I was a conman in the Ming Dynasty.

Chapter 359 Staying calm

Chapter 359 Remaining Unmoved by a Woman's Embrace

The poetry gathering was already crowded, and Wang Wenzhou's outburst quickly spread throughout the capital.

Upon learning of this, Wen Tiren burst into laughter. He had shamelessly offered his granddaughter to Wang Wenzhou in hopes of forming an alliance to jointly oppose the Donglin Party. Now that Wang Wenzhou had cut off the finger of a Donglin Party leader's nephew, it was clear that Wang Wenzhou had completely broken ties with the Donglin Party.

Wen Tiren immediately sent his servants to invite Wang Wenzhou to his residence for a chat.

Wang Wenzhou, with one arm around Gao Guilan and the other around Wen Liandie, strolled leisurely to the Wen residence.

When Wen Tiren saw his granddaughter, his heart ached. Her eyes were red and there were tear stains on her face; she must have just been crying.

"Old Wen, how dare you face me?" Wang Wenzhou sneered.

"Sir, what are you saying?" Wen Tiren was puzzled. Why would Wang Wenzhou say such a thing?

Wang Wenzhou cursed and said, "Old Wen, your granddaughter is a slut! You knew she was having an affair with Liu Lishun, yet you still married her off to me! You're clearly trying to scam me!"

Wen Liandie wiped away her tears, feeling wronged.

"Sigh..." Wen Tiren sighed, took Wang Wenzhou's arm, and explained, "My dear son-in-law, listen to me. Xiaodie and Liu Lishun are absolutely innocent!"

"Damn it!" Wang Wenzhou cursed, "Old Wen, do you think your Xiaodie is ugly?"

Wen Tiren shook his head.

Wang Wenzhou continued, "There's no cat that doesn't steal fish! Don't think I'm blind. Xiaodie and Liu Lishun are exchanging glances and acting all lovey-dovey. It would be strange if they weren't having an affair!"

“My dear son-in-law, you are unaware of this!” Wen Tiren quickly explained, “Liu Lishun is also a gentleman.”

"Damn it!" Wang Wenzhou cursed, "He's a gentleman? He held onto my baby in public and wouldn't let go, and he's a gentleman? If he's a gentleman, why don't you marry Xiaodie to him?"

Wen Tiren spoke with the air of someone who had been through it all: "My dear son-in-law, I'm a man too, and I know that no one would have an easy time in this situation. But Xiaodie and Liu Lishun are truly innocent. Don't worry, let me explain."

It turned out that Liu Lishun was poor and had spent all his money on the imperial examinations in the capital. He happened to be able to earn a living by teaching in the Wen family. Wen Tiren saw that Liu Lishun was learned and talented and had a good teaching method, so he valued him highly. He specially selected a clever and quick-witted maid to take care of Liu Lishun's daily life and to sleep in the same room with him at night. His intention was to give her to Liu Lishun as his wife.

However, Liu Lishun and Wen Liandie fell in love and developed feelings for each other. When Wen Tiren found out, he was furious. "I've already given you a daughter to sleep with! Not only did you sleep with a maid, but you also want to sleep with my granddaughter? This is outrageous!" Wen Tiren then kicked Liu Lishun out of the Wen residence.

Before leaving, Liu Lishun asked Wen Tiren to choose a good husband for his maid. Wen Tiren flew into a rage, believing that Liu Lishun intended to abandon her. He immediately berated her: "Even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness! She's been with you for three years! After sleeping together for so long, haven't you developed any feelings? You ungrateful wretch! You clearly look down on her because of her lowly status and want to climb the social ladder!"

Liu Lishun smiled and said: "Master! Do you think I am a heartless and ungrateful person? Although we have lived together for three years, we have never had any romantic feelings for each other."

Wen Tiren was surprised to hear this, so he asked an old woman in his household to inquire with the maid. Sure enough, she was still a virgin.

"Pfft..." Wang Wenzhou spat out a mouthful of tea after hearing this.

"Uncle, don't get excited!" Gao Guilan quickly patted Wang Wenzhou's back.

"Cough cough..." Wang Wenzhou coughed a few times and said cursingly, "Is Liu Lishun really a saint? Old Wen, don't try to fool me! You and I are both men. You slept with a pretty girl for three years and didn't do anything. Can you do that?"

Wen Tiren said righteously, "My dear son-in-law, I uttered not a single falsehood! It is truly so!"

“Beep beep…” Wang Wenzhou waved to Wen Tiren.

Wen Tiren leaned closer, and Wang Wenzhou asked softly, "Is this guy surnamed Liu a lecherous scoundrel?"

"Hehe..." Wen Tiren shook his head with a wry smile and said helplessly, "If that's really the case, then so be it, but he has taken a fancy to Xiaodie. After he became the top scholar in the imperial examination, he shamelessly came to my mansion to ask for my hand in marriage."

Wang Wenzhou frowned, then laughed and scolded, "Old Wen, I think this is your fault. According to you, Liu Lishun is a good person, and he and Xiaodie are mutually attracted. Before, because his family was poor, he was not a good match for your family, but now that he has become the top scholar in the imperial examination, although his official position is lower than yours, he is still a good match. Why do you oppose his marriage to Xiaodie?"

"Sigh..." Wen Tiren sighed softly. Although Wang Wenzhou came from a noble family, he was a man who knew nothing of etiquette. That's true. If Wang Wenzhou knew etiquette, he wouldn't have been regarded as a mad dog by all the civil and military officials.

Wen Tiren laughed and scolded, "You rascal! Heaven, Earth, Ruler, Parents, Teacher—how can a teacher marry a student? This is against human ethics!"

Wang Wenzhou pursed his lips, somewhat not understanding ancient ethics.

“My dear son-in-law, listen to my advice. You can beat him up to vent your anger, but don’t take his life,” Wen Tiren said earnestly.

"How did you know I hit him?" Wang Wenzhou asked with a smile.

Wen Tiren shook his head helplessly. "Don't I know you? You're so vindictive. It would be strange if I didn't beat him up!"

If it weren't for Wen Liandie's persistent pleas, Wang Wenzhou would have truly beaten Liu Lishun to death. This is also why Wen Liandie kept wiping away tears.

"Old Wen, is this all the trivial stuff that you made me come all the way here?" Wang Wenzhou asked.

Wen Tiren spoke up, "I invited you here not because of this matter. It is because His Majesty does not wish to negotiate with the Tartars any further."

"What?" Wang Wenzhou frowned and asked in confusion, "Has Zhu Youjian gone mad? Continuing to fight the Tartars to the death? Can the Ming army defeat the Tartars?"

Wen Tiren smiled and said, "My lord, times have changed! In the past, the national treasury was empty, and the soldiers on the front lines couldn't even be paid. How could we defeat the Tartars when they were starving? Now..."

Wang Wenzhou laughed and scolded, "Old Wen, don't be embarrassed, all that silver is mine! The key point is, do you also think that the Ming Dynasty can defeat the Tartars?"

Wen Tiren nodded, stating unequivocally, "Of course! Our Great Ming Dynasty surpasses the Tartars in every aspect, including population and economy. In war between two nations, national strength is paramount; how could our Great Ming Dynasty possibly lose?"

Wang Wenzhou shook his head with a wry smile. Trying to control the military with words? How could he possibly win?

In the early Ming Dynasty, the nobility was exceptionally powerful, controlling the Ming army and thus inflicting heavy losses on the Northern Yuan. After the Tumu Crisis, however, the nobility was framed by civil officials, suffering heavy casualties, which caused a sharp decline in the fighting capacity of the Ming army. Even if the renowned anti-Japanese general Qi Jiguang were reborn, the Ming army alone would not have been able to defeat the Manchu cavalry.

"Has His Majesty decided to stop negotiating peace?" Wang Wenzhou asked.

“Hmm…” Wen Tiren thought for a moment and said, “The Emperor has instructed you to continue negotiating with the Tartars to mislead them and buy time. Once our army is ready, we will then engage the Tartars in battle.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Wenzhou immediately stood up and said, "Babies, let's go!"

"What's wrong with your son-in-law?" Wen Tiren asked.

Wang Wenzhou cursed and said, "I'll go and persuade the Emperor to rescind his decree!"