Chapter 398 The Cui Family
Cui Jie, with his grandson in tow, entered the main hall and glanced at the people seated around him. When he saw the Xie family with their entire family, a knowing look flashed in his eyes.
Then, with his grandson, he bowed to the King of Chu and said, "This humble subject, Cui Jie, also known as Cui Zheng, pays his respects to Your Majesty."
The King of Chu sat on the throne and raised his hand to the two men: "Mr. Cui, please don't stand on ceremony, please rise."
Cui Jie, holding his grandson's hand, stood up and glanced at Qi Rong, who was sitting upright in the middle: "It's been many months since we last met. Is the young master well?"
Qi Rong stood up and cupped his hands in greeting to the two men: "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Cui. I'm fine."
After Cui Jie finished speaking, he patted his grandson's head. Cui Zheng blinked his big eyes and looked at Lin Changning. Suddenly, he bowed to the man and said, "Cui Zheng greets Master. Is Master in good health?"
Upon seeing Cui Zheng enter, Lin Changning knew that the people from the Cui family were probably not ordinary. However, he did not expect that Zheng, at such a young age, would also come along.
A knowing glint flashed in the King of Chu's eyes as he turned to look at Lin Changning: "Changning has a connection with the Cui family?"
Lin Changning stepped forward and bowed to the King of Chu, about to answer, when Cui Jie interrupted him, saying:
"Your Highness, my Cui family does indeed have a connection with Mr. Lin. A few months ago, my son was guarding the city on the frontier when an accident happened. Now, only Ah Zheng is left in the family. The reason Ah Zheng was able to survive is thanks to the rescue by Lord Lin and the young master. Before leaving, the lord even gave my Ah Zheng a boxing manual to strengthen his body. My Cui family is extremely grateful."
The King of Chu gave an "oh," knowing that he was aware of these matters. The Cui family seemed to be there to surrender, judging from their manner of speaking. He glanced at Lin Changning and then looked at Cui Zheng.
Lin Changning received a signal from the King of Chu and stepped forward to help Cui Zheng up. He patted the child's head and said with a smile, "How is A-Zheng's boxing practice going?"
Cui Zheng cupped his hands in greeting, looking at Lin Changning with excitement in his eyes, and said, "Ah Zheng hasn't slacked off; he has a master to practice with every day!"
The King of Chu watched the interaction between the two with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes. He waved his hand and said, "Go and invite Mr. Cui to the banquet."
Cui Jie shook his head and looked at the King of Chu who suddenly pulled Cui Zheng to kneel down: "Your Highness, I, Cui Jie, have come here today with my grandson. First, to express my gratitude to the Crown Prince and Lord Lin for saving us a few months ago. Second, to pledge my allegiance to Your Highness."
A look of surprise appeared on the King of Chu's face at just the right moment: "What do you mean by that?"
Cui Jie suddenly burst into tears, wiped them away with his sleeve, and then passionately declared:
"I am deeply saddened by the misfortune of my family, the death of my eldest son, leaving only my young grandson. I am grateful to the soldiers under the command of the Prince for rescuing me from danger. This kindness is like a second birth, and I and my clan will never forget it."
Now I hear that Your Highness has taken a righteous step to secure the nation, which is in accordance with Heaven and the people's will. Although I am not talented, I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse: I will offer 10,000 shi of grain and 30,000 taels of silver to help with the military supplies; my entire clan of 100 people has abandoned our old house and moved to the fiefdom, vowing to advance and retreat with Your Highness.
"I am old, but my heart remains devoted to loyalty and righteousness. My young grandson is still alive; I will surely teach him to be grateful for the Prince's kindness for generations to come. If I am fortunate enough to be accepted into your service, I am willing to serve you with utmost loyalty, even unto death."
Lin Changning sighed inwardly. No wonder the Cui and Xie families were century-old families; they could cry on cue and put on an act as if they wanted to, giving them a performance of shedding tears on the spot.
It seemed that the King of Chu was about to put on an act. The Xie family members watched as the prince appeared quite moved, while the three elders at the head of the clan gritted their teeth and watched Cui Jie's impassioned speech.
He cursed the Cui family in his heart, calling them shameless old foxes!
The Xie family arrived first, and the Cui family followed right after—it's disgusting!
They talk a good game, saying that someone under the prince's command saved his young grandson, and that he only came to seek refuge because the King of Chu was powerful. What a show!
The King of Chu sighed and rose from his seat. He then joined hands with the head of the Cui family, their eyes filled with tears as they looked at each other.
"Knowing your loyalty and righteousness, I am deeply moved and admire you. Saving your young grandson was the duty of a soldier, yet you took it to heart and donated grain and money, with your entire clan following suit. This shows your sincerity."
I raised this banner of righteousness not for personal gain, but because the nation is in decline, treacherous officials are in power, and the people are suffering terribly. Now, with your assistance, we are like birds with wings, and with ample provisions, we can accomplish great things.
The donated funds have been received by the treasury; the clansmen have been relocated, and I have instructed my officials to make proper arrangements for them, so there is no need to worry about their food, clothing, or lodging.
I hope you will raise your young grandson well and teach him loyalty and righteousness. When you achieve your goals, you should reward him accordingly, so as not to have failed in your efforts today.
The two old foxes exchanged a glance, and Cui Jie wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and suddenly said, "Your Highness, I happened to see the Xie family here today, the old Mr. Xie and the others?"
The prince cleared his throat and said, "Because the imperial court issued a warrant for their arrest, the Xie family suffered injustice. We rescued them and they have come to serve us."
Cui Jie looked at the Xie family with a sudden realization and nodded: "Master Xie must have donated a lot of grain and money..."
Elder Xie gritted his teeth, knowing that this Cui fellow had no good intentions and was trying to sow discord in the Xie family as soon as he arrived.
Elder Xie quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands towards the King of Chu, and said, "The Xie family is willing to donate 40,000 taels of silver and 15,000 dan of grain to contribute to Your Highness's grand plan. However, some assets have not yet been moved to Taiyuan, so it will probably be next month before we can deliver the money to Your Highness."
A hint of satisfaction flashed in the King of Chu's eyes. He was very pleased with the Cui family's provocation of the Xie family, which had prompted the Xie family to provide more tangible benefits. He couldn't help but admire the head of the Cui family even more.
"It's alright,"
After leading the two to their seats and settling them in, he noticed Cui Zheng's polite and well-mannered manner, which was particularly endearing. He picked Cui Zheng up and said, "Ah Zheng is so lovable. Have you been studying this year?"
Cui Zheng was held in the arms of the King of Chu, a hint of shyness flashing across his face.
"After reading it, Grandpa is now teaching Mencius."
Cui Jie watched as his grandson was held in the arms of the King of Chu, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes as he sat at the head of the table.
Since the family has already decided to dedicate their entire resources to assisting the King of Chu, the closer the King of Chu is to his grandson, the better.
Thinking of this, Cui Jie bowed to the King of Chu again: "There is one more thing I need to tell Your Highness. I will take Zheng'er and the grain and silver ahead. The rest of the Cui family members are on their way. Because it will take some time to organize the books in the family, the family members will probably not be able to reach Taiyuan for another half a month. The grain and silver are now outside the city. Your Highness will need to find someone to receive them when the time comes."
The King of Chu nodded: "It's alright. I'm sure Mr. Cui and A-Zheng must be very tired from their journey. They can stay at the palace for the next few days. Changning is currently teaching Mingxiu and Mingde martial arts, and A-Zheng can join them."
The Xie family elders below, seeing how much the King of Chu favored Cui Zheng, were practically grinding their teeth in anger.
"It's just a cute doll, isn't it? The Xie family has one too." Thinking this, the three elders of the Xie family suddenly stepped forward and bowed to the King of Chu: "Your Highness, we have not yet seen the child Yongzhou today. May we see him?"
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