usatvline Chapter 70 Changsun Wuji's Cunning
Chapter 70 Changsun Wuji's Cunning
Changsun Wuji picked up the teacup and took another sip.
Thinking of that old scoundrel Cheng Yaojin, I couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Only those who have dealt with this person truly understand how difficult he is. He's utterly unscrupulous; neither being soft nor hard-lined works.
Of course, they are not enemies in the true sense; their goals overlap to some extent, but are quite different to others.
The overlapping parts allowed them to cooperate; the different parts allowed them to make their own plans in private.
The boy in Lantian Farm happened to trigger both of these threads simultaneously.
The young man's medical skills alleviated the Empress's chronic illness. A condition that the Imperial Medical Academy couldn't cure, he stabilized with just a few doses of medicine.
This skill directly earned him weight in His Majesty's heart—not just because His Majesty appreciated him.
More importantly, it was because he did something that no one else could do: he saved the person His Majesty cared about most.
And it was precisely this weight that took away what he, Changsun Wuji, had monopolized for twenty years of imperial favor.
Even if it's not all, taking just a small portion is still like snatching food from a tiger's mouth. How could a tiger allow scraps of meat to fall from its mouth?
The young man's brewing skills created a spirit unlike anything Chang'an had ever seen. I had tasted it myself at Cheng Yaojin's banquet, and it was indeed extraordinary.
Now, Cheng Chumo has become his agent, Cheng Yaojin has become his protector, and Yuchi Gong, Qin Shubao, Fang Xuanling and others have also become his clients.
A profit chain centered on alcohol is being quietly woven.
With each additional link added to this chain, the boy's influence increased, and naturally, Cheng Yaojin's influence within the Guanzhong Plain also rose accordingly.
This is what truly bothers him.
He cannot move the boy, nor can he move him for the time being. Not because he cannot, but because it is not worth it.
His Majesty is watching the farm, Cheng Yaojin is protecting the official road, and the five clans and seven families are eyeing the Guanzhong Plain with covetous intent, waiting to seize any leverage over it.
Making a move at this time, regardless of success or failure, would be a foolish move that would result in significant self-inflicted damage.
Changsun Wuji was no reckless man. What he was waiting for was a more suitable opportunity, a more reliable entry point, and a method that would allow him to turn the tide without getting his hands dirty.
He needs someone who can do things for him openly.
This person cannot be from within the Guanzhong region, because if anyone within Guanzhong were to harm that young man, it would escalate into internal strife within Guanzhong, which His Majesty absolutely cannot tolerate.
Ideally, this person should have no connection with Guanzhong, yet hold sufficient influence in the court to legitimately intervene in this matter.
His first thought was of those old foxes from the Five Clans and Seven Families. But then he shook his head.
The five surnames and seven clans were his opponents, the opponents of the entire Guanlong group. He, Changsun Wuji, would never do something as self-destructive as using his opponent's knife to cut the meat on his own plate.
Uniting with the enemy against one's own people, even if victorious, would make the entire Guanzhong region look at him with suspicion and cause His Majesty to utterly lose faith in him. This is not scheming, but a matter of strategic vision.
He had no personal grudge against that boy.
He even greatly admired this capable person—a young man from a collateral branch of the family who had no parents, yet managed to enter the sights of the powerful and wealthy in Chang'an with his medical and agricultural skills. Anyone would say that he was remarkable.
Moreover, whether from a personal or public perspective, he should thank this young man.
Personally, he saved his own sister. Publicly, he saved the Empress.
But while appreciation and gratitude are important, stance is also important.
His goal was to regain the Emperor's favor, prevent Cheng Yaojin's scheme from expanding too quickly, and bring this variable back under control.
He didn't want to destroy the boy; he wanted to determine whose chessboard this piece would ultimately land on.
Ideally, the goal would be to move this piece from Cheng Yaojin's chessboard to his own.
If not, then render this piece worthless in everyone's eyes.
He picked up the teacup again and found that the tea had gone cold.
He didn't call for someone to change the tea; he simply held the cold porcelain bowl, feeling the coolness spread from his palm to his fingertips.
Cheng Yaojin understood him. Just as he understood Cheng Yaojin. They had secretly fought for half their lives, and also cooperated and endured hardship together for half their lives.
They both know where each other's bottom line is, and they both know what they can and cannot do.
Ultimately, this incident was a covert power struggle within the Guanzhong Plain.
Cheng Yaojin wanted to protect the young man and use his strength to solidify the Cheng family's position in the Guanzhong Plain's newly rich circle.
Changsun Wuji needed to rein in the situation and prevent anyone from undermining the Changsun family's standing in His Majesty's eyes.
They might vie for power behind the scenes, yet stand side by side in public. This has always been the way of things in the court, or rather, in politics.
As for the boy himself—he admitted he was somewhat curious.
Personally, he was grateful to the young man, after all, he had cured his only younger sister.
That person was both his blood relative and his backer.
But the thought of another thing gave him an even bigger headache.
He went to great lengths to ensure that his eldest son, Changsun Chong, would marry Princess Changle; it was never a simple matter of marriage alliance or seeking personal gain.
He knew that imperial favor was hard to pass on to future generations, and only through blood-related marriage could the emperor's absolute trust in him be continued to the next generation of the Changsun family.
Only in this way could the Changsun family, generation after generation, hold onto this most precious imperial trust, ensuring their eternal prosperity and never declining.
Moreover, at present, Crown Prince Li Chengqian is of pure and good character, and Prince Wei Li Tai is humble and studious. The two brothers are deeply affectionate and accompany each other day and night. There is no doubt that they have no rivalry for the throne, not even the slightest bit of grudge. The foundation of the court is as stable as Mount Tai.
He should seize this opportunity to solidify the bond between the Changsun family and the imperial family, nipping any potential disruptive changes in the bud.
But now, his entire plan has been completely shattered by an unknown country boy.
Now Princess Chang Le runs to him all the time.
If you were to say that Princess Chang Le had no feelings for this young man, no one would believe it.
He knew his niece, Chang Le, very well.
"Dignified, virtuous, knowledgeable and reasonable" are not enough to describe her.
Such a person frequently visits the place of a strange man; the outcome is self-evident.
What kind of person is he who can cure the empress, brew an unparalleled wine, make Cheng Yaojin and his son serve him willingly, and also win the favor of a remarkable woman like Chang Le?
Is he a true hermit, or someone who keeps his abilities hidden? Was it just good luck that he stumbled upon a stroke of good fortune, or was every step calculated?
He hoped it would be the latter. Because only when you're sparring with smart people is winning or losing meaningful.
Changsun Wuji drank the cooled tea in one gulp and picked up today's memorial.
His handwriting was as neat as ever, and his expression as calm as ever.
No one knows what he was thinking.