sjar Chapter 1794 Selling Official Positions
Chapter 1794 Selling Official Positions
Big Eyes was so startled that he dropped the candy on the ground. "That's what the princess said!"
"What else did she say?"
Big Eyes said nervously, "That's all!"
The old lady waved her hand, and Da Yan picked up the candy from the ground and ran away.
As soon as he left, Old Madam Wan slammed her hand on the table. "This Shang Xi is clearly trying to sever ties with the Han family!"
Xing'er chimed in, "No, it won't happen."
"How could she not? The Emperor asked her to choose wives for the two generals. Even Siyu knew to marry her niece to a general. Why didn't she think of marrying my niece to a general? Besides, Nianxia calls her 'cousin-in-law' all the time. How come she doesn't think about Nianxia at all!"
Xing'er said softly, "Why don't we call the Princess over, and you can give her some pointers, Madam?"
Old Madam Wan looked somewhat annoyed. "She's smarter than a monkey; she probably already knows what I'm up to!"
Xing'er smiled and continued to comfort Madam Wan, "Wouldn't that be even better? If the Princess knew your thoughts, she would definitely recommend Miss Nianxia to the Emperor! The Princess usually goes along with you, Madam!"
Madam Wan snorted, "If she wanted to recommend someone, she would have done so already. Didn't you hear what that big-eyed kid said? Shang Xi wants to sever ties with my family!"
Xing'er gently comforted her, "Madam, you're overthinking it. That's not what Da Yan actually said!"
"You're saying the same thing!"
Big Eyes didn't even bother going out to play anymore; he ran straight to Shang Xi and Cheng Feng to report the news.
Cheng Feng was no longer lying in bed; he was now sitting in the main room drinking tea.
"Your Highness and Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The Old Madam just questioned me!" Big Eyes ran so fast that he almost fell to the ground.
Shang Xi asked, "What did my mother-in-law say?"
Big Eyes recounted everything in detail, then pointed to his mouth and then to his pocket, "The old lady gave me candy!"
This kid is interesting. Even if the old lady tried to bribe him with a handful of candy, he would still talk. This kid is quite loyal to Cheng Feng!
Shang Xi laughed and said, "Just eat it. There's nothing for you to do here. Go have some fun."
Big Eyes responded and ran off again.
The smile on Shang Xi's face faded, and she asked Cheng Feng, "Mother won't come looking for me, will she? Will she blame me for not recommending Han Nianxia?"
Cheng Feng didn't take it to heart: "My mother is just being reckless. With the Han family's greedy ways, my uncle won't agree to this marriage out of mere wishful thinking. You can recommend them if you want, but it's all in vain. I've said what I needed to say; if they don't stop, they'll only bring ruin upon themselves. What does my mother, a woman from a secluded family, know? She thinks that by using her status to help the Han family, they'll become a prestigious clan. She has no idea about their greed; helping them is just harming them. The Han family has long since changed its status; they can't even run their businesses properly anymore." "They're always forming cliques, accumulating wealth, and doing nothing but self-serving schemes. I only found out when I visited the Han family that their house is now bustling with guests. He holds a nominal position, yet he acts like a high-ranking official, with more people visiting his house than our Prince Pang's mansion. It's too blatant; they think my mother is their family's protector! My uncle respects and cares for my mother, but that doesn't mean the Han family can do whatever they want! In short, I've said everything I needed to say to the Han family, and I've given them a warning. If they still don't turn to the right path, they're courting disaster."
Shang Xi asked in bewilderment, "The Han family isn't short of money, so why are they so stubborn? Don't they listen to you?"
Cheng Feng scoffed, "Listen to me? People don't even respect me!"
Shang Xi frowned, feeling displeased. "The Han family came to our Prince Pang's mansion for help, and they look down on you? What makes you say that!"
Cheng Feng rarely showed a sarcastic smile, "You think I'm useless, lazy, just hanging around my uncle the emperor, all I do is do business and farm all day!"
Shang Xi was displeased. "Everyone has their own ambitions, and there isn't only one path in the world! Doing business is the foundation of survival for every family. We also made our fortune through business back then. Does that mean we should do nothing just because of my uncle's protection? Besides, what's wrong with farming? We farm by imperial decree. If the land isn't improved, we can't be self-sufficient in food. Without food, how can we expand our territory? What's wrong with farming? Which minister doesn't have some private land? The Han family can get government grain because of their connection with Prince Pang's mansion! They look down on you, so are you going to follow their example, forming cliques and selling official positions? You're really asking for trouble!"
"The Han family doesn't think that my cousin's official position is thanks to me, Cheng Feng. They believe it's all thanks to my mother. And I really haven't said a single word for the Han family in front of the Emperor! Because of this, they've long harbored resentment towards me!"
They were dissatisfied, but Shang Xi was even more dissatisfied! "Isn't that all thanks to the Wan family? Without the Wan family, could the Han family have entered officialdom?"
Cheng Feng shook his head. "I really don't want to involve the Han family. The Han family is my mother's family, and my uncle and I are from the same clan. If I had to choose between them, I would definitely be closer to my uncle. He's the one who's truly good to me, while the Han family is just using me as a stepping stone. I won't let them climb over me. I won't get too close to them. Once I know they're forming cliques, I'll distance myself from them! Don't forget, our son is the Crown Prince. If the Han family's cliques involve me, although my uncle won't suspect me because he knows I have no desire for power and am not an ambitious person, he will still be suspicious. My uncle is very suspicious! I can't let the Han family make him suspicious!"
"Don't the Han family members ever think about this? You all know they form cliques, sell official positions, and have so many eyes and ears in the Emperor, plus that Minister Yan of the Ministry of Revenue—that man is upright and incorruptible, as clean as can be. He didn't even show leniency in Cheng Youning's kite incident. If he knew about the Han family's affairs, wouldn't the Emperor know too?" Shang Xi said seriously. "Tell me, doesn't the Emperor already know something?"
Cheng Feng snorted again, "When I left the General's Mansion today, I asked my uncle if he wanted to come to the Prince's Mansion for a visit. My uncle made an excuse to go back to the palace. Do you think he knew? Among all the civil and military officials in the court, how many dare to openly sell official positions? The Han family is really audacious, thinking that my mother is their get-out-of-jail-free card!"
Shang Xi's expression was similar to Cheng Feng's. It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried, after all, they were the old lady's family. But for someone who was stubborn and wouldn't listen to reason, their worries were unnecessary!
Shang Xi said, "Don't go to the Han family anymore."
"I haven't been going there much lately. I also stop going to the places where the second and third young masters of the Han family used to frequent, because I don't want to run into them."