“I heard Yihong Brothel has a new top courtesan, unmatched in beauty and talent, with a pair of enchanting eyes that can steal your soul. Come on, let’s go see for ourselves.”
As soon as Zhao Wenhua left the governor’s office, the anger on his face vanished instantly. He chuckled and spoke to Hu Zongxian.
What?
Lord Zhao, weren’t you just fuming, eyes blazing with rage? How are you now cheerfully heading to Yihong Brothel to see the top courtesan? Has Governor Zhang Jing driven you mad with anger?
Hu Zongxian stared at the jovial Zhao Wenhua, his face full of question marks, his mind reeling. He stood frozen, unable to react for a long moment.
“Heh, every time Zhang Jing refuses, he brings his doom closer. Later, after we return from Yihong Brothel, help me draft a memorial to the emperor, detailing today’s confrontation with Zhang Jing over the war effort.”
“Think about it. Think carefully.”
Zhao Wenhua chuckled, patting Hu Zongxian’s shoulder with a meaningful look.
Hu Zongxian’s eyebrows shot up, and realisation dawned. So that’s how it is. So that’s how politics works.
Through this, Hu Zongxian had an epiphany.
“It seems you’ve got it. Let’s go. Zhang Jing’s days are numbered. His position, commanding vast armies, already puts him in a precarious spot, easily arousing the emperor’s suspicion. Yet he’s so oblivious to his own peril…”
Seeing Hu Zongxian’s understanding, Zhao Wenhua nodded with satisfaction, adding in high spirits.
“Let’s go see if Yihong Brothel’s top courtesan lives up to her reputation. They say she can steal your soul—we can’t miss this.”
With that, Zhao Wenhua strode forward.
Hu Zongxian squinted at Zhao Wenhua’s back, snapping out of it after two seconds and hurrying to catch up. “Jiangnan’s ‘slender horses’ are renowned. This trip won’t disappoint. But there’s only one top courtesan—how do we split her?”
“Hahaha, Meilin, if Little Minister Yan were here, you two would be bosom friends.”
Zhao Wenhua burst into laughter.
“I’ve long admired Little Minister Yan. If there’s a chance, Lord Zhao, please introduce me,” Hu Zongxian seized the opportunity to ask Zhao Wenhua to recommend him to Yan Shifan, never missing a chance to advance.
“Haha, that depends on your performance,” Zhao Wenhua teased.
“Today, I won’t compete with you for the top courtesan, Lord Zhao, but don’t fight me for the bill,” Hu Zongxian replied with a smile.
“Hahaha, no wonder I recommended you to Little Minister Yan long ago,” Zhao Wenhua laughed heartily.
“Thank you, Lord Zhao. I’ll rely on your guidance and support in the future, and I won’t let you down,” Hu Zongxian quickly expressed his gratitude.
After Zhao Wenhua and Hu Zongxian left, Li Tianchong emerged from the next room to meet Zhang Jing.
“Lord Governor, has Zhao Wenhua come to urge you to send troops again?” Li Tianchong asked.
“Hmph, time and again, every few days he puts on this show. Haven’t you gotten used to it?” Zhang Jing replied nonchalantly.
“Lord Governor, Zhao Wenhua is a petty man. Won’t he go back and submit a memorial to impeach you?” Li Tianchong said with some concern.
“Heh, have they impeached me too few times? If I worried about their impeachments, I’d have retired to my hometown long ago.”
Zhang Jing chuckled, shaking his head, utterly unconcerned about Li Tianchong’s worries.
“But public opinion can melt metal, and accumulated slander can ruin a man. We must guard against it,” Li Tianchong persisted. “Especially these past few days, with Xu Hai colluding with thousands of pirates, rampaging around Tuolin, burning, killing, and looting like mad. If Zhao Wenhua submits a memorial now, accusing you of refusing to send troops, it could cause trouble.”
“It’s not ‘if.’ Zhao Wenhua will definitely submit a memorial to impeach me,” Zhang Jing said without hesitation. “Just as he’s done every time he’s come to urge me to send troops, always submitting a memorial afterwards.”
Having kept Zhao Wenhua under surveillance, knowing his every move, how could Zhang Jing be unaware of his impeachment attempts?
“Since you know Zhao Wenhua will impeach you, why not take action to silence him?” Li Tianchong asked, puzzled.
“The wolf soldiers have only just arrived and haven’t been trained or integrated yet. It’s not time to send troops. If we act hastily, we won’t achieve the desired results, and we’ll alert the enemy, ruining the bigger plan,” Zhang Jing replied, shaking his head.
“Lord, we may not be able to send troops, but we could put on a show or order others to act. With Xu Hai and Wang Zhi’s pirates so brazen and rampant, as governor, if you take no action at all, it might be hard to justify,” Li Tianchong advised.
“Put on a show? Mobilising troops just for appearances wastes resources, harms the people, and disrupts training. I won’t do it,” Zhang Jing said, shaking his head.
“Then issue an order for others to send troops. That could also silence Zhao Wenhua,” Li Tianchong suggested.
“If we can’t send troops, who could?” Zhang Jing shook his head again. “Forcing others to act would only lead to unnecessary casualties.”
“The new Zhejiang Inspector, Zhu Ping’an, achieved a great victory in Suzhou, commanding his Zhejiang troops to nearly annihilate Xu Hai’s pirates. He surely has the strength to fight them. You could order Zhu Ping’an to send troops,” Li Tianchong proposed.
“Zhu Ping’an has only been in Zhejiang a few days and is unfamiliar with the area. His Zhejiang troops number just 2,000, and he’s sent hundreds to the capital to present captives, plus dispatched others to reinforce Jiaxing and Hangzhou. Does he even have 1,000 men left? That’s barely enough to defend his inspector’s office in Shaoxing, let alone send troops,” Zhang Jing said, shaking his head and rejecting the idea.
“Well, Zhejiang has another fierce general, Yu Dayou, brave and skilled in battle. You could order him to send troops,” Li Tianchong suggested again.
“General Yu is indeed valiant, but doesn’t he also have few troops?” Zhang Jing, of course, knew of the formidable Yu Dayou. “Last time, we planned to allocate a few thousand wolf soldiers to help him retake Jiaxing, but Zhao Chong redeemed himself by recapturing it, so those soldiers weren’t assigned to Yu Dayou.”
“Actually, their lack of troops doesn’t matter. When ordering them to act, you could give them the discretion to decide whether to send troops, as long as they report back promptly. Just issuing the order would be enough to silence Zhao Wenhua,” Li Tianchong urged again.
“No rush. We’ll talk about it when Zhao Wenhua comes to press me again. Honestly, Tianchong, there’s no need to worry about their impeachments. One victory outweighs a thousand impeachments. The wolf soldiers are here, and with some more training, the time to crush Xu Hai’s pirates will come. Once we annihilate them and secure a great victory, with our emperor’s wisdom, he’ll distinguish loyal from treacherous. Zhao Wenhua’s impeachments will only end up backfiring on him.”
Zhang Jing spoke with unwavering confidence.
