The Great Bandit of Journey to the West

Chapter 24 The Imperial Brother of the Great Sui Dynasty

The moon and stars are rare.

The banquet hall of the Lu residence was brightly lit, with twenty tables arranged on both sides.

The guests arrived one after another according to their seating arrangement, as if they had rehearsed in advance, without the slightest disorder.

Once the food and wine were served, Lu Zhiming raised a toast to everyone from afar before slowly setting down his cup.

"Yesterday, the Prince of Jin's troops were frequently mobilized, causing widespread panic. Jiang Feng, the deputy chief steward of the General's Office, invited me to the North Slope to discuss matters, as I'm sure everyone here already knows."

"The reason for this is that some people have gone too far, leading to widespread displacement. The Prince of Jin, unable to bear seeing the people displaced, has decided to work with us to resolve this matter."

From the second seat on the right, an elderly man with white hair asked, "How does the Prince of Jin intend to resolve this matter?"

Lu Zhiming sighed, "The Prince of Jin wants us to donate 100,000 hectares of fertile land, and my Lu family agrees to donate 10,000 hectares."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present was in an uproar.

"Has the Prince of Jin gone mad? How can your Lu family join in this nonsense? Our ancestors toiled tirelessly to accumulate this little fortune; how can we so easily give it away?"

"How could it come to this, Brother Lu! Can't you discuss this with the Prince of Jin again? Each of us can contribute a hundred acres of fertile land; that would be enough to resettle the displaced people!"

Lu Zhizhi listened to their commotion but did not stop them. He waited until their voices quieted down before pressing his hand down and slowly saying, "The Prince of Jin has closed his doors to guests and refused to see any of the guest advisors or staff members from the Jiangnan gentry. This shows his determination."

The Prince of Jin had a strong and well-equipped army, and already had the support of the Guanzhong gentry. Now, the Cui and Lu families of Shandong gentry had also pledged allegiance to him, and the Buddhist and Taoist forces in Jiangnan were also gravitating towards him.

If we do not agree to the King of Jin's conditions, the pressure we will face is unimaginable.

The current situation in the court is almost clear: only the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin are capable of vying for the throne.

"Whether you bet on the Prince of Jin now, or offend him for some land, is entirely up to you."

The group exchanged glances and began a hushed discussion.

After a long pause, the representative of the Langya Wang clan stood up and announced loudly, "The Langya Wang clan is willing to donate ten thousand hectares of fertile land, sacrificing our family fortune to relieve the suffering of the people of Jiangnan!"

In his view, since the land had already been sold, he might as well make a good reputation quickly.

After him, the other three families among Gu, Lu, Zhu, and Zhang also donated their land.

Following this, others also contributed, and the final amount of land was 90,000 hectares.

Lu Zhiming remained calm as he glanced at the few remaining silent members of the gentry: "Have you all made your decisions?"

"Our Pan family is not as wealthy and powerful as yours, and we do not have any extra land to offer to the Prince of Jin."

"The Crown Prince has the demeanor of a gentleman, but the Prince of Jin may not be able to last."

"My Gao family has many relatives by marriage, so someone will step in to mediate."

Lu Zhizhi nodded slowly: "In that case, I won't say anything more. Please make yourselves at home."

After the banquet ended, Lu Zhiming breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly heard the sound of a cup being smashed as a signal. He instinctively shuddered and looked around in a panic.

Then, Jiang Feng walked in alone from the doorway.

Lu Zhizhi let out a long breath, calming his throbbing chest, and said, "The matter is settled. There are 90,000 hectares of fertile land, and we can't squeeze any more out."

Jiang Feng's face showed a mocking expression: "Can't squeeze any out? The Prince of Jin wants 100,000 hectares of fertile land. Not a single acre less, not a single fraction less, and it won't amount to 100,000 hectares!"

Lu Zhizhi did not refute, but sighed helplessly, "I have done my best. The rest depends on your methods."

Jiang Feng laughed and said, "You must not underestimate your potential."

As far as I know, your family isn't a monolithic entity either. There's plenty of infighting within the main and secondary branches of the family. Just find someone within their ranks to expose the patriarch's crimes, and that ten thousand hectares of land will be easily squeezed out!

Lu Zhizhi's expression changed: "Do it yourself, I'm sorry I can't accompany you."

He understood the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" (meaning that if one's lips are gone, one will be vulnerable to another). He knew that if Jiang Feng could use this tactic against others today, he could use it against the Lu family tomorrow, and he dared not set that precedent.

Jiang Feng said, "Exile all those who refuse to surrender to Lingnan, so they can also experience the feeling of being displaced. Lai Hu'er will cooperate with you. This is my bottom line."

Otherwise, I'll have to let your Lu family fill this gap of ten thousand hectares. Do you want to gamble with me and see if I can do it?

Lu Zhizhi glared fiercely at Jiang Feng, then gritted his teeth after a moment: "Fine, I'll make the arrangements tomorrow!"

Upon learning of Jiang Feng's achievements, Yang Guang was greatly impressed and hosted a banquet to invite Jiang Feng to his residence to celebrate.

After a round of routine mutual flattery, Yang Guang, his eyes glazed with drunkenness, looked at Jiang Feng and repeatedly praised him.

"Impressive! In just three to five days, you've acquired 100,000 hectares of fertile land from the powerful families of Jiangnan, and also a large amount of grain from my granary. Your eloquence rivals that of Su Qin and Zhang Yi!"

Jiang Feng put down the pork knuckle in his hand and said modestly, "You flatter me, you flatter me. Prince Jin, you've sat back and done nothing yet gained the loyalty of the Jiangnan gentry. You are the biggest winner!"

The drunkenness in Yang Guang's eyes vanished instantly, and his expression cleared: "You've got some nerve, daring to deceive both the powerful families of Jiangnan and me! Aren't you afraid I'll turn on you and leave you with nothing?"

Jiang Feng smiled: "Unless you don't want the throne anymore."

A glint of light flashed in Yang Guang's eyes: "Can you help me ascend the throne?"

Jiang Feng shook his head slightly: "No, but I can promise not to cause you any trouble."

Yang Guang replied without hesitation, "Deal!"

After a hearty laugh, Yang Guang looked at him with regret and said, "It's a pity I didn't get to know you sooner. It's so much more enjoyable to talk to you without having to pretend!"

Yesterday, my father made it clear in court that I am a “talented ruler” and expressed many dissatisfactions with the Crown Prince. I am afraid that I will have to return to the capital soon.

Although we've only known each other briefly, I…

Jiang Feng's expression changed drastically: "Stop! Don't you dare tell me you want to become sworn brothers with me, I'm terrified!"

Damn it, they almost got the Imperial Brother of the Great Sui Dynasty on their hands! The Western Paradise is determined to destroy me!

Yang Guang was taken aback, not understanding why he was so panicked. He hung his head and thought for a moment, then sighed, "I was born into a ruthless imperial family. My life has been like walking on thin ice, and I don't know if I can ever reach the other side. I think I will never experience true brotherhood in my life."

Jiang Feng responded with a cold laugh: "Still pretending? Do you think I'd fall for your trick and help you?"

After two breaths, Yang Guang slowly straightened up, a hint of helplessness on his face: "That's why I don't like dealing with people who are too smart."

"Master Zhiyi of the Tiantai school is coming to Yangzhou to propagate Buddhism tomorrow. As the deputy steward, could you please receive him for me? Although I've become his disciple, I truly dislike dealing with him."

Just as Jiang Feng was about to refuse, a Bodhi seed on his prayer beads suddenly shattered.

Cui Ying's phantom image suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Jiang Feng, I've found a clue. Leiyin Temple belongs to the Tiantai Sect!"