Daming: I can’t kill such a greedy prince-in-law?

Ouyang Lun didn't even raise his eyelids: "Master Qi, you are too kind. Baoding Station is the hub of the Beijing-Ping Railway, with an annual cargo value of over one million taels, and a heavy responsibility." He turned to Zhu Yuanzhang: "We need talents like Master Qi who are good at calculating."

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his beard and pondered, his eyes sweeping across Qi Tai's pale face. The old emperor suddenly sneered: "Approved. From today on, Qi Tai will be demoted to the supervisor of Baoding Station, a fifth-rank official." He deliberately emphasized: "If there is any more mistakes, you will be punished for multiple crimes!"

"Your Majesty!" Qi Tai knelt on the ground, his voice changed, "I am willing to go to the border as a soldier."

"What?" Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes, "You dislike my railway?"

Qi Tai was speechless and knocked his forehead heavily to the ground: "I obey your order."

When Qi Tai was stripped of his black veil and scarlet robe, the entire Fengtian Hall fell into complete silence. Several Huaixi Party officials stared at their tablets, fearing that they would be the next to be punished.

Minister of Works Shan Anren quietly wiped his sweat - the supervisor of Baoding Station was actually only a seventh-rank job, and Ouyang Lun's "fifth-rank" was clearly a way to give the emperor something to talk about. This move was more murderous than exiling him directly!
"Dismiss!" Zhu Yuanzhang flicked his sleeves and nodded slightly to Ouyang Lun before leaving. Li Shanchang noticed this detail, and the old duke dug his nails deep into his palm.

After the court was dismissed, Qi Tai stood outside the Meridian Gate in a daze. Several former subordinates avoided him from a distance. Only a clerk came running over with a set of blue official uniforms in his hands: "Sir, this is your new official uniform."

Qi Tai suddenly overturned the tray, and the blue official uniform fell on the snow, which was particularly dazzling. He suddenly ripped open the collar of his clothes like crazy, revealing the white undershirt underneath - he was trying to learn from the ancients to "remove the official uniform to show his ambition."

"Ouyang Lun!" he roared at the palace gate, "You will be in trouble."

"Supervisor Qi, please be careful with your words." A captain of the Jinyiwei came out from the shadows, sneered and handed over a piece of paper and pen: "This is the handover document, please sign it, so that I can confiscate your property - no, I want to help you move."

Back at Wenhua Hall, Zhu Biao couldn't help but ask, "Why not just exile Qi Tai?"

Ouyang Lun was reviewing the military newspaper. He chuckled when he heard this: "Your Highness, the dead can only be missed, and the jokes of the living can always serve as a warning." He dipped his finger in cinnabar ink and said: "Besides, Baoding Station is 200 miles away from the capital, which is just right to keep Li Shanchang's people awake."

Outside the window, a team of post horses was walking away on the snow, and the figures in green official uniforms on the horses were hunched like shrimps. On the corner tower of the imperial palace, several young eunuchs were pointing and laughing. The news of this exile drama would probably spread throughout Jinling City before dark.

Jinling City·Zuixianlou Private Room
Several retired officials gathered around the charcoal basin and whispered. "A Hanlin scholar is in charge of the railway?" The former Minister of Rites shook his head while holding his wine glass: "This is worse than being exiled to Qiongzhou in the third year of Hongwu!" The white-haired old man opposite suddenly choked up - he was the one who survived Qiongzhou that year.

Qinhuai River Boat

The singing girls held their pipa and giggled, "I heard that the gentleman doesn't even know about steam engines?" The woman in green covered her lips with her hands, "Yesterday, the maid of Liu Tongpan's family said that the concubines of the Qi family pawned their jewelry overnight!" The laughter mixed with the aroma of wine drifted into the night, and the moonlight like broken silver on the river was suddenly swallowed up by the black smoke of the steamboat.

Seven Days Later·Baoding Railway Station
When Qi Tai stepped off the train on the icy platform, his official boots sank into the half-foot thick coal dust. Looking around, the so-called "Beijing North Hub" was just three reed sheds, and the rails were like two rusty centipedes winding into the mist.

"Your humble servant. Wang Lu'er, the clerk at Baoding Station." The old servant with missing front teeth knelt on the coal slag, the account book in his arms was stained with oil. Qi Tai was about to get angry, but suddenly he was choked by the biting cold wind and coughed - the silk cotton in the official robe could not stop the white hair wind blowing from Yanshan.

Station Office

The paint-chipped wooden sign had the words "Supervisory Duty Room" hanging on it crookedly. The moment the door was pushed open, it fell down with a crash. The room was filled with a musty smell mixed with the smell of horse manure, and the corners of the walls were covered with frost like spider webs. Qi Tai trembled as he touched the kang mat, but he pulled out a handful of dry grass - a few gray mice scurried out from inside.

"Where's the brazier?"

"My Lord, according to the regulations, we are supposed to supply 300 kilograms of coal per month." Wang Luer stole a glance at his sullen face and said, "But last month, Zhuozhou Station 'borrowed' it."

Suddenly, a whistle blew in the distance, and Qi Tai stumbled to the window. He saw a fully loaded freight train whistling by, spewing black smoke, shaking the beams and causing dust to fall off. The soldier escorting the train was urinating on the platform, and the sound of water splashing could be clearly heard.

“What about the freight schedule?”

"Originally it was three shifts a day." The old official suddenly stuttered, "Since... since the news of your appointment came, it has been changed to one shift every two weeks."

Qi Tai stood there for a moment, then suddenly tore off his blue uniform like crazy. Suddenly, there was a "swish" sound, and brown and yellow cotton wool appeared at the cuffs - it was actually made from old military uniforms! Wang Luer was so scared that he kowtowed: "The Ministry of Revenue said that the railway is a new government, and we have to wait until next year to allocate new materials."

In the twilight, Qi Tai sat down on a pile of coal, clutching his torn official uniform.

At this moment, it is in the Imperial Palace of the capital.

The servant was reading the secret report from Baoding: "Qi Tai vomited three times on the first day and coughed up blood at night." The prince consort smiled and waved his hand. On the title page of the "Railway Operation Regulations" on the desk, the four words "Life is worse than death" were written in red ink, and the ink was not dry yet.

At the same time, the news also spread to the public, major newspapers rushed to report it, and people were also talking about it.

"Have you heard? That Lord Qi has been demoted to be in charge of the railways!" In a teahouse in the west of Jinling City, a man in a short coat slapped the table and laughed, attracting the attention of the surrounding tea drinkers.

"That Lord Qi?" someone asked.

"Who else could it be? It's Qi Tai, who always pretends to be noble in the court but is greedy behind the scenes!" The man spat, "Bah! He deserves it!"

An old man selling charcoal nearby interrupted, "This bastard official should have been punished long ago! Last year, my brother worked at the Ministry of Revenue, and he starved to death because he withheld his salary!"

"Isn't it?" A clerk from a silk shop came over and lowered his voice, "I heard from the clerk in the government office that Qi Tai has embezzled a lot of money while in office. The money for repairing the river embankment alone has embezzled tens of thousands of taels!"

The crowd was in an uproar, and some people clapped their hands and cheered: "Your Majesty is wise! Letting him manage the railway is really a great relief to the people!"

The washerwomen on the Qinhuai River were beating clothes and gossiping at the same time.

"The concubines of the Qi family, who usually wear gold and silver, are in such a plight now!" A thin-faced woman laughed gloatingly, "I saw them crying in front of the pawnshop yesterday!"

"It's what they deserve!" Another fat woman wrung out the cloth in her hand fiercely. "Their men have been greedy for so much money, and now they are paying the price!"

"I heard that Qi Tai has never even seen a train. If he goes to Baoding Station, I'm afraid he won't even have enough coal ash to eat?" Everyone laughed.

An old woman shook her head and sighed, "We have committed too many sins, and even God can't stand it anymore!"

The porters at Xiaguan Wharf squatted beside the cargo pile to rest. A man with a face covered in coal dust grinned and said, "Qi Tai, that bastard official, used to deduct our wages. Now let him have a taste of hard labor!"

"Baoding is a shabby place where people can freeze to death in winter!" Another man rubbed his hands and laughed, "Let him shovel coal and see if he can still act like an official!"

"It would be best if he couldn't sleep because of the train whistle every day!" Everyone laughed.

At the Caishikou, a radish vendor shouted, "Fresh radishes! Whiter than Qi Tai's face!"

The charcoal seller nearby immediately chimed in: "My charcoal is even darker than Qi Tai's heart!"

Everyone laughed, and someone joked, "Do you think Qi Tai is squatting by the railway every day counting wheels?"

"Counting wheels? He probably doesn't even know what a train is!"

The laughter spread throughout the market, and the people were talking to each other, every word was sharp and heart-wrenching.

In just a few days, the news of Qi Tai's demotion spread throughout Jinling, and the people all applauded. The once high-ranking Hanlin scholar has now become a laughing stock in the market. In teahouses, taverns, streets and alleys, everyone is talking about his downfall, but no one sympathizes with him.

In Li Shanchang's study, the charcoal fire flickered, illuminating several gloomy faces. Several Huaixi nobles sat around, but no one spoke, only the occasional sound of teacups colliding.

After a long while, Yingchuan Marquis Fu Youde put down the tea bowl heavily and said in a hoarse voice: "Qi Tai is finished."

"Baoding Railway Station..." Yongchang Marquis Lan Yu sneered, "That place doesn't even allow post horses to stop. Your Majesty is trying to make him live a life worse than death." Li Shanchang closed his eyes and tapped the rosewood table with his knuckles. After a while, he said, "Do you think Your Majesty is only targeting Qi Tai?"

Everyone's hearts trembled.

"Ouyang Lun is killing a chicken to scare the monkeys." Li Shanchang slowly opened his eyes, his eyes sharp as a knife, "Today it's Qi Tai, tomorrow... who will it be?"

The room was dead silent, with only the howling of the north wind outside the window.

Chen Huan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, gathered several of his accomplices together under the pretext of reviewing military reports.

"Qi Tai was a Hanlin after all, but he was demoted to be in charge of the railway!" Chen Huan gritted his teeth and whispered, "How can this be a demotion? This is a humiliation!"

"Humiliation?" The Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate sneered, "I think it's a warning! Ouyang Lun is clearly telling us - no one from the Huaixi Party will have an easy life!"

"How despicable!" Chen Huan slammed his fist on the table, ink splashing out, "Your Majesty actually trusts a consort and doesn't trust us old ministers!"

"Hush - be careful with what you say!" Someone looked out the door nervously, "The Jinyiwei have spies everywhere. Do you want to follow in Qi Tai's footsteps?"

Chen Huan's face turned pale and he kept silent.

That night, Duke Lan Yu of Liang held a banquet in his mansion, and many of his former subordinates from Huaixi attended. However, after three rounds of wine, no one drank freely, and the atmosphere was as solemn as if one had lost one's parents.

"Everyone..." Lan Yu raised his cup, but hesitated to drink. Finally, he sighed, "Today's banquet is not for celebration, but only for... courage."

Everyone was silent.

"Everyone knows about Qi Tai's affairs." Lan Yu looked around at everyone and said in a low voice, "Among us old brothers, who doesn't have some evidence? If His Majesty really wants to settle accounts..."

"Lord Lan Yu!" someone interrupted hurriedly, "Be careful with your words! Be careful with your words!"

Lan Yu smiled bitterly, raised his head and drank the wine in the glass, but he felt the wine was cold and stinging his throat, without any warmth.

A few days later, a secret letter was quietly delivered to Li Shanchang's desk.

"Qi Tai fell ill at Baoding Station. No one cared about him. Even the charcoal fire was cut off..."

Li Shanchang's fingertips trembled slightly as he slowly closed the letter.

Outside the window, the wind and snow were howling, as if countless wronged souls were crying.

Qi Tai's fate was like a sword hanging over the heads of the Huaixi Party. The once arrogant nobles were now silent, fearing that they would be the next to be liquidated.

In the study room of the Duke of Korea's mansion, candlelight flickered. Li Shanchang sat alone at his desk, stroking a black jade chess piece with his fingertips, his eyes uncertain. Outside the window, the wind and snow howled, as if countless dead souls were screaming.

"Ouyang Lun..." He whispered the name, his tone as cold as a knife.

On the chessboard, black and white pieces intertwined, and the situation was stalemate. Li Shanchang stared at the chessboard, as if he was deducing the killing game in the court.

Qi Tai's fall has already made the Huaixi Party panic. If they rashly counterattack at this time, it will only make Zhu Yuanzhang more vigilant. They must first stabilize their position and let the emperor relax his vigilance.

Although Ouyang Lun was the son-in-law of the emperor, he was not without enemies in the court. Those upright civil officials hated the powerful people who rose to power through nepotism the most. If they could be provoked to fight with Ouyang Lun...

Ouyang Lun's biggest reliance is the emperor's trust. If he can make Zhu Yuanzhang suspicious of him...

Li Shanchang placed his piece slowly, and with a "snap" the black chess piece cut off the white dragon.

"The game is decided." He sneered, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
-
Li Shanchang, contrary to his usual behavior, took the initiative to step out and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, this old minister has something to report."

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes and looked at him: "What's the matter, Lord Han?"

"I am old and frail, and I feel that I am unable to do my job. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire and return home."

As soon as this statement came out, the whole court was in an uproar.

The faces of the Huaixi Party members suddenly changed, while Ouyang Lun frowned slightly, alert in his heart - Li Shanchang, this old fox, would never admit defeat easily!

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Duke Han is the pillar of the country, how can he retire so easily? Don't mention this matter again!"

Li Shanchang knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty, I am so honored by your grace. I am ashamed to accept it!"

This tactic of retreating in order to advance not only paralyzed the emperor, but also made Ouyang Lun unable to figure out the truth.

After leaving the court, Li Shanchang "accidentally" met Chen Ying, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

"Lord Chen, how are you these days?" Li Shanchang smiled gently, as if he was just greeting.

Chen Ying cupped his hands and said, "Thanks to the Duke, it's OK."

Li Shanchang sighed: "Alas, the current atmosphere in the court is becoming more and more worrying..."

Chen Ying's eyes flashed: "Why do you say that, Duke?"

"Prince Consort Ouyang is young and full of vigor. Although he has outstanding talents, his behavior is somewhat... too domineering." Li Shanchang shook his head. "Although Qi Tai is guilty, it is really a disgrace to demote him to a railway supervisor. If this continues, I am afraid that it will discourage scholars all over the world..."

Chen Ying looked solemn and remained silent.

Li Shanchang patted his shoulder and said meaningfully: "Master Chen is the leader of the clean stream, and you should take it as your responsibility to rectify the government..."

Just a few words made Chen Ying feel dissatisfied with Ouyang Lun.

A few days later, a secret letter was quietly delivered to the palace.

When Zhu Yuanzhang unfolded the letter, he found that it was a memorial impeaching Ouyang Lun for "forming a clique for personal gain and abusing power to interfere in government affairs", and it was signed by several reputable officials.

The old emperor frowned, doubts rising in his heart.

At the same time, a rumor suddenly spread among the people in the market:

"I heard that Prince Consort Ouyang has placed his cronies in the railway office and even dared to withhold the money approved by His Majesty..."

"Hush! Keep your voice down! He's the prince consort, who dares to investigate him?"

The rumor spread like wildfire and eventually reached Zhu Yuanzhang's ears. (End of this chapter)