Song Chu: Dad, if you don't work hard, how can I just lie down and relax?

Chapter 11 The Wang Family Father and Son: First Signs of Talent

After washing up, Wang Jun put on a crimson-trimmed blue round-necked blouse, and Han Ling'er put on a pomegranate-colored skirt. Together they led Wang Lu to the main hall to pay respects to his parents-in-law, Han Tong, and his wife, Jiang.

Han Tong valued Wang Jun highly, so he woke up early and had his wife sit with him. His eldest son, Han Wei, sat on his left, while his concubine, Liu Shi, who was Han Ling'er's birth mother, stood behind Jiang Shi. When she saw Wang Jun bring Wang Lu in, she instinctively frowned.

Being a woman, even though she knew that Wang Jun and his son were talents valued by Han Tong, she was still quite dissatisfied with this son-in-law.

After all, they are a bit old, and they are not a good match in terms of age. He already has a son who is the eldest legitimate son, and even if his daughter gives birth to a son, he will be the second legitimate son.

I heard that kid named Wang Lu is quite something. Even Han Wei suffered because of him. But the more remarkable the kid is, the harder it is to be a stepmother, isn't it?

It would be better to marry a child from an ordinary middle-class family, or a military officer in his twenties with no special background, and live a normal, peaceful life.

"Your son-in-law greets your father-in-law and mother-in-law." Wang Jun looked somewhat shy as he knelt and bowed respectfully. After rising, he nodded to Madam Liu, then smiled and cupped his hands to Han Wei.

Liu could only nod and smile in response, but she couldn't help feeling more and more miserable that she didn't even have a seat or a proper bow.

Wang Lu then knelt down and kowtowed to everyone in turn: "Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, and Fifth Aunt, I wish Grandpa good health, victory in every battle, and a triumphant return! I wish Grandma good food and sleep, happiness every day, and a long and blessed life!"

Han Tong and Madam Jiang were very satisfied. Han Tong knew that Wang Lu was actually quite shrewd despite his young age, and he couldn't help but feel happy. He took out a large piece of gold and stuffed it directly into Wang Lu's hand, saying:

"Good child, this money is your allowance from your grandfather. Buy whatever you want. Ask your grandfather for more when you run out. Don't be shy."

Jiang smiled and gave Wang Lu a jade pendant. Wang Lu couldn't tell what material it was, or whether it was good or bad, but he just happily accepted it. He then took out a jade bracelet and put it on Han Ling'er's wrist. Han Ling'er smiled and said, "Thank you, Mother."

This only fueled Liu's growing resentment. She smiled outwardly, but inwardly thought: "That little bastard is so opportunistic! He won't even say me a single auspicious word!"

Han Wei snorted coldly, her face full of resentment as she looked at Wang Jun. She gritted her teeth, and seeing the bruises on his face, she knew that Han Tong had really beaten him yesterday, and quite badly at that. But she was afraid that he would hold a grudge against Wang Lu and even Wang Jun for the beating.

Wang Lu wasn't afraid of him at all. Instead, he grinned and reached out his hand, saying, "Does Uncle have a gift for me?"

"snort."

Han Wei snorted, and then actually took out a large bead and handed it to Wang Lu, saying, "This was prepared for you a long time ago."

Then he took out a jade thimble and gave it to Han Ling'er, saying, "This is for Ling'er. I specially asked a craftsman to make it for you."

"Thank you, brother." Han Ling'er was overjoyed and held the thimble with great delight.

Han Tong laughed heartily: "Good, good, good! I, Old Han, am very satisfied with this marriage! Haha, now that we're all family, it's time to say some family words."

My dear son-in-law, I know you are a capable man. What are your plans for the future? If you need any help from our family, please don't hesitate to ask. We're family, so let's not be formal with each other.

"Yes, father-in-law, I'm thinking... if you could sponsor me some money, I'd like to start a workshop."

I've heard that my father-in-law is the foremost expert in civil engineering in our Great Song Dynasty. He's extremely familiar with all kinds of projects, large and small, in the army, and knows exactly which families have carpenters and which have bricklayers. I've heard you know all about them.

When this was mentioned, Han Tong stroked his beard and smiled smugly: "I, Han, dare not say anything else. When it comes to fighting, there may be many people in the world who are better than me. But when it comes to engineering, I am second to none."

The casting of the Yinshui River, the dredging of the Hulu River, and even the entire Hebei border defense, and even the present-day city of Kaifeng, were all built by me, Old Han, leading the construction. We mobilized 100,000 laborers, and everyone said that such a massive project couldn't be completed in less than two or three years.

As a result, I took the lead, sleeping on the construction site every night, and in just six months, I expanded Kaifeng. Since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, what project wasn't I the one who did it? That's why the late emperor relied on me so much, entrusting me with the affairs of state on his deathbed.

But Wang Lu laughed and said, "That's why Grandpa got the nickname 'Han the Stare-Out,' which caused your army's morale to waver and the people's hearts to be unsettled. Is this nickname a good one?"

Before his death, the late emperor specially summoned you back to the capital and even specially promoted your maternal grandfather to the position of Grand Councilor, placing him above Grand Commandant Zhao. Wasn't this because the late emperor knew that you were not popular with the army and posed no threat to the Great Zhou dynasty, so he wanted you to keep the truly threatening Grand Commandant Zhao in check?

Han Tong was taken aback by these words, and his face immediately turned ugly: "You brat, are you saying that I, Old Han, am not popular with the troops?"

"Isn't that right?"

Wang Lu was not afraid at all. Instead, he spoke eloquently, saying, "There are some things I would never dare to say when I call you Grand Commandant. But yesterday, you asked me to call you Grandfather. Since it's Grandfather and family talk, I have no choice but to say it. If Grandfather doesn't like to hear it, I can just call you back to Grand Commandant."

"Good rascal, you've got guts! Tell me then, how have I lost the hearts of the army? Speak boldly, it doesn't matter if you're wrong, children speak without thinking, and as your grandfather, I naturally won't hold it against my grandson."

As he spoke, Han Tong glanced at Wang Jun, and seeing that Wang Jun seemed to have a look of surprise on his face, he was secretly alarmed.

[Could it be that Wang Jun didn't teach him to say these things? This kid... he's not even a kid anymore!]

Wang Lu spoke eloquently, saying, "Grandpa, your approach to engineering can be summed up in four words: fast and good."

"It seems that in the second year, you first built Jing'an City, which prevented the Khitans from crossing the Hulu River, allowing the people of Henan to finally rest. Even more remarkably, this city, in addition to defending against enemies, also served the functions of waterway transportation and irrigation."

"Furthermore, within a month you constructed seven cities: Shulu, Gucheng, Qizhou, Boye, Anping, Wuqiang, and Baibaqiao Town."

It's no exaggeration to say that the entire Hebei border defense was built single-handedly, at a speed rarely seen in history.

"When the construction of Kaifeng was underway in the third year of the Xiande era, everyone said it would take three years to complete, but you were able to fully implement the late emperor's supreme instructions and finish the city's construction within six months."

That's why I said, "The biggest characteristic of your construction projects is that they are both fast and high-quality. But what is the price of being fast and high-quality?"

Han Tong frowned but remained silent, clearly feeling that his thoughts had been exposed.

"It's Han the Stare-Out, isn't it? I think, besides setting an example by living and working on the construction site, you must be a strict supervisor. I'm afraid you spend all day either glaring or yelling at people, which is why you have the nickname Han the Stare-Out, right?"

"Take the expansion of Kaifeng for example. The number of laborers conscripted alone was over 100,000. I'm afraid that these 100,000 laborers were supervised by you to work day and night without a moment's rest."

If the laborers are being forced to work so intensively, what about the Imperial Guards? Aside from supervising the laborers, do they themselves have to do any work?

"If you finish a project in six months that others would say takes three years, no matter how capable you are or how exemplary you are, it will inevitably push people to their limits."

After this job is finished, everyone will probably be half-dead, and quite a few people will likely die.

"Our Great Zhou has been waging war for years, and then the Yellow River breached its banks. The national treasury is long empty, so naturally there will be no wages to be paid."

"The laborers are laborers from the capital region, and the imperial guards are imperial guards from Kaifeng. How could they not secretly curse you? With such a group of people secretly cursing you every day, how could your reputation possibly be good?"

"You will inevitably lose the support of both the people and the army. Since you have neither the support of the people nor the support of the army, why did the late emperor appoint you as Grand Chancellor to suppress the loyal and meritorious Grand Commandant Zhao before his death? To be frank, was the late emperor truly showing you any respect?"

"Before his death, the late emperor hurriedly married the current empress dowager. At that time, the emperor was critically ill, and I estimate that he and the empress dowager did not even have time to consummate their marriage. It is highly likely that the current empress dowager is still a virgin."

To put it bluntly, the late emperor intended to hand over the empire to the King of Wei.

"The Prince of Wei and Emperor Taizu were sworn brothers, and the Prince of Wei was also the late Emperor's father-in-law and the current Emperor's maternal grandfather. If the Prince of Wei were to seize the throne, he would at least treat the entire Guo family well."

If the King of Wei did not wish to seize the throne, but was willing to protect his daughter and grandson, he might have been able to ensure the current official's family grew up and truly stabilize the Zhou dynasty.

"Entrusting the country to the child's maternal grandfather, whether he chooses to take it for himself or support him, is still more reassuring than handing it over to an outsider."

"To pave the way for the Prince of Wei, the late emperor dismissed Zhang Yongde and sent Li Chongjin to a post outside the capital. Grand Commandant Zhao had made outstanding military achievements, and the emperor feared that he might harbor inappropriate thoughts."

Half a month before his death, he issued a special imperial edict to arrange a marriage between Zhao Taiwei's younger brother and the youngest daughter of the Prince of Wei. Ha! Zhao Guangyi, a mere eighth-rank official, how could he possibly marry the Prince of Wei's daughter and become a matchmaker for the Emperor himself?

"This marriage was too hasty. The late emperor died only half a month after bestowing the marriage, so he was naturally still worried. That's why you, Han Dengyan, who is neither popular with the army nor the people, but has enough seniority and merit, were put in charge of suppressing Zhao Taiwei. At least, it gave the Prince of Wei enough time to lead the Tianxiong Army into the capital."

"But father-in-law, in this way, Grand Commandant Zhao, the Empress Dowager, and the Prince of Wei will all be family, while you will be an outsider. May I ask, grandfather, where does this marriage bestowed by the late emperor place you?"

"Finally, while the late emperor's arrangements were certainly good, if the Prince of Wei wants the throne, he is the child's maternal grandfather, and they are all family. Giving the throne to his father-in-law is always better than giving it to an outsider."

If the King of Wei were willing to support the young emperor, the Great Zhou dynasty might even have a fourth generation, and it might even end the chaos that had plagued the late Tang dynasty.

"But what if... King Wei is neither willing to sit on the throne himself nor willing to go to the trouble of supporting his young grandson to sit on the throne?"

King Wei is old and has no successor. Grand Commandant Zhao is in his prime. To King Wei, Grand Commandant Zhao is also one of his own. What if Grand Commandant Zhao agrees to let King Wei make Zhao Kuangyi the crown prince in the future?

Anyway, it's all the grandsons who will be in power, so what difference does it make which grandson is in charge? Aren't you bothered by this?

After he finished speaking, Han Tong's face turned ashen, gloomy, and extremely ugly.

Jiang understood and grabbed Han Tong's hand: "Old Han, the Emperor appointed you as the prime minister, but then he arranged a marriage between you and Zhao Kuangyin's younger brother. This is not because he values ​​you, but because he is harming you!"

If he truly valued you, why didn't he bestow the daughter of the King of Wei and the sister of the Empress Dowager upon Wei'er?!

Han Tong took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, and sneered, "So, you and your son are convinced that destiny favors Zhao?"

Wang Lu remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"Since you specifically brought this up, does that mean you two have a way to help me break this deadlock?"

"I didn't," Wang Lu shook his head.

"My dad has it."

Jiang hurriedly stepped forward and grasped Wang Jun's hand: "My dear son-in-law, you have a way. Please, you must save him!"

"Don't worry, Mother-in-law. Now that we're all family, Father-in-law's affairs are naturally my affairs. I have three methods: I can fire hollow red bricks, I can make clay with excellent properties, and I can produce glazed tiles at a much cheaper price."

"Father-in-law, the 100,000 laborers and the imperial guards of the capital have suffered greatly under your command in building Kaifeng. It's time to give them some rewards."

The production of these bricks, tiles, and mortar is limited. You can tell me who to sell them to, and I will sell them to them. This is a matter of engineering, unlike weaving cloth. I imagine that Grand Commandant Zhao, King Wei, and the Empress Dowager cannot compete with you.”

"Although the mandate of heaven is in Zhao's favor today, you, this stumbling block, might as well add some weight. At least, we can't let them kick us away so easily."

Han Tong was overjoyed: "Good son-in-law, what do you want? Money, people, things, power, whatever you need, we will grant you."

He thought to himself, "Just who are these two, father and son?!"

Madam Liu thought to herself, "This child is nowhere near ten years old. How will Ling'er manage as her stepmother?"