Chapter 35: No Visitors
“Please inform the Prince that Duke Rui’s Ma Ku has come to pay a visit with his son, Ma Yu,” Ma Ku said as he slipped some loose silver into the hand of the doorman at Prince Zhuang’s mansion.
However, the doorman quickly pushed his hand away, saying, “Lord Ma, my prince is not in the residence.”
The doorman’s righteous attitude made Ma Ku’s heart sink; he felt something was amiss.
He wasn’t afraid that the doorman wouldn’t do his job after being paid; he was more worried that the doorman refused the money, indicating that there were orders from above deliberately denying him entry.
“Then may I ask where the prince has gone and when he might return?” Ma Ku pressed, already feeling hopeless.
“I wouldn’t know. I’m just a doorman; how could I dare investigate the prince’s whereabouts?” The doorman’s reply was reasonable enough that Ma Ku couldn’t press the matter further.
“I kindly ask you to help us out. We’ll wait here for the prince,” Ma Ku was unwilling to give up. Previously, it might have been nothing, but after observing the doorman’s attitude, it was clear this matter was more significant.
“Please, Lord Ma, it’s better for you to leave. Wait for another day; if you linger here, it won’t reflect well on my prince,” the doorman insisted.
Listening to their conversation, Ma Yu’s temper flared, especially at the doorman’s evasive tone.
“You dog servant, my father is a third-rank Fierce General in the court, and my Ma family is of Duke Rui’s lineage. Who do you think you are?”
Before Ma Yu could finish, Ma Ku slapped him across the face. It was clear that the young master had become spoiled by the women in the inner court and was careless in his speech.
“Come on, Lord Ma, if your young master looks down on our Prince Zhuang’s mansion, it’s best not to linger here,” the doorman said, his expression unpleased. Was the Prince Zhuang’s mansion not worthy of respect just because it wasn’t the imperial family? Ma Ku’s face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment; how dare a mere servant show him such disrespect?
But being an adult, he understood the stakes and had to hold back. “In that case, I’ll come again another day to greet Prince Zhuang.”
Saying this, he took the bewildered Ma Yu, who had just been slapped, and left in their sedan chair.
Inside the mansion, the steward stepped out. “You did well. A mere fallen noble family dares to provoke our prince; they really don’t know what’s good for them.”
He had witnessed the whole scene from the start; the doorman’s actions were certainly ordered by him. How could their prince be expected to hold discussions with the Duke Ma’s family? After saying this, the steward turned and went back to inform Wang Li.
“Haha, this old man dreams too beautifully. If it weren’t for the Duke Ma’s background and the favor of the emperor, with such a temperament, he would have been swallowed up long ago,” Wang Li sneered.
He had initially thought Ma Yu was just a frivolous young heir who would dare to confront Chen Xiyi only out of pride in front of young women, but he didn’t expect him to truly have a fiery temperament.
If such a character were among the wandering heroes, he might consider recruiting him, but in a noble family, that was not necessarily a good sign.
Now, the Duke Ma’s household had only a nominal third-rank Fierce General left. After Ma Ku’s death, it seemed Ma Yu would inherit the position, but it would likely be reduced to a fourth-rank nominal title.
Of course, this was assuming the title could be smoothly inherited in the first place.
Ma Yu didn’t understand that the reason their Ma family could navigate relationships so well wasn’t due to the third-rank general, but rather because of the noble title they held.
“Your Highness, here is the intelligence that I had the servants gather for you. The Ma family is already in a dire situation, and it has been confirmed that the head matron is lending money.” The steward handed over a confidential report.
After Wang Li briefly scanned the report, he noted that the lending was a minor issue, but the information that followed was significant. He then said, “I didn’t expect that the governor of Nanxuan, Chen Hua, is actually being backed by Ma Ku. However, Chen Hua does not seem to be a good person either; he somehow convinced Ma Ku to help him submit an official petition.”
“However, this local governor is within his means to manipulate. Given the current situation, he certainly has ulterior motives, but it seems that Chen Hua is…”
Looking at the corresponding classified report, Wang Li discovered that even though Chen Hua had risen due to the backing of Ma Ku from the Duke Ma’s residence, his nature was that of a shrewd and sophisticated individual.
In other words, he was adept at understanding the context and knowing when to advance or retreat.
Wang Li continued to sift through the intelligence in hand and noticed the intersections between various families and the Duke Ma’s residence. For example, some families were sending their daughters to be raised within the Duke’s residence, which were the noble young ladies he had previously seen.
These unmarried girls spent their days playing and frolicking with Ma Yu, resembling a childhood bond.
But with the number increasing, the implications changed.
“Prepare the palanquin; I need to enter the palace to meet the Emperor.” After reading the classified report, Wang Li tucked it away and said.
This matter could be planned, but for it to be executed, the approval of the Emperor was necessary.
After all, this was a noble family; even if they had fallen, he could not easily provoke them.
The noble families were not limited to just the Duke Ma’s residence; it was an interest group. If he wished to act against the Duke’s residence, he would first need to sever their interests.
However, Wang Li did not intend to act too harshly, at most causing the Duke’s residence to suffer a major setback. If they understood the situation, then it would end there. But if they didn’t, then it would depend on how stubborn Ma Yu was and when he would choose to relent.
“Yes, Your Highness.” The steward naturally understood what Wang Li intended to do.
As a staunch imperialist, Wang Li needed to communicate and exchange ideas with the Emperor regarding matters targeting the Duke Ma’s residence to ascertain the Emperor’s specific stance.
The steward went out to make arrangements, while Wang Li remained deep in thought about how to present his case to the Emperor.
This matter could be considered personal to him, and the benefits would naturally be his as well. But he still needed to provide an account to the Emperor; otherwise, it could become a problematic situation.
Serving the Emperor was akin to being with a tiger, which was inevitable. If he took benefits, he certainly had to give the Emperor something in return.
However, the issue was that the only benefit he currently had was a magic sword.
Therefore, he had to find a way to relinquish power or other interests.
Since no one was aware of the existence of the magic sword, Wang Li quickly devised an excuse, using Chen Xiyi as a façade.
Thus, this matter needed to be communicated truthfully, with only the details about the sword obscured to ensure things went much more smoothly.
Wang Li speculated that the Emperor would surely not mind trading the Duke Ma’s residence for the goodwill of Immortal Fuyaozi. After all, the Duke’s residence had already fallen into decline and held little value, making it an easy target. It would also serve as a warning to other noble families, effectively achieving multiple objectives simultaneously.
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