The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 448 I Hate That I Wasn’t Born with a Sword

Zhao Mingcheng could not help but frowned deeply. Although he had never met Jia Huan in person, through the correspondence with the Inspector Jiao Fang, he had a basic understanding of Jia Huan's performance in Yangzhou. So he knew very well that this boy was a rare talent, so he had long wanted to win him over. In fact, the imperial edict praising Jia Huan was drafted by him.

Ever since learning that Jia Huan had won the top prize in the Nanzhili provincial examination, Zhao Mingcheng had become more determined to win over Jia Huan. After all, even a fool could see that this boy had a bright future, and if he could be won over to the Donglin camp, it would be a great help to his future growth.

It was for this reason that Zhao Mingcheng asked his old friend Gu Xianzhi to personally invite Jia Huan. He thought that he could easily win him over. However, Jia Huan was so ungrateful that he rejected the olive branch he extended. With this boy's intelligence and talent, there was no reason why he could not see the benefits of joining Donglin Academy.
Seeing Zhao Mingcheng frowning, Gu Xianzhi comforted him, "Although Jia Huan is extraordinary, as the saying goes, people with different ideals cannot work together. Since he has chosen Diecui Academy, he will no longer be on the same side as us. Brother Dehui doesn't need to force it. In addition, in my opinion, Zhang Pu is not worse than Jia Huan. He only needs to be trained and supported. He will definitely be able to take on important tasks in the future. Zhang Tingshu, Wu Weiye, and Wu Changshi are also talented people. They have all agreed to join Donglin Academy. Aren't they better than Jia Huan?"

"That's true!" Zhao Mingcheng nodded upon hearing this and put Jia Huan aside for the time being.

Although Jia Huan is a very good boy, what Donglin lacks the least is young talents. Moreover, Donglin's strength is growing rapidly. As long as the emperor is completely overthrown, the entire court will belong to Donglin in the future. One more or one less Jia Huan will have no effect at all. On the contrary, not joining Donglin will become a loss for this boy. Let's see how this kid will regret it in the future. If he wants to switch to Donglin by then, he won't be able to afford the price.

Thinking of this, Zhao Mingcheng's mood improved. The current situation is extremely favorable for Donglin. The retired emperor's money bag, Prince Yi Zhong, has fallen, the Minister of War Wang Ziteng has been dismissed, and even the cabinet has sided with the emperor. If the Ministry of Revenue is taken down next, it will be difficult for the retired emperor to cause any more trouble.

"Xianzhi, Zhang Pu is indeed worthy of training. Ask him to organize a few parades to sway public opinion. This time we must take down the Ministry of Revenue in one fell swoop!" Zhao Mingcheng raised his hand and gently clenched it, as if he wanted to grasp the setting sun in the sky in his hand.

Gu Xianzhi was also in high spirits at the moment, stroking his beard and smiling, "I will make arrangements as soon as we return to the city. Haha, if we can take over the Ministry of Revenue this time, it will be just around the corner for Brother Dehui to be appointed as a prime minister."

Previously, the old imperial faction of the retired emperor had always controlled the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War and Ministry of Justice, while the new imperial faction of Emperor Qiansheng only controlled the Ministry of Rites and Ministry of Works. Now that Prince Yi Zhong has fallen and Minister of War Wang Ziteng has resigned, the Ministry of War has naturally been transferred to the hands of the new imperial faction. If the Ministry of Revenue is taken over as well, the entire situation will be completely reversed, and the retired emperor will be powerless to save the situation.

By then, Emperor Qiansheng will truly rule the world and will no longer be controlled by the retired emperor. And as Zhao Mingcheng, as the chief meritorious "follower of the dragon", it is inevitable that he will enter the cabinet and be appointed as prime minister.

…………

The treatment of teachers in Diecui Academy seemed to be quite good. For example, Liu Yi had an independent building in the academy. Although it was small, it was very elegant. There was a small garden in front of the door surrounded by a fence, and the fence was full of chrysanthemums. However, in the cold winter, these chrysanthemums withered, leaving only clusters of bare branches shivering in the cold wind and setting sun.

Seeing this scene, Jia Huan could not help but say, "I have planted chrysanthemums by the fence recently. I come back every day. My eldest brother is quite elegant and secluded. He actually planted so many chrysanthemums under the fence. It's just that..."

Lu Xiangsheng added: "It's just that he is a little too indifferent and depressed. Senior Brother is in the prime of his life and should be working hard, but he follows the example of Tao Yuanming of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and retreats from the world. This is really wrong!"

Zhang Zhilong coughed lightly and was about to say something. At this time, Liu Yi came out of the small kitchen wearing an apron and greeted him, "Come on, sit in the house for a while, the food will be ready soon." After that, he turned and went back into the kitchen to continue his work.

Zhang Zhilong swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth, opened the gate of the fence skillfully, and whispered: "Ziming Jiandou, let's go into the house and sit down. The cooking skills of the eldest brother have improved now. If it were before, I would never dare to eat the food he cooked."

The three of them entered the library and found that it was only about ten square meters in size and was very simply furnished. There was nothing else except a bed, a table, and a desk. A large pile of books were piled in a mess at the head of the bed.

Zhang Zhilong said a little awkwardly: "Big Brother, there are only two low stools here. Ziming Jiandou, you sit down."

"Where does Senior Brother Zhang sit?" Lu Xiangsheng asked.

Zhang Zhilong sat down on the bed and said with a smile, "Sitting on the bed, I'm used to it anyway."

Jia Huan did not sit down. He picked up a book from the pile of books at the bedside and flipped through it. He found that it was a Buddhist scripture. He could not help asking, "Could it be that the eldest brother intends to become a monk?"

"It's been going on for a while... cough!" Zhang Zhilong realized that he almost let the cat out of the bag, so he stopped talking quickly.

Jia Huan frowned: "Why is Senior Brother Zhang so hesitant? Do you think Jiandou and I are outsiders?"

Zhang Zhilong hurried to the door, glanced in the direction of the small kitchen, then turned around and walked back stealthily, saying, "Zi Ming Jian Dou, it's not that I treat you as outsiders, but this is a sad story for Senior Brother. It took more than a year to recover. No one dared to mention it easily, so as not to bring up Senior Brother's old illness. I'll tell you secretly when Senior Brother is not around." At this moment, someone outside the house asked, "Is Master Liu home?"

Jia Huan and others looked outside and saw a middle-aged man dressed as a butler standing outside the fence looking around. Zhang Zhilong let out a light exclamation, as if he recognized this man.

At this time, Liu Yi came out of the kitchen holding a pot and a spoon. The middle-aged man who looked like a butler bowed across the fence and seemed to whisper something. Then he handed a small bag to Liu Yi, turned around and left in a hurry, disappearing into the vast twilight.

Liu Yi was holding the small bag, standing in the yard in a daze, as if he was under a spell. Seeing this, Zhang Zhilong wanted to go out of the house to ask him, but Jia Huan hurriedly reached out to hold him down and shook his head to signal him not to interfere.

Liu Yi stood in the yard for about an incense stick of time before silently returning to the kitchen, where he could only hear the sound of cooking.

Another stick of incense passed and Liu Yi came into the room carrying two plates of delicious dishes. He didn't seem to see anything unusual and just ordered, "Rugui, take out the two jars of good wine under the bed. We haven't seen each other for several years. Let's have a few drinks tonight to welcome Ziming and Jiandou."

Zhang Zhilong squatted down and fiddled with it under the bed for a while. He finally took out two jars of unopened wine and said with a smile, "You are in for a treat. These two jars of fine wine were brought back from Hami by my senior brother when he went to study in the frontier. They are authentic grape wines. My senior brother has always been reluctant to drink them. Today, I, Zhang Rugui, am also benefiting from the kindness of my two junior brothers."

Liu Yi went back to the kitchen and fetched four bowls. He said regretfully, "Fine grape wine in a luminous cup. Wine must be paired with a luminous cup to complement it. Unfortunately, I only have four rough bowls here."

Jia Huan smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Lanling's fine wine is like tulip. Even a coarse bowl can bring out its amber hue. It's more enjoyable to drink. Come on, fill it up!"

Everyone laughed. Zhang Zhilong deftly broke the seal on the wine jar and filled four bowls. The room was immediately filled with the aroma of wine.

"What a nice smell!" Jia Huan quickly picked up the bowl and took a sip. It was slightly sour and astringent, mellow and smooth. It was indeed authentic wine. However, wine was obviously more suitable for drinking on hot days, and it tasted better when chilled. Now it was the coldest time of the year, and it felt cold in the throat. It would be more appropriate to drink some warm rice wine.

Liu Yi looked at Jia Huan expectantly and asked, "How does it taste?"

Jia Huan nodded and said, "It has a moderate sourness, a smooth and mellow aroma, and is smooth on the palate. It is indeed a fine wine."

Liu Yi's eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "Ziming's words are very knowledgeable. Rugui blames me for being stingy and not giving him good wine. Little did he know that giving him wine would be like a cow chewing a peony, and it would be wasted."

Zhang Zhilong pretended to be annoyed and said, "Big brother, you don't have to step on me when you praise Junior Brother Jia, right? Since you say I'm just a cow chewing a peony, then I might as well waste it." As he said this, he finished the bowl of wine in one breath and immediately filled it up again.

Everyone laughed. Lu Xiangsheng said curiously, "The journey to Hami is long and dangerous. I didn't expect that my senior brother has been there to study. I really admire him."

The smile on Liu Yi's face slowly disappeared, and he picked up the wine bowl and drank it silently. Zhang Zhilong's expression was also a little unnatural. Seeing this, Jia Huan was moved and hurriedly changed the subject: "Don't just drink, eat something to fill your stomach first."

Everyone was eating and drinking at the same time. After two bowls of wine, the effects of the alcohol started to kick in. They felt warm all over and drank more happily, especially Liu Yi, who drank almost every bowl of wine. While others drank one bowl, he had already drunk three bowls. In the end, he still felt it was not enough and actually picked up the jar of wine and drank it straight down.

Everyone then realized something was wrong. Zhang Rugui wanted to persuade them, but was pushed away by Liu Yi. The latter's face was flushed, his eyes were blurry, and his steps were unsteady. It was obvious that he was drunk.

"Brother, you are drunk. Stop drinking." Zhang Zhilong advised.

"It's good to be drunk. When drunk, you don't know the taste of sorrow. The grape wine is in the luminous cup. The pipa music is urging me to drink. Don't laugh at me sleeping drunk on the battlefield. How many people have ever returned from the battles in history? I hate that I was born... I hate that I was born without a sword... What's the use of having a sword and a pen?"

Liu Yi held the wine jar in his left hand and waved his right hand in the air, chanting loudly. His eyes were red, his expression was fierce, his voice was harsh, and he looked like a madman. Zhang Zhilong was so scared that he quickly stepped aside. Jia Huan and Lu Xiangsheng were also secretly surprised and stood up subconsciously.

(End of this chapter)