Durin's Diary

Chapter 726 Self-questioning
"Your Majesty, your youngest daughter is already thirty-seven years old. If I am not mistaken, Duke Dulin of the Protectorate is only twenty-three this year, in terms of age." The old man said this, looking down at Madam Qi, who was picking up food for him.

Noticing that his eyelids were drooping, the girl smiled ingratiatingly.

Are you really scared? I was just kidding. Since returning to Qiantang, I have asked myself honestly that it has been several decades since I last killed anyone alive.

As for the past, Yumen Pass was so big that there were always young people who deserted for various reasons. If they deserted, they would die. Otherwise, how could they lead troops to fight, defend their country, and let the people and ordinary people on this land live well.

Thinking of this, the old man picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and put it into his mouth.

This means that he forgave her - which is also a part of the Chang Tang dinner table culture.

"Ah, so young? If I remember correctly, that girl has been gone for decades."

"Yes, she and Duke Ish Elsh gave birth to a daughter and then died. Then this daughter gave birth to two sons and two daughters with Roy Corleone of the Northern Kingdom. Dulin is the second son and the third child." Yan Zhenqing said here.

The people at the table saw their Majesty raise his eyebrows. "Now that I mention it, it reminds me. The Intelligence Agency said before that Roy Corleone, the secretary of the Northern Party in the Western Continent, had died. Is that the person?"

Yan Zhenqing sighed, then coughed twice: "Your Majesty, I don't think anyone will allow you to go to the Western Continent to find a widow. She doesn't have the dominant bloodline of Zhulong."

Their Majesty looked towards Madam Qi, who shook her head. "Your Majesty, you think I'm useless. I also think that no matter whether it's the three provinces, six ministries, or twelve departments, those who want to help you can't beat Mr. Du Lin. And those who can beat Mr. Du Lin probably don't want to help you."

The old man sighed, "What the old emperor did is really boring."

"You said that when you were young. At that time, your eldest brother hadn't passed away yet, and your second brother was a commander and hadn't been away fighting in the South Pacific Islands. It's a pity that fate never pities anyone." The old man sighed and said, "Your Majesty, I don't support your idea. That child has her own connections, and she has a posthumous child. Ron's three children will never let an emperor thousands of miles away take their mother away."

"And the officials in the court will not allow you to do anything wrong," Yan Zhenqing added.

So the emperor of Chang Tang closed his mouth and began to eat the food vigorously.

The young man from the Zhao family came in again, pushing a food cart.

Yan Zhenqing and Liu Huaiming clinked their glasses again. Liu Huaiming looked at Yan Zhenqing and said, "Recently, more and more merchants have been heading to the Western Continent, and the trade surplus has been growing. What do you think?"

"We've already started buying old metals, but you should know that old metals are too heavy, and the repurchase price is too low, which won't help with the trade gap." Yan Zhenqing said this and looked at Zhao Tiancheng. "Zhao Tiancheng has already written a memorial, and the three provinces are still arguing with us in the court over that small trade tax. Director Liu, you are the only director of the Ministry of Taxation with an independent armed force. You must know this."

"I don't want to get involved in the mess between the officials of the three provinces and the Zhulong Pavilion and the Tianshi Mansion. It's only been seven years since the last Director of the Navigation Department was hit and killed by a car on his way home at night." At this point, Director Liu smiled and raised his glass to clink with his Majesty. "Your Majesty, do you think I, as a minister, am I being cautious enough?"

"The old sage is right. Suspicion is the way to survive. If we are like the previous director, doing the director's job and thinking about the future of the three officials, something bad will happen eventually." White Beard of Tianshi Mansion and Madam Qi of Zhulong Pavilion said in unison.

The old man smiled and clinked glasses with the prime minister of the time.

The latter remained silent. At this time, the old tree spirit finally responded: "Lan En was sent away by you after all."

"Her mother passed away early, and the eldest wife in the family doesn't like her. Since you have the same experience, why don't you go out for a walk? You stay in that house all day. What if something happens?" At this point, the old man looked at the old man and said, "Why, which grandson of yours likes her?" "My eldest son and grandson likes her, but the young man went to the South China Sea Fleet before, and when he came back, he found that the girl was gone."

"Then why didn't he say it? Love that can't be expressed deserves to be left unburied. Tell your child that if you have any bad thoughts, I will applaud when your whole family is stabbed." The old man said with a bad face.

"Don't worry, I haven't lived long enough. If that day comes, I won't need anyone to come over. I'll do it myself." The old prime minister said this and stood up: "When you get old, you have three urgent things to do."

As he spoke, he walked out of the room: "You guys continue chatting."

His younger brother, the old man from the Mo family, also stood up and walked out in silence.

Yan Zhenqing glanced at the old man.

The latter shook his head.

Yan Zhenqing then raised his glass and said, "Your Majesty, we once fought together at Yumen Pass. Would you like to have a drink?"

"Of course I will. I must cherish Mr. Yan's honor." Their emperor raised his glass with a smile.

………………

The third floor had long been cleared. The chancellor of the empire stood at the end of the corridor. He washed his hands and lit a cigarette for himself. When his brother finished his business, he exhaled a puff of smoke. "I'm afraid that child Du Lin would look down on our family's small fortune. I'm sure he won't help us with this matter, so it's okay if the child doesn't come back. One of you must live longer. This child has so many wives. I think with the development of the Western Continent, among his children, there will always be one or two who will fall on hard times. When the time comes, we can choose those with good character and bring them back. There's no need to rush."

"I understand, brother." The younger brother nodded and said, "My child is not doing well and has brought shame to the Mo family."

"If we really want to get to the bottom of this matter, we have to look for it from our brother. If he hadn't driven away that illegitimate daughter, our Mo family would have turned things around long ago." The old man said, looking at the colorful world outside the window with cloudy eyes: "After all, there is a problem with our family. As the saying goes, those who are not of our race must have different hearts. Look at Xiao Lao and Yan Zhenqing, which one of them hasn't worked hard for Chang Tang for so many years? Do they look like traitors to you?"

"Brother, you are right, they don't look alike."

"That's good to know. Everyone at this table today is your Majesty's childhood confidant, a teacher, or a playmate. But ultimately, for your Majesty, Du Lin is someone else's child. He's more than just a child of the Mo family. A triple-legendary, perfectly promoted child, if he were placed in Chang Tang without a royal marriage, what would the ministers of the three provinces and six ministries think? What would your Majesty think? What would the people of the Candle Dragon Hall think? What would the Tianshi Mansion think? Most importantly, what would the people of the world think?"

"...But children, in the end, I didn't get through you and I did it to the extreme."

"It's better to do it thoroughly. Only by doing it thoroughly can our Mo family not appear to have second thoughts. After you go back, think carefully about why I said that. Also, don't embarrass yourself in the West."

After saying that, the old prime minister pressed the half-smoked cigarette butt in his hand into the ashtray.

The Three Provinces, Six Ministries, Twelve Departments, Eight Pillar States, and the General's Mansion, so many sages, and the seven sages of the old era who have repaired and patched up Chang Tang for so many years, really can't withstand the tossing and turning of Du Lin, this little devil.

(End of this chapter)