From the beginning of the game of power, I became the protagonist

After all, politics is the art of compromise.

Everyone naturally responded enthusiastically to Chen Hui's courtesy. Only Jing Tianming was still worried about Gao Yue and asked anxiously if he could see her again before leaving.

After hearing this request, Chen Hui responded with a smile.

Well, no words, just a smile.

Gai Nie understood Chen Hui's refusal and, after apologizing, forcibly dragged Jing Tianming out of the Mechanical City. On the way, he said to the naughty boy earnestly, "Tianming, if you still want to be with Gao Yue in the future, then from now on, you must correct your attitude and never be as inconsistent as before."

"After all, no parents in this world would entrust their daughter to a man who has accomplished nothing."

"Do you understand?"

"." After being treated coldly for a whole day, Jing Tianming seemed to have grown up a lot in an instant. After thinking for a moment, he nodded heavily and said, "I understand, uncle, I will definitely work hard!"

. .

. .

. .

On the other side, after bidding farewell to all the philosophers, Chen Hui came to a beautiful pavilion in the Mechanical City and played Go with Yan Fei.

Well, Go is a good thing. At least it can help Chen Hui calm down as soon as possible.

Especially after being forced to abdicate by everyone this time, Chen Hui, who was already full of anger, needed to calm down as soon as possible.

What a bunch of bastards! They are really going too far!

Seeing Chen Hui's face as cold as ice, Yan Fei also felt a little uneasy for a moment. After a long while, she tentatively asked, "Yi Lang, why did you specifically ask the farmers to send the fragments of the Mars Stone? Is there anything special about it?"

It can be used to make an elixir of life, isn’t it very special?

Chen Hui muttered to himself, but replied calmly, "I just want to make it more difficult for the farmers. I don't want them to get away with it so easily."

"After all, this group of people went a little too far this time."

"Yeah, it's hard to force someone to do something like that." Yan Fei agreed with a smile, and then asked, "Then...about that Jing Tianming matter?"

"Cutting off his hands is a bit too cruel." Chen Hui replied calmly, "He's still a child after all. He should be given a few more chances."

At this point, Chen Hui's voice suddenly turned cold, and he said word by word: "If this brat dares to mess with Yue'er again, just break his hands."

"I understand." Yan Fei smiled and said, "I wonder what Sword Saint Gai Nie will think then?"

"If Gai Nie has any objections, he can come to me." Chen Hui said with a cold smile, "I will break his hands as well."

"Hehehe." Yan Fei laughed so hard that her body shook uncontrollably. She stood up, bowed to Chen Hui, and said, "Thank you, my husband, for making the decision for me and Yue'er."

"Please sit down." Inviting Yan Fei to sit down, Chen Hui pondered each word and said, "Yue'er is also my daughter. She deserves the best in the world. She can't be matched by just some wild child."

"A bunch of presumptuous bastards!" Yan Fei sneered, her eyebrows raised. She then dropped the subject and turned to look at a figure standing a few dozen meters outside the pavilion. She said calmly, "Speaking of which, the Third Master of Xiao Shengxian Manor has been standing there for almost an hour. My husband, don't you plan to meet him?"

That’s right, all the philosophers left, except Zhang Liang, who stayed in the Mechanical City, waiting to be summoned by Chen Hui.

The reason is very simple, because the others and Chen Hui are only allies, but Zhang Liang has publicly sworn allegiance to Chen Hui in Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

He is Chen Hui's subordinate.

How could subordinates act on their own without the monarch's permission?

Zhang Liang had already disobeyed orders once by rashly leaving Xiaoshengxianzhuang and running to this mechanical city; if he continued to leave the mechanical city without Chen Hui's permission, it would only mean one thing.

Zhang Liang rebelled and betrayed Chen Hui.

It doesn’t matter what he thinks in his heart. In short, Zhang Liang’s actions can only prove this point.

So, Zhang Liang had to wait, no matter how Chen Hui ignored him, he had to wait.

Because this was the punishment for Zhang Liang disobeying orders and acting on his own.

With a profound family background and having served as prime minister of Han for five generations, Zhang Liang knew very well what kind of punishment a minister would receive if he did not obey the orders of his lord.

After hearing Yan Fei's question, Chen Hui didn't even raise his eyelids, and said lightly: "If he doesn't like it, he can leave. I didn't ask him to wait any longer."

"Let's be merciful when we can." Yan Fei smiled sweetly and said, "If you don't give face to Zhang Liang, you should at least give face to the Confucian master Xunzi."

"You're quite a good person." Chen Hui heard this and slowly put down a chess piece, saying, "Let him come over."

"Yes, Yi Lang." Yan Fei nodded when she heard that, and immediately stood up and waved to Zhang Liang in the distance, asking him to come into the pavilion.

Slowly walking into the pavilion, Zhang Liang bowed deeply to Chen Hui, who was still facing the chessboard, and said, "I am Zhang Liang, your subordinate, and I have come to apologize to you, sir."

"Apology?" Chen Hui didn't even glance at Zhang Liang's reluctance to bow. He said in a deadpan voice, "Mr. Zhang, what crime have you committed?"

"Zhang Liang shouldn't have disobeyed orders and rashly left Xiaoshengxian Manor to get involved in the farmers' affairs." Zhang Liang bowed deeply but didn't stand up. He just bent over and said in a deep voice, "Doing so might implicate the Confucians and undermine Mr. Yi's plans for the new dynasty."

"." Holding a chess piece and rubbing it hard until it turned into countless powders and flowed onto the chessboard, Chen Hui looked up at Yan Fei. The other party immediately understood what he meant, bowed, and turned to leave.

When they were the only two people left in the pavilion, Chen Hui took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "Zhang Liang, do you know how much hope I have placed on Confucianism?"

Turning to look at Zhang Liang, whose head drooped even more after hearing his words, Chen Hui spoke word by word, "Uniting the people and governing culture and education! This is the top priority of the new dynasty! Compared to this, what are the peasants? What are those 100,000 heads? Is it worth it for you, the Third In Command, to run around so anxiously?"

Having said this, Chen Hui could no longer suppress his anger and suddenly swept all the black and white chess pieces off the chessboard, making them fall to the ground with a clatter.

Chapter 85: The New Task of Jing Niu Tian Yan (Please Customize)

"Zhang Liang acknowledges his guilt!"

Countless chess pieces struck him, and Zhang Liang took it all in without a dodge. He suddenly rolled over and prostrated himself, touching his head to the ground as he said in a deep voice, "I have failed Mr. Yi's trust!"

"Zhang Liang, your military and literary skills are both top-notch, a rare find in the world. I have high hopes for you!" Chen Hui shouted angrily, heartbroken, "Why are you so impatient and exposing yourself so early?"

"That impassioned speech in the hall earlier was impressive, wasn't it? Have you ever considered what would happen if there were spies from Luowang present and Zhao Gao and his men were targeting them?"

"Is it you who can withstand the snare of the empire? Or is it Confucianism that can withstand the snare of the empire?"

When Zhang Liang heard this, he suddenly realized what was going on. His face instantly lost all color and he couldn't help but tremble all over.

"I've said it before, the Nong family has long been infiltrated by the Luo network like a sieve. God knows which of those hall masters are human and which are ghosts!" Chen Hui shook his head and sighed, "You still want to hang out with those people, afraid that you won't die quickly enough, right?"

"Zhang Liang, Zhang Liang, why don't you know what it means to keep a low profile? Why do you think I wear a mask? Have you forgotten how the previous great leader Yan Dan died?"

"Zhang Liang was wrong, utterly wrong!" Zhang Liang was filled with deep remorse and guilt. He slammed his head against the ground several times, his forehead bleeding as he said in a deep voice, "Please punish me, Mr. Yi!"

"Return to Xiaoshengxian Manor immediately. Do not come out without my order." Chen Hui stood up and walked aside, turning his back to Zhang Liang and ordered, "Don't get involved in the Nong family's affairs anymore. This is Ying Zheng's final blow. Who knows how many backup plans he has arranged? If you rashly join in, you will only end up in danger of death!"

"Zhao Gao doesn't have time to care about you now. His main target is the eldest son Fusu, the emperor's son and the throne of the Qin Dynasty after Ying Zheng. At least until Ying Zheng dies and Qin II takes the throne, you should be safe."

"Zhang Liang, this is my last advice to you. In life and work, you must not only be able to fight, but also be able to hide."

"A person's achievement is often not measured by how high he jumps, but by how low he squats. Do you understand?"

"Zhang Liang understands!" He kowtowed once more to Chen Hui's back, then raised his now blood-stained face and bowed, saying, "I will never forget Mr. Yi's teachings."

Chen Hui said nothing more after hearing this. He just waved his hand with his back to Zhang Liang, indicating that he could leave.

Seeing this, Zhang Liang bowed deeply again, then stood up from the ground, bent down and saluted, facing Chen Hui's back, took a few steps back, then turned around and left quickly.

"Every one of them is a real problem. Is it because of anime that these historical heroes have been downplayed?"

When Chen Hui thought of the ridiculous operations in anime that were done for the sake of the plot, he couldn't help but feel a headache and felt that this might be the correct answer.

A strategist should do the work of a strategist. What's the point of using this sword as a ranger all day long!

Now Chen Hui is forced to clean up Zhang Liang's mess, and no one knows what Zhao Gao will do next.

What a headache! What a headache!

. .

. .

. .

On the other hand, just one day after the meeting in the Machinery City ended, Zhao Gao obtained all the relevant specific information.

Sitting comfortably in a dilapidated house nestled in the woods, Zhao Gao gazed at Tian Yan, who was dressed in a turban. After a moment's reflection, he suddenly chuckled and said, "Of all the philosophers, it's interesting that they would actually want to cooperate with me this time. Truly interesting."

"Yes, sir." Holding the Jingwei Sword, one of the Eight Swords of the King of Yue, Tian Yan clasped his fists and bowed. "Whether it's the various hall masters of the Nong family, the six elders, Zongheng Liusha, the Xiang family, or the Taoist clan, they have all expressed their willingness to cooperate with you to deal with our common enemy—the Emperor's eldest son, Fusu."

"Your Majesty, it turns out that you are about to die, and you even hid it from me. This is really interesting."

Zhao Gao ignored Tian Yan's report and chuckled to himself, "I have served you for so many years, and now it is your final moment. How can I not stay by your side and see you off on your final journey? Hehehe."

At this point, Zhao Gao suddenly raised his eyes to look at Tian Yan, and said in a calm voice: "You just mentioned so many people, but it seems that you didn't mention Mohism and Confucianism."

"Yes, sir." Tian Yan nodded and said, "Zhang Liang, the third-in-command of the Confucian school, did not leave with us, and the Mohist school also stated that it would not participate."

"What a clever bunch! They actually want to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight." Zhao Gao shook his head and said, "Tian Yan, based on your observation, that person named Yi Xiaochuan should be the new 'Ghost Face' leader of the Mohist School."

"Yes, sir." Tian Yan nodded again and said, "Although Yi Xiaochuan hasn't admitted it, judging from the attitudes of the Mohist leaders and the various schools of thought towards him, it's almost certain."

"How interesting! The most unlikely answer is actually the correct one." Zhao Gao chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, I didn't expect you to be wrong sometimes."

As soon as he said this, Zhao Gao's eyes suddenly shone with two dim lights, and they locked onto Tian Yan tightly. He asked softly, word by word, "Tian Yan, I heard that Yi Xiaochuan has a lot of women around him, right?"

"This..." Tian Yan's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. She had never mentioned this to Zhao Gao.

It seems that just as I guessed before, there must be other Luowang spies among the senior management of the farmers, and even I am under their surveillance.

Taking a long, deep breath, Tian Yan suppressed the uneasiness in his heart and nodded respectfully, "Yes, sir, it is indeed quite a lot."

"Well...how does it compare to you?" Zhao Gao walked closer step by step, raised his hand and stroked Tian Yan's face. The smooth touch was so cold that there was no trace of temperature, as if a poisonous snake was crawling slowly.

Tian Yan suppressed the nausea in his heart and said in a deep voice without moving a muscle: "I can't reach that level."

"Why are you so self-deprecating, Xiao Tianyan?" Zhao Gao removed his hand and said with a calm smile, "Those women of Yi Xiaochuan are certainly stunning beauties, but you're not any less."

"After all... you are the daughter of the previous generation Jing Niu and Xinling Jun Wei Wuji."

Seeing Zhao Gao deliberately mention his parents, Tian Yan's hands clenched into fists unconsciously for a moment, then slowly loosened them weakly, lowering his head and saying in a deep voice: "It's all at your command, sir."

"After the Nong family's affairs are over, find a way to become one of Yi Xiaochuan's women." Zhao Gao said in a calm and deep voice: "This is your new mission."

"But Yi Xiaochuan has met me before, but he didn't show any reaction at all." Tian Yan gritted her teeth and said, "As Tian Meng's adopted daughter, my identity has always been questioned. He won't believe me."

"I have agreed to join forces with the various schools of thought. You will have many opportunities to make meritorious contributions, enough for you to become the new leader of the Farmers' Clan."

Zhao Gao smiled calmly and said, "Besides, doesn't Yi Xiaochuan really want the fragment of the Mars Stone? I will help you obtain it and use it as a bargaining chip to get close to Yi Xiaochuan."

"With your status as the chief farmer, plus the fragment of the Mars Stone... and of course, the beauty and intelligence you inherited from your predecessor, Jingwei, you can definitely become one of Yi Xiaochuan's women, right?"

The second time he mentioned his mother, the threat was undisguised. Tian Yan was filled with grief and indignation, but he was completely helpless. He could only nod and say, "I will do my best to complete your mission, sir."

"Good, very good." Zhao Gao nodded after hearing this, and suddenly stretched out his hands and clapped them twice. Then he saw a second 'Zhao Gao' suddenly walk out of the shadows. His figure and appearance were exactly the same as the original one, and even the subtle details in his gestures were exactly the same.

'Yanri', Luowang Tianzi's top assassin, one of the Eight Swords of King Yue.

After beckoning the Six Sword Slaves outside to come inside, Zhao Gao pointed at Yanri, who was disguising himself, and ordered, "From now on, you must obey Yanri's orders and cooperate with the various schools of thought. Without exposing yourself, do your utmost to delay the Qin army's actions. At any cost, do not allow Fusu to annihilate the Nong family before Ying Zheng's death. Do you understand?"

"As you command, sir." Tian Yan, the six sword slaves, and 'Yanri', who was disguised as Zhao Gao, all bowed deeply upon hearing this. When they looked up, Zhao Gao himself had vanished without a trace.

Chapter 86: Zulong passes away and a great era ends (Please customize)

"Haha, Zhao Gao, this time you've really lost more than you gained; you've lost both your wife and your army."

After watching the previous scene almost as if he were there, Chen Hui slowly exited the state of "Green Prophet" with a slight sneer on his lips.

As his understanding of the art of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements became more profound, especially the added effect of the wood-based skills, Chen Hui's ability as a "shapechanger" became stronger and stronger. He was no longer limited to possessing animals, and even plants were within his range of possession.

That’s right, about half a month ago, Chen Hui had completely surpassed the ‘Skinchanger’ and officially became a ‘Green Prophet’.

Therefore, guys like Luo Wang who always like to talk about things in the wilderness, every move they make cannot escape Chen Hui's eyes and ears, especially this time when all the philosophers and schools of thought gathered together, Chen Hui took the opportunity to plant a mark of "Green Prophet" on each of them, even Zongheng Liusha was no exception.

After all, there are no eternal friends in the world. Who knows if one day they will become enemies?

Therefore, it is very necessary to take certain preventive measures in advance.

This battle with the farmers is a great opportunity. In the Daze Mountain with a radius of a thousand miles, countless plants and trees can become Chen Hui's eyes and ears, helping him to find out who are human and who are ghosts.

Since Tian Yan is going to give the entire farm family as a dowry to herself, Chen Hui naturally has to screen them carefully and find out all the bad apples in advance.

By the way, there is also Tian Yan’s mother, the previous generation Jing Niu. She is now most likely in the hands of Zhao Gao and has become a hostage. We must find a way to rescue her.

Since Tian Yan will become Chen Hui's woman in the future, no evidence can be allowed to fall into the hands of others.

Chen Hui's woman will not tolerate being bullied by outsiders.

As for where the previous generation Jingwei was, Chen Hui was not worried at all because Zhao Gao would take him to find her.

The ability of the 'Green Prophet' far exceeds that of the 'Skinchanger'. As long as one is within the range of the 'Green Vision', the mark of the 'Green Prophet' can be planted even without direct contact. Therefore, Zhao Gao's every move from now on will not escape Chen Hui's surveillance.

As Zhao Gao returns to the Qin Emperor Ying Zheng's convoy and contacts Hu Hai, Li Si and others, all high-level officials of the entire Qin Empire will be brought under Chen Hui's surveillance, and there will no longer be any secrets.