Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 621 Picking Fruit

Some things, if you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way. Since Emperor Jingtai said that Xia Lin would control Wei Changsheng's life and death, then it was Xia Lin who controlled it.

Actually, this matter is very difficult. You can see from this small incident that Emperor Jingtai's cunning has matured, far surpassing what he was like when he first ascended the throne.

First of all, Wei Changsheng cannot do it, because if he does, it would be tantamount to announcing to the world that Xia Lin has deceived the emperor. Some things are too heavy to handle without weighing them, but once they are, they are too heavy to handle without weighing them down.

Secondly, Wei Changsheng couldn't ignore the matter. If he didn't, people would inevitably suspect Xia Lin of colluding with Wei Changsheng, and who knew if they would plot to seize the throne of the Great Wei? Emperor Jingtai would think that even if he had confidence in himself and Xia Lin, if this matter was ruined, there would be no way to explain it. After all, what kind of banditry could force Xia Lin of Jiangnan to come out of hiding? He was someone who single-handedly stood against the entire north.

Secondly, Wei Changsheng cannot be punished too harshly, nor too leniently. Xia Lin needs to study the appropriate balance and find the best way to handle the situation to provide a satisfactory explanation.

Ultimately, it is up to Xia Lin to decide who should receive the fruits of victory.

For example, Emperor Jingtai jokingly said, "I will personally meet those virtuous people." This may seem like a joke, but it's not appropriate to take it as a joke.

This statement implies at least one thing: that the final fruits of Lingnan Road should be taken by Emperor Jingtai, which is unreasonable and unfair, but he is the emperor, so he is right.

He could even use this incident to analyze whether to continue supporting Xia Lin or to turn to suppressing him in the future. To some extent, if suppressing Xia Lin was in line with Li Tang's interests, he could even join forces with Li Tang to suppress Xia Lin.

Politics is not child's play. Although Xia Lin is not very knowledgeable about politics, he has watched "In the Name of the People." Sometimes, a single sentence between the two contains a lot of strategic maneuvering.

It's actually quite sad sometimes, because there's no trust or friends in a place like this. Xia Lin wouldn't be so naive as to think that Emperor Jingtai could become Liu Shan; he would only become more and more shrewd and experienced.

"I think Wei Changsheng's matter definitely needs to be dealt with, but the key is how to do it. Both sides need to maintain their dignity. Wei Changsheng, as a high-ranking official, needs to maintain his dignity, and the imperial family also needs to maintain its dignity. So it has to be done with the emperor's great grace. However, Lingnan Province definitely cannot do without someone like him who has been deeply rooted in this region for many years. If we suddenly deal with him, it will inevitably cause instability. As you have seen, there are some things in this place that can only be done by him. No one else can do it."

Xia Lin's words made Emperor Jingtai ponder for a moment: "That makes sense. So what do you think should be done?"

"Well, I think he should be demoted to deputy, temporarily in charge of Lingxi, with a three-year salary reduction, submit a petition to reprimand himself, and be placed on probation. Yes, he cannot be promoted for five years."

Emperor Jingtai nodded: "Agreed."

Xia Lin continued, "Now, we can't let him get involved in the aftermath of the flood. Since you're here, you should personally oversee the relief efforts and meet with the philanthropists."

Emperor Jingtai raised an eyebrow slightly: "What? You've given me all the peaches from Guangnan?"

"Fine, take it." Xia Lin stood up with a smile: "I don't have any use for it."

At this moment, Xia Lin was actually observing, watching to see what Emperor Jingtai would do next. If he accepted it so readily, Xia Lin would have to leave himself a way out, because if Emperor Jingtai didn't reveal anything, it would mean that he didn't trust her at all.

A ruler who suspects his ministers should be killed. He hasn't killed them yet only because he can't, but once the opportunity arises, he will not hesitate to strike.

"That won't do. I find it troublesome to carry too many burdens. You take care of the matter of rewarding the soldiers and civilians. If you're too lazy to do anything, I'll treat everyone to a meal. You can ask Wei Changsheng to arrange that. By the way, tell me properly how you made Wei Changsheng admit defeat without losing a single soldier?"

Xia Lin was taken aback. He was surprised that Emperor Jingtai would share a large portion of the fruits of his labor, which was something no one had expected.

This rate of growth is quite surprising. In fact, Xia Lin still had some stereotypes about him: that he was petty, short-sighted, and had a strong romantic streak.

But this transformation is truly astonishing. Whether he will become the restorer of the dynasty is still too early to say, but his demeanor is completely different. Perhaps he has a master behind him, or perhaps he has truly grown up.

Xia Lin just doesn't know what triggered his growth, but he could study it carefully if he had the chance.

"Speak up! You're not making up a story to fool me, are you?"

"I need to think back."

In fact, Xia Lin's handling of this matter was so skillful that it could be recorded in the annals of military strategy. From Xia Lin's perspective, the twists and turns were not particularly special; they were simply variations of the Thirty-Six Stratagems. However, he executed this set of tactics with remarkable ease.

From an outsider's perspective, this matter is quite mysterious. Whether it was secretly transferring the troops from Fuliang to Lingnan to silence the public, or cutting off communication and creating false information to plunge the entire Guangnan into chaos and thus crush the morale of Wei Changsheng's troops.

They then moved on to the mountain inhabitants, and then used a more open strategy to quell the supply problems after the flood. Any problem in any link of this chain would have been a disaster.

But coincidentally, the whole process was smooth and efficient, without the slightest delay, sounding like a dramatic and challenging play.

As this story unfolded, Emperor Jingtai listened with rapt attention, as if listening to a tale. His inner thoughts were quite interesting; he found everything incredible and couldn't imagine doing it himself. He was especially amazed to hear that just five hundred men had demoralized several prefectures and even caused Wei Changsheng's army of over ten thousand to lose their will to fight.

"Could you give me this detailed petition?"

Emperor Jingtai asked somewhat cautiously, "I want to save this and study it repeatedly when I get back." "No time. I'll ask the clerks in the army for you in a few days. They should have some records."

"Okay, okay, I'll tidy it up then."

After Emperor Jingtai finished speaking, he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, by the way, Li Shimin actually came looking for you too, did you know that?"

"I can guess a thing or two. If there are no surprises, Li Jiancheng should have gone mad by now. He is trying every means to get rid of his younger brother and sister. Li Yuan is also a bit crazy. Even at this point, he is still hesitant."

"Li Yuan, those who know, know," Emperor Jingtai laughed. "When Father Emperor was still alive, Li Yuan didn't dare to utter a single fart."

"Don't be so arrogant. Don't forget why Luoyang was moved to the capital. Wasn't it because Li Yuan allied with the Turks that he was forced to do so? He's definitely not the kind of useless person you think he is, but... he's a bit indecisive and lacks the ruthlessness to fight back."

“Just like me.” Emperor Jingtai pointed to himself: “In this respect, I am not as good as him. The people call me a cowardly emperor behind my back.”

"You're still a coward? You're not a coward anymore. You're already happier than most emperors. You really have to thank the late emperor for paving the way for you. I'm not kidding. Whether you resent me or not, it doesn't matter. Anyway, without the late emperor, Great Wei would definitely be completely finished."

"You're right," Emperor Jingtai sighed. "Oh, by the way, you still don't have any children. Should I bestow a few concubines upon you? Don't worry, no one will object if I name them."

"You're trying to trick me again, aren't you?" Xia Lin turned to look at Emperor Jingtai. "Don't you know whether I have any children or not?"

"I only found out a few days ago, but they are not surnamed Xia after all. This matter is not easy to talk about. Don't think that you are still that little study companion now. You are a first-class minister in the world, or the kind of powerful minister who would kill you if the emperor changed. Offspring are still very important."

Xia Lin waved his hand: "You don't need to worry about that."

"You don't mean those companions you picked from brothels, do you? Daosheng, Daosheng, you should really consider your own status. You think you can bring home those things that merchants have ruined? I've already found a few good ones for you in the capital. The second daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue, a beautiful legitimate daughter, known as the number one flower in Jinling, just fifteen this year. Do you want her?"

"No."

"The eldest daughter of Xun Shifeng, the General of Fuwei in Gyeonggi Province, has practiced martial arts since childhood, and is as tall as me. Her figure is simply impeccable; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she's the best in the world. Do you want her?"

"No."

"Well... there is another one, Gao Shilian's granddaughter. She is a bit old and has a leg disability. She is twenty years old and not particularly good-looking, but the fact that she is Gao Shilian's granddaughter is that it would be a great thing to have her."

"do not want!"

Watching Emperor Jingtai call out names like a madam, Xia Lin grew impatient. He turned around and said, "I only have one principal wife and one concubine. My principal wife is your cousin. If you continue like this, I'll go back and write a letter to the Prince to complain."

Emperor Jingtai smacked his lips and said, "How about a Turkic sister? A pretty one!"

"No, no, no!" Xia Lin exclaimed. "Get ready, we're having a banquet tomorrow afternoon!"

After saying that, he turned and left. Emperor Jingtai sat there in silence for a moment, then called out to the back of the house, "Jinlian, Jinlian."

"Your Majesty has arrived." Jinlian came out of the house: "What's wrong, Your Majesty?"

"Didn't that country in the Western Regions send over a pretty young girl last time?"

"It seems there is such a person who is currently learning Chinese in the inner palace."

"What do you think about giving her to Daosheng? It's not a good idea for him to not have any children."

Jinlian frowned and lowered her eyes: "Your Majesty, the barbarians disdain it."

"Yes... How can a barbarian marry a son of my Great Wei? Not even as a concubine!"

As he spoke, Emperor Jingtai got up and went into the room thoughtfully, carefully considering what kind of woman he should find for Xia Lin.

Jinlian watched his retreating figure and whispered, "I can..."
-
Sorry, I've been quite busy these past few days. My long-time readers from the "Twenty Years of Excellence" club came over for a team-building event. They offered to take me to a massage parlor, but I absolutely refused. After dinner, I wandered around for a bit and then rushed back to write.

I'll make it up tomorrow. You see, I promised I'd make it up, and if I didn't, it's probably because I really don't have the energy.

(End of this chapter)