Jiang Zining is an out-and-out old fox.
He is truly a shrewd man. Over the years, because of Emperor Longqing's suspicion, the people around him have been replaced again and again. Even the maternal family of Empress Ming was destroyed. Then there was Empress Fang and Concubine Peng De. None of the people close to him had a good ending.
And the members of his cabinet have been replaced again and again.
But apart from Qian Shiyun, his old man was the only important official who followed Emperor Longqing and had never been suspected by him.
When Jiang Songwen heard the old man say this, he knew that the old man had an idea in mind. He breathed a sigh of relief, squatted respectfully beside the old man, took off his shoes for him, and then said, "From what you said, you want to ruin the good things of King Linjiang?"
He frowned and hesitated for a moment, thinking about this possibility carefully, and then said: "But now the emperor and the King of Linjiang are in a good relationship, and it is the right time to have that idea. The King of Linjiang is also a very cautious person. If we want to take action... I am afraid there will be many obstacles."
Jiang Zining's long, trimmed beard trembled slightly. After laughing, he lowered his head and looked at his 40-year-old son, and shook his head slightly: "You are still too young. Now I am still alive, and this old bone can cover up for you and think of ways for you. When your father dies and the monkeys scatter when the tree falls, who can you rely on?"
He sighed.
After all, he himself was in a high position, surrounded by flatterers. Jiang Songwen took advantage of being the son of the prime minister, and not only did his career go smoothly, but even if he made a mistake, there were many people begging and shouting to cover it up for him. It was inevitable that he appeared to be lacking in vision.
But there is nothing that can be done about it. Things have already come to this. If I continue to teach him, I can only do it slowly. Before he can completely stand on his own, it is still up to me as his father to clean up the mess and point him in the right direction.
He watched Jiang Songwen personally fetch the handkerchief, and then he instructed him: "I am also old, and originally wanted to retire, but as you said, before I even retired, someone was thinking of settling scores later. You can imagine what would happen to our family if I really lost power."
Jiang Songwen pursed his lips and said in a low voice: "Father is still strong. Those who want to crush our family can only dream about it!"
"You even say these clichés?" Jiang Zining sneered and said, "Do you know why no one in the court spoke up for you when you got into trouble this time?"
Jiang Songwen shook his head in confusion.
He also had some doubts. Logically speaking, his father was still the Prime Minister, and those Jinyiwei and the people from Shuntian Prefecture were really too disrespectful to their family.
Jiang Zining raised his eyebrows, and said, "That's because someone is trying to use this incident to step on me. How could they not seize the opportunity to add insult to injury? This time when you got into trouble, the emperor ignored me. The fundamental reason is not because Shen Chen and Wei An are so difficult to deal with, but because someone is behind the scenes fanning the flames."
He raised a finger and wrote a word on the black lacquered table. He looked at his son and smiled gently: "Think about it, if I fall, will they be the ones who go up?"
Mr. Chen?!
Jiang Songwen felt a chill, looked up at Jiang Zining, and asked him, "Did father find out something?"
But it was clearly Jiang Zining who recommended Lord Chen to go up there!
He was a little confused.
Jiang Zining stroked his beard and laughed sarcastically, "I knelt at the entrance of Taiji Hall for a whole day. It was Censor Chen who was discussing the flood in Jiangnan with His Majesty. How could such a coincidence happen in this world? As soon as I came out of the palace, I asked someone to go to the palace to ask. Although Eunuch An did not say it explicitly, it was almost the same. It was Censor Chen who said in front of His Majesty that Young Master Lin has always been steady and Marquis Pingxi is not a person who makes trouble out of nothing. I am afraid there is really another hidden story behind this matter."
Censor Chen can be considered a prominent figure around Emperor Longqing. He rose to prominence little by little thanks to his relationship with Empress Fang. Later, he behaved himself to be down-to-earth and harmless. Also, because he was Jiang Zining's student, Jiang Zining promoted him.
But he didn't expect to promote such an ungrateful person.
Jiang Songwen frowned in confusion: "Even if you are stepped down, there are still Qian Shiyun and Qin Sheng in front in terms of seniority and the emperor's favor..."
If worst comes to worst, there’s still Xu Anying.
He paused and said, "This is too weird. For something that has not even happened yet, he wants to step down your mentor so quickly. Won't he be cursed by the court?!"
Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Parents, and Teachers, the teacher-student relationship has been a shackle on people since ancient times. Haven’t you seen how many people have ruined their lives and prospects because of slandering their teachers
How could Censor Chen do such a thing
Is he going insane
Seeing Jiang Songwen asking this, Jiang Zining moved his feet, motioned for his son to sit down, and then said slowly: "Don't think this is unbelievable. Think about it from another angle. Isn't it normal for him to want to please the future new monarch? After all, it is a truth that people go to higher places and water flows to lower places since ancient times."
Jiang Songwen sneered, his heart filled with unspeakable disgust: "Then he is blind, the tea is not even cold yet, he is so impatient to eat it while it is hot, I don't know if he will have the chance to do so!"
Jiang Zining was much calmer than him, without even a hint of anger on his face. He raised his hand to take the tea handed to him by Jiang Songwen, and casually said, "I asked Awen to check, and the Chen family and the Wei family are engaged, and they are also very knowledgeable. I'm afraid that their two families are not just in-laws, or in other words, after the engagement, he has already made overtures to the King of Linjiang through the Wei family. This time he spoke for Shen Chen, and this may be the reason."
When Censor Chen was engaged to the Wei family, Jiang Zining had doubts, thinking it was unreasonable for him, as the brother-in-law of Queen Fang, to get close to the Wei family.
But later it was Censor Chen who took the initiative to express his feelings, saying that when the two families went to Puci Temple, some things went wrong, which led to some misunderstandings, so they decided to arrange the marriage for their children.
Later, the Chen family and the Wei family did not have much contact. Although the marriage was arranged, it had not been held because Wei Jie was in mourning. Apart from occasionally helping the Wei family, it seemed that Censor Chen did nothing else.
It was not until this time that Jiang Zining realized that Censor Chen might have already reached some kind of tacit understanding with King Linjiang, forming an alliance between the Wei family and King Linjiang.
It's a pity that we found out too late. Censor Chen has been hiding it too well over the years, and it's impossible to predict. (To be continued)