Chapter 468: I, Zheng Ji, Will No Longer Serve; Go Play by Yourself

Chapter 468: I, Zheng Ji, Will No Longer Serve; Go Play by Yourself

Zheng Ji was shouting about resigning from his post and taking her back to their hometown of Xingyang, which made her feel very insecure.

After a day of unease, she went next door to intercept Cui Yongnian, who had just returned from teaching at the Imperial Academy, and told him about the situation, hoping he could help persuade Zheng Ji.

Cui Yongnian was quite surprised. "You mean Uncle wants to resign and return to his hometown?"

Lady He nodded. "Yes, please, Master Cui, help persuade him. Getting into the cabinet is not easy, but resigning is. If he really resigns, it will be hard to come back later. Sir is just angry now; if he resigns, he might regret it later."

"Hmm, then this young master will go see him."

Cui Yongnian followed Lady He back to the South Yard next door.

She called for a maid to serve tea and snacks and instructed the kitchen to prepare several good dishes, getting busy.

Cui Yongnian waited for a while, and Zheng Ji returned from work.

"Ah, Yongnian came over? Is there something you need?"

Cui Yongnian smiled. "I came to drink with Uncle."

Zheng Ji said, "Why would you suddenly come to drink with me? Could it be that foolish woman did something stupid again, and you're here to complain?"

Cui Yongnian: "..."

"Regarding that foolish woman, I don't want to hear anything about her. Just drink well and keep your mouth shut."

Cui Yongnian smiled. "Uncle, rest assured, it has nothing to do with Aunt. I just came to drink with you."

"You'd better."

Zheng Ji actually respected Cui Yongnian greatly, even though he was a junior.

But on one condition: don't mention Cui Qingqing.

Cui Yongnian was both amused and exasperated as he poured him a cup of warm wine.

"I heard that His Majesty spoke to you alone the other day. Was it because of the Empress Dowager? Perhaps His Majesty, loving the house and the birds in it, wants to promote you?"

Zheng Ji: "..."

"If Uncle makes it big, don't forget your nephew. Even though I'm an outsider, our relationship has nothing to do with that 'outsider' status. If you have influence in the cabinet, could you put in a good word for me when the opportunity arises? I've set my sights on the position of Chief Priest at the Imperial Academy. The old Chief Priest is not doing well, and once he's gone, could you think of a way to get me that position?"

Zheng Ji's face darkened like the bottom of a pot. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if Cui Yongnian was being deliberate.

But seeing his sincere expression, it didn't seem intentional.

"Sorry, Yongnian, you guessed wrong."

Cui Yongnian was taken aback. "Ah?"

"The Emperor didn’t call me in alone to promote me. Instead, he reprimanded and berated me. He didn’t demote me further only because of the Empress Dowager’s face."

"Ah?"

"It doesn’t matter. I, Zheng Ji, don’t want to serve anymore. I plan to resign and retire in Xingyang."

"Ah?"

"I’m not very capable, and I have a short temper. I know my limits. This is how my life will be. Whatever happens, happens. I don’t want to play their games anymore."

With that, he downed another cup of wine.

"Ah?"

Zheng Ji raised his head. "You shouldn’t just say ‘ah’ all the time. You’re a person of integrity, unlike your aunt, Cui Qingqing. I believe you can understand me."

Cui Yongnian’s lips twitched as he nodded with a forced smile. "Yes, your method of avoidance... it’s quite clever."

"Right? You think it’s a good idea too, right? Everyone uses my future as a threat against me."

As if to bolster his courage, he grabbed the wine jug and chugged it down. Then he said, "I won’t do it anymore. I’ll write my resignation tomorrow and throw it in the Emperor’s face. Let’s see what they’ll threaten me with then."

Of course, this was just a fit of anger; he didn’t dare do it.

Cui Yongnian was both amused and exasperated.

"In fact, I do think it’s a good idea for Uncle to resign and retire back home. But if you resign tomorrow, it would have the same effect as throwing your resignation at the Emperor’s face. Not only will you not be allowed to resign, but you might also incur the Emperor’s wrath."

Zheng Ji was stunned and exclaimed, "He’d still hold a grudge even if I quit?"

Cui Yongnian smiled, glanced around to ensure no one else was nearby, and whispered, "The current Emperor is not a magnanimous person. Uncle should be cautious to avoid bringing disaster upon yourself and affecting your cousins."

Hearing this, Zheng Ji deflated again.

"What do you suggest I do?"

"The Emperor just reprimanded you, and now you want to resign. How do you think the Emperor will interpret that?"

Zheng Ji’s expression turned serious.

"You need a reason to resign, but it can’t make the Emperor feel like you’re threatening him or acting out of spite."

"What reason could there be? If I were older, I could use retirement due to age as an excuse, but I’m only in my forties. I don’t have parents to take care of either. What reason could I give?"

Cui Yongnian smiled faintly. "Lord Lu is younger than you, and he’s gone."

Zheng Ji suddenly understood—he could resign due to illness.

But he’s in good health, how could he suddenly fall ill?

He can’t just get sick immediately; it would be best to have a trigger, otherwise, suspicions would arise.

This trigger, for example, could be getting so angry that he collapses in public and then becomes bedridden.

In full view of everyone, it would gain credibility.

Apart from Cui Qingqing, who else could make him so angry that he would collapse in public?

Could it be that he has to provoke Cui Qingqing himself?

He’s not unreasonable like Cui Qingqing, randomly provoking her; he wouldn’t do such a thing.

Zheng Ji feels a headache coming on at the thought, but this matter stays in his mind.

From his understanding of Cui Qingqing, even if he doesn’t provoke her, she won’t be able to resist provoking him.

So, all he needs is a suitable opportunity.

He wants to use Cui Qingqing’s retirement as leverage, and he hasn’t told anyone about it.

In front of Concubine He, he no longer mentions resigning from his post. He goes to work every day as usual, everything seems normal.

Concubine He thinks Cui Yongnian’s persuasion worked and no longer worries about it, serving Zheng Ji diligently and taking care of his daily life.

Everything seems to return to calm.

However, things are not peaceful next door.

Fang Jinxiu was demoted from wife to concubine and was comforted by Lady Lu that day.

After enduring for a few days, she grew increasingly angry and came back to cry to Lady Zheng.

"Mother, do you think I made a mistake by agreeing to this? Can I trust the assurance my mother-in-law gave me? Do you think she might have conspired with Wang Fuzhen to use me as a tool for bearing children? Once I safely give birth to this child, they might take the child away and kick me out. Divorce or separation isn’t easy, but getting rid of a concubine is too simple. At the time, I didn’t think this much, but now it seems more and more wrong."

Lady Zheng also felt this was a huge pitfall after hearing her description.

"Did you remind your mother-in-law that you are a person of great fortune?"

"I did, but what can great fortune do? The Lu family is in decline now and relies on the Wang family to maintain their status. How could she possibly let Lu Shen divorce Wang Fuzhen? She is a Wang family miss."

Lady Zheng sighed, "Since you’ve thought this through, why did you agree in the first place?"