Chapter 2: The First Snow (Grade 8)

  Yang Guozhong still decided to visit the residence of Princess Guo tonight after kicking out Zhu Zhanggui. However, he took some of Zhu's advice and deliberately sent two clever young servants ahead of time to inform Princess Guo's mansion in Qujiangfang, so as not to encounter any special situations that would make the brother and sister feel awkward with each other.

  Half an hour later, the young servant hastily returned from the mansion of Madame Guo. Reporting to Yang Guangzhong, Madame Guo said that her residence would be entertaining a noble guest tonight and asked for his understanding. If there was anything urgent, please come again tomorrow after the court session at noon.

  Yang Guozhong immediately felt extremely displeased upon hearing this, furrowed his brow and asked in a deep voice: "What kind of guest is it? Whose horse carriage did you see?"

  "No, I had just arrived at the door when I was stopped by Xiang Yin, the personal maid of my wife." The young servant Mo shook his head and replied with a hint of grievance.

  "Good for nothing!" Yang Guozhong didn't even need to think about it, he knew that Shi Mo had fallen into the trap set by his sister's personal maid Xiang Yin, and glared at him with a scolding tone.

  The servant lowered his head, his eyes only daring to look at the tip of his own shoes. Another young servant, Qing Xiao, was slightly more clever and saw Yang Guozhong's face sink like water, hurriedly stepped forward half a step, smiling and said: "Reporting to Master. I secretly took a few glances inside the door. From the main gate to the main hall, lanterns are lit everywhere, it seems that they are receiving a big shot. I could smell a scent of honey wax from afar."

  "Uh-huh!" Yang Guozhong muttered to himself, his brow furrowed even tighter. Beeswax candles were a rare and precious item imported from overseas, made by mixing beeswax with whale oil, emitting a bright light and a faint scent of honey when lit, extremely popular in the capital. However, its price was also top-notch, matching its popularity. Most wealthy families would only light a few branches in the main hall when entertaining guests, and it was rare to find someone like his sister who lit them from the lanterns at the entrance all the way to the inner chambers. The more she did this, the more it showed off her guest's noble status. Thinking of the rumors circulating among the common folk about his sisters sharing a bed, he suddenly felt a pang in his heart, grabbed the teacup on the table and smashed it heavily.

  "The little one has made a mistake, please spare my life!" The two small servants were frightened and quickly knelt down with their shoulders together. They didn't have the old qualifications of Zhu Qiye, who could still escape with his life when Yang Guozhong was furious. If they didn't think of a way to appease the master soon, they would be dragged out by the rushing warriors and beaten to death, and not even a ripple would be made in the yamen.

  After a while, Yang Guozhong did not hear the warriors shouting to enter. Two clever little servants stole a glance and saw Yang Guozhong sitting on a couch, gently rubbing his temples with both hands, his face black and purple.

  "Master!" The little servant followed Meng's lead for a few steps, then pressed his face against Yang Guozhong's thigh and cooed softly.

  "Never mind, it's not your fault!" Feeling the warmth and fear spreading up his legs, Yang Guozhong waved his hand and ordered the two attendants to withdraw. "Inform Old Zhao to have the carriage unloaded. The accompanying warriors can also return to rest. As for going to Princess Gao's residence, let's talk about it tomorrow afternoon!"

  "Yes, sir!" The two little servants looked at each other, got up, and backed away as they left. Squinting his eyes, Yang Guozhong gazed at the back of Servant Mo, which resembled that of a certain person, and another surge of inexplicable hatred welled up in his heart. "Tonight I will be working late in my study to review official documents. You two, come together then to attend to my writing needs!"

  "Yes, sir!" The two young men's shoulders jerked violently for a moment before responding with a hint of laziness.

  "Get out! And have someone come to clean up the pieces. A bunch of trash." Yang Guozhong said with a stern face, his voice coming from between his teeth.

  His younger sister Yang Yuyao's stunning reputation, he had long heard from people concerned. But never like now, so concerned. To be honest, if it weren't for this sister who has been spinning around the officials in the capital all day, and has many powerful figures under her skirt, his position in the court would not be as stable as it is now. To reach a state of stability, just being a noble consort and having the favor of the three thousand concubines in the harem was far from enough for his younger sister Yuhuan. The emperor also needed to consider the feelings of the ministers in the court, while having the endless stream of secret messages from Madame Guo, he had taken the initiative several times in the power struggle.

  What's even more rare is that this elder sister of mine is particularly skilled at utilizing men's protective instincts. All those who have had dealings with her are extremely loyal to the Yang family. Except for this time when she single-handedly took on Li Linfu, in other instances of power struggles, including the last time when they drove out the Prefect of Jingzhao, Xie Shi, even when Li Linfu's attitude was unclear, there were still many powerful ministers who, bearing in mind the favors owed to Madame Guo, secretly lent a helping hand to Yang Guozhong.

  It's all your fault, sister Yuyao. You shouldn't have provoked the one in the palace. By common sense and generation, he is the husband of another sister, Yuhuan. As a brother-in-law, sneaking out of the palace at midnight and getting into his sister-in-law's bed is still not acceptable to public opinion, let alone happening in the Li family, making it difficult for the imperial relatives to think about it. What if there was an understanding between the sisters beforehand? But instead, it caused a rift between them. What if another woman in the harem takes advantage of the situation and steals Yuhuan's favor? How will you explain this mess to Yuyao?

  Of course, Yang Guozhong was well aware that the responsibility did not lie entirely with his sister Yu Yao. The brother-in-law Li Longji, who lived in the imperial palace and was nearly forty years older than his sister, was indeed not very good in terms of personal virtue. In those days when his sister Yu Huan was still his daughter-in-law, she had been forced to become a Taoist nun by this uncle, and then logically entered the imperial palace. Now he issued an oral edict ordering Madame Guo to serve him in bed, did his sister Yu Yao have the nerve to refuse?

  Because he was powerless to change the reality that had already occurred, when the little servants reported that Madame Guo would be entertaining a very noble guest tonight, Yang Guozhong hated it so much that his teeth itched. He could not drive the shameless Emperor from his elder sister's house, nor could he enter the palace as an older brother to do justice for his younger sister who was secretly crying, what he could do now, the only thing he could do, was to find a little servant who looked like the Emperor and vent on him to relieve his hatred. And also couldn't tell anyone about it, lest bring calamity to his own family.

  "Sir, there is a noble guest arriving!" The voice of the gatekeeper's announcement came from outside, interrupting Yang Guozhong's chaotic thoughts.

  "Not here!" Yang Guozhong replied curtly without hesitation. It was already past midnight, and anyone visiting at this hour must be another useless person seeking an official position for themselves. The eyes of the old thief Li Linfu were fixed on him, and no matter how much money he offered, it wasn't worth risking being caught by Li Linfu to secretly sell the few fat positions in his hands to him.

  "Yes, it's Ji Wen, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Ji!" The gatekeeper hesitated for a moment outside before announcing the visitor's identity in a low voice.

  "Hmm!" Yang Guozhong furrowed his brow in contemplation. Ji Wen, what is he doing here at this hour? Isn't he afraid of being retaliated against by Li Linfu? But thinking again about Ji Wen's character, Yang Guozhong immediately put on a smiling face, "Please, quickly invite him in. Palanquin, I will personally go out to welcome him!"

  The gatekeeper pinched the red envelope in his pocket and went to find Ji Wen with joy. A moment later, Yang Guozhong personally welcomed Ji Wen into the main hall at the second gate. As soon as they finished exchanging pleasantries, Ji Wen bowed deeply to Yang Guozhong, "Greetings, Lord Yang, I observed the celestial phenomena tonight and found that your star has a great auspicious sign. So I came to report the good news!"

  "Is that so? Lord Ji truly lives up to your surname!" Yang Guozhong hastily turned sideways and returned the greeting with equal courtesy. Then, smiling, he grasped Ji Wen's sleeve and walked together towards the window.

  The clever little servant immediately pushed open the window, and a cold gust of night wind blew in, icy and piercing to the bone. The weather had changed, and outside the sky was filled with dark clouds at some point, not to mention stars, even the shadow of the moon could not be seen.

  The lie was pierced by the fact, but on Kishi's ugly face, not a hint of shame could be seen. He shook his head and smiled, "Just now it was sunny with unlimited sky, suddenly dark clouds emerged, and they can immediately cover the stars. However, many people saw that auspicious sign, I estimate that tomorrow they will all come to congratulate you!"

  Long ago guessed that Ji Wen this guy has another purpose, Yang Guozhong smiled and pretended not to see any dark clouds. "Is it? If a lucky omen really appears, Yang will certainly not forget your words today, brother!"

  He ordered the servant to close the doors and windows, and the two of them returned to the table, sitting opposite each other drinking tea. After taking a few sips to moisten his throat, Ji Wen saw that Yang Guozhong was unwilling to ask questions on his own initiative, so he lowered his voice and smiled as he said: "Tonight when I went out for dinner, I saw some old subordinates of Gao Xianzhi's army, the deputy envoy of the Anxi Four Towns' military camp, Fan Yangjun, who was blocked at the crossroads. The general Li Guiren under the command of Fan Yangjun led a group of soldiers, swaggering and riding horses to rush past, completely disregarding the ceremonial instruments bestowed upon Fan Changqing by the imperial court."

  "What's going on?" Yang Guozhong's heart skipped a beat, his two eyebrows tightly furrowed together.

  Seeing Yang Guozhong had been moved by his own words, Ji Wen's heart was filled with joy, and he asked with a smile: "Does Sir Yang know that Prime Minister Li has monopolized power for fifteen years, even if he were to confront the Crown Prince, what is it that allows him to gain the upper hand?"

  "It's nothing but clever words and flattering expressions, trying to win Your Majesty's favor. With honey on their lips and a sword in their belly, they strike down colleagues without mercy!" At this moment, the conflict between Li Linfu and Yang Guozhong was already well-known to all, so Yang Guozhong did not hide his contempt, coldly laughing several times before responding with hatred.

  "No, no! Yang Gong's words seem reasonable at first glance, but are actually greatly mistaken! The key to Prime Minister Li being able to monopolize power for over a decade lies not in his ability to curry favor with Your Majesty, but rather in his skill at seizing opportunities!" Ji Wen shook his head and laughed in denial.

  This attitude makes people feel extremely arrogant, but Yang Guozhong is now in urgent need of someone to help him plan and strategize, and he does not take Ji Wen's arrogance as a provocation. He stood up, adjusted his clothes, and bowed deeply, "Yang Mou is foolish, please don't hesitate to point out, Sir Ji!"

  "Is that all, Ji Shi Lang?" Ji Wen stood up, unceremoniously accepting Yang Guozhong's full bow, then looked up and asked with his hands behind his back.

  Although he had heard rumors before, Ji Weng's shamelessness still made Yang Guozhong, a former gangster, secretly admire him. He smiled and replied in a low voice: "If this matter is successful, which position does Lord Ji want? I will definitely try my best to make it happen as you wish. Why bother saying the words now? As long as Li Linfu doesn't fall, even if I have the heart to help you, I won't be able to get past him!"

  "So, Ji's strategy in his heart was only sold to people who know the goods!" As soon as Li Linfu was mentioned, Ji Wen hated him so much that his teeth itched. He had been making plans for Li Linfu for more than a decade and had made many remarkable achievements. However, Li Linfu refused to give him any position higher than Shilang because of his "strange" appearance. Moreover, he told people everywhere that Ji Shilang was good at plotting but poor at doing practical things, and being a Shilang was already like putting a duck on a perch. If he were given a bigger position, he would certainly cause trouble everywhere.

  Ji Wen was dissatisfied, but could only hold his breath and swallow his voice. Having endured for so many years, today he finally saw someone dare to stand up against Li Linfu, how could he not help out a bit on the side? So without waiting for Yang Guozhong to make more promises, he cleared his throat and said in a low voice: "The old thief's position in the court is as stable as Mount Tai, at first it was indeed due to Your Majesty's favor. But after the first year of Tianbao, his power was so great that even Your Majesty was afraid to offend him. Yang Gong, please think carefully, among the four major border towns of the Great Tang, how many were promoted by Prime Minister Li? Among them, how many are only looking up to Prime Minister Li?"

  Yang Guozhong's face turned pale in an instant. As the saying goes, one word can wake up a sleeping person. For so many years, he had been fighting with Li Linfu, thinking that his opponent was cunning and had countless claws on the court. But it never occurred to him that his foundation had long been rooted in the border towns. Now, among the four major border towns of Tang Dynasty in the north - Fanyang, Shuofang, Anxi, and Longyou, except for Shuofang which was controlled by Crown Prince Li Hen's direct lineage, the governors of the other three towns, An Lushan, Gao Xianzhi, and Ge Shuhan, were all promoted by Li Linfu.

  Even if all the border town governors are loyal to the Tang Dynasty, if the Emperor wants to replace the Prime Minister, he must consider the huge impact that Li Linfu's downfall will bring to the border towns. Those places have few Tang people, and the court relies entirely on the military to deter the Hu people. Any turmoil in the military may cause the Hu people outside the Great Wall to harbor evil intentions and rise up to challenge the authority of the Tang Dynasty.

  Thinking of this, Yang Guozhong couldn't help but feel a chill in his limbs. He also had the nominal title of Sword South Military Commissioner, but as for actual military power, apart from the more than 500 households of retainers within his mansion, he didn't have any control over anything else. Among the three major border towns controlled by Li Linfu, even if just one general stretched out a hand, they could uproot the Yang family.

  Seeing Yang Guozhong's forehead covered in cold sweat, Ji Wen knew that his goal had been achieved and burst out laughing several times. Shaking his head, he said: "Yang Gong can rest assured. The three major border towns will certainly not dare to cause chaos in the capital. Even if they received Li Xiang's private orders, they won't be able to deploy many troops. Moreover, with Gao Xianzhi being idle and Ge Shuhan bedridden, the actual person that Li Xiang has control over is only An Lushan! And An Lushan's men are used to being arrogant in the capital, today publicly humiliating Feng Changqing is equivalent to digging a hole for Li Xiang's own feet!"

  "What's this all about?" Yang Guozhong was delighted and asked with a smile.

  "Li Xiang had a deep understanding of Gao Xianzhi, but that Fang Changqing was actually promoted by Gao Xianzhi himself. The relationship with Li Xiang was originally different from the start. Moreover, Fang Changqing came from a humble background and his family did not have any other high-ranking officials, so he didn't know how to form cliques or build momentum. In his heart, his loyalty to the Emperor must be higher than his loyalty to Li Xiang by more than just a little bit. This year, following Gao Xianzhi's orders, he entered the capital to present captives and was summoned multiple times by the Emperor, with great fanfare. Suddenly, he suffered humiliation at the hands of An Lushan, how could this bitter resentment be easily swallowed? If Li Xiang could have forcefully suppressed An Lushan's people after the incident and ordered them to go apologize to Fang Changqing, things might have been resolved peacefully. But now, Li Xiang is using An Lushan's power to suppress you, so why would he easily give in to An Lushan? From tonight on, I'm afraid Fang Changqing will no longer have even a bit of gratitude towards Li Xiang!"

  "It makes sense, it makes sense. Listening to your analysis, I feel enlightened. According to what Yang said, Brother Ji is indeed the lucky star for Yang." Yang Guozhong applauded vigorously and loudly praised Ji Wen's analysis. He usually thought he was good at plotting, but most of his plots were despicable and not worthy of being seen in public. Like Ji Wen, who picked out one by one the complex and intertwined relationships among Li Linfu's followers, and even found weaknesses from them, was a height that he could never reach."

  Having gained Yang Guozhong's praise, Ji Wenxing's enthusiasm reached a new high. With his triangular eyes narrowed into slits, he looked like a venomous snake staring at its prey. "The other day, Your Majesty wanted to borrow Feng Changqing to train the Flying Dragon Imperial Guard, but was stopped by Prime Minister Li on the grounds that it 'didn't conform to regulations', which has already caused Feng Changqing to lose heart. If today we can't make a fair judgment and uphold justice for General Feng, I'm afraid it will only make things worse. Now that Your Majesty dislikes Gao Xianzhi's murderous and deceitful ways and wants to promote Feng Changqing to replace him, if Yang Gong can just go along with the current...".

  He dragged out his voice and stared at Yang Guozhong, who immediately understood the implication, nodded, and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty's intention is that our goal as ministers is to strive for it. At tomorrow's court meeting, I will naturally coordinate with several officials to express strong support for General Feng. But after all, it's just a distant water, and it won't work out for the time being. Now Li Xiang and Wang Gong are in cahoots..."

  "Yang Gong, don't forget that back then, Prime Minister Li was able to break off the left and right arms of the Crown Prince's mansion!" Ji Wen reminded him with a smile, speaking in a low voice.

  Yang Guozhong was taken aback and somewhat dared not to accept. "At that time, Yang Mou did not take the initiative to be an enemy of the crown prince, but he also made a lot of efforts."

  Yang Gong thought that the Crown Prince was now busy calculating his past grievances with Yang Gong, or did he rather hope to move Li Xiang away? Ji Wen looked at Yang Guozhong with some resentment and asked back.

  "Of course, we'll take down Prime Minister Li first!" The conclusion slipped out of Yang Guozhong's mouth. Only after he finished speaking did he realize where he had gone wrong, and he bowed deeply to Ji Wen, "Thank you, Brother Ji, for teaching me. But when the time comes, I, Yang, will not forget today's promise!"

  "Ji also just wanted to eliminate the traitors for the country!" Ji Wen turned his back, and suddenly he was full of pride again. "Ji is greedy for power, only to fulfill his ambitions, not for personal gain. Prime Minister Li monopolizes state affairs, appoints people based on personal relationships, blocks talented people from advancing, and Ji naturally cannot tolerate him. A great man has things he must do and things he must not do. After the matter is settled, Ji will naturally..."

  "Yang will definitely remember the words of the adults today!" Yang Guozhong was so disgusted that he almost vomited, but had to accompany a smiling face, and highly praised Ji Wen's noble character. After the praise, he ordered someone to bring a plate of gold, directly put it in a bag, and sent it to Ji Wen's carriage.

  After sending away this unwelcome guest, Yang Guozhong's troubles in his heart were all gone. He finally saw the hope of winning, although this hope was extremely small. But as long as he was willing to make an effort, who said that a small hope couldn't become a bright light?

  He lifted his head and let out a gentle breath into the gloomy sky. Just then, he saw a few snowflakes slowly falling from the air.

  Chang'an City, this year's first snow came really early.