Chapter 66: Father‑Son Night Talk: Family, State, and All Under Heaven

Night had fallen; the clamor within Long Peace City had already dissipated, only the night watchmen's occasional clapper sounds echoed on the quiet streets.

In the Wang Family mansion, lights blazed.

The wine banquet had already been cleared away; Wang Hui and his son Wang Ce moved to the study.

The servants had all withdrawn; in the spacious study, only father and son remained, along with a pot of freshly brewed hot tea.

The tea's fragrant aroma dispelled the last trace of alcohol in the air.

Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) looked at his son sitting opposite him, feeling a myriad of emotions.

Wang Ce before him, though his face remained youthful, bore the steadiness and resolve in his brow that resembled a veteran of many campaigns.

"Ce'er," Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) personally poured him a cup of tea, breaking the silence, "Today at court, watching you receive your ennoblement, I suddenly felt you have grown up."

"It's all thanks to your good teaching, Father." Wang Ce received the tea cup with both hands, speaking respectfully.

What he said was sincere.

This year's campaigns let him deeply realize how important the military texts his father had forced him to study since childhood were on the battlefield.

Many times, it was relying on that knowledge from the military texts that he turned danger into safety and reversed defeat into victory.

"Your achievements are yours alone, won blade by blade, having nothing to do with me." Wang Hui shook his head. "I summoned you today not to hear your flattery, but to ask what plans you have for the future."

Wang Ce was taken aback; he hadn't expected his father to ask that.

He pondered a moment, then earnestly replied, "Your Majesty and Duke Guo hold me in esteem, and I have been appointed Cloud Banner General. What I wish is to remain in the army and serve the nation."

His voice brimmed with the youthful fervor and ambition.

Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) listened, then without immediate response, countered: "Serving the nation is admirable, but do you know what a commander must most avoid?"

Wang Ce thought and answered, "Overwhelming merit that threatens the sovereign?"

"Exactly." Wang Hui nodded, a glint flashing in his eyes, "You are just over twenty, yet hold a fourth‑rank office, enjoy the emperor's supreme favor, and stand unrivaled in prominence—this is both honor and peril."

"As the saying goes, 'The tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind.' Who knows how many eyes in the court are fixed on you—some envious, some jealous, and others eager to see you dead."

Wang Hui's (Wang Xiu's) words were like a bucket of cold water poured onto Wang Ce's fervent heart.

He wasn't unaware of these principles; he simply hadn't thought of them at the moment.

"Then… what should I do, Father?" Wang Ce asked humbly.

"Two words." Wang Hui held up two fingers, "Conceal one's clumsiness."

"Conceal one's clumsiness?"

"Exactly." Wang Hui's (Wang Xiu's) tone grew stern. "Concealing clumsiness has been the key whereby our Wang family has maintained its status for three generations. From today, you must restrain all your sharpness. In the army, be more humble and cautious, respect the veteran commanders, unite with your comrades, and no longer act as you did before."

"In warfare, learn from Duke Guo: rely more on regular troops and less on stratagems. Overuse of stratagems may win by surprise, but it also invites accusations of deceitful generalship, unbecoming of a true commander."

"In daily life, seek Duke Guo's counsel often, so that everyone—including His Majesty—will feel that your present stature, Wang Ce, owes to his patronage and guidance."

"You must shape yourself into a loyal and brave yet limited‑ability 'second‑generation general' who relies on elders' advice, rather than a genius whose overwhelming talent threatens everyone."

Wang Hui's (Wang Xiu's) words can be said to have laid out the essence of preserving oneself in office, which he expounded to Wang Ce.

These are the precious teachings Wang Xiu distilled by combining later‑day knowledge with Wang Jin's lifelong official experience.

Only then did Wang Ce realize how naïve his prior thoughts had been; he had seen only the flashing blades on the battlefield, not the bloodless swords flashing in the court.

"Father, I… understand." He rose, bowed deeply to Wang Hui, and said, "Thank you for your instruction, Father."

"Please sit." Wang Hui helped him up, saying, "Father and son, there's no need for such formality."

He gazed at Wang Ce, sighed, and his tone softened.

"Father knows that asking a youthful hero like you to learn these self‑preserving tactics of concealing clumsiness is a grievance to you. But Ce'er, remember: what our Wang family strives for is not fleeting wealth and honor, but a thousand‑year legacy."

"For a family to endure through the ages, it relies not on any single person's extraordinary talent, but on learning to flow with the current like water and to avoid the hard reefs."

"Today's patience is for tomorrow's profound accumulation and sudden breakthrough. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Father." Wang Ce nodded firmly.

These words of his father began to turn him from a mere warrior into a commander who understands politics.

"Besides this, I have another matter to tell you." Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) shifted the conversation.

"His Majesty has issued an edict to reinstate the imperial examinations in a year to select talent and revitalize the court. Your elder brother Wang You has been studying diligently in the South of the River without slack; I intend to let him take the exams next year."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ce's face lit with joy: "My elder brother's scholarship has always been his strength; if he takes the exams, he will surely place on the golden list."

"I also have confidence in him." Wang Hui nodded. "Ce'er, remember: our Wang family must cultivate both civil and military prowess to endure."

"You serve in the army while your elder brother serves at court; as brothers, one civil and one military, supporting each other, you will enable our Wang family to stand invincible in this turbulent age."

"Yes, Father! I will surely be of one heart and virtue with my elder brother, bringing glory to our Wang family's gate." Wang Ce solemnly pledged.

Father and son continued their talk in the study until dawn.

Wang Hui (Wang Xiu) unreservedly shared his judgments on the future court situation, the true historical facts, and his analyses of various political figures with Wang Ce.

Wang Ce, in turn, told his father of his military observations and the personality traits of various commanders.

Starting the next day, Wang Ce became silent and reserved in the army, humble and low‑key. At every military meeting he merely listened quietly, never volunteering an opinion.

Unless Guo Ziyi called on him by name, he would only utter a few innocuous remarks.

In battle, he restrained his impulsive vigor, strictly following Guo Ziyi's deployments—never advancing rashly nor seeking personal glory.

His change let many officers in the army breathe a sigh of relief.

They felt that the once‑threatening boy genius was no longer so blatantly sharp.

Only Guo Ziyi saw through all this; in a private moment he said meaningfully to Wang Ce, "Your father is a person of great wisdom."

Wang Hui (Wang Xiu), after finishing his talk with his son, also began his next step.

He at once wrote a letter and sent it posthaste to the South of the River.

In the letter he informed his wife and his other two sons that Wang Ce had returned safely and been appointed a fourth‑rank general, so they could be at ease.

At the same time he formally notified his eldest son Wang You to prepare for next year's examinations.

He believed that, with Wang You's talents of impartial harmony and total recall, plus his years of diligent study, topping the examination list would be as easy as taking something from a bag.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly manner according to Wang Xiu's script.

However, Wang Xiu's heart always harbored a hint of hidden worry.

He knew that although the An-Shi Rebellion had been quelled, the foundations of the Tang Dynasty had already been shaken, and the seeds of regional warlord separatism had already been sown.

What made him even more uneasy were the two emperors in the imperial palace.

The new emperor, Li Heng, although he had merit in suppressing the rebellion, lacked prestige and was eager to establish his own authority.

And the retired emperor, Li Longji, although he had lost power, having been emperor for several decades, his residual influence remained.

He was unwilling to remain lonely, often summoning some old officials to carry out small maneuvers behind the scenes.

One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.

And as for Wang Hui, who had accompanied Li Longji all the way from Shu Region as an 'old official,' his situation was actually quite awkward.