Song Qingshu finally understood why Han Xingzhou had invited him here this time. The group of people seemed to be having a heated discussion, but in fact, they were all talking to him. They had done so much to get him to help.
Becoming the focus of the group of people, Song Qingshu said with a wry smile, "I'm not a member of the imperial court, so I can't say anything about this."
While Song Qingshu was a guest in the Han Mansion, Guo Jing and Huang Rong also visited the Jia Mansion. Jia Shidao even went out to greet them with great courtesy.
Although they knew that Jia Shidao was just pretending to win them over, Guo Jing and Huang Rong still enjoyed Jia Shidao being one of the top figures in the imperial court.
This time, in order to win them over, Jia Shidao held a family banquet and invited them to show their closeness. Therefore, he didn't invite outsiders, and all the guests were the more important figures in the Jia Mansion. Jia Zhen, Jia Lian, Jia Rong, and other powerful figures in the Jia Mansion almost all showed up.
When they saw Huang Rong's beautiful face, the men in the Jia Mansion were shocked. Jia Lian poked Jia Rong secretly and joked, "She seems to be more beautiful and charming than the one in your house." Although the two were one generation apart in seniority, they were similar in age and had similar interests. They were not so much uncle and niece, but more like bad friends.
As for the one he mentioned, it was Jia Rong's wife, Qin Keqing, who was a famous beauty in the circle of the rich and powerful in Lin 'an.
"That's not necessarily true." Jia Rong snorted, but her eyes were fixed on Huang Rong, and she couldn't move her eyes away.
Jia Lian secretly despised her, thinking, "You pretend to be a loving couple, but secretly you are thinking about some dirty things." However, Huang Rong's beauty also made him feel a little itchy. He wanted to talk to her, but unfortunately, he couldn't find a topic to talk to.
Suddenly, his heart lit up. He pulled Jia Rong to Huang Rong's side and said with a smile, "I've long heard of Chief Huang's great name. Now that I've seen you today, you are indeed a heroine. I really admire you."
Jia Shidao had been talking to Guo Jing about something, so he couldn't be distracted. However, Huang Rong had clearly heard their conversation and felt the desire in their words. She was very unhappy, but she knew that Guo Jing was a very honorable person in the Jia Clan. There was no need to ruin Brother Jing's career by falling out with him.
Thus, she suppressed the displeasure in her heart and dealt with the two of them in a pleasant manner.
When he heard her tone was gentle and polite, how could Jia Lian be unable to sense the faint sense of alienation within it? He felt his heart itch even more, and he couldn't help but tease her. "Gang Leader Huang, this nephew of mine seems to have some fate with you."
Huang Rong's expression changed. She was a married woman, but he was frivolously talking about fate. It was obvious that he was up to no good. If she had met such a lecher on a normal day, she would have used the Dog Beating Stick Method to make him fall on his face as a punishment. Unfortunately, she was in the Jia family now, so she hesitated and didn't do anything.
Jia Lian took the opportunity to continue, "My nephew's name is Rong, which happens to be the same as your wife. Don't you think it's fate?"
Huang Rong smiled faintly. "My name is too common. There are at least 800 people in Xiangyang City. It's not fate at all."
Seeing her smile, Jia Lian and Jia Rong's minds were filled with the beauty of her pearly white teeth and red lips. They only felt dizzy. Jia Rong hurriedly said, "How is this not fate? After ten years of cultivation, we crossed the same boat. After a hundred years of cultivation, we slept together. Our names are the same. No matter what, it is no less than ten years of fate …"
Seeing the two of them push their luck, Huang Rong knew that if she allowed them to continue talking, they would say more stupid things. So, she suddenly glared at them.
Jia Lian and Jia Rong only saw a blur in front of their eyes. That bright and charming woman had disappeared, and the person standing in front of them was like a fiendish Yaksha. They were so frightened that they cried out in alarm and hurriedly took a few steps back. They pointed at her with a terrified expression and were speechless.
Jia Shidao couldn't help but stop and look over. Jia Zhen walked over, frowned, and stared at his son, Jia Rong. "What are you shouting for?" Although he was Jia Lian's brother, he was about the same age as Jia Rong's father. So, when he scolded Jia Rong, Jia Lian also trembled.
The two of them were still in shock. They pointed at Huang Rong and couldn't say anything. "She … She …"
Huang Rong smiled sweetly. "Just now, the two young masters asked me about the battlefield in Xiangyang. I accidentally described it too realistically and scared them. I'm really sorry."
Jia Zhen was also dazzled by her smile. He couldn't help but think that she was even prettier than his daughter-in-law …
Seeing that he was also staring at her, Huang Rong's face darkened. Jia Zhen was a lot older, after all, and he was much more shrewd than Jia Lian and Jia Rong. Noticing the change in Huang Rong's expression, he immediately realized what was going on. He turned around and glared at his brother and son. "You two are a disgrace to the Jia family. You know, we are a martial family. How could you be so scared when you heard about the battlefield …"
Jia Lian and Jia Rong didn't dare to refute, but they were confused. Were they really scared by the battlefield? Why didn't they remember what just happened?
Seeing the two of them being reprimanded, Huang Rong slightly pursed her lips and smiled. It turned out that she had just used the Nine Yin Manual's Soul Shifting Technique. How could these two hedonistic playboys withstand it? Naturally, they were being played around in circles.
However, Huang Rong's complacency didn't last long. She felt weak in her body, and it took her a while to steady herself. Huang Rong lowered her head and touched her belly. She sighed with melancholy. Her physical strength and energy were greatly reduced after she was pregnant. She really didn't know if this decision was right or wrong.
Not long after, everyone was seated. Jia Shidao said to Guo Jing, "As I told you before, I've already made arrangements for the commanding officer in Sichuan. Now I'm going to let you take charge of the military in Sichuan."
Hearing this news, Guo Jing looked refreshed. He wasn't happy about the promotion, but he cared about the people, and he was the successor of the Book of Wumu. Because he didn't have an official position in Xiangyang, he was often hindered by Lu Wende, so he couldn't fulfill many of his ambitions. Now that the Mongols and the Southern Song Dynasty had stopped fighting, the crisis in Xiangyang was temporarily resolved. If he took charge of the military in Sichuan, he was confident that he could train an elite army that would definitely shine in the future, whether the Mongols came back or reclaimed the Central Plains.
However, before he had time to answer, Jia Shidao continued, "But now there is a big problem, and that is, you have a competitor — Wu Xi."
"Wu Xi?" Huang Rong's attention was also attracted by this matter, since it was related to her husband's future.
Jia Shidao explained, "Wu Xi is the grandson of Prince Xin Wu Lin. He used to be a general in Quanzhou. At that time, everything about him seemed very mediocre, but he showed extraordinary talent on his way back to the capital. Not only was he skilled in martial arts, but he was also quite talented. He was recommended by Han Xingzhou to be the imperial armament in the palace …"
"After all, he is the son of Prince Xin. I guess he was hiding his strength before," Jia Shidao said to himself with some uncertainty.
Huang Rong couldn't help but say, "Back then, Prince Xin and Prince Fu had been in Sichuan for many years, and Sichuan was full of officials of the Wu family. If we compete with the children of the Wu family … I'm afraid we won't have any advantage."
Jia Shidao was very satisfied with the word "we" that Huang Rong said. He had talked a lot with Guo Jing before, but Guo Jing kept talking about the common people and the common people, which made him feel that Guo Jing didn't seem to be loyal to him at all. That made him very unhappy. Now that Huang Rong had made her side clear, it was exactly what he wanted to see.
"Don't worry about that, Master Huang," Jia Shidao explained with a smile. "If it were ten years ago, we wouldn't be able to compete with the descendants of the Wu family. But now that Prince Xin and Prince Fu are dead, and Sichuan has been conquered by the Mongols, the Wu family's power in Sichuan has been broken. Moreover, you and your wife have been guarding Xiangyang for many years, and your reputation has already spread all over the world. In terms of martial arts and reputation, no one is a match for Master Guo, so we still have a good chance of winning this time."
In the Han Residence, Han Xingzhou said something similar, "In fact, we have already won this matter. We just need Qingshu's help for the last point."
Song Qingshu was very surprised. After all, in terms of martial arts, reputation, and military experience, Linghu Chong, who was disguised as Wu Tiande, was far from a match for Guo Jing. Why did Han Xingzhou think he had a good chance of winning?
As if he had seen through his confusion, Han Xingzhou said with a smile, "Qingshu is not an outsider, so I'll be frank with you."
After hesitating for a while, as if he was thinking about how to phrase it, Han Xingzhou said, "What does Qingshu think is the Art of Emperors?"
"The Art of Balance, of course." Song Qingshu answered without thinking. At the same time, he was secretly shocked that a minister dared to talk about such a topic in private. Obviously, he wanted to get closer to Song Qingshu. However, his recklessness exposed the weakness of his character. As the saying went, if the emperor didn't keep secrets, he would lose his minister, and if the minister didn't keep secrets, he would lose his chastity.
Han Xingzhou looked at him in surprise. After all, he had been in the officialdom for so many years, and the Han Family had hundreds of years of inheritance, so he could understand this point. He didn't expect that a young man in Jianghu could see it so clearly.
Seeing everyone's surprise, Song Qingshu laughed secretly. He hadn't watched so many palace dramas in his previous life for nothing. Besides, compared to Han Xingzhou's armchair strategist, he had been an emperor in the Forbidden City.
Temporarily suppressing his shock, Han Xingzhou continued, "There are three most important war zones in the dynasty: Jianghuai, Jinghu, and Sichuan. Now Lu Wende, the Commanding Officer of Jinghu, is Jia Shidao's confidant. Sixty to seventy percent of the officials in the Jinghu war zone are Jia Shidao's direct subordinates. Now that Jia Shidao has the position of Commanding Officer of Sichuan, if his people are in charge of the military power in Sichuan, won't he control two-thirds of the world? The emperor is a wise man, so he won't tolerate such a thing! "
Chen Ziqiang, the minister of planning, echoed, "That's right. Therefore, although Guo Jing is the most suitable candidate to be the commander of all the armies in terms of martial arts, strategy, and reputation, the emperor still hasn't approved it. In the end, he decided to let Guo Jing compete with Tiande to decide who will be the commander. This shows the emperor's true attitude."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
