Chapter 543: Every Family Has Its Own Troubles [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"This is not a long-term solution, and it may backfire." Zhao Feng did not approve of Xu Jie's passive approach.
Outsiders often assume that warriors prefer to solve problems with brute force, lacking the intelligence and sensitivity of scholars and intellectuals—this is a complete prejudice. No warrior with the ability to command troops is truly foolish.
Zhao Feng took a sip of wine: "My lord's personality..."
He paused, then said something under his breath.
"Our lord is, after all, our lord."
No matter how good Xu Jie and Wu Xian's personal relationship was, the latter still harbored suspicions and could not fully trust anyone. As a subordinate, Xu Jie's resistance to his lord's orders and disobeying his wishes once or twice was not a big deal, but repeated offenses would inevitably cause displeasure.
Refusing means disobeying.
Xu Jie, as a subordinate, disobeyed Wu Xian, who was his lord. His initial reason for disobeying was that he was worried that Tianhai's intervention would make life difficult for the common people in Heyin. Regardless of whether the hypothesis would come true, the fact that it arose meant that Xu Jie was questioning and on guard.
This also means that Xu Jie is more in love with Shen Tang.
Isn't Xu Jie siding with outsiders?
Who wouldn't have opinions?
Xu Jie was extremely annoyed and downed the wine in one gulp.
He gave a wry smile: "How could I not know?"
Wu Xian harbored resentment towards him. If Xu Jie were wise enough to relinquish his real power as the River Governor, all conflicts could be resolved peacefully. The problem was, he was unwilling. He knew all too well what commoners would face if they lost their land, all too well the immense pressure and exploitation they would endure as tenant farmers, and he understood the difference between having enough to eat and not starving.
Zhao Feng: "Actually, our lord has governed Tianhai quite well."
He was subtly trying to persuade Xu Jie.
Angering Wu Xian would do Xu Jie no good.
"Furthermore, if our lord desires a large population for the River Prefecture, he naturally won't tolerate those families going too far. With Shen Junzhu as a precedent, if the River Prefecture declines under our lord's rule, given his pride, he'll likely treat the common people of the River Prefecture well..."
Xu Jie was already torn between his inner thoughts and his own.
Finally, he slowly but firmly shook his head.
Seeing this, Zhao Feng laughed heartily: "I like Wen Zhu's temper. Come on, let's have another drink!"
His earlier persuasion of Xu Jie to compromise was genuine; being worldly and tactful to protect oneself is not something shameful to admit. Similarly, his admiration for Xu Jie's character was also genuine; the ability to withstand pressure and live up to the phrase "unyielding to power" is worthy of respect.
Xu Jie: "..."
He shook his head helplessly.
After finishing his drink, Xu Jie turned the tables and took the initiative.
He threw Zhao Feng's question back at him: "Just now I saw that Dayi looked worried, as if he had something on his mind? Although I am but a humble person and cannot help you, I have ears and can listen to your troubles."
Zhao Feng: "..."
If it comes to the ability to be sarcastic and witty, one has to look to a scholar with a literary mind. Xu Jie had already been completely frank with him; if he were to still hold back, it would be rather dishonest. So he said, "Hmph, what else could it be? Just a few annoying faces. If I hadn't spent the last two years cultivating my character, I would have already torn down their ancestral graves. They wouldn't know who they are if I didn't give them a good beating..."
Xu Jie had a feeling that he had known it all along.
Zhao Fengyi had been gone for two years, effectively distancing himself from the center of power. Upon his return, he only had the two thousand men he had taken with him years before, while Wu Xian had managed his forces well over the past two years, with his other warriors having already expanded their ranks. Zhao Fengyi's arrival would inevitably draw a portion of his troops from the other generals, achieving a balance of power and indirectly weakening their authority.
It would be strange if the already xenophobic group didn't find Zhao Feng agreeable this time. Xu Jie felt increasingly close to Zhao Feng; the two of them were practically brothers in misfortune, even their predicaments were similar.
Zhao Feng was faced with two paths.
First, soldiers were drawn from other armies to form their own forces, maintaining a visible balance in combat strength; second, Zhao Feng used Wu Xian's extra funds to recruit soldiers and raise the required number.
The second path is not easy. How much combat power can untrained soldiers have on the battlefield? Within Wu Xian's territory, the slightly better soldiers have all been conscripted, leaving only the mediocre ones.
If Zhao Feng chooses option two, his troops will be the weakest in terms of combat strength. In a difficult head-on battle, they might be wiped out. If he chooses option one, he will offend all his colleagues, and workplace bullying and passive-aggressive behavior will await him.
Wu Xian wanted the position of River Governor partly for this reason: to allow Zhao Feng to recruit soldiers in River Governor's office, so that if the fighting strength was insufficient, more troops could be recruited. In this way, two potential threats were resolved simultaneously. There was no need to worry about River Governor's uncontrollability, and the conflicts within his own ranks could be balanced.
The solution is quite good.
As a result, they ran into a wall with Xu Jie.
Xu Jie and Zhao Feng looked at each other, then simultaneously let out a sigh full of helplessness: "Keep drinking, keep drinking!"
I'm troubled by both public and private matters.
After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,
Xu Jie relaxed his tense nerves and began to complain: "...I have a senior sister who is planning to open an academy in Longwu and wants to hire a few female teachers. Originally, this matter could have been handled by my wife, as she knows how to select them, but...sigh, I have to do it myself. These past few days, I've sent people to inquire, but those who are knowledgeable and virtuous have basically all been taken by other families. It's really hard to find anyone."
Zhao Feng's face also turned red from drinking.
He complained, "What's so difficult about that? Money talks, and you're rolling in it? My situation is truly troublesome! I sent a matchmaker to propose marriage a few days ago, but as soon as she heard the news, she threatened to kill herself and tore down half of the inner courtyard..."
Xu Jie knew that Zhao Feng had a daughter.
It's unclear how big or what they look like.
But they're already planning to meet and arrange marriages. I reckon they're not even two years away from coming of age, so starting to arrange marriages at this age isn't considered early.
only--
"Half of the inner courtyard was demolished?"
That description is a bit of an exaggeration.
Zhao Feng's head throbbed: "Tell her mother to suppress the news overnight. If it gets out, what family would want such a fiery young woman? They don't even expect her to be a demure lady, or at least pretend. Sigh—it's tough—"
Xu Jie said, "It's a pity my son is still young."
Otherwise, they could become in-laws.
Zhao Feng: "..."
His gaze was somewhat subtle.
Xu Jie's taste is too strange.
What father-in-law would like a shrewish and troublesome daughter-in-law?
His daughter really did tear down half of the inner courtyard, and for three to five days in a row, she staged a scene of hanging herself. This is no exaggeration.
Xu Jie coughed lightly and advised, "Dayi, you don't need to be in such a hurry. Marriage is something that can't be rushed. The more anxious you are, the more likely you are to end up with a unhappy couple. Zhao Xiaoniang is still young and doesn't understand marriage; it's normal for her to resist..."
Zhao Fengyi thought so too.
Xu Jieti suggested, "If all else fails, we can find a husband to marry into the family."
Some families are reluctant to let their daughters marry, so they take in a son-in-law to save them the trouble.
Zhao Feng shook his head and said, "That won't do. What kind of good man would be willing to marry into the family? It's better to let her find a gigolo to keep for fun than to have him marry into the family. At least she won't have to suffer the humiliation of her in-laws..."
While societal norms aren't particularly conservative, and while there is still some separation between men and women, it's not strictly enforced. If the woman comes from a powerful and open-minded family, her parents might even turn a blind eye and allow her to have affairs for up to two years before marriage. As long as no one dies, it doesn't have a major impact, so keeping male lovers isn't too uncommon.
Xu Jie: "..."
As they were talking, hurried footsteps came from outside.
A woman pushed open the door and shouted in a panic.
"My Lord!"
Zhao Fengyi turned his head and saw it was his wife: "What's wrong? Can't you see our distinguished guest is still here? Why are you making such a racket..."
The woman, furious, lifted her skirt and strode inside. Xu Jie could only awkwardly turn his head away, only to hear the woman say, "So noisy, so noisy! And you're still drinking? You didn't even know your daughter was missing! She... she only left this one letter..."
\(￣︶￣*\))
Da Yi stated that his daughter was the most gentle and kind, and that she only broke up the family because she resisted the marriage.
(End of this chapter)
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