Indeed, Pang Shao had been exerting himself to the utmost these days.
All kinds of priceless treasures were sent to the palace like running water.
Beauties from all over the world were also sent to the palace in a variety of
ways.
Jiang Suizhou listened to the news at the Ministry of Rites. When he heard
everything, the Hou Zhu relaxed his mouth a bit.
Gradually, Pang Shao wouldn't be turned away whenever he begged for an
audience. He would always see him once or twice out of five times. Then,
as long as Pang Shao entered the palace, he would meet with him. Recently,
he had begun to take the initiative to summon Pang Shao.
Everyone in the court said that the Chief Minister truly had His Majesty's
heart. Even after committing such a huge mistake, the Emperor couldn't
bear to really blame him.
That being said, so long as the Emperor was in power, nothing could shake
the Chief Minister's position.
Jiang Suizhou noted all of this in his mind.
He knew there would be such a day sooner or later. Jiang Shunheng was
raised in the deep palace since he was a child and had always been spoiled
and doted on. Although he was currently past the age, he was still just a
child who only wanted to enjoy the moment.
Still, the Pang party had suffered a significant blow in the past days.
Not to mention that when Pang Shao was met with a mishap, the Hou Zhu
replaced quite a number of core officials in Pang's party with nominees
from poor and humble families whom Qi Min recommended. It could be
said that Pang's party, who were still within the central government, also
felt imperiled and dared not act flamboyantly or wantonly as before.
After all, everyone witnessed everything. Although the Chief Minister was
eminent and could not be shaken by the elements, once something
happened, the officials underneath him could be killed or replaced at will.
Nobody could shelter them.
They sought benefits from being Pang Shao's men and also wanted to pave
ways out for themselves. When accidents occurred, Pang Shao couldn't
protect them, so they could only think of new ways to protect themselves.
For a time, there was like a change of blood in the entire court, showing a
somewhat clear and positive trend.
Qi Min also seemed to know that all this was related to Jiang Suizhou.
The first time Jiang Suizhou attended the court session after he returned
from recuperation, Qi Min found him afterward and said he wanted to invite
him to his manor for a drink to express his gratitude.
Jiang Suizhou, however, knew that he couldn't go by himself.
Previously, the Hou Zhu gave Qi Min no attention. The previous incident
could be considered a blessing out of a misfortune, and he was relying a bit
on him now. The more this happened, the more Jiang Suizhou couldn't get
too close to him. After all, once he contaminated him, the trust of the Hou
Zhu in Qi Min would most probably crumble.
"This Prince doesn't know what Lord Qi wants to thank me for," Jiang
Suizhou looked at Qi Min with a gentle smile. Although his tone was light,
he wasn't at all polite.
Then, he raised his voice a few octaves, so that the surrounding officials
could hear him loud and clear.
"Lord Qi, just do your job. Mind your own business, and don't provoke this
Prince."
After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and left.
As expected, it did not take long for the matter to reach the Hou Zhu's ears.
He didn't say anything, but from then on, he relied heavily on Qi Min a bit
more.
In the courtroom, complaints about Jingwang's frivolity and insolence
circulated rampantly.
There were also many people who complained to Qi Min's ears.
When Qi Min heard them, he ignored them all, except for one day when he
was alone in his study, he let out a long sigh while dealing with official
business.
"If Jingwang had been born a few years earlier, I believe an old fellow like
me would have had the opportunity to see the walls of Ye City again in my
remaining years."
Jiang Suizhou was in the dark about what Qi Min thought in private. He
didn't pay any attention to these either, but rather waited patiently for
movements in court.
It didn't take long for Pang Shao to make a big move.
He himself subsidized a lot of gold and silver, built large-scale
constructions, and was in the process of repairing one that could be
completed in a year or two. The Hou Zhu had always been fond of hunting.
There were many mountains outside Ye City and grasslands stretching
hundreds of miles out of the city, so it was most suitable.
Since the capital was moved to Lin'an, Pang Shao spent a lot of effort and
finally found a satisfactory place in Tianping Mountain. But after moving
the capital, repairing the palace and raising the army cost money. There was constant banditry in the south, so the matter of building the imperial hunting
ground was delayed again and again.
However, in less than a month, Pang Shao suddenly spent money to build
the imperial hunting ground and raised a lot of fowls and beasts.
Early this morning at the court, he informed the Hou Zhu of the matter.
After hearing his report, the Hou Zhu was overjoyed. He said that it was
going to be summer, so he must go hunting before the days turn hot. After
discussing with Pang Shao, they set the date to be in half a month's time.
Jiang Suizhou knew why Pang Shao was in such a hurry.
It was because two or three days ago, good news had reached them saying
that General Lou Yue had pacified the bandits in the south, and after
disposing of the remnants, he would return to the court.
If Qi Min only annoyed Pang Shao and caused him trouble, Lou Yue was
the real thorn in Pang Shao's eye and flesh.
Southern Jing was short of generals, and Lou Yue was Southern Jing's
number one general. He was bad tempered and always openly opposed
Pang Shao, but Pang Shao wanted to reuse him, so he had been unable to do
anything to him.
This man was the most difficult for him to deal with.
Therefore, Pang Shao had to coax the Hou Zhu, and had to hurry before
Lou Yue returned to the court, in order to set his mind at ease and deal with
Lou Yue.
Today, Jiang Suizhou returned to the manor and went to Huo Wujiu's room.
He contemplated the matter, not speaking for a long time.
"What are you thinking about?" Huo Wujiu asked.
Jiang Suizhou sat down at the edge of his bed and said, "This Prince was
thinking about who to take with him to the hunt at Tianping Mountain."
As he said that, he analyzed by himself, "When the ruler goes on a hunting
trip, his ministers follow and always bring their families. This Prince
discussed with Gu Changyun and Xu Du. Both of them were concerned
about my safety, so they agreed to let Xu Du accompany me. Although he
looks weak, he's somewhat skilled in martial arts… However, someone still
needs to keep watch in the capital. Once Xu Du is gone, I'm afraid that Gu
Changyun can not manage the men well."
After speaking, he sighed.
"This Prince should have taken two more staff back long ago, so we
wouldn't be so lacking in manpower," he muttered to himself.
He didn't notice that Huo Wujiu's gaze on the bed sank.
Then, Huo Wujiu's voice rang.
"I'll go with you," he said.
Jiang Suizhou was stunned when he heard his words, "Pardon?"
Then Huo Wu Jiu said, "Aren't you going to go hunting? I'll go with you."
As soon as he heard that, he knew that what Huo Wujiu suggested wasn't at
all feasible. Those two proposed that he bring Xu Du, just to let him protect
him closely, lest Pang Shao attempt to attack him covertly during the hunt.
Huo Wujiu couldn't stand up after all. If he were to take him with him, it
would be too late to protect him if accidents arose.
But strangely enough, he opened his mouth, but could not say no.
For a spell, he even felt touched.
It was as if this person had been with him for a long time. Even if he wasn't
capable of anything, Jiang Suizhou had an inexplicable sense of security as
long as Huo Wujiu was around.
Jiang Suizhou remained silent for a moment before suppressing these
irrational thoughts.
He opened his mouth and said, "But it's inconvenient for you to move
about. Lin'an is hundreds of miles away from Tianping Mountain, so it's
strenuous…"
Huo Wujiu, however, countered, "No worries."
When Jiang Suizhou looked at him, Huo Wujiu raised his eyes and said
calmly, "You want to bring your family. I also count, right?"
Jiang Suizhou opened his mouth.
He wanted to refute.
But the words he just said were contrary to the implicit expectation in his
heart. At this moment, as soon as Huo Wujiu interrupted, he could no longer
retort.
A few moments later, he dragged out, "Then you must pay attention to
safety on the road."
——
After that day, Jiang Suizhou got busy.
As summer gradually ushered in, the daily garments of the Hou Zhu had to
be changed. It was the duty of the Imperial Household Department to tailor
clothes, and then the old clothes in spring and winter should be properly
registered and stored away by the Ministry of Rites.
The Ministry of Rites had been busy these days, and this task fell on Jiang
Suizhou's head.
Jiang Suizhou knew that the matter of the Emperor's court robe could not
be slighted. Once it flowed out of his hand, it would be a capital crime.
Because of Pang Shao, he was very careful and did everything himself. He
didn't dare to give Pang Shao the opportunity to tamper.
On this ground, he did not visit Huo Wujiu for several days in a row.
When he didn't visit, Wei Kai took the chance to stay there for a longer
time, reporting to Huo Wujiu the news from the capital of Northern Liang.
On this day, he learned from the room that Huo Wujiu was going to go
hunting with Jiang Suizhou.
Wei Kai was overjoyed and said, "It turned out that it's because of this that
you said you're in no hurry to leave! We don't have to hide from the capital
guards when we follow them out of the palace. Their honor guards will
absolutely be useless. Once we're out of the city, it's best to find a chance to
escape!"
But Huo Wujiu said indifferently, "We're not escaping. You should prepare.
Disguise as a page and push my wheelchair."
Wei Kai was stupefied: "General?"
Huo Wujiu raised his eyes at him, and heard him ask,, "What are you
planning to do if we don't escape?"
Huo Wujiu said indifferently, "Aren't we going to hunt? Go hunting, of
course."
Wei Kai exclaimed, "General, don't jest me! You don't intend to take the
chance to flee, but you're also going to…"
Huo Wujiu interrupted him.
"Just because, I have a speculation," he said, "You'd better follow along
yourself to be at ease. If my conjecture is correct, you will know when it
happens."
Hearing this, Wei Kai could only snap his mouth shut in embarrassment.
Then Huo Wu Jiu asked, "What is Jingwang busy with these days?"
Wei Kai answered, "He is arranging the emperor's court robes for that dog
emperor. It seems that he has been going out early and returning at dusk the
past few days for these, seemingly in fear that someone would tamper with
them."
"Did someone do something?" Huo Wujiu asked.
Wei Kai replied, "There's one. A member of the Pang family is in the
Ministry of Rites. He's not a high-ranking official, but a nephew of Pang
Shao. However, Jingwang has been keeping an eye on him from the onset
and hasn't given him a chance to play tricks till now."
Huo Wujiu put down the book in his hand and pondered for a moment.
"If he wants to make a move, it's nothing more than to make Jingwang
commit a grave offense," he analyzed.
Wei Kai nodded repeatedly at his words, "Exactly! I heard that the dog
Emperor is extravagant and would not wear his old clothes ever again after
a season. As a result, after those emperor's court robes were filed and put
away, no one would make an inventory of them attentively. If one or two
pieces are missing and appear in Jingwang Manor, won't that be a reason to
decapitate Jingwang?"
Wei Kai looked completely detached to the issue, and was talking with
great interest, not noticing that his general was stroking his chin in deep
thought.
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the general ask.
"With your skills, would it be a challenge to obtain an emperor's court
robe?"
Wei Kai was taken aback.
"General, you want to lend them a hand and kill Jingwang?"
Huo Wujiu regarded him quietly.
Wei Kai's back felt chilled from his gaze that he shut his mouth numbly:
"This subordinate has misspoken. Please tell me what to do."
The General retracted his gaze and spoke unhurriedly.
"Give someone a taste of his own medicine."
——
Jiang Suizhou had always known that Pang Shao's nephew was working
under his command.
However, Pang Shao's nephew was originally an unfavored son of his elder
brother's concubine. The Pang family was a large and prosperous family with countless children and grandchildren, and his nephews were too many
to count on two hands. Naturally, he didn't pay much attention to this kind
of nephew.
There was no way for Jiang Suizhou to know that this nephew couldn't win
Pang Shao's heart. However, the man made no mistakes under his
management. He had no right to drive him away, so he had to be careful
with his every move to avoid trouble.
However, within a few days, the man actually brought trouble to himself.
Today, Jiang Suizhou had been in the Ministry of Rites to deal with follow-
up matters, and it wasn't until late at night did he return to the manor.
He was in a trance until he returned to his house. He only felt that what
happened in the daytime was surreal.
When he returned to the house, he couldn't help but go straight to Huo
Wujiu.
Recently, it had become his habit to find Huo Wujiu when accidents
happened.
Huo Wujiu hadn't slept yet.