Chapter 21 (2/2)
“Please ease your anger, Your Majesty. We have realized our wrongs.” Other than Gao Zhanyuan, even the sensible and prudent Wen Yong and Fang Tianen, who were originally sitting down, stood up to admit their mistakes. However, that was merely a procedural act.
“Ren Jie. Even if you are young, you are still the head of the family clan. Think about how your father was then. When he was your age, he could already lead soldiers in battle to expand our country’s borders. You have to constantly remind yourself of your position as the head of the family clan. You must not go around like the other kids of your age. My beloved deputy Gao, you should discipline your children more. It’s only right to return the money you owe. I do not want to hear about my secretary of the treasury being hunted down for a debt amounting to a hundred thousand taels of gold ever again. Gao Peng was the runner-up for the previous imperial examinations. As he had not completed his studies then, he was not rewarded a title. Now that you have graduated this year, I will appoint you as the vice chief of staff in the military. Make sure to learn when you are in that position. Do not fool around all day.”
Vice chief of staff. Although that was not an actual lieutenant general, it would not be difficult for Gao Peng to be promoted to a lieutenant general that possessed actual authority within a short span of time given the Gao family’s influence. One must know that if the champion of the imperial martial arts examination had no background, he would only be appointed as a field-grade or company-grade officer. If he had some family background, he might become a deputy commander.
He had to depend on himself as he embarked on the path to his future. The first few places in the major examinations would usually take on a scholarly position. Few would be appointed to the military directly. Four-tenths of the military was under the command of the Ren family; two-tenths under the emperor; another two-tenths under the Wen family; and one-tenth was controlled by the Gao family. The last one-tenth was controlled by neutral officials that worked their way to their positions. Ren Jie had read about that from the materials that he found in the Ren family library pavilion. It was obvious that the emperor deliberately wanted the Gao family to gain more voice within the military.
Although that was only a vice chief of staff, there was much more information within that appointment. However, Ren Jie did not bother about that too much. Even if he wanted to involve himself in the matter, there was no opportunity for him to do so. Even worse, prying into the appointment would stir trouble for himself.
Ren Jie was not at all concerned with the lieutenant general matter regarding Gao Peng. He looked at Gao Zhanyuan and said triumphantly, “Brilliant idea, Your Majesty. I would try my best not to stoop down to the level of those people in the future as long as they do not mess with me. Gao Zhanyuan, have you heard what the emperor said? Give me my money immediately.”
“Hank… you… Your Majesty…” Gao Peng was not able to articulate his words clearly. However, he still managed to mumble a “thank you”. He was not concerned if he was the lieutenant general or not. Others might do anything to get to such ranks. However, given his circumstances, it was only a matter of time for him. All he wanted was a signal.
After Gao Zhanyuan had entered the room, Fang Yan was waiting at the door. He was accompanying the second prince to the event. As he heard the orders of the emperor, his hand that was holding his sword trembled slightly. He was also the second place in the imperial martial arts examinations. He was also defeated by the monster Lan Tian, whose power was unseen in a thousand years. He had various contributions in the military and was… with the seventh princess…
Up until then, he was merely a commander for the imperial troops. Although the imperial troops’ commander was more impressive than ordinary general officers, he was ultimately still not considered a general officer. Gao Peng was a few years younger than him, yet he was a step earlier in attaining that position. Was the reason behind that because he had suffered a beating? Or, was it because of the actions of the Gao family head?
As he thought of that, he could not stop himself from looking towards Fang Tianen. If the Fang family had given him full support…
“Here is a fifty thousand jade coins banknote.” Looking at the smug expression on Ren Jie’s face, Gao Zhanyuan was furious. The events that happened today were unforgettable. He took out a fifty thousand jade coins banknote and threw it at Ren Jie.
“Bam!” Ren Jie waved the banknote gently and said happily, “Think about all the trouble saved if you had been this forthright. My goodness.”
“Haiz!” When Wen Yong saw this scene, a sense of sorrow suddenly engulfed him. A vice chief of staff was nothing within the military, but that position was originally reserved for the Ren family when they were promoted. Ren Jie was pleased even when his family’s position was acquired by others. Even five or ten million taels of gold were not worth forsaking a vice chief of staff position in the military, not to mention five hundred thousand taels of gold.
Truly tragic and dreadful!
“We were meant to discuss the empress dowager’s birthday celebration. Now…” The emperor creased his eyebrows slightly as he looked at the pool of blood that Gao Peng had vomited. Mixed in it were shattered fragments of his teeth. He turned towards Fang Tianen and said, “From the reply by the imperial physician, there was something amiss about the poison that Fang Qi is afflicted with. Even he could not do anything about it. Have you found a cure yet?”
Fang Tianen stood up and kowtowed to the emperor to express his gratitude for his concern. At the same time, he said solemnly, “Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have put up a notice that rewards a million jade coins and a middle-grade spiritual item. My only hope is that some master could save my daughter’s life.”
“I have ordered the imperial physicians to research it together. Hope that we can find a solution,” the emperor said. “Such a thing happened to the Fang family. Gao Peng is injured too. Today is not a suitable day to discuss the empress dowager’s birthday celebration. That’s it for today. If the few of you think of any good ideas back at home, present it to me immediately. We’ll leave other matters to after the empress dowager’s birthday celebration. We’ll discuss them again then.”
After the emperor finished speaking, he turned and left immediately. The others bowed until the emperor was completely out of sight before straightening their bodies.
Everyone had a different expression on their faces. The incidents that happened today were way too creepy. The original procedure was for them to discuss matters ahead of time within the majestic Five Clans Hall. However, that rule was changed by the emperor in such a subtle manner. His move encompassed some deep meaning!
Ren Jie looked towards Fang Tianen the moment the emperor left. Looks like you are finally out of a solution and could only resort to putting up a reward notice. I’m going to earn buckets this time. When Ren Jie thought of poisoning, he could not help but recall the disgusting segments in Martial Hero novels when they required the yin and yang to balance out during sexual intercourse to treat poison. He could not control himself and said to Fang Tianen, “Is Fang Qi poisoned? Why did no one inform me about that? I have to visit when a beautiful lady is poisoned. Do you need my help to find a cure for the poison? I remember that when it comes to poison, we would usually require the yin and yang to balance out. If you need my help, I do not mind helping treat it.”
“A million jade coins and a middle-grade spiritual item!” Gao Ren’s eyes sparkled when he heard this. He could not control himself and tugged Ren Jie’s clothes to tell him that the amount sufficed. The main reason that he did that was that he felt a faint pang of worry when he heard Ren Jie mention balancing out the yin and yang. It would be disastrous if he was still thinking of Fang Qi’s beauty and lost out on the deal.
“Humph. Save the concern, Ren family head.” The things that happened that day were way too creepy. Fang Tianen wanted to rush back as soon as possible to sort them through. Moreover, Fang Qi’s condition was still unstable. He did not have time to handle this pampered kid. He stood up and prepared to leave. Did Ren Jie really think that he was capable of standing in the same position as them? Simply ridiculous. Especially when he heard Ren Jie mention about balancing out the yin and yang, his chests heaved in anger. He cursed at the rascal in his mind.