son-in-law

Chapter 1281: Brothers (Part )

Chapter 1281: Brothers (Part )

"...Teacher, is he in good health?"

"... He is in very good health, he exercises every day... He also curses people in meetings all day long."

"...It's normal to scold people. He has a far-sighted vision. It's normal for him to be scolded for not being able to keep up...Unlike me, I am often scolded during court meetings..."

"...I still dare to scold you?"

"... Let me tell you, Confucian disciples are the most vicious at cursing. They all quote scriptures... The meanings are all the same. If you do as I say, you will be Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang. If you don't do as I say, you will be Zhou of Shang and the tyrannical Qin..."

"Who's holding the zither?"

"...Um...Have you ever studied Shang and Zhou..."

The mottled sunlight has gradually gathered into the golden evening. Two people, one tall and one short, sit under a big banyan tree and chat, watching the little girl Zhou Fuyang running around nearby.

Before meeting Zhou Junwu, Ning Ji had many fantasies about his father's disciple of the emperor. He had a rough side to his character, but he also knew the role of power. At home in the southwest, his father occasionally talked to people around him about the situation of the small court in the southeast, and also talked about his impressions when he was in Jiangning. Sometimes he lamented that time flies and things are no longer the same. But what he didn't expect was that after calling him senior brother or junior brother, this man who was in charge of the southeast and inherited the orthodox mantle of the Wu Dynasty, talked to him in a surprisingly casual and approachable manner.

He made a few complaints about the Confucian officials.

"I heard that... Junior Brother, you have been to Jiangning before. Have you seen my house?"

"Just like my family, it was rejected..."

"Hmm... I heard about it... Is the foundation still there?"

"My family still has it, but yours doesn't... When I went there, Xu Zhaonan had occupied a new Tiger Palace there, and visitors were not allowed to visit the surrounding area. But I heard from the locals that part of the large parade ground next to the palace was your family's palace..."

"You are uneducated. What's this New Tiger Palace? It doesn't sound good at all... That used to be my uncle's house..."

“The Fairness Party has no future.”

"Oh? Junior brother, you figured it out too? Tell me... Oh, I still have to go back to the palace, let's talk on the way, okay, I'll treat you to a royal meal and show you the dragon throne..."

After chatting for a while, Jun Wu picked up Zhou Fuyang and invited Ning Ji to play in the palace. On the one hand, Ning Ji had his father's evaluation in mind and felt that the emperor of Southeast was indeed approachable. On the other hand, he also had some Jianghu personality. When he came to a new place, he had to give face to the local snakes. He immediately got on the carriage with them and left the princess's mansion.

On the way, Jun Wu listened to what he had seen and heard in Jiangning, nodding occasionally. He would also provide some information about things that Ning Ji didn't know the whole story about. It was actually evening now, the sea breeze was blowing gently, the golden light was shining on the pedestrians on the road, and there was a faint commotion in the distance. Ning Ji was dissatisfied with the situation in Fuzhou, and said to Jun Wu: "Why don't you recruit troops into the city?"

Jun Wu sighed, "There are many things that I only understood after I became emperor... The standpoints of the people in the world are actually far from as clear as we think. Among a hundred people, there may be one who has an idea. Among a hundred people with ideas, there can be one who is firm in his ideas. Among them, there are even fewer who are willing to risk their lives to challenge the court..."

"But generally speaking, the common people of the world always have a big tendency, that is, most of them do not want any change in their lives. It is best if their lives remain unchanged, the more grain they grow, the more money they earn. This is actually in line with the views of those great scholars... But, little junior brother, sometimes I think that I am actually a very bad emperor..."

He paused for a moment when he said this. "As for me, after I came to Fuzhou, if I really want to say what I did, it was to collect money... I collected the money from the big families, and took away their right to collect money, or supervised them. What did I do with the money? I set up my own military academy and raised the Beiwei and Zhenhai armies. Not only did I take away the power of the big families, I also promoted a group of young people to compete with them... You see, everyone's life has to change, so is there any benefit? The only fleet of ships I sent out to make money has not returned yet, so it is normal for them to rebel against me..."

Ning Ji remained silent for a moment, feeling unable to refute.

"...I have been in Fuzhou for three years, squeezing the people's blood and sweat. I can be called a warmongerer. In fact, I have also deeply hurt those Confucian disciples who originally supported me. Respect the king and expel the barbarians, little junior brother, what does respect the king and expel the barbarians mean? In the past, it was said that the king and the literati ruled the world together, but now it is only about respecting the king, which means that the literati are not respected. If I had stopped here in the past few years since I took the throne, I would have been called violent, and I would not be able to govern the world. I would not be able to be an emperor, and I would only be busy robbing people..."

"...So, when it comes to robbing things, I now have some experience." The carriage moved forward, pressing on the bluestone road in the city, making a leisurely sound. The noisy city life could be heard while Jun Wu told Ning Ji about his experience. "We should proceed step by step and do it slowly. For example, if there are only those one hundred people who are determined to rebel, I will fight with these one hundred people from time to time, and let the millions of people in Fuzhou see that these people have lost. They actually have opinions and will consider it. After a while, everyone will have opinions again, so I will pick out another one hundred people. If they lose again, the others will shrink back... In this process, those who are not determined will accept the change step by step..."

"So, we can't call in the army. A performance is just a performance. Mobilizing the army means asking the audience to choose sides. If they really have to choose sides, who will choose me..."

"Senior brother, you...are thinking this way..." Ning Ji said with a frown.

Jun Wu leaned on the back of the carriage, his face calm, gentle, and with a little smile: "Well, I am an incompetent emperor..."

"..."

"But times have changed." Jun Wu tilted his head back. His words at this moment did not sound like the emperor of the Wu Dynasty in Fujian, but more like a progressive young man from the southwest. "Because of the appearance of the teacher, all future political regimes will need a new degree of organization. The essence of all power is organization. Only with a high degree of organization can you speak. Without organization, everything you say is wrong... The Wu Dynasty used to rely on Confucianism, which said that the people can be led but not made to know. The degree of organization thus produced is no longer up to the requirements of the times. I have no choice but to suck blood in Fujian. Only after the internal transformation is completed can I talk about the future. What I can do is to try to suck the blood of the big families and suck less of the people, but to be honest, the big families will always drag the people..."

"Well, your level of organization seems to be similar to what we said during the meeting..."

"That's what the teacher said during the meeting." Jun Wu stared, then took out a notebook from his arms. He flipped through a few pages. At the front, there was a newspaper that had been flipped countless times. "Look, look... This was a meeting three years ago... Mr. Ning pointed out at the meeting that without organization, you don't have to say anything. With organization, you don't have to say anything... In the next few years, several systems with backward organization will gradually be eliminated... Systems with backward organization, you see, this refers to us."

"Hmm, hmm..." Ning Ji frowned, his eyes serious, glanced at Jun Wu, and nodded in awe.

"...This is actually the core of our Fujian reform." The little emperor was pleased with himself for taking the conference speech of the leader of the hostile force as the core of the reform.

Ning Ji scratched his head: "What is this..."

"Oh, not all of them are the teacher's speeches, but basically they are the things I think are important." Jun Wu handed the notebook to Ning Ji.

The book was very thick, with mostly clippings and a lot of copied text. In some places, the paper was torn. Ning Ji felt dizzy after reading it and handed it back.

"I don't understand... I'm not a good student." He originally had some thoughts about being a spy, but now he felt a little ashamed and didn't want to read it anymore. He even confessed to Jun Wu that he was "not a good student."

"By the way, when we were in Zhang Village, did the teacher... ever talk about me and my sister in private?"

“…That’s true.”

"What did you say?"

"...Then...don't be angry."

"Of course I'm not angry..."

"My father said that the young emperor of the southeast...is not particularly talented, and being an emperor...will be very difficult. He said...it shouldn't be you who should bear the responsibilities..."

When Ning Ji said this, the carriage was silent for a long time. Jun Wu sat there, looking at the opposite side of the carriage, and nodded slowly... After a long time, he nodded slightly again.

"…Did you say anything else?"

"He said that sometimes, seeing the situation here... he also hopes that you can get things done..."

"..."

Jun Wu looked at Ning Ji and nodded. After a while, he nodded again. He smiled and was very happy.

……

After the carriage drove into the palace, crossed the imperial road and entered the square in front of the palace, Jun Wu asked the palace maid to take Zhou Fuyang away, and he chatted with Ning Ji.

"Actually, the teacher is wise, but his qualifications are average... I wasn't a good student before, but later I was forced to read some books. Actually, I like the study of things and inventions... Have you ever visited the Institute of Gewu?"

"I've been to the weapons academy..."

"Emperor Jiang... Teacher's hobby is to beat the emperor into a pulp..."

"That's confidential. When I went there...it wasn't demonstrated..."

"I like things that can fly... I've already made a hot air balloon, but there are also things with wings. When I was in Jiangning, my teacher mentioned it to me. I've been trying to figure it out, but I haven't made a steam engine..."

"You know about steam engines?"

"The Zuo family told me about it. I also know that the prototype exploded several times. The last time, Lin Jingwei was almost killed..."

"Ah? I don't know..."

"It happened last year. By the way, why did you run away from home, little brother?"

"Uh..." Ning Ji scratched his head and hesitated for a long time, but finally felt that since everyone was chatting so well, it would be a bit unfair not to be honest. "Actually, I was tricked..."

He talked about his past in Zhang Village, and entered the hall in front with Jun Wu. Jun Wu waved away everyone near the hall and listened to Ning Ji talking about the family affairs of Zhang Village with relish. From time to time, he asked a few questions about family matters, about Ning Yi, about Su Tan'er, about Xiaochan, and even about the invincible Lu Hongti and Liu Xigua. He was a king, but he was frank and enthusiastic, and occasionally there was a flash of curiosity in his eyes like a young man. Ning Ji was actually sensitive, and he could not sense any malice. The two of them talked back and forth, revealing a lot of "private secrets of the royal family" on both sides.

As the sun was setting, the sunlight shone through the windows of the hall, casting long golden shadows. Jun Wu told Ning Ji about the rules of court, the emperor's interesting and annoying stories, and then asked him about his experience in the battlefield. This touched Ning Ji's heart, and he immediately shared his experiences and observations from the Southwest War. When talking about the key ideas when serving as a scout, Jun Wu actually took out a pen to record them, saying, "If we fight the Jurchens again, this will be useful..."

He was still brooding over the battle in Jiangnan. Sitting on the threshold of the Golden Palace, he told Ning Ji resentfully about everything that happened at that time. He was wounded by an arrow, and the Wu Dynasty lost half of the country from then on. Speaking of the difficulties that followed, Ning Ji could not help but offer advice. Jun Wu said, "If you were here at that time, I might not have been injured. If I hadn't been unconscious for so long, perhaps the Wu Dynasty could have been saved..." Ning Ji took the lead and felt that he was right.

When talking about happy things, he even asked Ning Ji to sit on the dragon throne above. Ning Ji refused to sit, so Jun Wu waved his hand and said, "It's not a good thing. The one in Bianliang was the biggest, the one in Lin'an was a little smaller, and this one is even smaller. But they are all hard, and your butt will hurt if you sit for a long time... But I haven't seen the one in Bianliang. It was taken away by the Jurchens during the Jingping period. The teacher has seen it..."

"…Did my father sit there back then?"

"He didn't. I asked him carefully. He sat on the steps below the dragon throne and slapped Zhou Zhe on the head with a knife like he was slapping a fish. Then he looked at the ministers below and said, 'A bunch of rubbish.'"

"Oh..." Ning Ji had heard about this before, and he sighed in agreement.

The emperor was quite proud of himself. This was probably the first time he expressed such an idea to someone. He stood on the golden palace, pointed in the air, imitating Ning Yi, and then said to Ning Ji: "Isn't it? It feels good... A bunch of useless people, the most useless one is Zhou Zhe, an incompetent bastard——"

There was a golden light flashing outside the palace. The emperor vented for a while in the golden palace, not knowing how much depression he was feeling, and it was hard to tell whether his behavior at this moment was real or fake. He also sat on the steps, seemingly quietly feeling Ning Yi's previous mood, and then took out a paper bag from his arms and placed it on the ground beside him.

"Cheng Zhouhai mentioned it. You asked him for a musket, but he refused... Actually, when we went to the southwest, the teacher gave him two muskets. He gave me one of them for self-defense, but I never used it. Here..."

"..." Ning Ji looked at the paper bag on the ground and his eyes twitched.

"If you shoot me with it now, you will be the second Ning family member to kill the emperor."

Jun Wu smiled.

There was no one inside or outside the Golden Palace at this time, and he was not on guard.

Ning Ji curled his lips, picked up the paper package and opened it. There was indeed a musket inside. Even the gunpowder and shotgun shells were well wrapped. It must have been taken care of and maintained by someone every day. He loaded the gunpowder and gestured a few times: "We are all family, why should I kill you? Besides, if I really want to fight, I don't need this gun..."

After checking and putting the gun away, Ning Ji frowned and said, "Cheng Zhouhai didn't give it to me, so why did you give it to me?"

"Mr. Cheng is testing my attitude towards the southwest. Besides, he is a minister and has many things to consider. I am different." Jun Wu stood up and put his hands on his waist. "You have to know that although the teacher has many disciples, I am still the eldest brother. If I don't give the little brother anything when he asks for it, how can I have face in the future?"

Ning Ji looked up at him.

Then, he said seriously: "Brother, do you not want to be the emperor anymore?"

"No, I will be a good emperor." Jun Wu's gentle eyes gradually became serious. He turned around and walked towards the dragon throne. "Over the years, I have read and thought about what the teacher did when he was in Southwest China many times. The plan he can give me is not a joke. I know he has thought a lot about the innovation of this world and he has gone a long way, but can he really succeed? He may not be sure in his heart..."

"I am not his most talented disciple. I am just an average person and I am forced to do something he is not good enough to do. But no matter what, as the eldest disciple, I have to save my face. The possibility of constitutional monarchy, the teacher has given it to me seriously, and I will complete it seriously. Even if the teacher attacks from the southwest one day, I will seriously fight him as the emperor. This is because there are still thousands of people who believe in the power of the Wu Dynasty. It will be better for me to fight this battle than for anyone else..."

He sat down on the dragon chair and rubbed the armrests.

"If I can succeed on this path, I will be very proud and the world will get good results..."

"...if it doesn't work, the experience will be left behind as the teacher expected...the world will also get good results..."

"...Then when the time comes, you tell me whether I am awesome or not... or not handsome or not?"

At this moment, Zhou Junwu looks very much like a young man from the southwest.

Ning Ji looked at him, wondering how he did it.