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

Chapter 680 Instructions
Fortunately, Jiang Gui was one of our own and explained things very clearly.

Pei Yuan asked carefully and then he knew what had happened.

It turns out that Pei Yuan had once helped Zhang Rui frame Empress Xia, which Empress Dowager Zhang, who had always been concerned about Empress Xia as a potential threat, kept in mind.

When the emperor mentioned that Pei Yuan, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was handling a case in Shandong, she boasted to her two younger brothers that the Embroidered Uniform Guard officers handling the case in Shandong were her people.

As a result, when the Marquis of Shouning sent a messenger, he couldn't even get into Pei Yuan's door.

Although the messenger was usually arrogant, he wasn't brainless.

Knowing he had messed things up and unwilling to lose face, he entrusted the matter to Zhang Rui, who had a good relationship with the two marquises of the Zhang family.

After hearing the whole story, Zhang Rui casually agreed to the matter. However, remembering his previous minor disagreement with Pei Yuan, he immediately wrote a letter to the Empress Dowager to report the matter.

Empress Dowager Zhang was furious when she saw it.

Unexpectedly, this lowly commander caused her to lose face in front of her family.

She originally wanted the emperor to punish the commander severely, but ever since she had humiliated Zhu Houzhao when the court officials pressured him to choose an heir, in order to deal with Empress Xia, the relationship between mother and son had become quite strained.

Empress Dowager Zhang's original intention was to take this opportunity to make Zhu Houzhao lose face, thereby angering Empress Xia and completely cutting off Empress Xia's hopes.

However, Pei Yuan, who had already planned ahead for Empress Dowager Zhang, deliberately had Li Shishi use the excuse that Empress Xia had not lost her virtue and was still able to bear children to appease the officials.

The ministers could use the pretext of righteousness to pressure the emperor, but it would be too much trouble to pressure the empress, as that would give people too much to criticize.

While Zhu Houzhao was being interrogated by his officials and was in a very embarrassing situation, he used Empress Xia as a pretext to maintain his fragile self-esteem.

Empress Dowager Zhang took advantage of the situation.

Empress Dowager Zhang's actions undoubtedly tore away Zhu Houzhao's last fig leaf, exposing him nakedly before the court officials.

But he is no longer the little boy who can be dragged out and spanked while the courtiers praise the Empress Dowager's virtue!

Because he had no heir, he was pressured and humiliated by his ministers. The Empress Dowager then publicly said that his wife was impure in the palace, deliberately hinting to the ministers to help exert pressure.

Zhu Houzhao was about to burst...

The mother-son relationship naturally cooled down quickly afterwards.

If the Crown Prince De's rumor-spreading case had only been based on the original version of Jeong Wang's seditious words, it wouldn't have been so damaging.

Zhu Houzhao even killed Zheng Wang himself, so what trouble could mere rumors possibly cause?

However, the version of the rumor spread by the Crown Prince of De deliberately included the two marquises of the Zhang family.

Furthermore, it was said that Empress Dowager Zhang cared more about her two younger brothers.

The effectiveness of rumors depends largely on how much the listener believes them.

If the listeners of the rumor remain unmoved, then there is naturally no threat.

But what if the listeners of the rumor care?
But what if the listeners of the rumor not only care, but also believe it?

Empress Dowager Zhang was now somewhat worried that the Emperor would eventually vent his anger on her two younger brothers. That was why she and the Zhang family were so eager to resolve the matter in Shandong.

That's why she was so angry when she heard Zhang Rui report that the Prince of De's heir was giving them, the palace officials, no face at all, and that Pei Yuan of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was even avoiding seeing the envoy of the Marquis of Shouning.

Jiang Gui, a eunuch who served Empress Dowager Zhang, explained these matters in great detail. After listening, Pei Yuan also felt that he had suffered some undeserved misfortune in this matter.

He scratched his head, sighed, and asked, "Where is the Empress Dowager's decree?"

Xiao Tong said, "It's in Yongqing Temple."

Pei Yuan then asked, "Besides this, are there any other problems?"

Xiao Tong shook his head, but added, "Wang Chang, Bi Zhen, Gu Dayong, and the censors Yao Qian all came to see me, but I stopped them all."

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and then decisively said, "First, send someone to tell Yao Qian and the others that I have some free time and ask them to come and meet me as soon as possible."

Then he added, "These guys have never seen anything like this before. I'm afraid they'll make mistakes in their haste and ruin my plans. Gu Dayong and Bi Zhen are no help, so don't worry about them. Call Wang Chang over later."

Xiao Tong quickly responded.

Pei Yuan then sent Cheng Leixiang, Deng Liang, and Cao Xing away before quietly returning to Yongqing Temple.

After returning to Yongqing Temple, Pei Yuan, as usual, took a proper bath.

Once everything was settled, the younger brothers also arrived at the temple.

Pei Yuan was somewhat surprised to see them.

After they finished their greetings, he asked, "I thought you were going to come at night. How dare you come with so many people?"

Yao Qian smiled awkwardly, about to speak.

Bai Jun jokingly interjected, "Please, Brother Qianhu, don't blame me."

Pei Yuan waved his hand dismissively, "We're brothers, it's too formal to say such things."

Yao Qian then replied somewhat embarrassedly, "We're here to interrogate you. Because it's a serious matter, we've brought in a few extra people to supervise and witness it."

Pei Yuan, upon hearing this, was indeed not angry, but laughed heartily and said, "Wonderful."

With this pretext, even if Pei Yuan is under house arrest, they can still visit him at any time to conspire in secret.

Pei Yuan then asked them, "How is it going? Are things progressing smoothly for you?"

Yao Qian replied, "It's hard to say what will happen next, but this is definitely a big case. Even if we do nothing and just wait for the results from above, and then arrest and interrogate people, it will be enough to give us people a lot of valuable experience."

"Besides, we were the ones who uncovered the rumors about the Crown Prince of De."

Pei Yuan became interested and asked the crowd, "Who did it start with?"

Everyone looked at one person, Fang Jun.

Pei Yuan laughed and said, "You've got guts."

Seeing that Pei Yuan didn't seem to blame him, Fang Jun immediately puffed out his chest. "It's not that I'm bold. I just uncovered a case; it wasn't me who did it."

“Even things that are many times more troublesome than this can be arranged perfectly by Commander Qian. What do I have to worry about?”

"If we can succeed first, it will be a merit." Pei Yuan laughed heartily, offering neither encouragement nor blame.

Pei Yuan asked his underlings, "You should all know where this case is stuck right now, right?"

Everyone nodded silently upon hearing this.

Yao Qian spoke first, "Firstly, we can't investigate further with the Prince of De's heir. Secondly, if we investigate the matter from the perspective of collusion with the bandits of Bazhou, it could easily cause unrest in the region and lead to even greater trouble. Thirdly, there is no direct evidence yet that the attack on the Imperial Censorate has implicated the Prince of De. Unless it is truly proven that the Prince of De harbors rebellious intentions and the matter is pinned on him, there will eventually be a result."

Pei Yuan nodded and said, "I will try to resolve these matters."

"This time, I, the commander, have sent you back to Shandong to investigate the case not only for your personal future, but also to minimize the harm this investigation will cause to the Shandong region through your efforts."

"You should also contact your families and try to appease the local authorities in advance. As long as there are no major problems, those powerful local families won't take any risks since they can get in touch with us."

Upon hearing this, many censors couldn't help but exchange glances, their eyes flickering slightly.

But Pei Yuan continued, "The reason I was able to persuade Yang Tinghe was because of this phrase, 'Let Shandong people investigate Shandong people.'"

"I came to Shandong to do things, not to deal with people. Even if we get rid of the people, we will still have to face the problems in the end."

"As long as they don't jump out and oppose me now, I, the commander, will forgive them even if they were a little naughty before."

Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, and his younger brothers, who had previously harbored various worries, also breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they came from a family of small landowners and had no connection to such land grabbing, as locals, they were bound to have some kinship or old-time connections.

As things escalated, those of them in the investigation team were indeed caught in a dilemma.

Pei Yuan has now clearly stated that he can make an exception for them, making things much easier for them.

Everyone was moved and said, "We are very grateful for your understanding, Brother Qianhu."

Pei Yuan took the opportunity to elaborate a little more.

"Does the state recruit officials from the two capitals and thirteen provinces so that you can go to the imperial court and repeat the nonsense spoken by Confucius and Zhu Xi?"

The younger brothers were startled.

They dared not accept that.

These people grew up reading the Four Books and Five Classics, and had long taken it for granted that studying for the imperial examinations and entering officialdom was a matter of course.

Unexpectedly, I heard Pei Yuan utter such unorthodox words today.

But Pei Yuan continued, “The court simply wants to control the local areas through people like you. You are like the roots of the Ming Dynasty court, each root firmly grasping a piece of soil.”

"If the court uses you and keeps you in check, then the country will be at peace."

After Pei Yuan finished speaking, his gaze swept across each of their faces. "Now I'm asking you, how much land have your roots actually grasped?"

"I, the commander of a thousand households, used every means to help the twelve of you pass the imperial examination and become censors, investigating major cases. You will soon rise to prominence. In return, how much local manpower and resources have you helped me control?"

The younger brothers were somewhat speechless, taken aback by Pei Yuan's bluntness.

Finally, Yao Qian forced himself to say, "We have only just begun our official careers, and I'm afraid we may not be up to the task."

Pei Yuan said without any politeness, "So, go do it!"

Yao Qian was taken aback upon hearing this.

Pei Yuan stared at them intently and said, "Isn't this a golden opportunity? Everyone in Shandong is in a state of panic, not knowing what kind of thunderous wrath the imperial court will unleash."

“You people are the closest to power. And since you are from Shandong or Liaodong, you have some connection with the powerful clans in your hometown.”

“Go and demonstrate your influence to them, and engage closely with them.”

“Those who are not married, let them marry your legitimate daughters. Those who are already married, let their illegitimate daughters become your concubines.”

"Even if you don't know what to do, dividing their interests and taking the opportunity to get those guys to give you benefits so you can seize more land and people shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"If you can't control something, just come and tell me, and let me clean up your mess."

Upon hearing this, the younger brothers seemed to have been enlightened and said as if waking from a dream, "We understand, we will arrange these things as soon as possible."

Pei Yuan looked at them with satisfaction and said in a deep voice, "I still have some things for you to do later. Don't worry, it's a good thing."

"Now we need to establish your influence as quickly as possible."

"If your roots can grasp more soil, then the strength of this thousand households can extend further."

After Pei Yuan finished speaking, he thought for a moment and then said to them, "You've all heard about the 'Green Sign Case' that caused such a stir in the court a few days ago, right?"

The younger brothers were startled by what they heard and all looked over attentively.

The "Qingqian Case" caused a great uproar among the scholars at the time, because it involved the top three most prestigious candidates in the imperial examinations. At the time, the rumors about it were incredibly bizarre.

However, while others love to gossip about this, they don't want to talk about it too much.

After all, their achievements were arranged by Commander Pei himself. If they talked about it too much, their Commander Pei might think they were greedy and coveting the top rank.

Or if you're suspected of harboring jealousy or resentment, that wouldn't be fun.

Therefore, although the "Qingqian Case" was widely publicized, these Shandong Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) tacitly remained silent.

Unexpectedly, Pei Yuan brought it up today.

Pei Yuan calmly said, "You should have met Tang Gao, Huang Chu, and Cai Ang at Zhihua Temple before."

“We’re all brothers, so I don’t need to hide anything from you. The so-called Qingqian case is indeed true. I personally sent them to the top rank, and the rankings of the three of them are exactly the same as the ones I wrote on the lot.”

"As for how this commander did it, it's not easy to explain in detail."

The younger brothers couldn't contain themselves any longer and began exchanging glances and whispering among themselves.

Pei Yuan waited for them to digest the information for a while before saying, "I will have someone make a green token for each of you later, with a secret mark on it."

"If anyone is willing to serve us, they can send a young boy from their family who is studying to come here with a token. Then they will be one of us."

(End of this chapter)