Jiang Ju left shortly after lunch. As soon as Jiang Ju left, the first thing Liang Jing did was to hastily open all the windows in the house to air it out, her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. "What kind of official is he, chain-smoking in someone else’s house? Can’t he see there are children here? Such low manners!"
He Zhilan had long realized that Liang Jing didn’t like Jiang Ju. She thought back to how Liang Jing had mentioned in the morning, that she had previously met Jiang Ju at Liang Tao’s workplace, but Jiang Ju had not treated Liang Jing very well.
"Uncle, what exactly does Jiang Ju mean?" He Zhilan asked Liang Tao after Jiang Ju had left. "He gives people an uncomfortable impression, as if he’s only interested in benefits."
"Isn’t he just after benefits?" Liang Tao nodded, his face no longer carrying the smile he had put on in front of Jiang Ju, but now showing a more serious expression. "In the past, when I was just a small town official, he wouldn’t even acknowledge me. Now, knowing that your brother has been promoted in the army, he has started cozying up to me. He is obviously interested in your brother’s future in the military and wants me to side with him."
He Zhilan had never expected that the politics in the capital could even influence a minor town official like Liang Tao.
"So uncle, how will you choose? From what I gathered, Jiang Ju implied that he could help you transfer to the county seat within a month. That’s a significant opportunity." He Zhilan carefully asked.
"Who knows what I’ll be asked to do once I’m transferred to the county seat? Should I just be a small clerk? I’d rather stay in the town and have a leisurely life. I’ll definitely listen to your brother on this one. Since he’s in the army and given his rapid promotion, he’ll have to choose a side eventually. I should certainly heed his views. I can’t have him choose one side in the capital while I choose to follow someone else here, can I? Wouldn’t that make us political enemies? How could our family end up in such a mess?"
Without any hesitation, Liang Tao shook his head in He Zhilan’s direction. "I, Liang Tao, have no great ambitions, so I’ll just follow your brother’s lead! I guess it won’t take long for your brother to get promoted again, but we don’t know who exactly will promote him."
He Hongmei, listening to her husband’s serious conversation with He Zhilan, couldn’t help but shake her head in resignation, thinking that He Zhilan, having studied in the capital, had indeed become more knowledgeable.
Upon hearing this, He Zhilan heaved a sigh of relief. She was glad that Liang Tao hadn’t directly agreed to the transfer to the county seat upon hearing the news. Otherwise, things could get really messy in the future.
After thinking for a while, He Zhilan proposed to have a private talk with Liang Tao downstairs. Though bewildered, Liang Tao thought that perhaps He Teng had some message to deliver through her. Therefore, after leaving a brief note for He Hongmei, he followed He Zhilan downstairs.
At this moment, there was nobody on the school playground. The wide view allowed them to see anyone approaching from afar.
"Zhilan, did your brother ask you to pass any message to me?" Liang Tao was the first to ask.
"No uncle, there are some things that I want to discuss with you." He Zhilan said, "I understand all the political issues you talked about with Jiang Ju. My brother said before that he would side with me. Wherever I stand, he will stand."
"What?" Liang Tao was taken aback, "With you? But Zhilan, what does this have to do with you?"
"It has everything to do with me." After weighing the situation, He Zhilan felt that she needed to explain the political matters thoroughly to Liang Tao as early as possible. "It’s because I’m siding with Xing Ye. When a coup succeeds, there’ll be many casualties. One generation of kings will be replaced by the next, one minister to the other. Regardless of whether Xing Ye takes power or someone else, there will inevitably be a purge in the political landscape in the foreseeable future. I don’t want a day to come when my brother stands with me and Xing Ye, and you stand with the other side, resulting in a civil strife within our family."