Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 150 Nothing to do today, let's play cards.

Rewind time to before an incense stick burned~
The autumn light is dazzling, and the clear lake water is dyed into a shimmering gold by the setting sun.

The Marquis of Wuqing's Residence, Tsinghua Garden.

The pavilion in the middle of the lake has upturned eaves and intricate brackets, exuding an indescribable luxury and ingenuity.

On the square table made of rosewood inside the pavilion, there was a camel hair tablecloth, a tribute from the Western Regions, with a piece of Hetian jade of excellent quality hanging from each of the four corners, making the tablecloth hang perfectly flat.

Four richly dressed young men were sitting around a table, playing the currently popular game of mahjong.

In this round, it was Wu Weiying, the son of the Marquis of Gongshun, who took the dealer position.

His father was the former Prime Minister of the Beijing Garrison, who was caught embezzling money by Wei Zhongxian last year and is still unemployed at home.

This morning, before I saw him off, I gave him a good scolding over some trivial matter, which left him still holding a grudge.

—You're the one who embezzled military funds, and you're the one Wei Zhongxian caught red-handed. What does that have to do with me?!
I didn't forcibly abduct any women, nor did I spend the night in a brothel. It's really annoying that they keep nagging me when I go out to play mahjong!
Wu Weiying, who was holding back her anger, played cards recklessly. After receiving her cards, she didn't even look at them before playing a "twenty," showing an attitude of "I'm going to dominate today."

"Brother Wu is mighty."

Li Guozhen, son of the Earl of Xiangcheng, wore a warm smile, as if he were simply enjoying the leisurely afternoon.

He leisurely played a "thirty" card, neither too big nor too small, just enough to cover the other two players and leave them some room to maneuver.

His gaze, however, subtly swept over the other two.

Attacking a village is like attacking a city; one may win through conventional or unconventional means, but both require concerted efforts.

Today's host, Li Guorui, the eldest son of the Marquis of Wuqing, is the second to play his card.

He had already lost nearly fifty taels of silver that afternoon, and now his eyes were red as he stared intently at his cards, plotting how to win back his losses.

Seeing Li Guozhen play "thirty", he gritted his teeth, pulled out a "million" bill from his hand, and slammed it heavily on the table.

"million!"

The force was so great that the Ding kiln white porcelain teacup on the table wobbled slightly.

Li Guozhen frowned almost imperceptibly.

This Li Guorui is a real slacker.

The other players should have joined forces to attack the banker, but instead, he started fighting with them for his own little bit of money.

Such impatience will hinder one from achieving great things.

Finally, it was Xu Yunzhen, the son of the Duke of Dingguo.

He is handsome and composed. From the beginning until now, he has remained calm, patient, and prudent.

Seeing Li Guorui play "million," he simply smiled faintly, gently folded his cards down, indicating that he would pass this round.

“Brother Yunzhen, that’s not right,” Li Guorui said anxiously. “If you have tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars, you can collect the money after I put down this ‘million’!”

Xu Yunzhen picked up his teacup, blew on it, and said slowly, "There are clear rules for playing cards, but no fixed rules for the game. Brother Guorui, sometimes not losing is winning."

This statement makes sense, and Li Guorui was speechless.

Li Guozhen couldn't help but look at Xu Yunzhen, but he couldn't tell what was going on on his face.

That's well said...

Is it a card game?
Wu Weiying, the dealer, was now the most relaxed person.

Seeing that he had managed to sneak in a "twenty" in this round, his joy doubled.

He pondered for a moment, but finally couldn't resist the urge and took out a supreme card with the inscription "Nine Thousand - Song Jiang" and slammed it down!
Upon seeing this, everyone shook their heads and made way.

"Brother Wu, you can't rush things," Xu Yunzhen said again, his voice still calm.

“Yes, don’t rush, don’t rush…” Li Guorui absentmindedly agreed, his mind completely focused on the card game.

Li Guozhen smiled, silently weighing the options in his mind.

Marquis Gongshun has a stain on his record, so this incident with the Beijing garrison will only be an aid, not an obstacle.

The Marquis of Wuqing was wealthy. He had previously donated 20,000 taels of silver to build roads, winning first place and even surpassing the amount given by the Duke of England.

When it comes to words, they should carry some weight with His Majesty.

What truly baffled him was the impeccably discerning Xu Yunzhen.

The Duke of Dingguo's mansion has always been aloof, and Xu Yunzhen is even more profound. He is like an ancient well, calm on the surface, but whose depths are unknown.

Whether what we plan to do today succeeds or fails depends entirely on this person.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the garden, and everyone frowned.

Listen closely, but you can only faintly hear a bunch of high-pitched, hoarse singing voices, like a flock of ducks quacking in disorder.

"What's the matter?"

Li Guorui had already lost money and was in a bad mood; hearing this noise only added fuel to the fire.

Without turning his head, he impatiently waved his hand at the butler standing behind him:
"Go see where this penniless wretch came from, daring to yell like that and disturb our peace!"

The butler bowed and accepted the order, then quickly left.

The game continues.

Wu Weiying then knocked out another "Four Bamboos - Zhu Gui".

Li Guozhen calmly dismantled his cards, seemingly casually asking, "Brother Yunzhen, do you still have your top card from the 'Wenqianmen' hand, 'Zun Kong Mei Wen'?"

Xu Yunzhen didn't even lift his eyelids, and said indifferently, "There are no big or small cards, it's all about luck. Holding onto them is always something to look forward to."

Li Guozhen smiled, played a "Six of Bamboo - Xu Ning" card, and said meaningfully, "In this game of cards, sometimes it depends on who can form alliances. Going it alone will not make a difference."

Wu Weiying was so agitated that she failed to grasp the underlying meaning and assumed he was only talking about the card game.

He urged impatiently, "What are you dawdling for! You three are attacking my one, how dare you collude in front of me? Hurry up and play your cards!"

Xu Yunzhen glanced at Li Guozhen, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He said softly, "Even when forming alliances, you have to consider who your opponent is. If you encounter the emperor in charge, no matter how good your hand is, you still have to act according to his wishes."

After saying that, he shook his hand, simply indicating that this round was not going to happen.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the steward returned and whispered a few words in Li Guorui's ear.

Upon hearing this, Li Guorui's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he said to the crowd, "I was mistaken. It turns out they are just a group of candidates preparing for the spring imperial examinations, drinking and composing poems by the lake."

Wu Weiying curled her lip: "A bunch of poor bastards, what can they do besides shout a few words!"

"Brother Wu, you are mistaken."

Xu Yunzhen smiled faintly: "Perhaps among us are some future top scholars or members of the Hanlin Academy."

“Brother Yunzhen is right.” Li Guorui nodded repeatedly and immediately made amends, instructing the steward, “Pick some of the best fruits and send two jars of ‘Autumn Dew White’ over there. Tell them that it is the Marquis of Wuqing’s mansion that is inviting them to moisten their throats and wishing them success in the imperial examinations and the enjoyment of the flowers in the imperial garden.”

"Brother Guorui, you've thought of everything very thoroughly," Li Guozhen said, clapping his hands in praise.

Xu Yunzhen also glanced at Li Guorui, a rare occurrence for him, with a hint of approval in his eyes.

Li Guorui was quite pleased with himself after receiving affirmation from both of them.

He glanced down at the game and simply waved his hand to indicate that he didn't want to play this round.

He picked up his teacup again and said slowly, "His Majesty is young and eager to find talented people. Making a good connection today is just a small favor. If they can rise to prominence in the future, it will be a remarkable story."

"We need to cultivate relationships with civil officials, but we can't neglect the palace either."

Wu Weiying took over the conversation indignantly. He slammed a "nine qian" (a unit of currency) on the table, then looked up at the others.

"Otherwise, it'll be like this card—it looks the smallest, but it's the most of the hindrance when it matters most!"

"Now that Gao Shiming has taken over as head of the Directorate of Ceremonial, I sent him a pair of jade lions of excellent quality the other day, but he returned them untouched!"

"This morning when I left home, my father gave me a good scolding! Brothers, do you know what his plan is?"

"Hey, we've just started out, so we have to put on an act." Li Guorui waved his hand dismissively. "What woman from the palace doesn't love money? Once the heat dies down, we'll naturally blend in with the crowd."

Upon hearing this, everyone smiled knowingly.

"I hope so. I just hope they don't end up like that traitor Wei, who took the money and did nothing!" Wu Weiying groaned.

“Speaking of matters in the court,” Li Guozhen casually tossed out an insignificant “five coins” note, but his eyes glanced at the others, “you’ve all seen Vice Minister Huo’s memorial on reorganizing the Beijing Garrison a few days ago, haven’t you?”

The atmosphere inside the pavilion subtly tensed. Even the sounds of cards being played on the mahjong table softened.

“How come I haven’t heard of it?” Li Guorui curled his lip. “Although the memorial did not name names, every word was aimed at the Marquis of Baoding.”

"With the Marquis of Baoding in charge of the Beijing Garrison, he's likely to face this trouble due to his suspicious circumstances."

"Therefore, when he celebrated his birthday the other day, my family only sent a steward to deliver a gift; I didn't even show my face."

“My family is the same,” Wu Weiying echoed.

Marquis Liang Shixun of Baoding was the governor-general of the Beijing Garrison, making him arguably the most powerful nobleman in the capital at the time.

Huo Weihua's memorial seemed to be a signal, but His Majesty's reaction was unclear.

The nobles naturally dared not act rashly, and could only avoid suspicion for the time being, observe the winds before making any further plans.

If the Marquis of Baoding really falls, he'll have to rely on these old brothers to bail him out, won't he?
“The strange thing is,” Li Guozhen said, his gaze deep, as he picked up a card and gently stroked it, “that memorial, after being submitted through the Office of Transmission, was kept by the Emperor and not issued. What… does this mean?”

"Could it be... that we should just give up?" Li Guorui hesitated.

“Impossible!” Wu Weiying immediately retorted, “Which emperor, upon ascending the throne, would not have targeted the Beijing Garrison? Emperor Shizong, Emperor Shenzong, and Emperor Suzong all did the same!”

“Moreover…” Li Guozhen added leisurely, “The new emperor is such a sage…”

The moment the words "sage" were uttered, the pavilion fell into a deathly silence.

The faint chirping of birds, the soft sound of breathing, and even the sound of the wind on the distant lake all became exceptionally clear at this moment.

The word "sage" is not entirely a good thing for them.

A moderate monarch, whose desires are still traceable, will eventually find a way to compromise and yield to each other.

Just like when Emperor Jiajing wanted to clear out the land, then let him clear it out.

In any case, the fields that were cleared away will eventually come back.

But the thoughts of a "sage" monarch are like the moon in the abyss—visible but unfathomable.

The old rules are probably no longer effective.

But His Majesty has been slow to announce the new rules.

How can anyone even begin to do this?

"Snapped."

A soft sound broke the suffocating silence.

Xu Yunzhen gently tossed the leaf cards in his hand, scattering them across the table.

He rubbed his temples, feigning fatigue: "I'm not playing anymore, I'm not playing anymore. I've been sitting all afternoon, I'm a little tired, let's take a break."

As soon as he spoke, the others echoed his sentiments.

"Yeah, yeah, let's take a break and then fight again."

"My mouth is dry, let me have some tea."

Only Li Guorui was still looking at the card table with lingering interest, feeling a little regretful, but he couldn't go against Xu Yunzhen's wishes.

He felt that he had a pretty good chance this time.

That supreme Wenqianmen coin, the 'Zun Kong Mei Wen' coin, is in his hands!
What a pity...what a pity!
The maids quickly stepped forward and served fresh hot tea and delicate pastries.

The crowd dispersed from the card table, some leaning on the railing to gaze into the distance, others strolling in the pavilion.

“Speaking of which, Zhang Zhiji of the British Duke’s family has been quite the star lately.” Wu Weiying held her teacup, her tone full of sarcasm. “He spent several days hanging out with a group of midwives to check the population, and now he’s caught the Emperor’s eye.”

"Having studied at the Imperial Academy for a few years, does he really think he's a civil official?" Li Guorui scoffed. "No matter how hard he studies, does he think he can pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi?"

The sons of noble families naturally had the privilege of holding official positions through hereditary privilege. The diligent ones were appointed as generals in the provinces, while the lazy ones lingered in the capital. In the end, this was a completely different path from the imperial examination.

In their eyes, Zhang Zhiji's behavior was utterly inexplicable and utterly despicable.

"This time, he's almost as good as passing the imperial examination."

Xu Yunzhen, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. His voice was not loud, but it silenced everyone.

The mockery on everyone's faces gradually faded, replaced by a complex and indescribable jealousy.

Yes, they look down on Zhang Zhiji's efforts, yet they envy his good fortune.

The sons of dukes and marquises face difficulties in advancing their careers before inheriting their titles.

Even after inheriting the title, they were still confined to a small piece of land.

Zhang Zhiji's fate is so promising that he will be remembered in history, how could anyone not be envious?
The atmosphere in the pavilion became subtle once again.

Li Guozhen seized the opportunity. He walked to the pavilion, gazed at the withered lotus leaves covering the lake, and sighed seemingly unintentionally:
"With the Beijing Garrison in such a state of disarray, it seems unlikely that the Marquis of Baoding will escape unscathed. However, the position of Governor-General of the Beijing Garrison is of great importance, and I wonder who His Majesty would favor to take over."

He paused, then changed the subject, his voice carrying just the right amount of worry.

“My father lamented to me the other day that His Majesty works tirelessly day and night, and as his subject, he feels ashamed that he cannot share the burden with the emperor.”

Everyone present was shrewd; they could easily discern the underlying meaning.

Wu Weiying was the first to react.

Marquis Gongshun, Wu Ruyin, was just confiscated of his ill-gotten gains last year, and his reputation is not good. It is unrealistic for him to become the head of the Beijing Garrison again.

However, it is only right to help the Marquis of Xiangcheng, who is close to him.

He immediately said, "The Earl of Xiangcheng is a wise and capable strategist. If he could be appointed as the commander-in-chief of the capital garrison, His Majesty would be able to rest easy. Brother Guozhen, I am willing to go home and discuss this with my father!"

Li Guorui nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, I will also go and explain to my father."

All eyes eventually fell on Xu Yunzhen.

The Duke of Dingguo's mansion is the true leader of their faction of nobles.

Xu Yunzhen met everyone's gazes, his face still displaying the same calm and composed expression.

He neither said it was good nor bad; he simply picked up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and said softly:
The Analects says, “The virtue of a gentleman is like the wind, while the virtue of a petty person is like grass. When the wind blows over the grass, it must bend.”

"The new ruler is wise and virtuous, and all the wise men have come together. It is understandable that the Earl of Xiangcheng wants to show his loyalty. When I return, I will also mention this matter to my father."

Although it was just a "brief mention," it was enough for Li Guozhen.

What he wanted was not a definite promise.

If the Duke of Dingguo's mansion objects, this matter is absolutely impossible.

If the Duke of Dingguo's mansion does not object, then this matter can be accomplished.

Once the matter was settled, Li Guozhen stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "It's getting late, everyone, let's call it a day."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Weiying and Xu Yunzhen took the opportunity to get up and say goodbye.

Only Li Guorui was still somewhat unsatisfied. He rubbed his hands together and said, "Hey, don't be in such a hurry to leave! This is just the beginning! Let's play a few more rounds. I feel like I have a really good hand!"

However, what he received in return was Wu Weiying's retreating figure and Li Guozhen's apologetic smile.

Xu Yunzhen didn't even turn his head, only waving his hand dismissively.

In the blink of an eye, only Li Guorui remained in the pavilion, heartbroken as he looked at his incredibly good hand of cards.

He looked up at the backs of the group, somewhat puzzled.

Why did they all leave so soon?

Didn't they usually play until midnight and then just sleep in the garden?
……

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the eaves and brackets of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion in a warm golden hue.

In the study, the scent of sandalwood is wafting.

Duke Dingguo, Xu Xigao, was standing by the window, looking at a century-old pine tree in the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

A steady footstep came from behind.

Xu Yunzhen walked behind his father, bowed, and spoke calmly.

"Father, I'm back."