Chapter 82: Asking for help, intimidation
Cui Yuan is waiting for good news.
His demands were not high; he only wanted to make sure that Jiang Qingzhi no longer had a foothold in the army.
Lu Bing is here.
"The court is our world. Yan Song is the leader and will not give Jiang Qingzhi a chance. If he dares to come in, we can dig a hole and bury him."
There was more cruelty in Cui Yuan's eyes.
Lu Bing nodded. "This man defeated the Japanese pirates in the south, which shows that he has a talent for leading troops in battle. Your Majesty has lost a trustworthy general by your side, which has always been a pity."
"You mean, His Majesty ordered Jiang Qingzhi to inspect the guards. This is to pave the way for him?" Cui Yuan's breathing quickened for a moment.
"It's an inspection, but also paving the way." Lu Bing's understanding of Emperor Jiajing far exceeded his peers. His eyes were gloomy. "Once Jiang Qingzhi shows his talent as a leader, Your Majesty will push him forward step by step."
"If there is a general who controls the army around your majesty, the world will be shaken." Cui Yuan murmured, "Think about it, if Zeng Xin is a general that your majesty trusts, once the restoration is successful, your majesty's prestige will soar.
When your majesty's prestige makes the whole world bow down to you, Lao Lu, we can only bow our heads and obey you..."
Lu Bing smiled and said, "Have you ever seen a general who had no military experience but had only wiped out hundreds of bandits, and was entrusted with important tasks by the king, and eventually became a famous general?"
Cui Yuan shook his head. "There is a Zhao Kuo who is good at talking about war on paper."
"So, what are you worried about?"
Lu Bing then asked Cui Yuan about his arrangements and left with satisfaction.
Watching him go out, Cui Yuan's attendant said, "Prince consort, is there any?"
"Who?" Cui Yuan asked casually.
The attendant said, "The champion marquis during the Han Dynasty!"
"Oh! Marquis of Champion." Cui Yuan said absentmindedly, then burst into laughter.
"Champion Marquis, then Jiang Qingzhi is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath with Champion Marquis? Hahahaha!"
The attendant thought about it and felt that it was not right. He said awkwardly, "Yes, there has only been one champion marquis in the past few thousand years. He led the army deep into the frontier when he was just over ten years old and was invincible. The Central Plains is a land of outstanding people, but where do so many geniuses come from?"
They heard hurried footsteps and looked over. It was the person who was ordered to find out the news about Huben Zuowei.
"How?" Cui Yuan's eyes were sharp.
The messenger reported, "Jiang Qingzhi ordered the generals to run drills around the military camp, and the soldiers of the Tiger Guard Left Guard watched..."
"He will anger those generals." Cui Yuanlao's eyes flashed with joy, "Go and find out more."
The man ran out in a hurry and almost bumped into Lu Bing.
"Old Lu, why are you back again? Are you craving for the good tea here?" Cui Yuan said with a smile, but his smile was frozen by the stiffness on Lu Bing's face.
Lu Bing walked in.
"Earlier, the commander of the Tiger Guard Left, Huang Sande, and others were preparing to attack..."
"That's great!" Cui Yuan was overjoyed.
"Chen Bao, grandson of Chen Mian, returns and kneels down to plead guilty."
Cui Yuan said in a hoarse voice: "Chen Mian considers himself a meritorious official in the Great Ceremony Discussion, and he is the most arrogant. How could he bow to Jiang Qingzhi? Could it be..." He bowed his head, and when he looked up again, there was more shock in his eyes, "Could it be that Your Majesty supported Jiang Qingzhi and scolded Chen Mian? But Your Majesty is not afraid that the Huben Zuowei will cause trouble?"
Lu Bing was silent.
"Old Lu, you know a lot of people in the palace, but you didn't get any information?"
Lu Bing shook his head.
"Could it be that His Majesty has ordered the news to be blocked?" Cui Yuan said in despair, "This... Is His Majesty really going to use that little bastard?"
……
"Your Majesty, what a good one!" Yan Shifan put his brush on the pen holder. Someone beside him handed him a hot towel. Yan Shifan leaned back in his chair and covered his one eye with the towel. "Jiang Qingzhi has opened up the situation. However, this is just a deterrent."
Yan Song said: "The guards in the capital have been in decay for many years. Successive generals, the Ministry of War, and the court have tried to revive the guards, but the guards are rotten mud, and one move will affect the whole body, so in the end nothing came of it."
"That's a hornet's nest." Yan Shifan's voice was a little muffled under the cloth. "Your Majesty let Jiang Qingzhi go, of course, with the intention of cultivating and using him, but if you are not careful, there will be disasters of overthrow."
"My father has been in the government for many years and has experienced many ups and downs. He has realized a truth."
"Dad, your son is listening!" Yan Shifan heard his father's intention to show off and said with a smile.
Yan Song also smiled, "You should be patient when you need to be patient, and don't be impatient. Your Majesty! You are too impatient."
"He is anxious, and Jiang Qingzhi is even more anxious. However, the army is independent. If he thinks that he can run rampant in the guards just because he defeated some Japanese pirates in the south, then we should just wait and see."
Yan Shifan took the towel away and felt relieved. He sat up straight, his eyes piercing, "Dad, you must not let His Majesty have a trusted general that he can rely on. Otherwise, the power of you and me will be eroded."
"Father knows that power is limited. If more people come to share it, you and I will have less." Yan Song smiled and said, "Power is never too much. Yang Tinghe suppressed Your Majesty for this, and Xia Yan stole Your Majesty's power and authority for this."
……
As the local emperor of Yunnan, his ancestor Mu Ying was the adopted son of Emperor Taizu. Over the years, the Mu family had a lot of businesses in the capital.
After Mu Shu came to Beijing, he lived in one of the houses.
When he entered the house, Xiang Jin, the nanny who had followed him for many years, was waiting there.
"Third Madam, this house has been unmanaged for many years. Those people are lawless, drinking, gambling, and even worse, they dare to resell things in the house..."
Mu Shu glanced at her and said, "I should have dealt with those people, but you also know that the current Duke of Qian is only five years old, and that shameless Mu Chaobi is guarding Yunnan in his place.
If I start a war in the capital, Mu Chaobi will be ruthless and will certainly use this as an excuse to attack me. A little impatience will ruin a big plan."
Xiang Jin smiled bitterly, "Madam San is only fifteen years old, but she has to worry about family affairs..."
"That's not just a family matter, it's also a national matter." Mu Shu's face was solemn. "What I'm most worried about is that Mu Chaobi will lose his patience."
"Madam San, are you saying that Mu Chaobi will control the Duke of Qian?" The current Duke of Qian, Mu Rong, is only five years old and still a very childish child.
"Control? I'm worried that he will do something murderous." Mu Shu is of a higher generation than Mu Rong, and he is within the fifth generation of mourning. In fact, he is of the same generation as Mu Chaobi.
"He doesn't dare, right?" Xiang Jin was surprised.
"Why wouldn't he dare?" Mu Shu sneered, "Do you think I came to Beijing just to relax? If I don't leave, I might not be able to leave."
Xiang Jin was shocked, "How dare that old thief attack you, Third Lady?"
"Mu Chaobi intends to marry me to the chief of a certain tribe. Do you understand?"
"In this way, we can win over this person. Besides, once the Third Lady marries that man, she will have no chance of turning things around. If things go wrong..."
"If those natives riot, the first person they will kill will be me."
Mu Shu turned around and said, "I came to the capital to find an opportunity to fight back!"
"You may request to see His Majesty!" Xiang Jin said.
Mu Shu shook his head. "The Mu family has been in Yunnan for many years and has deep roots. The people of Yunnan only know the Mu family, not the emperor."
"Isn't that a taboo?"
"According to the news from within the Mu clan, this is something that has been tacitly approved by emperors of all dynasties!"
"Oh my God! Isn't that a local tyrant?" Only then did Xiang Jin know the reason why Mu Chaobi dared to be so unscrupulous.
"Your Majesty, just wait for an opportunity." Mu Shu said, "The most important thing to do now is to find an important official to support you, ask him to put pressure on Mu Chaobi, and create public opinion in the court...
No matter how rampant Mu Chaobi is, once the court denounces him as a traitor, do you think the military and civilians of Yunnan will support his rebellion?"
Xiang Jin was shocked by this series of measures.
"Then... only Yan Song has this ability."
Mu Shu sighed, "I also thought about Yan Song, but he has a bad reputation. Moreover, he is a gentle man, how can I let him offend Mu Chaobi? Compared with offending Mu Chaobi, winning over Mu Chaobi is more in line with the interests of Yan Song's party. So, it's not appropriate."
"That's... the senior officials of the six ministries. That's all. The words of the officials of the six ministries don't carry enough weight." Xiang Jin was a little worried. "Or maybe it's the noble relatives."
"It depends on who the noble is." Mu Shu entered the study and sat down. A maid served tea. She waved her hand and waited for the maid to leave before continuing, "I want to get close to Chengguogong Zhu Xizhong."
Xiang Jin narrowed his eyes. "The line of Duke Cheng is the top noble family of the Ming Dynasty. When it comes to Zhu Xizhong, this person is good at socializing and has many friends. The late emperor and the current emperor both value this person. If he is willing, this matter has great hope."
"Let's go now!" Mu Shu stood up.
"Won't you take a break, Miss San?"
"The sooner you get in touch, the better."
Mu Shu brought his men to the outside of Huben Zuowei and asked someone to report for a meeting.
"Third Madam, look at those generals. They are running like dogs!" said the accompanying maid in a sweet and naive manner.
"Shut up!" Xiang Jin shouted at the maid, but couldn't help whispering, "Mu Chaobi wouldn't dare to humiliate the generals in the army like this. Where does that Chang Wei Bo get the courage? Isn't he afraid of a mutiny?"
Mu Shu said: "I don't know either. However, this person suddenly became rich and powerful, and he is also very talented. I think he must be proud in his bones!"
Proud people often act recklessly, just like Xia Yan.
"This person does not have Xia Yan's power, but has Xia Yan's temperament." Xiang Jin sighed.
A clerk came and took Mu Shu and others in.
If it were someone else, not only would they not be able to see Zhu Xizhong today, they wouldn't even be able to enter the military camp.
But the Mu family is different, as they have more seniority than the Chengguo Mansion.
Mu Shu followed all the way, glancing at the soldiers from time to time.
I found that they seemed to be even worse than the soldiers in Yunnan.
"Jiang Qingzhi is there." The maid saw Jiang Qingzhi with only Dou Jialan behind him.
At this moment, Jiang Qingzhi was holding a medicinal cigarette in his mouth, his brows were furrowed, and he seemed dissatisfied.
When they arrived outside the lobby, the clerk asked Mu Shu to wait for a moment while he went in to report.
Mu Shu stood outside the hall and whispered to Xiang Jin, "We are here to ask for a favor from Duke Cheng. Duke Cheng is a very capable man. If he agrees, there will be hope for this matter. Third Lady, please don't be as cold as usual later."
"I know." If you want to ask someone for help, you must bow your head.
"This Duke Chengguo is no ordinary man. I have heard of him in Yunnan. From the previous emperor to the current emperor, they all relied heavily on him. It would be a good idea to make friends with him."
Xiang Jin was nagging, and Mu Shu suddenly stretched out his little hand and waved it, frowning and listening to the noise inside.
“…To be honest, Qingzhi suppressed the generals too harshly before. I was ready to report to His Majesty and order the army to suppress him.
Who would have thought that my brother had a plan in mind? He first ignored Huang Sande, causing him to be alienated from his generals. Then he calculated that Chen Bao's grandfather would definitely go to complain, and would definitely be scolded by His Majesty...
Just when Huang Sande was about to attack, Chen Bao's kneeling completely destroyed the arrogance of the Tiger Guard Left Guard general.
There was a loud laugh, and then someone said, "When the Second Master defeated the Japanese pirates twice in the south, some people still doubted him. If they saw the Second Master's viciousness and methods today, they would definitely be ashamed."
The previous voice came, very pleased, "To be honest, although I have never led an army, I think my ancestors have a high prestige in the army. If Your Majesty gives me a chance, I will be able to revive the reputation of the Duke of Chengguo and make the warriors of the world take notice of me."
This is Zhu Xizhong, Duke of Chengguo!
Xiang Jin glanced at Mu Shu.
"Today I finally realized that talent is truly incredible. I am not as good as Qingzhi in deploying troops!"
……
Third update.
(End of this chapter)
