Chapter 1121 Hidden worries!

Murong Yuliang, whose mouth was blocked, gradually calmed down. Seeing this, Wang hesitated for a moment and put her hand down.

Accompanied by his wife, the governor of Jiyu, Zhou, was silent for nearly a cup of tea, and then he spoke to his wife with some boredom:

“Lian Zhen, accompanying the emperor is like accompanying a tiger. I’m tired of these years. Why not take this opportunity to retire to the countryside…”

Wang, who was called by her maiden name by her husband, could feel a strong sense of fatigue and loneliness from her husband's expression. In recent years, because of the hope of entering the cabinet and becoming a prime minister, Murong Yuliang worked hard in Hebei and Henan, wanting to prove himself in this ancient land of Central Plains!
Although the work is hard and tiring, Murong Yuliang is always full of energy as he has hope and is very passionate about his work.

However, as his hope of entering the cabinet and becoming a prime minister was completely shattered, Murong Yuliang, who had lost hope, began to show signs of decline in spirit and energy!
And now the news of Murong Zhengshan's death has hit Murong Yuliang hard. Murong Yuliang and Murong Lun were brothers who had a very good relationship.

Murong Yuliang knew very well that among all his sons, his eldest brother Murong Lun admired and loved Murong Zhengshan the most. Murong Lun felt that Murong Zhengshan was the one who was most like himself among his sons, talented and ambitious!

Murong Lun even once revealed to Murong Yuliang that he was considering breaking the ancestral system of the Murong family and allowing Murong Zhengshan, who was not the eldest son, to become the head of the Murong family in the future.

Therefore, although Murong Yuliang did not see his elder brother Murong Lun for the last time, Murong Yuliang believed that Murong Lun must have wanted to take care of his family and Murong Zhengshan in the last moments of his life, so that Murong Zhengshan could grow up gradually and support the Murong family in the future...
It was for this reason that when Murong Yuliang learned about Murong Zhengshan's conspiracy, although he felt that it was very risky and inappropriate, he finally chose to let Murong Zhengshan carry out his plan!
However, no one expected that things would develop to this point. When Murong Yuliang thought of his elder brother's disappointed expression, his heart was broken. If someone else had killed Murong Zhengshan, Murong Yuliang would definitely avenge his nephew and kill his entire family to pay for the blood debt with blood!
But thinking of the mastermind behind the scenes, Murong Yuliang dared not have any thought of revenge, which made him exhausted and wanted to retire!
Seeing her husband who seemed to have aged instantly, Wang felt very distressed and immediately held Murong Yuliang's hand, but Wang still persuaded him:

"Master, you are still in office and it is like this now. What will happen if you retire?"

Hearing this, Murong Yuliang was silent for a moment and then said:

"He didn't kill Lin Huaiwu, so he probably won't touch me either. After all, I've sold my life for him for such a long time!"

Wang continued:

“Even if he doesn’t touch you, do you think Cui Shao will not touch you? He is also a character who will eat people without leaving any bones behind…”

"And if you withdraw, Xiaohui will be alone in the court and Qingwu will be alone in the Ye Mansion. What about Zhe'er and Shengwu? Master, you should think about the family!"

After hearing what Wang said, Murong Yuliang showed a helpless bitter smile on his face, but he never mentioned retirement again!

Seeing this, Wang felt relieved. Although she felt sorry for her husband, she did not want Murong Yuliang to retire at this time!

First of all, the couple have been supporting each other for decades. Wang knew very well that Murong Yuliang’s talk of retirement now was just a momentary outrage after learning that Murong Zhengshan had died!
Although Murong Yuliang is not young anymore, his passion for power has not diminished. Therefore, even after retiring, Murong Yuliang is still depressed and idle at home.

In addition, Wang also had some little thoughts in her mind. She wanted to take advantage of Murong Yuliang's current position to make good arrangements for her and Murong Yuliang's two sons, the brothers Murong Zhe and Murong Shengwu!
Even if Murong Yuliang retired, the Murong family's influence on the political situation would still exist, but having spent most of her life in the circle of power and influence, Wang felt very deeply about the saying "people leave and the tea gets cold". She knew very well that Murong Yuliang being in a position was one thing, and not being in that position was another!

Therefore, Wang hoped that her old man could stay in the position for a few more years, use the power in his hands to arrange his two sons in an orderly manner and then retire, rather than retiring hastily on an impulse...
After a moment of silence, Murong Yuliang told Wang:
"Don't tell Qingwu anything about Zhengshan. Even though she and Zhengshan don't interact much, they are siblings after all, and blood is thicker than water!"

"Qingwu has always been very smart. If she knew about Zhengshan's death, she would definitely think of the Marshal. She would not be able to cope with it. Besides, Qingwu is pregnant now. If she gets emotional, anything could happen!"

Wang nodded and said:

"Master, I understand!"

"But Qingwu is a very smart child. How long can we keep this secret from her?"

Murong Yuliang smiled bitterly and said:

"We'll keep it a secret for as long as we can, at least until Qingwu gives birth to the baby!"

After discussing Murong Zhengshan's affairs, Wang seemed to have thought of something and asked Murong Yuliang with concern:
"Master, how are you going to deal with Sun Jingan's matter? His nephew has been wanting to visit you these days, but I kept stopping him, saying you were busy and not at home!"

Murong Yuliang snorted coldly upon hearing this:

"I am now a clay Buddha who can hardly save myself when crossing the river! How can I handle his affairs? Just deal with it as it should be handled!"

"Lianzhen, you did a great job on this matter. Sun Jingan and I don't have any relationship, and he didn't give me any of the silver he embezzled in Qilu. What does his accident have to do with me?"

“Sun Jing’an came to me only out of desperation. He must have gone to see Lao Cui as well, but Lao Cui is so cunning and will definitely ignore him!” “Lian Zhen, next time his nephew comes to your house, don’t worry about your face and just kick him out. Sun Jing’an won’t be able to stay for a few days, so don’t give him any face when he is a sinner…”

Listening to Murong Yuliang's words, Wang said with some worry:

"Master, this Sun Jing'an has nothing to do with you, but he is very close to Rishengchang. He has helped Rishengchang develop its business in Qilu!"

At this point Wang paused before continuing:
"Master, you know Jiang Yuyan gave me two jade bracelets before. These two jade bracelets are very valuable!"

Upon hearing this, Murong Yuliang fell into deep thought. When Ye Mingsheng issued a license to Rishengchang, Jiang Yuyan came to him and gave him a silver note worth 20,000 taels of silver.

In a society where officials are the most important, if you want to get something done, you will inevitably have to deal with officials. Jiang Yuyan has a clear understanding of her own identity and does not feel that there is any relationship between her and Ye Mingsheng, so she thinks Murong Yuliang can do things for her!

Therefore, Jiang Yuyan hoped to use a silver note of 20,000 taels of silver in exchange for Murong Yuliang's assistance in promoting the business of Rishengchang Bank in Hebei and Henan!
In addition to the silver note of twenty thousand taels of silver, Jiang Yuyan also told Murong Yuliang that as long as Murong Yuliang could take care of her for a day or two, she would reward him handsomely!

However, Jiang Yuyan really underestimated Murong Yuliang. Twenty thousand taels of silver might be a lot for others, but it was not much for Murong Yuliang, who came from a prominent family!

Murong Yuliang knew very well that Ye Mingsheng hated corruption, and many officials of the Fengwu Army fell into this problem. This money was very hot to handle. Moreover, knowing that Jiang Yuyan was Ye Mingsheng's mistress outside, Murong Yuliang politely declined the offer...

Although he politely declined Jiang Yuyan's banknotes, Murong Yuliang also told Jiang Yuyan that as long as Jiang Yuyan could behave herself, complete the tasks assigned to her by the Marshal, and help the Governor do the corresponding work, then he, as the Governor, would definitely provide Rishengchang with conveniences within the scope of the Great Zhou laws.

Seeing that Murong Yuliang refused the silver note she sent and also came up with such a high-sounding excuse, Jiang Yuyan was also very surprised. At first, she instinctively thought that Murong Yuliang thought the silver was too little, so she exchanged it for Murong Yuliang for a silver note of 30,000 taels, and implicitly expressed her difficulties, and said that she would reward him handsomely after Rishengchang Bank developed!

However, when the two met, Murong Yuliang reiterated his position to her, so that Jiang Yuyan believed that Murong Yuliang really did not accept her "gift".

Although she was very surprised that Murong Yuliang did not take the silver, Jiang Yuyan also assured Murong Yuliang that she and Rishengchang Company would firmly cooperate with the work of the Governor's Office and do a good job in savings and providing loans to farmers in Hebei and Henan.

After getting Jiang Yuyan's guarantee, Murong Yuliang did play a certain role in promoting Rishengchang Bank in Hebei and Henan.

Later, when Murong Yuliang's wife Wang celebrated her birthday, Jiang Yuyan gave her a pair of jade bracelets of very good quality...
Murong Yuliang was also a connoisseur of value. He knew that one bracelet might cost more than a thousand taels of silver, and a pair of two would be even more expensive.
Although on the surface Jiang Yuyan said that she and Wang were like mother and daughter, and that this was her way of showing filial respect to Wang as a younger generation, Murong Yuliang knew exactly what Jiang Yuyan meant.

Although Murong Yuliang wanted to return the jade bracelet to Jiang Yuyan, the bracelet was indeed very good. Jade bracelets like this are very attractive to women. His wife Wang liked it very much.

Secondly, Murong Yuliang was also somewhat concerned about Jiang Yuyan's identity. He guessed that Ye Mingsheng had given Jiang Yuyan the task of keeping an eye on him, so he didn't want to make things too awkward between him and Jiang Yuyan. After all, he had already rejected Jiang Yuyan's banknotes, and rejecting the pair of jade bracelets now would be a bit inconsiderate of her face!
Thirdly, although this pair of jade bracelets is precious, even if its value is overestimated, it is no more than three thousand taels of silver!
Although three thousand taels of silver was not a small amount, it was not much for the governor of Jiyu, the Great Zhou Dynasty. It was much worse than the silver note last time. Murong Yuliang estimated that even if Ye Mingsheng knew about it, he would not take it seriously, so he finally accepted the pair of jade bracelets by default...

Judging from the way Jiang Yuyan treated him, Murong Yuliang felt that since Sun Jingan had helped Rishengchang Bank develop in Qi and Lu, it was very likely that Jiang Yuyan had taken care of Sun Jingan!

Although he was not very familiar with Sun Jingan, Hebei, Henan and Qi and Lu, the two bordering areas, had a lot of exchanges since ancient times, so Murong Yuliang had heard of some of Sun Jingan's practices!

After taking office as the governor of Qi and Lu, Sun Jing'an made a lot of efforts for the development of Qi and Lu, achieved good results and effectively improved the living standards of the people of Qi and Lu!

But Sun Jing'an also took a lot of silver. According to some rumors, Murong Yuliang felt that this old man, the current silver, land, houses, etc., all added up to a minimum of 100,000 taels.
In addition, Sun Jing'an took a lot from his followers. Murong Yuliang estimated that the total amount of all the people he collected was definitely two or three hundred thousand. If he dug deeper, the possibility of half a million taels was not small!

If the amount was not so huge, Murong Yuliang felt that Ye Mingsheng would not touch him now. After all, Sun Jingan was a typical example of surrendering to the Fengwu Army. Touching him would inevitably make people feel like killing the donkey after it has served its purpose!

But now Jiangnan, Huainan, Guanzhong and other places have just returned to the throne, and a large number of officials have not yet truly returned to the Yijing court...
Therefore, if we take action against Sun Jingan now, even if the reasons are sufficient and the evidence is solid, it will definitely have a significant negative impact!
But thinking carefully, Murong Yuliang felt that it was almost inevitable that Ye Mingsheng would move against Sun Jingan. After all, Ye Mingsheng had just given a large reward to the Fengwu Army interest group, giving them a "collective dividend".

Now the treasury of the Yijing court is empty, and the debt of the Dadongsheng Company is so high that the interest on the bonds alone would cost hundreds of thousands of taels of silver every year!
Ye Mingsheng also gave tax-free policies to places like Huainan, Jingchu, Guanzhong, etc., so naturally he had to catch a few fat sheep to make up for the deficit!
After thinking this through, Murong Yuliang had nothing to worry about. After all, the two jade bracelets were worth no more than three thousand taels. He believed that Ye Mingsheng would not punish him for such a small amount of money!

Wang seemed to see Murong Yuliang's "indifference" and hesitated for a moment but still threw an explosive news to Murong Yuliang.

Upon hearing this news, Murong Yuliang was stunned for a moment and then said to Wang angrily:

"Why are you telling me such an important thing only now?"

Seeing Murong Yuliang's big reaction, Wang said with some regret:
"Mrs. Liu only mentioned it to me at the time, and I wasn't sure. Plus, I thought it had nothing to do with us, so I didn't tell you, Master..."

(End of this chapter)