When the elder spoke, Jiang Yushu stopped and raised her hand, saying, "It's windy outside. Father, please come into the hall and sit down to talk."
Jiang Shisen walked into the hall as he was told, "Hmm."
"What's the matter? Please ask." This trip was hasty and there was no maid accompanying them. The servants were all busy preparing for New Year's Eve. Jiang Yushu lowered her head and made tea herself.
Jiang Shisen twirled his beard, looking thoughtful. He asked first, "Where's Wenfeng? Has he taken people out to search for Miss Du again?"
Jiang Yushu shook her head. "That wasn't the case this time. It was the local county magistrate who was so enthusiastic that he insisted on hosting a welcoming banquet, repeatedly inviting us. My cousin was so pestered that he went."
"How could the county magistrate be so enthusiastic? He's just taking the opportunity to curry favor." Jiang Shisen said indifferently, "On the way north, my father was often invited repeatedly by local officials. Because it was inconvenient to attend the banquet, he always had an excuse to decline. Today, Wen Feng should not have attended the local county magistrate's banquet."
Jiang Yushu served tea and asked tentatively, "Are you worried that Magistrate Sun is trying to curry favor with your cousin and then use him to get close to you?"
"In official circles, currying favor and climbing the social ladder are commonplace, and socializing is inevitable," Jiang Shisen explained, taking the tea. "But right now, my father is an imperial envoy, and my every word and action is being scrutinized by countless eyes. Rumors are terrifying, so I have to be cautious. That's why I haven't been so hasty in attending banquets."
"Wenfeng has outstanding literary talent, is diligent and motivated, and is a promising talent. But his shortcoming is that he still has a bookish air and is thin-skinned. He often softens his heart when outsiders beg him earnestly. If this continues, he will suffer sooner or later." Jiang Shisen was worried.
Jiang Yushu sat down and comforted him, "No one is perfect, and my cousin is still young. After a few more years of experience, he will surely become more mature."
"Young?" Jiang Shisen frowned and twirled his beard, feeling disappointed. "Honglei is three or four years younger than him, but he's much more stable and decisive. If it were Honglei, he definitely wouldn't tolerate unreasonable and troublesome people! Humph, those troublemakers from the Du family clearly knew your cousin was soft-hearted and kept pestering him."
Jiang Yushu was stunned for a moment, then thought for a moment before giving a fair assessment: "Civil servants and military officers have different responsibilities. Honglei guards the border, and when facing enemy soldiers, he must not show mercy; he must be tough and decisive. Meanwhile, my cousin is in charge of patrolling and arresting thieves. He usually faces civilians, and even when interrogating suspects, he must abide by the relevant laws. When Miss Du disappeared, her brother reported it to the authorities, and my cousin arranged for a search. There's nothing wrong with that."
"That being said, but—never mind." Jiang Shisen sighed. "Honglei is the young head of the family and has experienced many hardships. He is indeed more stable than ordinary people. In comparison, Wenfeng lacks experience and is a bit reckless."
Jiang Yushu nodded in agreement, "So, there's no need to compare."
"Alas, Wenfeng's handling of the missing persons case was inappropriate." Jiang Shisen was worried about the younger generation and lamented, "He's already engaged to the daughter of Prefect Ji. Before the wedding, some 'Miss Du' suddenly appeared. What will the Ji family think? I, your father, advised him to hand the case over to his subordinates, but he insisted on investigating it himself."
"Yushu, tell me the truth. Is there an affair between Wenfeng and Miss Du?" Jiang Shisen looked at his eldest daughter suspiciously, and said seriously, "You are all grown up now. Don't help each other deceive your elders like you did when you were little."
Jiang Yushu was at a loss for words and quickly shook her head, "How dare I? I absolutely wouldn't dare!"
"To be honest, I'm not familiar with Miss Du, so I can't comment on her. But my cousin isn't a womanizer. How could a young and promising official like him destroy his reputation? From my initial observation, Miss Du was initially wishful thinking. As for what happened later, I have no idea."
"Of course it's wishful thinking!"
Jiang Shisen has always been very particular about propriety and despises women who don't follow the rules. "She dares to pester a man. She's clearly shameless. She's dreaming of marrying Wen Feng! Even if there was an affair, she was the one who initiated it. Alas, I heard that she even took advantage of Wen Feng's drunkenness to secretly get close to him—" He paused abruptly and cleared his throat. "In short, you should never associate with people like that. It's detrimental to your status."
There are some things that are inconvenient to discuss in detail between father and daughter. Jiang Yushu understood and replied awkwardly: "I know."
"Hmph, that kind of restless woman is shameless. She deserves her own disappearance. Why are you still looking for her? It's not worth Wen Feng's personal investigation at all." The young man didn't listen to advice. Jiang Shisen was angry and worried, fearing that he would be bewitched by women.
How could relatives not be anxiously searching for a missing person? Jiang Yushu hesitated to speak, then changed her mind and remained silent. On New Year's Eve, she didn't want to argue with her father.
Jiang Shisen took a sip of tea and turned to official business. "By the way, I've carefully read the charter you drafted several times and annotated it. Take it back later and revise it. Then show it to me when you're done."
Recently, my father became a teacher and taught his eldest daughter everything he knew, wishing he could pass on all his river experience to her in an instant.
Jiang Yushu subconsciously sat up straight. "Great! Thank you, father, for your guidance. I'm glad you're here. Otherwise, I really don't know how to deal with Magistrate Sun and General Song. They always think I know something about river engineering and water conservancy. In fact, it's like a mountain between two different fields. I know nothing about it."
"Deal with it?" Jiang Shisen smiled helplessly and warned: "The opportunity to make a contribution has come, you must seize it."
Jiang Yushu was stunned. "If Runhe can successfully introduce Tu Ning, all the credit should go to the local garrison and the county government. Why should I compete with them for the credit?"
"Why? Because you also contributed!" Jiang Shisen said confidently.
"I just talked and wrote. I will return to Xicang after the New Year. The actual work will be completed by the garrison and the county government. If you think about it carefully, I can't say I have made any contribution."
Jiang Shisen was anxious, and once again he felt very disappointed. "Who said it's not a contribution? If you want to be promoted as an official, it's not enough to just work hard. You must learn how to socialize and ask for rewards. Once the canal is dug, you will have a legitimate opportunity to show off—" He stopped talking, looked at his daughter, and said regretfully:
"Forget it. If you're not comfortable showing up in public, forget about socializing and managing things. Just focus on your work. I'll teach you how to ask for credit and rewards later."
Jiang Yushu wasn't afraid of public appearances, but rather disliked socializing. She readily responded, "Thank you, father, for your guidance, but don't force anything. Please don't force yourself. To me, stability is far more important than fame and fortune."
"It's natural."
"Oh, Yushu, if you were a son, how wonderful it would be!" Jiang Shisen sighed with emotion, "If you were the eldest son, the eldest son who had already established a family and a career, my worries as a father would be greatly reduced."
Jiang Yushu was silent for a moment. "My brothers have been filial and diligent in their studies since they were young. Why should father be so worried? Mingcheng is already grown up. It's time to arrange a marriage for him. First he should get married and then he can start a career."
"Getting married isn't difficult, but the hard part is passing the imperial examination." Jiang Shisen, with his temples graying and his beard twirling with worry, said solemnly, "Although your brother is filial, his talent is mediocre. I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to pass the imperial examination and become an official."
Jiang Yushu thought for a moment and said, "If it really doesn't work, my family can only help them donate money to build a future."
"It's the only way. Everything must be done while I'm still here. Otherwise, who will they rely on?"
Jiang Shisen was frustrated and sighed. "I came from a poor family, and my parents died young. Back then, I studied hard for nearly twenty years, finally passing the imperial examination and providing a comfortable and respectable life for my wife and children. Your brothers have been carefree since childhood, focusing on their studies. But not only have they failed to surpass me, they're even worse than me."
"Oh, strange, what's the logic behind this!"
Nominally father and daughter, but in reality, they had no relationship at all… Jiang Yushu felt a complex and difficult situation. She listened patiently and comforted him, “Don’t be too anxious. Be patient. With enough time, I believe the Mingcheng brothers will have a bright future.”
"I hope so." Jiang Shisen kept talking and speaking from the heart. He treated his eldest daughter less as a daughter and more as a son.
The father and daughter discussed for half a day before they dispersed. Pei Wenfeng returned in the afternoon and was immediately called by her uncle, who gave him a heartfelt lecture.
The next day is New Year’s Eve.
The annual festival of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new is celebrated by the whole country, and the guards are no exception.
Apart from the routine patrol, there is no need for training today, and the dinner is much more sumptuous than usual.
The generals gathered in the commander's tent, drinking tea instead of wine, with cakes and fruits on the table. They chatted lively and laughed.
Song Jikun, the commander, sat at the head of the table, sipping his tea leisurely. He glanced around the room, frowned slightly, turned around, and asked in a low voice, "Where are Tong Jing and Hong Lei?"
The confidant came closer and answered, "Everyone has gone down to ask their subordinates."
"Everyone else has already expressed their condolences, why are they taking so long?"
The confidant replied vaguely: "I don't know."
"Tsk, are we going to argue again?" Song Jikun felt a headache and stood up and said, "Oh, I've been sitting for a long time. I need to stretch my legs and get some fresh air." After saying this, he raised his hand to stop them.
"You don't have to follow me, just keep having fun."
The generals sat down as instructed and continued eating, drinking and chatting. "Yes!"
Two minutes ago, the training ground
Enemies meet on a narrow road, and Guo Honglei and Tong Jing happen to meet again.
Each side brought a few personal soldiers, and both disliked the other.
"Oh?" Tong Jing secretly clenched his fists, with a forced smile, and asked with concern: "Your wife and children are in the city, why don't you ask for leave? Your wife took the trouble to come to Tuning to visit you, and you actually didn't accompany her for the New Year's Eve dinner? Oh, this is too much."
The north wind blew like a knife, causing the hem of Guo Honglei's robe to flutter. He pressed the hilt of his knife and replied with a smile, "We've already had the reunion dinner. My wife is very understanding and always advised me to focus on my official duties."
"Haha, your Excellency Madam is truly wise!" Tong Jing laughed dryly, swallowed a few snowflakes, and spat them out.
Guo Honglei looked calm and raised his hand, saying, "The general is hosting a banquet tonight, and we shouldn't be late. Captain Tong, please."
"What's the rush?" Tong Jing had lost three matches in a row that day, a disgrace he considered a profound disgrace and vowed to avenge. He began to twist his wrists. "It's so cold today, my whole body is numb from the cold. How about we have a fight?"
Guo Honglei sighed: "Today is New Year's Eve——"
"What's wrong with New Year's Eve? There aren't so many rules in the army. Tsk, Master Guo, stop being so picky!" Tong Jing was a skilled martial artist, a brave warrior, and a hot-tempered man known for his arrogance. He asked provocatively, "Don't you dare compete?"
Guo Honglei couldn't help but frown. When he was thinking about how to refuse, a loud and sharp horn sounded suddenly not far away, scaring everyone.
"Oops!"
"The enemy soldiers are attacking again?"
"What a beast, choosing a festival day to die."
Guo Honglei's spirits trembled, and he immediately rushed to the general's tent, "Quick, go see the general and ask for orders to kill the enemy—"
"Guo Honglei!" Tong Jing shouted, and when the other party subconsciously slowed down, he rushed over and shouted fiercely: "Don't compete with me this time!"
Guo Honglei was young after all. He laughed out of anger and asked with disdain, "Strange, on the battlefield, everyone relies on their own ability and fights hard. Why bother about 'humility'?" In a short while, he caught up and gradually surpassed him.
"stop!"
Tong Jing was afraid of the other party and feared that his chance to make a contribution would be snatched away again, so he chased after him relentlessly.
The next moment, two groups of people rushed around the corner at the same time, and in the wind and snow, they slammed into General Song.
The author has something to say: General Song: Having subordinates like this who are eager to go into battle, I am so moved that I stand and get bumped...
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