Chapter 16: She heeded what Princess Jiangning said...
As the sun set, darkness fell exceptionally quickly in the winter, and the group lit torches.
The fiery dragon snaked through the long street, its hooves thundering, and a soldier leading the way shouted, "The Sixteen Guards are apprehending criminals; give way!"
I rode forward into the cold wind, my cheeks feeling like they were being cut by a knife. The reins were tightly wrapped around my hands, so tightly that my hands were almost numb.
She dared not rest for even a moment.
We must apprehend and detain the serious criminal hiding in the Marquis of Xuanping's residence before the Eastern Palace Guards or the Imperial Guards do!
Blood ties cannot be severed by a name being crossed out with ink on a family tree.
Civil officials, historians, and civil officials alike all share the surname Chen, belonging to the same lineage. Unless they turn to dust and their bones wither, their honor and disgrace will be intertwined for generations.
The people of Cangnan are suffering terribly. My father and elder brother are imprisoned. Only by sending the criminals to prison through the Xuanping Marquis's mansion can the Marquis's mansion be cleared of the charges of harboring and being an accomplice.
Only then could Father and Elder Brother return home safely from the palace.
She didn't want her parents and elder brother to bear the infamy of harming their clan, so she would bear it herself. Whatever the historians wrote, whatever the judgments of posterity, she would bear it all alone.
The group from Cangnan were stripped of their fine silk robes, forced into prison uniforms, chained, and driven forward by guards. Their faces were filled with terror. The fat, wealthy man who had offered his head struggled frantically, only to be subdued by the soldiers. His face pressed to the ground, he continued to scream, "Eldest sister-in-law, help! Men! Where are the guards? This is the Xuanping Marquis's residence! How dare you arrest people from the Xuanping Marquis's residence? Eldest sister-in-law, call my brother to save me!"
When the guards saw that it was their young lady who had broken into the mansion to arrest someone, they were at a loss as to whether to stop her or not.
The commotion alerted the He family, who rushed over and saw Chen Liangyu with an iron face and a knife, binding a group of relatives.
"Li'er, what's wrong with you..."
Chen Liangyu raised her hand, displaying her token, and ordered, "The Sixteen Guards are apprehending criminals. All unrelated persons, please give way!" She commanded the guards, "Escort the lady back to her room!"
Gao Guan grabbed the fat tycoon by the collar and pulled him up, but he immediately fell to his knees at Chen Liangyu's feet. "My dear niece, my dear niece, I am your own uncle! You can't, you can't turn your back on your family! You can't! Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, save me..."
Chen Liangyu took a half step back, raised her hand and flicked her fingers, and the cries were carried away into the distance.
The clan elder was escorted by two soldiers. Considering that he was taken from the headman's house, was old, and had difficulty walking, they were afraid that if he was put in shackles, they would not be careful and might cause harm before they could even interrogate him, so they removed him from the shackles.
As they passed Chen Liangyu, the clan elder snorted angrily, "What a tragedy! Chen Liangyu, you have harmed your clansmen, what a heinous crime! Our ancestors have no eyes, our family is unfortunate, our Chen clan has produced such a wicked daughter!"
"take away!"
Taking advantage of the people's suffering in Cangnan, the Crown Prince purged the officialdom, with the Yao family bearing the brunt. Minister of Works Yao Chongshan and his family members in the court were all dismissed and imprisoned, and Consort De was deposed and sent to the Cold Palace.
Incidentally, Consort De's son, Prince Qi, also suffered the emperor's neglect and was demoted and sent to his fiefdom in Yongdu.
Just after the New Year, the Crown Prince dispatched imperial inspectors to crack down on corrupt officials and local gentry in various regions.
In a short time, cruel officials rose up everywhere, and blood flowed like rivers.
As the clouds dispersed and the thick, accumulated cloud cover was torn apart by the wind, revealing a patch of blue sky, and the white marble roof tiles reflected golden light.
Chen Liangyu knelt outside the ancestral hall, holding a brass paperweight in both hands.
The ancestral hall's main gate was tightly shut, bolted securely. A wooden door, like an impregnable fortress, kept those waiting outside, lying on straw, awaiting punishment.
Just past noon, the ancestral hall door creaked open from the inside. Chen Yuanqing, his clothes still fragrant with incense, stepped down from the steps and walked to the blue bricks where Chen Liangyu was kneeling. He stopped and stared at the brass bar she was holding.
Chen Liangyu raised the paperweight above his head, "Father, please punish me!"
The case was being handled hastily. After arresting the Chen clan members who had taken refuge in the Marquis's residence, Chen Liangyu immediately ran into the Eastern Palace guards who had also come to the Feng residence to arrest people. The men were sent to the imperial prison and immediately taken to the torture chamber. Several of them could not withstand the torture and died that night.
More than 400 members of the Chen clan from the fifth degree of kinship who remained in Cangnan have also been imprisoned, and the main figures are being escorted to Yongdu in prison carts.
Minister of Works Yao Chongshan and his family of officials were stripped of their robes and hats at the palace banquet and dragged out by the Eastern Palace guards.
Chen Yuanqing commanded 400,000 troops in the northern border, and the Crown Prince dared not touch him and his son Chen Linjun. However, the indignant censors of the Censorate refused to back down, launching into lengthy arguments that drew on the past to criticize the present, and even taking off their robes and hats to pressure him.
Rong Jun, the Imperial Guard Commander of the Eastern Palace, rode swiftly to the palace banquet and reported to the Emperor that the Chen clan, who had rebelled, had been apprehended by Chen Liangyu, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Xuanping, leading sixteen guards. Only then did the Censorate fall silent.
Chen Yuanqing took the strip of punishment from her palm. It was heavy, and the redness and swelling on her back from the blows took three to five days to subside. "In public, it was to rid the people of a scourge and to be loyal to the country; in private, it was to relieve my father and brother from their imprisonment and prevent the northern border defenses from being affected. In public and in private, I have no reason to blame you."
“If a son harms his relatives, although it is a matter of national law, it is a matter of family law. He is disobedient and disrespectful to his ancestors and should be punished accordingly.”
Chen Liangyu kept her head bowed low.
She hoped that the paperweight would fall one by one, so as to alleviate even the slightest bit of Chen Yuanqing's pain of losing his loved one.
She felt no affection or sympathy for the Chen family of Cangnan, only hatred. This hatred reached its peak when she saw the streets of Yongdu filled with refugees with empty, numb eyes, kneeling and begging for a piece of rotten vegetable.
They deserve to die!
When the woman, bound by iron chains, cried and begged her to release Chen's young son, claiming the child was innocent, she felt a chill run down her spine.
Those innocent, pleading eyes, nourished by abundant ill-gotten gains, shone with a clear, bright light. Their skin, beneath silk and satin, was so delicate it seemed to break at a touch, making each of them appear as lovely as jade.
innocent?
She doesn't think so.
They stole the rice and grain that others depended on for survival, piled it up and squandered it, indulging in extravagance amidst deafening cries and reveling among frozen bones with broken skin and rotting flesh.
They are the beneficiaries of Chen's persecution of the people and his embezzlement of their wealth; how can they be considered innocent?
But for Chen Yuanqing, the feeling must be different.
Beneath the shackles were his brothers and sisters who had grown up with him, and in the wooden cage prison cart were his elders who had given him earnest teachings and enlightenment.
Could he see, through those innocent faces, the image of himself laughing and joking with his clan many years ago?
After waiting for a long time, a large hand finally touched the back of her head, and she could feel its warmth through her dark hair.
“My son, you’ve grown up.” Chen Yuanqing said, “This fate is a punishment for their many evil deeds; you can’t blame anyone else.”
People from the Eastern Palace have arrived.
Although Chen Yuanqing and Chen Linjun escaped unscathed from the palace banquet, they are now confined to their residences, awaiting summons at any time.
At this time, he followed the Eastern Palace Guards into the palace.
A lake was drawn up beside the ancestral hall. At midday, the ice melted, and broken pieces of ice floated on the surface of the lake.
Chen Liangyu walked up to the pavilion in the middle of the lake, lost in thought as the cold wind blew through her.
She heard footsteps behind her, some deep and some shallow, and knew who was coming.
"Uncle Yan," Chen Liangyu greeted him with the respect due to a teacher.
A stray arrow from Bei Yong pierced Yan Baizhang's calf. After returning to Yongdu, he was busy searching for his second brother, and his leg injury was not properly cared for, leaving him with a limp.
Yan Baizhang responded.
It was that familiar serious face.
She and her elder brother were both students of Yan Baizhang, but perhaps Uncle Yan preferred her elder brother, and was always more stern with her from a young age.
Without uttering a single superfluous word, Yan Baizhang went straight to the point: "It seems that the Crown Prince has dealt with a Minister of Works and punished a powerful local clan. But can you see the turbulent currents beneath this abyss?"
Chen Liangyu pondered for a moment and said, "The Crown Prince is using the Cangnan matter to denounce the Yao family. Firstly, he wants to use the money from Cangnan to cover the deficit, and secondly, he wants to suppress the Prince Qi, who is vying for the throne with him. Furthermore, the Chen family is facing internal strife, so how can the Marquis's mansion remain unscathed? I suspect that the Crown Prince and His Majesty have disagreements on matters concerning the northern border, and the Crown Prince wants to use this to drag the Marquis's mansion into the mess, forcing His Majesty to compromise."
Yan Baizhang finally showed an expression, tinged with approval, "In essence, it is because the Crown Prince is too obsessed with creating a peaceful and prosperous world. This move can be considered brilliant. He has suppressed Prince Qi, cracked down on corruption, cleansed the countryside, repelled the army, and reduced taxes, all starting from today, achieving multiple benefits in one fell swoop. However, he has been too hasty. We must know the principle that things will turn into their opposite when they reach their extreme."
"Lord Marquis has served and supported His Majesty for over twenty years, but it's been more than twenty years. The first word His Majesty learned and the first bow he held were both taught by Lord Marquis. The Northern Army under Lord Marquis's command is in fact the backbone of His Majesty's peace of mind. In recent years, His Majesty has delegated the power of regent to the Eastern Palace, and the Crown Prince has done an excellent job. Originally, the relationship between the emperor and his ministers was harmonious, but the Crown Prince attacked Lord Marquis and interfered in the Northern Border. That was touching the dragon's reverse scale."
"Although His Highness the Crown Prince has the power to oversee the country, the heir apparent is ultimately a subject. Although the Emperor rarely interferes in state affairs, the emperor is still the emperor!"
A ruler is a ruler!
The emperor is supreme, holding the power of life and death over everyone. The emperor may delegate power, but he will not tolerate any subject vying for power with him.
Yan Bo meticulously dissected the royal situation layer by layer, like peeling an onion. Finally, he asked, "Both the Imperial Guards and the Eastern Palace Guards belong to the Crown Prince. If Your Majesty wants to restrain the Eastern Palace, where can you draw your support?"
Chen Liangyu suddenly realized, "The Sixteen Guards."
The Sixteen Guards of the Southern Court, which were on the verge of collapse, unexpectedly began to rise again.
"Right now, public resentment is boiling over. If you were to perform such a righteous act of sacrificing your own family, those pens and pens would surely praise you to the skies, elevating you to an unparalleled height." Yan Baizhang squinted at the cold wind blowing across the lake, a hint of worry in his eyes. "The higher you climb, the harder you fall. If the Sixteen Guards are revitalized in your hands now, in a few years, as people gradually forget the suffering of the people of Cangnan today, and their hatred fades, then if some slanderous villains were to jump out and embellish the cause and effect, judging your actions at this moment, you would be seen as a traitor who rose to power by stepping on the countless corpses of his people."
Chen Liangyu pondered Yan Baizhang's words carefully. Indeed, Yan Baizhang's concerns were not without reason. However, seeking a position in the court is like deploying troops; the most important thing is timing. And good opportunities are fleeting. As for what happens next, one can only deal with whatever comes one way. It's simply a matter of meeting force with force and responding to challenges with tactical maneuvering.
The thought of the soldiers of the Sixteen Guards' joy at finally having a proper job filled her with a sense of mission. Having taken up the post, she felt the responsibility of securing a better future for her brothers.
Yan Baizhang saw through it all and sighed softly, "With the lives of more than four hundred clansmen on your shoulders, you can't bear this imperial decree."
Seeing Chen Liangyu's bitter and resentful face smooth out, revealing a hint of barely perceptible joy, Yan Baizhang said helplessly, "Since you have a plan in mind, so be it. It's not entirely without benefit to you."
"What are the benefits?"
“Since His Majesty intends to use the Sixteen Guards to restrain the Imperial Guards, he will not be in a hurry to issue an edict to bestow a marriage upon you and the Crown Prince.”
"Well, that's a good thing."
She thought of Xie Yuan and broke out in a cold sweat. Such a gentle and pure person, to compete with the ruthless and deeply rooted Crown Prince for the throne, could only be so by divine mandate.
A waning moon hangs precariously on the treetop.
Chen Liangyu, wearing a white fox fur-trimmed cloak, paced back and forth behind the vermilion main gate.
Madam He ordered the servants to reheat the food again and again, but Chen Yuanqing and Chen Linjun still did not return home.
The Imperial Guards completely surrounded the Xuanping Marquis's residence, with heavy troops guarding the outside. Those inside could not get out and could only wait anxiously inside.
The night watchman struck the first clapper, but the imperial guards outside the gate suddenly assembled and withdrew.
Chen Liangyu hurriedly pulled off the door latch and ran out, and no one stopped him.
Father and elder brother returned under the moonlight.
The Xuanping Marquis's residence has been reopened.
Chen Liangyu's shrugged shoulders slumped, and the tension in her heart eased.
Chen Yuanqing resigned as Grand Marshal of the Northern Frontier Army to take responsibility, returned the marshal's seal, and the Northern Frontier Army was withdrawn and annexed, with 200,000 soldiers.
Twenty years of meritorious service on the battlefield for the Xie imperial family finally earned a concession from the ironclad law and leniency from the royal family. The entire Yao family was executed, but the Chen family of Cangnan was not exterminated. All adult men and women were sentenced to beheading, their family property was confiscated and turned over to the national treasury, and the remaining women were sold into slavery and the men were exiled to the army.
The Yao and Chen families' deeply entrenched influence in Cangnan was completely eradicated.
The anthills may be cleared, but the dike has already collapsed.
The people of Cangnan scattered like monkeys fleeing a fallen tree, leaving behind only a desolate and turbulent landscape.
The number of refugees in Shangyong City continued to grow, and the starving people were like bloodthirsty beasts with bloodshot eyes, rendering all rules meaningless.
The will to survive overrides all human ethics, and robberies, thefts, and assaults occur frequently. In Shangyong City, every household keeps its doors and windows tightly shut, and at night, people are even more terrified, only daring to sleep with a kitchen knife and hoe by their bedside.
The imperial court had no choice but to close the city gates, keeping the refugees outside Shangyong City.
Xie Yuan stood outside the city under the pitch-black night, his robes covered with dirt and footprints, clutching his forehead, blood trickling down his face from his temples.
He was injured by refugees who threw stones at him.
The felt cloth was being used up quickly, not keeping pace with the surge in refugees. The donated rice and grain were also running out soon, leaving only enough to cook thin porridge.
When pushed to the limit, the refugees swarmed forward and began to fight over the loot.
Fearing the conflict would escalate into a riot, the officers and soldiers stepped forward to stop it, but this only led to the situation worsening.
The refugees set their sights on Xie Yuan, who was dressed as a prince, and attacked him en masse.
Xie Yuan, protected and surrounded by guards, ascended to a high place and shouted at the top of his lungs, "The court will resolve this; food and clothing are being provided. Killing me may vent your anger, but you, your children, your elders, will all have to wait to die!"
The angry crowd gradually quieted down.
Settling refugees is a complicated and thankless task.
If there is a slight shortage of porridge or food, it will enrage them, and they will be so angry that they want to tear people apart, eat their flesh and drink their blood to fill their stomachs.
It's a tough job; if you do it well, you get no reward, but if you do it poorly, you get punished.
All the major government agencies were shirking their responsibilities and unwilling to take on this mess.
Gao Guan, however, took on this arduous task early on.
With the commander under house arrest, there was no one in the Southern Court to make decisions. Fortunately, no one would pay attention to the whereabouts of the mere Sixteen Guards, so Gao Guan stamped his foot and made up his mind. Without asking for instructions, he led the Sixteen Guards to set up felt tents and boil water, waiting for Chen Liangyu to lift the ban before apologizing.
This incident led to the Northern Imperial Guards mocking him mercilessly.
He's so bored he's taking on all sorts of jobs!
Even if you have no energy to spare, lying on your bed is a hundred times better than rushing to deal with starving refugees; at least it won't endanger your life.
Dark clouds obscured the waning moon, making the ground even darker. The small area illuminated by the lantern resembled a faint firefly on a vast wilderness.
Xie Yuan raised the lamp a little higher, so he could only see the groups of three or five people around him with their sunken eye sockets.
A raindrop the size of a bean hit the bridge of Xie Yuan's nose, and he wiped it with the wide sleeve of his white robe.
The rain poured down.
The winter rain was biting cold, and most of the refugees were only dressed in thin clothes. If they had no shelter from the rain, half of them would probably die by tonight.
Gao Guan wiped the rain from his face and ran over. The heavy rain partially masked his voice, so he could only shout, "Your Highness, we've run out of felt, we can't set up the shelters. Your Highness, please make a decision quickly, or the refugees will all die!"
The bloodstains on his face were washed away by the icy rain, and his winter clothes were quickly soaked through. Xie Yuan looked northeast; this place was not far from the still unfinished Yanzhi Mountain Palace.
After the Crown Prince investigated the case of Yao Chongshan, the Minister of Works, selling official positions, construction on the Yanzhishan Palace, which was supervised by Yao Chongshan, was halted. Although it was said to be unfinished, only some laborious and expensive work such as corridors, carvings, pavilions, and large statues were left unfinished; the main halls had already been topped off.
The difficulty lies in the fact that ordinary people are forbidden from entering the royal palace; doing so is considered an act of usurpation and insubordination, punishable by death by caning.
Not to mention the refugees covered in filth?
Xie Yuan gritted his teeth, trying his best to control the trembling of his teeth, and made a difficult decision: "Have everyone get up and follow the soldiers to the palace to take shelter from the rain!"
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