Chapter 1594 – Conquer Nan Sheng, Eliminate An Huan (Part 8)
“Luckily, Yang Si isn’t a worm in Yan Lin’s belly; otherwise, knowing his thoughts would probably make him explode on the spot.”
What does Yan Shaoyang mean by this?
What do you mean “riding the waves is quite impressive; I bet I could take down Yang Si”?
Does he think he’s dealing with a person or a dog, using such phrases?
It’s precisely because they don’t know that the two can still “peacefully” coexist without causing a fatal accident.
Feng Zhen, this guy, has become addicted to the excitement, insisting on joining in. He’s just delighted to see Yang Si get the short end of the stick.
“Yan Shaoyang is someone on the Lord’s list; if you’re planning on retaliating, take it easy.”
Feng Zhen is worried that Yang Si might go too far and cause a scandal; if he doesn’t just mess up Yan Lin but ends up hurting himself instead.
Yang Si shot him a glare, his tone dripping with sarcasm, “When did Feng the Flamboyant become so sensible? I can’t believe those words came out of your mouth.”
Telling someone to be careful?
Feng Zhen has the gall to say that?
Talk about shameless!
Without needing Feng Zhen’s warning, Yang Si knows the boundaries. Their lord can’t stand betrayal and infighting. If there are some minor squabbles within the ranks, she can turn a blind eye and even find it entertaining, but if it escalates, she won’t allow it. The conflict between Yang Si and Yan Lin hasn’t reached that level yet; at most, it’s been a few petty tricks and sarcastic remarks.
Speaking of conflicts, the friction between Yang Si and Han Yu runs much deeper, yet they’re managing to coexist peacefully.
Feng Zhen smacked his palm with a closed fan and rolled his eyes dramatically.
“What an ungrateful fellow, Yang Jingrong. This heartfelt advice of mine is for whom? It’s for you, isn’t it? If your little spat reaches the Lord’s ears, who do you think ends up losing? If you say nothing, the Lord might actually lean towards you. That’s called retreating to advance.”
Yang Si scoffed, “Your good intentions are dubious; you just want to see the show. Who doesn’t know the infamous Feng the Flamboyant?”
The little nobilities bickering daily, managing to keep it together for so many years, truly shows Jiang Pengji’s skill in managing her people.
Hustling and bustling, Jiang Pengji arrived at her destination three days ahead of schedule, welcoming back everyone personally.
Counting the days, it had been almost a year since they last met, and jealousy brewed as they noticed their leader didn’t seem to have changed much at all.
Dismounting, Jiang Pengji helped Fu Wang and the others up one by one and noticed their skin had tanned several shades darker; she almost didn’t recognize them.
She jokingly teased, “Have you all been working in a coal mine together?”
Wei Ci, who was following closely behind, turned pale at the remark, suddenly feeling a tickle in his throat, wishing to cough a couple of times to snap their leader back to reality.
Thankfully, Jiang Pengji didn’t leave it at that, adding after her jest.
“Battling hard, my dear generals, you’ve all worked hard.”
For the literary types like Feng Zhen and Yang Si, a bit of tanning was no big deal; they simply looked a tad thinner. But for Fu Wang and the other military leaders, the difference was dramatic.
They truly looked as if they had lived on soy sauce as their main dish; saying they crawled out of a coal mine wasn’t entirely off the mark.
Wei Ci’s worries were unfounded; Fu Wang and the others understood their leader well enough—it was just harmless banter.
Fu Wang, with righteous indignation, declared, “Serving our lord by expanding territory is my duty; there’s no talk of hardship here.”
“This isn’t an official occasion; no need to be so formal or it’ll just make it awkward.” Jiang Pengji was no vain person. She didn’t need her subordinates to pledge loyalty to her constantly. Loyalty is more about actions than words, and casually, she spoke to Fu Wang, “This isn’t the place to chat. Let’s settle the troops first, we can discuss business later.”
This time, Jiang Pengji brought with her fifty thousand troops from Zhanjiang Pass; the remaining forces were enough to deal with the upheaval in Zhong Zhao.
There was no need for Jiang Pengji to personally handle the settling of her soldiers; Feng Zhen and the others would take care of that. Under Fu Wang’s guidance, she headed to the main city residence. Once seated, she asked about Yang Tao’s rebellion, while Fu Wang hesitated for a while, shifting his gaze to Yang Si.
Yang Si mentally cursed Yan Lin for the hundredth time and stepped forward to apologize to Jiang Pengji, taking full responsibility for the oversight in vigilance.
Jiang Pengji said, “No need to rush to admit guilt; start by telling me what happened. First, I heard rumors of rebellion, then it turned out to be a misunderstanding?”
She knew the truth but had to ask anyway to maintain order and prevent bad habits from forming.
Though Jiang Pengji understood the underlying dynamics, if her subordinates tried to hide the truth from her, that was a separate issue.
Yang Si bitterly spoke, picking out the important points while concealing Yan Lin’s scheming.
Firstly, with no witnesses or physical evidence, it would be hard to accuse anyone.
Secondly, Yang Si didn’t want to escalate the conflict to Jiang Pengji; that would be embarrassing.
Private grudges are private; public matters should not be confused with personal revenge.
Jiang Pengji calmly stated, “In that case, I’ll fine you a month’s salary—just a light punishment. What do you think, Jingrong?”
Yang Si’s ears perked up.
He had known he would have to take this blame, but he didn’t expect his lord to show kindness and go easy on him.
“I have no objections; I willingly accept the punishment.” Yang Si’s mood brightened instantly as he solemnly declared, “I shall remember this lesson and never err again.”
What’s a month’s salary as punishment?
At most, it’s just a formality for show; it doesn’t really mean anything substantial.
This shows that their lord is sharp-eyed; she knows the ins and outs of this matter, yet she can’t expose it outright.
For Yang Si, the punishment isn’t important; what matters most is how their lord sees him.
As long as their lord knows he’s innocent, everything else can be overlooked.
Furthermore, the salaries of everyone weren’t like the usual monthly pay.
The monthly salary is fixed, but in July and January, there are generous bonuses and rewards.
Their lord said this was a reward for a half-year’s progress, encouraging everyone’s eagerness for achievement.
This is the bulk of their annual income, rendering the monthly salary almost insignificant.
According to Jiang Pengji’s nature, if she let him feel wronged at this moment, she’d surely come up with an excuse to compensate him heavily afterward, making Yang Si a bit of a winner.
After days of gloom, relief finally came, and he felt revitalized.
After taking a short break to understand the situation, Jiang Pengji went to freshen up and changed into more formal attire to meet Yang Tao.
Although Yang Tao had surrendered, he was still a feudal lord in name, and Jiang Pengji should accord him the respect he deserved.
“What does the lord plan to do with Yang Tao?”
Wei Ci noticed she still had some moisture on her, and her long hair was slightly damp, fetching a dry cloth to help her dry off.
“How to handle him? Just go with the flow,” Jiang Pengji replied, “You know my situation now; there are just too few capable commanders who can stand alone. Since Yang Tao is close to Yan Lin, if I don’t use Yang Tao, Yan Lin won’t genuinely pledge loyalty either; it’s better to just take them both.”
Yang Tao has plenty of capable old ministers under him, and Jiang Pengji is in dire need of such people.
Once Yang Tao is settled, bringing in these talents won’t be too difficult.
If she can tolerate Yang Tao, how could she not tolerate his old ministers?
“By the way, what’s the origin of the soldiers from Nan Sheng who ambushed the city?”
