Hong Qigong understood that he wanted him to take Xiaoxiao away so that he could get away. He clasped his fists towards him and left the courtyard. "Take care. I'll leave first!"

After he left, Su Ming looked directly at Yang Kang and said, "Lead the way!"

……

Kaifeng, the imperial city.

Today's imperial city has lost the splendor it had during the reign of Emperor Huizong. Although the palaces and attics are still prosperous and look fine from a distance, when you get closer you will find that many palace walls are cracked and many tiles on the roofs are broken. Except for a few palaces, most places are in a mess and are still under repair.

This is a real rotten place. Yang Kang took Su Ming through the palace and came to a palace. There were three large and elegant characters on the plaque: Yanfu Palace.

"Your Highness, please wait a moment. I will go in and make the announcement first."

Without waiting for the waiter to inform him, Su Ming stepped into the palace. After walking for a while, he saw Wanyan Honglie bent over the desk. He was wearing a dark suit, his hair was gray, and his whole body was filled with a solemn demeanor that made him look majestic without even being angry.

Taking a closer look, he secretly shook his head. Comparing himself with Genghis Khan, the difference was immediately clear.

Compared with Genghis Khan's confidence, bravery, and infectious leadership qualities, Wanyan Honglie is more like a solemn old man who cannot be easily ignored by others, but will not be easily convinced.

When he approached, he deliberately made footsteps. Wanyan Honglie, who was writing, heard the sound and frowned. He raised his head and was about to scold, but saw a strange figure appear in front of him, "Who are you?"

Although the person in front of him was wearing a simple Taoist robe, he had a casual and elegant temperament, bright and restrained eyes, and an extraordinarily handsome appearance. He looked to be in his twenties, but he was very indifferent, like an ancient well, with little to no ripples.

Wanyan Honglie couldn't help but sigh, what a good Taoist priest with a good appearance!

Su Ming walked to the soft couch next to him and sat down, with a faint smile on his face, "Didn't you want to see me? So, I came."

He suddenly realized, "You are the person Kang Er mentioned!" Then, he stared at Su Ming with an unfriendly look, "You barged in without notifying me, it's a bit rude of you!"

As soon as these words came out, Su Ming immediately laughed, "Impolite? What etiquette do barbarians know?"

At this time, the waiter came hurriedly, and when he looked at Su Ming in the hall, his brain suddenly froze. When did this person come in?

"Get out!"

"promise!"

Outside the hall, there was a man standing next to Yang Kang. This man was tall, dressed in white, with a high nose, deep eyes, a brown beard, and a heroic look. His eyes were as sharp as knives and swords. "Prince, is the person you are talking about in there?" His voice was as loud as metal.

Yang Kang nodded, "Sir, please come in with me later. We must capture this man and not harm his life!"

Ouyang Feng nodded, "Don't worry, Prince, leave it to me!"

Being called a barbarian by Su Ming, Wanyan Honglie was slightly angry, and then he said, "The world is ruled by the capable, and etiquette is just a means of ruling. Can't you see through this, sir?"

"Etiquette is also a kind of order. Only with order can there be stability. The Jin Kingdom can no longer maintain order. You can no longer hold this divine weapon called the world."

Said it was a divine weapon, but in fact it was referring to the Jin Kingdom Pill. Wanyan Honglie frowned slightly, "Why do you say that, sir?"

(End of this chapter)