Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 208 Que Shu

Yasukuni Shrine -

Zhao Zheng dismissed his trusted subordinates and stood with his hands behind his back facing the diagram on the wall.

Jingguo is located in the heart of the Central Continent, where the weather is favorable and the land is known as a land of fish and rice. It has been the granary of the imperial court since ancient times, with thriving commerce and abundant wealth. However, its flat terrain, which has created vast tracts of fertile land, has also destined it to be defenseless and vulnerable.

After the fall of the Daqian regime, the feudal lords were divided. The Zhao family of Quzhou, together with local powerful families, initially established the Jing Kingdom with their abundant wealth. They were able to navigate between various forces and form a balance point in the encirclement of six kingdoms.

Because of the mutual checks and balances among the six kingdoms, Yasukuni has been outwardly stable for more than ten years, but the undercurrents have never stopped, and now this balance is about to be broken.

It is widely believed among insightful people in China that Zhao Zheng began planning to break the deadlock several years ago. He finally broke through the encirclement of the "Nine Princes' Succession Struggle" and entered the Eastern Palace. He gained the support of the pro-war faction in China and used the marriage alliance with Qi State as a pretext to travel through the country and join forces with An and Di State to attack Xuan.

If successful, the situation would be very different. It was a foolproof plan, but man proposes, God disposes, and Shen Qingxi, this freak, appeared out of nowhere.

After the initial defeat, the conservative faction in the country seized the opportunity to attack him, and his brothers also began to stir up trouble again. In particular, when he proposed to send troops to Xiangguo again, even his father began to waver.

Two opposing views emerged within the Crown Prince's faction: one advocating for him to bide his time and accumulate strength for a future breakthrough, while the other...

Zhao Zheng's eyes flickered, and a dark undercurrent seemed to surge in his deep eyes as he stared at Yu Tu for a long time without saying a word.

Now, Xuan State is severely weakened, Jing State is at war with Qi State and has no time to spare, Yu State's main force is focused on Nanji, and Beimo is suppressed by Di State and can only expand westward. If they can join forces to attack Xiang State, it will be a win-win situation.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we miss it, there may never be another chance. Once the dust settles and the victors are determined in the wars between the various countries, Yasukuni will be completely at their mercy.

Unfortunately, the officials in the court were used to a comfortable life and lacked the courage to take a desperate gamble. But then again, if the country fell, they could simply change their titles and become ministers. What was most hateful was that his brothers were deliberately going against him, and the constraints imposed by various forces made it difficult for him to take action.

Zhao Zheng took a deep breath, slowly clenched his fist, his eyes sharp, and finally made up his mind.

To quell external threats, we must first secure internal stability; there can only be one voice in Yasukuni!

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The rising sun shines upon all things, its rays filtering into a secluded corner of the Yu Kingdom's palace and falling on the mottled, peeling paint of the Mingse Pavilion's door.

A palace maid carrying a copper basin and a towel pushed open the door and entered. The child on the bed woke up and sat up on his own. When the wrung-out towel was placed on his face, the child involuntarily shivered. Washing his face with cold water was still a bit cold at this time of year, but their place was so remote that it was no less so than the Cold Palace. Firewood and charcoal were hard to come by, so they had to use them sparingly.

Having been in Yu Kingdom for more than half a year, Que Shu was no longer the prince who was once pampered and noble.

"Your Highness..." The palace maid's eyes showed heartache.

"It's alright, Mustard, we'll be late if we don't hurry."

Mustard pursed her lips as she draped an outer robe over Que Shu to cover his badly worn and obviously ill-fitting inner garment, and packed the increasingly thin, reused bamboo slips into the book box.

To demonstrate his magnanimity, Emperor Yu arranged for Que Shu to study at the palace school alongside princes and sons of nobles, just as Jing Chuan had done at the Xuanguo Palace School years before.

Just as they were about to leave, they saw two eunuchs carrying a bamboo basket into the palace courtyard, followed by a sharp, piercing voice.

"May Your Highness be well!"

She said that, but showed no intention of bowing. She casually tossed the bamboo basket on the ground and said in a shrill voice, "Miss Mustard Seed~ Here's a look at Mingse Pavilion's allowance for this month~"

What's the point of having a pile of junk? On the surface, Emperor Yu ordered Que Shu to have the same rations as the princes in the palace, but once you pass through the inner court to Mingse Pavilion, it's a different story. New rice is replaced with old grain, and silk becomes coarse linen.

"What are you saying, Eunuch Lu Xi? This servant trusts you completely!" Jie Zi smiled and subtly slipped something into the eunuch's sleeve.

Lu Xi rolled up his sleeves and smiled with satisfaction, "Then we won't bother you any longer."

After making a symbolic bow, he and another eunuch strode away with their heads held high, as if they were the masters.

"Brother, look, she's even thanking us!"

"While Mustard Seed Girl is pretty, I still prefer Sumeru's fiery spirit~"

"What a pity, such beauty is often short-lived."

"Hey~ Who let a hostage act like a prince?"

Hearing the two talking so casually from not far away, Que Shu's fingernails dug into her palms, and Jie Zi's eyes also reddened as scenes from the past floated into her mind.

When they first arrived in Yu Kingdom, they were indeed treated well, but as the Xuan Kingdom delegation left, the palace servants became increasingly negligent. The pampered young prince had never been treated so badly, and he immediately started making a scene.

At that time, the seventh prince of Yu Kingdom, who was also in the palace school, casually dealt with a few palace servants and comforted him with a few words of chuckles.

Although His Highness was dissatisfied with this half-hearted approach, he was under someone else's roof and couldn't pursue the matter further to save face.

However, the peace lasted only a few days. It was as if a curse had been cast. The materials that were delivered next were of good quality, but unfortunately, they were gnawed by rats overnight. The charcoal was of good quality, but unfortunately, it leaked and became damp.

Then, either the food contained traces of the imperial concubine's beloved dog, or the princess's cat was found climbing the roof beams. Whether intentionally or accidentally, the chasing eunuchs trampled several holes in the roof of his bedchamber, causing the repair work to be delayed again and again.

The aunt in charge of the inner court kindly advised against it.

"It's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings; that's the rule for survival in the palace."

"What rules? His Highness is not a prisoner of war surrendering after a defeat; he has come to uphold diplomatic relations between Xuan and Yu. How dare you lowly people treat him with disrespect!"

Sumi, furious, went to the head eunuch of the inner court to demand an explanation, only to be told that she had accidentally fallen into a well...

Mustard Seed will never forget the pale face of Sumeru's corpse, nor will she forget the prince's cold expression at that time.

People can't teach people, but experience can teach people in one go.

After this experience, the naive fifth prince seemed to have been reborn. He did not make a scene, but calmly accepted the accident.

Trying to appease the situation didn't bring the expected preferential treatment, but it did bring peace.

"Mustard Seed, don't be afraid, I will protect you."

Que Shu's voice brought Jie Zi back to her senses. She responded with a choked sob, unsure whether she was comforting herself or Que Shu.

As he stepped onto the long, secluded palace path, Que Shu couldn't help but look back at the plaque in front of the hall, which he had liked very much when he first arrived.

Mingse means radiant tranquility.

But what he liked was not the metaphor, and indeed the palace failed to live up to the expectations of the inscription.

He was just waiting for someone, waiting for the day his promise would be fulfilled.