Wang Tingshan avoided answering the question and instead inquired about Wang Shi.
Is my niece home?
"Here I am."
"Then may I have her come out and meet her?" Wang Tingshan asked in a kind tone, like an elder showing deep affection to a younger generation.
Unable to guess his intentions, Yun Zhenchuan said to the servant beside him, "Go and invite the madam!"
Wang Fengzhen quickly followed the servants out, greeted Wang Tingshan, and then sat down next to Yun Zhenchuan.
Wang Tingshan looked at Yun Zhenchuan with satisfaction, stroked his beard and said, "In the blink of an eye, you and my niece have been married for more than twenty years. I was so busy with government affairs that I didn't even have time to drink a cup of your wedding wine. I'm really ashamed!"
Hearing him say this, Wang Fengzhen's eyes immediately reddened. Last year, she received a letter from her parents, who had followed the main branch of the family south to seek refuge with the main branch of the Wang clan of Dongyue.
The head of the family had asked her parents about her situation, and ultimately, out of consideration for her, the family took excellent care of her parents and family members.
"It is my honor that the head of the family has come all this way to visit me."
After some pleasantries and a few cups of tea, Wang Tingshan finally revealed the purpose of his trip.
"The imperial court moved the capital to Jiankang, the emperor fell seriously ill, the crown prince oversaw the country, and the government was controlled by treacherous officials such as the prime minister. Territory was lost, the country's power gradually weakened, its finances were in dire straits, and the heavy taxes and levies became increasingly burdensome. War raged across the Central Plains, turning the land into a living hell. People lay dead in the wilderness, and only one-tenth of the entire Great Yan Kingdom remained. The people were living in misery..."
Wang Tingshan delivered a passionate speech, vehemently denouncing the various faults of the current imperial court.
Yun Zhenchuan frowned as he listened, already vaguely guessing the purpose of Wang Tingshan's arrival.
Wang Tingshan, feeling thirsty, picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp. He then lifted his eyelids to look at Yun Zhenchuan, who was frowning and deep in thought.
Having laid so much groundwork, he no longer concealed his intentions and directly stated the purpose of his trip.
"Our Dongyue royal family has united with the troops of other noble families and assembled an army of 200,000 refugees, preparing to march north to eliminate treacherous officials, cleanse the court of corrupt ministers, and restore order to the dynasty!"
Yun Zhenchuan understood; it meant rebelling under the pretext of purging the court of corrupt officials!
"Grand Secretary Wang is truly a man of noble character and lofty ideals!" he praised against his will.
"It is the duty of a subject to set things right."
Yun Zhenchuan lowered his eyelids. This was the first time he had ever seen someone speak of rebellion with such righteous indignation.
Since Yun Zhenchuan still refused to express his opinion even after he had already put his mind to it, Wang Tingshan said directly, "I hope that a pillar of the state like my nephew-in-law can join us and contribute to the court."
Yun Zhenchuan's heart skipped a beat, and he was somewhat flattered. He said, "This humble official is just a prefect with little real power, and the amount of help I can offer is really limited. I wonder what Grand Secretary Wang needs me to do?"
"You won't need to exert much effort, nephew-in-law. We need the tax grain from the south as reserve military provisions. In addition, I heard that your two nephews are also in the south. They were personally trained by your father and are natural-born generals, brave and skilled in battle. If they are the vanguard generals, leading this army of 200,000 to march north, we will have already achieved half the success."
Yun Zhenchuan gasped. Wang Tingshan was quite arrogant, wanting the entire southern region to become his stepping stone.
"What does my niece's husband think?"
Yun Zhenchuan didn't want to offend him, so he quickly got up and apologized, "Grand Secretary Wang, please forgive me for being powerless! The tax revenue in the south is not something I can decide alone. The Yu family has great influence in the south and they have to get involved in many things. I am just a figurehead governor with no real power."
"I'll leave the matter of taking care of your two nephews."
"That's not a good idea either!"
"Hmm?" A sharp glint shot out from Wang Tingshan's cloudy eyes as he stared intently at Yun Zhenchuan.
Yun Zhenchuan remained respectful on the surface, but he had already made up his mind. "It is not something I can decide for my two nephews. I will have to ask Grand Secretary Wang personally."
Wang Tingshan looked at Wang Fengzhen sitting to the side and said, "I heard from your parents that you have a daughter who just turned 18 this year?"
“Yes, I have a concubine’s daughter,” Wang Fengzhen said respectfully.
“The head of the Liu family, a prominent clan in Dongyue, is an old friend of mine. His second son has just turned eighteen this year and is not yet engaged. If you are interested, I will personally make a trip to facilitate this marriage.”
Wang Fengzhen looked at Yun Zhenchuan, that bastard's daughter, she didn't want to marry such a good man.
"Thank you for your trouble, Grand Secretary Wang. However, my daughter is still young. Her elder sister will not marry until she is eighteen. I plan to keep her here for two more years," Yun Zhenchuan said.
The bait has been thrown out, but Yun Zhenchuan remains slippery and refuses to give a response.
Wang Tingshan was somewhat annoyed, knowing full well that this matter should not be rushed.
"I've said what I needed to say. Nephew-in-law, you should think it over carefully."
After saying this, he got up to take his leave, and the couple saw him off at the gate of the mansion.
Before getting into the car, he lifted the curtain and took a deep look at Wang Fengzhen. A collateral branch is just a collateral branch; she's not worth much.
Once inside, Wang Fengzhen, who was eager to curry favor with the powerful and had lost face in front of the head of the main branch of the family, took the initiative to make trouble.
Why won't you agree?
"The Yun family is weak, and these brothers are the only three descendants left by the eldest brother. They finally managed to escape to the south to live a peaceful life. If we agree to this, we are sending them to their deaths!"
"The Wang family has joined forces with the Liu family in Dongyue and their power is growing stronger every day. If we join them, it will be a great opportunity for our Yun family to rise. We will be blessed with honor and favor in no time!"
Wang Fengzhen thought about it more and more and felt that the matter was feasible. However, Yun Zhenchuan was hesitant and fearful, which made her feel a little disappointed in him.
In the past two years, Yun Zhentian has seen through many things. He sighed and said, "The success of one general is built on the bones of ten thousand. Are we going to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the Wang family's future? My Yun family doesn't need such an honor!"
"Why don't you think about the future of Yun Jing and Yun Ze?"
"You want Yun Jing and Yun Ze to profit from the blood of their cousins? What a load of rubbish about purging corrupt officials from the emperor's court! Has any rebellion in history ever ended well?"
Yun Zhenchuan felt like he was going crazy with anger at this ignorant woman.
"Didn't you also try to use Yun Mo to win over the Fan family before? What kind of 'good uncle' persona are you trying to portray here?" Wang Fengzhen retorted sarcastically.
Enraged, Yun Zhenchuan rebuked her, "Don't bring up the past! They barely escaped death, and you're sending them to their deaths for the sake of the Wang family's wealth and glory? I'll be the first to object!"
Wang Fengzhen's eyes widened like copper bells, her legs went weak with fear, and she sobbed repeatedly. She was also a person who refused to admit defeat.
"Then let's marry Yunyan off to the Liu family of Dongyue."
"Dongyue is thousands of miles away from the South. I will not let Yan'er marry into your Wang family to curry favor."
Wang Fengzhen saw through this selfish and cowardly man. "In the end, you just don't want to help."
"Your Wang family is going to rebel, how can I help you? I was wondering why, after being married to you and living in the south for so many years, your parents, who never used to say a word of concern, suddenly started writing frequently last year. It turns out they want my Yun family to be your Wang family's pawns and scapegoats!"
"Yun Zhenchuan, you actually think of my parents so much!"
"This matter ends here. To avoid being implicated, you shall cease all dealings with the royal family of Dongyue from now on."
Yun Zhenchuan said this and left in a huff. He needed to write a letter to the Yunye brothers as soon as possible so that they could make plans.
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