Chapter 1547 – Cutting Nie Liang, Attacking Yang Tao, Sword Pointing to the World (Eighty-Five)
“You’ve had your own opinions since childhood; as your elder brother, I can’t force you. However, matters of lineage must be taken seriously.”
Wei Ci understood his brother’s intentions.
In both previous and current lives, his brother had encouraged him to adopt a nephew.
Wei Ying treated Wei Ci very well, having set him up for matchmaking on countless occasions in the past life, and in the end, he even wanted him to adopt one to avoid being left helpless in old age.
“Many years ago, I brought it up once, and you refused. Now that you’re at an age of maturity, you can’t keep being delayed by a married woman.”
With no one to look after his younger son, and Wei Ci being fond of married women, he was unwilling to marry and have children. Adopting a nephew would solve everything neatly.
Wei Ci: “…”
His brother’s imagination was still as wild as ever.
“I will help draft the divorce letter for your sister-in-law. If she wishes to remarry, the nephew can be brought under her care. If she doesn’t want to remarry, I’ll ensure they are taken care of.” Wei Ci said sincerely, “As for the adoption… I’m afraid it’s not very appropriate.”
With Wei Ci’s clear rejection, Wei Ying didn’t press the issue any further.
They tacitly dropped the previous topic and began discussing future circumstances.
Jiang Pengji won, and the Nie Clan suffered a serious defeat and injuries. If nothing unexpected happened, the world would soon belong to her.
Wei Ying had privately studied Jiang Pengji and could somewhat predict her future governing style and personnel decisions.
As an elder brother, Wei Ying naturally supported his younger brother’s choice, as Wei Ci had selected well, and there was no escaping future nobility.
However, this didn’t mean Wei Ci’s path ahead would be smooth sailing. There were plenty of hidden dangers.
Taking advantage of the last night, Wei Ying gave his brother a crucial lesson to avoid landmines.
The crux of their conversation was the conflict between the gentry and commoners. It was clear that Jiang Pengji intended to support humble roots but didn’t plan to completely abandon the gentry. The two sides stood on different grounds, with tangled interests that would inevitably pose a hidden threat in the future. If Wei Ci wanted to be safe, it was best not to get involved.
At this point, Wei Ying suddenly recalled something.
“The Wei family from Bianzhou, you should avoid contact with Zixiao as much as possible; it would be better to cut ties.”
Wei Ci was surprised, seemingly not expecting such words from his brother, “Why? Are you worried…”
Wei Ying replied, “Worried you might get sold out and still pay them.”
Wei Ci paused, almost dropping his teacup, suppressing his anxiety. “Why do you say that?”
The Wei family, where Wei Ci and his brother belonged, was a branch of the Bianzhou Wei clan; they had to return to Zhong Zhao due to the family’s decline.
If he recalled correctly, his brother had a good relationship with the main branch in the previous life. Why was he now warning him to be cautious?
Wei Ying said, “The gentry in Bianzhou, with the Nie and Wei families as the strongest, are bound to have conflicts due to their large enterprises. While the infighting within the Wei family isn’t as reckless as that of the Nie family, they will also go to great lengths. Who doesn’t have ambition? The Wei family’s ambitions extend beyond simply reigning supreme in Bianzhou. They won’t allow humble roots to rise unchecked above them. You’ve come this far; I’m worried you might be used.”
In the future, when Jiang Pengji truly unified the five kingdoms, the conflict between gentry and commoners would inevitably be brought to the forefront.
Wei Ci, as a member of the gentry, with the Wei family behind him, would either have to find a way to protect himself or eventually attract a heap of trouble.
The best method would be to sever ties with the Wei family, becoming a loyal minister only to the one in power, and not involving himself in internal strife, to stand tall and unshakable.
The more Wei Ci listened, the more his hands shook. He had indeed been rather close to the Wei family in his previous life.
He had worked hard to promote and nurture talent from the Wei family to serve the court, aiming to both repay the empire and save the declining Wei family. However… to others, this would seem like forming a faction for personal gain, right? Some in court, like Qi Guanrang and Feng Zhen, were well aware of Wei Ci’s identity; his actions were indeed stepping on landmines, no wonder he might be schemed against.
Aside from that—
Wei Ci’s gaze dropped, and a chilling suspicion arose in his mind.
Who exactly was the instigator using Wei Cong back in the day?
Wei Ci thought it was the gentry and powerful nobles led by the Nie family, but now he suspected he might have been wrong.
The only family capable of reaching out so far without attracting Wei Ci’s notice, subtly influencing Wei Cong, seemed to be the Wei family!
If Wei Cong were to rise, wouldn’t the Wei family benefit the most?
Wei Cong had been nurtured by Wei Ci since childhood as a talented scholar, and had not developed any political struggle skills. If he were to rise on the coattails of the crown prince, Jiang Yan—could he hold the throne well? With so many old ministers who fought alongside the Emperor still active in court, could he manage them?
To secure the throne and balance the political landscape, in the end, Wei Cong would still need to rely on the Wei family, transforming into a puppet emperor.
If the ambition ran deeper, they might even kill Wei Cong to take his place or swap his future offspring—
Quietly, the world could change hands without anyone noticing.
But these were merely Wei Ci’s speculations, and the truth remained unprovable.
“I will remember your words, brother.”
Wei Ci’s frown eased slightly, clearly having taken Wei Ying’s warnings to heart.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the fish belly in the sky began to glow, and the morning sun rose slowly over the horizon.
Wei Ying exhaled a breath of turbid air; he hadn’t closed his eyes for rest in ages, and his eyes were dry and bloodshot.
“Please lead the way.”
A soldier came to say Jiang Pengji summoned him. Wei Ying brushed off the dust from his sleeve and said in a hushed voice, “I’m sorry to trouble you.”
If anyone had the most complex emotions, it had to be Wei Ci.
Clever as he was, he clearly understood his brother’s choice. He couldn’t bear to watch his elder brother tread down a path toward death, yet he couldn’t hide away, leaving even the final journey unaccompanied. After a struggle, he appeared pale in the command tent, looking dazed and disoriented.
Wei Ying faced Jiang Pengji without kneeling or bowing, standing two zhang away, staring straight into her eyes.
Jiang Pengji didn’t hold it against him and got straight to the point, “Have you made up your mind?”
Wei Ying replied, “Yes.”
Jiang Pengji asked again, “Do you refuse to yield? Do you understand my temperament? What happens to those who refuse to yield?”
“I certainly understand; those who comply thrive, while those who resist perish—a basic truth.”
Wei Ying chuckled, calm and composed. He was not someone afraid of death, so he certainly didn’t fear Jiang Pengji’s threats.
Jiang Pengji wanted to try one more time, to offer him a promise.
“If you submit, I will not make things difficult for you.”
This wasn’t said for Wei Ying himself but rather his identity—after all, he was Zixiao’s elder brother.
“There’s no need for more words.”
With the conversation having reached this point, Jiang Pengji wouldn’t obstruct Wei Ying any further.
Unexpectedly, Wei Ying said, “I have one wish; I wonder if Lord Lan Ting would grant it?”
Jiang Pengji was just thinking of giving Wei Ying a quick and clean death, leaving him intact, but she didn’t expect him to bring up a wish.
“Speak.”
Wei Ying said, “May I die at your hands?”
As soon as the words fell, the expressions of several people present changed.
The live chat went from one finishing off to rows of exclamation marks.
