Chapter 379: Reasons That Cannot Be Spoken

With a self-deprecating remark that eased the atmosphere in the room, Wang Youshan said gently, "Jing'er is right. From your rise to the present, what you have done may not always accord with the king's law, but it has all been to protect the land and bring peace to the people, to act righteously and chivalrously. It seems I was overthinking it. Still, there are some words I must say. At this stage, you have already gone far enough. You have built up this family enterprise—why not manage it well? Blades and spears show no mercy, and you are the only son of your house. If anything were to happen to you, how would your parents feel? In these peaceful times, it is best to resort to arms as little as possible."

Wang Zhaojing watched Zhao Jin, whose face was now full of embarrassment. A presented scholar, a capital official, a member of the pure stream, soon to be reappointed, and an elder to boot—these overlapping statuses could make many bow their heads. Wang Zhaojing knew Zhao Jin would not, and that these words might even provoke Zhao Jin to stubbornly push back.

But Zhao Jin did not grow angry. He merely shook his head slightly, the smile on his face growing thicker. It was indeed a time of peace under heaven. Refugee revolts were only minor local disturbances. In the two hundred years of the Ming, there had certainly been far more perilous moments than now, yet all had been weathered. But all of this was an illusion. In the coming decades, the Great Ming would face its most terrifying enemy, and then the dynasty would change, turning to ash and smoke.

In the great tide of this era, far too many would be crushed to pieces and then utterly extinguished. To avoid such a tragic end, one could only make oneself strong. Only then could one survive and grasp hold of one's own fate.

But these were not words he could speak openly. Moreover, though Wang Youshan's words were harsh, they were genuine concern and a warning. Even his blurting them out had its reasoning—stationing several thousand able-bodied men at a transportation hub truly did invite speculation.

As Zhao Jin sat there deep in thought, Wang Zhaojing grew increasingly anxious, afraid his father had spoken too harshly and damaged their friendship. Wang Youshan's expression remained calm, but a look of disappointment showed in his eyes.

"Uncle Wang, back when Kong Jiuying secured his foothold at the border of three provinces, he no longer sought to expand. Instead, he began to consolidate, setting himself up as a local gentry household. He did indeed enjoy decades of peace, but his foundation rotted away day by day, until in the end, his person perished and his clan was exterminated. This Zhao Character Camp of your nephew's bears some slight resemblance to Kong Family Village. If we stop, we will rot and weaken, and our men's hearts will drift. Only by ceaselessly striving upward and outward can everyone maintain a spirited morale and avoid corruption and degeneration!" Zhao Jin stated his reasoning.

These words made Wang Youshan pause. He looked at Zhao Jin with considerable surprise and spoke first: "Even if Xiaojing recounted literary allusions to you, it would not have brought you to this level. You must have read quite a few books on your own in private."

After this exclamation, Wang Youshan slowly shook his head and said, "Thinking this way cannot be called wrong. A person truly must have an aspiring, upward-seeking heart. The moment one thinks only of holding onto what one has, the downhill path often begins."

After saying this, Wang Youshan let out a long sigh and rose from his seat. He took two steps away before turning and saying, "Take care of yourself. Xiaojing is your close friend and brother, and I regard you as a nephew. I will never refuse help that I ought to give. But if you go too far, the Wang family will also withdraw and pull back, without excessive entanglement. These words are unpleasant to hear, but I am saying them upfront. It is getting late, and there is still time to rush back to the city. I shall take my leave now!"

"Uncle Wang, these are words only the closest of kin would speak. Your nephew will certainly engrave them upon his heart." Zhao Jin hurriedly rose and thanked him with the utmost solemnity.

Though the words were unpleasant to hear, they were indeed sincere counsel and a warning. The final part, though it sounded utilitarian, was something only said between family. Over on the side, Wang Zhaojing wore an embarrassed, bitter smile, but Zhao Jin could discern the truth clearly.

When seeing him off, Zhao Jin and all his companions came to escort him three li beyond He Family Village. Wang Youshan could ride a horse, followed by several family retainers and guards. Before leaving, Wang Youshan glanced at Wang Zhaojing standing beside Zhao Jin and asked casually, "Are you not coming home?"

"Father, matters at the Zhao Character Camp are a thousand threads and ten thousand strands. There is too much to be busy with. Your son will not return!" Wang Zhaojing answered frankly.

Wang Youshan nodded from atop his horse, said nothing more, shook the reins, and rode away.

As the group turned back toward He Family Village, Ji Xiang could not restrain his curiosity and asked, "Big Brother, what did Uncle Wang say just now?"

"He told us to stand on our own, to strengthen ourselves, not to relax or slack off, and not to start enjoying ourselves just because the situation before us looks good." Zhao Jin hesitated a moment, then answered in a clear voice.

Ji Xiang nodded, his expression quite solemn, and said, "With you, Big Brother, and the others keeping us in line, every bit of our strength will be fully used. We won't relax."

Wang Zhaojing, standing to the side, wanted to speak but after thinking it over said, "Big Brother, your wedding day is approaching. You should go home more often to help Uncle Zhao. Such a major life event cannot be treated so lightly."

"The wedding ceremony is for others to see; the marriage is lived by the couple themselves. What's the point of all that empty formality? Anyway, the home will be set up here in He Family Village," Zhao Jin answered offhandedly.

Liu Yong coughed and said, "The Xu family wanted to build a large residence inside He Family Village for you and your wife to live in, but Big Brother refused."

"Every inch of this He Family Village has a major purpose. Sticking a large household compound in the middle of it would just cause trouble. My courtyard here will do fine once the enclosing wall is built up. For her family's business affairs, they can build new premises over by the market," Zhao Jin said, utterly unconcerned.

Everyone burst into laughter and, arms slung over each other's shoulders, headed back into the village.

"The master wants to see all writings in the court gazettes concerning the Eastern Barbarian chieftain Nurhaci. This subordinate has already marked some. Now that the Third Master is here, let the Third Master take over!" After dinner that evening, Ruhui began handing over some matters to Wang Zhaojing.

Although Ruhui kept his attitude very humble, Wang Zhaojing was extremely courteous to him, saying with a smile, "Mister Cao has labored greatly over all affairs, internal and external, of the Zhao Character Camp. I have spent this past year focused entirely on my studies. There is certainly much I do not understand and have grown rusty on. When the time comes, I will still need Mister Cao to teach me."

Wang Zhaojing's attitude made Cao Ruhui's smile turn a bit more genuine. He said amiably, "The Third Master is too polite. This matter of marking the gazettes may seem small, but the master regards it as extremely important. He had this subordinate set aside other tasks to do it, which is why I am telling the Third Master first."

This was, in fact, an explanation. The affairs of the Zhao Character Camp were now a vast enterprise, and the chief steward had a thousand threads and ten thousand strands to manage. Personnel and finances were all critically important. To first assign the task of organizing gazette clippings might easily cause one to overthink things.

"... This Nurhaci should be from the Jianzhou Guard of the Jurchens. His grandfather and father were likely both of commandant rank in the Jianzhou Guard. In recent years, he has frequently come to the capital to pay tribute and often appears on the Ministry of Rites' rosters. These past few years, the ginseng trade seems to have fallen entirely into this man's hands..." Ruhui had indeed sorted out quite a bit of material.

The conversation of scholars was different. Once Ruhui explained, Wang Zhaojing understood immediately. He frowned and shook his head, saying, "A native official like this is not worth much. Besides, Jianzhou is right next to Liao Garrison. That army of over a hundred thousand in Liao Garrison is not there for show. If he stirs even slightly, they would crush him directly. Could it be that Big Brother wants to go into the ginseng and fur business?"

Ginseng and furs were important goods imported from Liao Garrison into the interior. Everyone knew these came from the Jurchens and Korea. Thinking it over, this seemed the only possible reason.

"Whatever the master does has its own reasoning. This subordinate does not ask too many questions," Ruhui said with a smile. Wang Zhaojing's relationship with Zhao Jin was different from his own. Still, Ruhui also knew that the morning Zhao Jin had suddenly roared in urgency, calling for people, had been somewhat strange. Some matters were better left unspoken.

For Zhao Jin, this wedding truly required no worry on his part. Every day, he simply practiced martial arts and trained. The Xu family took on a great many tasks, such as sending a steward with a tailor to take Zhao Jin's measurements so that clothes could be cut to size and wedding garments made.

Wang Zhaojing's arrival made He Family Village even livelier. In a place like Xuzhou, a seventeen-year-old provincial graduate, the only son of the pure and esteemed Wang family, and a sworn brother of Zhao Jin—such a personage was truly worth the effort of befriending.

People from all sides came to visit and offer congratulations. Unlike the time of the Zhao Character Camp's reorganization, most of those who came this time were individuals with scholarly rank and status. The majority were licentiates, along with a few senior provincial graduates. Everyone met face to face and exchanged greetings; in the future, they would inevitably need to stand together and look out for one another.

While Wang Zhaojing was entertaining these guests, a fast horse arrived near He Family Village. The sentries saw the triangular pennant in the rider's hand and immediately allowed passage inside. This was the emblem of the Zhao Character Camp's messengers and scouts.

A dozen or so men of the jianghu, older and unwilling to wield blades in slaughter anymore, plus a dozen or so clever fellows who could ride, were distributed daily throughout the Xuzhou region. Any urgent news from parties connected to the Zhao Character Camp would be urgently relayed through them.

Qi San had already joined the cavalry unit. Qi Da and Qi Er were both stationed in Xuzhou city, leading four or five men and gathering news daily to ensure the fastest delivery to Zhao Jin.

"Master, yesterday over ten government runners arrived at the post station outside the city. This morning they went to Cloud Mountain Temple. We have already sent men to the post station to inquire about them. This group of runners came from Fengyang Prefecture. The people at the post station also mentioned something about debts and said the documents they produced were from Fengyang Prefecture. But judging by their manner, they do not seem like bailiffs from a yamen." The information was gathered in great detail.

Zhao Jin instructed the scout to rest and then return to the city, and to urgently report any further news. He then turned directly to Ruhui beside him and asked, "Is your informant inside Cloud Mountain Temple reliable?"

"Master, you may rest assured. Aside from Zhenzhi, there are also a few martial nephews and grand-disciples that no one else knows about. However, even if this subordinate's informant is unreliable, the master surely has made other arrangements," Ruhui said with a teasing remark.

Zhao Jin smiled and continued looking at the account books. Winter was about to set in, and the allocation of winter clothing and food for the refugees needed to begin, even fuel for heating had to be considered. Fortunately, the Xu family produced coal, which would make things somewhat more convenient.

"Master, should we not make any arrangements regarding Cloud Mountain Temple?" Ruhui did not press further, but Zhou Xuezhi was somewhat worried.

"They can't stir up any waves. Even if they do, here on Xuzhou's turf, we can still press them down," Zhao Jin said offhandedly.