Chapter 326: Does Lord Song want to become my disciple?
Jiangnan is a prosperous and wealthy region. As the capital of Jiangnan, Yangzhou’s importance goes without saying. This is why Xu Zhengye chose to start his rebellion in Yangzhou.
In fact, long before Chang Suining recovered Yangzhou, many officials had already begun to secretly plan the distribution of power in Jiangnan for their own forces. Among these positions waiting to be "divided", the position of Jiangdu Governor was particularly eye-catching. It was indeed the most important one, and everyone wanted to compete for it.
In the eyes of these officials, this matter has not really been put on the agenda yet, but at this time, Chang Suining suddenly appeared and tried to seize the position of Jiangdu Governor!
And with such a domineering attitude! Yes, Yangzhou today is not the same as before. It has just been trampled by Xu Jun and still needs some time to rebuild and recover. It is even facing the danger of the Japanese army at this moment. No matter who goes to take office and become the governor of Jiangdu, he will inevitably face unprecedented pressure——
But personal pressure is pressure, and the imperial court will always protect Jiangdu at all costs. This is a national event. Why does it become a matter of personal ability for her?
Under such circumstances, who would say something like "As long as I am here, no one will dare to invade Jiangdu, and the Japanese army will never invade our country"? Does she know how much weight this sentence carries? Can she bear it alone? She has always been good at creating gimmicks, and has never followed the principle of "don't say too much". On the contrary, she always wants to say the most, go to the extreme, and do whatever it takes to attract people's attention...
But she had a precedent of making her lies come true, so there would always be fools willing to believe the lies that came out of her mouth.
It is conceivable that with her words weighing on his head, if someone else were to be the governor of Jiangdu, if Jiangdu, oh, not just Jiangdu, but the entire Huainan Road, the entire Yellow Sea and East China Sea...if something really went wrong in the future, then the governor who "replaced" her would become a sinner who hindered her "saving the world" and committed a grave sin!
With such a shadow hanging over his head, can anyone else sit in peace on the position of governor?
Moreover, what she forced others to stake was more than just a human head. It was clearly the lives and property of the people involved, their reputations and official positions, the good reputation of their descendants, and even the face of their family's ancestral graves, all of which were strung together and put on the fire!
Who is this annoying?
After serving as an official for half a lifetime, everyone has waded through countless open and covert struggles, but such an open and disgusting means of fighting for power... is something I have never seen before! Wei Shuyi was stunned for a long time, thinking carefully about the reasons behind this move, and then he also realized the immoral beauty contained in it: "If I can't do it, others can't live in peace either."
Listening to the extremely dissatisfied analysis and conversation of his colleagues beside him, Wei Shuyi also lowered his voice and joined them, saying in a tone of helping others: "General Ning Yuan's move is indeed a bit sinister, but it is not difficult to make her calculations fail..."
Several colleagues looked at Minister Wei, who was always wise.
He just said, "As long as the selection of the governor of Jiangdu can keep the south of the Yangtze River safe, what is there to be afraid of? No matter what she says, just ignore it."
“……”The expressions of those officials were uglier than if they had swallowed a hundred flies.
General Ningyuan, who is far away in Jiangdu, is already quite annoying, and now there is someone in front of them who helps to annoy them!
“As long as” the Jiangnan area can be kept safe?
An honest man lowered his voice and asked Wei Shuyi angrily: "Minister Wei said this, don't you know what Jiangnan is like now? How can one person guarantee this?"
Wei Shuyi's expression became more serious, and his voice became higher: "My Lords, you should know that it is precisely because the situation in Jiangnan is worrying that we need capable people to take up the positions... rather than those who want to occupy important positions but dare not take responsibility."
An official said: "Perhaps the ability of a 'capable person' is not just based on big talk!"
"Killing Xu Zhengye in 73 days, you all thought it was just a boast at first, didn't you?" Wei Shuyi said, "And regardless of whether General Ning Yuan was boasting this time, her name itself is a deterrent at this time - no matter how big or small this deterrent is, it is something that no one else can do or replace at the moment, and this is a fact before our eyes."
"At this moment, you gentlemen are not the kind of people who would take advantage of the situation to make a profit. Why do you insist on targeting a girl who is forced to do something because of her inconvenience, and thus develop prejudices against her, and ignore the real benefits she can bring to the overall situation of the country?"
Upon hearing this, some officials who truly took the overall situation into consideration frowned and thought deeply, remaining silent for a while.
Soon, Wei Shuyi stepped forward and advocated agreeing to this matter based on the pros and cons of the current situation.
When there is too much opposition to an event and the emperor has not expressed his opinion, as a close minister of the emperor, he needs to make different voices and seek a balance.
But what he said at this time came from his heart.
There was also Tutor Chu. Although he never formed factions, having too many disciples was a problem. After careful consideration, many officials expressed relatively tactfully that "the current situation is special and we cannot stick to the norm" and "the matter of appointing General Ningyuan as the governor of Jiangdu is worthy of careful discussion."
There were also many people who still held opposing views, but they were just opposing and had not yet nominated a specific candidate... With those offensive words in the past, who wouldn't have to think about it first? Looking at those ministers with different thoughts, the Emperor of the Holy Ce finally said: "Everyone has their own reasons for speaking. This matter concerns the stability of Jiangnan. I will carefully weigh it."
Without receiving a clear statement from the emperor, those opposing officials could only say "yes" although they were dissatisfied.
When the court was dismissed, many officials looked unhappy, but something more worthy of their anger was yet to come -
Historically, it has always been a taboo for women to openly express their ambition for real power in the eyes of the secular world and most men. This has not changed even if the current emperor is a woman. On the contrary, in the eyes of many officials who privately oppose the female emperor being in power and have never given up on letting the female emperor return power to the prince, the four words "a woman wanting power" are really an ominous sign.
As a result, due to the conflict of interests among various parties, more and more voices were raised discussing or criticizing this matter. These voices spread from the mouths of officials to the inner residences, and then through the mouths of the women and servants in the inner residences to the high walls of the mansions of the powerful.
Normally, such court disputes are not noticed by ordinary people. Firstly, the threshold is too high and it is not easy to understand. Secondly, if you accidentally violate any taboo, you may get into trouble.
But this incident broke this barrier, because the four characters "General Ningyuan" who were in the limelight were too close to ordinary people. In the streets and alleys, after dinner, they were eye-catching topics like "Whose sow gave birth to ten piglets?", "Which man secretly bought a prostitute, and the one he bought was a man?" and so on.
Therefore, not long after, an official, sitting in his official sedan chair after leaving court, could hear people on the street discussing the matter.
It would be fine if they were just discussing it seriously, but these ignorant people heard some kind of news from somewhere, and through rumors, it has become...
"Have you heard that the saint has appointed General Ningyuan as the governor of Jiangdu, and he will stay in Jiangdu to fight against the Japanese army?"
"Is he just the governor of Jiangdu? Why did I hear that he was appointed as the Grand Commander of Yangzhou?"
When the official in the sedan heard this, a mouthful of blood choked in his throat - ignorant and foolish people! Ignorant and foolish people!
However, when these people make "unwarranted comments", they always add a phrase "the saint is wise". At first glance, it seems like they are just words of praise. Even if officials want to intervene, they have no reason to do so.
A few days later, the storytellers in various teahouses also published their scripts based on this incident one after another - it's not that they only focus on writing about General Ning Yuan, but the fact is that the scripts about General Ning Yuan can attract their own audiences. There is even a joke in the industry that even if you let your own dog write it, as long as you mention General Ning Yuan's name, there will be no shortage of listeners!
Judging from this trend, as long as General Ningyuan's deeds continue, they can keep writing about them, and maybe they can ensure that they will have enough food and drink for the rest of their lives! On this day, the servant of the most popular storyteller in the capital quietly left the capital with a bag on his back and ventured to Jiangdu, just to bring back the latest material of General Ningyuan's beating of the Japanese army.
The news spread more and more widely, to the point that Song Xian and others who had just returned to Beijing from Luoyang could no longer tell the truth from the false.
Although there were some dangerous moments during this disaster relief trip, fortunately all the Miaomiao returned safely, which made Master Chu very pleased.
After arriving in the capital, Minister Zhan, who was in urgent need of some solitude to heal his body and mind, asked Tan Li and others to go home and change their clothes, and he went into the palace alone to meet the emperor.
After bidding farewell to Minister Zhan, the young and tireless Miaomiao could not help but discuss the rumors about the "Jiangdu Governor" that they had heard on the road.
"We are now officials in the court, and it is not appropriate for us to discuss this matter outside like ordinary people." Song Xian interrupted his colleagues' private talk.
Everyone was awakened and stopped talking about this topic in time. After bowing to each other, they went home.
Tan Li and Song Xianshang walked together for a while. On the way, Tan Li whispered curiously: "...Yang Zhi, tell me, what did you talk about with Madam Chang that day in Bianzhou?"
The day before Chang Suining left Bianzhou, Song Xian and Tan Li saw him off privately, and at the end Song Xian even asked Chang Suining to "borrow a word with him".
Tan Li had been curious for a long time, but he had never found a suitable opportunity to ask.
Seeing that Song Xian was silent for a while, Tan Li smiled and said kindly: "It's okay if it's inconvenient to say it, I just asked casually!"
"It's nothing inconvenient to say." Song Xian looked at a green willow tree at the entrance of the alley in front of him, and seemed to be back to the scene of bidding farewell to Chang Suining under the willow tree that day.
At that time, he bowed deeply to the other party.
"That day, I apologized to Madam Chang and thanked her." His voice was hoarse from fatigue from days of running around, but his expression and eyes were frank and clear.
Tan Li showed a look of realization, and then asked: "Does Madam Chang accept it?"
Song Xian said "hmm", paused for a moment, and then said: "Not only did he gladly accept it, he also asked me..."
She also asked seriously: "Does Mr. Song want to become my disciple now?"
Song Xian, who was silent for a moment at that time, repeated what he said now.
Tan Li was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "...Then how did you answer, Yang Zhi?"
"My Yan..." Although Song Xian no longer looked down on a little girl when thinking about her becoming his teacher, he still had some normal emotions. His face turned red at this moment. "My Yan, when she returns to Beijing, we will hold a banquet to celebrate her apprenticeship."
After all, the atmosphere was right at that time, and if he refused, it would seem that his apology was insincere.
Tan Li laughed again, as if he was ready to enjoy the feast, but then he felt sorry and patted Song Xian on the shoulder: "...It's a pity that Teacher Yang Zhi will probably stay in Jiangdu to fight against the Japanese army. I'm afraid he won't be able to come back for a while...I can only owe him this feast for apprenticeship."
Song Xian forced a smile that he wasn't sure whether it was one of relief or worry.
After parting with Song Xian, Tan Li returned to his residence and met his parents who had been brought to the capital from the countryside by someone.
When the Tan family's parents saw their son who brought honor to the family, their eyes were filled with tears of joy.
The couple took their son into the room to talk, and asked with concern and curiosity about what Tan Li had seen and heard during his trip to Luoyang for disaster relief.
Tan Li then took off his bag, opened it, took out a purse, and poured out a pile of silver.
The Tan family's parents, who had never seen so much money, were immediately shocked. How could they help with disaster relief and end up enriching themselves?! Although... although I've heard that once a person becomes an official, it's easy for him to lose his original intention, but his son was corrupted too quickly, too hastily! The glory of the family hasn't even passed yet, how could he just rush to confiscate the family property and exterminate the clan?!
Father Tan took off his sandals with great sorrow and spat on the soles of his sandals. Just as he was about to beat his son, he heard the son dodging and shouting, "...I earned all this with my own ability!"
Tan's mother was already wiping away tears: "Son, which corrupt official doesn't think so?"
"No, no..." Tan Li ran away, holding his head in his hands, saying, "This is what my son earned from his colleagues!"
During this disaster relief trip, he copied down a manual that contained everything from topography to the ways of being an official, in great detail. His colleagues were afraid of falling behind him, so they had no choice but to spend money to buy peace of mind.
He himself had never expected such a way to make a fortune! ...
On the other hand, after reporting to the emperor, Minister Zhan went to the Ministry of Rites and reported to the Grand Tutor: "I have finally lived up to your trust and brought them all back..."
It’s just that Minister Zhan himself looked a little tired - he looked just like a woman who had just given birth and was nursing a dozen babies.
This expression made the usually strict Master Chu unable to bear to say any more provocative words, and he urged people to go back and wash up and rest.
But to be honest, Master Chu felt that the fact that the people were able to return safely could not be attributed entirely to the abilities of Minister Zhan and those Miaomiao...
It had to be his student. If it weren't for his student who secretly helped those Central Plains nobles to find a glimmer of hope, those nobles would have been killed and would have fought back madly, destroying themselves along with them.
Sometimes, leaving a way out for others is actually leaving a way out for yourself.
It is said that Li Xian, who had initially not intended to leave any chance of survival for those aristocratic families, seemed to have returned to the capital today.
At this time, Li Xian was kneeling before the emperor and asking for forgiveness.
He "admitted" that he had acted inappropriately when he was in Luoyang, which had aroused dissatisfaction among scholars all over the world and was indeed a big mistake.
Finally, he knocked his head to the ground and said, "...Xian did not behave properly. Please punish me, aunt."
Thank you all for your monthly tickets, good night~ (End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
