"There's only this one piece of paper, nothing else…"
Although he didn't know what had happened, the servant of the Qian family innocently reconfirmed.
"Get out, all of you get out!"
The servant's words only made Qian Lang even angrier. Without another word, he drove everyone away.
Wang Xiang was already eager to wield his butcher's knife. If Han Mo simply lay down and did nothing at this moment, what would they do?
It was like two armies facing each other. They had thought their commanding general was an unparalleled fierce warrior, but unexpectedly, upon reaching the battlefield, this fellow directly brought a bed, grabbed a woman, and went drinking.
Instead, he left a mess for the emperor behind him to clean up.
Was this something a person would do?
In the days when the Pu family had trouble, the Qian family had also put in considerable effort outside.
If they truly allowed the other side to gain the upper hand, would their Qian family have a good life?
Especially since they had spared no expense to help Han Mo; the 200,000 piculs of grain in Mingzhou City had already been handed over.
If Han Mo met with great misfortune, not only would all the money they spent be in vain, but they would also have to spend more money to win over Wang Xiang.
Of course, for him, money and wealth were still minor matters.
The most crucial issue was that after losing face, he would likely be one step behind his peers.
Living in such a large aristocratic family, internal strife among brothers was too normal.
Especially in the current state of the Qian family, the elders were happy to watch them, the younger generation, contend.
As long as no one died, the old men in the family generally wouldn't interfere in their affairs. Victory and defeat were common in military strategy, and winning or losing was not a big deal. However, the problem was that in their struggles, the losers often lost their say in the family.
This was not temporary, but for a lifetime.
He did not want to end up like his uncles, having to retire in their early thirties.
Although he himself frequented brothels and entertainment districts, all of this was merely one of his methods to conceal his own brilliance.
He had understood the principle that a tree taller than the forest would be destroyed by the wind since he was six years old.
Of course, things in the world had two sides. If some were worried, others were happy, like the Cai family now.
Even Cai Jing himself hadn't expected that there would truly be a master of political maneuvering emerging in the imperial court at this time.
Up until now, he hadn't figured out who was orchestrating everything behind the scenes, but just by looking at the series of events unfolding in the court, he felt overwhelmed.
Although this matter had initially started with a decree from Xu Churen, and someone had failed to execute it properly.
In just two days, such a minor issue had implicated five officials at the prefectural level.
Even more preposterous was that these five individuals were all recommended by Li Bangyan, which made the matter truly interesting.
Xu Churen was only the Grand Administrator of Daming, but he undeniably had the support of Prince Xin.
Although Prince Xin had not directly expressed his stance, Xu Churen's actions were too deeply imprinted.
Unless he directly stood out to oppose Xu Churen, no one in the entire court would believe that this matter had nothing to do with him.
Coupled with the fact that the Emperor had not yet commented on this memorial, the entire court was eagerly anticipating it.
And it wasn't just that. From the gathered information from various sources, Cai Jing discovered that Zhao Zhen seemed to be genuinely unaware of this matter.
This was the most interesting point of the entire incident.
Mobilizing his subordinates without Zhao Zhen's consent, such a master made Cai Jing somewhat eager.
"Father, who do you think is plotting this behind the scenes? Aren't these methods too cunning? They still haven't revealed themselves?"
Seeing the ambiguous smile on Cai Jing's face, Cai Tao asked with some confusion.
"Passing through a hundred flowers, yet not a single petal clings—this is a true master!"
As Cai Jing spoke, his face even showed a hint of admiration.
"Aren't you afraid this fellow will plot against us in the shadows?"
Cai Tao asked, puzzled.
"Hahaha, I'm already this old, what am I afraid of him plotting against me? Instead, you all need to be careful when you act in the future and absolutely not be as arrogant and overbearing as before!"
As the ancients said, "At thirty, one stands firm; at forty, one is free from doubts; at fifty, one knows the will of heaven."
"Seventy years of age is rare in ancient times." Cai Jing was already 74 years old, and at this age, he naturally didn't care who was behind it.
"I..."
Hearing Cai Jing's words, Cai Tao couldn't help but twitch his lips. Was this his own father?
"Alright, I understand what you mean. If the Emperor truly issues an edict, I can make a trip to Bianliang. However, there are some things I must say upfront. What you brothers have done over the years, you know best yourselves! Take advantage of these few years to clean up your affairs properly, otherwise, when the reckoning comes, it will be too late for regrets…"
After speaking, Cai Jing slowly stood up. Without even looking at Cai Tao, he staggered back towards his study.
He was a man who couldn't sit idle. Having been in officialdom for most of his life, calculating people from the moment he opened his eyes, his life in Luoyang, though leisurely, was filled with gardening, bird-feeding, napping when he had nothing to do, and teasing his little grandson.
For ordinary people, such a life could indeed be considered perfect. However, how could someone like him truly be idle?
Having lived in seclusion in Luoyang for so long, he was now truly feeling a bit restless.
Seeing Cai Jing leave, Cai Tao could only shake his head with a wry smile and followed him.
It was only now that he understood the vast difference between himself and his father. He couldn't see the entire picture until this moment, and now he had countless questions he wanted to ask Cai Jing.
A mere southeastern maritime merchant family was now directly involved in the fate of the prime minister in the imperial court. The twists and turns in between left him utterly bewildered.