The saying "the blessing of having multiple wives" originates from this article. Knowing this, we can clearly understand what Cai Yong was doing. Was he satirizing himself? Or reminding himself? Or perhaps warning himself?
After a long while, Cai Yong finished writing the article and said, "Sit down."
Then, he sat down. Seeing this, Lin Yang also sat down casually. He appeared quite calm, at least on the surface.
At the same time, Cai Yong was also scrutinizing Lin Yang, showing an unusually serious expression as he carefully observed him for more than a dozen breaths.
His expression was stern, but Lin Yang wasn't intimidated. He went about his business as usual, grabbed a cup of tea from the side, and started drinking.
"The court has known about Xiang Yu for a long time. The reason why Jiangdong has been in this state for the past 20,000 years is because of him. Most of the people who expanded into Jiangdong were spies of the court, and they all failed."
"However, to avoid provoking him, the court did not send a large army to garrison Jiangdong. But the court did not tell you about this at the time; instead, they used you as a pawn to test you. Do you harbor any resentment?"
Hearing this, Lin Yang shook his head. What was there to complain about? He clearly had no intention of getting rich overnight; his ambition was undisguised!
Since that's the case, the fact that the court didn't deliberately kill him or take the opportunity to deal with him shows that they are already morally upright and have a conscience.
Therefore, theoretically speaking, wouldn't it be better to send this figurehead duke to test the waters for the sake of secrecy? It would also allow him to examine his own strength and test his own capabilities.
As it turned out, Lin Yang was very lucky. Before he even reached Jiangdong, he miraculously encountered a sudden disaster. As a result, when Lin Yang reappeared, the problem of Xiang Yu had already been resolved. Xiang Yu had fled, so there was no need to consider him anymore.
To be honest, many big shots find this result hard to accept. However, good luck is also a form of ability! Now that the test is over, the reward is here.
To scheme against a duke for no reason, and to go and test the waters, naturally some benefits must be offered! Otherwise, it will only cause the feudal lords to become disaffected, which will not benefit the court at all. And this is also the reason why Lin Yang came to the capital this time.
“There’s nothing to resent. I’m here to ask for some benefits. As long as I get something in return, it’s nothing. After all, even if it’s just an empty title, a Duke of Wu has to give something in return,” Lin Yang said directly.
Upon hearing this, Cai Yong didn't say anything, but his opinion of Lin Yang improved slightly. Lately, due to the Land of Reincarnation, he had witnessed far too many immature and delusional teenagers.
After becoming chosen ones, their egos swelled rapidly, and they acted like the most important person in the world, with the heavens above them and the earth below. They were like protagonists descended to earth, which was extremely annoying.
Therefore, Lin Yang didn't become arrogant; instead, he recognized his own limitations, which was excellent. At least he was much stronger than immature teenagers like Zhao Ritian and Long Aotian.
More importantly, Lin Yang knew how to ask for benefits. He wasn't one of those guys who, after being swayed by the imperial court, would immediately become enthusiastic, selling their blood, kidneys, and lives, wholeheartedly serving the people.
Such people do exist. They are directly brainwashed by the imperial court and then begin to sacrifice their personal interests for the greater good.
From the perspective of the imperial court, and from the perspective of the Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, this kind of person is indeed quite good.
However, from a father's and father-in-law's perspective, this is extremely bad! If Lin Yang is this kind of person, then marrying Cai Yan is just a pipe dream. No father would willingly push his daughter into a fire pit!
"So, the second question is about the secrets behind all this. I've known about them for a long time, but I haven't told you. Do you have any thoughts on that?" Cai Yong continued.
Hearing this, Lin Yang couldn't help but smile. He wasn't some immature teenager who believed that everyone in the world had to revolve around him, or else...
When he left the capital, he had only gone through two or three cycles. At that time, Cai Yan and he had just developed feelings for each other. Lin Yang himself did not believe that they were truly in love to the point of life and death.
So, what gave Cai Yong the right to tell himself that at that time?
"No, I really don't have any," Lin Yang said seriously.
Seeing this, Cai Yong nodded immediately. With his cultivation level, he naturally knew whether Lin Yang was lying or not. This time, he was even more satisfied.
"Excellent, excellent! Excellent character, and your actions over this period of time have also been very good. Especially the development of Wu Kingdom, in just two months, you have already reclaimed 300,000 mu of land, resettled tens of thousands of people, and there has been no major chaos. Just in this respect, you are the fastest among all the chosen ones!" Cai Yong said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang smiled without saying a word. Actually, it wasn't a big deal; the main issue was that those top-tier aristocratic families hadn't yet made their move.
Anyway, they live longer, so naturally they take their time. In other words, their pace of life is much slower than Lin Yang's.
These patriarchs are used to taking seventy or eighty years, or even a hundred years, to accomplish a major task!
Therefore, if developing territory is considered a major undertaking, then a period of time must be allocated for thorough investigation, analysis, and finally, several plans to be developed. Generally speaking, even with a faster approach, it will always take three to five years.
However, there are very few people like Lin Yang who excitedly bought a lot of things and went to their fiefdom to develop it.
What's even more surprising is that Lin Yang actually succeeded in doing this! That's right, in just two months, he opened up a plain of eight or nine hundred square kilometers, built tens of thousands of houses, and reclaimed 300,000 mu of land.
That's really fast!
Think about it, if so much work was done in two months, what about a year? A hundred years? A hundred years from now, will the entire Jiangdong region be fully developed?
So now, many who previously wanted to seize power and claim it for themselves have stopped their petty schemes and entered a wait-and-see mode. After all, life is a long journey!
"So what kind of compensation do you want?" Cai Yong continued.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang smiled and said, "It's very simple. Although Xiang Yu has left Jiangdong, he has stayed there for 20,000 years. No one knows how many contingency plans he has laid in Jiangdong! Therefore, for the sake of the court's safety, I have decided to launch a major purge."
At this point, Lin Yang paused, then continued, "The purpose of this great purge is to eliminate the remnants of Xiang Yu. Otherwise, if Xiang Yu were to return one day and collude with these remnants, it would definitely cause considerable trouble for the court."
As he spoke, Lin Yang's tone became righteous and indignant, as if he were the embodiment of justice. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was going to serve the people wholeheartedly!
"Therefore, I want to request an imperial edict from the court to grant me the authority to inspect the remnants of Xiang Yu in the six counties of Jiangdong, so that I can act expediently in critical moments!"
As Cai Yong listened to Lin Yang's request, his expression grew increasingly pleased. His evaluation of Lin Yang also rose even higher.
"Take it easy"—those four words are so clever and apt.
What does "acting expediently" mean? This limit is entirely up to Lin Yang himself. And his status is that of the Duke of Wu, who holds a fiefdom. This means that even if he wipes out all the powerful families in Jiangdong, the imperial court won't do anything to him.
As I said before, as a powerful duke, as long as he doesn't rebel, he's the boss! At least the Six Ministries and the Cabinet, this purely civil service system, have no say in Lin Yang's affairs!
The only one who can manage Lin Yang is His Majesty the Emperor. But why would the Emperor, with nothing better to do, bother with such trivial matters?
"Well done, young man! What a clever excuse! You're even using the pretext of profiting the court. You're a remnant of Xiang Yu. That's a good excuse! Even if someone wants to object, they won't have a reason to object." Cai Yong said with a smile.
Suppressing the remnants of Xiang Yu's forces—that's what you call political correctness! Even if, in the process, things go too far and more people are killed, the imperial court won't care.
We can't let the accidental killing dampen everyone's enthusiasm, can we? Therefore, in such a serious matter, even if an accidental killing occurs by mistake, it's your own bad luck.