After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine Volume – Chapter 91

After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine Chapter 91

Indeed, Pang Shao had been exerting himself to the utmost these days.

All kinds of priceless treasures were sent to the palace like running water. Beauties from all over the world were also sent to the palace in a variety of ways.

Jiang Suizhou listened to the news at the Ministry of Rites. When he heard everything, the Hou Zhu relaxed his mouth a bit.

Gradually, Pang Shao wouldn’t be turned away whenever he begged for an audience. He would always see him once or twice out of five times. Then, as long as Pang Shao entered the palace, he would meet with him. Recently, he had begun to take the initiative to summon Pang Shao.

Everyone in the court said that the Chief Minister truly had His Majesty’s heart. Even after committing such a huge mistake, the Emperor couldn’t bear to really blame him.

That being said, so long as the Emperor was in power, nothing could shake the Chief Minister’s position.

Jiang Suizhou noted all of this in his mind.

He knew there would be such a day sooner or later. Jiang Shunheng was raised in the deep palace since he was a child and had always been spoiled and doted on. Although he was currently past the age, he was still just a child who only wanted to enjoy the moment.

Still, the Pang party had suffered a significant blow in the past days.

Not to mention that when Pang Shao was met with a mishap, the Hou Zhu replaced quite a number of core officials in Pang’s party with nominees from poor and humble families whom Qi Min recommended. It could be said that Pang’s party, who were still within the central government, also felt imperiled and dared not act flamboyantly or wantonly as before.

After all, everyone witnessed everything. Although the Chief Minister was eminent and could not be shaken by the elements, once something happened, the officials underneath him could be killed or replaced at will. Nobody could shelter them.

They sought benefits from being Pang Shao’s men and also wanted to pave ways out for themselves. When accidents occurred, Pang Shao couldn’t protect them, so they could only think of new ways to protect themselves.

For a time, there was like a change of blood in the entire court, showing a somewhat clear and positive trend.

Qi Min also seemed to know that all this was related to Jiang Suizhou.

The first time Jiang Suizhou attended the court session after he returned from recuperation, Qi Min found him afterward and said he wanted to invite him to his manor for a drink to express his gratitude.

Jiang Suizhou, however, knew that he couldn’t go by himself.

Previously, the Hou Zhu gave Qi Min no attention. The previous incident could be considered a blessing out of a misfortune, and he was relying a bit on him now. The more this happened, the more Jiang Suizhou couldn’t get too close to him. After all, once he contaminated him, the trust of the Hou Zhu in Qi Min would most probably crumble.

“This Prince doesn’t know what Lord Qi wants to thank me for,” Jiang Suizhou looked at Qi Min with a gentle smile. Although his tone was light, he wasn’t at all polite.

Then, he raised his voice a few octaves, so that the surrounding officials could hear him loud and clear.

“Lord Qi, just do your job. Mind your own business, and don’t provoke this Prince.”

After saying that, he flicked his sleeves and left.

As expected, it did not take long for the matter to reach the Hou Zhu’s ears. He didn’t say anything, but from then on, he relied heavily on Qi Min a bit more.

In the courtroom, complaints about Jingwang’s frivolity and insolence circulated rampantly.

There were also many people who complained to Qi Min’s ears.

When Qi Min heard them, he ignored them all, except for one day when he was alone in his study, he let out a long sigh while dealing with official business.

“If Jingwang had been born a few years earlier, I believe an old fellow like me would have had the opportunity to see the walls of Ye City again in my remaining years.”

Jiang Suizhou was in the dark about what Qi Min thought in private. He didn’t pay any attention to these either, but rather waited patiently for movements in court.

It didn’t take long for Pang Shao to make a big move.

He himself subsidized a lot of gold and silver, built large-scale constructions, and was in the process of repairing one that could be completed in a year or two. The Hou Zhu had always been fond of hunting. There were many mountains outside Ye City and grasslands stretching hundreds of miles out of the city, so it was most suitable.

Since the capital was moved to Lin’an, Pang Shao spent a lot of effort and finally found a satisfactory place in Tianping Mountain. But after moving the capital, repairing the palace and raising the army cost money. There was constant banditry in the south, so the matter of building the imperial hunting ground was delayed again and again.

However, in less than a month, Pang Shao suddenly spent money to build the imperial hunting ground and raised a lot of fowls and beasts.

Early this morning at the court, he informed the Hou Zhu of the matter.

After hearing his report, the Hou Zhu was overjoyed. He said that it was going to be summer, so he must go hunting before the days turn hot. After discussing with Pang Shao, they set the date to be in half a month’s time.

Jiang Suizhou knew why Pang Shao was in such a hurry.

It was because two or three days ago, good news had reached them saying that General Lou Yue had pacified the bandits in the south, and after disposing of the remnants, he would return to the court.

If Qi Min only annoyed Pang Shao and caused him trouble, Lou Yue was the real thorn in Pang Shao’s eye and flesh.

Southern Jing was short of generals, and Lou Yue was Southern Jing’s number one general. He was bad tempered and always openly opposed Pang Shao, but Pang Shao wanted to reuse him, so he had been unable to do anything to him.

This man was the most difficult for him to deal with.

Therefore, Pang Shao had to coax the Hou Zhu, and had to hurry before Lou Yue returned to the court, in order to set his mind at ease and deal with Lou Yue.

Today, Jiang Suizhou returned to the manor and went to Huo Wujiu’s room. He contemplated the matter, not speaking for a long time.

“What are you thinking about?” Huo Wujiu asked.

Jiang Suizhou sat down at the edge of his bed and said, “This Prince was thinking about who to take with him to the hunt at Tianping Mountain.”

As he said that, he analyzed by himself, “When the ruler goes on a hunting trip, his ministers follow and always bring their families. This Prince discussed with Gu Changyun and Xu Du. Both of them were concerned about my safety, so they agreed to let Xu Du accompany me. Although he looks weak, he’s somewhat skilled in martial arts… However, someone still needs to keep watch in the capital. Once Xu Du is gone, I’m afraid that Gu Changyun can not manage the men well.”

After speaking, he sighed.

“This Prince should have taken two more staff back long ago, so we wouldn’t be so lacking in manpower,” he muttered to himself.

He didn’t notice that Huo Wujiu’s gaze on the bed sank.

Then, Huo Wujiu’s voice rang.

“I’ll go with you,” he said.

Behind the vast and exquisite garden, was the back residence of the palace. The large chic houses were divided into courtyards, where the concubines of the palace lived.

Jingwang’s residence was originally the residence of an affluent and powerful gentry in Lin’an. The entire residence occupied an extremely large area and was overly luxurious and exquisite. The imperial court fled south, and the gentry were afraid of attracting attacks, so they forfeited a lot of properties. This family homestead was also handed over on a silver platter.

Since then, this place became Jingwang’s residence.

Jingwang was not like that magnate, whose family lived under the same roof and thrived for generations. The huge residence was simply dissatisfying. Therefore, although the houses in the backyard were numerous, most of them were empty. They were so empty that after a long time, many houses were left unattended.

As night fell, a few remaining lamps in the corner were lit in an old and dilapidated courtyard.

The door of the room opened with a creak.

The maid carried a food container and strode in after entering the threshold. The main house was not spacious, and the objects inside have not been cleaned for a long time. Upon entering, dust would fly everywhere, causing one to choke.

The maid frowned in disgust and quickened her steps. She walked to the table in the room, and put the container of food down heavily on the table.

“The food is here. Please help yourself, Master.” Her tone was cold and icy, and the word “master” carried a bit of venom, which was quite harsh in the quiet of the night.

The person in the wheelchair in the room did not respond to her.

The maid had already noticed that this man was not only a cripple, but also a mute. As long as people didn’t touch him, he wouldn’t react to any bullying.

He was naturally the best punching bag.

The maid had only been in Jingwang’s mansion for a few months and finally got a chance to serve a master.

Although several people in the house were considered masters, the gap was huge. Madam Xu’s place, for instance, wasn’t an ideal place.

She has long been seeking ways and tried every means to serve Madam Gu in his courtyard, but she did not expect that she would be assigned to this disabled person.

What benefits could she gain by coming here? The cripple himself was living in a dilapidated house that leaked.

The maid had a stomach full of grievances, and when she saw his wheelchair, she felt even more unlucky.

Seeing that the cripple was silent as usual, she sneered and said, “You probably don’t know it yet. After what happened at noon today, Madam Gu’s maid went to His Highness’s courtyard to complain. Once His Highness heard the news, he immediately said that he would go to Madam Gu’s room tonight.”

Huo Wujiu didn’t move a muscle.

The maid’s voice turned a bit sharp: “Do you know what kind of person Madam Gu is? You hit his beloved. Do you think His Highness will let you go? When His Highness punishes you, we might even be implicated. I am truly unlucky to be assigned to such a shabby courtyard: on my first day here, I ran into such a thing.”

After saying that, she coldly snorted, turned around and stomped out.

“A mere cripple, yet you want to fight with others. You really overestimated yourself.”　　

The door was heavily slammed shut.

Huo Wujiu slowly closed his eyes.

His forehead was burning badly at this moment, and he was already having a fever because of his wounds.

His mind gradually clouded with a layer of chaos, despite himself being sober.

He hid all emotions back into the depths of his eyes.

In those eyes, a savage beast was forcibly shut into a narrow cage by reason, scraped by the iron cage till it bled all over.

He had endured pain and humiliation since he was a child.

He knew that a defeated foe ought to be trampled upon at will; it was rightly so. He also knew that he had to stay in the green hills and lie on faggots and taste gall. So long as he had one last breath, there would always be a day that blood would be paid in blood.　　

He knew that there was no hardship he couldn’t endure and overcome, but he never realized that to kill a tiger, there wasn’t really a need for a knife.

Just let him sustain some injuries, lock him up, and sprinkle a handful of flies on his injuries that couldn’t be dispersed or avoided.

The tiger would then naturally die, little by little. No matter how strong it was, it wouldn’t be able to fight back.

Jiang Suizhou looked at them blankly and saw Gu Changyun stepping forward and asking him to sit down. Then he asked, “Master, what did Pang Shao do in the courtroom today?”

Gu Changyun’s question rendered Jiang Suizhou dumbfounded.

He assumed many possibilities, but never considered that the vixen was not a vixen, and the ideal marriage was not an ideal marriage. These two people were actually the original owner’s staff who were kept in the house under the name of concubines.

For a time, many things became clearer.

It turned out that the original owner’s so-called “homosexuality” was nothing but a guise. It was a no-brainer. It must have been to deceive the emperor and Pang Shao and reduce their reservations against him. The so-called concubines who died because of his brutality and viciousness must have been spies that others sent to test him, and therefore died tragically at his hands.

Jiang Suizhou admired the original owner for a moment.

Bearing disgrace and a heavy burden, while meticulous planning…had he been the one who sat on the throne, the Jing Dynasty wouldn’t have perished so quickly.

He slowly sat down on the Taishi chair1 in the middle of the room while digesting the huge amount of information that came out of nowhere.

In a moment, he deliberated his words and spoke briefly, “He asked me for the right to repair the ancestral hall through His Majesty’s mouth.”

After saying that, he picked up the cup of tea that Gu Changyun just poured for him on the table and took a sip.

He had forgotten to drink water when he was in the study and read through the information earlier. Now that he took a seat, he felt parched.

Jiang Suizhou took two sips of tea, but the room remained quiet. The two people did not speak.

Footnote:

1 Taishi chair – a symbol of the master’s status and identity.