Chapter 1689: Favoritism
This?
The words are correct, but the military achievements Qin San Lang established are extraordinary. Since the founding of Great Chu, there are few who have beheaded the heads of the Rong royal generals, especially when Great Chu is in unfavorable warfare, lacking vanguard generals to lead the charge and kill enemies. Qin San Lang should rightfully be promoted.
But since His Majesty has spoken like this, Minister Dai does not dare to say anything more.
Mai Cong said: "What His Majesty says is very true. Indeed, we should first observe how this person handles matters. If he can bear responsibility, it is not too late to promote him."
Mai Cong understands Emperor Jingyuan’s temper and knows that he is deliberately suppressing Qin San Lang’s rank to make use of him later, which is why he said such things.
"Where is the deputy general from Yongtai Prefecture?" Emperor Jingyuan suddenly asked about Vice General Fang.
Minister Dai answered: "Vice General Fang is recuperating with accompanying soldiers at the Ministry of War Inn outside the city; he has lost half a leg."
Living in the Capital is challenging. Martial generals like Vice General Fang, who come to the Capital from other places, can only reside at the Ministry of War Inn outside the city.
Emperor Jingyuan: "Let him come into the palace tomorrow; I want to see him."
Minister Dai was surprised. Why does His Majesty want to see Vice General Fang? This rank of military officer, without the extraordinary military achievements of Qin San Lang, fundamentally does not qualify to have an audience with the Emperor.
However, since Emperor Jingyuan wants to see him, as a subject, he dares not obstruct: "Yes, I will send someone to fetch him tomorrow morning."
After Minister Dai finished, he hesitated for a moment and finally spoke: "Your Majesty, the bandit Luo Ying has appeared in Beicang Prefecture. This bandit is extremely arrogant. Should we dispatch troops to..."
Bam!
Emperor Jingyuan slammed the table with such great force that it almost split, his eyes filled with murderous intent, angrily staring at Minister Dai: "Are you tired of living? It’s not your place to remind me of such matters!"
Minister Dai quickly kneeled: "Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. It was my foolishness and slip of the tongue."
On the surface, he begged for forgiveness, but internally, he cursed Elder Ying and the others to death.
Damn it, those old bastards only know how to harm me. They should have agreed to act as if Luo Ying were dead and not provoke His Majesty’s wrath by mentioning his affairs, but they insisted on not listening. They said this Luo Ying fellow has a formidable Eagle Food Gang, and if he isn’t promptly eliminated, he could one day sneak into the Capital and take them down without their knowledge.
Back then, when Duke Wei’s faction was eradicated, they also helped fan the flames.
But it’s not entirely Elder Ying and the others’ fault; Duke Wei’s faction was loyally devoted to the Great Chu Royal Family. Despite several attempts by the noble families to win them over, they couldn’t succeed, and Duke Wei’s faction wielded military power that suppressed their people, preventing their forces from expanding within the army.
Coincidentally, Emperor Jingyuan suddenly went mad, deciding to destroy Duke Wei’s faction, making them extremely pleased. They naturally assisted in eradicating Duke Wei’s faction. Otherwise, if their noble families wanted to rebel in the future, their soldiers would stand no chance against Duke Wei’s faction.
But Luo Ying, the fish that escaped the net, became their major concern. Over the years, Luo Ying not only survived but grew even stronger, and this time he even established military accomplishments.
Moreover, Emperor Jingyuan seems to have been intentionally lenient towards this court criminal in recent years, which made them afraid that Emperor Jingyuan might utilize Luo Ying due to the lack of capable generals in the army.
Luo Ying must be killed, he must be killed!
Elder Ying and the others, because of Luo Ying’s achievements together with fierce bandits, found it difficult to rest at ease. Before leaving, they hinted to Minister Dai to prod Emperor Jingyuan’s attitude towards Luo Ying.
Now, it seems Emperor Jingyuan favors Luo Ying and does not wish to kill him.
Emperor Jingyuan: "Get out."
"Yes." Minister Dai felt as though he received a reprieve and quickly left after bowing.
𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Once out of Mingwei Palace, he almost collapsed... Damn, it scared him to death; from now on, he’ll never again attempt to probe in service, it’s too life-threatening.
Huh?
Urge to urinate!
Minister Dai couldn’t hold it in any longer, quickly calling for a eunuch, who led him to resolve his needs in the lavatory.
Inside Mingwei Palace, Emperor Jingyuan asked Mai Cong: "Have you been to see Mr. Feng recently?"
Mai Cong silently wondered why Emperor Jingyuan suddenly asked about this and replied: "At Dragon Boat Festival, I visited Mr. Feng... He suffered a relapse of an old illness in spring and has only recently recovered, feeling somewhat weak."
Emperor Jingyuan listened and frowned: "What a pity..."
He always admired Mr. Feng’s great talents in governance but because Mr. Feng was closely associated with Duke Wei’s faction, when Emperor Jingyuan acted against Duke Wei’s faction, Mr. Feng was so furious that he publicly scolded him in court, causing Emperor Jingyuan to lose face. To maintain imperial power, he could only cease to reuse Mr. Feng.
One reason he would reuse Mai Cong is because Mai Cong is Mr. Feng’s student, having learned everything from Mr. Feng.
"Your Majesty need not worry; in a few years, Mr. Feng will surely understand Your Majesty’s good intentions and come out to serve you." Mai Cong knows very well where Emperor Jingyuan’s trust in him stems from; therefore, in front of Emperor Jingyuan, he often appears to be very fond of Mr. Feng, frequently making Emperor Jingyuan believe that he and Mr. Feng are like father and son.
After hearing this, Emperor Jingyuan sneered: "A person like him will probably never be able to abandon his affection for that side."
"That side" refers to Duke Wei’s faction.
Mai Cong said nothing; this is a conversation to avoid.
After a while, Emperor Jingyuan asked: "How is Qi Yi doing at Da Li Temple recently?"
Qi Yi angered Emperor Jingyuan several times; even though Emperor Jingyuan cherishes talent, he was annoyed and relegated Qi Yi to Da Li Temple, assigning him the most arduous tasks and really wearing him down.
Mai Cong replied: "Brother Qi is doing well; however, the official duties are very demanding, and his health has not yet fully recovered, causing him to faint a few times."
Humph!
Emperor Jingyuan snorted coldly: "He deserves it."
This bad temper is exactly like Mr. Feng’s, and his talent is exceptionally outstanding; sometimes even his political views are similar to Mr. Feng’s early years.
He thought for a moment and said: "Send Qi Yi with insect attractant to Mr. Feng, don’t let him die... Luo Ying holds great respect for him."
If Mr. Feng is unwilling to come out and help, he will become his pawn.
Mai Cong was startled by Emperor Jingyuan’s words. What does he mean? Does he genuinely want to elevate Qi Yi? By having Qi Yi deliver insect attractant to Mr. Feng, with Qi Yi’s talents, as long as he meets Mr. Feng and converses, he will surely win Mr. Feng’s favor.
If Mr. Feng is willing to mentor Qi Yi, once Qi Yi learns skills, the power in his hands will surely be divided by Qi Yi, and Emperor Jingyuan will no longer consider him as the first confidant... After all, he comes from a noble family, with many entanglements behind him, while Qi Yi is simply from an ordinary bureaucrat family, and his heart is inclined towards the commoners.
"Yes, I will send Brother Qi tomorrow to deliver the medicine to Mr. Feng." Mai Cong explained: "The poisonous insect is too powerful; I worried about Mr. Feng, so on the way to Duke Xing’s family, I already had someone deliver the medicine to Mr. Feng."
Emperor Jingyuan listened and indeed thought Mai Cong was good, a person genuinely concerned about Mr. Feng, and after relaying some matters to Mai Cong, he allowed Mai Cong to leave the palace.
"I take my leave." Mai Cong left Mingwei Palace, feeling far from joyous.
Why didn’t Emperor Jingyuan ask about Gu Jin’an?
Logically, Gu Jin’an is Gu Jinli’s brother, Qin San Lang’s uncle, and also the Small Three-Yuan Scholar of Jianghuai who is to enter the court as an official; Emperor Jingyuan should have asked him about Gu Jin’an’s situation in advance.
Now not asking, it probably means he’s checking privately or asking Ouyang Zhang.
Checking privately?
Mai Cong thought of the Juntian Guards... The Juntian Guards have not appeared in decades; the noble families thought the Juntian Guards no longer existed, but Mai Cong dare not lower his guard.
Such a formidable secret army, if not eliminated, it will be hard for him to sleep or eat in peace.