"Prince Gong forming an alliance with Da Xing? Would that not be like bargaining with a tiger for its skin? Easy to invite a god, hard to send it away—does he not fear getting himself swallowed whole? In my opinion, he would never be so foolish!" Tong Shunmin shook his head; if it were him, he would never do such a thing.
"Indeed! But it is still better than losing his life, is it not? Moreover, he has no shortage of choices—there is still Prince Jing. Anything is possible; we cannot sit and wait until they have already formed an alliance before we think of a countermeasure, that would be far too passive."
Gu Chengyu felt that, given Prince Gong's temperament, it was entirely possible he might truly ally with Prince Jing. The man possessed the bearing of a would‑be hegemon, his thinking was far from pedantic.
"Prince Jing? Hearing you say so, I too find it quite likely. Only, how can Lord Gu Siqing be certain Da Xing will agree to open mutual markets?"
