Chapter 141 Either Endure or Get Out
Still in that house.
Chen Zhang is drinking.
There was a half-undressed woman beside him, who would give him a leather cup from time to time.
Just when I was having fun, I heard hurried footsteps.
"Didn't I say..." Chen Zhang looked up angrily, only to see Ding Xi coming in with a furious face.
"Didn't you contact those people?" Chen Zhang asked, "Did you get the thing?"
"Take shit!" Ding Xi cursed, "Jiang Qingzhi actually found their lair and captured those people in one fell swoop."
"What?" Chen Zhang subconsciously pinched her hard. The woman beside him cried out in pain. He cursed, "Get lost!"
The woman pulled her clothes and quickly left.
"How could it fail?" Chen Zhang said, "We acted carefully, unless the secret was leaked. But how could those lunatics betray their saint? On our side, only the two of us know the details of this matter, you and me... unless God leaks the secret."
Ding Xi sat down and said, "Now that the White Crane Tower has been destroyed, by the way, can your secret letter method be cracked by others?"
"I just compiled one, you can try it." Chen Zhang handed a volume of the Analects to Ding Xi.
Ding Xi was completely confused. "These ink dots are inexplicable. This... unless the gods have descended to earth..."
Chen Zhang said confidently: "Even if the gods came down to earth, they would be helpless."
"Then how did Jiang Qingzhi find out about the White Crane Tower?"
"This... this guy seems to be assisted by God. I can't figure it out!"
"If this fails, those people will definitely scold us for being incompetent later!"
Chen Zhang sneered, "Tell them that Jiang Qingzhi is a famous general who can defeat two generals under Altan Khan. If they have the ability, come and give it a try."
……
Early in the morning.
Xiao Jin still stood under the wall, listening to the sounds of martial arts practice coming from next door.
After listening for a while, the maid came to invite her to have breakfast.
Today was a day off. Xiao Zhuo was sitting at the head of the table in casual clothes, with his wife Wang next to him. Xiao Mo looked a little tired. When he saw his sister, he habitually put on a stern face and said, "You got up so early, but didn't come to greet our parents."
Wang smiled and said, "You are just a little girl, your mind is full of curiosity at this time. What do you mean by peace? Your father and I are very peaceful."
Xiao Jin made a face at his brother and then sat down.
After breakfast, Xiao Zhuo said, "Da Lang and I will go next door later."
Xiao Mo was startled, "Dad, are we going to visit that long Wilbur?"
Xiao Zhuo nodded, "We should have moved here right away, but this Chang Wei Bo has mixed reputations in the court. As a father, I have to wait and see first, so as not to be misunderstood as taking sides. Dalang, do you understand the reason?"
This is a warning. Xiao Mo sat up straight and said, "Chang Wei Bo and the Yan Party are like fire and water. Although Dad is not a member of the Yan Party, if he visits early, he will inevitably be targeted by the Yan Party. As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a wall. Dad does not need to offend them for Chang Wei Bo."
Xiao Zhuo stroked his beard, feeling extremely satisfied, but with a straight face, "Another point, although Long Wei Bo has both good and bad reputations, I have never heard of him accepting bribes."
Wang smiled and said, "There are almost no people coming and going next door on weekdays, but outside the gate of Yan's house, there is a constant flow of people."
Xiao Jin's eyes rolled around, and he would pester his brother later to ask him to pay more attention to Jiang Qingzhi.
"They all say he is very fierce, brother, check and see if it is true."
"What does that have to do with you?" Xiao Mo said unhappily.
After Xiao Jin's nagging, Xiao Mo nodded in agreement.
The father and son changed their clothes and went next door with the gifts.
After the doorman reported, Fucheng came to greet him first.
Xiao Mo's attention was on the calligraphy and paintings on the walls of the living room, and he didn't notice that Xiao Zhuo frowned slightly when he saw Fu Cheng.
Isn't this a eunuch?
The Jiang family actually uses eunuchs as housekeepers?
"Mr. Xiao, please wait a moment. My uncle will be here soon." Fu Cheng said with a smile.
Later, Jiang Qingzhi came in.
"Greetings, Chief Wilbur." Xiao Zhuo smiled and bowed.
"Hello, Chief Wilbur." Xiao Mo looked at Jiang Qingzhi curiously.
The dark and deep eyes and the pale face, at first glance, make people think of pearls and jades.
After some polite greetings, Jiang Qingzhi's attitude was very gentle, which was completely different from the rumors that he was fierce.
"What book are you reading now?" Jiang Qingzhi asked Xiao Mo.
He was three or four years younger than Xiao Mo, but he asked quite naturally.
I am a juren, and you are just a scholar... Xiao Mo was disdainful in his heart, but talked about his studies under his father's gaze.
"You can't just read a book blindly..."
Jiang Qingzhi casually shared his views on the current imperial examination system.
Xiao Mo seemed respectful, but he was sneering in his heart.
I'll leave later.
Hu Zongxian laughed and said, "That young man seemed to disapprove of Master, but he didn't know that Master's words were good advice."
"Whether he listens or not is up to him." Jiang Qingzhi said, "Xiao Zhuo is a man worth paying attention to."
"The Ministry of Rites may seem insignificant, but Yan Song attaches great importance to it and regards it as his foundation. He always likes to place his cronies there as a place for cultivation. If Xiao Zhuo, a doctor from the Ministry of Rites, is brought here..."
Jiang Qingzhi glanced at Hu Zongxian and thought that it was true that famous officials in history were not given the title for nothing.
"That's what I meant."
"But Xiao Zhuo seems quite cautious. Lord, if you want to win him over, you have to work hard on his son."
"uncertain."
Jiang Qingzhi said, "Xiao Zhuo is not a member of any group or faction. In the eyes of the Yan Party, he is just a vagrant. Besides, the Xiao family has been here for quite some time. Why did they come at this time, not earlier or later... Old Hu, have someone find out about the Ministry of Rites."
Hu Zongxian has recently been investigating Ma Chongde and others, and has reconnected with his old friends, so he is well-informed.
……
"Ministry of Rites? The Yan Party has been expanding recently, and they say they want to purge it."
Hu Zongxian got the news and thanked his old friend.
The old friend asked, "How are you doing now with Long Wilbur?"
"Quite comfortable."
"He has many enemies now, so be careful." "I know."
Hu Zongxian was almost trapped by a honey trap last time, so he is now very cautious when going out.
He used his connections to get in touch with a minor official in the Ministry of Rites.
……
In a tavern behind Taiping Warehouse, an ingot of silver was pushed in front of a clerk.
The clerk glanced at Hu Zongxian and said, "I won't ask who you work for. We won't know each other after this."
"Easy to say."
The clerk talked about the current situation of the Ministry of Rites.
"In the Ministry of Rites, Vice Minister Chen He is Yuan Fu's man. Recently, Vice Minister Chen was preparing to promote someone, but someone was blocking the way..." The clerk glanced at Hu Zongxian, trying to find out this man's purpose.
But after looking for a long time, he could not see any trace at all. The clerk had no choice but to continue for the sake of money: "Most of our Ministry of Rites are from the Prime Minister's team. The few who don't stand in line either just do nothing and muddle through. There is only one doctor, Xiao Zhuo, left..."
"Oh!" Hu Zongxian said lightly.
"It is rumored in the Ministry of Rites that Xiao Zhuo refused Chen He's solicitation, so Chen He changed his face and told him to get out of here." The clerk looked at the silver and then at Hu Zongxian.
"What do you think of Chen He?"
“It’s a sharp move.”
……
"Is that so?" Jiang Qingzhi stroked his smooth chin. "I didn't want to get involved in the messy affairs of the Ministry of Rites, but if there is someone from my own ..."
"We should plant hidden troops in Yan Song's lair, and once the time comes, we can activate them... and catch him off guard." Hu Zongxian said with a smile.
He found that Jiang Qingzhi looked at him with a strange look, as if he was feeling pity and some regret.
Hu Zongxian was good at controlling the overall situation and being in charge of one thing, but making plans was not his strong point.
The chief strategist in Jiang Qingzhi's mind was currently teaching his female disciple next door.
"That's all for today's homework."
Xu Wei stood up.
The female disciple's voice came from behind the screen, "Thank you, sir."
Xu Wei carried the wine gourd and ran to the back door.
Hu Zongxian has arrived, with a wine gourd in his hand.
"Oh! You brought snacks?" Xu Wei saw a piece of oil paper spread out on the steps, and on it were a bunch of meatballs. "Who would eat something so greasy?"
Hu Zongxian didn't say anything more. He picked up a meatball and put it into his mouth, chewing it carefully.
"Forget it, I'll do it for your sake." Xu Wei also picked up a meatball, sniffed it, and put it in his mouth.
Suddenly, the eyeballs became round.
The first thing that burst into his mouth was the aroma of meat, and an inexplicable deliciousness. Just as he was about to praise it, the spiciness of the pepper hit him, adding a touch of heat to the deliciousness.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Hu Zongxian asked.
"Delicious!" Xu Wei swallowed the meatballs, "Old Hu, you also know this kind of cooking skills?"
"It was made by the chef in the Bo's Mansion, but it was taught by the Boye."
Xu Wei prided himself on being multi-talented and was stumped by this remark.
"By the way, how is your boss?" Hu Zongxian asked casually.
"He has a steady personality, but lacks wit." Xu Wei said casually while studying the meatballs.
After eating and drinking, the duo went back to their respective places.
"Be steady and less cunning. I understand." Jiang Qingzhi nodded.
……
Chen He, the Minister of Rites, was quite majestic. He looked at everyone with his triangular eyes. His fierce aura made people tremble in their hearts.
"Xiao Zhuo refused to listen to any soft or hard words. I arranged for someone to hint to him that he should either bow his head or leave on his own, otherwise he would suffer the consequences. But this man ignored it."
An official smiled bitterly.
In the duty room, Chen He was sorting out some documents. He looked up at the official and stared at him sharply, "I asked you to find his faults. Did you find them?"
The official's name was Zhao Fa. He shook his head and said, "Xiao Zhuo is very steady in his actions. Since he realized what we were up to, he has become even more cautious. We can't find any flaws."
Zhao Fa thought for a moment and said, "How about...framing someone?"
Chen He said calmly: "Frame up, frame up. When you are in trouble, you only know how to frame. But you don't know how to find another way."
"What the Minister meant was..."
"Your Majesty is short of a poem for a fast and sacrifice recently, so he asked the Ministry of Rites to help. I have a lot of things to do, so I asked Xiao Zhuo to write it."
Zhao Fa's eyes lit up. "Your Majesty values Qingci the most. Xiao Zhuo's writing is well-balanced, while Qingci requires agility or magnificence. If you ask him to write... Your Majesty will definitely be dissatisfied."
"As long as His Majesty expresses his dissatisfaction, I can make him get out of the Ministry of Rites in disgrace."
When Xiao Zhuo received the task of writing Qingci, despite his calmness, his face was still bleak.
"What a great Chen He! What a great Yan Dang!"
Back home, he is still the kind father and the gentle husband.
That night, the candle in the study was lit all night long.
The next day, Zhao Fa came and read the Qingci written by Xiao Zhuo for inspection. He said without comment, "His Majesty is in urgent need of Qingci. Send it to him as soon as possible."
Turning around, Zhao Fa asked to see Chen He, and burst into laughter as soon as he entered.
"Frivolous!" Chen He frowned.
"Minister, I don't know..." Zhao Fa held his stomach, "The Qingci written by Xiao Zhuo is really well-balanced."
He spoke aloud some of the words and phrases he had memorized.
Chen He narrowed his eyes and said, "I'll go to the Ministry of Personnel later to inform them and ask them to choose a remote place for him..."
"Killing the chicken to scare the monkey?"
Chen He nodded, with a fierce look in his triangular eyes. "If not, how can we intimidate those officials? This is the Ministry of Rites. Either endure it or get out!"
……
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(End of this chapter)
