One Hundred Ways to Leverage Threats for Advantage
The medicinal scent was thick in the sleeping chamber.
Lu Min reclined against the soft pillow, half-closing his eyes as he drank the medicine.
When he placed the bowl down, his hand was somewhat unsteady, and the bowl nearly knocked against the lacquered tray. The palace servant, Yu Lan, quickly extended her hand and accurately placed the bowl on the carved tray, then respectfully retreated.
Although Gong Jun was bowing his head, he did not miss this small mishap. His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but question the Crown Prince’s physical condition.
“Gong Tongzhi is indeed talented. In just a few days, he has uncovered so much.”
The Crown Prince flipped through the memorial in his hand, speaking slowly and deliberately.
“It is all thanks to Your Highness’s support that I could investigate unhindered, utilizing the power of both the Capital Prefecture Yamen and the Northern Zhenfu Division, to serve Your Highness.” Gong Jun was not only good at wielding official authority but also adept at uttering these humble words typical of officialdom.
The Crown Prince scrutinized Gong Jun for a while, then slowly said, “Is that so? Why do I feel like something is missing?”
Gong Jun’s body stiffened.
He had not mentioned anything about Meng Qi.
Gong Jun was unsure of the Crown Prince’s opinion on the former dynasty’s national advisor. According to the information he gathered, the Second Prince’s rebellion and conspiracy involved the handiwork of the Ancestor Qingwu, and Meng Qi was responsible for severely wounding the Second Prince and facilitating his escape. According to a piece of Chu Dynasty’s court regulation gold, it was possible to trace General Liu Dan, who quelled the rebels. Gong Jun had someone wander around the market for a few rounds and indeed saw Meng Qi and Mo Li, who seemed unconcerned as they browsed through stores, visiting different taverns and tea houses every day.
When the busy Gong Jun saw the report, he was so annoyed that he ate an extra bowl of rice.
“Your Highness is wise. The capital is filled with a mix of good and bad, and many rumors are true and false. Due to limited manpower, I have focused on investigating those with malicious intentions.”
Gong Jun respectfully bowed his head, quickly considering what the Crown Prince might know, yet his expression remained composed as he reported, “Before the capital was placed under martial law, many bandits from jianghu had infiltrated the city. These people have complex identities, and the Capital Prefecture Yamen’s prison is already full. For those without a warrant for their arrest but still suspicious, I took the liberty of ordering strict surveillance instead of direct apprehension. The information reported to Your Highness is all verified and accurate, daring not to make up numbers with street rumors.”
What nonsense about immortals crossing the Qing River…!
Recently, two unfamiliar handsome men appeared in the eastern market, just idle rumors!
Gong Jun cleared himself of any wrongdoing. The Crown Prince’s lips curled into a smile, and his gaze on the Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei became meaningful.
“Oh? How come I heard that someone mentioned the former dynasty’s national advisor?”
“Your Highness is discerning. Indeed, there are such rumors, but considering Master Meng of the Chu Dynasty is now over eighty years old, and the city has only about twenty elderly people of such age, all being ordinary citizens of the capital. Therefore, I believe these are baseless rumors, and Your Highness should not believe them!”
Gong Jun spoke righteously, causing the Crown Prince to feel both amused and annoyed.
Annoyed at Gong Jun for blatantly lying, but amused because this court official really was a talent!
When the Crown Prince was building his own power base, he specifically targeted higher-ranking officials in the Jinyiwei and the Imperial Guard who were greedy and lecherous, controlling them by exploiting their weaknesses and ambitions.
However, Gong Jun was impervious to such tactics, ignoring the Crown Prince’s hints and refusing to easily take sides, as if determined to follow the path of a solitary official. Unlike Liu Dan, Gong Jun seemed indifferent to gaining royal favor, living as if he was a seventy-year-old Prime Minister in the Wenyuan Pavilion, only concerned about maintaining his official position, protecting his students and friends, and waiting to retire with honors.
The Crown Prince had Gong Jun investigate Prime Minister Zhang, but faced opposition from his subordinates.
In their eyes, Gong Jun was an intractable stone, stubborn and possibly insincere in his duties.
However, what they didn’t know was that the Crown Prince had a certain understanding of Gong Jun.
“Gong Tongzhi, your thorough investigation into the movements of the Imperial Guard, unraveling Prime Minister Zhang’s claws and the evidence of their murders to silence the Ministry of Revenue’s clerk, pleases me greatly. If you are willing to serve me with unwavering loyalty, I will reward you with a thousand taels of silver and a five-entry mansion in the capital, along with twenty servants, allowing you to live in the capital for the rest of your life.”
The Crown Prince paused, then added, “These twenty servants come from the imperial menagerie outside the palace. The late emperor had no interest in hunting or keeping fierce beasts, so the palace had many birds with melodious voices and docile cubs. They are well cared for, fed, walked, bathed, and even assisted in birthing their offspring, skilled in all aspects. I’ve heard that Gong Tongzhi’s household has eight civet cats causing chaos due to poor care, leading to frequent breakage of items, unlike my Ah Hu, who at most just refuses to come down from the roof.”
Saying this, he had a servant bring Ah Hu over.
The civet cat broke free from the servant upon entering the hall, climbed onto the soft couch, and nuzzled its head under the Crown Prince’s hand willingly.
Gong Jun: “…”
The Deputy Commander’s eyes turned red.
All were civet cats, yet the eight in his house were indifferent to him.
Unless he had food in his hands, was covered with a blanket in winter, or was near an ice basin in summer, these civet cats never approached him on their own.
“Your Highness’s concern is deeply appreciated,” Gong Jun secretly gritted his teeth against the temptation, adhering to the principles of the martial world. The national advisor and the physician had saved his and his subordinates’ lives. He could not repay kindness with enmity and betray them in an instant!
With a respectful tone, Gong Jun said, “How could I not do my utmost upon Your Highness’s command? The silver, mansion, and… servants, I truly do not deserve. Your Highness’s ascension to the throne is imminent; we of the Jinyiwei are originally bound to serve our king unto death.”
He internally criticized, with Lu Zhang dead, he wanted to live a stable life as the Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei, aiming to earn money to support his family. What other choice did he have? Surely not to side with Prime Minister Zhang?
Prime Minister Zhang deceived his superiors but lacked the courage to conspire for the throne.
Even if Prime Minister Zhang offered him a thousand taels of silver, Gong Jun would not be interested.
“It’s good that Gong Tongzhi understands.”
The Crown Prince didn’t press Gong Jun to deliver news related to Meng Qi.
There are thousands of ways to truly win someone’s loyal service.
At that moment, Steward Chen reported softly at the door, “Your Highness, General Liu has arrived.”
There were several generals with the surname Liu in the court, but recently, the Crown Prince had summoned Liu Dan numerous times.
Gong Jun, with his head bowed, watched the doorway from the corner of his eye and saw the person entering in armor was indeed General Liu Dan, the rebel-quelling general. Gong Jun was also curious about what was special about this General Liu, not only did Meng Qi stay at his house, but the Sixth Prince had also hidden there after escaping from the palace.
Thinking of the Crown Prince’s recent dissatisfaction with him, Gong Jun’s heart skipped a beat, suspecting that Liu Dan had informed the Crown Prince about Meng Qi.
As Liu Dan entered and saw the Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei inside, he thought nothing of it, unaware that Gong Jun had already labeled him a snitch. Following the protocol for an audience with the Crown Prince, he heard Gong Jun say in a deep voice:
“Your Highness still has affairs to attend to, this subordinate shall take his leave.”
“Wait… cough!”
The Crown Prince spoke up to stop him, enduring a faint pain in his chest, and said with a frown, “Gong Tongzhi, you have discovered that a unit of the Imperial Guard was dispatched to surround General Liu’s mansion several days ago. General Liu has also clarified the perilous situation he was in that day. He doesn’t understand why Prime Minister Zhang was so eager to kill him to silence him. Since Gong Tongzhi is keen on investigating and good at finding clues, let General Liu recount the incident in full and please help him solve the mystery.”
The two men exchanged glances.
When Lu Zhang was alive, Gong Jun had been ordered to investigate the Ministry of Revenue, mainly concerning the military provisions for the northern frontier.
General Liu had been combating bandits in Pingzhou, where the supplied grains were inferior, and there were shortages. The suspicion pointed to a Prime Minister in the court, Prime Minister Zhang, but aside from a letter, there was no evidence.
“… General, while in Pingzhou, did you encounter any other significant items?” Gong Jun methodically asked.
If the investigation had reached a dead end, it meant the initial approach was mistaken, and it was time to try a different path. Gong Jun suspected the reason Prime Minister Zhang was eager to eliminate Liu Dan was not because of the letter, nor the northern frontier’s military provisions.
“This—”
Liu Dan hesitated, looking towards the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince nodded, and Liu Dan, relieved, intentionally vague about his encounter with Meng Qi and Mo Li, recounted the investigation into the Si family’s illegal gold mining and collusion with the Qingzhou county officials.
“Never expected the Si family to be plotting a rebellion! The young master of the Si family is rumored to be a disciple of Ancestor Qingwu.”
The Crown Prince was familiar with the name of Ancestor Qingwu, the martial artist who tried to use the Second Prince.
Gong Jun, hearing the name Ancestor Qingwu, began to frown.
“Wait, General, did you say… you found a ledger?”
“Indeed, I briefly examined it, and it is a ledger of bribes for the Si family’s external business dealings, buying off officials for extra care.”
Gong Jun, whose mind was filled with the career paths and factional positions of officials of Qi Dynasty above the seventh rank, immediately said, “Pingzhou’s Prefect Wu Zhang is a student of Prime Minister Zhang, a Jinshi of the Yuanxiang ninth year, with Prime Minister Zhang being the chief examiner at that time.”
Mentor-student relationships, classmates… scholars greatly value these connections.
“Prefect Wu accepted the Si family’s tribute, then turned around to honor Prime Minister Zhang. Now that the affair has come to light, the crime is far more serious than the matter of the military provisions for the northern frontier.” Gong Jun decisively concluded that the issue lay here and quickly asked, “Where is the ledger now?”
“It was destroyed during the earthquake,” Liu Dan said regretfully.
“…”
“Your Highness, please forgive me, it really was… the entire Qingzhou county was burned to the ground, I barely escaped with my life and couldn’t attend to anything else.” Liu Dan apologized, “All that remains in my memory are but a few scant records.”
The Crown Prince sighed.
The sound of his coughing grew louder, and the servants hurried to support him and fetch his medicine.
Liu Dan and Gong Jun, not having been dismissed, could only watch the servants bustling around the Crown Prince.
“Meow!”
Suddenly, Ah Hu started furiously yelling at the ceiling beam.
Gong Jun was startled and looked up, just as Steward Chen hurriedly ran in to report.
“Your Highness, the divine physician has arrived.”
Gong Jun was surprised; shouldn’t it be an imperial physician? How come there was mention of a divine physician? Before he left, he had heard that the Crown Prince was gravely ill, unable to even get out of bed, and now the Crown Prince was about to dethrone the emperor and ascend to the throne himself—could it all be the work of this divine physician?
With this thought, Gong Jun decided he must stay and see who this divine physician was.
When steward Chen brought the person in, Gong Jun and Liu Dan simultaneously felt a sense of déjà vu. Rubbing their eyes, they were instantly stupefied.
Doctor Mo?
The Crown Prince had even roped in Doctor Mo?
Gong Jun was filled with regret. Had he known earlier, why bother hiding any rumors or insisting on principles?!
Selling all the information about Meng Qi could exchange for a lot of money, many people, and a big house in the capital!
Author’s Note:
Mo Li: How many cats do you have at home?
One is manageable, but eight? I refuse to make house calls.
One Hundred Ways to Leverage Threats for Advantage
The medicinal scent was thick in the sleeping chamber.
Lu Min reclined against the soft pillow, half-closing his eyes as he drank the medicine.
When he placed the bowl down, his hand was somewhat unsteady, and the bowl nearly knocked against the lacquered tray. The palace servant, Yu Lan, quickly extended her hand and accurately placed the bowl on the carved tray, then respectfully retreated.
Although Gong Jun was bowing his head, he did not miss this small mishap. His heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but question the Crown Prince’s physical condition.
“Gong Tongzhi is indeed talented. In just a few days, he has uncovered so much.”
The Crown Prince flipped through the memorial in his hand, speaking slowly and deliberately.
“It is all thanks to Your Highness’s support that I could investigate unhindered, utilizing the power of both the Capital Prefecture Yamen and the Northern Zhenfu Division, to serve Your Highness.” Gong Jun was not only good at wielding official authority but also adept at uttering these humble words typical of officialdom.
The Crown Prince scrutinized Gong Jun for a while, then slowly said, “Is that so? Why do I feel like something is missing?”
Gong Jun’s body stiffened.
He had not mentioned anything about Meng Qi.
Gong Jun was unsure of the Crown Prince’s opinion on the former dynasty’s national advisor. According to the information he gathered, the Second Prince’s rebellion and conspiracy involved the handiwork of the Ancestor Qingwu, and Meng Qi was responsible for severely wounding the Second Prince and facilitating his escape. According to a piece of Chu Dynasty’s court regulation gold, it was possible to trace General Liu Dan, who quelled the rebels. Gong Jun had someone wander around the market for a few rounds and indeed saw Meng Qi and Mo Li, who seemed unconcerned as they browsed through stores, visiting different taverns and tea houses every day.
When the busy Gong Jun saw the report, he was so annoyed that he ate an extra bowl of rice.
“Your Highness is wise. The capital is filled with a mix of good and bad, and many rumors are true and false. Due to limited manpower, I have focused on investigating those with malicious intentions.”
Gong Jun respectfully bowed his head, quickly considering what the Crown Prince might know, yet his expression remained composed as he reported, “Before the capital was placed under martial law, many bandits from jianghu had infiltrated the city. These people have complex identities, and the Capital Prefecture Yamen’s prison is already full. For those without a warrant for their arrest but still suspicious, I took the liberty of ordering strict surveillance instead of direct apprehension. The information reported to Your Highness is all verified and accurate, daring not to make up numbers with street rumors.”
What nonsense about immortals crossing the Qing River…!
Recently, two unfamiliar handsome men appeared in the eastern market, just idle rumors!
Gong Jun cleared himself of any wrongdoing. The Crown Prince’s lips curled into a smile, and his gaze on the Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei became meaningful.
“Oh? How come I heard that someone mentioned the former dynasty’s national advisor?”
“Your Highness is discerning. Indeed, there are such rumors, but considering Master Meng of the Chu Dynasty is now over eighty years old, and the city has only about twenty elderly people of such age, all being ordinary citizens of the capital. Therefore, I believe these are baseless rumors, and Your Highness should not believe them!”
Gong Jun spoke righteously, causing the Crown Prince to feel both amused and annoyed.
Annoyed at Gong Jun for blatantly lying, but amused because this court official really was a talent!
When the Crown Prince was building his own power base, he specifically targeted higher-ranking officials in the Jinyiwei and the Imperial Guard who were greedy and lecherous, controlling them by exploiting their weaknesses and ambitions.
However, Gong Jun was impervious to such tactics, ignoring the Crown Prince’s hints and refusing to easily take sides, as if determined to follow the path of a solitary official. Unlike Liu Dan, Gong Jun seemed indifferent to gaining royal favor, living as if he was a seventy-year-old Prime Minister in the Wenyuan Pavilion, only concerned about maintaining his official position, protecting his students and friends, and waiting to retire with honors.
The Crown Prince had Gong Jun investigate Prime Minister Zhang, but faced opposition from his subordinates.
In their eyes, Gong Jun was an intractable stone, stubborn and possibly insincere in his duties.
However, what they didn’t know was that the Crown Prince had a certain understanding of Gong Jun.
“Gong Tongzhi, your thorough investigation into the movements of the Imperial Guard, unraveling Prime Minister Zhang’s claws and the evidence of their murders to silence the Ministry of Revenue’s clerk, pleases me greatly. If you are willing to serve me with unwavering loyalty, I will reward you with a thousand taels of silver and a five-entry mansion in the capital, along with twenty servants, allowing you to live in the capital for the rest of your life.”
The Crown Prince paused, then added, “These twenty servants come from the imperial menagerie outside the palace. The late emperor had no interest in hunting or keeping fierce beasts, so the palace had many birds with melodious voices and docile cubs. They are well cared for, fed, walked, bathed, and even assisted in birthing their offspring, skilled in all aspects. I’ve heard that Gong Tongzhi’s household has eight civet cats causing chaos due to poor care, leading to frequent breakage of items, unlike my Ah Hu, who at most just refuses to come down from the roof.”
Saying this, he had a servant bring Ah Hu over.
The civet cat broke free from the servant upon entering the hall, climbed onto the soft couch, and nuzzled its head under the Crown Prince’s hand willingly.
Gong Jun: “…”
The Deputy Commander’s eyes turned red.
All were civet cats, yet the eight in his house were indifferent to him.
Unless he had food in his hands, was covered with a blanket in winter, or was near an ice basin in summer, these civet cats never approached him on their own.
“Your Highness’s concern is deeply appreciated,” Gong Jun secretly gritted his teeth against the temptation, adhering to the principles of the martial world. The national advisor and the physician had saved his and his subordinates’ lives. He could not repay kindness with enmity and betray them in an instant!
With a respectful tone, Gong Jun said, “How could I not do my utmost upon Your Highness’s command? The silver, mansion, and… servants, I truly do not deserve. Your Highness’s ascension to the throne is imminent; we of the Jinyiwei are originally bound to serve our king unto death.”
He internally criticized, with Lu Zhang dead, he wanted to live a stable life as the Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei, aiming to earn money to support his family. What other choice did he have? Surely not to side with Prime Minister Zhang?
Prime Minister Zhang deceived his superiors but lacked the courage to conspire for the throne.
Even if Prime Minister Zhang offered him a thousand taels of silver, Gong Jun would not be interested.
“It’s good that Gong Tongzhi understands.”
The Crown Prince didn’t press Gong Jun to deliver news related to Meng Qi.
There are thousands of ways to truly win someone’s loyal service.
At that moment, Steward Chen reported softly at the door, “Your Highness, General Liu has arrived.”
There were several generals with the surname Liu in the court, but recently, the Crown Prince had summoned Liu Dan numerous times.
Gong Jun, with his head bowed, watched the doorway from the corner of his eye and saw the person entering in armor was indeed General Liu Dan, the rebel-quelling general. Gong Jun was also curious about what was special about this General Liu, not only did Meng Qi stay at his house, but the Sixth Prince had also hidden there after escaping from the palace.
Thinking of the Crown Prince’s recent dissatisfaction with him, Gong Jun’s heart skipped a beat, suspecting that Liu Dan had informed the Crown Prince about Meng Qi.
As Liu Dan entered and saw the Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei inside, he thought nothing of it, unaware that Gong Jun had already labeled him a snitch. Following the protocol for an audience with the Crown Prince, he heard Gong Jun say in a deep voice:
“Your Highness still has affairs to attend to, this subordinate shall take his leave.”
“Wait… cough!”
The Crown Prince spoke up to stop him, enduring a faint pain in his chest, and said with a frown, “Gong Tongzhi, you have discovered that a unit of the Imperial Guard was dispatched to surround General Liu’s mansion several days ago. General Liu has also clarified the perilous situation he was in that day. He doesn’t understand why Prime Minister Zhang was so eager to kill him to silence him. Since Gong Tongzhi is keen on investigating and good at finding clues, let General Liu recount the incident in full and please help him solve the mystery.”
The two men exchanged glances.
When Lu Zhang was alive, Gong Jun had been ordered to investigate the Ministry of Revenue, mainly concerning the military provisions for the northern frontier.
General Liu had been combating bandits in Pingzhou, where the supplied grains were inferior, and there were shortages. The suspicion pointed to a Prime Minister in the court, Prime Minister Zhang, but aside from a letter, there was no evidence.
“… General, while in Pingzhou, did you encounter any other significant items?” Gong Jun methodically asked.
If the investigation had reached a dead end, it meant the initial approach was mistaken, and it was time to try a different path. Gong Jun suspected the reason Prime Minister Zhang was eager to eliminate Liu Dan was not because of the letter, nor the northern frontier’s military provisions.
“This—”
Liu Dan hesitated, looking towards the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince nodded, and Liu Dan, relieved, intentionally vague about his encounter with Meng Qi and Mo Li, recounted the investigation into the Si family’s illegal gold mining and collusion with the Qingzhou county officials.
“Never expected the Si family to be plotting a rebellion! The young master of the Si family is rumored to be a disciple of Ancestor Qingwu.”
The Crown Prince was familiar with the name of Ancestor Qingwu, the martial artist who tried to use the Second Prince.
Gong Jun, hearing the name Ancestor Qingwu, began to frown.
“Wait, General, did you say… you found a ledger?”
“Indeed, I briefly examined it, and it is a ledger of bribes for the Si family’s external business dealings, buying off officials for extra care.”
Gong Jun, whose mind was filled with the career paths and factional positions of officials of Qi Dynasty above the seventh rank, immediately said, “Pingzhou’s Prefect Wu Zhang is a student of Prime Minister Zhang, a Jinshi of the Yuanxiang ninth year, with Prime Minister Zhang being the chief examiner at that time.”
Mentor-student relationships, classmates… scholars greatly value these connections.
“Prefect Wu accepted the Si family’s tribute, then turned around to honor Prime Minister Zhang. Now that the affair has come to light, the crime is far more serious than the matter of the military provisions for the northern frontier.” Gong Jun decisively concluded that the issue lay here and quickly asked, “Where is the ledger now?”
“It was destroyed during the earthquake,” Liu Dan said regretfully.
“…”
“Your Highness, please forgive me, it really was… the entire Qingzhou county was burned to the ground, I barely escaped with my life and couldn’t attend to anything else.” Liu Dan apologized, “All that remains in my memory are but a few scant records.”
The Crown Prince sighed.
The sound of his coughing grew louder, and the servants hurried to support him and fetch his medicine.
Liu Dan and Gong Jun, not having been dismissed, could only watch the servants bustling around the Crown Prince.
“Meow!”
Suddenly, Ah Hu started furiously yelling at the ceiling beam.
Gong Jun was startled and looked up, just as Steward Chen hurriedly ran in to report.
“Your Highness, the divine physician has arrived.”
Gong Jun was surprised; shouldn’t it be an imperial physician? How come there was mention of a divine physician? Before he left, he had heard that the Crown Prince was gravely ill, unable to even get out of bed, and now the Crown Prince was about to dethrone the emperor and ascend to the throne himself—could it all be the work of this divine physician?
With this thought, Gong Jun decided he must stay and see who this divine physician was.
When steward Chen brought the person in, Gong Jun and Liu Dan simultaneously felt a sense of déjà vu. Rubbing their eyes, they were instantly stupefied.
Doctor Mo?
The Crown Prince had even roped in Doctor Mo?
Gong Jun was filled with regret. Had he known earlier, why bother hiding any rumors or insisting on principles?!
Selling all the information about Meng Qi could exchange for a lot of money, many people, and a big house in the capital!
Author’s Note:
Mo Li: How many cats do you have at home?
One is manageable, but eight? I refuse to make house calls.
