Xiqu City.
Bo Yincao has his hands behind his back, standing by the window as the drizzling rain continues outside without stop.
Starting from the time King Zhou's succession, the weather in the north has been getting colder and colder. Although Xiqi didn't fight large-scale wars this year, King Ji Fa still led his troops to capture people and livestock from Xirong. However, this year's harvest in Xiqi was still not good.
Xiqi maintains a standing army of over four hundred thousand, and there is a significant shortfall in grain. In previous years, they could trade with the Southern Capital, using the surplus grain to brew wine and boost the morale of both soldiers and civilians. This year, however, that is not an option.
Conversely, the climate in the south is still acceptable. Now, a large number of Northern refugees are streaming into the south, and land cultivation has greatly increased. The grain yield per acre is considered to be the best among all the states in the summer region.
Sighing, Bo Yincao said, "Ah," the relationship between Nandu and Xiqi was almost broken due to Hong Jin. This was just the surface, and the deeper reason he had heard from his father Ji Chang, they have soldiers and generals, territory, and grain. They have already developed ambitions. How can they directly join Xiqi? It's completely irrational.
The relationship between Han's Southern Capital needs to be reestablished.
Bo Yincao stands straight.
No matter the prince or the crown prince, it's actually not easy. This position is a target, all bright and dark arrows will strike him.
Only when a person's body is healthy can their mood improve. With a good mood, one's character can be resilient and have enough strength to handle various affairs.
Before, his weak body severely affected Bo Yincao's judgment. When handling official business, he showed some brutality, and his treatment of his subordinates was not as gentle as before. Now that his heart attack has been cured by Guangchengzis herbal medicine, and his body has returned to normal, he has enough calm thinking to ponder the current issues.
Internal turmoil and external pressures.
Second brother Ji Fa, third brother Ji Xian.
Over the past two years, his health has deteriorated significantly. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he has relinquished much of his power to his two older brothers, hoping that if anything were to happen to him, Xiqi's family business could still thrive under their guidance.
Now that his heart is beating strongly and his health is good, he won't have such thoughts.
Second brother Ji Fa's military achievements are well-known, and he has a large number of supporters in the military. Third brother Ji Xian is adept at dance and has gained many favorable relationships with officials. However, Bo Yincao is also no weakling. As the prince, he naturally has a large number of allies. Fourth brother Ji Dan supports him, and even proposed new rite and ritual systems such as the distinction between officials and citizens, and the primacy of primogeniture. He believes that establishing a new order after replacing Shu with Zhou requires respect for "rite".
Bo Yincao had initially been vague about these systems. He hoped that after his death, regardless of being a first or second-born child, as long as someone could maintain the Ji family's empire, now he fully supports them.
He has the support of a large number of his younger brothers, and the "Four Friends" of Ji Chang, namely Nan Gongshe, San Yisheng, Hong Tian, and Tai Dian, also support him as the crown prince.
Bo Yincao now has confidence in leading Xiqi to overthrow Yin and replacing the Zhou Dynasty.
On the other side.
Ji Fa roughly clarified his relationship with Jieziya.
As both disciples of the Chuanzhong School, this is a natural ally. Jieziya is highly valued by Ji Chang, and the three old officials of Ji Chang's "Four Friends" (except Nan Gongshe) deliberately kept their distance from Ji Fa. Now, the relationship between Ji Fa and Jieziya is becoming increasingly close.
Every few days, Ji Fa would bring gifts to visit Jieziya's home, addressing the remarried woman as "auntie."
This greatly satisfied Ma Shi's sense of pride. With the wind from the pillow often blowing, and Jieziya valuing his wife, the scales in his heart inevitably tilted towards Ji Fa.
"The senior teacher has been teaching for many years. I have observed that the disciples of the other three generations respect you very much. Why not invite some wise and virtuous people to help Xiqi?"
Ji Fa wanted to recruit more disciples from the Chuanzhong School to help him, while the disciples were still around.
Are they respecting me? In fact, Jieziya himself doesn't understand why the disciples of the Chuanzhong School always mention him. The heavens and the earth can bear witness; he has practiced Taoism on Kunlun Mountain for forty years and has never seen many disciples from the third generation of the Chuanzhong School.
People who have never met before suddenly saying they respect me? I don't even know what there is to respect about me.
"I dare not guarantee success, but I can try."
Jieziya also felt that he was alone and weak, and the help that Wu Ji and Longxu Hu could provide was too small.
He talked to each of the third-generation disciples of the Chuanzhong School one by one.
Wei Hu felt that he had many shortcomings and that the current situation was a great calamity. Who knows when he would die? He gracefully declined but said that if there was an opportunity in the future, he would definitely come under his uncle's command and follow orders.
Jin Za, Mu Za, and Huang Tianhua are the kind who need to be observed for a while. Their parents and siblings are all in the Southern Capital. What's happening there now? Will the Southern Capital fight with Xiqi? Father and son fighting each other is too filial, isn't it?
They dared not say or ask.
Not to mention the third-generation disciples, even Guangchengzi, Wen Shu, and Puxian are confused about the relationship between Xiqi and the Southern Capital. They are afraid that they might inadvertently involve themselves in the layout of sages. If they owe a debt to sages, they will suffer greatly. So they say nothing and do nothing, just go along with it!
After all, the rise of the Zhou and the fall of the Shang don't need all three of you.
When the Southern Capital decides to join, they will only do so.
Similarly, Jieziya gracefully declined the invitation.
Jieziya talked with Yang Jian for a while. Yang Jian took the opportunity and said, "Uncle Jieziya, your noble character is admirable. Yang Jian is willing to serve you! I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
Jieziya was very happy and kept saying it was good.
He needs more hands here. He saw Yang Jian's ability when he battled Deng Chanyun at Yuxu Palace, to be honest, it was far stronger than his uncle's own strength. Being able to assist Xiqi, he is ecstatic.
However, Yang Jian has nothing to do with words like "gentle" and "easy to approach" in his life. He always has a stern face, and it seems like he speaks with politeness and decorum, but that inherent pride cannot be concealed. How to arrange a position for him needs careful consideration from Jieziya. He can't offend his colleagues and also needs to bring out Yang Jian's abilities.
Jieziya was becoming increasingly important in Xiqi, which made one person extremely dissatisfied, that is Shen Gongbao.
The Original Lord of Heaven bestowed a magical elixir that healed his spiritual and soul damage, and he no longer stammered when speaking. Shen Gongbao went down the mountain in the name of assisting Jieziya, also wanting to get a share of the pot in the great undertaking of sealing the gods.
The other disciples of the Chuanzhong School avoided the Sealing List, but Shen Gongbao didn't know the inside story. He thought that the Original Lord of Heaven loved Jieziya, so he gave him the Sealing List as a favor, thinking it was a good job.
Wencheng, before killing Jieziya with one whip, cheered in secret. When he was revived by the White Crane Youth, he felt that the Original Lord of Heaven was biased.
Shen Gongbao's mindset was becoming increasingly radical.
Now that the matter of the Seven Lower Realms Array has been resolved, the disciples of Zhu Bajie have been gradually leaving.
He went to the city of Xiqi.
He observed for a while and found the newly appointed "Guanhou" Ji Xian, who was originally the third son of King Wen and the brother of Ji Fa, also known as Guan Xian.
"I am Shen Gongbao, a practitioner of Taoism on Kunlun Mountain. I come to see Guanhou."
