Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 894 Retirement

"You are Ah Sheng, right? I heard about it from Yan Liang!" Princess Taiping looked at the young man in front of her with a smile: "Why be so polite, just call me sister-in-law. If you are still His Royal Highness, I won't drink!"

Wang Qisheng looked back at his mother before answering, "Sister-in-law!"

"That's right!" Princess Taiping laughed. She raised the wine glass to Wang Qisheng, drank it all in one gulp, and said with a smile, "I won't let you call me sister-in-law for nothing. Ah Sheng, what do you want? Tell me!"

"What do I want?" Wang Qisheng was stunned when he heard that. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law, I don't want anything!"

Princess Taiping saw Wang Qisheng's hesitation and said with a smile, "Ah Sheng, you don't have to be polite. There are some things that Wang is not convenient to say or do, but I have no scruples. If you are embarrassed, you can talk to me privately. There are really not many things that I, your sister-in-law, can't do in the Tang Dynasty!"

Wang Wenzuo watched coldly from the side. Princess Taiping's words were both true and false. No one knew which ones were true and which ones were false. A young man like Ah Sheng couldn't tell the difference. He could only wait until the other person left and then give her some advice in private. He coughed twice: "Your Highness, Ah Sheng is still young, and he has a long life ahead of him! Many things don't matter in a short time, don't you think?"

As soon as Wang Wenzuo opened his mouth, Princess Taiping immediately became cautious and said with a smile, "Auntie is right!"

Seeing that Princess Taiping had calmed down, Wang Wenzuo turned his gaze to Huliang who was standing beside him. "This time you led troops to attack Tubo. Although there were some setbacks from beginning to end, you finally returned safely. This is very rare. Come, let me toast you a glass of wine!"

"Thank you, father!" Hu Liang raised his glass hastily: "In fact, I was able to win this time because of your hot air balloon and telescope. I just acted carefully and tried to make as few mistakes as possible!"

"It's already great to be careful in everything and make as few mistakes as possible!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "If you remember these two things in the future, you can win every battle, but you won't be in danger!"

"Thank you for your teachings, father!" Hu Liang lowered his head.

"I have already written the petition requesting retirement, and will submit it tomorrow!" Wang Wenzuo's voice was not loud, but the hall suddenly became quiet. Everyone held their breath and stared at Wang Wenzuo's somewhat melancholy face.

"Since I followed General Su Dingfang across the sea to conquer Baekje in the fifth year of Xianqing, I have been in the army for twenty-two years! With the great blessing of the emperor and the dedication of the soldiers, I was lucky enough to return home with my life intact. I have no regrets in this life! However, 'three generations of military service is taboo in Taoism'. I have committed many murders, and there will be retribution in the dark. Yanliang, Huliang, Asheng, you all have to be careful. It's better to be slow in dealing with people, but be kind. Do you understand?"

"I understand, kid!" Yanliang, Huliang and Asheng responded in unison.

"I will leave all the money and property in the palace and give them to Huliang!" Wang Wenzuo turned his eyes to Huliang and said, "You can use them to reward the orphans of soldiers and to help the widows and the poor in Chang'an. Money and property are external things. You have held a high position at a young age and married the emperor's sister. You are already blessed. If you accumulate more wealth, you will surely arouse jealousy. Don't do it!"

"I'll remember it, son!" Hu Liang said in a deep voice.

"Well, and..." Wang Wenzuo wanted to say something, but Cui Yunying pulled his sleeve and said, "Huliang has come back safely with great difficulty, but you are saying these spoiling words. Aren't you afraid that Her Royal Highness the Princess will laugh at you?"

Reminded by his wife, Wang Wenzuo felt that he had said too much: "Well, let's not talk too much today. Play the music!"

Following Wang Wenzuo's order, the musicians behind the screen began to play, and the dancers he kept also came up to dance. Wang Wenzuo actually had no interest in these things. The musicians and dancers in his family were all gifts from the court, and he had never appreciated them once in a year. He did not expect that the performance was so outstanding, most likely because of his wife's daily management. Thinking of this, he subconsciously glanced at Cui Yunying beside him.

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The news that Wang Wenzuo had written a petition to retire soon shocked Chang'an. After confirming the authenticity of the news, no matter what they thought in their hearts, most people at least praised and retained him. In particular, Her Majesty the Queen immediately rejected Wang Wenzuo's request, saying that Wang Wenzuo was an old minister of two dynasties and a pillar of the country. Now that the court was in trouble, he could not leave for a day. Along with the retention, there were also rewards of one thousand pieces of Shu brocade and "adding drums and music to show his merits." To the surprise of many people, Wang Wenzuo immediately refused the reward and insisted on requesting retirement again. In the memorial, he said that he had been in the army for many years and was already sick and weak. He was not enough to drive the court. In the past few years, he just struggled to support himself. Finally, he begged to return to the fields to spend the rest of his life. In this way, Wang Wenzuo insisted on resigning for several consecutive times.

This kind of concession between the monarch and his subjects changed the views of many people who originally thought that Wang Wenzuo's resignation was just a pretense. After all, the word games in the memorials can be faked, but the act of moving cannot be faked. Wang Wenzuo not only refused the Queen's reward, but even refused to accept his salary. He also ordered the tidying up of the mansion given by the emperor. Except for a very few personal belongings, most of the property was sealed in the room and returned together with the mansion. Perhaps it was because she realized that Wang Wenzuo really wanted to resign. After the two sides pushed and shirked for the fourth time, Her Majesty the Queen finally accepted Wang Wenzuo's resignation, and praised Wang Wenzuo greatly in the edict. In accordance with convention, Wang Wenzuo's title was promoted to the heir to the throne of Hejian. This time Wang Wenzuo accepted it happily.

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Guangyun Lake.

It was just dawn, the sun had climbed over the willow treetops, a few water birds flew hurriedly by the water, leaving ripples on the surface. The usually crowded pier was now empty, with six large, ornately decorated steamships moored, gently rising and falling with the water.

"Father, Mother, I wish you a smooth journey and a safe trip!" Hu Liang bowed respectfully to Wang Wenzuo and Cui Yunying.

"Alright!" Wang Wenzuo waved his hand impatiently: "We've been on an inland ship all the way, what else could go wrong? Don't worry about it!"

"My child, this is to show your filial piety. Can you speak?" Cui Yunying frowned, but turned to Huliang with a little more smile: "Huliang, we appreciate your kindness, but your father is just like this. Don't take it to heart!"

"I dare not!" Hu Liang smiled.

Cui Yunying talked about some trivial matters before she and Wang Wenzuo boarded the boat. With a horn, the boat put away the anchor and the water wheel slowly turned. Six water wheels slowly left the dock and headed east. Huliang stood on the dock until the boats disappeared below the horizon. Then he turned around and left. Cui Yunying calmed down and returned to the room. She saw Wang Wenzuo leaning on the brocade couch, holding a book in one hand and pinching grapes in the other. He looked so relaxed and contented that she couldn't help but get angry.

"No one could chase you away, but you ran away without being chased away! And you look so sick, look at you, you don't look sick at all!"

“Oh!” Wang Wenzuo threw down the book in his hand and said, “Yunying, you haven’t seen through it yet? You should leave early, otherwise it will be too late when others chase you away!”

"Drive you away? Who dares to drive you away? The Queen?" Cui Yunying asked.

Wang Wenzuo smiled but said nothing. Cui Yunying snorted coldly, "That's not the case! I don't think so either. She doesn't have the guts. Who else could it be except the Queen?"

"You!" Wang Wenzuo smiled bitterly and shook his head. "You always like to get to the bottom of things. Why do you have to know everything clearly? Some things can't be figured out. Just knowing the general idea is enough. It's enough for you to know that someone wants me to leave. Who exactly is it? What does it matter?"

"You leave when someone asks you to? In my opinion, you just want to leave and you just found a random excuse!"

"You're right, I really wanted to leave Chang'an!" Wang Wenzuo sighed, "How many years does a person live? The longest is eighty, and the shortest is fifty. I'm already over fifty this year. If I don't do something useful while I'm still healthy, is it fun to fight with others in Chang'an all day? Wouldn't it be better to just leave it to Hu Liang?"

"I knew you were still the same!" Cui Yunying sneered, "If you don't like fighting with others in Chang'an City, then why did you bring Huliang to Chang'an? And marry him a princess? Aren't you reluctant to give up those things?"

This time, Wang Wenzuo was speechless. After a while, he sighed and said, "You are right. I am indeed reluctant to give up power, but it is not for myself. It is just that some things cannot be done without power. You don't understand it now, but you will understand it in the future!" At this point, he turned his back. Cui Yunying knew that this was her husband's meaning that he didn't want to go into it any further, and she knew not to say anything more.

Wang Wenzuo and his party followed the canal eastward, entered the Yongji Canal, and then turned north, arriving in Fanyang about half a month later. After Wang Wenzuo summoned civil and military officials, he came to a manor in the suburbs. In the next few years, he lived there, secluded from the public. This famous man who once held great power took the initiative to withdraw from the power core of the Tang Dynasty. This abrupt move earned him a high reputation among the people, and even appeared in many popular "legendary stories" in teahouses and wine shops. In these stories, Wang Wenzuo usually visited incognito, and whenever he encountered injustice, he would reveal his identity, punish the unjust, and redress the injustice of the wronged, which was completely unexpected.

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Fan Yang, a suburban manor.

"Important news from Chang'an! Hurry and deliver it to the inside!" The gatekeeper on duty handed a well-sealed butter paper package to the servant. The servant responded, took the package, and walked inside. After walking for a while, there was a three-bay bungalow in front of them. Behind the bungalow, there stood a two-story red building. On the top of the building hung a black lacquered horizontal plaque with three golden characters "Hua Man Lou" written on it. Against the backdrop of the green bamboo and weeping willows on both sides and the Yanshan Mountain in the distance, it was quite picturesque.

The servant came to the bungalow and turned right. It turned out that there was a stream right behind the tavern. Walking across a stone bridge above and entering the east corner gate, there was a small courtyard with lush flowers and trees. This was Wang Wenzuo's residence.

The servant knocked twice on the courtyard door and shouted, "News from Chang'an has arrived!" After a while, the courtyard door opened, and a refined young man came out, took the package, and closed the courtyard door. Turning back, I saw that the layout of the courtyard was ordinary, with nothing more than a square pond, a rocky mountain, and a small corridor. The only special thing was that there was a pear tree next to the building, which was four feet high. Although the flowering period was about to end, the snow-white flowers with five petals were still densely adorned on the branches, almost covering half of the building. I guess this is also the origin of the name of this small building.

"Father, news from Chang'an has arrived!" Wang Qisheng went upstairs and said to Wang Wenzuo who was dozing in the rocking chair.

“Hmm!” Wang Wenzuo yawned. “Open it and take a look. Pick out the important things and tell me.”

"Yes!" Wang Qisheng answered, took out a pair of scissors to open the package, took out the letter and read it, picking out seven or eight important things to say. Wang Wenzuo half closed his eyes and nodded from time to time. It was unknown whether he was asleep or awake. After about half a meal, Wang Qisheng opened a letter and suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"What's wrong? Is there anything urgent?" Wang Wenzuo asked.

"Qin Ling is dead!" Wang Qisheng's voice was trembling: "It was the Tibetan general Qin Ling, he is dead!"

"Dead?" Wang Wenzuo opened his eyes, his gaze blazing: "How did he die? From illness or something?"

"He didn't die of illness! He committed suicide!" Wang Qisheng said, "To be exact, he was forced to commit suicide. The Tibetan king killed the great prime minister, Zan Xiruo, and then sent troops to attack Qinling. Qinling was defeated and forced to commit suicide. The Tibetan king wiped out the Gar clan. Qinling's son Gongren has led the remaining clan members, a total of more than 4,000 tents, to surrender to the Tang Dynasty!"

“Qin Ling committed suicide, and the entire clan was wiped out! Counting from Lu Dongzan, the Gar clan was the third generation. I never thought that this would end up like this!” Wang Wenzuo sighed, his tone full of bitterness.

Wang Qisheng saw Wang Wenzuo's rare look of dejection, and hurriedly asked, "Father, are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Wang Wenzuo smiled and said, "It's just that I feel a little sad for the other party!"

"The rabbit dies and the fox mourns?" Wang Qisheng asked puzzledly: "Isn't Qin Ling your enemy?"

"We can't say they are enemies, we just serve different masters!" Wang Wenzuo smiled. "It's just that starting from Lu Dongzan, although his clan was a bit domineering, after Songtsen Gampo's death, they supported the young master, presided over the government, and expanded the territory. They made great contributions to Tubo, but ended up like this. I can't help but feel a little chilled when I see it!"