Chapter 1243 – The Oncoming War (Part Four)
Although Han Yu had just joined, Jiang Pengji trusted him greatly, assigning him and Xu Ke the task of preparing the military rations.
Xu Ke was an old hand by Jiang Pengji’s side, his competence in handling affairs was unquestionable.
This was Han Yu’s first assignment after entering Jiang Pengji’s camp, so he was determined to execute it flawlessly.
With government matters too busy for him to manage household affairs, he ultimately had to ask his wife to step in.
After some consideration, Han Yu expressed his feelings and reasoning to his wife, trying to ease their marital relationship.
Mrs. Han still felt upset, but with Han Yu personally coming to apologize, she had to swallow her grievances for the time being.
Their relationship appeared to be thawing, but in reality, it was still frozen solid.
Whenever she had time, Mrs. Han belittled Golden Scales Academy in front of their son, leaving Han Run quite helpless.
“Mother, there are many great scholars at Golden Scales Academy who can help students anytime. I think studying there is much better than attending clan studies.”
Mrs. Han’s face turned dark as she said, “My son is still young; how can he discern what’s good or bad? Clan studies are built on generations of achievements, all the essence of our ancestors. The foundation there can’t be compared to some shabby troupe! Studying here will surely waste your time!”
As her son, Han Run couldn’t argue back and could only endure her lecture patiently.
After all, Mrs. Han knew her son very well.
Seeing her son offering no resistance but merely listening, Mrs. Han felt even more pent-up inside.
Had her husband and son both been bewitched by someone?
Why were they so supportive of that ragtag bunch?
Though Han Run wasn’t brainwashed by his mother, the daily “harassment” left him emotionally drained.
His feelings didn’t escape Feng Yi’s notice. After asking, Han Run candidly shared his troubles.
“…From the looks of it, Mother still insists I attend clan studies,” he said. Han Run understood his mother’s stubbornness; once she made up her mind, it rarely changed, “I really don’t want to… besides, clan studies are far away in Zhejun, and my parents are both in Wanzhou…”
Despite his young age, Han Run had a degree of judgment.
He didn’t know how much trust Jiang Pengji had in his father Han Yu, but he guessed that as Han Yu’s eldest son, running off to distant Zhejun instead of staying in Wanzhou would likely rub his father the wrong way; Han Run didn’t want that kind of trouble for his dad.
Feng Yi frowned.
Mrs. Han’s stubbornness exceeded his expectations.
In the short term, it might not affect Han Run, but over time, it would undoubtedly distract him and hinder his studies.
“There’s no rush on this matter; you should first stabilize your mother,” Feng Yi advised.
He informed his father, Feng Zhen, who was also busy, and just tossed the matter onto Wei Ci.
Wei Ci: “…”
Feng Yi felt quite embarrassed, bringing kids’ trivial matters before adults and taking their precious time, really felt out of place.
Wei Ci said, “It’s tough for honest officials to mediate household affairs; it’s better for them to resolve it as a family.”
Feng Yi’s brows knitted.
If mere honesty could resolve the issue, Han Run wouldn’t be caught in the middle of his parents’ conflicts.
Feng Yi returned empty-handed, but Wei Ci took this matter to heart.
“Better to dismantle ten temples than to destroy one family—however, Mrs. Han is ultimately a potential troublemaker, and we ought to think of a way to separate her from Wen Bin and his son,” Wei Ci frowned. He previously reminded Han Yu, intending for him to handle household matters himself, but Han Yu wasn’t reincarnated like him. Even if he warned Han Yu to watch out for his wife and her family, until his wife made an unforgivable mistake, Han Yu wouldn’t take extreme measures. He’d just be cautious. Han Yu could delay, but his eldest son couldn’t afford that luxury.
Wei Ci spent considerable effort reminiscing, finally recalling Han Yu’s eldest son’s memories.
Jiang Zhao had seen the founding of the nation for more than a decade, with the old and new generations alternating.
Among the younger generation, the most outstanding child was undoubtedly Feng Zhen’s second son, Feng You.
Feng You was close with the heir Jiang Yan, promising an incredibly bright future.
Han Yu had several children, with three direct sons all gifted in their own rights but rather disliked.
Disliked.
That wasn’t just Wei Ci’s opinion; it was Jiang Yan’s own words.
“It’s just a matter of choosing a study companion; I’m not asking them to carry my litter. Can’t they be clear about that? That Han Run is even worse, thinking I’m deaf while he secretly insults me as a bandit! So what if I’m a bandit? I’m the heir now; he isn’t even a minister!”
Jiang Yan was the emperor’s eldest daughter and was regarded as the heir shortly after the Jiang Dynasty was established.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, she would become the next Empress.
Having a study companion carried special significance, generally securing a core position in the next generation’s court.
Han Yu’s eligible sons participated in the study companion selection, but none caught Jiang Yan’s eye.
In particular, she had looked down on Han Yu’s eldest son Han Run for quite some time.
Later, with Mrs. Han’s family involved in rebellion, Mrs. Han and her eldest son Han Run also got caught up and faced execution.
Due to Jiang Yan’s influence, Wei Ci didn’t hold Han Run in high regard.
However, reflecting on the well-behaved Han Run he saw at Feng Zhen’s wedding, though young, he was obedient and polite, showing no signs of faults—it was puzzling how he ended up like he did later. Most likely, it was the long-term influence of his mother that ruined a good seedling.
Han Yu’s negligence in educating his child led to Han Run’s eventual downfall.
“What’s so difficult about this? Just let someone kill him directly, and that’s it.”
Jiang Pengji held a pen between her teeth, raising one hand to put aside the processed bamboo slips while taking a new one with the other.
Wei Ci: “…This won’t do; if Wen Bin finds out, it’ll be troublesome.”
“I was just joking about that—” Jiang Pengji took the pen down, writing instructions while speaking to Wei Ci, “Coming from a prominent family, it’s normal for them to possess a certain pride. Mrs. Han’s backing is merely due to her powerful family—no matter how powerful, isn’t she still living off her gains from her mama? Go investigate her family; I don’t believe any prestigious family has a completely clean background. Once you find something, we can slowly stir the pot. If she’s this concerned about her family and something goes wrong, she probably won’t have time to bother her son.”
Wei Ci: “…”
What a brilliant way to cut off the root!
Wei Ci initially thought letting Han Yu and Mrs. Han divorce would be enough, but didn’t expect their lord to be even more ruthless.
Jiang Pengji continued, “Divorce is actually a good option, but it’s too troublesome. If I’m not careful, it could alert Wen Bin. If this woman causes a rift in your friendship with Wen Bin, it wouldn’t be worth the trouble. Plus, Wen Bin is busy with business outside; someone must manage the household. This Mrs. Han may have a bad temper, but she’s quite good at managing the inner quarters, so keeping her around is not all bad—”
Jiang Pengji knew Mrs. Han disliked her, but what did that matter?
Had Mrs. Han not influenced Han Yu and his son, Jiang Pengji would have hardly cared about her at all.
