Free Web NovelChapter 603: Chapter 605: Arrived Quickly
Back in the private quarters of the government office.
Ancient Wen Heng immediately dismissed everyone.
Seeing his grave expression, Jin Qianqian’s own face grew serious. "It was just a meal. Why do you look so grim?"
"I suspect our days ahead won’t be as leisurely as they have been."
Jin Qianqian was silent.
Ancient Wen Heng gestured upward. "The beginnings of a conflict are already visible. We must be even more careful from now on."
Jin Qianqian understood at once. "Someone has already tried to win you over."
Ancient Wen Heng smiled wryly. "It wasn’t that blatant. They just gave some hints.
I never thought they’d start making preparations when the Princes are still so young."
"That’s why we sometimes have to put ourselves in their shoes and think from their perspective. Conflict is etched into their very bones.
My guess is that it was General Zhou who was dropping hints this time, wasn’t it?"
Ancient Wen Heng gave her a thumbs-up. "Whether he wants to fight for the throne or not, as a maternal relative of the two legitimate princes, he has no way out.
However, I’ve already subtly turned him down. There’s no need for us to pick a side so early. The Emperor is still young, and even though I have a good relationship with Brother Zhou, there’s no reason to tie our fates to his so hastily."
Jin Qianqian raised an eyebrow at him. "Does that mean you intend to pick a side later?"
Ancient Wen Heng shook his head. "That was just an excuse for the time being. Instead of being a fence-sitter, it’s much cleaner to be a Pure Minister.
That’s why we’ll continue to take posts outside the court, to avoid getting involved in the Capital’s affairs as much as possible."
Jin Qianqian agreed that was an excellent idea. "But some things aren’t up to us. I’m worried that when the time comes, our hands will be forced."
Ancient Wen Heng was already well aware of what Jin Qianqian was saying.
He figured that by now, the entire officialdom of the Rong Dynasty had already placed them in the same camp as the Zhou Family.
"Brother Zhou is a clever man. He understands my intended position and won’t want others to upset this balance.
Rest assured, at their level, every action taken to achieve a goal is planned and calculated multiple times over.
It’s just that you’ll have to endure the hardship of moving all over with me again, starting over from scratch." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Jin Qianqian said, "A life like this is a proper challenge.
But we need to get one thing straight. From now on, you have to be more careful. It’s not good to attract too much attention."
"I’ll do as you say. You shouldn’t let anything show, either. We’ll just act the same as always around Brother Zhou."
Jin Qianqian naturally understood. "We’ll pretend this attempt to win us over never happened. But what about our two boys? Should we still let them be close to him?"
This gave Ancient Wen Heng a headache. The person those two rascals admired most was Zhou Shixiong. It wasn’t realistic to suddenly forbid them from getting close to him.
"Let’s just let nature take its course. Once the appointment letter arrives, we might end up on opposite ends of the country. With time, they’ll gradually forget."
"I suppose that’s the only way to think about it," Jin Qianqian said, patting Ancient Wen Heng on the head. "If the sky falls, you’re the tall one here to hold it up. The children and I both believe in you."
Ancient Wen Heng was at a loss for words.
***
The officials arriving to take over their positions came much faster than they had anticipated.
Ancient Wen Heng checked the date. ’They must have set out the very moment the decision was made,’ he thought. ’Isn’t that a little too rushed?’
Little did he know that the moment they received their transfer orders, these men had packed light, gathered their people, and set off by swift carriage and fast horse.
There were simply too many people vying for these positions, and they were worried something unexpected might happen.
Ancient Wen Heng didn’t recognize any of the men who arrived.
The one to take over as the new Magistrate was Tang Liping. With him were the new Deputy, Shi Xingchen; the new Tongzheng, Fang Wan; and the new Assistant Magistrate, Wang Youtian.
Even veterans of the officialdom like He Gaofei and his colleagues were unfamiliar with these new faces.
Both parties were exceedingly polite after exchanging formal greetings.
This was especially true of Tang Liping and his group. They knew the men before them were headed for high promotion upon returning to the Capital, and that their future careers would be much smoother. Naturally, they were eager to build a good relationship.
"You certainly didn’t waste any time on the road. We haven’t even received the official notice, yet here you are." Lu Shenggen couldn’t help but blurt this out, and Wu Yichen, who stood beside him, was too late to stop him.
Fortunately, the four men showed no reaction to the slightly barbed question.
The leader, Tang Liping, even replied with a smile, "Gentlemen, you may not be aware of how much we are envied in Shangjing for receiving these appointments. The few of us were fortunate enough to be selected, so naturally, we had to be on our best behavior. We dared not delay a single moment after receiving our orders and rushed here at once. Our only intention was to have more time to learn from you all. Please forgive our rudeness."
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "Mr. Tang, you are too kind. We can all learn from one another.
As long as it benefits the people of this land, I will answer any questions you may have without reservation."
’So what if they’re here to take over?’ he thought. ’Until the official handover, this is still our turf.’
Tang Liping clearly understood the implication, his expression growing even more deferential. "Indeed. An official’s duty is to serve the people.
It is only through your years of tireless effort, gentlemen, that Lu City is as prosperous as it is today.
Back in Shangjing, reports on Lu City’s transformation are being circulated and studied like official records.
On our journey here, we spent much time discussing how we could best learn from your experience. Even if we cannot improve things further, we must at least do everything in our power to maintain the current state of affairs."
Only then did Ancient Wen Heng truly take a serious look at Tang Liping. ’This is no simple man,’ he thought.
’Look how beautifully he speaks, how perfect his posture. His words have already softened the expressions of He Gaofei and the others, who were initially quite hostile towards them.’
"You’ve had a long journey," Ancient Wen Heng said. "Since your arrival was so sudden, we haven’t had time to clear out the residential quarters. I’m afraid we must trouble you to stay at an inn for a short while."
Now that the men were here, Ancient Wen Heng naturally had to make arrangements for them.
Staying at the post-station was an option, but it was located in a rather remote area. Few officials passed through, so it had become quite dilapidated.
The government office was hardly short on silver, so as they were arriving, Ancient Wen Heng had already sent a subordinate to rent out a small courtyard at an inn.
"That’s only natural," Tang Liping said with a smile. "We’re the ones causing you trouble, gentlemen."
Encountering such things during a handover was unavoidable, but Tang Liping and his men were somewhat surprised.
Mr. Gu was the Magistrate, so it was perfectly natural for him to live in the official residence.
They all knew the official residence was only so big. But Prefect Gu was different from other officials; having controlled the sea trade for several years, he must have earned a massive fortune.
They had assumed he would have already bought a grander residence elsewhere. They hadn’t expected reality to be so different from their imagination.
Ancient Wen Heng didn’t know what they were thinking. If he had, he would have simply offered a faint smile and let it pass.
’I’m not planning to put down roots here forever, so why waste energy on all that trouble?’
’It’s far better to spend that time with my wife and children in our own courtyard.’
