Discussions at the Earl's Mansion
Due to the imperial examinations, the Shen family moved from their villa in Xishan back to the Anping Earl's Mansion in the capital.
The mansion, long neglected, has returned, shedding its former tranquility of the Western Hills and suddenly immersing itself in the grandeur and bustle of a noble family in the capital. Servants are everywhere, sweeping and cleaning the courtyard, as if they have also swept away the tense atmosphere of undercurrents in the capital and placed it within the high walls.
During this imperial examination, the young emperor, despite his illness, personally attended and questioned the emperor. Yet, every word he uttered revealed a disturbing sense of his inadequacy.
After finishing her exam, Shen Yu fell into a deep sleep, eager to make up for the sleep she had missed over the past few days. Shen Yan and Ling Zhan, on the other hand, were not able to relax.
In the afternoon, Ling Zhan was looking through the account reports submitted by the various managers under Shen Yan's name. Among the several booklets involving the trade of medicinal materials and cloth in the southeast coastal areas, there were several unusually large purchases by the southeast navy. The amounts were staggering, but the items were vague. There were even absurd records such as the price of timber for repairing warships exceeding that of golden nanmu, and the price of a soldier's cotton-padded coat being enough for a family of five to eat for half a year.
Her fingertip focused on the number, and she looked up at Shen Yan, who was peeling an orange and trying to feed it to her: "Do you know how much the Southeast Navy has spent on military expenses in recent years? I've heard that the court increases the pay every year, but the money seems to be filling a bottomless pit, resulting in warships rotting and soldiers and equipment being in disrepair?"
Shen Yan tossed a segment of orange into her mouth, leaned over to glance at it, and a hint of understanding and disdain flashed in her peach blossom eyes.
"Tsk, how could I not know? That old bastard Wei Jie, taking advantage of the fact that the emperor is far away, is used to embezzling salaries and reselling military equipment. He cries poverty every year, but gets paid more every year. He's a bottomless pit that can't be filled. He wishes he could empty the Dragon Palace and the Water Palace and stuff them into his own palace."
He then lowered his voice, "I heard that at the end of last year, an old cruiser of the Navy, due to years of disrepair, was smashed to pieces by the wind and waves during a routine patrol. Fortunately, the sailors fought desperately to prevent a major disaster. And yet, the purchase list still says to buy ten new warships. The money has long been spent, but we haven't even seen a ship yet!"
Ling Zhan's face was ashen as he closed the ledger: "Such embezzlement has damaged the very foundation of coastal defense. According to usual practice, a capable navy should be maintained, not half of this number. Currently, the southeastern coast is unstable, with Japanese pirates and other piracy rampant, and Western ships frequently spying on us. With the navy so neglected, how will we respond if something changes?"
"Madam is wise!"
Shen Yan slapped his thigh. "Who in the capital with even a little influence doesn't know about this? But he's a prince, in charge of military power. His subordinates are too busy currying favor with him to dare to expose this. Besides, the Huo family has made a fortune by reselling military supplies and colluding with pirates. How many of the Jiang family's protégés and old friends in the southeast officialdom have clean hands? They've long been in cahoots!"
Just then, the doorman came to report that Mr. Yang Sijian and Mr. Zhou Wenqing had arrived together.
Shen Yan and Ling Zhan exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly.
These two are now the de facto strategists of the Shen family. Their coming together at this time must be for the sake of the undercurrents of change in the capital.
The two personally went to the second gate to greet them.
Yang Sijian remained as calm as a mountain, while Zhou Wenqing's face was filled with worry, clearly indicating that the tense atmosphere outside had made the former censor uneasy.
He was led into the study and seated, with those around him dismissed.
Zhou Wenqing couldn't wait to speak: "Lord, Madam, the current situation in the capital is truly like a dark cloud looming over the city, threatening to crush it! His Majesty's health... alas, the Imperial Hospital is powerless to save him. The Prince of Changyi is staying in the capital under the pretext of visiting the sick, and his mansion is surrounded by carriages and horses, with military generals and important officials coming and going. His wolfish ambitions are obvious!"
Yang Sijian stroked his beard and added, "What's even more troublesome is that the Prince has taken women from both the Jiang and Huo families as concubines. This move is intended to reconcile the two major forces and bring them under his control. If these two families are truly united in their defense, a change of dynasty could happen in the blink of an eye."
Zhou Wenqing was heartbroken: "The Huo family is arrogant, greedy, and controls the palace. They have long been guilty of heinous crimes! If we allow them to take advantage of the Prince of Changyi's power to advance further, the court will be in jeopardy... Alas!"
The study fell silent for a moment, an invisible pressure spreading through it.
Shen Yan, who had been lounging lazily against the back of his chair, slowly sat up straight. The usual playful smile on his face vanished, and a rare, honed sharpness shone in his peach blossom eyes—a venomous sense honed by years of struggling to survive in the most chaotic and muddy places.
“Mr. Zhou, Uncle Yang, please calm down.” He spoke, his voice steady and carrying a strange composure. “In my opinion, the most important thing right now is not to join forces to protect each other, quite the opposite—we don’t need to do anything, we can just wait and see.”
"Wait and see?" Zhou Wenqing was taken aback.
“Exactly.” Shen Yan’s lips curled into a cold, sharp smile. “The King of Changyi wants to be the one who reaps the benefits, while simultaneously holding the Huo and Jiang families, these two rivals, in his hands? He’s thinking too simplistically.”
He stood up and paced back and forth, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.
"Mr. Zhou, you only see the surface. The Huo family is indeed powerful and domineering. They want power, they want to control everything, and they watch over His Majesty as if he were their own good-for-nothing nephews. But what they really want is a 'stable' country, a 'peaceful and prosperous era' that allows the Huo family to continue to hold power and enjoy wealth. They are like an old farmer watching over his most important land. Although their methods are tyrannical, they do not want it to be completely destroyed, so that the people can at least breathe a little in the cracks."
He tapped the table lightly with his fingertips: "Therefore, you see, in all these years of the Huo family's rule, have they ever undertaken extravagant projects that burdened the people and wasted resources? Have they ever exhausted the national treasury and the people's strength in order to expand their territory? No. In fact, during years of famine, for the sake of the people, they would even advise His Majesty to reduce taxes and quell public resentment. In a way, they treat this country like an old farmer guarding his most important land; their methods may be ruthless, but they never want it to be completely destroyed."
The two looked thoughtful.
“Your Majesty tolerates the Huo family,” Shen Yan’s gaze swept over the crowd again, his tone deepening, “On one hand, it’s because they are still young and unable to act. But on a deeper level, perhaps it’s precisely because the Huo family is ‘harmless to the country’—at least in their own eyes, they are ‘harmlessly’ seizing power and wealth. They maintain the basic operation of the court, and the world is generally at peace. This is in line with Your Majesty’s bottom line and also in line with the most basic responsibilities of a ruler. Shaking the Huo family would involve too many people, and if it gets out of control, it could lead to chaos in the world. Your Majesty…is making a helpless or temporary compromise after weighing the pros and cons, rather than an endorsement.”
Shen Yan paused, then his tone suddenly turned harsh, filled with undisguised disgust.
"But the Jiang family? Hmph, they are no different from the Huo family, even worse! They are no different from those powerful families who frantically seize land, leaving 'the rich with vast tracts of land while the poor have nowhere to stand'!"
"The Huo family are wolves in sheep's clothing, greedy for power and wealth, at least their evil is out in the open. They are like those landlords who, though greedy, still know to maintain the production of their land; they are bad, but still have some sense of propriety."
His eyes were sharp, as if trying to pierce through the facade of a refined and noble scholar.
"But what about the Jiang family? They wear the skin of sages while engaging in cannibalistic practices! They spout benevolence, morality, and the well-being of the nation, but do they truly care about the common people? All they care about is their own reputation and a few light words of praise in the historian's pen! What they seek is the same as those powerful figures who frantically seize land, forcing people to sell their children and become homeless—they are all sucking the marrow from the bones. They just need a veil of 'pure reputation' to cover their shame!"
Shen Yan's voice was sneer: "To gain a false reputation for 'speaking frankly' and 'not fearing the powerful,' they disregard everything, opposing any proposal to increase taxes when the national treasury is empty—sounds like they're advocating for the people, right? But they never reduce rents or interest on their own farms and estates. Where does the money for the soldiers on the border and for repairing the navy's warships and strengthening coastal defenses come from? They ignore it! When bandits rise up or the dikes collapse, and foreign invaders harass the coast, it's not the Jiang family members who die!"
"To demonstrate their so-called 'integrity,' they can seize upon trivial matters to fight the Huo family to the death, turning the court into a killing field for factionalism and infighting, while all serious state affairs are delayed and shelved! For the sake of 'legitimacy' and 'merit in supporting the emperor,' they can support the King of Changyi today, but if they feel that he does not conform to the standards of their 'holy ruler' in the future, or if he infringes on the interests of their party, they can be the first to jump out and turn against him under the banner of 'purging the court of corrupt officials' and 'rectifying the court'!"
He slammed his hand on the table, his tone indignant.
"How many people will die? How much turmoil will it cause? Will the world fall into chaos? They don't care! They only seek to gain a reputation as loyal and upright officials, and leave their mark on history! In their eyes, the lives of ordinary people are nothing more than stepping stones and expendable resources to achieve their personal and family honor! Just like tenant farmers in the fields who are exploited at will, their life or death is not a concern for them!"
"The evil of the Huo family is like a giant rat undermining the foundation of the nation, greedy for immediate wealth. The evil of the Jiang family is like termites hollowing out the pillars of the state, seeking only eternal fame while destroying the very foundation of the country! Their frenzied accumulation of wealth and land annexation will sooner or later incite popular uprisings, just like countless cycles in history, pushing the dynasty to its doom! They are the real malignant tumors that are harmful to the country!"
Shen Yan's eyes flashed with a cold light. "Does the King of Changyi think he can control these two beasts? He doesn't understand at all. The Huo family seeks money and power, while the Jiang family wants to use him as a puppet and tool to realize their own political ambitions! Once he fails to meet the Jiang family's increasingly demanding moral and political requirements, or tries to break free from their control, the Jiang family's backlash will be ten times more ferocious than the Huo family's!"
"Just wait and see!" Shen Yan said decisively. "This grand drama doesn't need our interference; they can make it a bloodbath on their own!"
This analysis completely tears away the disguise of the Jiang family as leaders of the "pure stream" faction, exposing their extreme selfishness and disregard for people's livelihoods, and their harm is even greater than that of the Huo family, who are clearly evil.
Yang Sijian's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He slowly nodded, his tone heavy with sorrow: "Your words, Lord, are truly enlightening! I previously thought that Grand Secretary Jiang was pedantic and stubborn, but I never imagined that his actions would cause such harm! Judging from his behavior, he is no different from those powerful figures throughout history who annexed land without restraint, ultimately leading to widespread suffering. Just as you said, the Huo family, seeking profit, still knows to protect their 'land'; the Jiang family, seeking fame, is willing to dismantle the beams of their 'house' to carve their own memorial arch! When the two clash, it will surely be a catastrophe!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenqing's anxiety gradually turned into shock and lingering fear. As a member of the Qingliu faction, although he was at odds with the Jiang family, he had never examined their true nature from such a naked perspective. At this moment, he felt a chill run down his spine: "So... in that case, regardless of who wins or loses, it will be a catastrophe for all the people! If we continue to tolerate such parasites annexing, exploiting, and corrupting the military and government, the country will cease to exist! Then we..."
"That's why I said, let's wait and see!"
Shen Yan leaned back lazily, but his eyes remained clear. "The fiercer they fight, the safer we are... Perhaps we will have a chance to act when the storm subsides." He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.
He strolled back to Ling Zhan's side, and when he was met with that indifferent gaze, he could only touch his nose and summarize.
"In short, if the sky falls, there will be tall people to hold it up. Our Prince of Changyi has a lot to do! He should just stay home and live his own life."
Ling Zhan listened silently until now, then spoke calmly, making a final decision: "So be it. Everything inside and outside the manor shall proceed as usual. Keep the servants in check, and make sure they are careful in their words and actions. Also, secretly record any discrepancies in the accounts in the southeast, just in case."
Her gaze fell to the window, seemingly piercing through the layers of buildings to see the impending bloodshed and carnage deep within the imperial city.
"Just wait."
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