Aoyama

Chapter 334: Foothold
Behind the gauze curtain in the hall, a person was sitting cross-legged like a dragon.

The twenty-eight constellations are painted on the caisson above his head, and beside him are powerful ministers and officials.

Renshou Palace was exceptionally quiet at this time. Everyone was lost in thought because of the sudden change and did not dare to speak rashly for a while.

Ordered to suppress rebellion?

Could it be that His Majesty had long been thinking about getting rid of the Wang family and weakening the Chen family? So he privately issued an order, ordering the Yulin Army, the imperial guards that no one usually pays attention to, to do this secretly?

If this is the case, then the next step would be to convict the Wang family, and then use the Wang family to implicate the Chen family and defeat the prince's family?
Elder Chen sat on the embroidered cushion, his eyes sparkling, as if he wanted to see through the bastard of the Chen family in front of him. He looked through the smooth blue bricks and at Chen Ji's face reflected on the bricks, calm and determined.

Lord Xu, Lord Qi, and Lord Hu closed their eyes and thought, no one knew what they were thinking about.

No one wanted to express their opinion.

Chen Ji lay silently in Renshou Palace.

Master Yao Qimen once said that his fate was "created by Heaven, with difficulty in survival at the beginning of the combination of hardness and softness, and one must be in danger". He asked what this meant, and the master summarized it in seven words: put to death and then survive.

Chen Ji is gambling.

Bet right.

After a moment, Hu Ge Lao slowly said, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask you, when did you issue this oral order?"

Emperor Ning sat behind the veil and said calmly, "Chen Ji, tell Elder Hu about this."

Chen Ji said slowly, "A few days ago, I went to the overpass to watch a wrestling match. I happened to hear that some street gangs in the outer city were planning to gather together for rebellion and secretly hid crossbows. I told Lord Zhang Zhuo about this. Lord Zhang then passed on an oral order on behalf of His Majesty, asking us to act covertly to investigate the rebels' movements in order to avoid alerting the enemy."

Just as Hu Ge Lao was about to speak, Zhang Zhuo interrupted him and said loudly, "Have you investigated who is the mastermind behind this? Is it the Wang family?"

Chen Ji understood and replied calmly, "During my investigation, I found out that the 'dragon head' Wang Huan was actually the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, Lord Wang. Wang Huan has confessed in the imperial prison. The crossbows and arrows belonged to the Wang family, and the assassins also belonged to the Wang family."

Wu Xiu glanced at everyone, turned around, walked out of Renshou Palace from behind the imperial screen, and hurriedly went somewhere unknown.

The Minister of War behind Hu Ge Lao asked, "Isn't it your Chen family who is behind the Wang family?"

Chen Ji glanced at him and said, "It has nothing to do with my Chen family."

Elder Chen raised his eyelids slightly and slowly loosened his clenched fists.

The Minister of War continued to ask: "If there is no Chen family, then why did Chen Wenren appear in the Eight Great Hutongs? Isn't he protecting the Wang family?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "Reporting to this lord, Chen Wenren's appearance in the Eight Great Hutongs was due to a personal vendetta by Yulin Army Commander Li Xuan, who beheaded his deputy commander during the Goryeo envoy case. It has nothing to do with treason."

The assistant minister of the Ministry of War said in a deep voice: "Let's not talk about the reason. Chen Wenren mobilized the government troops without authorization and fought privately with weapons. He should be punished with 100 strokes of the cane and exiled to Lingnan. Otherwise, everyone in the army will follow suit and military discipline will be slackened!"

Elder Chen slowly stood up with his hands on the embroidered cushion, lifted up the hem of his official robe, and knelt in the Renshou Palace: "Your Majesty, I am an old minister with dim eyes and ears, and I didn't know that the young people in my family were so bold and reckless. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy on me and allow me to resign. I only hope that in my remaining years, I can teach the children in my family to recite the scriptures and understand right and wrong and reason, which will be worthy of Your Majesty's grace."

Emperor Ning said calmly from behind the veil: "Chen Lizun, why don't you help Lord Chen up? The burden of the Ministry of Revenue is still on Lord Chen's shoulders. If Lord Chen resigns, who should I count on? Lord Chen is only seventy-six years old, please continue to shoulder the responsibility for our country."

Chen Lizun hurriedly helped Chen Ge Lao up.

At this time, Wu Xiu came out from behind the imperial screen and presented a confession with a bloody handprint in his hand: "Your Majesty, the eunuch went to the imperial prison to get Wang Huan's confession, which is exactly the same as what Chen Ji said. In addition, he also confessed that the Wang family privately raised bandits in Taihang Mountain."

"Oh?" Emperor Ning asked casually, "There is this matter?"

Wu Xiu looked at the confession and said, "The Taihang Mountain bandit Chen Feng once gathered 500 bandits and controlled the official roads to burn, kill and plunder. He was later surrounded by the Wansui Army. In the 27th year of Jianing, he quietly entered the capital and hid in Nianzi Hutong. Shuntian Prefecture Governor Wang Zhong was so bold that he forged a household registration for him and changed his name to Chen Zhu. This Chen Zhu had been working for Heji and was an official in Heji. A few days ago, the Wang family was afraid that the matter would be exposed, so they killed him to silence him and buried his body in a mass grave outside the city."

Emperor Ning did not accept the confession, but waved his hand: "Let the elders take a look at this confession. Immediately arrest Wang Zhong, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, and check if there are any bows, crossbows, or armor hidden in his home. Arrest all those involved in the conspiracy, and bring them to justice. Behead the men and make a public display of their heads, and send the women to serve as officials in the Jiaofang Department."

After saying that, he lowered his head and looked at Elder Chen: "Elder Chen, as Chen Wangshi is a member of your Chen family, I will not care about her. You should discipline her well when you return."

Chen Ge Lao clasped his hands and said, "I obey your command. Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Elder Qi, who had remained silent from beginning to end, suddenly reminded: "Your Majesty, Chen Ji and others have made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion."

Emperor Ning was silent for a moment. "Draft an edict. Li Xuan is promoted to Commander of the Yulin Army, the fourth rank, and is granted a dragon-patterned sword; Qi Chenzhuo is promoted to Commander of the Yulin Army, the fourth rank, and is granted a Qilin jade belt; Chen Ji, a small flag officer, is promoted to Hundred Households of the Yulin Army, the sixth rank; the rest are promoted one level."

Wu Xiu bowed and said, "Yes."

Emperor Ning stood up from the throne and said, "Well, today's work is done. If you have nothing else to do, go back and rest early."

Chen Ji suddenly looked up and said, "Your Majesty, Chen Wenren."

Emperor Ning paused, and all the officials in Renshou Palace became solemn.

Emperor Ning stood behind the veil with a half-smile on his face: "Draft an order to punish Chen Wenren with 100 strokes of the cane and exile him to Lingnan, and all the Yulin troops under his command will be demoted to soldiers."

Chen Ji leaned forward and reminded, "Your Majesty, his subordinates Lin Yanchu, Li Guang and others also followed me to suppress the rebellion."

Emperor Ning stared at Chen Ji's head for a long time and said, "Wu Xiu, go and investigate who these people are. Don't wrongly accuse the meritorious officials."

Prince Fu stood aside and secretly gave Chen Ji a thumbs up.

Before he could laugh, he heard Emperor Ning say in a cold voice: "Prince Fu was disrespectful in front of the emperor. He will be fined for three years and cannot leave the capital without an imperial decree."

Prince Fu was about to kneel down and cry, but Emperor Ning said calmly, "It's a rare opportunity to enter the palace, go visit your mother, and don't do anything wrong again."

This time, Prince Fu knelt down and kowtowed again with real emotion: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

He stood up, facing the throne, and stepped out of Renshou Palace step by step. When he stepped out of the threshold, he turned around and strode away. Chen Ji lay on the ground and looked back quietly, only to see that Prince Fu's pace was getting faster and faster, and gradually he started to trot.

He doesn't look like a vassal king at all.

Until this time, Chen Ge Lao opened his mouth to remind: "Your Majesty, the prince is still waiting outside the palace."

Emperor Ning looked at Wu Xiu and asked, "What are you doing here, Prince?"

Wu Xiu replied: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is here to plead for the Imperial Guards."

Emperor Ning said calmly: "Let him go back. It won't be too late to ask for mercy next time after he finds out the whole story. The Yulin Army doesn't need him to save them."

Wu Xiu bowed her head and replied, "Yes."

Emperor Ning rang the Sanshan bell beside him and said, "I am tired. Everyone, go back and rest. We will discuss the affairs of Goryeo tomorrow."

After Emperor Ning turned to face the imperial screen, the officials stood still and waited for the elders to leave first.

Elder Qi slowly stood up, and when he passed by Chen Ji, he said with a pleasant face: "I'll have to trouble you to take care of the two boys of my Qi family."

Chen Ji looked flattered: "You are too kind, Lord. It is Lord Li and Lord Qi who are looking after me."

Elder Qi patted him on the shoulder and said, "I know their personalities. It's not a bad thing for Qi Chenzhuo to recognize you as his master. Tomorrow my family will hold a literary gathering. We have invited the master of Yuanjue Temple and the headmaster of Donglin Academy. You and your brother Chen Wenzong should come together."

Chen Ji looked at Chen Ge Lao and Chen Lizun, and Chen Lizun nodded slightly.

Chen Ji bowed to Qi Ge Lao and said, "It is better to obey than to be respectful."

"You are young and promising, with a bright future ahead of you," Lord Qi turned and left. The officials in the hall looked at the young flag officer with an unclear expression.

Chen Ge Lao and Chen Lizun walked past Chen Ji, and Chen Lizun reminded him, "Remember to ask the kitchen to make you something to eat when you go back at night, don't overwork yourself."

Chen Ji bowed his head and saluted: "Thank you, Master Chen."

The Renshou Palace gradually emptied out. Zhang Zhuo waited until everyone left before pulling Chen Ji out. When he passed by the prince, he held Chen Ji tightly to prevent him from talking to the prince. Behind the two of them, the eunuchs held long copper bars and extinguished the candles one by one. This magnificent palace gradually fell into darkness.

The light shining on the prince gradually disappeared until it was swallowed up by darkness.

……

……

Two young eunuchs walked in front holding two palace lanterns, while Chen Ji and Zhang Zhuo followed behind without saying a word.

When passing through the solemn and lonely red walls and gray tiles, Chen Ji could not help but look back in the direction of Zhongcui Palace and Jingyang Palace, but his sight was completely blocked by a Jiefan Building.

Zhang Zhuo stood there waiting for him, and only moved forward after he finished reading.

The two of them left the Meridian Gate, followed the palace road out of the Duan Gate, and then out of the Chengtian Gate. Walking through the long vermilion palace road was like walking out of a deep-sea whirlpool, which pulled everyone in and required great concentration to break free.

Zhang Zhuo turned his head to look at Chen Ji and said jokingly, "You are too bold. If His Majesty doesn't agree with you, won't you be pushed out of the Meridian Gate and beheaded?"

Chen Ji looked at the night scene of the capital and said, "Didn't Lord Zhang teach me all this?"

Zhang Zhuo laughed and said, "I didn't teach you to gamble your life. Tell me, how did you get the confidence to bet that His Majesty would come out to protect you?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment and replied, "Since ancient times, the emperor has cared about three things the most: money, people, and who is eyeing his throne. The rest is not important. Your Majesty hired Lord Xu because he can help you make money, and now he has hired Lord Zhang for the same reason. I think Zhang Xia should have sent the Wang family's money to the inner treasury. With money, it will be easier to talk."

"Secondly, His Majesty regards the noble families as a potential threat. If someone hands him a knife, there is no reason for him to refuse."

There is another reason that Chen Ji did not say, but that is the most crucial one.

Zhang Zhuo stood outside Chengtian Gate with his hands behind his back. "You are right, but not entirely. Is 60,000 taels a lot? A lot. In the Ministry of Revenue, it is the food and wages of the border soldiers for ten days, which needs to be carefully calculated. In the Ministry of War, it is 500 guns and cannons. In the civilian population, it is the death warrant of the blood and sweat of the farmers in eight counties. But in the treasury, it is nothing."

Zhang Zhuo laughed and said, "There is more than 60,000 taels of silver behind this matter. The vacant post of Shuntian Prefecture is worth 60,000 taels of silver."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "So straightforward?"

Zhang Zhuo glanced at him and said, "Do you know how the current Minister of Works got promoted? He presented His Majesty with 80,000 taels of silver as a 'Longevity Gold' two years ago, and was soon promoted to Minister of Works. Of course, not many people think highly of him, and these 80,000 taels of silver can only allow him to sit in the position of Minister for three years to satisfy his own pleasure."

"Besides, the Wang family was confiscated. Wang Zhong has been the governor of Shuntian Prefecture for nine years, and he has also secretly nurtured bandit troubles. This is a fat sheep. Jiefanwei will definitely squeeze the blood out of him, and even the women of the Wang family will be sold at a good price in the Jiaofang Bureau."

Chen Ji asked again: "Why did Lord Zhang just hint that I should stop at the Wang family? Wouldn't it be better to start with the second branch of the Chen family?"

Zhang Zhuo said unhappily, "Your Majesty doesn't only have money in his eyes. He also wants to keep the second branch of the Chen family to restrain the first branch. Over the years, Elder Chen has supported the crown prince, and the second branch has been secretly trying to please Prince Fu. They have long been enemies. If we help Elder Chen get rid of the second branch, I'm afraid he will wake up laughing in his dreams."

Chen Ji thought thoughtfully: "That Prince Fu..."

Standing on Chang'an Street outside Chengtian Gate, Zhang Zhuo sighed, "Prince Fu is a smart man, at least much smarter than the crown prince. If he does anything wrong tonight, there will be no good results."

Chen Ji said sincerely: "I would like to hear the details."

Zhang Zhuo stroked his beard, "First, as the Doctrine of the Mean says, sincerity is like a god. He saved his life by not lying in front of Your Majesty. Second, he got rid of Fu Ruixiang before entering the palace without any regrets, and handed over the money honestly. Third, he ruined his image by throwing a tantrum. How can there be an emperor who loses his manners in this world? He just showed that he had no intention of competing for the throne, and cut off his own path to the throne. As for the crown prince, he is more ruthless than smart."

Chen Ji nodded.

Zhang Zhuo looked at him and said, "You are a ruthless person. His Majesty is not going to pay any attention to that idiot Chen Wenren, but you still want to kill him. How dare you ask His Majesty that?"

Chen Ji said seriously: "Master Zhang, people usually like those they have helped rather than those who have helped them. It is not a bad thing for me to owe your majesty a favor."

Zhang Zhuo laughed out loud: "Finally I look like a Beijinger!"

He changed the subject: "But if you make such a fuss, the business in the outer city won't make much money."

Chen Ji turned around and looked: "What do you mean?"

Zhang Zhuo said casually, "If you can handle this matter yourself, then according to the previous agreement, my Zhang family will take 50% and you will take the rest. But if you can't handle it yourself and come to the emperor, then my Zhang family will take 90% and you will take 10%. Of course, you should have guessed that this silver was not sent to my Zhang family, but directly to the inner treasury, and the Zhang family will not take a penny."

Chen Ji hummed, "I'm not greedy, as long as there's money, I'll take it. The Eight Great Hutongs plus Liulichang, even if I only get 10%, it's not a small amount."

Zhang Zhuo looked at Chen Ji with interest: "You are not angry when someone takes away 90% of the territory you worked so hard to conquer?"

Chen Ji said calmly, "Master Zhang, what I want to do cannot be accomplished with just money. I need the shade of a dense tree that covers the sky... By the way, could it be that the arrow was shot tonight by someone sent by His Majesty?"

Zhang Zhuo laughed: "What are you thinking? Your Majesty doesn't need to do such a thing. He just needs to sit on the throne behind the veil and be a qualified judge. When everyone comes to him for judgment, power will naturally return to his hands. Boy, the so-called emperor's mind is not that mysterious. Your Majesty only needs to be a superior judge forever, and you will be invincible."

The traces suddenly became clear.

Yes, the referee will not lose, he just needs to watch others fight to win or lose.

Zhang Zhuo patted him on the shoulder and said, "Let's go. I will also go to the Qi family literary gathering tomorrow. Let's talk about it then. How to deal with the Korean envoy is another headache."

He walked towards the Zhang family's carriage, stepped on a small stool and got into the carriage. The carriage slowly went away along the blue brick road of Chang'an Avenue, disappearing among the undulating and endless gray tiles of the pavilions.

Chen Ji looked at the deserted Chang'an Street, rubbed his cheeks and walked into the night.

……

……

In Baishun Hutong, in Baiyu Garden, Pao Ge and Qi Gong were sitting in a pavilion playing chess.

Duke Qi looked at his general who was about to be killed by Qi Ma's thirteen moves, and fell into deep thought for a long time. Brother Pao sat opposite him, crossed his legs, and hummed a little tune.

Qi Gong raised his head and looked at Pao Ge: "You can't judge a person by his appearance."

Brother Pao scratched his scalp with his little finger and turned to look at Erdao: "Is this Lao Deng scolding me?"

Er Dao said honestly, "He praised and scolded at the same time."

As he was speaking, a man from the Sanshan Society ran in and whispered in Qi Gong's ear.

Qi Gong raised his eyebrows, and then gradually became solemn.

Pao Ge didn't wait for him to speak, and stood up with a smile: "Er Dao, let's go, we have a place to stand in the capital now!"

Qi Gong was silent for a moment and said, "I can give you Liulichang and the Eight Great Hutongs, but you have to learn the Mandarin Duck Formation in exchange."

Brother Pao nodded: "Deal."

After saying that, Pao Ge walked out of the pavilion.

Lord Qi asked curiously from behind him, "I haven't said anything yet, are you so sure that your reckless boss can get away with it?"

Brother Pao turned around and grinned: "I didn't trust him much before I met him, but now it's your turn to get to know him. Maybe you think we are reckless, but we are just not familiar with this place."

Pao Ge walked out, turned his back to Qi Gong and waved his hand casually:

"It doesn't matter. We will get to know each other sooner or later."

……

Prologue of Volume 5, end.

(End of this chapter)