Aoyama

Chapter 438: Admit Defeat
"Has the second brother found any traces?"

"No."

"Did the second brother capture that Gelaohui member under Chen Ji?"

"Caught."

"Did the interrogation reveal anything?"

"No."

Inside the Wendan Hall, Grand Secretary Chen lowered his eyes and pondered silently, while Chen Xu stood beside him with his hands at his sides.

So many days have passed, and everyone in the capital is waiting for Chen Ji to appear, but Chen Ji himself is nowhere to be found, and he even turns a blind eye to the arrest of his subordinates.

Grand Secretary Chen suddenly laughed.

Chen Xu asked in surprise, "What are you laughing at, Patriarch?"

Grand Secretary Chen laughed and said, “I laugh. The eldest son of the second branch of the Chen family is about to be defeated by a mere illegitimate son… The second son is too arrogant, so arrogant that he thinks Chen Ji can’t do anything to him. But as the saying goes, only virtue can move heaven and reach far and wide. Pride invites loss, humility brings benefit. This is the way of heaven.”

Chen Xu respectfully said, "Actually, it is because the patriarch has been cutting off Second Master's wings for many years, otherwise Chen Ji would not have had the opportunity to take advantage of him. However, Chen Ji's disregard for the lives of the Gelaohui is somewhat unexpected. I thought he was a person who valued loyalty and righteousness."

“Hesitation will only lead to chaos,” Grand Secretary Chen said, looking out of the Wendan Hall. “If he loses his composure because of the Gelaohui (a secret society), he will be at a disadvantage.”

Chen Xu said in a low voice, "Master, Mengji went to the capital this morning and was to meet the Emperor at noon. He hasn't come out yet, so he must have been detained by His Majesty."

“We are waiting, and His Majesty is waiting too,” Grand Secretary Chen said hoarsely. “Today, the imperial edict was posted, and the inner and outer cities were bustling with activity. Meng Ji has also entered the capital. Chen Ji is about to make a move, and it seems that today is the day.”

Chen Xu probed, "Master said that Second Master cannot be kept alive, so why hasn't he sent me to take action against him yet?"

“There’s no need to rush,” Grand Secretary Chen said slowly. “Young people are still immature and too impatient. If Chen Ji uses me as a weapon, why can’t I use him as a weapon? Let’s wait a little longer.”

Chen Xu asked, puzzled, "What is the master waiting for?"

Grand Secretary Chen rubbed his fingers against the armrest: "Judging by the time... it's about time. Let's go greet them."

Chen Xu was taken aback.

At this moment, a servant's voice rang out from outside the Wendan Hall: "Second Master, the Master is waiting for you inside the Wendan Hall."

Chen Lizhi strode into the Wendan Hall and said angrily, "You all let Chen Ji run wild. Do you think that just because my second branch has suffered, your first branch won't be implicated?"

Grand Secretary Chen didn't seem to care about his tone. He simply pointed to the chair and said calmly, "A man with thunder in his heart but a calm face is worthy of being a general. Jingshu, you must be composed when doing things. No matter how big the matter is, you can sit down and talk it over first. There is no obstacle that cannot be overcome."

Chen Lizhi's expression changed several times, but he finally sat down in his chair and said firmly, "Your eldest son's family is just watching from the sidelines. Don't blame me for dragging the entire Chen family to the livestock farm to be beheaded and displayed to the public."

Grand Secretary Chen picked up his teacup: "You may not be very capable, but you're quite adept at causing trouble. If you think you can drag the entire Chen family down with you and have them executed, then you might as well give it a try."

Chen Lizhi remained silent.

Seeing that he remained silent, Grand Secretary Chen continued, "Jingshu, unless absolutely necessary, don't think about dying first, much less drag everyone down with you. This Chen family is not only my Chen family, but also your Chen family. Your second branch still has eleven people waiting to participate in the provincial examination, one person participating in this imperial examination, twelve seventh-rank officials, and three fifth-rank officials. Chen Zhengyang has even risen to the position of Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Luzhou. Do you intend to drag them down with you?"

Chen Lizhi looked troubled.

Grand Secretary Chen said with a smile, "This is not a matter for you alone, nor is it a decision you can make alone. If the second branch only had you, the first branch wouldn't have had to fight with your second branch for so many years."

Chen Lizhi looked tired and hesitated for a long time before speaking: "I have no other purpose in coming here today. I am just tired of the officialdom in the capital and plan to resign and return to my hometown to teach and write books in the family school in Luzhou. Only Wende and Chen Yu will remain in the capital. The elders of the second branch of the clan have not been involved in family affairs for ten years and have only obeyed the head of the family."

Grand Secretary Chen let out a long breath.

With the Chen family being so numerous and powerful, family matters cannot be resolved simply by killing one or two people.

More than ten years ago, after the Minister of Revenue of the Chen family was assassinated, Grand Secretary Chen worked hard for more than ten years, but he could only be considered to have gained half of Luzhou.

Now, Chen Lizhi has admitted defeat.

Grand Secretary Chen rubbed his fingers against the armrest, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Wen De should also return to Luzhou to pursue his studies."

Chen Lizhi suddenly looked up: "Does the patriarch truly not even tolerate Wende?"

Grand Secretary Chen said slowly, "It's not that we can't tolerate him. He's too impetuous in the capital now. With his talent, he could have taken the position of Minister, but now he's only at the level of Vice Minister of Rites. Let him go to Luzhou to calm down for eight years before returning to the capital for reinstatement. Perhaps then he can achieve something even greater."

Chen Lizhi's face remained ashen, but he finally agreed: "Okay!"

After saying the word "good," Chen Lizhi seemed to lose all his strength and aged ten years in an instant.

Grand Secretary Chen looked up at him and asked, "What exactly are you carrying on your shoulders?"

Chen Lizhi stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and replied irrelevantly, "I will go back and draft my resignation letter now, and I hope that my master will keep his word."

As Grand Secretary Chen watched Chen Lizhi's retreating figure, he casually instructed Chen Xu, "Find Chen Ji and tell him that I will give him an explanation within a year. For now, just bear with it."

Chen Xu bowed and withdrew from the Wendan Hall: "Yes."

……

……

At this very moment, in Biaobei Hutong in the east of the city, the vermilion gates of the examination hall were wide open. The crowd outside cheered: "The results are out!"

A minor official from the examination hall, brandishing a knife, pushed back the crowd: "Get out of the way immediately! If you go any further, you will be charged with trespassing on the examination hall, your homes will be confiscated, and you will be exiled!"

A minor official carried a ladder and a jar of paste.

They applied paste to the walls of the examination hall and then pasted the huge list of successful candidates on it. Before the list was even finished, some sharp-eyed men had already spotted the name of the top scholar and turned to run out of Biaobei Alley.

His companion was waiting outside the alley with his horse. Seeing him come out, he immediately handed over the reins: "Did you see him?"

"I've spotted the top scholar! Stop those behind him!" The man took the reins, mounted his horse, and galloped away: "Young Master Chen Wenzong of the Chen family on Fuyou Street has achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination!"

At the entrance of Biaobei Hutong, his companion saw someone rushing out of the alley again and immediately pretended to accidentally knock him to the ground.

The person who was hit flew into a rage: "Beat him up!"

The man who had blocked the road lay on the ground with his head in his hands. Although he was being beaten, he was still smiling: "I'm reporting good news to the top scholar. He's the top scholar from the Chen family on Fuyou Street again. The reward alone is a huge sum of eight hundred taels of silver, enough for a family of several people to spend for several years."

It's important to understand that the metropolitan examination didn't distinguish between the top three scholars (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, and Tanhua) like the palace examination, nor did it differentiate between the top three scholars (Jieyuan, Yayuan, and Jingkui) like the provincial examination. The only one with a title was the metropolitan examination champion, and only the metropolitan examination champion received the heaviest reward.

More and more people rushed out of Biaobei Hutong, mounted the fast horses prepared by their companions, and ran around delivering the good news: "Shen Ye, the young master of the Tiger Hill Poetry Society, has passed the imperial examination!"

Those who pass the provincial examination are called tribute students.

Although I haven't participated in the palace examination yet and am not yet a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), the palace examination never eliminates people, so passing the Gongshi (a successful candidate in the provincial imperial examinations) is already equivalent to becoming a Jinshi, which is a great joy.

The man rode his horse to Fuyou Street and shouted loudly, "Congratulations to Chen Wenzong, the young master of the Chen family on Fuyou Street, for passing the imperial examination with top honors!"

The main gate of the Chen family was wide open, and Chen Xu, dressed in a black Taoist robe, strode out. He waved his hand to have his servants present eight hundred taels of silver, but his mind was not on the imperial examination, nor was he in a hurry to go back and report the good news.

Chen Xu looked across Fuyou Street and saw a man standing under the eaves of a building, waiting for orders. He gestured to the man, who then turned and walked south of the city.

Chen Xu stood in front of the Chen residence, his hands tucked into his sleeves, waiting quietly.

As dusk settled, lanterns were hung in the houses along the street, and the number of pedestrians on the bluestone road gradually decreased, but Chen Xu still did not receive the news he wanted.

At 5:15 PM, a peddler carrying a load passed by the Chen residence and gently shook his head at Chen Xu.

At three quarters past 5 PM, another soldier from the Five Cities Garrison rode by on horseback and gently shook his head at Chen Xu.

Chen Xu waited in front of the Chen residence until midnight. All the servants of the Chen family were sent out, and a total of twelve people returned to report that none of the twelve groups of people had found any trace of Chen.

He returned to the Wendan Hall with a sullen face, only to find that Grand Secretary Chen was already asleep in his armchair.

Chen Xu called out softly, "Patriarch."

Grand Secretary Chen slowly opened his eyes: "Didn't find it?"

Chen Xu said with shame, "I couldn't find it."

“It’s not your fault. It’s his skill that he made it so you couldn’t find him,” Grand Secretary Chen said softly, looking at the night outside the hall. “It seems he’s determined to kill the second son.”

Chen Xu asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Grand Secretary Chen pondered for a moment: "Today is already an excellent opportunity, and there should be no need to wait any longer. But since he doesn't show up today, we can only wait another three days."

"On the day of the imperial examination, the top scholar parades through the streets?"

Grand Secretary Chen nodded: "When the top scholar parades through the streets, the Imperial Guards will serve as his ceremonial guard. Under the cover of the Imperial Guards, we can bring Wang Gui into the palace without any mishaps. At that time, everyone will be watching, and no one will dare to offend the Imperial Guards' ceremonial guards. Li Xuan is a Dao Seeking Realm official, and not many people have the ability to kill someone under his nose."

Chen Xu was startled: "Does he really intend to send Wang Gui to the palace?"

Grand Secretary Chen was unusually puzzled: "I originally thought he was bluffing, but now I'm not quite sure. Could it be that he doesn't intend to use me, but is confident that Wang Gui alone can convict the second branch of the family? What exactly does Wang Gui know?"

Chen Xu said in a low voice, "I can arrange for manpower..."

Grand Secretary Chen smiled and said, "If we do it, it would break the rules. His Majesty is probably waiting for my Chen family to take such a risk."

He slowly rose, supporting himself on the handrail, and walked out of the Wendan Hall, looking up at the plaque above his head.

Then he looked at the couplets on the left and right sides of Wendan Hall. The first line read, "Poverty has penetrated to the bone, but there is still a livelihood. It is better to study than to starve to death." The second line read, "If learning is not yet satisfactory, one must undergo all kinds of tempering. When one is proficient in literature, one will be successful in life."

Grand Secretary Chen touched the gold characters on the couplet: "I'm getting old. I used to be able to eat three big bowls of rice at every meal and walk with a brisk pace. During the disaster relief in Luzhou, I didn't sleep for three days and three nights. Back then, I never thought I would get old. Now, I can hardly understand the thoughts of young people."

Chen Xu quickly replied, "The patriarch is still vigorous despite his advanced age and will surely live to be a hundred years old."

Grand Secretary Chen laughed heartily: "I am not His Majesty, and I would never deceive myself about this matter. I am old, and that is that."

"I have served in the government for forty-seven years and have encountered many opponents in this magnificent court, but most of them are old and dull, only seeking to play it safe and without any spirit. Now Zhang Zhuo has entered the cabinet in his prime, and my Chen family has stirred up some trouble in the capital region, which has given us some vitality... Chen Xu, we cannot let Chen Ji succeed in this matter."

Chen Xu's expression shifted slightly: "Master wants to protect Second Master?"

Grand Secretary Chen smiled and said, "Not at all. I just suddenly felt a bit competitive and wanted to show that young man that even an old crane in its twilight years can defeat a young tiger."

(End of this chapter)