Chapter 818
Watching the Show
Taotie Restaurant was very particular; they arranged a large private room for them, and two waiters surrounded them, serving them their orders.
After listening to the menu for a while, Pan Yun looked directly at Pan Yu and said, "Second Brother, you order."
Pan Yu is very knowledgeable about food and drinks; he knows everything about Taotie Tower.
Even if he had never been here.
He wasn't intimidated and ordered a bunch of dishes according to everyone's preferences, along with some sweet drinks, but no alcohol.
He said with great regret, "It's a pity that my father had to work overtime, and he never got to eat at Taotielou."
Pan Yun: "I'll pack one for him to take back later."
She got up, walked to the window, opened it, and looked down. The area below had returned to calm.
Wang Tianyi had already been dragged away, and the middle-aged man dressed in noble clothes also left surrounded by guards.
The innkeeper stood at the door, bowing and apologizing. Outside the private rooms, the sounds of waiters going up and down could be heard, seemingly checking the situation in each room.
Pan Jun's lips curled slightly as she closed the window again: "This Taotie Tower is quite nice."
Back at his palace, Prince Xiang thought differently; even now, he still felt lingering fear.
As soon as he entered the room, he took off his outer robe and angrily threw it at his attendant. He sat down fumingly and said, "What a nuisance! I rarely feel like going out for a stroll, but I've run into this mess. Where is he? Is he awake? Was it an accident, or was it done on purpose?"
"Your Highness, we have investigated and found out that this person is Wang Ji's nephew, named Wang Tianyi. The person who saved Your Highness is Pan Yun, the daughter of the Right Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, who is also a Taoist priest from Sanqing Mountain."
The Prince of Xiang frowned slightly: "Is it Pan Yun, who has been making headlines lately for his campaign against pirates at sea, the discovery of the silver mine, and his advocacy for the court to reopen the sea ban?"
"Yes."
"Isn't she a Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain? How did she become a priest from Sanqing Mountain?"
“She studied at the Longhushan Confucian Temple, but she was indeed a disciple of the Sanqing Mountain.”
The King of Xiang rubbed his forehead: "None of that matters. What happened to Wang Tianyi? Did he fall down by accident?"
He was so angry at the time that he felt he was committing suicide and trying to drag others down with him. But he calmed down a lot on the way back. He thought that if someone could eat on the fifth floor of Taotie Restaurant, they must be very wealthy. Why would they want to kill themselves?
King Xiang: "Did I accidentally injure an innocent person? Or was he perhaps murdered?"
The King of Xiang thought, what if Wang Tianyi was framed and fell from the building, and then beaten up like that by him...
Fortunately, the guards quickly dispelled King Xiang's guilt.
"I've inquired and found that Wang Tianyi intended to commit suicide. We've also investigated Taotie Tower. He was dining on the fourth floor, but after getting drunk, he secretly climbed up to the fifth floor, found an empty private room, and climbed out the window. There were only traces of him inside."
The King of Xiang immediately abandoned his sympathy and slammed his hand on the armrest: "Investigate for me!"
Although the King of Xiang had not returned to the capital for a long time, it was not difficult for him to investigate these matters. In particular, he went directly to the palace to file a complaint and asked the emperor to investigate.
The emperor didn't even need to investigate; upon hearing that Wang Tianyi had committed suicide by jumping off a building, he immediately thought of Wang Ji.
When Wang Ji received the news at home, he was furious.
"Utterly foolish!" Wang Ji was furious, pacing back and forth. "Is he trying to take all the blame? He's clearly forcing me to protect his family! Does he think that will protect the Wang family, protect his branch of the family? Foolish, foolish!"
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. He committed suicide out of fear of punishment, burying the truth. The facts can only be left to the three judicial authorities and…
He paused, then lowered his voice and said, "The truth can only be left for the Three Departments and His Majesty to say. At that time, not only his branch of the royal family, but the entire royal family will be in danger!"
"What should we do?" Wang Ji closed his eyes tightly, sat there blankly for a long time, and finally said, "Prepare the horses. I need to go to the regimental camp to train the soldiers early tomorrow morning."
Lady Wang exclaimed in surprise: "Training troops at this time..."
Wang Ji: "My only use is to lead troops and reorganize military affairs. As long as I am still useful, His Majesty will always make an exception for me."
Wang Ji looked as if he had aged ten years.
He said helplessly, "I wanted to retire while I was still young, but alas, alas..."
Sweat beaded on Wang Ji's forehead, tears welling in his eyes. He could only suppress his anger: "I have to train the troops, I have to vent my frustration, otherwise, even if I don't die on the battlefield, I'll die of anger."
Madam Wang: ...
“Take back all the businesses in Jiangnan and stop getting involved in maritime trade,” Wang Ji said. “They have already achieved wealth and honor, so let them be content.”
Madam Wang said, "If people could be content, there wouldn't be so much fighting in this world. You want to take back the business and maritime trade, but you don't know how many people in the clan rely on this for a living and to make a fortune. Do you think they will listen to us?"
She said, "If they were obedient, Wang Tianyi wouldn't have acted recklessly."
Wang Ji said coldly, "I have already made one wrong step, and I will never make a second one. Anyone who refuses to back down, tear them all apart. If they can't be torn apart, we will separate our branch into a separate family tree."
Madam Wang looked at him in surprise.
Seeing her husband's somber expression, she knew he was telling the truth.
Lady Wang grew worried: "You're going to train troops at this time, could it be that you're asking to go to war? Is there going to be another battle somewhere?"
Wang Ji: "The Battle of Luchuan..."
Madam Wang's expression changed: "Why is it the Battle of Luchuan again? If this continues, you'll be infamous in the court."
Wang Ji sighed: "How could I not know? Madam, I am also a civil official. How could I not know what they are thinking? The Battle of Luchuan did indeed cost us a lot, but the gains were not much. But I had no choice but to fight this battle."
“First, His Majesty wants to establish his imperial authority, and this is his request. A loyal subject should not refuse. Second, the Ming Dynasty needs to establish its national prestige. If the Ming Dynasty falls, Burma, Mong Bang, Cheli, and Babai will covet it. Showing weakness to small barbarians is not the best policy.” Wang Ji paused and then said, “Originally there was no third point, but now we must add a third point. In the face of such a thing, only if I am still useful on the battlefield can the Wang family be saved.”
Madam Wang: "Didn't you already decide to retire..."
Wang Ji lowered his head: "I wanted to retire while I was still at the peak of my career, but the time was not right."
Madam Wang held his hand, and the couple supported each other silently for a moment. She was the first to come to her senses and stood up, saying, "Husband, please focus on handling matters outside. Leave the clan affairs to me. You are right. It is time to separate them and let each family live their own lives. If they continue to crowd together, they will become too powerful to control and will cause great trouble in the future."
Her face turned cold, and she said in a deep voice, "They think we'll make one mistake after another, but we'll not let them have their way. Even if the path is difficult, we will forge a way to get back on track."
Wang Ji smiled and squeezed her hand, saying with relief, "That's exactly right! With you here, I feel at ease."
The next morning, Wang Ji went to the military camp to train the troops. Madam Wang first went to appease Wang Tianyi's family, then packed gifts to apologize at the Prince of Xiang's residence, and then wrote a letter to the clan elders, inviting them to organize the heads of each branch of the family to come to the capital to see her...
Pan Yun watched with great interest the commotion caused by her palm strike. While the court was abuzz with the case of the corpse pit at the Ji'an Sanjing Villa and the case of the interception of the envoy at sea, she was happily squatting with her second senior brother, eating tofu pudding.
Enjoying delicious food while watching the ups and downs of Beijing is quite a pleasant experience.
"Indeed, the best way to enjoy a melon is to watch from the sidelines." (End of Chapter)