Chapter 740: Long-Term Schemes
"King Jin? What’s up with King Jin again?" Madam Jin asked casually.
Without waiting for his answer, she turned around and ordered the little maid repeatedly, "Quickly, get the kitchen to serve the meal; the master is back. Serve a few favored dishes."
"Go get some hot water, the master wants to wash his face."
"Serve tea."
"The jasmine tea the master likes."
"From Fujian."
The two little maids hurried out.
After giving all her instructions, Madam Jin turned and said, "The master has been toil-worn outside for days; change your clothes first, have a seat and drink some tea. In a while, the meal will be served. Eating is the biggest thing, everything else can wait until after the meal."
General Jin nodded and went to the inner room to change his clothes.
After a while, he called, "Madam, where are my socks?"
Then called again, "Undershirt? I want to wear the eggshell blue one."
Until he called Madam Jin into the inner room did he stop.
He lamented tenderly, "I really can’t leave Madam even for a moment."
Madam Jin was not pleased.
"But I see you get tired quite soon. Tell me, how did the Marquis end up so handsome? If you had half, no, even less than half his looks, I’d serve you every day without complaint."
The plain-looking General Jin was greatly struck.
As the dishes were laid out on the table and they took their seats, General Jin just then spoke slowly, "The Marquis and his wife are so loving, what business do you have?
Just be satisfied, I’m still here not abandoning you, guarding next to you.
Though I’m a bit robust, beard’s a bit big, and looks a bit old...
But still a useful man."
At this, Madam Jin got spirited, picked some food for General Jin with chopsticks, and affectionately asked, "What’s that supposed to mean? Didn’t you confidently say before that the Marquis is a real man? You changed your tune in just two sentences? Clearly, even loyalty has its appearance."
General Jin slowly had a bite, and said, "If he isn’t a real man, who is?"
Lowering his voice facing the teasing Madam Jin, he said, "Do you know? Afraid that King Jin probably won’t return."
"Ah?"
Madam Jin couldn’t believe her ears: "Really? Is he really that bold?"
General Jin replied casually, "Isn’t it so."
"All for Madam?"
"Yes, all for Madam."
Madam Jin put down her chopsticks and said, "People won’t return; what do you tell me for?"
"That’s why I have to tell you," General Jin said. "When King Jin sought me, he was terribly arrogant, telling me to look further and not to be blinded by affection and loyalty, to understand whom to follow for future prospects."
"I heard you say that," Madam Jin nodded.
"Honestly, I was a bit hesitant at the time."
General Jin slurped the wine in his cup before continuing, "Especially when King Jin said that the Marquis might be childless in the future, the Gu Family has no heir, the Crown Prince is weak; King Jin gains the Crown Prince’s deep trust, following him can lead to great prospects. However, the Marquis is close to Prince Qi, due to the late Empress Dowager and Former Crown Prince issues, he’s feared by the Emperor. It really hurt me."
Madam Jin glared at him: "Goodness, you actually kept this from me. If I’d known, I would’ve scolded you. Lucky you didn’t believe him."
General Jin said, "Look at you. Isn’t this me feeling bad for the Marquis?
I thought if I followed the Marquis, and my son could follow the Marquis’ son, generation after generation, attaching to Dingbei Marquis for wealth and glory, how great that would be.
But if it’s really like King Jin said, that the Marquis is feared by the Emperor, Northern Border isn’t the Gu Family’s territory, the Gu Family Army can only stay at the Great Camp outside the city, can it last long?
We people who risk our necks to fight and earn titles, would they be worthless because of this gang’s machinations?"
Madam Jin angrily said, "These bastards, truly worthless."
General Jin said, "Only us two are on the same page in this mansion, so I dare to tell you, speaking this old saying—Old clothes are no match for new ones, but old friends are better than new."
Madam Jin glared at him, picked up her cup, and drank it all.
General Jin rubbed his fingers together in front of her, saying, "These bastards can’t fight, but they’re first-rate at taking credit and scheming. As long as the Ministry of War blocks this, the Gu Family Army will dissolve. Although the Marquis hoarded quite a bit of silver coin, how can it withstand such consumption."
Madam Jin sighed.
Both were people who experienced displacement, tasted the bitterness, drank the wind, naturally knowing the power of money.
One cent can trip up a hero.
Reason can travel the world, but without money, you can hardly take a step.
Even if an army is loyal to the Gu Family, without pay, chaos is inevitable.
General Jin picked up a big chicken leg, gnawed it a couple of times, and said, "Can’t say I’m not concerned?"
Madam Jin ignored him, drinking on her own.
General Jin spat out the chicken bone, and continued, "But our Marquis is really something!
Raised a greasy thumb, and reached for the pickled beef.
"Busy inside and out, all he thinks of is this taste. The cured beef Madam sends the Marquis, it makes me crave it too, mouth watering."
"Would the Marquis not let you eat it?"
"The Marquis isn’t like before, guards his food."
Madam Jin laughed out loud.
"Indeed, men love younger wives, a decade younger really makes a difference."
General Jin said, "Eating while complaining, says Madam is too clingy, always worrying if he’s eating well or sleeping well."
Madam Jin laughed heartily.
General Jin continued, "Even showed me the undershirt, with a fat horse embroidered, wings are plump, so fat; forces people to praise, won’t let go until praised—said this is Madam’s embroidery."
Madam Jin laughed until she coughed.
General Jin shifted his tone, "Now, about King Jin reaching out to his precious darling, isn’t it courting death?
I’ve heard the Emperor claims sickness and doesn’t attend court, one because big characters were left by a thief on the screen in Yangxin Hall, feeling humiliated and not wanting to see the ministers;
The second is King Jin has been missing since then, the Empress Dowager’s birthday was tremendously disrupted, also quite angry."
Madam Jin put down her wine cup, said seriously, "If the Marquis had tolerated this, would he still be the Marquis?"
"No."
General Jin shook his head.
"I just didn’t expect the Marquis to be this brave. This time it’s really decisive and swift, even took a big chunk out of the Yelv Family. Satisfying!"
Madam Jin sneered coldly, "These people dare to mess around because they believe that there will be no more wars, sensible ones should not ruin their future over a woman. Pity they’ve got it wrong."
General Jin grabbed Madam Jin’s chubby hand, placing it on his own chest.
"Let’s have another child, maybe we might catch up to marry into the Marquis Mansion, Marquis can be relied upon, but there is the Seventh Miss, I’ve heard the Seventh Miss will stay and recruit a son-in-law. Gu Family Army’s future will belong to the capable ones."
This means dead-set binding to the Dingbei Marquis’ ship.
"Are you foolish, don’t we have a son already, perfectly can be the Seventh Miss’s young bridegroom, better to be Seventh Miss’s in-laws than just her parents-in-law?"
If dreaming, dream big.