It was the evening of April 7, 1657 in the Haihan calendar. The county seat of Yuhang County, Hangzhou.
Wei Jianyuan leaned back on the chair, his eyes slightly closed, and there was a look of tiredness on his face that could not be concealed.
In order to cooperate with this military exercise arranged by the military, Wei Jianyuan has been busy for several days. After the senior officials of the Executive Committee and envoys from various countries arrived in Yuhang today, he was even more busy running up and down.
However, this work was not in vain. At today's dinner, several senior officials of the executive committee greatly praised Yuhang County's organizational and preparatory work, and also praised Wei Jianyuan.
Now Wei Jianyuan did not dare to relax. After the dinner, he escorted the senior officials of the Executive Committee back to their residences.
Unexpectedly, these senior officials did not plan to take a rest and had to hold another meeting. Although Wei Jianyuan was not qualified to participate, he did not leave and waited in the wing.
"Master Wei, Master Wei..."
Wei Jianyuan heard someone calling him softly next to him, and he immediately woke up from his nap. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the owner of the house, local wealthy businessman Wang Xianguang, was standing in front of him.
Wang Xianguang said: "I have just made some ginseng tea and sent it to the adults of the executive committee. I specially asked my servants to make an extra cup to sober you up."
Wei Jianyuan took the tea cup, nodded and said: "Lao Wang, you are interested."
Wei Jianyuan took a sip, put down the tea cup, and said to Wang Xianguang: "There are dedicated people responsible for the daily life and food of the executive committee, and they will not easily eat food and tea prepared by outsiders. I'm afraid your ginseng tea has just been returned, right?"
Wang Xianguang was exposed by Wei Jianyuan's little trick, but he didn't take it seriously. He responded with a smile: "It's true that I don't understand the rules. I just saw you taking a nap here, so I didn't ask you for instructions."
Wang Xianguang's family is considered a well-known family in Yuhang, with a lot of wealth and frequent contacts with the government. So when Wei Jianyuan received the task of preparing a residence for the executive committee in Yuhang, he thought of Wang Xianguang.
Wang Xianguang was also very cooperative. He vacated a house with the best conditions in the Wang family and gave it to Wei Jianyuan together with more than ten servants for the executive committee to stay.
Being so well-informed and knowledgeable is of course beneficial. Wang Xianguang was taken to today's dinner by Wei Jianyuan and met with many senior officials of the executive committee. This kind of treatment is enough to keep Wang Xianguang prosperous for several years.
Wei Jianyuan had seen many gentry like Wang Xianguang who wanted to climb up the ladder when he was in Sanya, so he didn't care about his little tricks to please the executive committee.
However, this ginseng tea was indeed a good thing. After Wei Jianyuan took one gulp, he quickly felt a heat flow from his stomach, slowly moving up his spine, and his mind became much clearer.
Wang Xianguang said: "Master Wei, why don't you go back and rest early?"
Wei Jianyuan waved his hand and said: "The adults on the executive committee are still dealing with official business, how can I go back to rest in peace? Let's wait until they finish the meeting. If there is any order, I can handle it here in time."
The schedule for the military exercise is only today and tomorrow, so these senior officials of the executive committee may only stay in Yuhang County for one night. For Wei Jianyuan, this means that the time he can perform is extremely limited, so he must seize every opportunity.
In fact, Wei Jianyuan was also a little curious. What important matters did these high-ranking officials have to attend meetings all night long to solve? Maybe when the meeting ends, you can hear a little bit of news. As for why Wang Xianguang stayed here to join in the fun, Wei Jianyuan thought that besides wanting to cling to high branches, he might have other ideas.
According to Wei Jianyuan's knowledge, Wang Xianguang had an uncle who was an official in the Ming court and was said to be a minister. After the news of the assassination in Hangzhou came out a few days ago, everyone with a discerning eye knew that the matter was difficult to solve. Wang Xianguang deliberately came closer, and he might not have failed to inquire about the intention of conveying the news to the Ming court.
However, at this stage, there are countless people who are on the fence between the Ming Dynasty and Haihan. Wei Jianyuan will not treat Wang Xianguang as a Ming Dynasty spy, but if there is an opportunity, he still hopes to make Wang Xianguang clear his position and devote himself wholeheartedly. Come to Haihan's side.
Haihan was planning to take action against Ming Dynasty this time, which was a clear sign, and he had even informed Ming Ting through official channels. Even if the Ming court had already begun to deploy troops and generals to prepare for the battle, it could not be faster than Haihan, who had been secretly preparing for several months.
"Lao Wang, are you worried about war?"
Wei Jianyuan saw Wang Xianguang looking outside uneasily, so he simply asked directly.
Wang Xianguang trembled slightly, and it seemed that Wei Jianyuan had spoken his mind.
Wei Jianyuan said: "Actually, you don't have to worry. There are large mountainous areas to the west of Hangzhou, making it inconvenient to march. Even if the two countries go to war, our place is unlikely to be affected by the war."
Wang Xianguang said with a smile: "Having said that, it is not a good thing for ordinary people to be devastated after the war. It would be best if the two countries could resolve the dispute through negotiation."
Wei Jianyuan said: "Our country may not have such a plan, but the Ming Dynasty sent people to assassinate the adults of the Executive Committee. This is a move to tear up the armistice agreement. It shows that it is not our country that really wants to fight, but the Ming Dynasty."
Wang Xianguang was just a businessman. How could he compare to Wei Jianyuan when it came to international relations?
Wei Jianyuan said: "The change of dynasties is a historical law. With the strength of our country, it is just a matter of time to replace the Ming Dynasty in ruling the world. Since you are already in Haihan, don't look forward and backward any more and mistakenly believe that the general trend of the world is still there. What will happen again?”
Wang Xianguang quickly bowed his head and responded: "The one hundred and sixty-two members of the Wang family in Yuhang are all headed by Haihan, and there is absolutely no second intention. Please be aware of this!"
Wei Jianyuan said: "The elder of your family who was an official in the Ming Dynasty was expelled from the clan by you?"
Wang Xianguang thought that Wei Jianyuan was instructing him to draw a clear line, so he gritted his teeth and said, "I will hold a clan meeting in two days to delete this person from the family tree!"
Wei Jianyuan said: "You have misunderstood me. Everyone has his own ambitions. If he is willing to follow the Ming Dynasty, it is not your family's problem. But if you are grateful for your family ties, you can try to write a letter to persuade your elder to let him Return as soon as possible and return to our country.”
When Wang Xianguang heard this, he raised his head and looked at Wei Jianyuan's expression. It didn't seem like he was joking, so he asked tentatively: "Your Majesty, you mean... let me persuade you to surrender?"
Wei Jianyuan said: "It doesn't matter whether you surrender or not. As long as you are willing to serve our country, it doesn't matter even if you are in the Ming court."
Wang Xianguang finally understood that Wei Jianyuan was not only trying to persuade him to surrender, but also wanted his elder to act as Haihan's internal agent in the court. He didn't dare to refuse, so he could only agree first and then talk.