If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1444: Fighting with each other

Grand General Cai Ci's face darkened as he said, "A mere three hundred taels of silver is enough to bribe the Dragon Palace Commander?"
This is the Dragon Palace of the East Sea!
This Li Zhong is so short-sighted.

If you're truly short of money, just come and pay your respects to the King of Chu; any reward you receive will be more than three hundred taels of silver.

The fact that the King of Chu's reputation was ruined for a few hundred taels of silver not only angered them but also made them feel aggrieved.

If Liu Ji offered a fortune to bribe them, they would feel better.

Three hundred taels of silver ruined the reputation of the King of Chu. Is the King of Chu's reputation only worth three hundred taels of silver?

This is like killing someone by attacking their spirit!

The shrimp soldier said, "Sir, don't suspect that Commander Li embezzled a lot just because he only gave each of us eight and seven qian of silver."

There are just too many of us, so this is all we get when split among ourselves.

Commander Li didn't do this for the money.

He was simply following His Majesty the Dragon King's order to 'serve the heroes.'

"That's only eight qian of silver when split evenly!" Chen Sheng was shocked and hurriedly asked, "How many of you are there in total?"

"Several hundred of them, including two hundred East Sea Guards who followed Commander Li, and more than one hundred clam maidens and snail maidens from the Dragon Palace."

"Anyway, Commander Li really didn't embezzle Liu Dahao's money this time," the shrimp soldier said.

"With only eight and a half taels of silver, you dare to slander me at my very gate?"

There was a clear killing intent in King Chen Sheng's eyes.

The shrimp soldiers, intimidated by the king's aura, shrank back and said, "Liu Dahao is imitating the Qin Dynasty's proclamation to the people. We are just explaining the 'gatekeeper' in the proclamation. The gatekeeper is innocent!"
Moreover, whether it's slander or not, His Majesty knows the answer in his heart.

After leaving the king's courtyard, Liu Dahao was filled with apprehension, saying that the king's eyes held an intense killing intent and that he was sure the king was about to attack him.

Cai Ci and Commander Yuan looked into the eyes of King Chen Sheng.

As expected, his killing intent surged and his resolve to kill was unwavering.

—How can you, as the king, be so lacking in cunning, allowing Liu Ji and the shrimp soldiers to see through your thoughts?
"Are you out of your mind?" Commander Yuan kicked him and shouted angrily, "Have you forgotten all the etiquette that the commanders and stewards taught you?"

The King of Chu is the eldest among the feudal lords, how dare you speak to him like that?

"Believe it or not, I'll stew you into a pot of salt-baked shrimp tails right now and serve it to the King of Chu as a snack to vent his anger!"

—You're no different from this shrimp soldier; you're a brainless idiot who doesn't understand manners and talks nonsense.

Cai Ci, the true nobleman of Shangbang, felt disgusted and dissatisfied with the etiquette training at the Dragon Palace.

—Everyone says the Dragon Palace of the East Sea is majestic and wealthy, but in terms of etiquette and education, it can never compare with our great nation of China! A demon is a demon, and the Dragon King is a demon too.

Just as he was thinking this, he noticed that the King of Chu beside him was showing interest.

Seems quite interested in salt-baked shrimp tails?
He hurriedly shouted, "Commander Yuan, don't joke around. The most important thing right now is to immediately recall those shrimp soldiers and clam women who are spreading rumors outside."

Commander Yuan said to the men around him, "Go and fetch that scoundrel Li Zhong!"

A moment later, Li Zhong came over to pay his respects to the King of Chu and Commander Yuan.

Facing the King of Chu's angry glare and Commander Yuan's rebuke, Li Zhong remained calm and said, "King of Chu, you are a guest, not one of your men. Commander Yuan, your rank is only half a grade higher than mine."

I obey His Majesty's orders and will serve the heroes of Western Chu wholeheartedly.

The Thirteenth Chief Steward also instructed me to fulfill all the needs of the heroes of Western Chu.

I do whatever Liu Dahao tells me to do.

This is loyalty to His Majesty the Dragon King, and it is also the way our Dragon Palace treats its guests.

"Nonsense!" Commander Yuan cursed. "What is Liu Ji's identity, and what is the King of Chu's identity?"
"You listen to Liu Ji, spouting nonsense and slandering the King of Chu, helping a lowly guest insult a high-ranking one—what kind of behavior is this?"

“Liu Dahao is not a lowly guest, he is an honored guest, and King Chen Sheng is a super-honored guest,” Li Zhong said.

"I'll fuck your mother!" Commander Yuan kicked him.

Li Zhong dodged backward, retreating into the courtyard as he called out, "Commander Yuan, we obey His Majesty the Dragon King's orders and serve the heroes of the land. We are each serving our own master."

Why did you have to verbally abuse me and then physically assault me?

"Damn it, you still dare to hide, you still dare to yell? You're asking for it!"

Commander Yuan was already somewhat regretful after kicking out, but seeing Li Zhong's behavior, the anger that had been building up inside him surged up again, reaching his throat, and he spewed it out, charging forward once more.

Li Zhong kept retreating until he was more than ten feet away from the dumbfounded Chen Sheng and Cai Ci, then whispered, "Commander Yuan, are you out of your mind?"

Chen Sheng was destined to be the first to launch a rebellion; even the old man at the village entrance knew that.

Liu Ji, however, is the Heavenly Star of Auxiliary Star, the right-hand man of the true dragon emperor, and a figure even the Dragon King must respect.

Why would you risk offending a powerful figure in China who is about to rise to prominence, and even the very emperor Liu Ji is about to serve, all for the sake of something ephemeral?

Commander Yuan's expression froze, and his punching and kicking movements slowed down. "You idiot, still spouting nonsense, are you asking for a beating?"

—Damn it, do you think Chen Sheng and Cai Ci won't hear you just because you're speaking softly? They're skilled in martial arts too!

If you want to have a private conversation, use a whisper!

He glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye and saw Chen Sheng clenching his fists, his face ashen. Cai Ci was also furious, but tried his best to maintain his composure.

"Commander Yuan, I can't beat you, I'm leaving. If you need anything, go find the Thirteenth Chief Steward."

After saying this, Li Zhong used a water escape technique, transformed into a blue light, and quickly disappeared.

Commander Yuan looked embarrassed and said, "King Chu, Pillar of State, Li Zhong is slippery, but don't worry. He can escape the VIP courtyard, but he can't escape the Dragon King's Palace."

"I'll go find the Thirteenth Chief Eunuch later, and together with the palace guards, we must capture that scoundrel and bring him here to apologize to the King."

Chen Shengqiang suppressed his anger and said calmly, "Liu Laosan is a rogue. He only took out a few hundred taels of silver and made himself famous, causing me great humiliation."

"Since I am an honored guest, I will give you 30,000 taels of gold. Would you be willing to follow suit?"

Commander Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "Does Your Majesty also want to shout slogans at the crossroads and in front of the courtyards of all the heroes?"

The matter is not difficult to handle.

Li Zhongcai has two hundred men, while I have four hundred-man squads under my command. I don't need the help of the clam maiden or the snail maiden.

What slogan does Your Majesty want?

Chen Sheng turned to Cai Ci and said, “Shangzhuguo, Liu Ji imitated the proclamation of the tyrannical Qin dynasty, but it was hasty and crude, and he only came up with a few slogans. You write a ‘Proclamation of the Great Chu State to the People’ in the form of parallel prose.”

Cai Ci hesitated and said, "There is no problem with writing a proclamation to the people in the style of parallel prose or rhapsody. However, Your Majesty is of noble status. If you were to compete with Liu Ji, a penniless and wicked villain, it would make the heroes of China laugh and make Liu Ji smug."

Chen Sheng hesitated, "But I can't just remain silent and let Liu Ji continue to use shameless means to tarnish my reputation, can I?"

Cai Ci looked at Commander Yuan and said, "We certainly cannot let Liu Ji run rampant."

First, the Dragon Palace should immediately arrest those shrimp soldiers and clam women who spread rumors, put them in shackles, and make them stand at the crossroads and courtyard gates to loudly repent, saying that Liu Ji bribed them with large sums of money to boast about himself and slander the King of Chu.

Secondly, since the incident occurred in the Dragon Palace, the Dragon King of the East Sea must personally step in to eliminate the negative impact on the King of Chu.

Finally, Commander Yuan relayed to the immortals on behalf of the King of Chu that the King of Chu had accepted their invitation to this alliance meeting because he trusted them.

Now that this has happened, if they don't give an explanation, King Chu will leave the Dragon Palace immediately, and we will not participate in this alliance meeting.

Not only the King of Chu, but also Chu's allies such as the King of Wei and the King of Han will leave. Commander Yuan's forehead was beaded with sweat. "Surely it shouldn't escalate this much?"

Cai Ci coldly replied, "You only need to relay the message; no need for further words!"

Commander Yuan was both angry and afraid.

"Commander Yuan, King Chen Sheng, something's happened!" Just then, a shout came from outside the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Commander Yuan immediately found an outlet for his anger and resentment.

"You bastard, Li Zhong, you dare to come back? I'll tear you apart today!" He made up his mind to use force and make the King of Chu see blood.

Only blood can extinguish anger.

“King Chen Sheng, someone is trying to slander you!” Li Zhong shouted from outside.

Cai Ci's expression changed, and he shouted, "Commander Yuan, the King of Chu hasn't spoken yet, so don't be impatient!"

Then he called out to the outside, "Commander Li, come in and talk to me."

As Li Zhong entered, he hurriedly said, "Qin Jia, a wealthy man from Tan County, has offered three thousand taels of gold, asking me to gather more people to speak ill of the King of Chu at the crossroads and outside the courtyards of all the heroes of China."

"What did Qin Jia tell you to do?" Chen Sheng asked.

“He said,” Li Zhong hesitated, “that his words were very harsh, even harsher than what Liu Ji said.”

“Speak freely, and I will forgive you for your innocence,” Chen Sheng said.

Li Zhongdao said: "He said you were heartless and ungrateful, and that you killed your good brother Ge Ying, who had followed you for more than ten years, and also executed the villagers who came to seek refuge with you."

The bonds of kinship are strongest; they would even kill fellow villagers and sworn brothers. Anyone who pledges allegiance to the King of Chu is the biggest fool in the world.

Chen Sheng's eyes were bloodshot with rage. "You scoundrel, I'll kill him!"

Cai Ci's expression was also grim, but he still had some doubts. "Liu Ji was at least trying to protect himself, so why would Qin Jia slander the King of Chu for no reason?"

Li Zhong asked with a strange expression, "Why did Qin Dahao do this? Don't Shangzhuguo and the King of Chu know?"
"You tried to forcibly incorporate his men; no wonder he hates you."

“Damn it, that scoundrel raised an army under my banner. I sent Lord Wuping to Tan County to take command of the various armies and to coordinate the troops.”

That bastard not only disobeyed my orders, but also arrogantly killed Lord Wuping and took the position of 'Grand Marshal' for himself.

Now they've turned around and blamed me, even paying a fortune to have someone insult me! This is utterly outrageous! Chen Sheng was furious.

—So what if I'm using your name? When you started your rebellion, didn't you also use Xiang Yan's name?

Li Zhong muttered to himself, but said aloud, "What should I do now? I was ordered to serve the heroes of Western Chu, so I should be obedient and do what I'm paid to do."

But just now Commander Yuan tried to kill me, and the King of Chu also hates me.

If I listen to Qin Jia, you will hold a grudge; if I don't listen to Qin Jia, I will be violating His Majesty the Dragon King's way of treating guests.

I'm like a rat trapped in a bellows, blocked from both ends, suffering from both sides!

Just then, the faint sound of singing with its ups and downs drifted from outside the courtyard.

"In Dazexiang, the rain is pouring down, and the mud-covered man sticks out the anti-government flag."

They put their arms around each other's shoulders and call each other brothers, saying things like, "If we become rich and powerful, let's not forget each other!" Their words are much nicer than their songs.

He leaped over the wall and sat in the golden palace, changing his name to "King Zhang Chu".

When fellow villagers heard the news, they came to visit and spoke their minds freely.

They say he used to marry into the family and that he used to sleep on an earthen bed.

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng's face turned frosty. "To speak ill of me is utterly arrogant!"

What talk of remembering the rich and powerful? In the blink of an eye, heads will fall to the ground.

Li Zhong's expression changed drastically. Looking at Chen Sheng, whose expression had also changed and whose eyes were flashing with ferocity, he hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this has nothing to do with me. This is not one of my men!"
I just saw Qin Dahao and came back to find you immediately. I didn't send anyone to spread rumors!

"Your Majesty, please do not be anxious!" Cai Ci grasped Chen Sheng's trembling arm, which was about to swing out at any moment, and said, "Commander Yuan, go and bring that person here."

Commander Yuan immediately went out and brought back another shrimp soldier.

"Your Majesty, spare my life! It was Commander Shark who ordered me to sing 'Sarcastic Chen Sheng' at the crossroads. It wasn't that I was audacious and acted recklessly!" The shrimp soldier kowtowed repeatedly on the ground.

"Oh dear, it's Old Shark! That bastard, he's so ungrateful!"

Commander Yuan looked anxious and worried, but not very angry.

"Which courtyard does Commander Shark serve in?" Cai Ci asked him solemnly.

“King Tian Rong of Jiaozhou in Qi State. Old Shark himself is a kind-hearted and good-natured man. Your Majesty, Lord Fang, please don’t blame him.” Commander Yuan said, bowing to the two men.

"If it's Tian Rong, then it wouldn't be surprising."

Cai Ci's expression softened somewhat, and he said to Chen Sheng, "Your Majesty, I was confused before! We cannot withdraw from the alliance."

If we leave, they will unscrupulously slander our great Chu Kingdom.

This is the place where the alliance meets, and also the battlefield where we, the heroes of China, fight amongst ourselves.

Once you're on the battlefield, there's no retreat, only victory!

Chen Sheng nodded vigorously and gritted his teeth, saying, "Pillar of State, you are a man of great literary talent. Immediately write a magnificent article to severely criticize Tian Rong."

"Where are Liu Ji and Qin Jia?" Cai Ci asked.

"First, scold Tian Rong. Liu Ji and Qin Jia are just clowns, but Tian Rong is audacious and reckless, intending to compete with me for the position of 'Elder Earl'."

After cursing Tian Rong, he wrote other poems to denounce Liu Ji's shamelessness and Qin Jia's injustice.

"Today, not one of them will escape," Chen Sheng said.

Li Zhongdao said, "Your Majesty, you are wrong. You cannot use poetry to insult someone."

Many heroes of China are like you, humble and uncultured men—

Chen Sheng's expression changed, and his eyes sharpened again, filled with murderous intent.

Commander Yuan also scolded, "You scoundrel, how dare you speak like that? The King of Chu is a man of destiny, born to be a great nobleman."

Liu Ji and Qin Jia were truly peasants, and Tian Rong was even more destitute.

Li Zhong said solemnly, "I think King Chen Sheng has always been on the wrong track."

The king should not only not deny his origins, but should also promote them vigorously.

Let all the heroes of China and all the people of the world know how humble the current King of Chu was in the past.

He had no noble lineage, no vast wealth, and was just an ordinary villager.

How could an ordinary commoner possibly cause the seemingly indestructible empire established by the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, to crumble in just a few months?

The anger on Chen Sheng's face and the murderous intent in his eyes gradually disappeared. "Commander Li, continue. What makes me so successful today?"

"It's destiny!"

(End of this chapter)