The man in white robe entered Prince Han's Mansion, walked along the corridor to the backyard, passed through the backyard, and came to the largest horse farm in Yangzhou City.
On the racecourse, King Han was racing with seven strong men. Two of them were competing with King Han for the top spot. The competition among the three was very fierce.
Finally, when he passed the finish line, Han Wang won the first place with a slight advantage.
Normally, King Han would be in a great mood after winning a horse race and reward several equestrian masters generously, but today, he always had a calm face and did not show any joy.
King Han drove his horse to the man in white robe, glanced at him and said, "Are you Yang Tai, Yang Wulian's son?"
The man in white robe cupped his hands and said, "Greetings to His Highness the King of Han."
King Han did not dismount and said coldly: "It was Yang Wulian who asked you to pass on the news. How about it? Are the drawings presented by Xu Yuanju true or false?"
The man in white robe replied: "It's true."
King Han's expression finally softened a little, he got off his horse and walked straight to Nuan Pavilion, with Yang Tai silently following behind him.
When they arrived at Nuan Pavilion, the two of them sat down separately as guest and host. King Han said solemnly: "Did the King of Yue ask you to come to me?"
Yang Tai replied: "No, as soon as I entered Yangzhou City, I came directly to your residence."
The King of Han was slightly surprised and said, "Is it possible that the King of Yue still doesn't know the news?"
"Yes."
King Han frowned and said: "This plan is led by the King of Yue. Since you have come to Yangzhou, why don't you go to him instead of looking for me first?"
Yang Tai said: "I dare not hide anything from the prince. After I entered Yangzhou, I heard some rumors that were unfavorable to His Highness the King of Yue. I would like to know the situation from the prince first."
King Han snorted coldly: "You are afraid of asking the King of Yue and being blamed by him, so you came to ask this king, right?"
Yang Tai said calmly: "Yes."
King Han stared at him for a while, then suddenly smiled and said: "Yes, I like people who are straightforward like you. If you want to ask anything, just ask."
Yang Tai considered his words and said: "I'm just a little bit surprised. His Highness the King of Yue and you have been running Yangzhou for many years. How could you let rumors that are unfavorable to His Highness the King of Yue spread in the city?"
King Han was stunned, looked at Yang Tai again, and said, "I thought you wanted to ask about Xu Yuanju."
Yang Tai lowered his eyes and said, "I am not interested in the affairs of Yangzhou City."
King Han said: "Then what are you interested in?"
Yang Tai raised his head, looked directly at the King of Yue and said: "I was just thinking that there are rumors unfavorable to the King of Yue in the city. Does it mean that Yangzhou City has escaped the control of you and His Highness the King of Yue?"
King Han said angrily: "What an outrage!"
Yang Tai lowered his head and said: "My words are rude, please forgive me, Your Highness."
King Han took a few deep breaths and said: "I know that you are worried that the situation in Yangzhou will affect your plans for the Taishan Palace, right?"
Yang Tai said nothing and acquiesced.
King Han said in a deep voice: "Go and tell your father that although there is indeed something going on in Yangzhou, it will never affect the plan. Let him tell King Pei to reassure him."
Yang Tai said: "But I heard that Xu Yuanju has fallen into the hands of Wu Chengsi."
King Han's face darkened, he slapped the armrest hard, and said angrily: "The King of Yue messed up this matter, but Xu Yuanju doesn't know anything, so even if it falls into the hands of Wu Chengsi, it doesn't matter!"
Yang Tai nodded and said: "I understand. Then I won't disturb the prince and take my leave."
"Wait a minute, are you going to Prince Yue's Mansion next?" King Han asked.
Yang Tai nodded: "Yes."
"I, the king, will go with you."
Ever since the King of Yue was teased by Wu Chengsi in Wumingguan, he never went out and stayed in the mansion all day long, either practicing calligraphy or playing chess.
Originally, Li Wen and Li Yuhui were worried that he would be stimulated.
However, as they observed, they slowly discovered that their father seemed to have returned to normal and was not greatly affected by the incident.
Therefore, when King Han came to the backyard of Prince Yue's Mansion and found Li Zhen wearing a blue shirt and fishing in the back lake, he was immediately furious.
"You actually still want to fish?"
The King of Yue said calmly: "I have done everything I should and can do now. What else can I do besides waiting patiently?"
King Han sneered and said, "That's not right. You did what you shouldn't have done."
Li Wen's eyebrows suddenly became more angry, and he said: "Uncle Wang, my father doesn't want that to happen. Isn't it too much to say that?"
The King of Han snorted and was about to retort when Yang Tai suddenly said: "His Royal Highness, King of Han, you came here with me not to quarrel with His Highness the King of Yue, right?"
When the King of Yue heard this voice, he turned around, stood up with a smile and said, "It turns out he is Yang Dajian's son. You came to see me. Is there any progress at the Taishan Palace?"
Yang Tai nodded secretly and thought to himself: "No wonder my father admires this person so much. He is indeed different from King Han." He cupped his hands and said: "The arrangements at my father's side have been completed, and we are just waiting for the stone tablet."
The King of Yue stood up and said, "Let's go to my study to talk."
Several people came to the study, and the King of Yue and King Han sat down. Li Wen stood beside the King of Yue, and Yang Tai stood in front of the desk, waiting for questioning.
"Nephew Yang Shi, you said that the layout has been completed. In other words, there is nothing wrong with the drawings submitted by Xu Yuanju, right?" King Yue leaned on the back of his chair and asked.
"Yes, there is nothing wrong with his drawing."
King Han interjected: "Where is Zhang Qiming? Didn't he clamor to see his son again?"
Yang Tai said: "My father has convinced Uncle Zhang, and there should be no more problems on his side."
The King of Yue nodded and said: "It seems that the plan is generally going smoothly."
King Han sneered and said: "This is just good luck. Nephew, can you use your brain before doing anything in the future? We have been fooled by Wu Chengsi a few times? Can't you teach us a lesson?"
Li Wen retorted: "Uncle Wang, Wu Chengsi is too cunning. If this matter were left to you, I think you would still be deceived by him!"
King Han said angrily: "Oh, you did something wrong, but you are still justified?"
The King of Yue said calmly: "Uncle Wang, you don't have to be angry. It's true that I didn't handle this matter well."
"Is it enough to just say that we haven't settled it yet? Do you know what the people in Yangzhou City say about us now, and what do the aristocratic families think of us?" King Han said loudly.
The King of Yue was silent for a while and said slowly: "It is impossible for everything to go as planned in this world. Wu Chengsi is more thoughtful than me. I have nothing to say if I lose."
"What do you mean having nothing to say? As a descendant of the Li family, how can you say such useless words!" King Han scolded.
For many years, he had been suppressed by this nephew, and he just took this opportunity to correct the relationship between the two parties.
The King of Yue said calmly: "In the past few days, I have been thinking about a question. Why did Wu Chengsi always want to be ahead of us after coming to Yangzhou and control Yangzhou in a short time?"
King Han snorted: "That's because you always want to show weakness!"
The King of Yue shook his head and said: "No, the reason why we lost consecutively is because we have always underestimated him before, either because of his age or because we thought he was just a foolhardy man."
"Wu Chengsi never underestimated us. At first, he sent 5,000 Niu Guards to accompany us, and later he sent 10,000 Zuo Wu troops. Moreover, when he first arrived, he didn't even enter Yangzhou City, and his actions were flawless."
King Han was stunned. Although he wanted to refute, he felt that what the other party said was indeed reasonable.
Thinking of this, his momentum suddenly weakened again and asked: "Then what should we do next?"
The King of Yue said slowly: "Of course we will act according to the plan. The dragon boat can enter the palace tomorrow."
King Han frowned and said, "I'm still a little worried. Do you think Wu Chengsi already knows about our plan?"
The King of Yue shook his head and said, "I don't know."
"You don't know?" King Han stared.
The King of Yue said in a deep voice: "Yes, although from the surface, Wu Chengsi should not know about it yet, I really don't dare to underestimate him. It cannot be ruled out that he already knows the plan."
"Then we still need to continue executing the plan?"
"I have said it before, everything in this world cannot go smoothly, and it is impossible for everything to go according to your ideas. Although there are risks, this plan is worth taking such risks!" King Yue's eyes were as bright as burning fire.
Yang Tai, who had been listening quietly before, suddenly said: "We only need to send people to keep an eye on Wu Chengsi. If he knows the plan, he will definitely go to the Taishan Palace."
Li Wen snorted: "With your suggestion, my father has been sending people to keep an eye on Wu Chengsi these days. Even all the waterways and land routes from Yangzhou to Yanzhou have been sent to keep an eye on him."
"What's the result?" Yang Tai asked.
"Wu Chengsi didn't make any changes, and he didn't send anyone to the palace in Taishan, Yanzhou." Li Wen replied.
Yang Tai nodded and said: "That means Wu Chengsi doesn't know the plan yet."
King Yue said: "You are wrong."
Yang Tai was stunned for a moment, then raised his hands and said, "I wonder where I went wrong?"
"There is another possibility that Wu Chengsi already knew the plan, but he knew that the king was watching him, so he pretended not to know."
Yang Tai's face changed slightly and he said, "Probably not."
The King of Yue glanced at him and said calmly: "Nephew Yang, go and tell your father that everything is going according to plan. I will do my best to make the plan complete smoothly."
Yang Tai frowned and said: "His Royal Highness the King of Yue, if it is as you just said, Wu Chengsi may already know the plan, and we must think of some countermeasures."
The King of Yue said coldly: "Oh? Do you have any good ideas?"
"We can find a way to deal with Wu Chengsi." Yang Tai suggested.
The King of Yue suddenly laughed, and the laughter became louder and louder.
Yang Tai raised his eyebrows and said, "Your Highness, is anything funny about what I said?"
The King of Yue instantly put away his smile and said coldly: "We were always thinking about dealing with Wu Chengsi, so we were tricked by him many times. Not only did we not get rid of him, but we let him know more and more."
"So we won't do anything?" Yang Tai said lightly. Although he looked humble, his sharp nature would be revealed inadvertently.
The King of Yue's eyes became even colder: "Don't you understand yet? Wu Chengsi has been guarding us. Not only will it be difficult to succeed against him, it will also bring him closer and closer to his plan."
Yang Tai and the King of Yue looked at each other for a long time. After a long while, he sighed and said, "I understand, everything here is up to you."
After speaking, he bowed and gave a big salute.
…
At 6 o'clock the next day, on the water surface of Hangou, several huge dragon boats sailed towards the north.
These ships will first go to Luoyang, listen to the call from the palace, and carry a full load of sacrifices before heading to the Taishan Palace.
On the bank of Hangou, there was an inconspicuous carriage parked. Inside the carriage, Wu Chengsi opened the corner of the curtain and looked at the dragon boats, silently.
In addition to him, Xu Yuanju and Zhuge Sanyuan were also sitting in the carriage. Xu Yuanju asked: "Grand Governor, why did you come here to see these dragon boats?"
Wu Chengsi let go of the car curtain and asked, "Xu Changshi, I heard that you have a very good relationship with the head of the Luo family?"
Xu Yuanju nodded and said: "Yes, in fact, in addition to the Luo family, the lower officials also like the Jia family very much."
"Why?"
Xu Yuanju smiled and said: "Over the years, Yangzhou's maritime trade has developed vigorously, which has brought many benefits to Yangzhou City. However, if we want to develop further, there is a problem that needs to be solved."
"What problem?"
"Boat!"
Wu Chengsi's eyes flashed slightly, and he understood what the other party meant.
Xu Yuanju continued: "Sea trade requires a large number of ships. Although the demand has increased, ship dealers have also increased, but the speed is still slower."
"To this day, there are not many ship merchants in Yangzhou City. There are only three largest ship merchants, namely the Luo family, the Jia family and the Chen family."
Wu Chengsi asked doubtfully: "I remember you just said that there are only two companies you are interested in?"
Xu Yuanju said solemnly: "Yes, although there are three big ships, the lower officials only like the Luo family and the Jia family. This is because the Chen family does not delve into shipbuilding technology and always wants to bribe officials and collude with those corrupt officials."
Wu Chengsi pondered: "So you support the Luo family and the Jia family to encourage more businessmen to become ship merchants?"
Xu Yuanju nodded and admitted.
Wu Chengsi nodded secretly. This Xu Changshi was indeed quick-minded and far-sighted.
No wonder he came to Yangzhou for a few years, and the business in Yangzhou developed rapidly. Even the king of Yue wanted to win over him.
"Xu Changshi, is Yangzhou's shipbuilding industry the most prosperous in the entire Jiangnan?"
Xu Yuanju said: "Currently, Fuzhou is better in shipbuilding, but Yangzhou's trend is better. In a few years, it should be able to surpass Fuzhou."
"Then, is there any other place where dragon boats like the Luo family can be built?"
Xu Yuanju was stunned and said: "I guess not. I often hear Luo Tong say that their dragon boat is the best in the world, especially in terms of weight capacity. Others are far behind them."
Wu Chengsi nodded, closed his eyes and thought.
The two people in the carriage were very calm, and no one made a sound to disturb him.
After an unknown amount of time, Wu Chengsi opened his eyes and asked, "Xu Changshi, are there any officials under your command who are at odds with the Luo family?"
Xu Yuanju was secretly shocked, thought for a while, and said: "Xu Hucao had some conflicts with Luo Tong. A year ago, Xu Hucao proposed marriage to the Luo family on behalf of his son, but Luo Tong refused. Since then, the two families have become enemies.
.”
Wu Chengsi asked again: "How is Xu Hucao usually doing? Would he do anything to bully others?"
Xu Yuanju hurriedly said: "Grand Governor, Xu Hucao has always been cautious and cautious, and has never done anything for personal gain."
"Then if he can't do it, is there anyone else?"
Xu Yuanju was stunned, having no idea what Wu Chengsi wanted to do.
Wu Chengsi smiled and said: "You don't have to think too much, I just want to find a suitable person to do something for me."
Xu Yuanju thought for a long time and said with a wry smile: "Your Highness, among my officials, there are still a few people who are at odds with the Luo family, but they are all similar to Xu Hucao. They are usually cautious in their words and deeds. I am afraid they will not meet your requirements.
.”
Wu Chengsi suddenly frowned.
At this moment, Zhuge Sanyuan suddenly said: "Your Highness, are the people from the Navy Commander's Mansion okay?"
Wu Chengsi's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "Yes, people from the Navy Commander's Office can also do it. Are there any such people?"
Xu Yuanju turned his head and said, "Your Highness, it would be more appropriate for you to ask Deputy Captain Qi about this question."
…
In the Navy Commander's Mansion, Qi Ming and Song Zhi both raised their hands and respectfully sent Wu Chengsi off.
Like Qi Ming, Song Zhi's official position was deputy captain.
However, he was originally a deputy captain, unlike Qi Ming, who was just promoted to deputy captain.
"Brother Qi, why are you suing me in front of the governor?" Song Zhi said with a bitter smile.
If it weren't for the fact that Qi Ming was now the hottest celebrity around Wu Chengsi, he wouldn't have smiled bitterly, but cursed angrily.
Qi Ming still looked as cold as ice and said coldly: "It's not that I'm gossiping about you behind your back, but the governor asked if there is anyone in our governor's mansion who is at odds with the Luo family."
Song Zhi scratched his head and said: "In that case, the Luo family must have offended the Governor. How stupid can the Luo family be to offend the Governor at this time? Isn't that asking for death?"
"How do you know that the Luo family has offended the Grand Governor?" Qi Ming glanced at him sideways.
"Isn't this of course? Otherwise, why would the Grand Governor ask me to arrest Luo Tong?"
Qi Ming shook his head and said: "Things are not that simple."
"Oh? Then what do you think is going on?"
"I have no idea."
Song Zhi smiled and said: "Okay, no matter what the reason is, since the Governor has an order, we can just act according to the order."
Prince Han's Mansion.
In the evening, in the warm palace of Prince Han's Mansion, on the expensive carpet from the Western Regions, snow-white feet with silver rings made tinkling sounds like butterflies piercing flowers.
Looking up, I saw a group of dancing girls with red and green hair and hairpins trailing the moon, singing and dancing.
King Han sat up high, leaning against the soft breasts of a young woman. The woman's two slender hands were squeezing his shoulders.
On one left and one on the right, there were two other young women clustering around King Han. One of them held a golden dragon wine cup in her white hands and fed him wine.
Another man peeled the grapes, and after peeling them, he used his green fingers to put them into King Han's mouth.
When Yang Xuan entered the main hall, he felt that the hall was filled with all kinds of fragrances. His nose was already sharper than ordinary people, so he couldn't help but wrinkled his nose and walked to the side of King Yue.
The King of Yue glanced up at him and said with a smile: "Deputy Commander Yang, has the matter been settled?"
Yang Xuan said dullly: "No."
The King of Yue smiled and said: "I knew you would take action..."
Suddenly, the King of Yue suddenly raised his head and said, "What did you just say?"
"The mission failed." Yang Xuan said calmly.
King Yue's face instantly turned red, and then turned green again. He said angrily: "If you can't handle such a small thing, what else can I expect from you?"
Yang Xuan said nothing and looked at the dancers.
The King of Yue pushed away the dancing girl next to him angrily and said angrily: "Get out of here!"
After all the girls had retired, Yang Xuan said: "Your Highness, the people I sent to check out the Luo family found that Luo Tong had been taken away by people from the Navy Commander's Mansion."
King Han raised his eyebrows and said, "Navy Commander's Mansion? Why did they take Luo Tong away?"
Yang Xuan said: "According to inquiries from my subordinates, they put Luo Tong in the prison of the Governor's Mansion. The reason for arresting him was that Luo Tong colluded with pirates."
King Han was stunned for a while and said: "Did the Luo family really collude with pirates?"
Yang Xuan said: "No, according to the information I got, it was a general named Song Gang from the Governor's Mansion who avenged his personal revenge, and that's why he was captured."
"Song Gang has a grudge against Luo Tong?"
"The two do have some old grudges."
King Han nodded and snorted: "Anyway, only Luo Tong was taken away. Can't you just go and silence the rest of the Luo family?"
Yang Xuan was silent for a while and said: "Your Highness, if Luo Tong knew that his family members had been killed, he would definitely expose our affairs."
King Han slapped the table and said angrily: "I've been really unlucky recently, everything I do is not going well. So what do you think we should do? Just leave the Luo family alone?"
Yang Xuan said: "With Miss Luo family in hand, Luo Tong should not open his mouth. Now that Wu Chengsi is in charge of Yangzhou, if the entire Luo family is wiped out, it is likely that he will investigate."
King Han said angrily: "It doesn't matter if he is in charge, I just want to use this matter to kill his prestige!"
Yang Xuan said: "Your Highness, if Luo Tong opens his mouth, Wu Chengsi is likely to discover the plan. We might as well be patient for the time being, and when the plan succeeds, Wu Chengsi will let you manipulate him."
King Han's face was constantly changing.
Suddenly, he stood up suddenly, kicked the table down, and gasped: "Wu Chengsi, after your Wu family collapses, I will make you regret coming to this world!"