"You're saying that if I find out, I would surely give up on my mission and turn back..."
Gong Jue said with a smile, "If so, then why haven't I left yet?"
Zhen Xi Wang's tiger-like eyes scrutinized the boy, but he couldn't understand what the prince was trying to say.
On a closer look, Gong Jue seemed bitter and lonely.
"So I'm THAT small and useless. Now I can't even suppress you or elder sister. What can I possibly accomplish once I go back?"
His words caused Zhen Xi Wang's compassionate heart to feel overwhelmed and ashamed. The man couldn't help but wonder whether his previous actions had hurt this child's self-esteem.
Gong Jue laughed self-deprecatingly. He looked up dully at his grandfather, but the boy's tone gradually became firm with resolve.
"That was why these past days, I've been thinking about what I must do so I won't be at the mercy of others."
Zhen Xi Wang seemed to understand the anger and bitterness that Gong Jue felt. "You can carry out your plans if you want, but you need to inform the princess about it."
Gong Jue took his cup of tea and replied in a dull voice, "I'll let her know."
Zhen Xi Wang didn't know whether to cry or laugh. Since the boy was so determined to seize power, he can go ahead and grasp it. For these past two years, these two siblings had helped him earn quite a fortune! The man proceeded to order his wife to bring the box filled with voluntary servitude contracts.
When Gong Jue received the box, his expression immediately changed to a mysterious look.
He grinned.
It turns out that the only way to give his words true weight was by seizing power and firmly grasping it in his own hands.
The boy looked up at Zhen Xi Wang and said, "Grandfather, don't worry. The profit dividends we agreed on previously will remain the same. In the future, please guide me." Now that the boy's depression was swept away, he revealed a dignified and calm smile.
At only 11 years old, the boy was already displaying such calmess. He was also tough and could execute drastic measures on important matters. Zhen Xi Wang sighed. Somehow, his weak daughter managed to have a child with such fortitude.
He patted Gong Jue's shoulder and said, "Alright, I'll escort you to the celebration banquet. The disaster was too much to handle, and in addition, there was also a plague. However, upon your arrival you were able to fix the situation and the civilians are grateful for you! They wanted to hold a feast in your honor, so you should make use of this opportunity!"
Gong Jue nodded obediently, but Zhen Xi Wang had missed the bold and bottomless darkness hidden within the prince's eyes.
Dealing with the disaster in Xi Zhou is the first step to promoting himself. He will make use of it and exploit it until it withers.
Due to the heavy workload, Gong Yi Mo unintentionally missed out on many events. By the time she had come to her senses, she realized that she hadn't seen Gong Che for about half a month.
Soon about 80,000 peasants were recruited. Once Gong Yi Mo felt it was enough, she ordered her men to stop recruiting.
It was important to choose an auspicious date to loosen up the soil, then the start of the operations will begin the day after. When the auspicious date finally arrived, Gong Yi Mo and her team went to the banks of the Yangzte River.
This locations marked the end of the Yulong Inner Canal, and was also the place where the Yangzte River meets. As they looked around, the river waters in view rolled turbulently.
In ancient times, the quality of water was still clear and pristine. Since this was the junction where the two rivers meet, the volume of water was enormous and its flow was powerful, as if thousands of horses were galloping.
The reason why they came here was because Gong Yi Mo said she would show them her new method of excavating.
Even Gong Che had no idea what she was going to show them, but he had complete trust in her so he didn't worry about whatever idea she was about to present to them. Meanwhile, Li Ke and the rest of the gang weren't very convinced by her words.
They didn't believe that mere black powder could be of any use. At most, it will probably just create a bit of spark. In this place flooded with water, not even a spark could possibly be produced.
Li Ke stared at Gong Yi Mo with great suspicion. Every time she went out to buy materials, she always went alone, which meant that she added something extra into those explosives. There was no telling what effect those modified gunpowder could possibly have.