Chapter 265: Chen Qiyu Rises in Rank and Arrives at the Capital

Sometimes even the leader of the team would openly pocket some for himself, let alone the men under him.

This time, the matter was of great importance, and Chen Sihai was determined not to let any mistake slip through.

After all, this house confiscation was his very first assignment.

It involved a major affair of the Office of Transmission, and if even the slightest error occurred, there could be trouble. So Chen Sihai could not allow Xu Xianchun to run wild with the men of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In fact, Xu Xianchun was even more nervous than Chen Sihai. This was not only Chen Sihai's first assignment—it was also Xu Xianchun's first.

And unlike Chen Sihai, Xu Xianchun placed far greater importance on this task.

In Xu Xianchun's view, even if Chen Sihai made some mistake, it wouldn't affect his own merits; but he himself was different—if he screwed this up, it would impact his promotion.

This was an extremely critical step, and Xu Xianchun didn't want to make even the slightest error, so he gave Chen Sihai his guarantee and prepared to go oversee things personally.

After receiving Xu Xianchun's guarantee, Chen Sihai relaxed a little, lightly nodding as he said, "That would be best then. Get the matter done as quickly as possible."

The affairs in Henan Province had already entered the final stage, with no great difficulty remaining.

Once the Governor of Henan had been arrested, the remaining officials of Henan, great and small, were nothing more than lambs awaiting slaughter—whenever they wanted to kill them, they could simply do so.

Though every day was busy, all matters were proceeding in an orderly fashion.

At the same time, the eunuch Wang An of the Directorate of Ceremonial led his men and rushed personally to the Prince Fu's mansion.

This was Wang An's first assignment outside the palace, and he didn't want to botch it either.

After all, Wang An's days before this had not been easy—Zhu Youxiao did not particularly like him.

When Zhu Youxiao was purging the Donglin Faction, Wang An had already been set aside, and might even have been directly dealt with.

Though Wang An had ultimately not been disposed of, his standing had greatly declined. By Zhu Youxiao's side there was Chen Hong, at the Eastern Depot there was Wei Zhongxian, and even in the Imperial Household Department there was Fang Zhenghua. Wang An's position could be said to be hanging by a thread.

Fortunately, Zhu Youxiao had sent Wang An to the Empress's side, letting him attach himself to the Empress, and only then did he regain some momentum.

This time Wang An left the capital for Henan, and His Majesty had entrusted him with the great task of the Prince Fu's mansion—he certainly didn't want to botch it.

When Wang An brought his men to the gates of the Prince Fu's mansion, he showed not the slightest courtesy and directly ordered his men to charge in.

This was His Majesty's imperial edict; he only needed to carry it out.

After nearly a month of the mansion being sealed off, everyone in the Prince Fu's household was anxious and fearful. No one knew what was going to happen, and this state of waiting for death was utterly terrifying.

When Wang An stepped into the Prince Fu's mansion, quite a few people actually felt a sense of relief.

The one who came out to receive Wang An was still Eunuch Li.

The swelling on Eunuch Li's face from the last beating had subsided, but the man had long since lost all his former arrogance and domineering air, exuding an aura of listless dejection.

Upon seeing Wang An, Eunuch Li hastily and respectfully said, "This servant greets Eunuch Wang."

Wang An lightly nodded and said, "Take me to see His Highness Prince Fu. His Majesty has an edict for the Prince."

"Yes." Eunuch Li quickly acknowledged, turned around, and led the way in front.

His heart was also filled with trepidation—if Prince Fu were to fall like this, he probably wouldn't come to a good end either.

The group soon arrived at the rear, where Prince Fu was already waiting.

The originally very fat Prince Fu had lost weight over this past month. His eyes were deeply sunken, his spirit utterly wilted, like a walking corpse.

Only when he saw Wang An did Prince Fu raise his head.

"This servant Wang An greets His Highness Prince Fu." Wang An said as he bowed in salute.

Prince Fu was not a stranger to Wang An.

After all, back in the palace in the old days, he had seen Prince Fu before—only at that time Wang An's position had been low, and the leg he clung to was not Prince Fu's, so their relationship could hardly be called close.

Prince Fu raised his head and glanced at Wang An, then gave a faint smile and said, "Is it to order me to die?"

There was a hint of calm detachment in Prince Fu's tone—clearly, after this month, he had already come to accept it with equanimity.

"Your Highness, do not overthink things." Wang An hastily said. "His Majesty cherishes the bonds of imperial kinship—how could he do such a thing? His Majesty has an edict for Your Highness. Once you receive it, you will naturally know what His Majesty intends."

Prince Fu lightly nodded, slowly straightened his body, and said, "Then let's hear it."

Wang An continued, "There is also another edict for the Crown Prince of Prince Fu's household. I would ask Your Highness to summon the Crown Prince."

Hearing Wang An's words, Prince Fu was first startled, then said with some hesitation, "What does he have to do with this? Could it be that he won't even spare my family?"

"Your Highness, do not overthink things." Wang An said once more, but his body did not move, and his tone was resolute.

Wang An's meaning was perfectly clear: if you don't bring out the Crown Prince, then we'll go find him ourselves.

Turning his head to glance at Eunuch Li, Prince Fu instructed, "Go fetch the Crown Prince."

Soon, Prince Fu's Crown Prince was brought up.

This young Crown Prince was only fourteen this year, but he was already sensible—especially during this past month, his experiences could be said to have gone from heaven to earth, and he had come to understand many things.

Though there was nothing he could do, the young Crown Prince was still very afraid. When he saw Wang An, fear was written all over his face.

He silently hid behind Prince Fu, as if hoping that Prince Fu could protect him.

Wang An wasted no words and said directly, "Your Highness, please receive the edict."

After Prince Fu had knelt properly, Wang An reached out, took the imperial edict, gently unrolled it, and slowly read: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Since Emperor Taizu ascended the throne and established the feudal princes to guard the realm,

"The princes of the various regions are enfeoffed but granted no territory, given titles but given no subjects to govern, receive stipends but administer no affairs.

"Now, Prince Fu of Luoyang has encroached upon the people's farmland, colluded with unlawful officials, oppressed the common folk and committed evil deeds, causing the people to suffer beyond words and bringing the imperial family's reputation to ruin. My heart aches deeply at this, and I issue this edict to condemn Prince Fu.

"The manors and fields enfeoffed to the Prince Fu's household shall be stripped away, and his family property confiscated. All confiscated property shall be returned in full to the people, to quell popular resentment and restore the imperial family's reputation.

"As for Prince Fu—I know he is my imperial uncle. The bonds of imperial kinship are something I too must cherish.

"Consort Dowager Zheng has long resided in the palace and misses Prince Fu dearly. I cannot bear to see mother and son separated, so I specially permit Prince Fu to enter the capital, to serve dutifully before Consort Dowager Zheng and fulfill his filial piety.

"As for Prince Fu's princely title, I cannot bear to strip it away either. A special edict shall be transmitted to the Crown Prince of Prince Fu's household.

"The Crown Prince of Prince Fu's household is young and does not yet understand right from wrong. I worry that he may repeat the same mistakes, so I specially permit the Crown Prince of Prince Fu's household to enter the capital to study, and I shall personally instruct him, so as to preserve the bonds of imperial kinship.

"This act is also because I cannot bear to see Prince Fu and his son separated by flesh and blood. I hope Prince Fu will cherish this and reflect upon it.

"By imperial order."

After speaking these two words, Wang An gently rolled up the imperial edict, walked before Prince Fu, reached out to hand the edict to him, and said, "Your Highness, please receive the edict."

At this moment, Prince Fu didn't know what he was feeling either.

If you called it fear, well, he was also somewhat relieved, but deep down he still felt unwilling to accept it.

At the same time, facing the matter of going to the capital, Prince Fu was still scared to death—who knew what the outcome would be once he arrived?

But the imperial edict still had to be accepted. If he refused it, then he truly would have no road left but death.

So Prince Fu hurriedly reached out to accept the imperial edict, saying as he did so: "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your boundless grace. Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

After Prince Fu had taken the imperial edict, Wang An quickly reached out to help him to his feet, saying with a smile on his face: "Your Highness must understand His Majesty's good intentions."

"Earlier, there was a great uproar in the court. Some people suggested that His Majesty strip Your Highness of your title, confiscate your estate, and send you to Fengyang to keep vigil at the ancestral tombs.

"It was His Majesty who overrode all objections—not only preserving Your Highness's title, but also allowing Your Highness to enter the capital and be reunited with your mother."

Prince Fu didn't know what he felt inside—defiance, unwillingness, anger, and also a trace of relief. These feelings made him very agitated.

Glancing at Wang An, Prince Fu nodded and said: "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch."

No matter what, his family's princely title had been preserved. Although it wasn't him—it had been changed to pass to his son instead—it was still a comparatively good outcome.

After all, that place Fengyang—it was said to be where the Founding Emperor started his rise, but for the imperial family, that place truly was not a place for people to go.

How many who had been stripped of their titles had all been sent there? That was a place of confinement. Once you went, you couldn't think of coming out again—no one would even know when you died there.

Now that he could go to the capital, it was still better than going to Fengyang. At least he could still see his mother, couldn't he?

Speaking of which, over these years he really had missed her somewhat. He didn't know how she was doing. He had originally thought there would never be a time to see her again—who would have thought there would still be this chance now?

"Your Highness, pack up simply. This servant will accompany Your Highness back to the capital. No one will make trouble along the way—Your Highness may rest assured and set out." Wang An said, but in the end he added one more instruction: "Your Highness only has three days to prepare. Three days from now we depart. Your Highness should hurry."

Prince Fu nodded and said: "I am obliged to you, Eunuch."

Gently nodding, Wang An didn't stand on ceremony and simply took up residence in the Prince Fu mansion.

He needed to keep an eye on matters here—he didn't want anything to go wrong.

The Luoyang County government office.

At this moment, Chen Qiyu was drinking wine, accompanied by his private secretary Li Fang.

Lately Chen Qiyu had been in a really good mood, so he had drunk a bit more than usual. But he couldn't help it—he ultimately wanted to drink some wine.

"Master, this is so satisfying! With this matter accomplished, Master is likely to be promoted!" Li Fang said with joy on his face.

Hearing Li Fang's words, Chen Qiyu waved his hand and said with a smile: "Personal honor or disgrace, wealth and official rank—I don't view those so heavily. The reason I'm so happy is because of several things."

"The first thing: Prince Fu has fallen, and a great mountain has been lifted from the heads of Henan's common people. From today onward, the Prince Fu mansion is finally gone, and the lives of Henan's people will be better."

"From the time I began my studies, I resolved to do some practical things for the people. After all these wasted years, today I have finally accomplished something that lets me feel my life has been worthwhile."

"Apart from that, the second thing is that I have seen the hope of the Great Ming. His Majesty the current Emperor has great boldness of vision. With such grand strategy and great talent, the Great Ming has hope for resurgence."

"For me, Chen Qiyu, to be born at such a time, to be able to serve such an emperor—I have no regrets in this life. To be able to participate in such a flourishing age of prosperity, I, Chen Qiyu, feel deeply honored!"

"Although you're very happy, drinking wine in the government office in broad daylight is not something a good official should be doing."

Suddenly, a man's voice sounded from outside.

Then the man strode in—his face was cold, and his voice was even colder.

He swept a glance over Chen Qiyu and said: "I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon. When we parted last time, I said don't make me come find you for a talk. It seems you're going to disappoint me."

Chen Qiyu looked up and immediately saw Chen Sihai. He hadn't expected Chen Sihai to come to his place. He quickly stood up and said: "Your subordinate pays respects to Lord Chen."

Although Chen Sihai was criticizing him, Chen Qiyu wasn't angry at all.

In his view, this Lord Chen Sihai before him was a hero, an official with backbone, and at the same time his senior—someone worthy of his study.

"Just this once—don't let it happen again." Chen Sihai looked at Chen Qiyu and said.

"Then many thanks to Lord Chen." Chen Qiyu quickly said: "But rules are rules. Your subordinate knows this violated the rules, so I request to have my salary docked as punishment."

Chen Sihai nodded and said: "Go to the capital and say that to His Majesty."

"This is a directive from the Grand Secretariat. You no longer need to serve as Luoyang County Magistrate. His Majesty has summoned you to the capital—he has other arrangements for you. From now on, the sky is high and the sea is wide. Take care of yourself, Lord Chen. I hope that when we meet next time, it won't be me coming to arrest you."

Hearing Chen Sihai's words, Chen Qiyu was somewhat dazed. He hadn't expected that he would be going to the capital just like that.

But he quickly reached out to take the directive from Chen Sihai's hand. He glanced at it—sure enough, it was about removing him from his post as Henan County Magistrate.

As for what he was being transferred to the capital to do, it wasn't written there—it only said there would be other arrangements.

"Pack up and set out as soon as possible." Chen Sihai said.

"Oh, right—there's one thing I must advise you. Right now the situation in Luoyang city is tense, and the entire Henan Prefecture has become a mess. The officials sent down by the court are all trying their best to make adjustments. So when you leave, just leave quietly—don't let the people see you off. The things you've done are all known in the palace."

Hearing these words, Chen Qiyu nodded.

In fact, news had already spread during this period. He hadn't hidden what he'd done—everyone knew it was he who had toppled the entire Henan Province.

Countless people kept their distance from him in awe, and there was no small amount of criticism. But there were also countless common people who were grateful to him. If they learned he was leaving, there would certainly be many who would spontaneously come to see him off.

In ordinary times that would be nothing—the official formalities, the umbrella of ten thousand people, all of that would naturally happen.

But now was an extraordinary time. Everything must be kept simple—stability trumped everything.

Chen Qiyu naturally understood this point, and said: "Rest assured, Lord Chen. Your subordinate knows how to handle it."

Chen Sihai nodded and said: "That would be best."

After saying this, Chen Sihai turned and walked out.

Watching Chen Sihai's retreating figure grow farther and farther away, Chen Qiyu murmured absentmindedly: "I wonder if I can get a post in the Office of Transmission this time when I go to the capital?"