Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 530: Chapter 474: Enemies Meet, With an Air of Nonchalance

In the study, Emperor Yanping was leisurely reclining on the couch while reading a scroll.

Lately, the court had been very tranquil, and he was pleased to have the leisure to read some miscellaneous books he liked.

”Old servant wishes to pay respect to Your Majesty!” Nansheng approached Emperor Yanping with a naive smile, offering his salutations.

At this moment, he was a far cry from the man he was at the Imperial Guard Department; there he was like a vicious snake, but in front of Emperor Yanping, he was an utterly respectful servant.

”Mm!” Emperor Yanping casually responded without lifting his eyes from the booklet in his hands.

”Your Majesty, Marquis Jing’an has entered the Capital City!” said Nansheng softly.

”Let him be. There’s no need to bother with him!” Emperor Yanping said indifferently.

”Your Majesty isn’t going to summon Marquis Jing’an?” Nansheng was somewhat surprised.

Emperor Yanping lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, ”Why see him? Just assign him to his duty at the Left Army Commander’s Mansion.”

”What if Marquis Jing’an requests an audience to thank Your Majesty for his promotion?” Nansheng asked.

Naturally, one had to thank the emperor when promoted, even if it was a promotion in name but a demotion in reality.

Emperor Yanping put down the book in his hand and looked at Nansheng with a deep gaze.

Nansheng quickly lowered his head, ”Old servant understands. I will tell him that Your Majesty is too occupied with state affairs to require Marquis Jing’an’s thanks.”

Emperor Yanping picked up the booklet again, ”Do as you see fit.”

”Yes! Your servant will take his leave!” Nansheng bowed and exited the study.

After he left, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Emperor Yanping’s mouth, ”Has Chen entered the Capital City?”

From under the curtain on the left side of the couch, a shadow stirred slightly, ”Replying to Your Majesty, Chen arrived in the Capital City two hours ago and is already residing at Jinxiu Workshop.”

”Hmm!” Emperor Yanping put down the booklet in his hand, stood up, and stretched leisurely.

”Go and tell Chen that these rats are too bothersome, and I hope he can quickly root them all out!”

”I do not have much patience for these little rats!” By now, Emperor Yanping had realized there was an issue with Nansheng. However, he was not in a hurry to act against Nansheng because a significant force was still hidden behind him.

Before he could understand the full extent of this force, Nansheng could not be touched.

As for the Chen he spoke of, naturally, it was Chen Zhongshu.

Having an elder is like having a treasure!

This was the advice given to him by the Imperial Uncle from the Fengxian Hall.

And Chen Zhongshu was the first person who came to Emperor Yanping’s mind as someone worth this ’treasure’ title.

Chen Zhongshu served by Emperor Chengping’s side for over fifty years, essentially devoting a lifetime to him.

Furthermore, with over thirty years in charge of the Ritual Supervision and the same time at the helm of the Imperial Guard Department, he was thoroughly familiar with everything inside the Imperial City, and had his own understanding and insights regarding the Secret Martial Guards, the court, and the entire Da Rong.

Previously, he seemed merely like an old servant beside Emperor Chengping, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that this old eunuch was Emperor Chengping’s right-hand man.

During Emperor Chengping’s thirty-five-year reign, besides the first few years, no trouble arose within the Imperial City for the next thirty years, showcasing Chen Zhongshu’s capabilities.

Emperor Yanping wanted someone who could guide him through confusion, and Chen Zhongshu was undoubtedly the most suitable person.

Chen Zhongshu could not only give guidance but also help eliminate those rats that were stirring trouble in the shadows.

As for why he had recalled Yang Zhenshan back to the Capital City, that was actually Chen Zhongshu’s idea. Since Nansheng wanted Yang Zhenshan to return, Chen Zhongshu would follow his wishes and bring Yang Zhenshan back to see exactly what he was planning.

This was also the reason why Emperor Yanping had Zhou Lan take over as General of Chongshan Town.

Chen Zhongshu was naturally aware of the things Yang Zhenshan had been doing in Chongshan Town. With Yang Zhenshan leaving, it was crucial to appoint a suitable successor for Chongshan Town, and Zhou Lan was undoubtedly the right person to take over from Yang Zhenshan.

Only with Zhou Lan taking over would Chongshan Town continue to develop according to Yang Zhenshan’s plans. Only with Zhou Lan’s succession would Yang Zhenshan fully support, for if someone else were appointed to Chongshan Town, they would surely not have Yang Zhenshan’s support. Without Yang Zhenshan’s backing, Chongshan Town may well become a tangled mess and an unstable element for Da Rong.

This also showed Chen Zhongshu’s cunning and strategic depth. Whether it was Zhou Lan or Yang Zhenshan, both were within his scheme.

And his arrangement kept everyone in the dark.

Yang Zhenshan failed to see through it, and so did Nansheng.

...

The procession slowly arrived at the gate of Marquis Jing’an Mansion, where Yang Mingcheng, Yang Chengmao, and others were already waiting.

Yang Zhenshan and Yu Qingyi dismounted from the carriage, and a group of people immediately greeted them.

”Dad, mother!”

”Grandpa, grandma!”

”Greetings to Marquis, greetings to Marchioness!”

Yang Zhenshan smiled and nodded to everyone and then glanced around the streets.

Marquis Jing’an Mansion was located in An Gui Square, surrounded by the abodes of Da Rong’s powerful elites like Duke Ning Mansion, Duke Rong Mansion, Changping Marquis Mansion, Dongping Marquis Mansion, and so on.

To the west of Marquis Jing’an Mansion was Duke Rong Mansion, while to the east lay Duke Shou Mansion.

It had been said before that Marquis Jing’an Mansion was formerly Marquis Wuxin Mansion, and Marquis Wuxin Mansion used to be a second-rank Duke Xin Mansion; hence, now Marquis Jing’an Mansion’s regulations were equivalent to those of a Duke Mansion.

At this moment, the Yang family members had arrived at the Marquis Mansion, and many nobles around were paying attention, especially since it was time for the officials to leave the government office, and many of them were coincidentally encountering the Yang family’s carriage procession.

Yang Zhenshan looked back at the team, watching a luxurious carriage slowly approaching from the rear.

The carriage moved slowly, the curtain was lifted by a hand, revealing a square face and a pair of dark, profound eyes.

Yang Zhenshan, recognizing the person’s face, stroked his long beard, his eyes narrowed slightly with a faint smile hanging at the corners of his mouth. He nodded amicably towards the person inside the carriage.

The person inside the carriage saw Yang Zhenshan, his face remained impassive, and his eyes calm like deep pools.

He nodded back at Yang Zhenshan in acknowledgment.

Watching his carriage leaving, the smile on Yang Zhenshan’s face grew thicker, but his eyes carried a hint of mockery.

Because the person who had just passed was none other than Marquis Jingyuan, Su Qian.

The grudge between the Yang family and the Marquis Jingyuan Mansion was not small; to say it was deep-seated hatred wouldn’t be overstating it.

Yang Zhenshan had personally killed Su Qian’s second son, Su Shanyu, and Su Qian had also sent assassins to kill Yang Mingcheng.

Meeting today was like enemies facing each other, but both behaved very indifferently.

A gentleman’s revenge, ten years is not too late!

Su Qian was certainly not a gentleman, but Yang Zhenshan knew he would definitely not let the Yang family off easily.

The reason why Su Qian hadn’t targeted the Yang family in these years was because of the decline of the Marquis Jingyuan Mansion. However, should Su Qian find any opportunity, Yang Zhenshan believed he would certainly eliminate the Yang family swiftly.

As for why Yang Zhenshan did not target the Marquis Jingyuan Mansion, there was nothing he could do, as the Marquis Jingyuan Mansion was in the Capital City, and Marquis Jing’an, Su Qian, had not been holding an office. Even if Yang Zhenshan wanted to deal with the Marquis Jingyuan Mansion, there wasn’t much he could do.

But now that Yang Zhenshan had come to the Capital City, the enmity between the Marquis Jing’an Mansion and the Marquis Jingyuan Mansion was due to enter a new phase.

It was just uncertain who would make the first move.

”Let’s go in!”

Yang Zhenshan withdrew his gaze, leading the way through the gates of the Marquis Mansion.

Compared to the temporary Marquis residence at Chongshan Pass, the Marquis Mansion in the Capital City was undoubtedly much more luxurious and much bigger and grander.

In terms of area, the front courtyard of the mansion was twice the size of the temporary Marquis residence at Chongshan Pass, not to mention the many large and small courtyards at the back and the two small mountain peaks beyond.

Upon entering the Marquis Mansion, the Yang family’s children burst into excited exclamations.

The grandeur of the Marquis Mansion was one aspect, and the scenery of the mansion was another.

In Chongshan Town, winter was long and spring and summer were brief, with fewer luxuriantly blooming plants and trees, while in contrast, the Capital City had distinct seasons, and although winter was also very cold, there were many more varieties of plants and trees that thrived in the Capital’s climate.

Moreover, there were a plethora of exotic flowers and rare trees within the mansion. March was the time of burgeoning spring growth, with fresh green and tender yellow buds already covering the branches.

This added life and beauty to the magnificent Marquis Mansion.

Arriving at a new place and seeing such charming sights, the children were naturally overjoyed.

”Grandpa, is this going to be our new home from now on?” The nine-year-old girl, Yang Wanyi, ran up to Yang Zhenshan and excitedly asked.

Yang Zhenshan affectionately tousled her hair bun, smiling, ”That’s right, this is our new home. Do you like it, Wanyi?”

”I like it, I like it!” Yang Wanyi nodded repeatedly.

”Sister, come quick and look, this tree is so big!”

Not far away, Yang Wanting stood under a ginkgo tree, looking up with wide-open mouth in surprise.

The ginkgo tree wasn’t the largest in the mansion, but it was certainly the oldest tree in the residence, its age far exceeding that of Da Rong. Yang Zhenshan estimated it to be at least a thousand years old.

Not just Yang Wanting, the little girl, even Yang Zhenshan was very surprised when he first saw the tree.

Hearing Yang Wanting’s shout, Yang Wanyi immediately ran over, and the two girls circled around the tree, occasionally letting out exclamations.

Meanwhile, the brothers Yang Chengzhang and Yang Chengyou had long since run off, and Yang Chengxian, Jiang Ning, and Yang Mingzhao headed to the tower in the front courtyard to overlook the entire Capital City.

Yang Zhenshan watched these excited little ones with a constant faint smile on his lips.

However, turning his head to glance at Wang Mingzhe who was following behind him, the corners of his eyes twitched slightly.

This lad had slept the whole way and now looked drowsy and uninterested as he glanced around listlessly.

”Are you not going to have a look?”

”Huh?” Wang Mingzhe responded vaguely, lifting his head.

Seeing him like this, Yang Zhenshan could only helplessly shake his head.

This lazy disciple, he wanted to return him.

Unfortunately, with Wang Yunqiao staying at Chongshan Pass, there was nowhere for him to return the boy to even if he wanted to.

It was getting late, and since everyone had just arrived at their new home, Yang Zhenshan gave some brief instructions to Yang Mingcheng and Lu Shou before letting everyone go to their own courtyards to settle in.

There were many courtyards in the Marquis Mansion, and even with all the Yang family members moving in, there were still many empty ones.

Nevertheless, with so many servants and guards in the Yang family, the Marquis Mansion would not appear too desolate or lifeless.

Yang Zhenshan and Yu Qingyi led Ming Zhao to the main courtyard. The main courtyard was actually a large residence with five sections.

There were buildings at the front and rear, the second entrance led to Juan’an Hall, a very spacious hall suitable for family dining, the third entrance led to Anrong Hall with five large rooms for Yang Zhenshan and Yu Qingyi’s bedroom, chambers, warm pavilion, study, and more. Behind the main room, or the fourth entrance, there were also rooms such as the flower hall and study.

Each section had several side rooms and adjacent rooms, as well as a kitchen, storeroom, warm pavilion, etc.

Yang Zhenshan and Yu Qingyi had previously lived here and were not unaccustomed to it.