Chapter 25: True Dragon in Front of Jiaolong (Two)

  What Zhou Wenbo said was the truth, but it sounded like a clever compliment to everyone's ears. Looking at the beads of sweat on his forehead and his pale face, this realistic acting skill made all the veteran royal actors deeply admire him.

  "How could I have known that I possessed such dignity?" Li Cunxu suddenly received this unexpected answer, and although he knew it was flattery, he couldn't help but feel pleased.

  "Your Majesty sweeps across the six directions, and in ten years of war, you have pacified the world with one move. You can be compared to Han Gaozu Liu Bang above, and surpass Tang Gaozu Li Yuan below. Responding to Heaven's mandate, a true dragon son of heaven, who else in the world dares to offend Your Majesty's tiger-like prestige?"

  Zhou Wenbo was now desperately trying to curry favor with Li Cunxu by saying pleasant things, hoping to gain more benefits for the Zhao Guo Gong Fu.

  "Have you ever read books or practiced martial arts?" Li Cunxu was flattered by this bootlicking and became even more amiable.

  "I had set my ambition since childhood, to achieve fame and fortune on horseback, to be the vanguard for Your Majesty, to trample down Loulan and capture the Wolf's Lair. Unfortunately, I was weak in body from a young age, far inferior to my elder brother. Therefore, I devoted myself to studying, and after ten years, I achieved some small success."

  Zhou Wenbo was the youngest son of Zhao Guogong. In his early years, he obtained a "Givesh Lang" official position with a rank of Zheng Ba Pin Shang San Guan, thus he could be called Chen.

  Zhou Wenbo no longer needed sleep, having long thought about the possible responses when meeting the emperor, and so he spoke fluently at this time without losing his manners.

  "You have been reading books for ten years, are there any poems, lyrics or paintings that you have gained?" Li Cunxu continued to ask.

  "'The article was completed today, and it was obtained by chance with a wonderful hand.' I have copied the poems and songs that I got in my daily life, and returned them to 'Listening Pine Pavilion Collection', which can be presented to Your Majesty another day."

  Zhou Wenbo had been reading books in his spare time every day, reciting and copying some famous poems of the Song Dynasty for future use. Unexpectedly, His Majesty asked about it today, so he had to bring it out ahead of schedule to gain favor with the emperor.

  "'The article was completed today, and it was obtained by chance with a wonderful hand', not bad, Zhou Jiazi indeed has a reputation that is not in vain, his talent is overflowing." When Li Cunxu heard this famous sentence from the poem of Lu You, a great writer of the Southern Song Dynasty, he was even more delighted. He asked: "Is there a word?"

  "I was under twenty years old and had no name yet. I beg Your Majesty to grant me a name!"

  Note: In ancient times, men generally had their own "zi" (courtesy name) at the age of 20. When interacting with peers and friends, people would address each other by their courtesy names, as directly addressing someone by their given name was considered impolite. Typically, a man's courtesy name was chosen by his teacher, while some were chosen by himself or other elders.

  When Li Cunxu said this, Zhou Wenbo knew that he had to follow the trend and give Emperor Shang an opportunity to show his favor, so that he could also establish a good relationship with Emperor Shang, which would be of great help to his future development and the current situation of the Zhao Guo Gong Fu.

  Can only hope Li Cunxu doesn't give himself a ridiculous name, this is his second name that he will use for the rest of his life after all.

  Of course, if it weren't for Zhou Wenbo's previous efforts to please the Emperor, he wouldn't have been willing to grant him a character, and this can only be said to be a sweet trouble.

  Upon hearing Zhou Wenbo's response, Li Cunxu was even more pleased. He found that the young man in front of him was quite clever and not a bookworm who had read books to the point of foolishness. With his left hand stroking his beard, he said thoughtfully: "Zhou Wenbo, good at poetry and books, beautiful capital and elegant manners, truly worthy of being called a disciple of Huan Jin Yu, why don't you just use the character 'Jin Yu'?"

  "Thank you for your gift!" Zhou Wenbo didn't say another word, and immediately knocked his head on the ground, making a loud thudding sound even though it was on a cushion.

  After this exchange between the monarch and his minister, they finally got down to business.

  "A few days ago, an urgent report came from Shu that De Yan had fallen in battle. I was shocked and amazed at the time, but still didn't believe this urgent report. Zhou Qing has followed me to conquer the world for over a decade, with brilliant military achievements, deep strategies, and having weathered many storms, how could he capsize in such a ditch?"

  "So I ordered the transmission to be sent again in Shu, and just yesterday, the memorial from my son Ji Zhi arrived in the capital. Only then did I learn of the military situation on the front lines. I tossed and turned at night, regretting what had happened earlier! De Yan was already in his 60s, and I should have let him stay in the capital to enjoy his old age. Who would have thought that this departure would be a permanent farewell!"

  Li Cunxu said, and unexpectedly squeezed out two tears from the corners of his eyes.

  It's really unnecessary to act anymore when it comes to Li Cunxu. Seeing the Emperor's true emotions, Zhou Wenbo knew that the Zhao State Duke's mansion was almost safe, so he hurriedly took advantage of the situation.

  "Your Majesty and my father have known each other since the time of the Jin Wang Shizi, it has been twenty years now. Your Majesty and my father have a good relationship as monarch and subject, with increasing trust, granting my father the position of chief minister, to assist Your Majesty in commanding our great Tang army, my father rises early and retires late, diligent and devoted, not daring to be even slightly negligent."

  Note: The History of the Later Tang refers to it as the Later Tang, but at that time, the country name was Tang, so it can only be said that this is the Great Tang, which is not the same as the other Great Tang.

  "My father has often mentioned Your Majesty to me, speaking of the great kindness and virtue that I will never forget. The prosperity of our Zhao Guo Gong Fu today is entirely due to Your Majesty's gracious bestowal. My father has made a vow to emulate Zhuge Wu Hou, dedicating himself fully until death, in order to repay the debt of gratitude for Your Majesty's benevolence."

  "This time the great army is going to conquer Shu, my father once said that the Son of Heaven resides in the central axis and cannot be lightly moved. The state of Shu does not know the heavenly power, dare to resist our great country's military edge with its small territory, it is indeed a path to death, I wish to be the vanguard for Your Majesty, pacify the land of Shu, and return it under the rule of Great Tang."

  "My father has been fighting for the great Tang Dynasty for thirty years, traveling thousands of miles, relying on the blessings of the Duke of Jin and Your Majesty. He achieved some minor accomplishments but was undeservedly rewarded with wealth and high rank, which makes him deeply uneasy. Every day he is in office, he wants to find a way to secure this land for the great Tang Dynasty. Although he died in Shu, it was still as a general who died in battle, wrapped in his horse's hide. I imagine that even if my father were alive today, he would not want to be plagued by illness and die of old age on his sickbed."

  "I beg Your Majesty to mourn with restraint, for it is natural that one must die. My father died as he should have, how glorious! How glorious!"

  Wenbo racked his brains to come up with this dialogue, striving to make it reasonable and well-founded, emotionally resonant and meaningful. He aimed to evoke Li Cunxu's appreciation and nostalgia for Zhou Deyan to the greatest extent possible, hoping to move this esteemed individual and win the final battle for the survival of the Zhao State Duke's mansion.

  Zhou Wenbo, although not skilled in martial arts, possessed what the Confucians called "浩然正气" (a kind of noble and upright spirit). His voice was clear and resonant, his speech calm and measured. In just over a hundred words, he moved to tears all who remained in the palace: consorts, princes, princesses, eunuchs, and palace maids, each one listening with rapt attention. These brief words had already stirred the hearts of countless people.

  On the other hand, Lü sat carefully on a chair and had already forgotten her own situation, crying like a tearful person.

  Zhou Wenbo didn't notice that the eyes of Gui Fei, Feng Huang, had already lit up to a near-dazzling degree. As someone deeply invested in politics, she naturally understood the precarious situation the Zhao Guo Gong Fu was in. She had thought that with the death of the Zhao Guo Gong and the Crown Prince, there would be no chance for them to turn things around. But unexpectedly, this young son of the Zhao Guo Gong, despite lacking military might or troops, moved the Emperor with just one speech. This heavy weight will inevitably cause the balance in the Emperor's mind to shift once again.