Chapter 244: A Useless Thing

The old Emperor flipped through the memorials with a gloomy face.

The content was much the same: all suggesting that Marquis Pingjiang command the army to suppress the thieves a second time. If you don't use a ready-made capable commander, you're a fool. If you use someone else at this time and they lose, the imperial court will lose face, and the old Emperor will lose face along with it.

To be safe, it had to be Marquis Pingjiang.

The old Emperor half-closed his eyes, seemingly talking to himself, or perhaps asking Qiu Defu, "They're all in the same tune; they must have discussed it beforehand."

Qiu Defu didn't dare to make a sound. He observed carefully, unable to grasp the old Emperor's mind.

The old Emperor didn't get a response and immediately snorted coldly: "Go and call Jiang Tu—no, call Yu Zhaoan. I have something to ask him."

Qiu Defu bowed his head and agreed, hurriedly ordering his godson to invite Yu Zhaoan. However, he was pondering in his heart: is it possible for Yu Zhaoan to replace Jiang Tu? Yu Zhaoan wants some face, at least his flattery of the old Emperor is somewhat subtle, unlike Jiang Tu's blatant approach. But Yu Zhaoan doesn't seem to know how to scrape money!

What the old Emperor values most is Jiang Tu's ability to scrape money and his ability to take the blame. Even after being scolded as a national traitor, he can still diligently think about how to scrape money.

I'm afraid Yu Zhaoan doesn't have the ability to replace him for a while.

What a pity!

How he wished Jiang Tu would fall out of favor, be thrown into prison, and never be able to turn over.

"Marquis Pingjiang is old and indeed not suitable for commanding troops a second time. It's better to promote his deputy general; although his qualifications and prestige are a bit lacking, let Marquis Pingjiang's eldest son, Chen Guanfu, be the deputy general."

Marquis's Mansion.

The eldest son was in a great mood and was painting with concentration.

The head steward walked in quietly from outside, his expression slightly serious.

The eldest son glanced at him and said calmly: "I'm tired today; you all retreat. Serve me to change clothes!"

The head steward stepped forward to serve him, driving away all the other maids and servants, and the guests also retreated tactfully.

Within twenty meters of the study, there wasn't even a fly.

This was a sign of discussing major matters; the servants serving the eldest son knew it well and never dared to risk getting closer to eavesdrop. To be discovered was death!

"A letter came from the west!" the head steward whispered while serving the eldest son to change clothes.

Hmm!

The eldest son narrowed his eyes slightly and didn't make a sound.

The head steward took out a completely sealed wax ball from his pocket and presented it with both hands.

The eldest son took it, crushed the wax ball, and took out the secret letter.

"Get a copy of 'Wind and Moon'."

The head steward took the book from the shelf and spread it on the desk.

The eldest son compared the book to decipher the content of the secret letter. After reading it, he lit it directly with the candle flame and witnessed the secret letter turn into ashes. Not feeling at ease, he poured a cup of tea into the ashes and mashed them into paste.

"Does the Marquis have any orders?" the head steward asked in a low voice.

The eldest son, who had been frowning, laughed out loud, "I previously mistakenly thought the Great Ming Prince was a stubborn person. It seems that one failure taught him a lesson, and he is finally willing to listen to others' opinions."

The head steward was a bit confused.

The eldest son sat on the rocking chair, "The idle move I made back then unexpectedly brought an unexpected joy. It's a pity that the other idle move hasn't had any movement; the courage is too small."

"Is the Marquis talking about Prince Cheng?" the head steward guessed boldly.

The Marquis chuckled, his expression quite disdainful, "A useless thing, wasting a good mouth; his head is full of straw."

Is this the evaluation of Prince Cheng?

Presumably, seven or eight out of ten people inside and outside the imperial court are looking forward to the Crown Prince ascending the throne and reorganizing the imperial court.

The head steward stood with his hands down, saying nothing.

The eldest son closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then said: "On the second son's side, has he been in contact with Yu Zhaoan?"

"Reporting to the Marquis, yes."

"Tell the second son he can place a heavy bet on Yu Zhaoan."

"Is it appropriate for the second son to handle this? Or should I go out on behalf of the eldest son..."

The eldest son raised his hand to interrupt the head steward, "No need. Let the second son handle this matter; I don't want to have contact with that critic, lest I be sold for money. The second son doesn't matter; he only represents himself, not the Marquis's mansion. Be careful when you talk to the second son; just give a slight hint, no need to say it clearly. If he doesn't understand, don't force it. This Yu Zhaoan can be cooperated with occasionally, but it's not suitable to be overly deep."

The head steward nodded and agreed, then said: "Chen Guanlou, who serves in the Heavenly Prison, as far as I know, is highly valued by Yu Zhaoan and once said he could help him change to an easy and decent job. Should I arrange for Chen Guanlou to work beside Yu Zhaoan and monitor him closely?"

The eldest son sneered, clearly disapproving of this method, "Do you think Yu Zhaoan is a fool? He is not only not a fool but a rare smart person. Look at his actions since he was released from prison; it's clear he has long had a plan, and it's obvious he wants to be the second Jiang Tu, even at the cost of sacrificing his literati reputation. He has realized it!

In the current imperial court, if you want to do things, do real things, you must first please the old guy. Only after coaxing the old guy to be happy can you let go and do things. Li Liangcheng is old, and Wu Dashou is just a yes-man. If I'm not mistaken, Yu Zhaoan's goal is to replace Li Liangcheng or Wu Dashou. The ambition is not small!"

The head steward was clearly shocked, "Yu Zhaoan actually wants to be a Prime Minister?"

"Why not?" the eldest son snorted coldly.

"He is too young. Only forty-something years old."

Age is Yu Zhaoan's biggest shortcoming.

"Just over forty, indeed very young. But, our dynasty is not without precedent. The old Emperor can ignore criticism and forcibly promote Jiang Tu to be the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. If an ignorant hoodlum can be a Vice Minister, why can't the well-read Yu Zhaoan be a Prime Minister? He has much more confidence than Jiang Tu."

"The Marquis's words are reasonable. Then what does the Marquis want?"

The eldest son tapped the table with his fingers and hummed the military breaking-formation song.

The head steward understood as soon as he heard it; the Marquis had the idea of commanding troops again.

The old Emperor ignored dignity, didn't reward merits, and just sent the Marquis away with a little wealth. He had always thought the Marquis would never lead troops again and would never work for the old Emperor again. It turned out that the Marquis had always had the idea of leading troops again. Thinking of the two idle moves the Marquis made in Jinzhou, everything made sense.

The head steward buried his head deeply, with only admiration in his heart. The Marquis's foresight was something he couldn't catch up with even if he whipped his horse. Those guests and strategists weren't even worthy of carrying the Marquis's shoes; they were all just for show.

"What should I do? Please give orders, Marquis." At this moment, the head steward was filled with reverence and a surge of hot blood, wishing he could charge into battle for the eldest son.

The eldest son chuckled and said: "No need to be deliberate. Just watch the mansion for me and don't let the second son mess around."

"On the old Madame's side, should I arrange a few more people?"

"No need! She is old; except for filial piety, she can't stir up any waves. No need to be the same as her. However, if she ignores dignity, remember to knock her down for me." ===== CHAPTER 245 =====