Chapter 50
"Do you want to bring your family to Yichun?" asked the general.
"Yes." Yao Chunnuan repeated what she had said to Chen earlier. "I'm very grateful to the General for placing me in such a position and not hiding my achievements just because I'm a woman, allowing me to receive the corresponding honors. I'm now somewhat well-known, but this has its pros and cons. General, you're not without enemies either, and I believe that as your power grows, more and more people will want to kill me. I live in a military settlement, so it's difficult for the enemy to deal with me, but my family has no one to protect them. That's why I came up with this idea, and I hope the General will agree to it."
He looked at her deeply and asked, "Are you optimistic about my future development?"
Yao Chunnuan nodded, not avoiding his gaze. Even though his ambitions in that area hadn't fully sprouted yet, couldn't he not think about the path he wanted to take in his dreams? If he thought about it enough, he'd have some idea of what he wanted to do.
"The general's ability is obvious to all, and I trust my judgment."
"I'm worried about the Third Prince. My family is too close to him."
The general pondered. The suburbs of Beijing are indeed not far from the capital, but is Zhenjiang Prefecture far from the capital? The distance is a little far, but under heaven, all land belongs to the king.
"My family is my weak spot. I want to protect them under my wing. I can't let them become my enemies' leverage. I'm doing this as a precaution to avoid any future regrets if something goes wrong."
The general's heart trembled, and then he agreed to her request. This was the first request she had made since joining the company, and it wasn't difficult to do. "It's just that the roads are difficult to travel on in the middle of winter. I'm afraid it will take quite a while to go back and forth."
"It doesn't matter, as long as we bring the person here safely." After saying this, Yao Chunnuan wanted to go back. But when she reached the door, she thought for a moment and paused. She turned back and said to the general, "General, do you want to send a memorial to the capital, showing weakness to the Third Prince and filing a complaint?"
Yao Chunnuan's topic was so jumpy that Xing Changfeng was stunned for a moment before he realized what she was talking about. "What do you mean?"
"I think Marshal Zhu will definitely not quietly apply for a number for us. He will definitely do something secretly. The simplest and most effective way is to put the general on the fire."
Xing Changfeng said to Wu Zong who was standing beside him, "Go and invite Yu Chen over."
This was something to discuss, so Manager Wu left quickly.
After giving the order, Xing Changfeng silently took out a secret letter and pushed it in her direction.
Yao Chunnuan was stunned for a moment, then took two steps forward and took out the opened secret letter to read it. She found that what was said in the letter was exactly what she had just said.
The shogunate was not far from here, and soon Yu Chen and General Wu returned.
The general told him what Yao Chunnuan had just suggested he do, that he should file a complaint with the Third Prince.
Yao Chunnuan added, "We have to make the benefits we have taken from Marshal Zhu clear with the court." She always felt that even if they didn't say these things, the Third Prince might know about it.
Yu Chen said, "Isn't it a bit late to complain now?"
"Delay has its advantages." With such well-informed information, what was he trying to do? To irritate the Third Prince's sensitive nerves? "The Third Prince will surely guess that we have reached some kind of agreement with Marshal Zhu. Our belated complaint can be interpreted as a sign that we were unaware of the agreement and he's still being dishonest."
This explanation works.
Yu Chen also agreed with Yao Chunnuan's suggestion of showing weakness to the Third Prince. "Given our current situation, our business is quite large and needs time to develop. I think it's appropriate to show weakness to the Third Prince."
Yao Chunnuan sincerely felt that their current foundation was a bit weak. While they had the potential to grow into a major power, wouldn't that take time? They should just slowly grow and develop, instead of stubbornly confronting the Third Prince. After all, it was just a matter of submitting a few memorials to show weakness, and they didn't have to kowtow personally. Yao Chunnuan felt this was a good deal.
Manager Wu couldn't help but ask, "Will he believe it?"
Yao Chunnuan said, "What does it matter whether they believe it or not?" As long as they express their opinions and the other party doesn't stare at them, it will be fine.
Yu Chen also nodded. "Yes, to put it bluntly, in his eyes, we are just a minor problem to the Third Prince, not a serious threat. He won't pay too much attention to us."
Yes, Yichun is not in the heart of the Central Plains and is not within the range that the Third Prince is eyeing.
To the loyal ministers who were wholeheartedly concerned about the interests of the Liang Kingdom, the Third Prince was a terrifying and disgusting devil. Many people were engaging in a battle of wits and courage with him, both openly and covertly.
In Yao Chunnuan's view, the Third Prince was like a whack-a-mole player, hitting any of his opponents who showed up. All they had to do was show weakness, lowering his guard against them. Without getting noticed, they could focus on developing themselves.
The two aides made it clear that showing weakness had so many advantages, and not showing weakness might just be a hindrance to others. The general knew the choice with a single thought. However, he still had a very bad impression of the Third Prince.
Yao Chunnuan noticed that he really didn't like the Third Prince, and couldn't help but laugh secretly. Loyal ministers like wise rulers, while rebellious ministers like incompetent rulers, so don't have a bad impression of the Third Prince. You can only fish in troubled waters. Maybe in the future you will be grateful for his existence and his messing around.
Once the decision is made, it's time to execute it. The general immediately wrote a memorial, and Wu, the chief steward, went to collect the gold. You have to give a reward for making a complaint, otherwise, no one will listen to you even if you just make a random complaint. Well, the gold we robbed from Marshal Zhu's secret vault last time was of very good quality. That's it!
Yao Chunnuan reminded Butler Wu, "By the way, the person who has the most say around the Third Prince is his confidant Yan Zaichun, right? Don't forget to take care of him." If he is taken care of, with his help and encouragement, things will get twice the result with half the effort!
Yu Chen looked at her and asked, "How come you are so skilled at this kind of thing?"
Yao Chunnuan looked back at him innocently. Could she say that this was the experience she gained from giving gifts in her later life?
There was nothing else to do, so the two left the shogun's study and returned to the shogunate.
Chief Steward Wu took the memorial written by the general and handed it and the gold to the secret guards, asking them to deliver it to the capital as quickly as possible.
After finishing this, Wu Zongguan thought of Yao Chunnuan's request to fetch the others. "Master Yao has given us a heads-up. Should we also send someone back to Zhenjiang Prefecture to fetch the master, his wife, and the others?"
"Take it." The general nodded.
"Then I'll arrange it right away." Manager Wu thought about it and simply asked the middle and senior management of the military settlement if there was anyone else who needed to bring their relatives over, and arranged for them all at once.
*******
I've accomplished two things today, and it's been another day filled with a sense of accomplishment. Yao Chunnuan looked up at the sky and decided not to go back to work. She planned to take a stroll towards the new recruits' camp before leaving.
As soon as she walked out the door, she met the recruiter who had returned from recruiting soldiers, and he brought some new recruits with him.
The military chief greeted her, "Good afternoon, Chief Secretary Yao."
Yao Chunnuan nodded to them and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Yao Chunnuan took Xiao Jieming and Gui Qi past them and walked towards the new recruits' camp.
"Who is that?" the newcomer asked boldly.
"That's our Chief Secretary Yao." The military leader said proudly.
The newcomer was surprised, "You have female officers here?"
"She's not a female official. She's a staff member. Yao Shubo is the second-ranking staff member in the Shogun's office."
"Is it amazing?"
"Very impressive." After saying that, the leader took the opportunity to teach the newcomer, "Do your best when you come in. If you do well, you can get ahead."
The new recruit nodded excitedly, believing his words without a doubt. In this military settlement, even women with abilities could be promoted. What else did they have to worry about? Just work hard, and as long as they tried their best, they would have the opportunity to be promoted!
Before he knew it, Yao Chunnuan had become a role model for the general's unconventional approach to employing people based on their talents.
As soon as Yao Chunnuan arrived at the recruit camp, she saw Aunt Yun and Old Man Luo picking up wood chips.
Seeing an acquaintance, she walked over and asked, "Aunt Yun, Father Luo, how have you two been lately?"
When Aunt Yun saw her, she nodded quickly and said, "Life is much better now than before. A few days ago, my family received 300 kilograms of grain, all thanks to the general." When there were rumors that the military farms were short of food, they were really worried.
For prisoners doing labor, the monthly food ration for men is 30 kilograms, for women it is 25 kilograms, and for children it is 15 kilograms. These are all coarse grains, which can be exchanged for fine grains, but then the amount of food they receive will be even less.
Her family of four—she, her two sons, and her granddaughter—received 100 kilograms of grain per month. Three months later, that's 300 kilograms. The grain distributed this time was of better quality than before, with one-tenth, or 30 kilograms, of fine grain.
When they learned that the military settlement had distributed fine grain to them, even though it only accounted for a small portion, they were still very excited. God knows how long it has been since they had eaten fine grain. Now, these 30 kilograms of fine grain had been carefully stored by her and him. This fine grain could save lives in times of famine. One kilogram of fine grain could be exchanged for more than two or three kilograms of coarse grain. They had tasted the benefits of changing masters at the military settlement.
Luo Lao Dad disagreed with her words, "It's not that the military settlement is good because the owner has changed, it's the general who is good." If it were someone else, he would still not care about their life or death during the labor.
Aunt Yun nodded repeatedly, "Yes, that's right."
Yao Chunnuan knew that the rations given to the prisoners were not much, consisting of coarse grains with husks and shells, and that they would have to discard a quarter or a fifth of the husks and shells. But many people were reluctant to even throw away the husks and shells. The husks and shells could be ground into powder or bran, then cooked into a paste, which would fill their stomachs. But this was the reality of the military settlements, and even some civilians outside lived the same way, so she had no choice.
Yao Chunnuan asked them again, "Are you tired of repairing the house in the middle of winter?"
"Now we work three days and have one day off, so we feel relieved even if we are tired." Repairing a house is hard work, so how can it not be tiring? But since they can have one day off after working for three days, they have hope in their hearts and work faster.
"Work hard, and your life will get better and better." Yao Chunnuan encouraged them before going to inspect elsewhere.
As soon as Yao Chunnuan left, another laborer squatted over to ask them curiously, "Uncle Luo and Aunt Yun, I saw the person you were chatting with just now. She came on patrol with guards following her. Do you know her?"
"Of course I know her. You guys came late and didn't know that she came from our labor camp and is now the chief clerk in the General's Mansion..."
"She's also doing convict labor?"
"Yes, she didn't commit any crime herself. She was implicated by her husband's family..."
*******
When Xing Changfeng's memorial arrived, the Third Prince was looking at Marshal Zhu's memorial applying for a new designation and was unhappy.
Marshal Zhu used the method of flattery in his memorial. He praised Xing Changfeng again and again. At the end of the memorial, he lamented that it was not easy for him as an old man, and asked the Third Prince to approve his request.
Marshal Zhu didn't dare mention the change of ownership of the Yichun military settlement, with Xing Changfeng becoming its master. He feared that if he did, the Third Prince would become overly wary of Xing Changfeng, and the title would be rejected. He still had to complete the application for the title. If he failed, and Xing Changfeng went mad, he would worry about the safety of his other two secret vaults. In short, his plan was to get the title approved, and at the same time, hope that Xing Changfeng's excellence would arouse the Third Prince's fear and lead him to suppress him.
At this time, confidant Yan Zaichun walked in, followed by a guard carrying a box.
"Third Prince, Xing Changfeng also sent a letter. Look, this box of gold was also sent by him."
The third prince first took a look at the gold before picking up the secret letter and reading it.
After reading it, he handed it to Yan Zaichun, "What does this Xing Changfeng mean?"
Yan Zaichun finished reading it and laughed, "He's begging for mercy and showing weakness. Bringing such a fierce tiger to the military settlement is indeed inappropriate."
The Third Prince was skeptical. "Will there be an explosion? Your Highness had him transferred away from the Northern Territory before. Will he bear a grudge for this?"
"That's all old news. I heard that right after he arrived in Yichun, Zhu Yucheng took him to the Yichun Military Settlement. Before he even arrived, Zhu Taicheng nearly emptied the military settlement's warehouses. That really offended him. In comparison, Zhu Yucheng is certainly the more despicable. Besides, Your Highness, you're the sovereign and he's the subject. He has to accept this humiliation whether he wants or not!"
"And look at Zhu Yucheng's memorial. Throughout it, he seems to be madly hoping that Your Highness will get rid of Xing Changfeng, yet he feels the urge to apply for a number on Xing Changfeng's behalf. It seems that Xing Changfeng has a hold on Zhu Yucheng."
The third prince nodded. It was obvious that these two people didn't get along.
Yan Zaichun held the pure gold in his hand and said with a smile, "Since Xing Changfeng has sent a letter to Your Highness to show weakness, this is also an opportunity to show mercy. Your Highness might as well agree to it. Let them fight each other and check each other, isn't that good?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
