Chapter 667: Leveraging Others’ Strengths

His achievements in defeating enemies and pacifying barbarians rank first through the ages; his talents as both a military commander and a statesman are unmatched in history.

Regardless of whether Xu Da’s death was orchestrated by Emperor Hongwu Zhu Yuanzhang, this evaluation by Zhu Yuanzhang has spread widely among the people. Compared to most meritorious officials who were executed, the Xu family at least retained its glory. All three of Xu Da’s daughters married into the imperial family—one became the Empress, while the other two became the queens of the Dai and An princes. Of his four sons, aside from the second son Xu Tianfu, who died young, two became dukes. Yet one of these dukes had his title revoked and was imprisoned until his death, while the other died violently in the palace, with his descendants facing numerous difficulties in inheriting their titles.

Thus, only the third son, Xu Yingxu, truly reaped the benefits of his ancestors’ legacy. He steadily rose to become the Deputy Commander of the Central Army and a lifetime commander, living a carefree life. After his death, his eldest son inherited the position but held it without actually taking on responsibilities, while his second son, Xu Jinghuang, also held a military rank but had no real influence. This was a common path for the sons of noble families. However, Xu Jinghuang, accustomed to luxury since childhood, dismissed such a meager salary. After repeatedly asking for favors through intermediaries, he finally received an appointment.

“Master, now that the higher-ups have appointed you, who would dare to look down on you?”

“That’s right! Though our family still has the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Ding, the Duke of Wei’s title was just restored, and the Duke of Ding was once impeached for not leaving his home during mourning. Their favor with the emperor has greatly diminished; they’re merely holding nominal titles!”

“I heard from outside that the emperor plans to move the capital back to Nanjing. By then, as the Deputy Commander of the Jinyiwei, you’ll be one of the most important figures in the court. It won’t be hard to be granted a title for your merits—our family might even produce another duke!”

Xu Jinghuang already loved hearing flattery. Hearing the servants chatter and praise him filled him with pride, making him walk with a sense of superiority. His father had favored him while he was alive, but even so, their family never reached the prestige of those who held ducal titles. Though he was mediocre in both military and civil affairs, he dreamed of achieving fame like his grandfather Xu Da, so he racked his brains to climb the ranks. Remembering how his subordinates bowed to him at the Jinyiwei headquarters a few days ago, his smile grew even wider.

“Yet that Lord Liu was quite cold. What does he think he is? A military household descended from a hereditary hundred-household rank—reaching this position is already thanks to his ancestors’ merits. And yet he dares to give orders to Master. What an idiot!”

Hearing this, Xu Jinghuang immediately frowned deeply. These days while wandering around the yamen, he had indeed felt that Liu Jun always wore an unpleasant expression, but after all, he was his direct superior, so he could only endure it. Now, he glared irritably at the talkative servant and then snorted, “Today is the Lantern Festival. My lord is in high spirits—stop saying such depressing things. I’ve been busy dealing with everyone these days, and now I can finally take a break. Let’s go to Wanhong Pavilion by the Qinhuai River!”

Although the Ming dynasty’s regulations prohibited officials from engaging in promiscuous behavior, there were always ways around such rules. With the rise of extravagance, even the civil and military officials in the capital had singing girls by their sides during banquets, not to mention the areas in the south. During the initial period of national mourning, the Qinhuai River was rather quiet for a while, but now the restaurants along the river were once again filled with guests, enjoying music and dancing to sensual tunes. Those who drank and feasted were either nobles or wealthy merchants, and their noise could be heard miles away.

Wanhong Pavilion was a very famous restaurant by the Qinhuai River, frequented by distinguished guests. Of course, to make the banquets more enjoyable, singing and dancing performers were always hired in the private booths. Those who came here were there for pleasure, not to discuss business. If they met acquaintances, they might even enjoy themselves together. Thus, the private booths upstairs were separated by four or eight large screens, and the sounds of drinking and playing games often spread everywhere, creating an extremely noisy atmosphere.

Yet, amidst this festive mood, Xu Jinghuang, who used to be treated as a distinguished guest, was now sitting there with a few servants, while the old owner kept bowing repeatedly in front of them.

“It’s not that we intend to neglect you, sir. It’s just that today is the Lantern Festival, and all the famous girls by the Qinhuai River have been called away by orders. The ones left have to serve the guests here at the restaurant. Just now, a group of girls became available, but Commander Liu from the Jinyiwei happened to send someone to call them all away, saying he needed to host a banquet for guests. Sir Xu, you’re a regular customer. Even if I had the audacity, I wouldn’t dare deceive you!”

Originally full of enthusiasm, Xu Jinghuang was naturally extremely annoyed by the current situation. He ignored the shopkeeper and sent a servant to inquire. It was boring to sit at a table full of delicacies and fine wines with no one to accompany him, so he ate half-heartedly. The servant quickly returned with news that wasn’t much different from what the old shopkeeper had said. Moreover, he exaggerated the arrogance of the Jinyiwei officials when they sent orders earlier, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

“Let’s go!”
Furious, Xu Jinghuang threw down his chopsticks and left in a huff. The shopkeeper followed him to the door and watched as the group mounted their horses and rushed off. Then he grunted and muttered under his breath, “How could descendants of such a heroic figure as the Prince of Zhongshan turn out to be such worthless people?”

After riding fast through the streets for a while, the cold wind made Xu Jinghuang slow down, but his anger still burned. When his entourage gathered around him, he ordered through gritted teeth, “Let’s go to the Jinyiwei headquarters!”

Upon arriving, he tossed the reins, dismounted, and rushed inside. But at the second gate, he was stopped by several soldiers. No matter how angry he became, they refused to let him in. Seeing Xu Jinghuang’s red eyes, clearly furious, the leading soldier wasn’t afraid at all. Instead, he said coldly, “Lord Xu, please be more respectful. The lord is hosting important guests inside. Since you have no official business now, why insist on entering? We all respect you as a nobleman. You’ve only been in office for a few days. If you cause a scandal by showing disrespect to your superiors, an imperial censor could ruin you!”

Although a spoiled brat, Xu Jinghuang wasn’t stupid. Hearing such blatant threats, his anger flared even more, but his mind became clearer. Glaring angrily at the man, he turned and left. Once outside the Jinyiwei headquarters, he angrily whipped the stone lion before taking a deep breath.

“Liu Jun, wait and see!”

As this group left the alley in a fierce manner, someone else happened to come out of the west gate of the main street, and the two groups almost collided. Since Xu Jinghuang was still furious, he shouted angrily without thinking. But when he saw the people in front—led by a well-dressed young man—he stopped cursing in hatred. Too tired to pay attention to anything else, he turned his horse to leave, but before he could go, he heard a voice behind him.

“But Brother Xu, the commander of the Jinyiwei?”
Hearing this, Xu Jinghuang immediately stopped and turned to look. Not recognizing him at all, he asked irritably, “Who are you?”
“Brother Xu’s memory really… Didn’t we meet at the Duke of Wei’s residence on the third day of the first lunar month?” Seeing that Xu Jinghuang was still suspicious, Sun Han quickly introduced himself. Before the other man could react, he stepped forward and grabbed the reins. “It’s the Lantern Festival, and a friend of mine is hosting a party. It’s fate that we met—let’s go drink together! Don’t worry, you know this host too; he’s even brought in some famous singing girls—there will be plenty of fun!”
Since someone was offering such a generous invitation, Xu Jinghuang didn’t want to go home to deal with his noisy concubines, so he agreed without much thought. When he was dragged to the place, he saw that there were indeed many acquaintances in the tavern, along with beautiful singing girls and dancers. His gloomy mood vanished instantly, and he sat down at an empty seat.
As it was a gathering of wealthy young men, everyone behaved carelessly. After eating and drinking their fill, many started touching the beautiful women around them. By the time it was time to leave, Xu Jinghuang had enjoyed food, sights, and company. With Sun Han’s persuasion, he drank some soup to sober up, then thanked him, saying with a smile, “Younger brother Sun, you’re truly generous—you’ve made me have a great time. If you ever need anything in the future, just come to me! I’m now part of the Jinyiwei, and I’ll definitely help you if I can!”
Seizing this opportunity, Sun Han was overjoyed but didn’t show it on his face. He simply sighed and said, “I appreciate your kindness, Brother Xu. Although I do need the help of the Jinyiwei right now, you’ve just joined and don’t have much power yet. There’s also a commander above you—how could I put you in a difficult position? Today, I just brought you here to have some fun. Don’t take it to heart; there’s no need to talk about helping.”
Xu Jinghuang had only said it casually, not sincerely. But when he turned to leave and heard these words, he stopped in his tracks. Turning to look at Sun Han, who bowed and walked away in another direction, he grew even angrier. He rushed forward, grabbed the other man’s shoulder, and said angrily, “Younger brother Sun, are you looking down on me? Don’t think just because I’m not the top figure in the Nanjing Jinyiwei now, no one doesn’t know how influential our Xu family is there. Besides, that Liu Jun won’t be in charge for long—someone from the capital will soon take over!”

Sun Han had originally been entrusted by Zhang Yue to handle this matter, and he had been feeling uneasy. Now, upon hearing about it again—although he had already heard from Zhang Yue—he still pretended to inquire further. Xu Jinghuang wanted to show off his skills by detailing all the personnel changes in the capital, then sneered, “By then, although Liu Jun will still be the commander of the Jinyiwei, he won’t be able to control everything anymore. So, if you, Younger Brother Sun, value me, just tell me the difficulties. If not, then there’s no need to say anything!”
“Ahem, since Brother Xu is so generous, I’ll speak plainly. Here’s the situation: a distant relative of mine has come to me for help…”
Sun Han described Wang Xunliang’s matter in a roundabout way, then sighed and shook his head. “I’m not important enough—after all, he’s a relative of the Duke of Ying. Normally, he shouldn’t even approach me; he should turn to the Duke of Ying instead. But my distant relative is too timid and afraid to even bring it up with the Duke of Ying. Instead, he asked me to ask my third uncle for help. Yet my third uncle has decided to live a carefree life and refuses to get involved in this matter. Alas, if I were still in the capital, I could ask those relatives for help, but now I can’t do anything but watch helplessly. I’ve been extremely worried these days but still can’t find a solution.”
Thinking of being turned away at the Jinyiwei headquarters today and of Liu Jun issuing an order to invite so many singing girls for a feast without including him, Xu Jinghuang felt furious. When he heard Wei Zhiqi mention the Duke of Ying, his eyes lit up. Although the Xu family had two dukes, they were merely figureheads—how could they compare to the most powerful man in the court? Now, without any more hesitations, he assured, “I’ll take care of this! Don’t worry; within ten days, I’ll give you an answer!”
“Is that true? Ah, Brother Xu is truly my savior! Please thank my relative on my behalf! I don’t ask for anything else—just that he suffer a little less would be enough.”
But what Xu Jinghuang was thinking at that moment was about a place he couldn’t enter while wandering around the headquarters a few days ago, which made him suspicious. He waved his hand and said, “Just wait. Once I find out more, things will take a turn for the better! I’m leaving now. Don’t worry, Brother Sun!”
After going through so much trouble to accomplish this task, and after seeing that drunken nobleman off on his horse, Sun Han couldn’t help but wipe his forehead, realizing he was sweating profusely despite the cold weather. Recalling his performance earlier and finding nothing amiss, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It was the Lantern Festival. Though there were no colored lanterns strung up in the streets, laughter could still be heard in every household. Sun Han rode back home and learned that the Lantern Festival banquet had already ended and Zhang Yue had returned to his study. Angrily, he headed straight there and, as soon as he entered, snapped, “Damn it! Spending a holiday accompanying such people is even more exhausting than writing essays or fighting!”
“You used to be an outstanding student at the Imperial Academy. If those old teachers heard you using vulgar language, they’d be furious again!” Zhang Yue stood up, personally took out a teapot from the cloth bag, and poured a cup of tea for Sun Han before smiling and saying, “Since you came down with me, we’re like brothers-in-law. Who else can I ask for help if not you? Besides, practice makes perfect…”
“Stop it! I really hope there won’t be a second time! If you assign me such tasks again during the festival, I’ll refuse even if it means getting beaten.” Sun Han glared at Zhang Yue irritably, downed the cup of tea in one gulp, then shook his head. “I just realize now that speaking appropriately to different people—saying the right thing to people and the right thing to ghosts—is easier said than done. I’m not as persistent or patient as you and Fangling. Speaking of which, with all the changes in the Jinyiwei now, I wonder how Fangling is doing… It’s unbelievable that guy has become a Jinyiwei!”
“What’s so unbelievable about that? Everyone has their own aspirations. He must have worked extremely hard to get where he is. By the way, that reminds me of something. This afternoon, my father sent someone with a letter—Fangling’s marriage has been arranged.”
Sun Han, who was pouring himself tea, was shocked upon hearing this news. He quickly raised his head and asked, “That guy is already quite old. He’s really persistent, dragging out the marriage arrangements until now. Has he finally come to his senses? Whose daughter is it?”
“He knows how to choose a wife. It’s a distant niece of the late Lady of Pengcheng. Her family isn’t prominent; they’re just ordinary officials. He’s planning the wedding in April. We won’t be able to attend the celebration, but please send a message to our family to send a gift—nothing too extravagant.”