Wu Liba was exasperated. He said angrily, "Are we just going to ignore this and allow the mastermind to succeed? If the King's hegemony stops here, you will be sinners for all eternity. Who can bear the responsibility? Since you are loyal to the King, shouldn't you think for him? "
As he spoke, his heart trembled. He was so angry that his entire face was green.
How can the King fulfill his grand ambition of ruling the Central Plains if we allow these treacherous officials to drag us down?
The political enemy's expression turned serious. His eyes were cold. He laughed ferociously and said loudly, "Fine, fine, fine. In the entire court, only you are loyal to the King. We are all treacherous officials. But, in my opinion, you are also a treacherous official with evil intentions. Wu Liba, you ignore the current situation and force the King to do as you wish. Do you have the final say in the Northern Borderline or the King? So what if you are a wise man? Does the King not have the ability to judge for himself? "
If Wu Liba had not suggested working with the Cangzhou Meng Family to buy mares at a high price, the Imperial Court's finances would not be so tight.
But now?
The Northern Borderline Imperial Court was already stretched thin and could not afford to do anything else.
In other words, the Northern Borderline was already tied up by the high price of horses. It would take at least a year or two to see any profits.
The older Wu Liba got, the less sensible he became. Could he not see the Northern Borderline Imperial Court's current predicament?
"Don't try to sow discord. I, Wu Liba, am loyal to the King. I have never been disloyal," Wu Liba said. "But you, can't you see the danger of the herdsmen raising large numbers of rabbits and sheep? If you can see it and still remain silent, then tell me, who is the disloyal one? "
The political enemy wanted to say something but the Northern Borderline King roared and stopped the two from arguing.
"All of you, shut up. Court dismissed!"
The Northern Borderline King glared at Wu Liba.
He used to like this wise man as much as he hated him now.
In order to stabilize his power, the Northern Borderline King suppressed his adult sons. He deliberately ignored Wu Liba and tried to marginalize him.
Why?
Who asked the herdsmen to deify the wise man and think that whoever Wu Liba stood on was the real King of the Grasslands?
If it had been his younger self, he would not have cared about these rumors because he had the confidence to make Wu Liba work for him.
Now that he was getting older, his health was not as good as before, but his children were still in the prime of their lives. Hearing similar rumors again, the King of the Northern Borderline only felt that it was ear-piercing. Even though he was slowly weakening Wu Liba, his sons were still rushing to curry favor with him. Which leader could endure this?
After the court was dismissed, the King of the Northern Borderline privately summoned his confidant – Wu Liba's political enemy, the person who had been at loggerheads with Wu Liba.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Wu Liba's political enemy was also an important minister of the Northern Borderline. His name was Haruncha.
"Haluncha, what do you think of Wu Liba's words …. Are they just exaggerations, or are they true?"
The King of the Northern Borderline was still hesitant. He understood Wu Liba's character. If it was not truly important, Wu Liba would not be so insistent.
Harun Cha's eyes flashed with a cold light. He looked very confident.
"I'd rather believe it than not. Of course, one or two rabbits and goats cannot amount to much, but what about thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions? It's like the locusts in the Central Plains. One or two may not be able to move, but the locusts that cover the sky and cover the sun can instantly gnaw a man into a pile of bones and destroy thousands of miles of fertile land. Your Majesty's ambition is the Central Plains. Naturally, you know what the situation is like after the locust plague in the Central Plains … "
Harun Cha had not studied much. He was a typical Northern Borderline man. He advocated martial arts and despised words, especially the Confucian culture of the Central Plains. In his view, the Northern Borderline was a lion, and those sour Confucian words were a poison that corroded the will of the lion. That was why he especially hated Wu Liba.
After all, Wu Liba had learned the culture of the Central Plains since he was young. After entering the political center of the Northern Borderline, he had proposed to promote the culture of the Central Plains several times.
And so, Wu Liba was hated by Harrencha.
However, the King of the Northern Borderline was an ambitious man. He knew very well who would be most beneficial to him.
Every time Wu Liba and Harun Cha were at odds, the King of the Northern Borderline would choose to side with the former.
Harun Cha had always been suppressed by Wu Liba and could not lift his head for decades.
Now, the tables had turned. Harun Cha learned from his painful experience and recruited his advisors to help him strategize. He had a vague posture of replacing Wu Liba.
"What you say makes sense." The King of the Northern Borderline thought of the locust plague and could not help but shiver. He then smiled bitterly. "But …"
But what?
But they had no money now!
If they drove away the merchants with ulterior motives, what would happen to the rabbits and sheep in the hands of the Northern Borderline herdsmen?
Wouldn't the herdsmen explode on the spot?
Harun Cha sighed. "If that's the case, why doesn't Your Majesty do the opposite?"
The King's eyes lit up. He asked, "What do you mean by the opposite?"
Harun Cha said, "No matter who is controlling the caravans, Your Majesty pretends not to know."
"Pretend not to know?"
The King of the Northern Borderline was stunned. He could not understand.
Harun Cha was secretly pleased. It felt good to keep others in suspense. No wonder Wu Liba, that sour Confucian, liked to put on an act.
"Yes, pretend not to know." Harun Cha continued to act under the King's urging gaze. He said, "Your Majesty, how can you treat rabbits and wild rabbits the same? Rabbits are lazy and stupid. Their meat is too fat and their fur is not bright. Wild rabbits are alert and intelligent. They run on the grasslands all year round to avoid enemies. Their meat is tender and chewy. The price of the latter is naturally higher than the former! In the past, those merchants could get away with it, but not this year. Your Majesty will send someone to hint to the merchants to increase the price of wild rabbits. This way, the herdsmen will spontaneously catch wild rabbits. The herdsmen will earn a lot, and Your Majesty will not have to waste extra manpower to get rid of the wild rabbits on the grasslands. "
The King's eyes lit up. He had not thought of this idea.
"Is this feasible?"
Harun Cha said, "Of course it is feasible. Your Majesty will not have to pay to get rid of the extra wild rabbits, and the herdsmen will be grateful to you. "
The King was overjoyed. "This is a wonderful plan!"
Harun Cha could not help but smile. He said a few humble words.
"You don't have to be so humble." The King sighed. He raised his hand and patted the other's shoulder. He said, "Compared to Wu Liba, who always causes trouble for me, you are the one who is truly loyal. Not only did you offer elixirs, but you also gave me advice. "
Harun Cha said, "This is what your subject should do."
The King of the Northern Borderline felt waves of fatigue. He asked the female slave to bring his medicine.
After a while —
The King of the Northern Borderline felt refreshed. His face was rosy and his eyes were bright.
"As expected of the secret recipe of the Xia Imperial Court. It is good stuff for the Emperor to enjoy. It is indeed effective."
He let out a long sigh. His expression was dreamy.
Because of his old age, his body was not as good as before. He could not even satisfy the women in his backyard.
To a proud man of the Northern Borderline, this was an unbearable humiliation.
Fortunately, Harun Cha was loyal and gave him the elixir recipe that only the Emperor had the right to use.
Every time he took it, he felt refreshed and full of vitality. He was even more energetic when it came to sex.
It was said that long-term use could also prolong one's life.
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