Chapter 319: Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors

"Let me test you."

Boss Rat cupped a tiny teacup in his two small hands.

"If you wanted to divide three people, how would you do it?"

"..."

Yan Jing thought for a moment, his cat paws tapping lightly on the table.

"You should prepare two peaches."

Boss Rat laughed.

"What if there are only two people?"

"Then one peach is enough," Yan Jing said.

Boss Rat's smile widened.

For some unknown reason, the idiom Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors existed in the Inner World as well.

Only the figures involved were a bit different.

In Yan Jing's past life, the protagonists of the story were Yanzi and Duke Jing of Qi.

But in the Heavenly Kingdom, it involved two different people.

"Who do you think was the most insidious in the story?"

Boss Rat asked.

Yan Jing considered it before answering.

"Emperor Qi."

Emperor Qi was the equivalent of Duke Jing of Qi from his past life.

The idiom Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors was widely known in Yan Jing's previous life.

However, many people were unclear on the exact details.

Legend had it that Duke Jing of Qi had three warriors under his command, each possessing the courage to fight a tiger. One day, the prime minister Yanzi walked past them, but the three men did not bow. After asking Duke Jing of Qi about it, Yanzi learned they had always behaved this way.

So Yanzi suggested to the Duke that these three lacked any sense of propriety toward their elders and showed no loyalty to their ruler; thus, they should be eliminated.

Duke Jing of Qi replied that the three were too formidable; eliminating them would require a great deal of effort.

Yanzi countered that people who did not understand the propriety between young and old were the easiest to eliminate.

He then told the Duke to send someone over with two peaches, letting the three men reward themselves based on their own merits.

Up to this point, this was the story most people knew.

But many did not know exactly how the three had died, merely assuming they had slaughtered each other while fighting over the fruit.

In truth, it was exactly the opposite.

All three had committed suicide.

When the peaches were placed on the table, two of the warriors successively stood up to declare their achievements, stating they were qualified to take one.

But only after the two peaches had been claimed did the third man declare his merits.

They were far greater than those of the first two.

Upon hearing this, the other two realized their achievements clearly fell short of the third man's, yet they had shamelessly assumed they deserved a peach. This was greed.

For such greedy and shameless people to go on living would mean a loss of their bravery.

So, one after another, they killed themselves.

And the last man, the one with the greatest merit, felt that letting them die while he lived was inhumane. To boast of himself and belittle the two of them was unjust. To feel remorse yet fear death was cowardly. Therefore, he committed suicide as well.

So who was the biggest bastard in this story?

That's right, it was Duke Jing of Qi.

Anyone who had read the story knew that Duke Jing of Qi had wanted to kill those three all along.

But he didn't act until Yanzi spoke up.

Was it because he didn't want to kill them at first?

The story stated it clearly and plainly:

"As for those three, I fear we could not take them in a fight, nor strike them true with an assassination."

These were Duke Jing of Qi's own words.

The moment Yanzi proposed killing the three, this guy immediately said those words. It wasn't that he didn't want to kill them; it was that they were too hard to kill.

So, was Papa Rat merely pretending to delegate power while actually preparing to move against his two foster sons and adopted son?

Yan Jing took a sip of tea. Recalling the phrase, "Your second and third brothers are more ambitious than you think," he now felt it carried a profound underlying meaning.

Heh, but come to think of it, Boss Rat indeed wasn't at the age to abdicate yet.

Whether it was truly as he guessed, however, only Boss Rat himself knew.

Hearing Yan Jing's answer and explanation, Boss Rat smiled.

"It really is Emperor Qi."

"But that's not the only reason."

"You can think about it some more."

...

...

"You and I both know how these past years have been."

Xiong Er stood up from his seat. Burly and well-built, he was a full head taller than Hu San, looking down at him.

"Pops is getting old."

"His way of thinking isn't aggressive enough, and his methods are outdated. Otherwise, our Plague wouldn't still be in this state after all these years."

"A few years ago, we might not have said anything, but we both understood what the other was thinking."

Hu San remained silent.

In truth, he and Xiong Er had held conversations like this many times in the past.

Back then, the two of them had agreed to jointly pressure Pops into abdicating.

It was only in recent years, when Papa Rat gradually began delegating power, that they had slowly backed off.

"Now Pops has finally figured it out," Xiong Er said softly.

"I also know you've been secretly contacting Councilor Liu for a while now."

"So... Council Member Li should rightly be mine, correct?"

Hu San laughed.

"Second Brother, how many shops do you actually control?"

"The council members need greater backing and ballots. Do you still not understand?"

"Or do you expect you can help them by running loansharking operations?"

"..."

"..."

Xiong Er's expression darkened. He reached out a hand large enough to palm half a basketball toward Hu San's shoulder.

Hu San's gaze flickered uncertainly.

But in the end, the massive hand stopped a few inches away from Hu San's shoulder.

"Let's go."

Xiong Er smiled and withdrew his hand.

"Don't make Pops wait. It would be pretty interesting if Council Member Li arrived before the two of us."

"..."

Watching Xiong Er's receding figure, Hu San's eyes flashed. Finally, he brushed the dust off his shoulder and followed after him.

The two pushed the door open and walked into the room, where they saw Yan Jing and Boss Rat already seated.

"Second Brother, Third Brother."

Yan Jing took the initiative to greet them.

"Yeah."

Xiong Er grunted an acknowledgment to Yan Jing first, then turned to Boss Rat.

"Pops, sorry I'm late."

Similarly, the trailing Hu San bowed slightly.

"Apologies, Pops, I'm late."

"Mm."

Boss Rat nodded. "Take a seat first."

The two sat down.

Boss Rat spoke.

"Have you thought it over? Regarding Council Member Li, have you two decided to accept him or not?"

"About that... Hehe, isn't that why we're here to talk?" Xiong Er chuckled.

"..."

Boss Rat's gaze remained calm.

"Don't tell me you haven't contacted Council Member Li privately in advance."

"If that's the case... there's no need to talk today."

"What is there to discuss if we know absolutely nothing about the man?"

"Ah, no." Realizing he had misspoken, Xiong Er immediately backtracked.

"That's not it, Pops. I remembered wrong just now. We have been in contact, we've contacted him before..."

"The terms offered by Council Member Li are much more generous than Councilor Liu's." Right then, Hu San's quiet voice spoke up.

"He promised that if he is re-elected this time, Plague can pay thirty percent less in taxes. And the reductions will all be on the gray industries, the kind that won't be investigated."

"Councilor Liu's offer was always twenty percent."

"And as for the industrial transition we've been wanting to make, he also said he could help connect us with certain people. What we are discussing today are the specific details of that matter."

Xiong Er's expression changed.

Hu San's performance made it seem like Xiong Er had fallen a step behind once again.

But Papa Rat did not praise Hu San. Instead, he asked slowly, "So the two of you have an asymmetry of information? You didn't negotiate together?"

"..."

At these words, Hu San's heart skipped a beat.

Papa Rat was about to say something else, but at that moment, the door to the outside opened.

Two men who looked like security guards escorted in a Homo sapiens who appeared to be in his fifties.

The man's hair was visibly dyed with black pomade, slicked tightly against his scalp and shining with oil. Although it was apparent his face had been maintained with biological agents, he still looked rather old.

The most unique thing about him was his right eye, which was a mechanical prosthetic.

Council Member Li.

Before the grand election concluded at the end of this month, he would remain a council member of the Reform Faction in Muke District.

"Council Member Li."

The group stood up and bowed slightly to him.

"Mm."

Council Member Li chuckled.

"Sorry about that, I'm late."

"It's fine, we arrived early."

Papa Rat smiled. "The host hasn't even taken his seat, yet we guests have already sat down."

"Hehe, it's no bother."

Council Member Li laughed. "We'll all be family later anyway, no need for formalities."

"I won't beat around the bush. I came here today mainly to discuss the upcoming grand election with all of you."

"To tell you the truth, I am very confident. I also know that Plague has been a model enterprise in our Muke District for many years now. Therefore, I wanted to come over early to discuss our future cooperation."

The implication between the lines wasn't that he hoped Plague would help him secure ballots, but rather that he would definitely become the council member for the next term, and was therefore coming in advance to look out for Plague.

"Thank you for your hard work."

This time, it was Xiong Lao'er who spoke first.

He felt he had seized the opportunity, acting a step faster than Hu San to subtly imply that he was now the one in charge of Plague.

Yan Jing pursed his lips.

Compared to his third brother, this second brother of his really was quite average in the brains department.

Regardless of whether it was his place to respond at this moment, blurting out a direct thank-you left absolutely no room to maneuver, making it blatantly obvious that he was eager to cooperate with Council Member Li.

It seemed like being a step ahead, but in reality, he had lost the initiative.

"Hehe."

Council Member Li smiled.

"Xiong Lao'er, I know of you. Not bad at all; the younger generation is truly formidable."

"Big Rat, you've raised these children of yours very well."

"You flatter me," Boss Rat smiled.

Soon, the negotiations began.

The bargaining chips Council Member Li threw out across the table were indeed generous, and the atmosphere was harmonious. Boss Rat didn't say a word the entire time, just joining Yan Jing in devouring the food in front of them.

Meanwhile, even a blind man could see the overt and covert struggles going on between Xiong Er and Hu San beside them.

Throughout the entire process, Hu San almost completely overpowered Xiong Er.

Just when Yan Jing thought the meeting was settled and Hu San had gained the upper hand, he didn't expect that right before leaving, Council Member Li would shake Xiong Er's hand.

"Xiong Lao'er is very good. I appreciate you, and I hope we have the chance to cooperate again in the future."

As his words fell, Hu San's expression visibly soured.

Before long, the banquet ended, and the group headed back.

In the car, halfway through the drive, the Rat sitting in the back seat suddenly spoke to Yan Jing in the passenger seat.

"The reason Emperor Qi was able to kill the three men wasn't because his scheme was profound."

"It was because all three of them were men who understood propriety, justice, integrity, and honor."

"If all three had been treacherous, cunning, and shameless, I'm afraid taking them down with just two peaches wouldn't have been so easy."

"Two peaches is too little. It couldn't move their hearts."

Yan Jing smiled.

"Understood. You're saying Second Brother and Third Brother are treacherous, cunning, and shameless."

"Screw you."

Boss Rat rolled his eyes.

"Your second and third brothers are just overly ambitious."

"So let me ask you those two questions from this morning again. If you want to divide two people, do you still think one peach is the correct answer?"

Thinking it over, Yan Jing nodded.

"It's still the correct answer."

Boss Rat laughed.

"Why is that?"

"Because the peach isn't important at all."

Yan Jing smiled faintly.

Hearing this, Boss Rat burst into loud laughter.

"Exactly!"

"Fuck, the biggest underhanded bastard of them all was Emperor Qi!"

"What made him a bastard wasn't that he secretly wanted to kill them but pretended he didn't."

"What made him a bastard was that this guy could have brought out furs worth a thousand gold or steeds that could run ten thousand li, yet he specifically brought out two measly peaches and made three mighty warriors fight to the bitter end!"

"Damn it, what value does a peach have? Five peaches are still peaches, and ten peaches are still peaches."

"Bah!"

As Boss Rat's voice faded, Yan Jing nodded. Now he completely understood.

Boss Rat wasn't Duke Jing of Qi at all.

Council Member Li was Duke Jing of Qi.