Chapter 640: A Servant of Others

Chapter 640:The Servant of Others

Matsujiang Prefecture, Xu family estate.

Near the New Year's border, this mansion occupying the best feng shui in all of Matsujiang Prefecture had already been adorned with New Year's lanterns.

The couplets painted in gold leaf, red silk wrapped around green tiles, and the festive atmosphere was especially thick, as if entirely unaffected by the four rumors erupting in the empire recently.

But if there were any elderly residents of Matsujiang living here, they would surely notice the strange and unnatural undercurrent beneath this apparent harmony.

Logically, by this time of year, the Xu family should already be a bustling hub, with carriages like flowing water and horses like dragons.

Throughout the Matsujiang region, regardless of which sequence they belonged to, anyone with a notable name would present grand gifts and visit the Xu family.

At its peak, even the wide avenue of pines and cypresses where the Xu family resided would be so congested with expensive carriages that water would not flow.

Those waiting to enter and pay respects to the various provincial officials and merchant elders would not continue to maintain their high-and-mighty demeanor here, but would rush out of their carriages immediately, begin exchanging name tags on the street, and engage in lively conversations.

To such an extent that in the southern straight line's gongshi, a saying once circulated: three or four words at the Xu family's gate could rival ten years of official rank advancement.

Yet this grand scene was absent this year.

A lonely cold wind blew beneath the lanterns, the red glow flickering on the spotless steps before the door.

Passing through the streets was not the bustling chaos, but a cold and desolate stillness.

" This year's early spring is colder than any previous years."

At the highest point of the estate, Xu Hai Chao leaned against the balcony overlooking the outside, gazing at the quiet Matsujiang Prefecture under the night sky.

The wind tugged at his robes, making a rustling sound.

"Hai Chao, you really shouldn't have come back at this time."

A voice laced with concern echoed softly behind him.

"Why do you think that?"

Xu Hai Chao did not turn around, but a faint, mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Now you should be able to see the situation clearly. The empire is only in the early stages of turmoil now. These families may seem to be clashing, but in reality, they are just performing. Their true aim is to force us to align quickly. However, at present, no one can tell who will win or lose, and rushing in without knowing the odds is sure to invite disaster."

The old man sighed deeply, pleading: "Hai Chao, at this moment, everyone is watching. The best choice for you is to remain in the Japanese territory as your envoy."

"As long as you can control the Japanese territory, no matter how the situation changes, even if unexpected events occur, the Xu family will still have a safe escape route. These are things you should already understand."

"So, Father, are you saying I should only be adding flowers to gold, and not risking it in the snow?"

Xu Hai Chao slowly turned, his cold gaze fixed on the hunched figure behind him.

Fine dust particles shimmered in the light, and the figure speaking to him was clearly not a real person.

At the end of the projected light, a tablet stood on the altar, inscribed with the old man's name: Xu Sheng Yue.

"The Xu family is already a first-rank mansion, there's no way forward. Even if you risk it in the snow, how could you make the Xu family go further?"

The old man's eyes slightly lifted, his gloomy gaze falling on the smiling face.

"How can one safely navigate this crisis? That is what the Xu family must truly consider."

"Safe?"

Xu Hai Chao heard this and shook his head in laughter: "Just because you've always placed stability first in your life, the Xu family has remained trapped in this small piece of land in Matsujiang. In the end, not only could they not enter the capital, they couldn't even control a small southern straight line. What kind of stability is that?"

The old man felt a deep sorrow, his gaze that had just lifted fell again, his figure filled with desolation.

"As for your so-called first-rank mansion? That's just a joke."

Xu Hai Chao coldly laughed: "In Zhang Fengyu's eyes, these mansion holders are nothing more than stepping stones for him to enter the gongshi. Anyway, he will eventually target us. Why should I choose to be passive?"

Xu Hai Chao paused, then spoke loudly: "So Father, I returned this time not for any alliance, nor is there anyone worth me joining."

"That you think the Prime Minister doesn't know our existence, doesn't know what we've done behind the scenes? Hai Chao, you haven't experienced the chaos of the three teachings competing, so you truly don't understand his terror."

"He didn't know we existed?"

Xu Hai Chao scoffed, continuing: "He deliberately let us, these corrupt and aging officials, be pushed out of power, this is a fact!"

The old man was momentarily stunned, his lips moving but saying nothing.

"Indeed, he has succeeded. With the new policies, he has quelled the crime-ridden areas and unregistered lands, clearing the external threats left by the previous emperor, and completed part of the gongshi rituals. But unfortunately, he misjudged the real danger—it always erupts from within!"

"Father, we have never looked down on Zhang Fengyu. He has lived for over thirty years, too old to be old anymore. The current Zhang Fengyu is not the same as you remember—he is no longer the cunning and insightful Prime Minister of the empire, but a dying old man struggling to hold on!"

Xu Hai Chao's tone grew increasingly intense, his eyes flashing with terrifying fervor: "Zhang Fengyu has held that position for too long. Too long that he believed the gongshi still had no one daring to resist him, that he could still cling to the immense power of a single word deciding the fate of millions, that he could let his decaying genes thrive in the more turbulent and fierce power. Is that possible?"

"Impossible!"

Xu Hai Chao answered himself: "We are different from you. You fear him because he broke your bones, leaving you unable to stand. We won't let anyone ride our heads, nor will we grovel for survival!"

"Hai Chao, even if you could remove him from the Prime Minister's position, what then?"

The old man asked: "The final outcome is just another person sitting in that position. But will it be you? No! Since you know you can't, why force yourself to be a bride for others? What benefit is there for you or the Xu family?"

"Of course there is benefit! Because we will never stay in that position!"

"What do you mean?"

"Since the gongshi must be tied to the country, why not abandon this corrupt and decaying empire and build our own nation? To be a king, why must we be subjects of others?"

Xu Hai Chao spoke each word slowly, his passionate voice echoing, making the old man's figure tremble violently.

"You're crazy!"

"We are not crazy, but fully awake!"

At that moment, Xu Hai Chao's eyes shone with bright light, his spirit high, his words powerful and resonant.

"Establish borders and territories, let the mountains and rivers be filled with Confucian states! Compared to official ranks and mansion holders, these are nothing! Because then, we ourselves will be the nation, the blueprint of history!"

Xu Hai Chao lowered his eyes, staring at the old man: "Do you understand now, Father?"

"Since you've made your decision, I have nothing more to say. The Xu family is yours now. Do whatever you wish."

Watching his son, seemingly mad, speaking such heretical words, the old man felt his heart like dead ashes.

No, he had already lost his heart.

He was now just a brain in a jar, a wandering soul.

The projected light dimmed, the old man's sorrow and despair also became blurred.

"Only Hai Chao."

As the old man was about to vanish, he suddenly asked: "Do you know why, on the day you took power, I didn't resist, even willing you to take my head and dig my brain?"

Xu Hai Chao was startled, the fervor in his eyes slightly fading.

"Because when I saw you leading people forward, I suddenly felt you were crueler than me, more decisive. Handing the Xu family to you might lead to better outcomes."

The old man's voice carried a smile: "So Hai Chao, don't let me down."

"Rest assured, Father."

Xu Hai Chao stood in silence for a long time, his fingers gradually loosening from his clenched fists.

He walked up to the altar filled with the ancestral tablets of the Xu family, lit an incense stick, and knelt respectfully, bowing his head.

“The Xu family will soon cease to be just a clan and become a true Confucian nation!”

“What kind of world is this, damn it?”

Chongqing Mansion’s Golden Building, headquarters of the Sichuan-Chongqing Gambling Association.

Wang Xie was holding a jar of old wine. As he entered, he was amused by He Cangjia’s words.

“What are you going crazy about? You’re just a gang leader, and now you’re concerned about national affairs?”

He pulled a chair and sat opposite He Cangjia, asking as he spoke.

“I don’t want to care about it either, but it’s affecting my business now.”

He Cangjia cursed and grumbled, “Look at this Golden Building now—what’s it like? There are only a couple of big and small cats upstairs and downstairs, and in a few days, there probably won’t be even a ghost left. I say we should just fight sooner, decide the winner and loser, and let us common people continue to live a peaceful life.”

“Now your business is just bad, but if there’s really a fight, who knows if you’ll see tomorrow?”

After the incident with Li Jun, the relationship between Wang Xie and He Cangjia—a soldier and a bandit—had become much closer, and they spoke without the previous reservations.

“So be content with that.”

“You’re right, business is bad, but being alive is better than anything.”

He Cangjia was just grumbling; of course, he couldn’t expect things to really get chaotic.

“But, my Wang Dabaohui, how come you have time to visit my humble abode today?”

Wang Xie held the wine jar with both hands and placed it on the table. “Big shots have their own affairs, and we small people also have our own little lives. Want to take a sip?”

He Cangjia lifted a corner of the mud seal, took a deep breath of the fragrant wine, and his eyes lit up.

“Great stuff! This kind of traditional brewing method for aged wine is rare these days—where did you get it from?”

Wang Xie brushed his sleeves. “Just because you have no eyes doesn’t mean others don’t.”

“I see, Wang Baohui is complimenting me.”

He Cangjia nodded approvingly, but suddenly changed the subject. “But drinking such good stuff here would be a bit of a waste.”

“What’s wrong with this place?”

Wang Xie looked around at the luxurious furnishings and asked in confusion.

“Scholars like to read with a red sleeve adding fragrance, and although we brothers are all rough men, we should at least have four beautiful women to accompany us.”

He Cangjia squinted his eyes and made a grabbing motion with his hand, with a lewd smile on his face.

“Never mind, I’m not in the mood.” Wang Xie waved his hand.

“Are you so young and already have health problems? Do you have some occupational disease as members of the Imperial Guards?”

He Cangjia suddenly broke into a strange smile, looked him up and down, and then patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry, I’m a real farmer; I can even cure Old Li, and your little problem is a piece of cake for me.”

“What problem does Old Li have?”

As soon as Wang Xie finished speaking, he suddenly realized that the other person was making fun of him, and angrily cursed, “Get out, get out, get out.”

He Cangjia laughed and picked up the wine jar with one hand, pulling Wang Xie up from the chair with the other.

“All right, even if we don’t have beautiful women to accompany us, we should at least cook a couple of dishes, right? We can’t just drink, can we?”

A moment later, the two of them appeared at a roadside stall outside the Golden Building.

The flames of the stir-fry illuminated two smiling eyes, and the pungent smoke enveloped their figures.

“Whoa, that’s pretty energetic!”

He Cangjia drank a whole bowl, exclaimed with satisfaction, and smiled at Wang Xie. “Good wine needs to be paired with this kind of smoky flavor; otherwise, it would be a bit lacking, don’t you think?”

“You know, sometimes you’re really not like a farmer.”

Unlike He Cangjia’s wild and unruly ruffian air, Wang Xie seemed much more steady, sipping his wine slowly.

“I’m not like a farmer; then what am I? Are you like a warrior?”

He Cangjia shook his head and laughed. “Those warriors who kill are just doing it for fun; I was forced to take to the streets and fight for food—there’s a big difference. But speaking of which, I also think you’re not like a strategist.”

“What? A strategist who doesn’t rebel is not righteous in your eyes?”

“That’s not to say. It’s mainly that the strategists I’ve met are all full of bad water, and when they stand up, they clink and clang.”

He Cangjia smiled. “You’re different from them.”

“So according to you, we’re both anomalies?”

“No, we can’t be called anomalies.”

Wang Xie raised his eyebrows. “Then what are we?”

“We should be called good people!”

He Cangjia looked serious and raised his wine bowl.

“Your words here are not a compliment nowadays.”

Wang Xie also raised his wine bowl. “Good people don’t live long; disasters last for a thousand years—haven’t you heard?”

“Of course I’ve heard, but I’ve also heard another saying: there are spirits three feet above one’s head. What people do, heaven sees.”

“You’re a farmer; do you believe in gods?”

“Of course not. If there really were gods, I would have switched to Taoism or Buddhism long ago.”

“Then where does heaven come from?”

“The heaven I’m talking about is actually my own field. Whatever I plant, it gives me. If I plant kindness, I get affection. If I plant resentment, I get enmity. If I plant a wolf’s heart, it will only grow into a dog’s lung.”

Wang Xie fell silent for a moment and looked at him strangely. “Where did you hear this? Did you steal it and come to show off to me?”

“What words—this is all my He Cangjia’s serious life philosophy.”

He Cangjia stared and said seriously, “Every word behind this has been cut by at least ten knives by someone, and only then can it be understood—it’s literally word by word tears.”

Wang Xie burst into laughter. “All right, then I’ll toast to your word by word tears.”

“To my hundred knives not dying.”

The two men looked at each other, clinked their wine bowls, and drank them all at once.

Wang Xie refilled the wine for the two of them and asked slowly, “Old Jia, how did you and Li Jun meet?”

He Cangjia threw some snacks into his mouth to accompany the wine and rolled his eyes when he heard this. “Do you still need to ask me? The Imperial Guards have already investigated it clearly, haven’t they?”

“Then you’ve overestimated us.”

Wang Xie laughed bitterly. “Before the Golden Building was taken over, we in Chongqing Mansion were just servants and errand boys for others.”

“Actually, there’s nothing special about it. It was just that he happened to be in trouble at that time and was chased from Chengdu Mansion to here, about to die, and was just rescued by me. The dying man stubbornly insisted on calling me his big brother. I’m a soft-hearted person, and seeing that he wasn’t a bad person, I just took him in.”

He Cangjia sighed. “I didn’t expect that after not long, that kid would become our unattainable big shot. You know, fate is such a mischievous little demon; it plays with people so much.”

“Really? Old Li called you his big brother?”

Wang Xie raised his eyebrows and smiled mischievously.

“Of course it’s true. Don’t you believe me? Go ask him.”

Wan Xie smiles faintly: 'Well, you've captured everything.' 'Your little turtle brother, that's quite a bit of disdainful charm!' 'Don't be embarrassed, since you're being honest—what's your concern?' 'Wan Xie, I've discovered you're truly worthy of such a fate, don't you?' 'Hahaha.' Two cups of alcohol are placed side by side. The large wooden table is empty, then suddenly the dim light from the nearby lanterns dims. Perhaps because of the wine's strength, the distant lights blur into haze. 'Is the old sage drunk?' 'Hide behind your shield, old friend!'