The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 176 Calculation
Beijing.

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Another winter passed smoothly. In May, the weather became warmer and the emperor left the warm room. Because he had not seen the sun all day, he became a little pale, and the dry marks on his face made him look like a skeleton from a distance.

The vermilion palace walls are wrapped around the hip-and-gable roof, and the golden glazed tiles shimmer in the autumn sun.

The old man was lying comfortably on a Huanghuali recliner, served by the eunuchs. Not far away sat a master and his apprentice, the Prime Minister Zhou Daofeng, and the newly appointed Minister of War Zhang Jifu.

According to the rules that have been in place for many years, officials are no longer allowed to hold concurrent positions after joining the cabinet.

The retired emperor originally trusted Zhou Daofeng, and now he treats Zhou Daofeng's apprentice with the same trust, or even more so. After entering the cabinet, he also serves as the Minister of War, becoming the first person directly below the Prime Minister.

Many people are jealous. No matter what, the emperor is really good to the people he trusts, so good that it is unbelievable. The only pity is that the emperor is too old.

"Fatty Feng is going to cry this time."

The pain in the emperor's head eased a little, and he felt like laughing and joking.

Before Zhou Daofeng could speak, Zhang Jifu stepped forward and spoke before the Prime Minister, "Feng Yong impeached Wang Xin with sharp words. The Sage is wise and wise. Although Feng Yong is thousands of miles away, he cannot escape the Sage's eyes. His every move is clearly seen by the Sage."

"Hahaha." The emperor laughed and tried to sit up, but because his arms were weak, he had to crawl up.

The eunuchs around him watched closely, Dai Quan leaned against the emperor without offering a hand, as if nothing had happened. After the emperor sat up straight, he smiled and waved, "Sit closer."

Dai Quan then signaled for several eunuchs to help move the stools. Zhou Daofeng was old and slow to rise, while Zhang Jifu was young and quick. Several eunuchs moved the chairs a few steps forward, and the master and disciple sat down again.

Zhou Daofeng finally spoke, "The sage lamented that Wang Xin hadn't appeared earlier. Less than a year later, Wang Xin's achievements have been remarkable. I have lost again this time."

"Why did you lose?" the emperor asked curiously.

"My Great Zhou has thousands of generals and countless elite soldiers. How could we possibly be without Wang Xin? That's why I didn't use him. Instead, the sage warned me about this long ago, and it was the sage who later transferred Wang Xin to Yanmen Pass."

Zhou Daofeng spoke honestly, without a single lie in his words.

The emperor was in a good mood. He raised his arm, pointed at the two of them, and said with a smile: "You are master and disciple."

No further words were spoken, and Zhou Daofeng and Zhang Jifu did not respond, but just lowered their heads to show respect.

Smart people don’t need to say too much, they can see many things clearly. What’s important is the timing, to be just right.

Zhou Daofeng has been in charge of the cabinet for thirty years. Not only are his sons and confidants scattered throughout the court, but also the inconspicuous Feng Yong of Datong, who was promoted by Zhou Daofeng casually in the past and has now grown into a "prince" of the nine borders.

So Zhou Daofeng had to retire, especially when the emperor asked him last year, Zhou Daofeng already understood that he had to retire.

But how to withdraw in a way that satisfies the retired emperor is not an easy task.

Similarly, how to let his mentor retire smoothly and enjoy his old age, Zhang Jifu knew what he should do: treat his mentor well, respect his mentor, exclude his mentor, and suppress his mentor.

For example, Feng Yong, he arranged for someone to enter the capital, not only to submit a memorial, but also to send gifts to his mentor's house. What he wanted to do was to suppress Feng Yong, or even eliminate him, and replace him with someone the emperor could trust.

As for why not let others do it, but do it yourself.

Because the retired emperor cannot let his mentor down, especially in the current situation, he wants the people of the world to see that becoming the retired emperor's confidant will not only bring wealth and glory for the rest of his life, but also ensure that there will be successors.

Seeing how well the two masters and apprentices cooperated, the Emperor was speechless. "Let's wait and see. We can't just listen to Fatty Feng. I also want to hear what that kid Wang Xin has to say."

Zhou Daofeng looked calm, knowing that the key lay in the content of the memorial Wang Xin would send to the capital in the future.

As for whether Wang Xin could submit a memorial, if he couldn't, or if it wasn't well written, then there was no need to mention him. The court needed someone who could solve problems for the court, not someone who would create them.

Feng Yong has become a trouble, but trouble is just trouble after all. Feng Yong still has a bottom line in doing things. As the emperor said, compared with those wealthy people who do not pay taxes, Feng Yong is at least a minister of the Great Zhou.

Therefore, we should not cause a bigger trouble or even disaster in order to solve one problem.

Zhang Jifu was thinking about Wang Xin. The ability of Wang Xin was invisible to mediocre people. After all, in a peaceful and prosperous era, personal relationships are the most important thing. As for talent, talent is nothing. One must first learn the ways of the world and be good at them. Only then can one be a true talent.

Just as my mentor said, nothing could be hidden from the emperor.

So what about my thoughts? The emperor should know it, but he did not express his attitude, which means he did not refuse.

After figuring things out, Zhang Jifu said, "Given Feng Yong's personality, I'm worried he'll continue to attack." "Just keep an eye on him."

The emperor was tired again, and with nothing else to do, he closed his eyes. Dai Quan saw this and ordered his men to carry the recliner back. Zhou Daofeng and Zhang Jifu took their leave, and Zhang Jifu couldn't help but look back.

"Don't look, just do your thing."

"I'm worried that there won't be enough time."

"Thirty percent is determined by fate, and seventy percent depends on hard work." Zhou Daofeng said calmly as he walked, "God's affairs are not for mortals to worry about."

Zhang Jifu nodded and didn't look back.

As for the two Zhou armies fighting each other outside the Great Wall and how many tribes outside the Great Wall were implicated, Zhang Jifu didn't care, his mentor didn't care, and the emperor didn't mention it either.

When Guangdong was in turmoil, the wolf soldiers from Guangxi were finally dispatched to quell the unrest with great difficulty. Because the local government was "unable to" provide food and wages, the wolf soldiers plundered along the way, and the censors only impeached them in a few memorials.

There is also the Prince of Dong'an in Liaodong. Ten years ago, several generals went out of the pass and their entire army was annihilated. The army was destroyed cleanly and efficiently. In recent years, they have been living in peace because no one in Liaodong dares to disobey the Prince of Dong'an.

What happened in Datong is not surprising or important. What is important is who is more obedient.

There are no secrets in the court. The memorials were sent to the cabinet through the Transportation Office. Feng Yong's people were moving around in the capital, and within a few days, the news spread. Those who were capable knew about it, but there were many things that those who were not capable did not know.

Zhu Wei is the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Army of the Beijing Camp and the number one person in the Beijing Camp. Many people pass on information to him and communicate with him.

It had been three days since Wang Ziteng received the news. He was overjoyed and couldn't help laughing: "Hahaha, Fatty Feng, you have come to this day too."

Not long after, Wang Ren rushed over and saw Wang Ziteng smile for the first time since returning to Beijing. He felt curious and happy.

Wang Ziteng was not polite either. "Go to the Jia Mansion and tell your two aunts, especially your eldest aunt, that there must be no accidents in the marriage between Wang Xin and your youngest aunt's sister."

After hearing this, Wang Ren laughed and said, "My aunt has always wanted to bring my cousin and my cousin together. I heard that she has always been unhappy about it."

"Don't let her act recklessly." Wang Ziteng said with an attitude that would not tolerate any questioning. He ordered: "Tell your aunt not to forget her status."

Wang Ren nodded. Their Wang family did not believe in treating a daughter who was married off as spilled water. Even for a married lady, the family's connections could be used at will. Otherwise, why were the girls of the Wang family so powerful in other people's houses?

Since we are family members, we must put the family interests first.

"There's more." Wang Ziteng thought about it, not only thinking about Wang Xin's situation, but also about his marriage.

"Wang Xin comes from a poor family. Whether he plans to buy a house or make other plans, have your eldest aunt prepare a house for him. Also, tell your youngest aunt to quickly clean out her old house. Once the marriage is finalized, if Wang Xin remains in the Jia Mansion, your youngest aunt and her family will move out."

"Wouldn't this make things difficult for my aunt?" Wang Ren asked in surprise.

"Hmph." Wang Ziteng said angrily, "What a bunch of prodigal sons! Even the housekeeper's house is only half the size of theirs. They're prodigal sons anyway, so why can't they be defeated by the Wang family? At least we all prosper together. If the Wang family prospers, they can still miss out on the good things of the Jia family."

Now he was facing a big problem. Not only had he lost the position of Jiedushi of the Beijing Camp, but he had also reached a dead end on his new path. As the Inspector General of Nine Provinces, he could not even support the interpersonal relationships in the mansion if he only relied on his salary.

Although the Jia Mansion was just a showpiece, it had two large mansions and items accumulated by generations of people in the mansion. Others didn't know this, but Wang Ziteng knew it. Everyone inside and outside the mansion was eyeing it, so it would be better to give it to their Wang family.

Don’t the children born to them by the women of the Wang family still have the surname Jia?

But if someone else took it away, even if it was their housekeeper, his surname would not be Jia.

The woman of the Wang family was rescued, and he could use her for the sake of this family. Now with the unexpected number of Wang Xin, he still had a chance to make a comeback, and he might even be able to return to Datong.

Wang Ren understood and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

If the Wang family falls, what will happen to the women in the Wang family?
When the Wang family was prosperous in the past, Feng Yatou had a good reputation both inside and outside the Jia Mansion. But in just a few months, all kinds of bad things about Feng Yatou have come out inside and outside the Jia Mansion, so Wang Ren is not worried about the two aunts' rejection.

I'm just a little worried. Will Wang Xin be obedient?

Although his surname is Wang, he didn't grow up around me. My uncle has always been confident and doesn't tolerate others disobeying him. Forget it, it's better not to remind him randomly, so as not to get scolded for nothing.

Thinking about these things, Wang Ren went to the Jia Mansion.

(End of this chapter)