Chapter 811: All grass and trees are soldiers
As the autumn colors fade, those who get up early can see a thin layer of frost on the grass and trees. Exhale and watch the mist drift in the air...
"Winter is coming."
Chen Yao, the left assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was walking in the courtyard of his home. With his hair loose and his hands behind his back, he watched the white air he exhaled dissipate in an instant and sighed, "Time flies, day and night."
A maid came over and handed her a cup of tea.
Chen Yao drank a sip of tea, gargled a few times and spit it out. The maid handed him the second cup, which was medicinal tea.
He drank the medicinal tea slowly, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Sir, Mr. Wang wants to see you," someone reported.
Wang Ce was Chen Yao's staff member. When he saw Chen Yao, his thin face trembled. "Minister, today is the full moon of Jiang Qingzhi's son. This is the last chance."
Chen Yao said coldly: "Jiang Qingzhi is not short of money."
"But who would complain about having too much money?" Wang Ce said anxiously, "Since those people are ready to take action today, this is the chance for the Minister. Minister!"
Wang Ce lowered his voice, "I have thought about Jiang Qingzhi. He will repay anyone who has done him a favor. He will also avenge anyone who has a grudge against him. If the Minister takes the initiative to tell him about this person, he will definitely help him. Minister!"
Chen Yao narrowed his eyes, "He is a great master of the Mohist school. If I surrender, I will become a public enemy in an instant."
"If that incident were to happen...the Minister would at least be exiled!" Wang Ce said.
"The new policy is about to be launched. This full moon banquet is a gathering of ministers who support the new policy. And this case of the Ministry of Revenue is the signal for His Majesty to start the new policy.
In the past, Your Majesty and Jiang Qingzhi only tried it briefly, which was like cutting meat with a small knife, but it still caused a heated discussion among the scholars and officials of the world. This time, the new policy will definitely be drastic. Those people will be hurt. "
Chen Yao said coldly: "When it hurts, they will scream and retaliate crazily. This is not the boiling discussion in the past. This is to see blood, to... fight to the death."
"Minister, I think we should get through the current difficulties first," said Wang Ce.
"No." Chen Yao shook his head and held up two fingers. "When the new policy is implemented, money and grain will be the first to be affected. Where will the money and grain come from? Taxes. Your Majesty and Jiang Qingzhi will definitely take action against the land and the population. Do you know how many families in the capital will suffer because of this? Countless!"
In the morning light, Chen Yao's face was more ferocious. "Your Majesty is hiding in the West Garden, but Jiang Qingzhi is outside! These people will fight him to the death. In restaurants and brothels, and even when traveling, there will be open and covert attacks at any time. Jiang Qingzhi can hide for a while, but can he hide forever? He is dead, do you understand?"
Chen Yao said in a low voice, "Once he dies, His Majesty will be in a state of panic. Who will care about the Ministry of Revenue case? Someone in the Jinyiwei has received bribes and will only cover up for me. In this case, I will still sit in the position of Left Vice Minister. When Lu Song leaves, who else will take the position of Minister of Revenue? Surrender to Jiang Qingzhi? Tsk!"
Chen Yao's sneer was very proud. Wang Ce looked at his face that was a little bright and dark in the morning light, and suddenly smiled bitterly, "I know what the minister means. It is too risky to follow Jiang Qingzhi."
"No, he will inevitably become a street rat. Who else but Shang Yang has succeeded in the new policy? Even if Shang Yang succeeded, once the emperor who supported him passed away, he would become a sacrifice for the new emperor to appease the powerful ministers, and he would be torn into pieces by five horses."
Chen Yao sneered, "That was the Former Qin Dynasty. Today, the power of the literati is unprecedentedly strong. This is a powerful force that forces the emperor to shrink in the Western Garden and not dare to show his head. If Jiang Qingzhi wants to take advantage of the situation, he has to see if he has the ability of Shang Yang.
Furthermore, Your Majesty is not young anymore, and has practiced Taoism for many years. I heard that he also takes elixirs from time to time? Elixirs... Many emperors in the past dynasties have taken them, but who has lived longer? The more you take them, the shorter your life will be.
When your Majesty leaves, the new monarch has no prestige, and the ministers will take advantage of the situation to fight back. Tell me, what will the new monarch do to appease the scholars and ministers?"
Wang Ce murmured, "Just like when Qin Xiaogong passed away, the new king threw Shang Yang out, he will throw Jiang Qingzhi out and let them vent their anger."
"When the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked." Chen Yao said calmly, "Just wait for good news."
"Yes!" Wang Ce wanted to persuade him again, but Chen Yao had already turned and left.
"Minister, that's Jiang Qingzhi!" Wang Ce smiled bitterly, "There are countless people who want to kill him, but he still lives to this day."
The morning light gradually expanded, covering the entire courtyard and the eaves.
The whole house was glowing with white light, and in the early hours of the morning, it seemed a bit desolate.
Jiang family: Since returning to Beijing, Jiang Qingzhi would get up a quarter of an hour earlier every morning to accompany his son.
"...The cat demon screamed, slapped the tiger on the head with one claw, and said, "Fool, this is not the way to climb a tree. You have to hold on to the trunk. Watch carefully..."
The tiger watched from under the tree and learned how to climb the tree in a few moves. The cat demon said proudly, "I am a great master." The tiger laughed grimly, "Great, but I am hungry, please have pity on me and let me eat your meat!"
Jiang Qingzhi held his son and described vividly: "The cat demon fled in panic, and the tiger chased it relentlessly. Finally, the cat demon escaped to the tree, but the tiger laughed wildly and said, 'You taught me to climb a tree, isn't this just tying yourself up in knots? Hahahaha..."
The child's eyes were big and clear, making Jiang Qingzhi feel particularly peaceful, as if the whole world had become quiet. There was no more movement.
He whispered, "Dapeng, do you like this story?"
Jiang Qingzhi felt a little regretful that he missed the moment his son was born, and even more regretful that he missed the most important moment of prenatal education.
So every morning and evening he would tell his son some stories.
The nurse said to the maid outside with a troubled look on her face: "Master, what are you talking about? Aren't you afraid that it will bring bad things to Master?"
The maid said calmly, "Master Bo has been fighting for many years, killing people everywhere. The housekeeper said that Master Bo's murderous aura alone can suppress all the demons and monsters in the area. What's more, it's just Master Bo's mansion."
The nurse was startled. "Yes, I used to sleep uneasily, but after I came to the mansion, I slept very soundly every night. If I hadn't gotten up several times at night to check on the young master, I would have been able to sleep through the night. So that's how it is."
The maid said, "We have never had a bad sleep in the Bo's house."
The nurse suddenly lowered her voice and said, "I heard someone say yesterday that the Lord and His Majesty are going to make some new policies this time. It is said that many people are calling for war and killing. Is this true?"
The maid shook her head, "I haven't been out these days." "Ah! They say that your majesty is greedy for money and that the Duke is a sycophantic minister..."
"Nonsense!" The maid sneered, "If it weren't for the Lord, Altan would have already laid siege to the city. Those are just villains."
"Dapeng, today is your full moon day." Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile.
"Master, wake up!"
Amid the thunderous shout, the maid relaxed, "It's finally here."
Many people have gotten used to this roar every morning. Once people get used to something, whether it is good or bad, they will wait for it out of habit, just like waiting for the second shoe to drop on the floor above.
The wet nurse stamped her feet outside, rubbed her face, and hurried in to take the child.
Jiang Qingzhi came out, followed by the maid, who whispered, "Master, the nurse just asked about the new policy. I don't know..."
"Don't worry about it." Jiang Qingzhi said lightly.
"Yes."
Jiang Qingzhi went to the bedroom first, and Li Tian got up. Today was their son's full moon, and it was also a good day for her to come out of confinement, so she needed to dress up carefully.
"The maids and servants at home are a little panicked. You can handle this matter." Jiang Qingzhi said, and smoothed his wife's long hair, which felt quite silky.
"What are you so panicking about?" Li Tian asked, looking at himself in the bronze mirror.
"Those people stirred up public opinion and incited opposition to the new policy. Even the wet nurse knew about it. Those people at home were a little uneasy."
When the wet nurse casually mentioned the new policy, the maid actually thought she might be a spy, which made Jiang Qingzhi laugh and cry.
"Isn't this a case of seeing enemies everywhere?" said Li Tian.
"My wife, you also know the art of war? I admire you so much!" Jiang Qingzhi said with a smile.
"My husband, just make fun of me!" Li Tian leaned back in his arms and said, "The backyard is short of a manager. Yan'er is good, but she is not good enough to manage people."
Huang Yan'er was not a good manager at all. She played around with the maids and had no dignity at all. If she was really asked to manage the backyard, Jiang Qingzhi felt that something would happen sooner or later.
But Huang Yan'er was brought by Li Tian from her mother's family, so Jiang Qingzhi had to save some face for his wife. "I'll pay attention to it later and find someone who can take charge."
"It's not easy to deal with!" Li Tian was still in charge of the backyard during her pregnancy. It was Fucheng who intervened in the middle and late stages to avoid chaos in the backyard. "Why don't I continue to take care of it!"
"Zhuge Liang was exhausted by doing everything himself, but Sima Yi got something for himself." Jiang Qingzhi said, "I will go to the palace and ask for someone from Your Majesty later."
"It might be a spy." Li Tian said vigilantly.
Jiang Qingzhi smiled, "Do you think that if His Majesty wants to keep an eye on me, he won't find any other way?"
Most of the servants and maids in the Bo's Mansion were sent from the palace in the past. Jiang Qingzhi did not move, which showed his calmness.
"Yes, I am so confused. It's what my husband said about pregnancy making women stupid for three years!" Li Tian said in some confusion, "Does it mean I have to be stupid for another two years?"
"It's okay. Just continue to act silly. I'll find a concubine later." Jiang Qingzhi teased.
"Do you want me to give up my position?" Li Tian retorted.
“It’s better to kill two birds with one stone.”
It is refreshing to have some fun with your wife early in the morning.
After the exercise, Jiang Qingzhi returned to the backyard to prepare for a bath.
"My Lord, someone has come from the Duke's Mansion." Someone reported.
"Who is this so early in the morning?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
"Here comes a steward, with a woman."
Ok?
Li Tian, who was putting on makeup, looked up suddenly, "Girl?"
"This jealousy is inexplicable!" Jiang Qingzhi said, but he was also wondering in his heart, what is Lao Zhu trying to do?
Not long after, the steward and the woman arrived.
"I've met the second master."
Ru Yu bowed softly and said, "Meet my lady."
Uh!
Jiang Qingzhi was stunned. "What does this mean?"
Ruyu raised her eyes, looking at him with pity, "Madam asked me to come to the mansion..."
The steward smiled and said, "Madam said that once the new policy is implemented, those people will use any means. Ruyu is quick-witted and quick-handed. With her watching over the backyard and the children, the Second Master and his wife don't have to worry."
Li Tian looked at the delicate and gentle Ruyu, and alarm bells started ringing in his mind.
(End of this chapter)
