Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Both party leaders submitted their resignations simultaneously, which was an outcome that no one had anticipated.

Inside the Marquis Mansion, Yang Zhenshan sat in his study, holding a hand stove.

Wu Zheng sat next to the brazier, warming his hands.

"Do you know why they resigned?" Yang Zhenshan asked softly.

Wu Zheng shook his head, "I don't know the specifics, but I suspect it's the Emperor's doing!"

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly; the only person capable of making Zhou Yunsong and Song Yuange resign at the same time was Emperor Yanping.

"It seems that His Majesty still has a strong grip over the court!"

Don't be fooled by the heated disputes among those officials in the court; in reality, it is Emperor Yanping who truly controls it.

The seventh year of Yanping is upon us. In six years, Emperor Yanping has completely taken control of the court.

Although such an outcome is somewhat unexpected, it is also within reason.

Wu Zheng said, "Although Elder Song and Elder Zhou have resigned, their allies are still present in the court. Even without these two, the future of the court will still be unstable."

Yang Zhenshan smiled, "You're right."

He took a sip of his tea and then said, "In fact, His Majesty shouldn't have ousted them from the court. With them present, the court disputes could be contained within a certain limit. Without them, the court battles may become even harder to manage!"

Wu Zheng hesitated for a moment, then asked, "My lord, should we try to win over some court officials?"

Yang Zhenshan looked at him in surprise, "You lad, you're actually thinking about winning over court officials?"

Wu Zheng smiled sheepishly, "I know some of them. If my lord needs it, I can cultivate some influence on the court!"

Lord Wu is a notable figure in the Capital City; he has connections with all walks of life, even friends among the court officials.

Of course, those he dealt with were not big figures, but rather lower-level officials within various government offices.

Yang Zhenshan shook his head slightly, "It's better for us to stay out of the murky waters of the court. Once we get too involved, it becomes hard to extricate oneself."

"I only did that before to warn some people. After this incident, I believe no one in the court will look to trouble us again."

"Let them fight for it. We'll just enjoy our quiet life!"

He had never wanted to be involved in the struggles of the court, and his action this time was merely a warning to those officials.

He is quite content with his current life.

Living leisurely and free from many worries, just guarding his piece of Martial Arts Pavilion's land and living peacefully is best.

Moreover, his energy needs to be spent on cultivation, not on those messy affairs.

He stood up and said, "It's still early; let's go and take a look at the Guard Camp outside the city, and then visit the Martial Arts Pavilion!"

"The Marquis Suning Mansion's financial power is deep; they actually donated two hundred thousand taels of silver to the Martial Arts Pavilion!"

Sun Decang was rather astute as well. As soon as he learned that Yang Zhenshan had impeached Zhou Yunsong at the morning court, he immediately sent someone to deliver two hundred thousand taels of silver to the Martial Arts Pavilion and also submitted a letter of apology.

And Bao Lang was reassigned to the Martial Arts Pavilion too, still serving as the Pavilion's steward.

...

At the Ru River pier market.

Wang Sheng looked helpless as he watched the heavy snow fall from the sky. It was his misfortune that the great snow began to blanket Beiyuan Town the day after he left Iron Origin Guard.

In order to reach the Capital City as quickly as possible, he had no choice but to rush through the snowstorm.

However, it seemed like the heavens deliberately opposed him, as if wherever he went, heavy snow would follow.

From Beiyuan Town to Longyuan, and then following the Ru River eastward, this journey of more than ten days saw heavy snowfall every single day.

Surely the heavens weren't actually quarreling with him; it was just that the direction he traveled coincided with the atmospheric currents.

The cold streams from the snowy lands brought winds and snow from Beiyuan Town to the south of Longyuan, whereupon meeting the obstruction of Wanshan Ridge, they would turn eastward.

"I wonder how father is doing now?" Wang Sheng muttered with some concern.

He didn't know that Duan Qifeng and the Wuliang Hu Clan were currently preparing for war, with no intention to pay any attention to Iron Origin Guard, let alone care if he would report the smuggling of military supplies to the court.

Just as Wang Sheng was worried about his father, a follower hurried over.

"Sir, we've found out that twenty li to the east, there's a narrower part of the river where we can cross directly!" the follower reported.

Under the freezing cold, the Ru River had long been ice-bound, making it impossible to cross by boat.

As for crossing the river on the ice, they had to find a place where the river was narrower.

"Let's go, we'll set out now!"

Without any hesitation, Wang Sheng immediately took his followers and rode eastward.

With snow on the ground making it slippery, even on horseback they couldn't go too fast and could only move forward slowly.

They spent an entire day crossing the Ru River and then found a village to stay overnight. The next day, they continued traveling towards the Capital City.

It wasn't until the 28th of the twelfth lunar month that they finally arrived at the Capital City.

Standing in front of Marquis Jing'an Mansion, Wang Sheng nearly broke down in tears.

The journey had been fraught with difficulties, and coupled with his concerns for Iron Origin Guard, his mentality was on the verge of collapse.

After calling to open the door and announcing his name, he was quickly led to the front courtyard's tea room of the Marquis Mansion.

As the New Year was approaching, Yang Zhenshan happened to be idle at home these days.

Inside the main hall at the back of the residence, Yang Zhenshan was at this moment holding a little baby, who was called Jiang Anru, the daughter of Jiang Ning.

In the hall, Yu Qingyi was chatting with Yang Yunyan, and Lady Han, Jiang Ning's wife, was also sitting beside them, listening to their conversation.

Jiang Ning was standing nervously beside Yang Zhenshan, as if afraid that Yang Zhenshan might harm his precious daughter.

"What are you so nervous about, kid? How many children do you think your grandpa has held before?" Yang Zhenshan said irritably.

Jiang Ning smiled sheepishly, but still stubbornly said, "I'm not worried about grandpa hurting Anru, I'm worried about Anru dirtying grandpa's clothes!"

"Psht~" Yang Zhenshan dissatisfiedly pouted, reaching out to tease the little girl, "Anru, come on, call me Great-grandpa!"

The little girl was only nine months old and couldn't speak yet, only making squeaky noises.

She waved her two hands, seemingly quite interested in Yang Zhenshan's beard, constantly grabbing at it.

Yang Zhenshan was also deliberately teasing her, placing his jet-black beard in her hands.

The little girl giggled as she grabbed the beard.

"You girl, why are you just like your auntie, both like to grab your great-grandpa's beard!" Yang Zhenshan laughed.

When Jiang Miao was young, she also liked to grab at beards. Every time Yang Zhenshan held her, she would grab onto his beard and not let go.

At this moment, Yang Yunyan suddenly said to Yang Zhenshan, "Dad, do you know Uncle Anshun?"

Yang Zhenshan replied casually without looking up, "I know, I just saw Uncle Anshun Zhu Rong a few days ago!"

The Anshun Marquis Mansion might not have much renown in the circle of nobles, but a member of their family joined the Martial Arts Pavilion last year, and that person's talent is quite exceptional. Even in the Martial Arts Pavilion, he is considered outstanding, so Yang Zhenshan remembered the Anshun Marquis Mansion.

"How is their family?" asked Yang Yunyan.

Yang Zhenshan looked at her surprisedly, "Why are you asking about their family?"

Yang Yunyan smiled and said, "Some time ago, someone was inquiring about a marriage for Chengxian, and I asked around. It was Lady Anshun who asked someone to inquire, and surprisingly, they inquired all the way to me!"

"Chengxian!" Yang Zhenshan thought for a moment, "The lad should indeed get married!"

Yang Chengxian was going to be seventeen next year; by all accounts, his marriage should have already been arranged. But because Yang Zhenshan and Yu Qingyi had been away for most of the year, this matter had been delayed.

Yang Mingzhi and his wife were not in the Capital City, and Yang Mingcheng and his wife did not wish to overstep, so Yang Chengxian's marriage had been put off until now.

Actually, Yu Qingyi had started arranging a marriage for Yang Chengxian the year before last but had yet to find a suitable match.

"After the New Year, I will have Wu Zheng check the Anshun Marquis Mansion's situation before we decide!" said Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Yunyan then said, "Dad, the Lady Xue is Uncle Anshun's youngest daughter!"

She was referring to Lady Xue, the daughter-in-law of Xue Chang'an, which also made her Yang Chengmao's mother-in-law.

This was something Yang Zhenshan truly didn't know; he had met Lady Zhu before but was unaware that she was also the youngest daughter of Uncle Anshun.