Gao Jiancheng got up and invited Niu Youdao to sit at the tea table.
Before serving tea, Fan Zhuan opened the box and showed it to Niu Youdao. He asked, "Daoye, is it this golden hairpin?"
Niu Youdao took it out and looked at it. He nodded. "Yes, it is this one. There is no need for a gift box." He turned to Gao Jiancheng and showed the golden hairpin in his hand. "It is really embarrassing. I don't have the habit of bringing money with me. I can't afford to buy it, so I had to borrow money from Housekeeper Fan."
Gao Jiancheng laughed. These words made him understand what was going on, because he basically did not carry any money with him. Usually, when he sold things, people would pay for them, so he was used to not carrying money. It was not difficult to understand when he was in a difficult situation. He asked, "This is a woman's item. Could it be that you bought it as a gift?"
He wanted to make small talk to liven up the atmosphere. After all, it was the first time they met. Chatting could shorten the distance between them. It was too blunt to get straight to the point.
Niu Youdao said, "It is for a friend."
Gao Jiancheng said, "How can such a vulgar thing be a gift to Daoye?" He turned to Fan Zhuan and said, "Are there any exquisite jewelry in the storeroom? Bring it to Daoye and see if Daoye likes it."
"Okay!" Fan Zhuan was about to leave when Niu Youdao stopped him. "It is a gift for a friend. Buy it with your own money. It is more sincere. There is no need to go through so much trouble."
Gao Jiancheng was puzzled. Did you buy it with your own money? I think you bought it with my Gao Residence's account.
He said he wanted to borrow money. Could he really make him pay back? He had already given him ten million. Why would he care about this?
For ordinary people, ten gold coins could easily support a family for more than a year. But for the two of them, this amount of money could be forgotten later.
But since he said so, they were not people who lacked money. It was just a small gift. If he didn't want it, they wouldn't force him. If they forced it too much, it would look bad.
Gao Jiancheng's gaze lingered on the golden hairpin a few more times. He was thinking of asking the housekeeper to buy another one of the same style to see if there was anything fishy about it.
Since it wasn't convenient for him to take a look, Gao Jiancheng went straight to the point. "Does Daoye have any instructions for coming here?"
"How would I dare to instruct Lord Gao?" Niu Youdao didn't accept the gift box and stuffed the golden hairpin into his sleeve. "I'm here to consult Lord Gao."
Fan Zhuan took the gift box and put it aside. He went back to pour tea for the two of them and also listened to the conversation.
Gao Jiancheng appeared to be listening attentively. "Daoye, there is no harm in speaking. I am all ears."
Niu Youdao: "A straightforward person doesn't beat around the bush, so I won't beat around the bush."
Gao Jiancheng nodded and gestured for him to speak.
Niu Youdao didn't avoid Fan Zhuan. The fact that Fan Zhuan could secretly come to Thatched Cottage Villa to negotiate with him showed that he was Gao Jiancheng's absolute confidant. "I saw Lord Gao's letter last time. The situation was very clear. The letter mentioned that the imperial court is going to let Nanzhou destroy the rebel army. I wonder if Lord Gao still remembers?"
Gao Jiancheng nodded and gestured for the other to drink tea. "Daoye, do you think it's strange that we haven't ordered an expedition to Nanzhou?"
Niu Youdao didn't want to ask about this. Since the other party mentioned it, he was willing to listen. "I'd like to hear the details."
Gao Jiancheng: "It should be related to the current situation. The current situation is unexpected at the beginning. Almost all the cultivators of the various countries are involved. Except for Yan and Zhao, the other two sides have suffered heavy casualties in order to destroy the supplies provided by the other side. Almost every day, cultivators die in battle. During this period of time, there are indeed a lot of casualties. It's unexpected that the distant three countries are willing to pay such a high price. Does Daoye understand the deeper meaning of my words? "
Niu Youdao narrowed his eyes and said, "Someone is deliberately taking the opportunity to consume the strength of the cultivators?"
Gao Jiancheng: "Daoye is also a cultivator. Some words shouldn't be said in front of Daoye. But Daoye is not an outsider, so I naturally speak my mind. Daoye is wise. As soon as he heard it, he understood it. Yes, the full support of the three countries has caused an unexpected change in the situation. Some people on the side of Han and Song seem to have understood it and are secretly adding fuel to the fire. The army is deliberately in a stalemate. The three factions of Yan and Nanzhou see an opportunity to consume the opponent's strength. Naturally, they are happy to see it. At present, how can they let Daoye and Nanzhou come out to break the situation? "
Niu Youdao: "Aren't the various countries afraid that the sects will find out and settle accounts with them?"
Gao Jiancheng: "Settle accounts? What accounts? The east side said that the internal situation of Yan is not chaotic. In the face of millions of Yan's army, they can't rashly attack. If they are not careful, they will shoot themselves in the foot. If the cultivators of Han and Song don't believe it, it will be easy for the army to be defeated. The cultivators of Han and Song naturally believe it and dare not take any more risks. The west side said that once Yan is defeated and divided, the consequences will be unimaginable. "
"The internal situation of Yan is about to become a pot of porridge. The meat is about to be bitten. Do you want to sit back and watch Yan slowly pacify the internal situation? Can the cultivators of Han and Song not continue to invest manpower? If the east side doesn't stop, what has been done has been done. The west side can't watch the previous investment and sacrifice in vain. They can only continue to play with them. They won't stop until they can't bear it anymore. "
"Things will develop naturally. Now that things have come to this, what's there to see? Forgive me for speaking bluntly. Cultivators who play these kinds of tricks and focus on cultivation may not be able to compete with the secular people who spend a long time on this and immerse themselves in this path. This matter started from a secret plot and has become an overt plot. There must be an expert behind it, otherwise it wouldn't be like this. "
Fan Zhuan, who was listening at the side, secretly glanced at Gao Jiancheng. His master's words seemed to be implying his value in Niu Youdao's heart.
After hearing these words, Niu Youdao had to admit it himself. What did he see through? From the beginning to the end, he didn't realize the plot behind this matter. He always thought it was a premeditated plot to seize territory. How could he see through it?
After a moment of silence, Niu Youdao asked: "Lord Gao said there is an expert behind it. Who is he referring to?"
Gao Jiancheng shook his head: "Looking at the consumption of the cultivators, it should have nothing to do with Yan and Zhao. It should be either the people in the east side or the people in the west side. Or …" He raised his hand and pointed to the sky.
When he said this, a person flashed in Niu Youdao's mind. He secretly asked, is it him?
After pondering for a while, he asked: "If this goes on, won't we be wasting the strength of our country?"
Gao Jiancheng smiled: "It can't be said to be a waste. If we really can't do it, we can just stop fighting. To the various countries, although fighting for territory is important, it can't compare to the balance of power. No matter how strong the cultivators are … "He raised his hand and pointed to the sky:" Can those few people control the world by themselves? They can't do much by themselves, but there must be people below them to do the work. Similarly, this is the world of cultivators. However, the people in charge of the secular world also want to maintain their right to speak. If they can maintain their right to speak, then they can protect their own interests. "
"Daoye, to the people in charge of the secular world, there can't be too many cultivators. Once the number of cultivators reaches the point where they can control every corner, what right do the people in charge of the secular world have to speak? They can change whoever they want. Even the Emperor can be changed at will. There isn't even a bubble of opposition. Wouldn't the people in charge of the secular world be lambs waiting to be slaughtered? If they can't even maintain a little right to speak, then to the people in charge of the secular world, they are just slaves. No matter how big the territory is, it will still belong to someone else. If they don't have any right to make decisions, then they will have to work themselves to death. Is there any meaning in fighting? "
The point was so clear. Niu Youdao finally understood. To the imperial power of the various countries, cultivators would always be the biggest threat. It was nonsense to pile the blame on King Ning.
This Gao Jiancheng, on the other side, immediately revealed some useful information to him. Niu Youdao couldn't help but admit that just based on this, this trip was not in vain.
"Gao Daren, I don't care what the various countries are doing. I only know that if Yan continues to let them do this, my Nanzhou will be in trouble sooner or later. Once the Han and Song enter the war, without the restraint of the Han, the State of Zhao will have no scruples in the east. The Jinzhou that is close to me will be the first to suffer. My Nanzhou will become the frontier between Yan and Zhao, completely exposed to the teeth of the dogs. They can find trouble with me at any time. The border will hold up a lot of my Nanzhou's manpower, resources, and financial resources. Yan will be exhausted, and the Han can't spare their hands. Who knows what the State of Zhao will do to my Nanzhou. Therefore, we must suppress the civil strife as soon as possible. We can't give the Han and Song armies a chance to attack. "Niu Youdao's index finger heavily tapped on the coffee table.
This time, it was Gao Jiancheng's turn to smile bitterly. "Daoye, you think too highly of me. Even if you throw these old bones of mine out, I won't be able to smash anyone to death, much less frighten anyone. How can I have the ability to suppress the civil strife? Your words are really making things difficult for me."
Niu Youdao: "You can't suppress it, but my Nanzhou can. Now, we only lack a justifiable excuse to send troops. I came here for this matter."
A justifiable excuse to send troops? Gao Jiancheng frowned slightly. His eyes moved treacherously. He asked tentatively, "Could it be that you want the court to issue a decree?"
Niu Youdao nodded. "Gao Daren has guessed correctly. However, this war cannot be fought by my family alone. The vassals need to work together. My Nanzhou wants the power to command the Yan army. The rebel army is wreaking havoc. That Shang Yongzhong is hiding in the capital and pretending to be dead. The position of Grand Marshal has become a decoration. Gao Daren, do you have the confidence to have His Majesty give this power to Prince Yongping? "
"Ah!" Gao Jiancheng was startled. He exchanged a look with Fan Zhuan. They've seen greedy people, but they've never seen such a big request. "This …"
He didn't know how to reply. After a while, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Daoye, forgive me for being blunt. The position of Grand Marshal can be given to anyone but Prince Yongping. I'm sure you know the reason. Even if you can make the three major factions force His Majesty to abdicate, even if the Crown Prince succeeds to the throne, he won't agree to give the position to Prince Yongping. Daoye, it's useless even if I say this. If I really dare to say this, I'll have to prepare coffins for my entire family in the afternoon! "
Niu Youdao: "With Gao Daren's ability, is there really no way to do it? Or, can Gao Daren provide a possibility? I'll think of a way myself. "
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