The cave dwelling of Zhao Hongxue was simple yet elegant, a plain white cubic space with a small wooden house standing alone, with a big tree planted in front and back...
Before the guests had a chance to admire the scenery, Zhao Hongxue went straight to the point and expressed her opinion.
"If you are here to seek reinforcents for Zhao Chenlu, then you better give up early. There is no turning back in this matter, just wait patiently for the outco of the public hearing."
Having said that, Zhao Hongxue sighed first and sat down on the ground under the tree shade. "I am not stalling or perfunctory with you, but that is indeed the truth. You may think that having ruled over Golden Jade City for so many years, Zhao Chenlu should have nurous supporters, only that they haven’t stood up to voice out yet, but this is rely an illusion. Though she has many supporters, they are all concentrated in the lower and middle levels. Those truly capable of influencing the situation, the upper echelons, have been gritting their teeth against her for years."
"You should also know how she ca to power back then, that process was even uglier than today’s coup. We old folks were stepped down by her, becoming laughingstocks was not just alone, but the entire upper echelon of Golden Jade City at that ti." Zhao Hongxue said, reaching out from a storage bag for a stack of newspapers, "Take a look at them, the newspapers and magazines of other cities from that year that I kept, the remarks on them are extrely harsh, you can read if you are interested, I won’t read them one by one. In short, she stepped on a thousand-year-old tradition of Golden Jade City’s inheritance, shattering it. From that mont, she was destined to stand against everyone at the top..."
Zhao Hongxue continued: "I don’t know if you young people understand what I’m saying, but the conclusion is that Zhao Chenlu is not welcod in the upper echelon of Golden Jade City, no matter how many great ideas she had that prospered everyone, still they despise her. Of course, half of it is her own problem."
At this point, Shen Qingming couldn’t help speak up for the justice: "Her problem? Making everyone in Golden Jade City, including those who hate her, rich has beco a problem? Does it an she should have wiped you all out instead?"
Zhao Hongxue laughed heartily: "If she really did that, it might not have been a bad thing. At least it would prove that she took the position of the City Lord of Golden Jade City seriously and not treated everything as if it were an indifferent ga. Though she commanded Golden Jade City over these years, earning great rit, even those who dislike her have to admit it, but still, her confidants are pitifully few, why do you think that is? Are the people of Golden Jade City naturally indifferent, selfish? Or is it that she as the most beautiful woman in the world particularly unlikable?"
"Actually, the answer is simple." Zhao Hongxue didn’t really wait for the other side to respond and announced the answer, "Because confidants must be cultivated, not dropped from the sky. Those scenarios where soone commands great loyalty just by a grand gesture simply never happen in reality. However fertile the soil, farrs must sow it before it can bear crops. But she never spent any energy to cultivate her confidants. When she first assud the City Lord, the number of people who tried to ally with her was innurable — Sect Leaders of cultivation sects, Heads of Great Trading Houses... Zhao Chenlu broke the old structure, aning that the forr interests and privileges in Golden Jade City could all be redistributed. This was a huge piece of at, so many were eyeing it. If she could hold this opportunity tight, she could have swept away those unfavorable old guys very easily and placed those loyal to her. With her ans of sweeping the old guys, she could have built an impenetrable Golden Jade City in less than three to five years. Yet, she did nothing, refused all who ca to her and wiped the old guys to the ground, letting them slowly crawl back to lick their wounds, gather strength, like a cat playing with a mouse, waiting for them to challenge. So she raised tigers to danger on one side, and disappointed a large batch of people who placed high hopes on her on the other."
At this point, Zhao Hongxue glanced at the young girls like Shen Qingming, Li Chaolu, and said, "You are all young girls, you should most understand the feeling of unrequited love. One or two years breed grievances, three or five years grow entanglents, ten or eight years transform into deep-seated hatred."
The young girls felt shivers down their spines as they listened.
Zhao Hongxue sighed: "Many of the supporters from back then now oppose her more fiercely than Zhao Hongwu and others, because she brought it upon herself. In Golden Jade City, only the people at the lower to middle levels like her, because indeed they have benefited from her without enduring much turmoil. In the upper-middle levels, almost no one is interested in her rule, so don’t expect to rise up to call for support for her, it’s useless. The fact you all managed to find suggests that indeed, she is out of options, hmph, she tossed away like trash back in the day, yet the first person she thinks of now when in trouble is ..."
"Technically, you are only a second-best option. The best option, Zhao Jincheng, was taken away," Wang Jiu corrected.
"...You don’t need to explain it that thoroughly!"
"Anyway, having soone to advocate is better than having no one." Wang Jiu said, "When one person’s strength is insufficient, then use two or three people. Even if her personal prestige is not enough to attract supporters, your prestige as a forr City Lord surely can influence many people."
"That’s right." Zhao Hongxue scratched his head. "Indeed, if I as the forr City Lord firmly stand on Zhao Chenlu’s side, many in Golden Jade City would speculate whether Zhao Chenlu has promised sothing to her supporters. But in reality, Zhao Chenlu has not promised anything to anyone, so why should I use my own reputation to guarantee for her?"
Wang Jiu nodded: "That indeed poses a problem."
"It is not a problem at all!" Shen Qingming retorted, "She is your daughter!"
"Stop right there!" Zhao Hongxue’s face darkened, "She was never my daughter, nor do I have the right to be her father. She just happened to be born from my wife’s womb, other than that, there’s no more connection between us."
This cold and resolute statent really disheartened Shen Qingming: "...Even if she went too far in the past, you don’t need to say such heartless words?"
Zhao Hongxue said, "These are her words."
"...Huh?"
"As long as thirty years ago, she arrogantly told that she’s not my daughter, because I didn’t have the qualification to be her father. Given my diocre talent, even if I beca the Stallion King of Xiangzhou and sowed a thousand or ten thousand tis, I still couldn’t produce such an unparalleled daughter as her." Zhao Hongxue looked at the dumbfounded Shen Qingming and others, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, "These are all her original words."
The girl recalled the behaviors and actions of Zhao Chenlu since they had known each other, and had to admit, it indeed seed like sothing she would say.
"But at the ti, she was just a child, she spoke unrestrainedly. Why bear a grudge with her?"
Zhao Hongxue said: "Yes, I thought so too, Chenlu was just a naive child back then, what did she know about the worldly truths of genetic mutations, recessive genetic transmission, the neighbor’s old Wang, extraordinary power through extraordinary ans? Admittedly, in the Zhao Family of Golden Jade, I was rely diocre, but noble and pure cultivator blood flows within , as long as I work hard enough, I can definitely produce a child not inferior to Zhao Chenlu — Okay, even if I can’t reach her height, at least I can give birth to a talent of a generation, right?"
Shen Qingming said, stupefied. "It sounds reasonable, then what?"
Zhao Hongxue said: "Then, I had Jincheng, that child..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingming suddenly had an urge to break down in tears.
"You, you’ve had it tough too."
Zhao Hongxue nodded: "So many years have passed. Ti really is the best healing holy dicine, looking back at the events of those years, now I can laugh them off. You might as well just go back to QingCyan Cloud yun City to live your happy lives, and after a few decades, looking back, today’s coup in Golden Jade City is actually just so-so."
Having said that, Zhao Hongxue stood up and stretched lazily: "Let see you to the door."
"Wait!" Shen Qingming interrupted in ti, "The conversation isn’t over yet!"
Zhao Hongxue said: "That’s about enough; I’ve kindly explained so much to you, it’s enough to pay back my gambling debts, isn’t it? Do you still want to force to stand for Zhao Chenlu? That girl is naturally indifferent, won’t even rember my kindness, I won’t do such a foolish thing. I just lost a ga, not my whole life!"
Hearing this, Wang Jiu looked up. "In that case, how about betting a life ga? The specific project is for you to choose, the losing side loses their whole life."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongxue’s body trembled, and his gaze slowly turned to Wang Jiu: "You want to gamble life with ?"
Wang Jiu said: "If I win, you will stand for Zhao Chenlu; if you win, I’ll be at your service."
Before the words fell, the young girls beside them were already exclaiming continuously.
"Ah Jiu, don’t joke about this!"
"This is a huge bet!?"
Wang Jiu did not care about these distractions, just waited seriously for the other’s answer.
Zhao Hongxue squinted slightly: "At your service... Although I haven’t looked into your detailed information, I guess you’re not an ordinary person. For Zhao Chenlu to seek help from you when in trouble, that already is a miracle. To get help from soone like you, the benefits are almost unimaginable."
"So, willing to gamble?"
"Hahaha, isn’t that nonsense, of course not! You just used such a bizarre thod to win against once, how foolish would it be to fall for it again and wager my life?"
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