Chapter 301 Even My Own Father Won't Do (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
When Chen Yunfan first arrived in Shuzhou, he didn't think too much about it.
Even though he didn't spend three years training and studying in Kyoto Prefecture, and was directly promoted to the position of Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shu Prefecture (a fourth-rank official), he only thought it was because of the Emperor's favor.
After all, the emperor had "forced" him to become the top scholar in the imperial examination, so what did it matter if he was given an extraordinary reward?
But ever since he came to Shuzhou, experienced some things, and met some people, he felt that something was wrong.
The official duties he was assigned were always the kind that were simple, easy to do, and required significant achievements.
Every now and then, some inexplicable credits would come his way.
Just like when Xiao Dongchen handed over a task that he was almost finished with to him.
For example, the collection of grain taxes was done in villages and towns that were closest to the prefectural city and did not require much effort.
Furthermore, evidence of crimes committed by corrupt officials in the provincial administration offices would always be delivered to him in the most "reasonable" way.
It was as if, in some mysterious way, a group of people were secretly preparing all of this for him.
Although Chen Yunfan found it strange, he felt there was no need to refuse the credit that was already in his hands.
Besides, he assumed it was the White-Robed Minister, who was in charge of Chunying's affairs, so he didn't think too much about it.
However, today, Uncle Zhong, Lin Zhong—a loyal servant whose ancestors had served the Chen family of Jiangnan Prefecture for generations—brought Lü Jiunan's body, making him realize that there must be a lot more to this than meets the eye.
The mastermind was not the White-Robed Minister... or more accurately, the White-Robed Minister and the Chen family themselves were the ones who orchestrated all of this.
Only he, the eldest son of the Chen family, was kept in the dark.
Lin Zhong looked at Chen Yunfan's cold face, subconsciously scratched his head, and chuckled dryly:
"Young Master, as you know, I can only obey the orders of the Master and the Second Master, and I dare not inquire about the reasons."
"Why don't you write them a letter and ask them?"
Chen Yunfan knew he was making excuses, "I will write the letter. As for Lü Jiunan's so-called 'merit,' let it go back to where it came from."
Lin Zhong's face fell. "Young Master, this Lü Jiunan is a bandit under the command of King Landu of Vaishsa Kingdom. Whoever obtains his corpse will have performed a great service. Why do you refuse?"
Chen Yunfan snorted: "No, throw it out quickly, lest it dirty my carpet."
If it were someone else's corpse, he might have accepted it.
But he knew all too well why Lü Jiunan was here.
Not just him.
The entire Shu province knew that Lü Jiunan was killed by "Dragon Spear" Liu Wu.
If he takes it to the yamen to claim the reward, let's put aside the merits and the strange smiles of his colleagues, but what about Liu Wu?
Or rather, Chen Yi.
When Chen Yi heard about this, wouldn't he be laughing so hard he'd be doubled over?
That's great!
Lü Jiunan, whom Chen Yi had discarded like trash, was picked up by him and even put in his list of merits—what did that make Chen Yunfan?
How can he, as the elder brother, hold his head high in front of Yidi from now on?
In short, Chen Yunfan would never accept credit from Lü Jiunan!
Seeing his resolute expression, Lin Zhong could only say, "Since the young master has made his decision, I will send the person back."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunfan's expression softened slightly, and he waved his hand, saying, "Take it away quickly, it's annoying to look at."
Lin Zhong sighed inwardly, stepped forward, picked up Lü Jiunan's body, and was about to leave when he heard Chen Yunfan say, "Wait."
"I almost forgot to ask, when did you arrive in Shu Prefecture?"
"What brings you here this time?"
"Reporting to the eldest son, after you wrote to the master, the master also wrote a letter home in reply."
Chen Yunfan raised an eyebrow slightly, "Did Father send you?"
Lin Zhong nodded. "My master was worried about your safety in Shu Prefecture, so he sent me here to keep watch over you."
What else did he say?
"No...you mean Young Master Yi?"
Chen Yunfan turned his head away, looking as if he already knew the answer.
Lin Zhongxin was slightly moved. Just as Chunying had said, the eldest young master was indeed very concerned about Young Master Yi.
"In his letter, the master reprimanded the mistress and also asked your fourth uncle to temporarily take charge of the clan's affairs."
"Reprimanding...is this meant to make the mother reflect on her actions?"
"Young Master, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."
Chen Yunfan glanced at him sideways, "When did Uncle Zhong become so hesitant?"
Lin Zhong chuckled, "I wonder if the eldest young master has any thoughts on Young Master Yi's current situation during his time in Shu Prefecture?"
"view?"
I have no opinion.
"Yi Di has now achieved great success in calligraphy, and his talent has spread throughout the nine provinces and three prefectures of the Great Wei. He is also highly regarded by the Xiao family. His life couldn't be more carefree."
Chen Yunfan said with a hint of jealousy, "If I had to say what I think... it's that he really doesn't respect me as his older brother. Whatever the matter..."
"Never mind, let's not talk about him."
Recalling what he had seen and heard at Puyin Temple, Chen Yunfan waved his hand unhappily, indicating that he could leave.
"Since your father has arranged for you to come, then you should stay here and teach Ning Yu and Niu Shan martial arts."
"Those two lazybones are still stuck at the sixth rank in cultivation. You should urge them on for me."
Lin Zhong smiled and agreed, bowed, and then left the study with Lü Jiunan's body.
For some reason, he always felt that the eldest young master cared too much about Young Master Yi, and there was a hint of competitiveness in him.
I don't know what there is to compare between the eldest son and Young Master Yi.
Thinking this, he walked out of the central courtyard, glanced at Ning Yu and Niu Shan not far away, and grinned:
"You two are lucky."
"The eldest young master has spoken. From now on, you two will follow me to learn martial arts."
"ah?"
Ning Yu's expression changed, and she and Niu Shan exchanged a glance, both of them shrinking back.
"Huh what?"
"Back in the Chen family, I gave you two a lot of special treatment, don't be ungrateful."
There's no other way.
Ning Yu and Niu Shan could only nod with forced smiles.
Lin Zhong ignored the two clowns, gave Chunying a look, and then carried Lü Jiunan's body away.
Chunying understood his gaze. After hesitating for a moment, she instructed Ningyu and Niushan to continue guarding the room before turning and going outside the study.
After calming herself down slightly, she raised her hand and knocked on the door: "Young Master."
"Come in."
Chunying pushed the door open and entered, glancing at Chen Yunfan, who was writing something at his desk, before turning around and closing the door.
"Young master, Uncle Zhong is here to see you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Chen Yunfan interrupted her calmly, "Why did he bring Lü Jiunan's corpse here? You wouldn't know?"
"Chunying, don't think that just because you're the White-Robed Prime Minister and a little smarter than others, you can secretly interfere in my affairs."
Although his tone was calm, it startled Chunying.
Having followed Chen Yunfan for many years, she naturally knew his temperament well.
The calmer Chen Yunfan was, the stronger his dissatisfaction became. On the contrary, if he said some words of rebuke, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Thinking of all this, Chunying knelt down and bowed, saying, "Please forgive me, young master, Chunying, Chunying..."
"You're also trying to say you were just following orders? And that you weren't intentionally hiding anything?"
"yes……"
Chen Yunfan slightly raised his head, his expression calm as still water, then lowered his head again to continue writing:
“Stand up and speak. I don’t do that kneeling thing here.”
After Chunying hesitated before standing up, he continued, "Tell me, what exactly are my father and your White-Robed Prime Minister plotting?"
"You've sent me to Shu Prefecture, are you really going to take over Yang Ye's position as Right Provincial Governor?"
He didn't take Chen Yi's joke to heart at all back then.
Looking back now, it's actually quite possible.
Chunying stammered, "Young Master, you...you know everything?"
Chen Yunfan paused, frowned slightly, and then gestured without looking up: "Continue."
"I, Chunying, do not know the specific plans of Master and the White-Robed Prime Minister, but I have some guesses."
"The position of Right Provincial Governor that you mentioned, no, it's not impossible."
"Are there other locations?"
"Let me guess."
"The two commanders of the Regional Military Commission are in their prime and there should be no vacancies for the time being."
"The Provincial Surveillance Commission? That's possible. The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner, Tang Zixin, won't be moved, and the Deputy Commissioner... is also a possibility."
"Next is the prefectural government office. Liu Si is two-faced and probably doesn't like his superiors. He will most likely be transferred."
"The rest are even inferior to me, a fourth-rank official, so there's nothing to say about them."
After Chen Yunfan finished speaking and writing the last word, he picked up the paper on the table and blew on it.
"I guess it's the Commandery of the Capital Region?"
Chunying's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. "You, how could you guess that?"
Chen Yunfan blew the ink off the paper, folded it neatly, put it in the envelope, and snorted.
"Besides the Commander-in-Chief, what other official can control the Dingyuan Army?"
"Even the Provincial Administration Commission cannot openly interfere in the military affairs of the three towns, let alone the Provincial Surveillance Commission, which can only offer criticism."
He put down the envelope, leaned back in his chair, and looked at Chunying with an indifferent expression, asking:
"Isn't Chen Yi's marriage into the Xiao family also part of your scheme?"
Chunying slightly widened her eyes, knelt down again, and lowered her head, not daring to speak.
Although it's speculation, it's not far from the truth.
She naturally dared not say anything more, lest Chen Yunfan find out again.
Seeing this, Chen Yunfan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "It seems so."
“I always said that although my mother had some pride in being from the Cui family, she treated all of us brothers equally from a young age.”
"Why would she deliberately target Yi for no reason? I see."
"Now that I think about it, before my father went to the Western Regions, he probably made all the arrangements with you, Baiyi Xiang, Second Uncle, and even the elders of the clan."
"We brothers really thought that Yi had done something terrible to anger our mother."
Snap!
Chen Yunfan slammed his hand on the table, his expression icy as he looked at Chunying kneeling before him:
"What exactly are you plotting?!"
Chunying paused, bit her lip, and shook her head. "Young master, please forgive me, Chunying was unaware..."
"Don't know? Heh, good!"
"Very good!"
Chen Yunfan twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a strange smile: "Since that's the case, I won't make things difficult for you."
Unexpectedly, his guess just now was almost entirely correct to the truth.
Even more unexpectedly, he and Chen Yi were both plotted against by their families.
He initially thought he was in a better situation than Chen Yi and wanted to show off in front of Chen Yi.
Little did they know that they were both prey on someone else's chopping board.
The crucial point is that this "other person" is actually his own father!
Chen Yunfan vented his anger, then, as if he had figured things out, let out a long breath and said:
"I want to see what my father, my second uncle, and you white-robed ministers are up to."
He then tossed the letter over, saying, "It's for my father. Send it over."
"Don't make excuses about how long it will take; I know you have the ability."
Chunying looked at the letter beneath her knees, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and picked it up, bowing as she said:
"Chunying will take care of it right away."
Chen Yunfan waved his hand dismissively and said, "Get lost."
Chunying walked out of the study with her head down.
Chen Yunfan immediately looked troubled and muttered to himself, "Has my father gone senile?"
"With Yi's exceptional talent, what was he thinking, sending him to the Xiao family to marry into their family?"
“If it were someone else, the fourth brother… no way, that good-for-nothing would eat the Xiao family out of house and home.”
"Sixth brother... is even worse. He spends all his time traveling and having fun. If he really became Xiao Jinghong's husband, wouldn't he be hung up and whipped?"
"Second sister, third sister are girls..."
After much thought, Chen Yunfan realized that besides himself, Chen Yi was indeed the only one suitable to marry into the Xiao family.
But the price is far too high.
Thinking of this, Chen Yunfan, who had previously felt indignant, inexplicably felt a sense of schadenfreude.
"Now that Yi-di has achieved success in martial arts, medicine, and calligraphy, if Father were to find out about this..."
"That guy... even if he knows he's wrong, he probably won't admit it."
No one knows a father better than his son.
Chen Yunfan also knew Chen Xuanji to some extent, and knew that Chen Xuanji would never bow her head.
But Chen Yunfan still laughed.
“My father might make the best of a bad situation, but my second uncle won’t, nor will my second grandfather or fourth great-uncle.”
"My dad has his moments of headaches, haha..."
As he laughed, Chen Yunfan recalled the rumors he had heard about Chen Yi when he first arrived in Shuzhou, and his smile faded slightly.
"You dare to scheme against us brothers..."
"Even my own father won't do!"
...
The next day, the rain stopped and the sky cleared.
However, the atmosphere inside the city was somewhat heavy.
As if after a night of commotion, everyone seemed preoccupied.
Even his voice became a few decibels when he spoke.
"Grain prices in both the East and West markets have risen again, reaching fifteen taels of silver per shi overnight. Is this meant to starve us ordinary people to death?"
"Has something happened?"
"I heard, I heard something happened on the Ancient Tea Horse Road."
"The vanguard of the Peacock King's army appeared on the Tea Horse Road, and many caravans were killed."
"Furthermore, I also heard that last night, 'Jackal' Du Cang kidnapped Miss Xiao in order to force the old Marquis to serve the Peacock King's Banner."
"So, does that mean we're really going to have a war?"
"Otherwise, how would those grain merchants dare to raise prices on the spot?"
"Hiss... God help me..."
The news spread, causing a sense of panic to permeate the city of Shuzhou.
No wonder they panicked.
The great battle five years ago is still fresh in many people's minds.
Especially those who are older.
They still remembered the severe food shortages in Shu Prefecture during the barbarian invasion.
Although there was no widespread starvation, many families still had to sell their children for a few bites of food.
As soon as dawn broke, long queues formed outside the grain stores in both the east and west markets.
Those powerful families who had previously planned to take advantage of the situation to sell grain also abandoned their plans and sealed up their granaries for future needs.
Even the Xiao family was the same.
However, when Old Master Xiao made the arrangements, his expression was extremely complicated.
He cursed Chen Yu to death in his heart.
He could understand Chen Yu's intention to use such a scheme against the Jizhou merchants, but he could not accept that it would implicate the common people.
Even if it lasts for a long time, or even just one day, it will cause those people a great deal of suffering.
At the very least, we'll lose some money.
However, after pondering for a moment, Old Master Xiao's brows relaxed.
"Perhaps I missed him... I see."
He suddenly remembered that "Chen Yu" had said before that he needed to step in to resolve the matter.
Isn't now the time for him to step forward?
"Damn it, what a kid! If I hadn't reacted, wouldn't he have laughed me to death?"
Old Master Xiao realized what was happening and summoned his third steward, Lu Guan, and gave him instructions:
"Send a letter of greeting to the Provincial Administration Commissioner and tell Liu Hong that I have important matters to discuss with him."
Since he knew that the army outside the pass was fake, he naturally couldn't let those grain merchants run rampant like this.
Either the provincial administration commissioner would order grain merchants to lower prices, or they would open granaries to release grain and stabilize prices.
We can't let those grain merchants have it easy.
After Lu Guan left, Old Master Xiao got up to stretch his muscles and bones, and his true energy circulated.
The surrounding sounds then came through clearly.
In the front yard, many guests came and went; in the middle courtyard, Xiao Wuge's shouts echoed as he practiced martial arts in the training ground; and in the back yard...
Old Master Xiao smiled and said, "It seems that Jinghong has taken my words to heart..."
(End of this chapter)
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