Shen Fa: "Otherwise?"
Wei Heng: "You you you you..."
Calmly, Shen Fa pried Wei Heng’s hand off his collar and adeptly patted his shoulder, "Don’t be anxious, don’t get frustrated. You need to slowly get used to it, adapt to it. The days ahead are still long..."
Wei Heng stared at his shameless appearance, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
After a moment’s thought... Yang Erlang, that little bastard, wasn’t he just like this before?
Alright, alright, is this how you all play?
Pointing at Shen Fa, Wei Heng trembled with anger, yet couldn’t utter a single word.
A moment later.
Within the grand hall of the Imperial Guards’ command, Shen Fa and Wei Heng each nestled in a Taishi Chair with a teacup, one man’s sigh barely ending before another’s began, much like two salted fish who had lost their dreams.
"Speak up!"
Only after a long while did Wei Heng muster the energy, "Just bickering like this solves nothing, we need to come up with a solution."
Shen Fa responded listlessly, "How do we solve it? Why don’t you speak on my behalf to the imperial family, let me head south, and bring back that troublemaker?"
Wei Heng slammed his hand on the tea table, trembling again with fury, "Dream on! If you run off, do you expect me to bear the brunt alone in the capital?"
Shen Fa spread his hands indifferently, "Then I’m out of options. You surely don’t think that that troublemaker would still heed my commands, do you?"
Wei Heng massaged his temples, pained, "Isn’t he one of your Imperial Guards? As their commander, do you really have no means to control him?"
Shen Fa was lost for words, "You’ve known the guy longer than me, right? Don’t you realize what kind of person he is? A thousand layers of brocade robes can’t bind him, and now all he has left is a cook’s black attire. Do you think he cares? I assure you, the moment I issue a military order, he’d return his black attire to me in defiance. If we completely sever his ties with the regime, the next time he comes to the capital, it won’t just be assaults; he’ll bring knives for murder!"
Pausing, Shen Fa couldn’t help but complain, "Honestly, he should have been reinstated to his official position earlier; even though he acted recklessly in the past, at least he had some constraints. Now... well, let’s not speak of this anymore."
After reflecting for a moment, Wei Heng ventured, "What about Lu Ting...there’s truly no playing that field?"
Almost rolling his eyes, Shen Fa retorted, "If you’re tired of living, by all means, go ahead. Don’t drag me into it. I’m young, and I still want to live!"
Feeling somewhat guilty, Wei Heng stuttered, "It’s not that bad, is it?"
Shen Fa nodded seriously, "It is, too much so. From what I know of that fellow, if we really target Yuelai Inn, I’d believe it if you say he’d not only kill officials but also lead a rebellion!"
Wei Heng fell silent, later striking the armrest of his chair in frustration, "Then what do you suggest we do? We cannot scold or strike, shall we just let him frolic about causing trouble for us?"
After thinking, Shen Fa lowered his voice, "We’re not strangers here, and today I’ll discuss things we can only speak behind closed doors... Those scandals he’s committing, aren’t they what we dare not do even if we want to? Technically, it’s only a matter of the imperial family losing face."
"Originally, my thought was this: he wants to do it, let him. We just handle the capital. As long as no one reports these scandals directly in front of the imperial family, all will be well."
"This way, he gets to do what he wants, the imperial family’s dignity is preserved, and everyone is happy!"
Wei Heng was stunned, then realized the implication, "All this time you’ve been clenching down on those Imperial Censors without letting go, it was all for this?"
Shen Fa: "What else? Do you know how much pressure I’m under every day? My own family is almost disowning me."
Wei Heng, caressing the teacup, pondered for a long while, then sighed mournfully, "But this isn’t a long-term solution. You can cover for them temporarily, but can you cover them forever? Moreover, I’ve heard that officials from the Jiangzhe Ministry of Provincial Administration are making hastened journeys to the capital day and night. Once they reach the capital, won’t they turn the Cabinet and the Six Ministries upside down? How will you cover then? You can silence the censors, but can you silence a Minister of Provincial Administration?"
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Shen Fa spread his hands, "Honestly, I hadn’t thought that far. Living one peaceful day at a time is already a blessing. If worse comes to worst, I can always quit my post as the commander and go back to my previous job. The work is the same, and I can enjoy some peace."
Wei Heng almost lost his composure, "Can’t you pull yourself together a bit? You are the esteemed commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, how can you think so little of progressing and improving, giving up on yourself like this?"
Shen Fa sneered, "You’re still the popular head of the Western Factory, aren’t you? Do you have any solutions? Give me an idea that solves the problem, and I, along with everyone in the Embroidered Uniform Guards, will follow you to the death without any hesitation!"
Wei Heng was left speechless.
After a long while, he took a deep breath and mustered his energy, "Since we can’t think of a new method, let’s use the old ways for now."
Hearing this, Shen Fa straightened his body and clasped his fists, "I would like to hear the details."
Wei Heng, "That rascal cares a lot about the folks at Yuelai Inn, doesn’t he? Can’t we use covert or overt tactics? Let’s devise a plan, give them official titles."
Shen Fa hesitated for a moment and said softly, "Based on my understanding of Yang Ge... the best way to deal with Yuelai Inn is to act as if they don’t exist. That fellow is more cunning than a monkey; how could he not see through our intentions? Even if he doesn’t say it out loud, he will surely take note of it in his heart. Should anything happen to the old shopkeeper of Yuelai Inn, that would be the day he settles the score with us.
"Now that we are powerless against him, then when the time comes, we might truly end up just washing our necks and waiting for death!"
Wei Heng paused in shock, then quickly changed his approach, "Then let’s send more hands to protect them. We won’t say anything, let him find out on his own. Surely that rascal will then owe us a favor?"
Shen Fa raised a thumb, "Brilliant, sir. My admiration for you is like the endless flow of a mighty river, and as overwhelming as the flood of the Yellow River..."
Wei Heng raised his hand, "Enough with the flattery, focus on the matter at hand."
Shen Fa: ...
Wei Heng continued, "Isn’t that rascal highly principled? We’ll transfer his one thousand troops to Jiangzhe. He may not care about his own future, but can he be indifferent to the future of his subordinates? This could be an excellent opportunity to help him when he is short of people. He should be grateful for our help, shouldn’t he?"
Shen Fa startled, then slapped the arm of his chair, "How could I have forgotten about that!"
He had been solely focused on how to reinstate Yang Ge to his official post and bind him to the upper right division but indeed, had not considered binding the division to Yang Ge instead.
Wei Heng scornfully glanced at him, continuing, "As for those deadweights from the three offices of Jiangzhe who want to make trouble in the capital, let’s not allow them to reach the capital. You and I can gather the evidence we have, and intercept them on the way to deal with them once and for all. Those scared by that little rascal to the extent of not wanting their positions surely all deserve to die."
Compliantly, Shen Fa clasped his hands, "No problem, consider it the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ congratulatory gift to you for opening your office in the Western Factory, a gesture that kills two birds with one stone, indeed!"
Wei Heng suppressed the corners of his mouth from turning up, "With a three-pronged approach, I don’t believe we can’t handle that little rascal or suppress this upheaval... "
Shen Fa once again raised a thumb, "Brilliant, sir, simply brilliant!"
As long as he wasn’t made to bear the brunt, even if Wei Heng insisted nonsense was perfume, he would agree.
"Hold on, hold on, that doesn’t count as a gift."
Wei Heng waved his hand to stop his congratulations, then coughed deliberately and spoke sternly, "Lastly, I myself will lead troops south to hold back those foolhardy fellows from Jiangzhe, allowing that rascal to safely do what he intends to do. With combined efforts from within and without, we can completely eradicate the long-standing problems of Jiangnan that have persisted through two dynasties, bringing clarity and order back to Jiangzhe!"
"Consider it the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ congratulatory gift to me for the inauguration of the Western Factory."
This was an audacious plan, pushing Shen Fa to the brink of a breakdown. Clearly, he couldn’t agree, and without a second thought, he waved his hand, "Don’t even think about it. If anyone is going to die, we’re all going down together!"
If you don’t let me escape, can I let you escape?
In a fit of impotent rage, Wei Heng leaned forward and grabbed his lapel, "I am trying to help you clean up this mess for the Embroidered Uniform Guards!"
Shen Fa remained indifferent, "Everything else is negotiable, but heading south is out of the question!"