Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5060 Chai Zhewei: Let my sister-in-law help me!

Inside Dunhuafang, there is Duting Posthouse.

"What did you just say, brother?"

Inside the building, Chai Lingwu's eyes widened with shock.

Chai Zhewei, who had returned to Chang'an from the vast sea, sat opposite him. His fair and slightly plump appearance was long gone. His face was now dark, his cheeks were sunken, his body was tall and thin, and his bones were jagged. His clothes were tattered, and he looked haggard, like a beggar...

Chai Zhewei held his brother's hand, tears streaming down his face, and choked up as he said, "Brother, I know you are in trouble, but look at your condition. If you go to the vast sea again, you will not survive! You haven't seen your sister-in-law and nephews yet, they are even more miserable than me! You and I are from the same mother, we are related by blood, and even the title was given to you. You can't just stand by and watch me die, right?"

Chai Lingwu was helpless: "It's not that I don't want to save my brother, I just can't do anything!"

The title was not given to me by you. You lost it yourself, and I got it back with the help of my wife. What does it have to do with you?

If I hadn't gotten the title back, you would be the eternal sinner of the Chai family. Do you still have the nerve to cry here?
"Second brother, you don't know something!"

Chai Zhewei held his brother with one hand and wiped his tears with the other hand. He was really crying and snotting: "The vast sea is really a bitter and cold place. There are only three or two months of summer in a year, and the rest of the year is winter. The north wind howls all day long and the snow is everywhere. The houses are leaky and can't be lived in at all. We can only live in the cellar. If we are not careful, we will be crushed by the snow and frozen to death. There are no vegetables at all, and there is no salt for meat. There is even less cloth. We can only wear animal skins, like savages who eat raw meat and drink blood... And the North Sea, there are many fish in the water, but most of the time it is frozen three feet thick, and we can't dig through it, and we can only sigh at the sight of fish! I don't know what those people in the court think. What's the use of such a desolate and barbaric place? We have to station troops to defend the border, and no one would rob it!"

Chai Lingwu was very impatient and patiently explained, "This time when my brother came back to Beijing to recuperate, I gave Li Xiaoyi no less than tens of thousands of taels of money and property, and only then did I ask him to forgive me. Even so, I was scolded by Dao Zong Zhengqing and took a lot of responsibility. Moreover, my brother committed the great crime of treason. Let alone whether Li Xiaoyi dares to let you live in Chang'an permanently, even if he dares, the decision-making power of this matter lies with Your Majesty. Without Your Majesty's order, who dares to make a move on this matter? This is absolutely impossible. You should stay in Chang'an for a while, take good care of yourself, and then set off to return to the vast sea before autumn."

Although he felt sorry for his brother's family who were suffering in the far north, the title of Duke Qiao now belonged to him. He was the head of the Chai family, and the entire Duke Qiao's Mansion respected him. Once his brother returned to Beijing, it would be like having one more constraint.

Even though his brother's crime did not affect his status, he was still his brother after all, and many things were quite inconvenient...

Chai Zhewei said, "What's the point of looking for Li Xiaoyi? He was lucky not to be implicated by Li Shenfu. Now he must be trembling with fear and treading on thin ice. He dare not even speak loudly in front of the clan members. What can he accomplish?"

Chai Lingwu sighed and said, "Brother, do you think that our family is still the same as before? You have committed such a serious crime, and His Majesty has been very generous in not killing us out of consideration for our mother's old relationship. But who else can look up to us? You said that Li Xiaoyi is trembling with fear and treading on thin ice, but am I not the same? Li Xiaoyi doesn't have much face, but after all, he is willing to take my money. Others would not even pay attention to him!"

Chai Zhewei was very disappointed: "You are so stupid! What's the point of giving money to those evil spirits instead of worshipping the real Buddha?"

"Brother, what do you mean by this? Who is the true Buddha?"

"Of course it's Fang Er!"

Hearing Fang Jun's name, Chai Lingwu's face changed and he said unhappily: "Things are different now. I have severed my friendship with him a long time ago and have no contact with him. What's more, Fang Jun is so famous and powerful now. Even if I ask for help, I'm afraid I can't even get in his door!"

"You are really stupid! Although your friendship with Fang Er has ended, my sister-in-law is still very close to him!"

Chai Lingwu's face suddenly changed, he stood up suddenly, glared at him angrily: "Brother, are you humiliating me?"

Although there has never been any evidence to prove that Princess Baling and Fang Jun had an affair, the fact that Princess Baling had previously sneaked into Fang Jun's barracks at night, her attitude towards her afterwards, and the vivid rumors in the market were enough to show that Princess Baling was unfaithful to her husband.

Although he can tolerate it, it doesn't mean others can mention it in front of him!

Isn't this a slap in the face?!

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you so angry? Calm down, calm down, and listen to me!"

Chai Zhewei quickly grabbed her, pressed her down on the chair, and said earnestly: "Since the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the world has been in chaos and people have suffered. It can be said that etiquette has collapsed and music has been destroyed! Whether it is the royal family or the noble family, who still cares about the things between men and women? Even if there was no Fang Er, can you guarantee that Princess Baling would not find another man? Fortunately, she found Fang Er, you are lucky!"

Chai Lingwu: “…”

Brother, why don't you listen to it yourself, is this even human language?

"I am not humiliating you. You and I are brothers from the same mother and have a deep affection for each other. How can I not empathize with the humiliation in your heart? It's just that some things are like white stains on soap and flaws on jade, which cannot be undone! Now that things have come to this, what's the point of feeling ashamed and feeling sorry for yourself all day? Not only will it not help, it will only make people laugh and even miss a great opportunity!"

Chai Lingwu: “…”

This is really painful to hear, but why does it seem to make some sense?

Hesitate and remain silent.

Seeing that he was interested, Chai Zhewei was delighted and began to persuade him: "Fang Er today is not only very important in front of Your Majesty, but also has influence throughout the court and the country. If you can get a little help, it will be no problem for you to get a position like Langzhong of the Six Ministries or Sima of the Prefecture. Since he feels guilty about you, he will definitely not refuse if you ask!"

Chai Lingwu suppressed his excitement, pondered for a while, and shook his head: "If I ask for help in person, wouldn't I be considered a man who sells his wife for fame? Absolutely not!"

Although he didn't have much face left, he still wanted to keep some and couldn't just swallow his pride.

Chai Zhewei had no choice but to say, "Other matters can be discussed later, but as for your matter, as long as Princess Baling asks Fang Er, it will be done! If I can get pardon from His Majesty and stay in Chang'an forever, I will find a neighborhood and buy a property, move out of the Duke's Mansion and start my own business."

Chai Lingwu's heart was pounding.

Although the title of Duke of Qiao fell on his head and he is now the actual head of the Chai family, he is still his brother after all, the eldest son of the Chai family. Although he was convicted and exiled to the vast sea, his brother's descendants must have a share of the Chai family's business in the future.

But if my brother is willing to move out of the Duke's Mansion and start his own business, it means giving up the inheritance of the family property...

But he hesitated. How could he open his mouth to ask Fang Jun for mercy when Baling had to go?
After hesitating for a while, he said, "Even though Fang Jun is extremely powerful, my brother has committed the crime of treason. Your Majesty will not easily pardon him. We should still find an appropriate time and try to make it absolutely safe."

Although the logic is correct, he is simply hesitant and keeps procrastinating.

Chai Zhewei also knew that he couldn't push his brother too much. His only hope now was Princess Baling. If he pushed his brother too hard and she refused to ask his sister-in-law to come forward, then all would be over.

When Chai Zhewei thought of the desolate and bitter cold of the vast sea, he shuddered all over. This time when he returned to Chang'an, he would rather die than go north again...

*****
Royal study room.

Li Chengqian sat in the middle on a mat by the window, facing the open window, from which he could see the lush green trees and swaying branches in the courtyard under the drizzle. Fang Jun, Li Ji, Liu Li and Li Yuanjia sat on either side, with a large, slightly messy pile of memorials placed on the table in the middle, and two pots of fragrant tea in the air.

Li Chengqian took a sip of tea, pointed to the open memorial on top, and said calmly: "Duke Lu wrote a letter in Guzang City, saying that the reclamation of wasteland and cotton planting have been completed, and requested to lead the army back to the capital to guard the capital. What do you think?"

Several ministers observed Li Chengqian's expression and knew what he meant. Liu Li nodded and said, "The Left Guard is the elite of the Sixteen Guards. All the soldiers are from Guanzhong. If they are stationed in Hexi for a long time, people may miss their hometown and the army may be unstable. Now that the An family has been convicted and the situation in Hexi is stable, it is time to transfer the Left Guard back to Chang'an to stabilize the army's morale."

He was eager for Cheng Yaojin to return to Beijing.

Li Ji was a man who kept to himself and refused to confront Fang Jun, which resulted in Fang Jun not only being the most powerful person in the army but also having increasing influence among the civil officials, making him, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, very passive.

If there was a check and balance like Cheng Yaojin, the "devil of the world", the situation could be somewhat more stable.

Nowadays, there are not many people in the government and the country who can and are willing to compete with Fang Jun...

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian looked at Li Ji and asked, "What do you mean, Lord Ying?"

As long as Li Ji also agrees and two highly prestigious people from both the civil and military sides give their support, Cheng Yaojin's return to Beijing will be a foregone conclusion.

Logically speaking, Li Ji should be happy to see Cheng Yaojin return to Beijing.

Unexpectedly, Li Ji hesitated for a moment and said slowly: "Your Majesty, although the An family has been convicted and the Right Guard has been taken over by Niu Jinda and will be reorganized soon, the Hexi area is not stable."

As he said this, he looked at Fang Jun.

Fang Jun took out a secret letter and handed it to Li Chengqian with both hands: "Anxi Grand Protector Pei Xingjian has an urgent report that the Arab army is acting unusually and may invade the Western Regions again. They also seem to be secretly communicating with Lu Dongzan. The situation in Hexi has changed."

Li Chengqian was shocked. He had also read military books and strategies, and knew that if Lu Dongzan colluded with the Arab Empire, not only would the entire Western Region suffer from war, but Hexi would also be under enemy threat. If the situation in Hexi deteriorated, even Guanzhong would have to face the enemy's front line...

It is no wonder that Fang Jun has been making every effort to promote the extremely important strategic position of the Western Regions, and is willing to spend money and station tens of thousands of elite troops to keep a firm control over the Western Regions.

However, after reading Pei Xingjian's secret letter, Li Chengqian immediately felt relieved.