Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 659 The Oppressive Feeling from My Original Brother
When Xie Bin said this, many people were internally screaming "Holy crap!"

Is this what you're really like now?

Don't let Brother Qianhu overthink things.

He Han reacted the fastest, almost blurting out, "What? Someone came looking for you too?"

Zhang Fan hurriedly asked, "Is it the short guy in the blue robe?"

The remaining people weren't stupid either, and they immediately started talking all at once, "I also think this is strange. When I came here today, I was thinking of asking Brother Qianhu for advice."

Bai Jun felt that he had already discussed things with Yun Buxian in advance, and wanted to play it safe and see if there were any unexpected gains.

Then Shi Kai, who was standing to the side, said, "Bai Jun, why aren't you saying anything? I saw that person go looking for you too!"

After these people arrived in the capital, although they had already passed the imperial examinations, their future was uncertain. They didn't know whether to stay in the capital or go to a local area, so none of them bought any property and continued to stay at the temples where they had stayed before.

Therefore, many people still lived together in twos and threes, and Shi Kai was the one who stayed at the same temple as Bai Jun.

Upon hearing Shi Kai's question, Bai Jun immediately exclaimed "Holy crap!"

Everyone turned their wary gazes toward them.

Bai Jun couldn't very well say that he had already taken action ahead of time, so he could only stammer, "I've been thinking about this matter. Just now, from what everyone was saying, it seems that we've all been invited by Grand Secretary Yang."

As Bai Jun spoke, he realized the problem and quickly asked, "I just don't know if everyone was invited, or just the group of us?"

"If everyone is invited, that's fine. But if only the few of us are invited, is there something fishy going on?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd, which had been making a ruckus and trying to prove themselves, gradually quieted down.

However, they had no background and were all newcomers to officialdom. In their panic, they could only turn their attention to Commander Pei.

Pei Yuan was also quite emotional at this moment.

These guys were already considered outstanding individuals to have passed the imperial examinations in their hometown. Now that they've stepped onto a broader stage and are being shown goodwill by more powerful officials, it's only natural that they'd like to try and break free from their "original brother."

However, they will eventually find that the more they struggle, the more they cannot break free from the love from their "original brother".

There were as many as twelve Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from Shandong. In addition, there were Huo Tao and Tian Fu, whom Pei Yuan had deliberately mixed in.

With each of them harboring their own agendas, how could they possibly unite?
As long as they cannot reach a consensus, those who entered officialdom through collective cheating will never be able to erase the label of Pei Yuan's faction from their identities.

Right now, they're still operating in the shadows, so the feeling of being labeled isn't so obvious yet. But one day, when Pei Yuan's faction surfaces, even if they try to break free, they'll inevitably be dragged into the attack on Pei Yuan.

Now, it's time to let these little brothers who've gotten hard experience the pressure from their "original older brothers."

Pei Yuan said to everyone in a calm and collected manner, "It's alright. I know about this matter. It's about the 'attack on the Imperial Censorate' case in Shandong."

Upon hearing Pei Yuan's words, many people felt a jolt of fear and inexplicable panic.

Many people couldn't help but recall the last time they drank together.

These newly appointed scholars were, in theory, entitled to a period of observation in government.

Firstly, it's to familiarize them with the affairs of each department, making it easier for them to establish themselves in the officialdom in the future. Secondly, it's also to let the officials of each department get to know each other and select suitable talents from among them.

Bai Jun, Xie Bin, and other successful candidates in the imperial examinations were initially full of hope for the future, but after just a few days, they realized that things were not as they seemed.

According to the vague rumors, the future and fate of these newly appointed scholars had already been decided before they even began their political careers.

Many promising positions have already been taken, while these uneducated scholars with no connections are left to fill those thankless and menial jobs.

Specifically, within their small group, Tang Gao and the other three from the top tier entered the Hanlin Academy, their futures naturally bright; Huo Tao passed the examination to become a probationary official, which goes without saying.

The remaining people, even Xie Bin, who ranked ninth in the second class, only received an official position in Yingtian Prefecture, a seventh-rank post.

Those who ranked lower became mere scraps in the Ming Dynasty's officialdom.

Faced with the dark secrets and injustices of the Ming Dynasty's officialdom, these newcomers, in a fit of anger, lost their temper.

Because of the shady dealings, they were involved too!

Even before they took the imperial examination, their shady dealings had already promised them the position of Censor of the Censorate, and they even summoned the Grand Censor of the court to agree to the matter in person.

Therefore, the younger brothers, who had experienced setbacks in their official careers, all came to beg their biological older brother for help.

As expected, the older brother didn't hold back. He got up drunk and rode away on horseback, saying he wanted to secure a future for them.

And then.

Not long after, the imperial censors who went to Shandong to investigate Zhang Feng's case were attacked and all of them were killed in Shandong.

That's how many things are; the truth is often just a thin veil away.

It's particularly easy to work backwards from the result.

Li Shishi was able to quickly determine that Pei Yuan was the one who attacked the Imperial Censorate because he knew that Pei Yuan was in a hurry to arrange things for his underlings. So, after hearing that many Imperial Censors had died, he naturally suspected that Pei Yuan was responsible.

As for those who passed the imperial examinations, they felt it even more deeply, because they were the younger brothers who kept an eye on the vacant positions of censors, waiting to be assigned a post.

After the last incident, many people felt fear.

But the more this happened, the less they dared to act recklessly.

Not to mention Pei Yuan's ruthlessness, if this matter comes to light, they might also be labeled as accomplices.

While his younger brothers were feeling uneasy, Pei Yuan's gaze swept over their faces one by one, and then he said frankly, "I won't hide it from you, I was the one who did that thing in Shandong."

Everyone was somewhat alarmed upon hearing this.

Is this something we can just listen to casually?

Their gazes were darting around erratically, but Pei Yuan continued speaking earnestly to himself, "I, as your older brother, have always kept your affairs in mind."

“Li Shishi said he had difficulties, but don’t my brothers have difficulties too?”

"Brothers, you've studied diligently for ten years, acquiring a wealth of knowledge. Are you here to be trampled on in this officialdom?"

"If I could tolerate something like this and not stand up for myself, I would despise myself."

Pei Yuan's words touched many people. Those who had been avoiding eye contact before slowly returned their gazes to Pei Yuan.

Everyone silently reflected on the events that had occurred since they arrived in the capital.

The thought arose in everyone's mind: no matter how wicked he was, at least he had done right by himself.

Shi Kai, being the most honest, asked somewhat nervously, "Commander, can this matter be investigated? If it really doesn't work, you can go to my hometown to hide."

Hearing Shi Kai say this, Xu Qing also realized and quickly said, "Yes, yes, once we cross the sea to Liaodong, the imperial court will have nowhere to investigate."

Others also offered some useless advice.

Pei Yuan was greatly pleased to see this. It was indeed a place where loyalty was valued more than reason, and they were truly a group of good comrades.

Pei Yuan immediately reassured everyone, "It's alright, I've already made arrangements. Yang Tinghe asked you to join the team heading south to investigate the case of the censor being attacked."

Hearing this, everyone was somewhat confused. Zhang Fan asked with some fear, "Commander, how could someone of Yang Ge Lao's status come after us? Could it be that he already has some suspicions about this matter?"

Pei Yuan knew that the others were probably a little guilty as well.

Given the egregious impact of this major case, if it were to be investigated, they would certainly be implicated.

Pei Yuan patiently explained, "Don't worry, it's my intention that Grand Secretary Yang would find you."

Everyone was increasingly confused, not knowing what it meant by "It was my idea for Grand Secretary Yang to come to you".

Based on their understanding of the current political situation, this is unreasonable.

Fortunately, Pei Yuan did not mince words and said directly, "The attack on the Imperial Censorate this time has had a very bad impact. His Majesty was furious and wanted to personally intervene in the matter. However, the court was worried that His Majesty's command of the army would cause complications, so it did not agree. Instead, the newly promoted Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Bian Xian was appointed to transfer officials from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, the Censorate, and the Court of Judicial Review to go south to investigate the case."

"In order to prevent the same terrible incident from happening again, and to avoid the bandits fighting like cornered beasts, the imperial court also transferred troops from the military circuits of Daming, Suidong, and Runan to accompany them south."

Upon hearing Pei Yuan's words, the younger brothers' hearts jumped into their throats.

With this kind of force, what case can't they solve?!

Pei Yuan continued, "His Majesty is determined to go south, so yesterday he asked me to stand in for him in the Zhonghe Hall to discuss the investigation of this case with Yang Tinghe."

Upon hearing this, the younger brothers all had a question mark in their minds.

Even my previous judgment has begun to waver.

It is known that the attackers were Chitoge's brother and his men.

Then the emperor ordered the commander's brother to coordinate with the chief minister to go south to investigate the case.

Is it possible to find out?

Pei Yuan said, "Yang Tinghe insisted on sending someone from the imperial court. So I suggested to him that in order to undermine the local officials and powerful families and make them suspicious of each other, it would be better to send someone from Shandong to investigate the case."

“I even specifically hinted to him that it would be best to choose officials who are not deeply involved in officialdom, which means you guys.”

"It seems he took my words to heart. He came to you because he wanted to curry favor and steal my favor for no reason."

"Hmph, you despicable person!"

The younger brothers were stunned.

Whether Yang Tinghe was a villain or not is another matter.

It is known that...

Holy crap, how the hell can this be traced?

Once everyone realized they were safe, the atmosphere in the room immediately became lively.

Everyone patted their chests and said, "Don't worry, Brother Qianhu, we've got you covered! This matter will definitely not be traced back to you!"

Yao Qian, being more cautious, reminded everyone, "Things aren't completely settled yet, so it's best to be careful. We need to consider things carefully to avoid being caught off guard by any changes."

Pei Yuan, however, showed great optimism, "Don't worry. This matter is not a big problem. If Yang Tinghe doesn't speak up, I will find a way to get Yang Yiqing to speak."

Actually, it might have been simpler to have Yang Yiqing step in on this matter.

After all, Bian Xian, who took the lead in this matter, was his man, and Pei Yuan could also leverage Lu Yin, Yang Yiqing's apparent ally, to establish a connection between the two.

Unfortunately, Yang Yiqing will now have to fight with Hanlin Academician Jin Gui for the fourth spot in the cabinet.

This battle for cabinet membership has thoroughly exposed the gap between Yang Yiqing and Yang Tinghe.

Yang Yiqing couldn't even beat Jin Gui, Yang Tinghe's underling!

Pei Yuan had worked so hard to build up this small group of followers, he couldn't risk jeopardizing Yang Yiqing's relationship over something so trivial.

The younger brothers felt a sense of unreality as they listened to their elder brother Qianhu speak so casually.

I feel that Brother Qianhu is so clueless, why did he make this matter so complicated?

It's just a matter of freeing up a few censor positions. Why didn't you just order someone to be executed? You even went to Shandong personally.

Isn't this tiring?

Putting aside the fact that his underlings were becoming increasingly complacent, Pei Yuan still held Yao Qian in high regard.

He said approvingly to Yao Qian, "It's rare to see someone as composed as you. When we go south to investigate this case, I'll let you take the lead."

He then said to the others, "If you have any issues, you should discuss them with Yao Qian first."

Upon hearing this, Yao Qian did not show any smugness. Instead, he cautiously asked, "Commander, should we continue investigating this case?"

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan replied matter-of-factly, "Of course we must investigate. Not only must we investigate, but we must investigate thoroughly and comprehensively."

Yao Qian quickly replied, "Please give your instructions, Commander."

Pei Yuan paused deliberately, his sharp gaze sweeping over each person.

Everyone knew that the important part was about to be discussed, so they all focused their attention and listened intently.

Then Pei Yuan lowered his eyelids, his aggressive gaze vanished, and he said somewhat casually, "When I went to Shandong, I heard that some rumors were circulating in various parts of Shandong."

Pei Yuan raised his gaze and looked at everyone again, saying, "What are you saying? The emperor is not born to the current empress dowager, but is the son of an adopted palace maid. Therefore, the empress dowager has no maternal affection for the emperor and usually only regards the Marquis of Shouning and the Marquis of Jianchang as her own flesh and blood."

Everyone's eyelids twitched as they listened.

This is an even more serious matter than the attack on the Imperial Censorate.

Pei Yuan looked at everyone and asked, "Do you think this is true?"

Upon hearing this, everyone trembled and dared not utter a sound.

Pei Yuan looked at Yao Qian and asked, "Yao Qian, what do you think?"

Yao Qian felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Pei Yuan's oppressive gaze. He gritted his teeth and said, "If the commander says it exists, then we can investigate."

Pei Yuan replied without any hesitation, "Yes!"

Yao Qian's cheek twitched.

Pei Yuan said bluntly, "Not only is it true, but I also know that it was deliberately spread by the Crown Prince of De."

"The Crown Prince of De spread the news, but then became fearful, worried that it might reach the Emperor's ears. So he asked officials in various parts of Shandong to help him cover it up."

"Officials in various places ignored the Emperor's grace and only knew how to flatter Prince De, which allowed Prince De's heir to cover up the matter."

Yao Qian was shocked upon hearing this and looked up at Pei Yuan, hoping to get more specific instructions.

Pei Yuan's face turned cold. "Go investigate. Go to Shandong. An even bigger surprise awaits you. Let the blood of the De Fan pave your way to the top!"

(End of this chapter)