“Your Majesty, Wang Ben, pays his respects!”
Xianyang City!
Within the residence of the Grand Marshal!
As Ying Su arrived, the Marquis of Tongwu, Wang Ben, had already opened the gate and, together with his entire family, began to greet Ying Su with utmost respect.
However, after glancing at the family members behind Wang Ben, Ying Su did not find Wang Jian among them. He instantly understood the reason.
Old Wang Jian!
The cunning old fox!
While others were eager to involve themselves in court affairs, always hoping to leverage them to secure benefits for their families and ensure their prosperity,
this fellow had always been reluctant to participate in court politics. Even when Ying Zheng wished for him to participate, he was always refused.
If Ying Zheng pressed him a little harder, he would feign helplessness, “Your Majesty, I, an old man, have dedicated my entire life to fighting for the Qin Dynasty. Now, I am old and simply desire peace and quiet. Can't you let me enjoy my retirement in peace?”
After hearing such words, who would dare to push him further?
To this, Ying Zheng felt incredibly helpless!
Furthermore, Wang Jian not only refrained from participating in court affairs.
He also kept himself aloof from the power struggles among the various princes!
The Wang family, let alone maintaining any connections with any specific prince, had never even shown any favoritism towards the eldest prince, Fusu!
And the reason behind all this was quite clear!
For others, it was necessary to choose sides early on and curry favor with the princes.
This way, once a particular prince ascended the throne, those who had aligned themselves beforehand could reap immense benefits!
But for the Wang family, there was absolutely no need for such things!
As Wang Jian had reprimanded Wang Ben, saying:
“This Qin Dynasty, half of it was built upon the efforts of our Wang family. Qin defeated the Six Kingdoms, and our Wang family destroyed five of them. Currently, our Wang family has already reached the pinnacle of success!”
“As long as the Qin Dynasty stands, our Wang family will never fall. Competing for fame and fortune is for others. What does it have to do with our Wang family?”
“The wealth we have accumulated now is enough to last ten lifetimes, even twenty lifetimes, if you will!”
“We no longer need to compete for fame and fortune. To further elevate our status would be utterly ridiculous!”
“You, Wang Ben, just need to safeguard this legacy!”
Were Wang Jian's reprimands valid?
In Ying Su's opinion, they were absolutely valid!
Because choosing sides meant potentially choosing the wrong side, while abstaining from choosing sides meant staying safe!
And once the wrong side was chosen, it could lead to a catastrophic outcome.
It could very well result in the Wang family's hard-earned legacy crumbling to dust in an instant.
Sigh!
Old Wang Jian was truly clever!
He was indeed a cunning old fox!
However, despite understanding all this, Ying Su still feigned ignorance and asked, “Is the old General not at home?”
Wang Ben bowed and wept,
“My father is at home, but his illness is severe. He is currently bedridden and unable to rise.”
Ying Su was shocked,
“Oh? The old General is seriously ill? How come I have no idea? Quickly, take me to visit the old General!”
Wang Ben bowed again, “Your Majesty, the physician has instructed that my father's illness is serious and no one should disturb him. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!”
He finished speaking and then kowtowed deeply!
Ying Su took a deep breath and sighed, “Alright!”
As he spoke, he followed Wang Ben towards the main hall.
After settling down, Wang Ben ordered servants to bring fine wine and delicacies, while he stood silently by the side, not uttering a word.
In the end, it was Ying Su who broke the silence. He turned to Wang Ben and said, “Wang Ben, I have a matter I would like to entrust to you!”
Wang Ben bowed respectfully, “Your Majesty, please speak. Wang Ben would gladly give his life for the sake of the Emperor!”
Ying Su said, “I want you to help me find a few individuals. Their names and origins are all listed here!”
As he spoke, Ying Su pulled out a piece of cloth from his bosom and placed it before Wang Ben.
Wang Ben glanced at the names on it and was completely dumbfounded!
Pei County: Xiao He, Fan Kuai, Lu Wan, Cao Can…
Wei Nan: Han Xin…
He read through the names, his brows furrowing.
He couldn't fathom why Ying Su would seek out these individuals, nor why Ying Su would entrust this task to him, Wang Ben.
However… remembering Wang Jian's instructions, he readily agreed, “This subject… obeys!”
“Alright, since you have agreed, I won't bother you further. I shall be on my way!”
“This subject sees Your Majesty off!”
Wang Ben said as he bowed, simultaneously walking towards the entrance to bid farewell to Ying Su.
But… just as they stepped out of the main hall, Ying Su suddenly stopped, “Your Majesty, can I not at least visit the old General?”
Wang Ben hurriedly bowed, “The physician has instructed that no one is to visit my father, otherwise, it might worsen his condition!”
“Oh! If that is the case, then I won't visit. However, I can just stay outside the house, by the gate, and offer my greetings to the old General, wouldn't that be alright?”
“The old General is the first great hero of our Qin Dynasty. Without him, the unification of the Qin Dynasty would have been delayed indefinitely!”
“As a junior, it is my duty to express my filial piety by guarding his window when he is ill. Currently, even if I cannot visit him, I should at least offer my greetings in person!”
Ying Su spoke with sincerity.
Wang Ben felt awkward, but in the end, he had no choice. Ying Su's words were filled with genuine sentiment, and he was, after all, the Emperor. If he didn't even grant this simple request, wouldn't that amount to disrespect?
His father's intention was not for him to offend this new Emperor but to refrain from seeking favor and avoid choosing sides!
After another brief moment of contemplation, he finally nodded, “Yes!”
Then, he led Ying Su to the entrance of Wang Jian's sickroom.
Even from the doorway, Ying Su could hear the intense coughing from within, accompanied by intermittent sounds of back-patting!
Ying Su felt heartbroken. Finally, he bowed outside the room, calling out loudly, “Your junior, Ying Su, has come to visit the old General and pay his respects!”
As he spoke, he bowed deeply towards the door of Wang Jian's room!
The only response from within was a fit of coughs.
Ying Su felt unsatisfied and bowed again, calling out, “Your junior, Ying Su, greets the old General and pays his respects!”
He bowed again after finishing his words!
And again, only a fit of coughs came from within!
Ying Su was about to bow once more, but Wang Ben stopped him, “Your Majesty, my father's hearing has been impaired since his illness. I will find an opportunity to convey your greetings later!”
“Wang Ben, thank you for Your Majesty's concern!”
He finished speaking and, together with his entire family, bowed deeply three times to Ying Su!
“Alright!”
Ying Su nodded and then indicated that he would later send some precious medicinal herbs, etc.
Wang Ben bowed again in gratitude and expressed that once his father's condition improved, they would definitely go to the palace to express their thanks!
Thus, the two exchanged pleasantries and walked outside.
Inside Wang Jian's residence, a few moments after Ying Su's departure, Wang Jian's room was finally quiet. The coughing had ceased.
In its place came Wang Lan's fit of laughter.
“You little wretch! Laugh, laugh, laugh! If you laugh any more, grandpa will beat you!”
Wang Jian fumed, his beard twitching.
Wang Lan continued to laugh, “Grandpa, your acting was superb. I really thought you were actually sick. It seems you have been feigning illness quite a bit!”
Wang Lan laughed so hard that she couldn't stop.
Wang Jian shook his head repeatedly.
Just then, Wang Ben entered. Seeing Wang Lan laughing, he immediately glared at her.
Wang Lan was immediately terrified, shrinking her neck.
Wang Jian loved her, but her father, Wang Ben, was not as indulgent. If she misbehaved, she would inevitably receive a severe beating!
Therefore, she was afraid of Wang Ben.
However, the two paid no attention to her. After sending her away, Wang Jian asked Wang Ben,
“What did he say when he came?”
Wang Ben handed the list to Wang Jian, “He said he wanted to find these people. I can't understand what he has up his sleeve.”
Wang Jian looked at the list, his brow furrowed deeply. He couldn't understand why Ying Su would seek out these individuals either. After a moment of contemplation, he said,
“This man is currently a dangerous figure. The First Emperor, Ying Zheng, will never be content to simply abdicate the throne. Sooner or later, he will return. Regarding this man, our Wang family's stance remains the same: do not get too close, do not stay too far away. Maintain a lukewarm relationship with him.”
“Based on our Wang family's prestige and merit, as long as we do not make any mistakes in choosing sides, we will never face a serious threat.”
“As for these individuals, find them for him, but you are not suitable to go yourself. Let Wang Li go instead. Call Li Xin's son as well. The two of them going together will avoid any gossip.”
“Yes!”
Wang Ben left.
....................
On the streets of Xianyang City!
Ying Su was walking back to the palace, feeling rather dejected.
His visit to Li Si's residence had yielded significant results.
But his visit to Wang Jian's residence had been a complete waste of time.
Old Wang Jian was too cunning and didn't want anything to do with him.
But he was not a pushover!
You don't want to have anything to do with me? So be it!
I'll have your Wang family do me favors, let the entire world know that your Wang family is working for me, and I'll see if you can avoid any involvement!
That's right, the purpose of having Wang Ben find Xiao He and the others was precisely this!
However… would it be effective?
As Ying Su pondered in his heart, suddenly, a slender young woman appeared before him, gazing at him with curiosity,
“You… are Ying Su?”
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