Chapter 105: Bullying
At that time, the previous emperor was in power, he was stupid and very licentious, and the other two countries seized the opportunity to cause chaos. As a result, there were constant wars on the border and the people were living in misery. At that time, it was all thanks to my grandfather who led his soldiers to resist wave after wave of attacks and saved the Great Zhou from danger under the double pressure of the two countries.
At that time, among the top military generals in the court, nearly 70% were from his grandfather’s family. They were all on life-and-death basis with his grandfather, so their power was extremely complicated.
Wei Wen watched the Duke Zhen Mansion develop from its peak glory.
Until the death of the previous emperor and the ascension of the crown prince, now Emperor Jingwen, to the throne, Wei Wen, who was only ten years old at the time, did not even feel anything.
Wei Wen gradually realised that something was wrong when he was twelve years old.
The current emperor quickly purged a large number of people within two years of ascending the throne, and the national treasury began to fill up at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Afterwards, the emperor severely dealt with a group of officials in the court who had been appointed by the previous emperor, some of whom had no real talent or learning and had risen to power by flattery. He then promoted people with real talent and learning, such as Prime Minister He, and even invited several famous Confucian scholars of the Zhou Dynasty, such as Grand Tutor Cen, to the palace. Along with these Confucian scholars, there were also many talented people.
With the rapid recovery of the Great Zhou and the presence of the Duke of Zhen, the other two countries, seeing that they could not gain any advantage, had no choice but to gradually restrain themselves.That’s when things started to change.
First, the emperor issued an edict to allow his aunt, who was only a few years older than him, to enter the palace. Then, a few years later, when his little cousin was born, the emperor suddenly announced that the eldest prince, who was only seventeen years old, would lead troops to the border.
In Wei Wen’s memory, his grandfather had a big quarrel with the emperor because of this matter, and the Duke of Zhen’s Mansion also began to decline from that time.
With the treatment and replacement of the confidants of the Duke of Zhen, the Duke of Zhen’s Mansion has long lost its former glory.
My grandfather and father cannot go to the battlefield, and the friction between the three countries is still happening all the time. As time goes by, they will gradually be replaced by others.
In fact, Wei Wen was very happy that he no longer had to go to the battlefield.
Regardless of which dynasty, the casualty rate of military officers was extremely high. Even though his father and five uncles only numbered six people, they were not enough to fight in a real war.
It was precisely because of the emperor’s decision that neither my father nor my uncle died. Although people tend to have children one after another once they have some free time, it is still better than losing one after another.
Anyway, the Duke’s Mansion is well-off, so there is no need to worry about not being able to support the family.
Since he was twelve years old, Wei Wen had always worried that the emperor would one day take action against their family as he had done to other ministers.
The year his little cousin was born, the emperor decided to let the eldest prince lead the army, and Wei Wen’s worries reached their peak.
At that time, Wei Wen was still naively thinking of discussing with his grandfather, father or uncles on how the Duke of Zhen’s Mansion should deal with it. As a result… no one discovered the crisis hidden behind this matter, and no one discovered that this was not a training for the eldest prince, but a precursor to the emperor’s desire to seize power!
Wei Wen’s words seemed like playing the lute to a cow. Wei Wen had no choice but to give up.
It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter. Even if grandpa, father, and uncle are unreliable, there are still these cousins one after another. I can always count on them.
In this way, Wei Wen waited and waited, year after year, and finally Wei Wen was completely desperate.
Because he found that when these cousins grew up, they were exactly like their father, only growing muscles but not brains.
In such a huge Zhen Mansion, only the grandmother, mother and several aunts are a little bit smart. However, due to their status as women, they really cannot influence the developments of the court. It is really true that a good cook cannot cook without rice.
In this situation, Wei Wen was unwilling to spread his anxiety. He couldn’t find a way to solve the problem, and speaking out would only cause trouble.
That is to say, for so many years, Wei Wen has been fighting alone.
It’s a miracle that he wasn’t driven crazy by his brothers who kept getting into trouble.
Those little bastards are really good at causing trouble!
But Wei Wen really couldn’t just ignore them. Even though his father, uncles, and brothers were a little stupid and troublesome, they were really good to him and had been like this since he was a child. After so many years, how could Wei Wen give them up?
He could only accept his fate and try his best to support the family.
I just hope that His Majesty can give me a quick death when the time comes and not torture me too much.
Because of this, Wei Wen has not even gotten married until now. Now that his family is unstable, why bother to implicate the girl?
If a child is born, it would be even more of a sin.
Although Wei Wen kept saying that he disliked his little cousin who was of the same type as his younger brothers, when the reputation of his little cousin as a playboy spread, Wei Wen at home was actually relieved.
In this situation, if the aunt gave birth to another smart prince, it would be a death warrant for the Duke of Zhen’s Mansion.
Fortunately, this little cousin is also a stupid one.
Just because he was so stubborn that he single-handedly delayed the death of the Duke of Zhen’s Mansion for so many years, Wei Wen was extremely grateful to this little cousin he had never met.
Now hearing that his little cousin was coming, after experiencing the initial despair, Wei Wen, who was already very experienced in dealing with such matters, quickly adjusted his mood, and even changed into a new set of clothes before preparing to go out and wait for people.
Well, I’ve taken care of all seventeen brothers and cousins, and this one cousin is still missing?
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Ye Shuo was holding candied haws and walking on the streets of Shangjing City. In order to prevent the last incident from happening again, he specially visited several places worth visiting in Shangjing City this time.
Even though Xiao Luzi was still being held by the guards, the guards wouldn’t do anything to him, so Ye Shuo wasn’t too worried.
As for avoiding the guards, it was a piece of cake for Ye Shuo now.
The sun was shining brightly and it was almost time for lunch. Seeing that the time was almost up, just when Ye Shuo was about to let himself be caught by the guards, a sudden noise broke out in the distance.
Perhaps it was because the other person’s voice was too loud, Ye Shuo could hear it even from such a long distance.
It must be someone who had a quarrel with someone.
Ye Shuo was not one to join in all the fun, and at first he had no intention of intervening, until he heard the pancake vendor next to him shaking his head and sighing, saying, “I wonder which son of the Duke’s family this time.”
Ye Shuo: “…”
Why does it sound like this happens from time to time from the tone of your voice?
Ye Shuo, who had just passed by, suddenly stepped back.
“Boss, give me a portion of pancakes.” Ye Shuo first handed over a copper coin. While the vendor was taking the pancakes, Ye Shuo casually asked, “By the way, you just mentioned the Duke of Zhen’s Mansion. Are all the sons of the Duke of Zhen’s Mansion like this?”
“Of course.”
Seeing that the other party did not refute and after confirming that it was the son of the Duke of Zhen’s Mansion, Ye Shuo’s heart sank slightly.
With Ye Shuo’s top-level social skills and his knack for gossip, it didn’t take long for Ye Shuo to understand what the situation was.
His cousins don’t seem to have a very good reputation outside.
“Thank you.” Ye Shuo took the oil paper bag handed over by the vendor and walked towards the place where the dispute took place.
Across the crowd, Ye Shuo quickly understood what was happening.
It turned out that the young man surnamed Zheng from the opposite side did not pay for the things he bought and bullied the vendor selling rouge and powder. Wei Zhao, who was passing by, saw it and immediately became unhappy, so the two sides started quarrelling.
Wei Zhao’s original intention was good, but he did not consider the plight of the hawkers at all.
Young Master Zheng was not someone a commoner like a peddler could afford to offend. It was just a box of rouge worth a few coins. Even if the other party took it, so what? But the son of the Duke Zhen family suddenly came over and made a big deal out of it.
Therefore, the peddler was not grateful to Wei Zhao for standing up for him. Instead, he resented and hated him, thinking that he had made Master Zheng lose face in public.
What if Mr. Zheng gets angry and starts to hate him, a rouge and powder seller? What should he do?
He just wanted to do some small business to support his family, so how could he afford to offend these big shots?
Therefore, the peddler ignored Wei Zhao’s obstruction, knelt down in front of the young master of the Zheng family, and kowtowed hard, begging the young master of the Zheng family to forgive him.
Ye Shuo stood in the crowd and watched, feeling a chill in his heart.
If his cheap cousin in front of him couldn’t understand it, how could he not understand it?
This young man surnamed Zheng was dressed in gorgeous clothes, and even the pendant of the folding fan in his hand was worth at least a hundred taels. How could he be interested in rouge worth a few cents?
All this was just to lure this cousin of mine, whose rank was unknown, into the trap.
The surname Zheng is also quite interesting. If Ye Shuo remembers correctly, the Queen Mother also seems to have the surname Zheng?
“… Bastard!” While Ye Shuo was thinking, he caught a glimpse of the smug expression and provocative eyes of the young master of the Zheng family. How could Wei Zhao still endure it?
Wei Zhao got angry and clenched his fist to hit that hateful face.
If he had delivered a powerful punch, he would probably have really hurt that Zheng guy.
Comparing the two people’s body shapes, one is as strong as a calf, and the other is as thin as a bamboo pole. There is a natural difference between them. If someone doesn’t read the whole cause and effect, you can imagine who the person will favour.
Given my grandfather’s current tendency to attract bad luck, tomorrow’s morning court will probably be quite lively.
Ye Shuo had no choice but to stand up and said, “Stop!”
Ye Shuo glared at his unknown cousin: “What are you doing to bully him!”
Wei Zhao was stunned when he saw the child suddenly jumping out. Then he pointed at himself and then at the hideous young master of the Zheng family.
“Me? Bully him???”
Is this child blind?