Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 803 Revenge
The incident in Bianjing was handled properly and did not cause a great stir. Apart from the officials who went to the capital, the Dali Temple, and a few other officials on duty, many people were unaware of the real story.

The news of the passing of the Princess Consort of Qin was being discussed everywhere.

Princess Qin fell ill during childbirth, and the royal family sought medical treatment everywhere, but unfortunately, they could not save her life. Naturally, there were rumors that Princess Qin's death was suspicious. However, there have always been many secrets about the royal family, and no one can say for sure whether they are true or false. In the end, they just became idle gossip.

Most officials were more concerned that the emperor had not yet attended court. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was in charge of governance, and Prime Minister Wang was on duty in the palace every day, so the political situation was relatively stable. However, this was only on the surface. Behind the scenes, there were already many spies sending information from the capital to various places.

……

Pengcheng.

A fast horse entered a village outside the city. The man on horseback dared not delay and immediately handed the secret letter he was carrying to the steward.

A moment later, the letter appeared on the desk in the study in the inner courtyard.

The man in his thirties took the secret letter, read it, and immediately handed it to the two people waiting in the room. The two of them huddled together and read the letter.

One of them raised his head and said, "Our master is indeed amazing. He foresaw this situation and instructed us to mobilize our troops in advance. Now we are just waiting for the King of Qin to start his rebellion so that we can storm into the capital."

The Xie family forced them to go into hiding at sea. At that time, several shopkeepers asked to lead men to hunt down the Xie family, but the owner refused, saying that the time was not right.

In order to deal with the imperial court, they abandoned many ships and lost some men, making the court think that they had been caught off guard. In fact, they did not make any move at all, because the owner wanted to use the imperial court to deal with Xie Yizhi and his people, and then change his appearance and take over the maritime business in a legitimate way.

Their people have already obtained the position of Director of the Maritime Trade Office of Fujian Road. They can then take advantage of the chaos to place their own people in the imperial court. Officials who were originally in the court can also take the opportunity to be promoted. It can be said that they have killed two birds with one stone.

Thinking of this, the fourth shopkeeper couldn't wait any longer: "When should we send the army out? Once we're in the city, I'll slaughter the Wang family and the Xie family first, so I can avenge my third brother."

They learned that the third manager had been severely tortured after being arrested, and the court, seeing that they couldn't get anything out of him, simply executed him.

They must avenge this blood feud.

"Fourth brother," the second manager said, "at times like these, we must be even more careful and follow the master's arrangements."

The fourth manager wanted to argue, but after glancing at the gentleman who remained silent, he had no choice but to swallow his words.

The man didn't look up but asked, "What does the fourth brother want to say?"

The fourth manager naturally dared not disobey his master's wishes, and said awkwardly, "No, I'm just a little anxious. I've been suppressed these days, and I'm really unhappy."

The master said, “Everyone is the same, but we cannot let temporary gains or losses affect the overall situation. The master has been planning for so many years, and we are just one step away from the final step. You all need to be patient.”

The fourth manager had no choice but to agree.

The man said, “Everyone go and prepare yourselves… I think it won’t be long before the host finds an opportunity for us to break camp.”

Taking so many people to Bianjing was impossible without anyone noticing. Even if it was arranged by the King of Qin, a reasonable explanation had to be given to the local officials, otherwise it would be difficult to pass through the checkpoints along the way.

After the two shopkeepers left, the gentleman stood up and went straight to the backyard.

The backyard was quiet. The gentleman saw the steward who came out to greet him and was about to ask a question when someone coughed twice and then said, "Come in!"

Only then did the gentleman enter the house.

In the middle of the main house, an old man with white hair and beard sat on a chair. He was wiping a long knife in his hand with a white cloth. Although the knife had been used for many years, it still radiated a chilling light.

"master."

The gentleman called out, and the Duke of Wei looked up: "News has come from Bianjing?" The gentleman replied: "Yes, the Princess Consort... has been buried."

The news of the princess's death was sent two days ago, and the Duke of Wei asked about it again, presumably to inquire about how her funeral arrangements were going.

The Duke of Wei's hand trembled slightly as he planted the long sword on the ground: "Is there any other news?"

The gentleman immediately presented a letter.

I just received two letters. One mentions the current situation in Bianjing, and the other is from the King of Qin to the Duke of Wei.

The Duke of Wei took it, opened it to examine it, and then casually handed it to the teacher.

“He agreed,” said Duke Wei, “and will give them, mother and son, the most honorable status.”

The gentleman, unsure of what expression to make, tentatively said, "At least it's a good thing for the young master."

Duke Wei's gaze was deep: "Things in the royal family can change in an instant. Who can say for sure? Our Jiang family are founding nobles. Back then, the founding emperor promised that as long as we handed over military power, our descendants would enjoy wealth and glory."

"Trading military power for wealth and status, and even marrying into the royal family—you can enjoy life without working! Just listen to that... how wonderful is that?"

"But... in the end? There will still be suspicion, and the future of our descendants will be suppressed by the court. If there is any mistake, they will be severely punished immediately."

"These emperors of the Great Liang are all worse than the last; they might go back on their word tomorrow."

The gentleman hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Duke Wei said, "You must be wondering, if that's the case, why do we still need this thing?"

Duke Wei stood up and suddenly brandished his long sword, making a feinting slash in the room. Although he hadn't used his full strength, it was still powerful and imposing. However, he was clearly not satisfied with his skills.

If he trusted the emperor, he would only need the status of a maternal relative, and wouldn't have agreed to take this path.

"With this, we can win people's hearts. Those ministers and our subordinates want this piece of paper. We need to let them know that working for us will bring them a bright future."

Once you're on this ship, it's not easy to get off.

The same goes for the King of Qin. He relied on them to seize the throne, and after he ascends the throne, he will need to rely on them to stabilize the political situation. Their people hold great power, so aren't they more reliable than a daughter who is the queen?

Furthermore, sometimes the dead are more useful than the living.

If the King of Qin wanted to ascend the throne legitimately, he had to clear his daughter's name. Therefore, his daughter's reputation for loyalty and protecting her husband would be indispensable. If such a wife was not posthumously honored as Empress, it would be difficult to explain.

A living person who ascends to the position of empress may make mistakes, but a dead person will not. From now on, it will be extremely difficult for anyone to shake the position of their daughter.

Remember, what cannot be changed is the most reliable.

“I’m old,” said Duke Wei. “There’s not much I can do for him anymore. This is the last thing I can do. From now on… he’ll have to rely on himself.”

The gentleman nodded.

Duke Wei tossed the long sword to his teacher and sat down again: "Even if I agreed to this, it was out of necessity. They owe my daughter's life, and I will take it back."

"We cannot march on Bianjing now. We will spare the heads of the Wang and Xie families for now. We will take the head of one of their close relatives to offer as a sacrifice to our army."

(End of this chapter)