Phi-Fic Chapter 166 Zhou Fangguang's Response
Chapter 166 Zhou Fangguang's Response
Inside the private room of Wangchun Tower
Several young people in fine clothes sat together, raising their glasses and exchanging toasts, creating a lively atmosphere.
At this moment, a servant walked in, went to the side of a tall, thin man, and whispered a few words in his ear.
The man's expression changed slightly, and he waved for him to leave.
Looking around at the people around him, Zhou Fangguang clapped his hands: "Gentlemen, I just received some news."
All eyes were instantly drawn to him: "Brother Zhou, what news?"
"The few minor officials from the Beijing Gazette Bureau that we bribed before were recently expelled from the Bureau."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.
Some even stood up in alarm: "Brother Zhou, won't this... implicate us?"
Eager to gain fame through the Beijing Gazette, they resorted to bribing minor officials in the Gazette office to engage in underhanded dealings.
Now that things have been exposed, he is starting to worry about his future.
Zhou Fangguang reassured him, "The Capital Gazette Bureau is currently very powerful simply because it controls the capital gazette. If Lord Wen discovers that we were bribing minor officials, he can simply stop publishing our articles from now on. What else can he do?"
Upon hearing this, everyone agreed: "That makes sense; the influence of the Beijing Gazette Bureau is all in the Beijing Gazette."
If their articles were good enough to be published in the Beijing Daily, they wouldn't need to go to such lengths to bribe minor officials and engage in underhanded dealings.
"Come on, let's keep drinking."
"drink wine--"
The group instantly forgot about what had just happened and continued drinking and chatting.
After the lively atmosphere subsided, the others helped each other leave the private room.
Zhou Fangguang, who had just been drunk, suddenly became clear-headed and said in a deep voice, "Go and send an invitation to Wen Zongji. Tell him that I want to host a banquet for him at Wangchunlou, and he can decide the time."
A servant standing nearby asked, puzzled, "Didn't the young master just say there was no need to worry too much?"
Zhou Fangguang sneered: "That's just fooling those fools. Wen Zongji already knows about this. If I do nothing, wouldn't that be disrespecting him? I may not care about his position as the head of the Beijing Gazette, but I can't ignore the Princess Anhe behind him."
The servant was even more puzzled: "If that's the case, why did you do that in the first place, young master?"
Zhou Fangguang said calmly, "I thought that if this matter could be accomplished, it would be a great honor for my uncle."
He had been studying since childhood, and his teachers were all well-known figures. However, he was too lazy and preferred to hang out with his cronies rather than study.
The imperial examinations required genuine examinations, and Zhou Fangguang has yet to obtain any official rank.
Hearing that Zhou Zhou had become famous overnight after his article was published in the Beijing Daily, Zhou Fangguang had his eye on it.
The Zhou family's power all came from his uncle. All Zhou Fangguang did was try to please his uncle and use the Beijing Daily to enhance his reputation, so that his uncle could arrange a job for him.
To this end, he even secretly asked someone to write articles for him. He was still self-aware enough to know that with his writing skills, even if a minor official from the Beijing Gazette secretly helped him manipulate things behind the scenes, he still wouldn't be able to get past Yuan Tianxi.
As a result, the matter was exposed within just a few days.
Zhou Fangguang couldn't help but grit his teeth: "A bunch of unreliable bastards!"
……
Wen Zongji returned to Yunguang Temple after finishing his shift.
Granny Feng then said, "Young master, someone delivered an invitation to you earlier."
Wen Zongji removed his official robes: "Who goes there?"
"Zhou Fangguang, the nephew of Steward Zhou."
Wen Zongji was stunned for a moment before he realized: "Zhou Wangliang, the chief eunuch of Linhua Palace?"
Granny Feng nodded: "That's right. Chief Steward Zhou was castrated and entered the palace at a young age. Zhou Fangguang is his most beloved nephew. Although the head of the Zhou family only holds a minor official position in the court because of Chief Steward Zhou's connections, people will still give the Zhou family some face out of respect for Chief Steward Zhou."
When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!
Even though Zhou Wangliang was just a eunuch, his glory was all tied to Emperor Shun'an. He seemed to hold a high position and great power, but in reality, it was like a castle in the air. Once a new emperor ascended the throne, his power would be gone.
However, with Emperor Shun'an still in power, the Zhou family is someone who needs to be treated with caution.
As for the future, that's a matter for the future.
Wen Zongji asked in confusion, "Why is his nephew looking for me?"
Granny Feng handed the invitation to Wen Zongji: "The invitation only says that the young master is being invited to Wangchun Tower, and the time will be determined by the young master, but it does not explain the reason."
Pei Rujing said, "If my husband doesn't want to go, then he doesn't have to see him."
Zhou Wangliang is just someone who needs to give face to others, but Pei Rujing doesn't.
Zhou Wangliang could cause trouble for anyone in front of Emperor Shun'an, but he couldn't do anything to Pei Rujing.
Wen Zongji glanced at the invitation: "It wouldn't hurt to go and take a look."
After saying that, he handed the invitation to Qinghe: "Tell Zhou Fangguang that I will go to the appointment after I finish my shift tomorrow."
Qinghe replied, "Yes, son-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Pei Rujing knew he wouldn't be coming back for dinner tomorrow, and she pouted, "Just an insignificant person."
Wen Zongji embraced her and led her to sit down on the soft couch: "I'm just a little curious what he wanted to see me about... Wife, did you go to see your mother today?"
Pei Rujing nodded: "I have already told Mother about your discovery. Mother has already found a woman who meets the requirements. If Second Brother is still picky this time, I will not let him off the hook."
Wen Zongji smiled and took her hand: "It has to be something we click with."
Pei Rujing snorted coldly: "Anyway, we don't care whether he can get married in the future."
If Wen Zongji only intervened once, he would have gone to the Sunset Pavilion. What would happen if he continued to intervene?
"Alright, alright, I'll do as my wife says."
Originally, if it weren't for Pei Rujing, Wen Zongji wouldn't have bothered with such matters.
"Changning's birthday is coming soon. Would you like to come with me to the palace to celebrate with her?"
"Is Changning celebrating her ninth birthday?"
"That's right."
"Is this birthday banquet going to be a big affair?"
Pei Rujing shook her head: "My aunt doesn't plan to have a big celebration. Only some close relatives will go to celebrate Changning's birthday."
Wen Zongji hesitated for a moment and said, "Then I won't go. There will definitely be a lot of women there, and it would be inconvenient for me to go."
Princess Changning's birthday banquet will definitely be held in Fengyi Palace, which belongs to the inner palace, so it's best to go there as little as possible.
Pei Rujing said, "Then I'll go with Mother."
Pei Rujing did not insist on this, because since Princess Changning turned seven, Pei Shizhao and Pei Shirong had stopped going to the palace to celebrate her birthday, and instead asked the princess to deliver the birthday gifts.
Boys and girls should not sit together after the age of seven!
Cousins must also avoid suspicion, even if there is a significant age difference between them; they must still be mindful of these rules.
The same applies to Zuo Hanyu of the Zuo family.
After discussing this matter, the two had dinner together and did not mention Princess Changning again.
It was just Princess Changning's ninth birthday, not her coming-of-age ceremony. The only thing Pei Rujing needed to put some thought into was choosing a birthday gift for her, so as not to be too perfunctory and cause Princess Changning to nag.
As for the rest, she didn't pay much attention.