Chu Lingxuan shook his head and said, "This position is too good. Many people are vying for it, including the Second Prince's faction and the Third Prince's faction. My father-in-law is blocking those people's way, and they will definitely find ways to punish him. It would be fine if my father-in-law didn't have any leverage, but not only does he have leverage, but everyone in his hometown knows about it, and there is no way to stop the gossip." After a pause, he continued, "Some people have begun to impeach my father-in-law, saying that he divorced his wife and remarried after passing the imperial examination. He accepted large bribes and bought hundreds of acres of land and a four-story house in the county town within three months. He also allowed the Zhao family to bully the people in the village, causing several families to be broken up and displaced, and so on. If it involves my father-in-law's official position in Jiangnan, it will be even more troublesome."

Chen Ahfu was so frightened that his hair almost stood up. He asked, "Is my father okay?"

Chu Lingxuan held her hand and said, "Don't worry, there will be a way."

Chen Ahfu was in a panic. Not to mention Jiangnan's affairs, Chen Shiying's affairs were already enough to make him suffer. Now, she has regarded Chen Shiying's father as her own father. She can't bear to see him sad, and she doesn't want him to get into trouble. He is only in his thirties, in the prime of his life. What should he do if something happens? And what about the whole family, the infatuated Jiang, and the newly born Chao Ge'er? What should they do?

Chu Lingxuan pulled her to sit down beside the bed and said, "Minister Gao of the Ministry of Works is old and said he wanted to resign half a year ago. We have always believed that if the emperor wanted to use father-in-law, he would definitely let him take this position. Two months ago, Zhang Ci Fu died of a sudden illness. The former Minister of Personnel took over as Ci Fu, and Minister Huang took over as Minister, leaving the position of Minister vacant. The emperor had always admired father-in-law, and later found out that father-in-law's daughter was my wife, the biological mother of Little Eleven. Perhaps he was thinking of giving this important position to father-in-law... Alas, it's a pity that father-in-law was harmed by that evil woman Zhao, leaving a handle. Father-in-law is usually a good person. Some people would not say anything even if they knew his past, but this time he blocked someone else's way, and they would make a fuss about those things. In order to completely defeat father-in-law, perhaps we will go to Jiangnan to collect evidence of father-in-law's crime..."

Dingzhou is not far from the capital, only about 200 miles away. Chen Shiying is a celebrity here, and many of his deeds are the talk of the people, and many officials must know about them. What Old Lady Chen did is like a time bomb, and there is no guarantee that it will explode at any time.

Perhaps Chen Shiying was also aware of these "stains" of his. He was usually very smooth in his conduct and his official career was very smooth.

But this time, he wanted to do practical things for the people too much, and he was too high-profile, which bothered others. In addition, the position that the emperor wanted him to take was high-ranking and powerful, and he blocked the way for others, so people exposed his past.

"I hope my father is okay?" asked Chen Afu.

Chu Lingxuan said, "Even if it is confirmed that my father-in-law divorced his wife after passing the imperial examination, it is just a moral flaw, and it won't be a big deal. Besides, it was not my father-in-law who did it. He was still young at the time, and he didn't know that your mother's status as a child bride had not been reported to the county government. He was not at home when your mother was kicked out of the house. I am afraid that my father-in-law will not tell the truth out of filial piety and take the blame for that evil old woman."

"How can that be! The evil things that the wicked old woman did have harmed my mother and me, and now she's harming my father too. I can't let my father take the blame for her in this matter." Chen Afu said.

Chu Lingxuan nodded and said, "Of course. We know this best. If my father-in-law doesn't say it, I will let others say it for him." He added, "The money used to buy the land in the countryside and the four-story house in the county town was given by the Tang family and accepted by the Zhao family. My father-in-law didn't know about it. These things can't be blamed entirely on my father-in-law. At most, he didn't supervise his family well. Fortunately, my father-in-law dealt with the evil people in the Zhao family last year and returned all the money and land they had used to bully the neighbors. Otherwise, my father-in-law wouldn't be able to explain himself even if he had a mouth full of words."

Chen Ahfu added, "What about my father's official position in Jiangnan? My father would not embezzle."

She said this with some lack of confidence. His father was born in a poor family, but now he is very wealthy.

Chu Lingxuan was most afraid of Chen Shiying being an official in Jiangnan. Moreover, he knew very little about Chen Shiying's affairs in Jiangnan, and he didn't know when those people went to Jiangnan to collect evidence and what they collected.

He said thoughtfully, "My father-in-law is cautious and upright, and he should not do anything corrupt or illegal. My mother-in-law's dowry was a huge sum of money, and she is very smart, so it is possible for her to make a lot of money in business. And the Tang family, it is normal for them to give money and gifts so that their daughter can live well in the Chen family. Even if my father-in-law did something inappropriate, he is so smart and cherishes his reputation as an official that he would not leave any handle. The only thing to worry about is that Zhao or Tang did something illegal behind my father-in-law's back..."

After Chen Afu calmed down, he thought the same. Chen Shiying was cautious and prudent. He always wanted to be a good official and deserved the words "open and aboveboard". Although his money was accumulated quickly, he might have played dirty tricks, but he would never embezzle. Moreover, he would not leave any evidence. Chu Lingxuan was right. The two major sources of his wealth must be the Jiang family and the Tang family. However, he did not do bad things, but it did not mean that the bad old woman and the Tang family did not do bad things, or that the Tang family did bad things under his name.

She didn't quite understand the laws of this era, so she asked, "What's the best outcome for my father, and what's the worst outcome?"

Chu Lingxuan thought for a moment and said, "Putting aside the Jiangnan matter, although your father failed to supervise his family, his promotion of high-yield grains is obvious to all. This achievement cannot be erased or taken away by anyone. The best outcome is that he is reprimanded by the emperor and still serves as the governor of Dingzhou. The worst outcome is that he is found to have a bad moral character, condoned your mother to divorce her wife, accepted bribes, and was demoted to the bottom... As for the Jiangnan matter, we are all guessing and really don't know what will happen. Go back to your mother's house tomorrow and ask your mother-in-law. If there is really something that she tells us, we can prepare early..."

Chen Afu pulled Chu Lingxuan and said, "Lingxuan, you must help my father. Now, only your Chu family and your uncle Luo family can help my father... Oh, yes, there are also the Ninth Prince and Prince Rui. They owe me a big favor, they must help."

Chu Lingxuan nodded and said, "I will go to Shizhou Prefecture to find my uncle tomorrow. He is my father-in-law's immediate superior, and his attitude is crucial. I will write to my third uncle and Prince Rui and ask Uncle Luo to deliver the letter. He knows my father-in-law's past best, and I cannot let my father-in-law take the blame for that evil woman. Before my father-in-law is free, let Uncle Luo run errands in the capital. The Ninth Prince does not need us to say anything, he will also speak well of my father-in-law in private in front of the emperor. However, the Chu family and the Ninth Prince cannot plead for my father-in-law in public, because as soon as we plead, the Second Prince and his party will definitely oppose it more clearly. In this way, my father-in-law will have more enemies, which is not good for him. If my father-in-law has not committed any crime in Jiangnan, I hope that my father-in-law can offset his merits and demerits. Not to mention keeping his original position, even if he is demoted to the seventh rank, it will be easier to get reinstated in the future..."