Chapter 321: Xu Jie of the Xu Family [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"People from Tianhai? Wu Xian's men?"
Whenever Tianhai is mentioned, Shen Tang thinks of Wu Xian.
And it turned out just as she had guessed.
"Wu Xian comes to me asking for Zhao Feng? Is he really that stingy? His trusted general hasn't been mistreated here..." Shen Tang said the most shameless things with the most innocent face, and finally sighed and waved, "Bring him over..."
The envoy from Tianhai was led to the simple reception hall.
It was called the main hall for receiving guests, but it was actually where Shen Tang worked every day. There were no decorative items to make it look grand; all that could be seen were stacks of books, letters, and official documents. She was poor to begin with, and Wu Xian knew she was poor too, so there was no need for her to put on a show.
"How should the envoy be addressed?"
The messenger sent by Wu Xian was a man of average appearance, around thirty years old, dressed in a scholar's robe, with a refined and scholarly demeanor, and a frail physique. He wore a small leather crown with engraved patterns. Although not physically robust, he did not give the impression of being weak.
"Xu Jie of Tianhai, courtesy name Wenzhu, has met with Mr. Shen."
This person clearly did their homework before coming.
Seeing that Shen Tang was short, young, and beautiful, he showed no surprise whatsoever, nor did he reveal the slightest hint of disrespect or arrogance. On the contrary, he was respectful and cautious, treating Shen Tang as someone on the same level as his lord, Wu Xian.
Xu Jie?
Xu Wen's annotation?
I've never heard of it before.
He had not been seen in the Allied tents before.
Without exchanging pleasantries, Shen Tang went straight to the point: "I wonder what brings Brother Wu here? Is there anything on Brother Wu's side?"
Xu Jie smiled and said, "My lord has sent me here to congratulate Mr. Shen on the New Year and to present this New Year's gift. I hope Mr. Shen will take a look."
He took out letters sealed with sealing wax.
Needless to say, this is Wu Xian's New Year's greeting.
The servant took the letter and handed it to Shen Tang.
Shen Tang's ears, hidden beneath her hair, were slightly red.
That's awkward.
I've completely forgotten about this.
Logically, she should also send New Year's greetings and some local specialties to her former allies with whom she had a "relationship." The price doesn't matter; what matters is the sentiment—to let them know that she still thinks of them.
_(:з)∠)_
As Shen Tang carefully removed the sealing wax with a small knife, he said with a slightly embarrassed smile, "This was my fault. I should have sent someone to wish Brother Wu a Happy New Year, but the River Governor's illness is a long-standing habit, and I forgot everything when I was busy. When the messenger returns, I will trouble him to apologize to Brother Wu on my behalf..."
Xu Jie was slightly surprised.
He didn't expect Shen Tang to admit it so readily.
Logically, shouldn't they have offered excuses and made amends?
Such frankness did earn Xu Jiegao's attention.
He said, “It’s alright. Before my lord sent me to the River Governor’s office, he mentioned this matter. He guessed that Lord Shen would be entangled in the River Governor’s mundane affairs, and with few capable men under his command, he would probably be too busy to attend to these personal matters.”
Xu Jie had inquired about Shen Tang before meeting him.
The administrative center never stopped operating for a single day.
There was no holiday even on New Year's Eve.
Xu Jiechu didn't believe it at first.
Upon arriving, Xu Jie saw piles of books and scrolls around Shen Tang, his office environment was simple, he was stingy with even a brazier of charcoal in the dead of winter, and his clothes were plain. He did not show any of the appearance that a powerful lord should have, which made Xu Jie feel somewhat favorable towards him.
Shen Tang hurriedly said with shame, "Envoy, please don't say any more. Brother Wu has helped me a lot, and how could matters related to him be ordinary 'trivial favors'? Alas, if I have the opportunity, I will personally go to Tianhai to apologize to Brother Wu..."
Xu Jie simply responded with a faint smile.
Everyone knows that Shen Tang's words were just polite formalities.
She wasn't Wu Xian's vassal, nor did she rely on him for sustenance. Although the two families were vastly different in power, in terms of status, Shen Tang and Wu Xian were equals. As for the talk of "personally going to Tianhai to apologize to Brother Wu," just take it with a grain of salt.
There's no need to take it seriously.
Shen Tang opened Wu Xian's letter.
The first half of the letter was just simple casual conversation.
Shen Tang read through the text carefully, word by word, feeling slightly guilty—after all, she had secretly followed Gu Ren in "betraying" Wu Xian. The position of He Yin was originally supposed to be a loan, but she used Gu Ren to get Zheng Qiao to appoint her as the legitimate He Yin prefect.
Wu Xian didn't write her down in his little notebook, but instead specially sent someone to deliver New Year's greetings to her, which made Shen Tang blush.
After chatting about everyday things, they asked about Zhao Feng's recent situation.
Coincidentally, Xu Jie also asked about Zhao Feng.
Shen Tang: "..."
How should she answer?
Wu Xian's prized six generals were being ordered around to demolish houses, move bricks, and plow fields? If this guy knew his precious eyes were being treated like this, he'd be heartbroken. Shen Tang could only give a vague answer.
Zhao Feng is doing well; he eats well, drinks well, and sleeps well.
Xu Jie smiled slightly and spoke very gently and politely about how he and Zhao Feng were colleagues and had a good relationship. Therefore, before leaving Tianhai, he received a request from Zhao Feng's family—his sister-in-law asked him to pass on some clothes and shoes to Zhao Feng.
"Judging by the time, General Zhao should still be busy outside the city, and probably won't return until after noon. Would you like to wait a while, envoy, or should I send someone to take you to find him?"
Shen Tang couldn't help but wonder to herself—Wu Xian wouldn't really suspect that she was holding someone captive, would he? Zhao Fengyi and the twelve other Zuo Gengs, along with their private retainers, were all with them. How could she possibly hold him back if he wanted to leave? On the surface, she remained gentle and considerate, continuing to act harmlessly.
"I'm not in a hurry, I'll be troubling you for the next couple of days."
Shen Tang continued to mutter to himself.
Goodness, are they planning to stay and observe?
Not only could they not object verbally, but they also had to welcome him with a smile, arrange accommodations for Xu Jie, and even provide a "tour guide."
After much deliberation, Shen Tang entrusted the important task to Gu Chi. Looking across the entire Fugu City, no one was more suitable than him.
"I'll trouble you to find out Xu Jie's true intentions," Shen Tang said, patting Gu Chi's shoulder on tiptoe. "It's a long and arduous task!"
The advantage of everyone being single is that you don't have to take a holiday when you work overtime during the Spring Festival. Anyway, when you go home, there's only one bowl and chopsticks, so how lonely and cold it is. Only work can make you forget your worries and loneliness. Shen Tang's arrangement was not at all dishonest.
"Does the lord suspect that this person has ulterior motives?"
Shen Tang said, "I offended Wu Xian last time. It's unlikely that Wu Xian has no grudge at all. Wu Xian's personality is alright, but Qin Li, who is by his side, is a 'not a good person' as Yuan Liang has certified. Naturally, I'm worried."
Gu Chi: "..."
This is probably a classic case of the crow laughing at the pig for being black.
Is Qi Shan himself a "good person"?
However, how about entertaining Xu Jie?
He is willing.
Who is Xu Jie?
Shen Tang, as the lord, was unaware of the situation, but as his advisor, he certainly needed to understand the power dynamics in the vicinity, and Xu Jie was naturally one of his intelligence targets. Xu Jie came from the Xu family of Tianhai, and was the eldest son of the main branch of the Xu family, and the Xu family…
Let's put it this way—
The accumulated wealth of the seven local bullies in Fugu was not enough to defeat one of them. The Xu family was not the most powerful in Tianhai, but they were definitely the richest. The clan had a wide range of businesses, including many "international" businesses, and were a major source of wealth for Wu Xian's forces.
(ω)
I suddenly remembered this after I finished writing it...
If Xu Jie were to refer to himself, it would be something like "Jie this and that"...
It seems to be taking advantage of others, just like the name "Yang Gong" of Commandant Yang.
PS: _(:з)∠)_, I'm just asking, does everyone still have any monthly tickets left?
(End of this chapter)
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