Chapter 395: Wei Dazhong Is Arrested

Chen Qihe glanced at Wei Dazhong, a look of impatience spreading across his face.

He truly did not want to waste words with Wei Dazhong here. What he needed to do had already been accomplished; the rest had nothing to do with him.

Chen Qihe waved his hand and said directly, "Take him away."

Seeing that Wei Dazhong was about to shout again, Chen Qihe instructed, "Gag him. If he still makes trouble, beat his mouth swollen so he can't spout nonsense."

His subordinates hurriedly replied, "Yes, sir."

Dealing with this kind of person — the men under them had plenty of methods. Whether by the book or thick-skinned and black-hearted, they had no scruples at all.

To serve as an official in a place like Shuntian Prefecture, one had to be sharp-eyed and clear-headed. Without those abilities, one would have been removed long ago.

In the capital, there were too many powerful figures, and none could be offended. Shuntian Prefecture was caught in the middle, and one misstep could bring trouble with someone one could not afford to offend.

Clearly Wei Dazhong was not in that category, and moreover, someone was pulling strings behind this matter, so Shuntian Prefecture had even fewer concerns.

After the man was taken away, Chen Qihe turned and walked toward the rear.

When he arrived at the second hall, someone was already there waiting for him.

This person sat in a chair drinking tea. Seeing Chen Qihe walk in, he smiled and asked, "The matter is already handled?"

Chen Qihe hurriedly said, "Rest assured, Lord Cui, it is already done."

Hearing Chen Qihe's words, Cui Chengxiu nodded with satisfaction.

The arrest of Wei Dazhong was naturally Cui Chengxiu's doing behind the scenes — this was something he had agreed upon with Ruan Dacheng. The plan was to first arrest Wei Dazhong, then proceed with the next step.

As for getting Chen Qihe to help, Cui Chengxiu had expended hardly any effort. His status spoke for itself, and besides, this time Shuntian Prefecture had to cooperate with him anyway.

Under such circumstances, this kind of minor matter naturally posed no difficulty for the people of Shuntian Prefecture.

"Not bad, this matter was handled very well." Cui Chengxiu said with a smile, "I'll note the credit for you."

"Thank you, my lord." Chen Qihe hurriedly replied with a smile.

The legends surrounding this Lord Cui before him had long been known to every official in the capital.

Since entering officialdom, few could match Lord Cui's record of several consecutive promotions within a single year, and now he had already reached the position of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief.

This time, Lord Cui had again received His Majesty's personal commission to lead the reform of the Academy. One could say such a figure had boundless prospects.

In the future, he might even be able to seek patronage under Lord Cui's banner, and then this connection of goodwill would prove a great help.

Moreover, if this man truly rose high in the future, he might even be able to promote him as well.

Thus Chen Qihe's attitude was extremely deferential, and his face wore a most fawning smile.

Naturally, Cui Chengxiu was very satisfied with Chen Qihe's performance.

"My lord, should your subordinate quietly..." Chen Qihe said up to this point, his gaze flickering uncertainly as he raised his hand and made a pressing-down gesture.

This gesture was very commonly used within the Shuntian Prefecture yamen — plainly put, it meant whether to press the man to death in the prison.

The reason for using this gesture rather than a throat-slitting motion was that the majority of executions of prisoners in the jail were done by pressing them to death, commonly known as "pressing the sack."

If one killed by slitting the throat, it would make too much noise.

Cui Chengxiu glanced at Chen Qihe, not expecting that this man would be so accommodating and so utterly without scruples — someone like Wei Dazhong, he would kill at the drop of a word.

Cui Chengxiu also wished Wei Dazhong dead, but absolutely not in this manner. Right now the Academy reform was underway, and this was a case that absolutely could not go wrong.

Locking Wei Dazhong up was acceptable, but killing him was absolutely out of the question.

Once the man died, the matter would blow up. The other side would certainly make a fuss, and those who associated with Wei Dazhong would grieve for their own kind.

If the matter stirred up trouble, it would be extremely disadvantageous to him. For him, stability and smoothness outweighed everything, so Wei Dazhong could not die.

As for Chen Qihe's intentions, Cui Chengxiu could more or less guess them — nothing more than trying to show his loyalty.

There was also another point: if Chen Qihe and he together killed Wei Dazhong, then the two of them would have committed a crime together.

Having killed a man together, they would henceforth be grasshoppers tied to the same rope.

How could Cui Chengxiu possibly hand him such a handle to hold over him?

For Cui Chengxiu, there were many ways to kill a man, and this was absolutely the stupidest one.

Wanting to bind himself together with him — Chen Qihe had thought too wishfully.

Cui Chengxiu said with a smile, "That won't be necessary. Let him be well cared for in the prison — best if he comes out plump and fair-skinned. As long as Wei Dazhong doesn't cause trouble, nothing else matters."

Hearing these words, Chen Qihe felt somewhat disappointed inside. However, his face showed nothing, and he still replied with a smile, "Everything as Lord Cui commands."

Cui Chengxiu nodded, then stood up and said, "In that case, I'll be on my way."

Having said this, Cui Chengxiu stood and walked out without sparing Chen Qihe another glance.

In Cui Chengxiu's heart, he had already marked a cross against this Chen Qihe.

This man had too many schemes in his head and was not a good subordinate. This was his first time working with him, and it would also be the last.

Arresting Wei Dazhong was, in Cui Chengxiu's view, hardly a major matter. Even if the affair were eventually exposed, nothing could be done to him.

But if he conspired with Chen Qihe to kill Wei Dazhong, that would be an entirely different matter.

This kind of person who tried to drag him into the water — better to keep at a distance. Otherwise, when Heaven's thunder struck him dead someday, he might easily be implicated as well.

Chen Qihe was deeply disappointed inside, unaware that Cui Chengxiu had already given up on him.

Chen Qihe respectfully saw Cui Chengxiu out.

After leaving the Shuntian Prefecture yamen, Cui Chengxiu turned and headed home.

In a little while, he would send someone to deliver the news to Ruan Dacheng — now that things were ready on this side, the other side could begin.

Meanwhile, deep within the imperial palace,

Zhu Youxiao was accompanying Empress Zhang on a stroll.

Since Zhu Youxiao had returned to the capital, this had become his daily routine. He accompanied Empress Zhang on a walk almost every day, and even when busy, he would set aside time every other day to stroll with her.

The people in the palace had long grown accustomed to this. His Majesty's doting on the Empress was simply all-encompassing. Not only did she receive the best in food, clothing, and daily necessities, but he also spent the most time by her side.

Everyone had come to take it in stride, only praising how deep the affection between the Emperor and Empress truly was.

Empress Zhang was naturally all smiles as well — life in the palace was far better than she had ever imagined.

With someone to dote on her, her position in the palace was naturally secure, and Empress Zhang had nothing to trouble her heart.

Moreover, she now had a child — if she could give birth to a son, that would be even more perfect.

Walking forward across the flagstone path and through the pavilion, Empress Zhang said, "Your Majesty, this consort can return on her own."

"What kind of talk is that? Let me see you back," said Zhu Youxiao.

"You still have matters to attend to," Empress Zhang said with a smile. "Eunuch Chen has been here for a while now, waiting to report something. He hasn't come over all this time — he's just been waiting over there. This consort has already been somewhat presumptuous. Your Majesty should go attend to proper business; there's no problem on my end."

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiao glanced back at Chen Hong, not far away, and let out a helpless sigh.

He gently tapped Empress Zhang on the nose before saying, "Why trouble yourself with such thoughts? I don't care about these things."

"Your Majesty may not care, but this consort cannot afford not to." Empress Zhang said with a smile, at the same time reaching out to give Zhu Youxiao a gentle push. "Your Majesty, go on now."

"Very well." Zhu Youxiao nodded, then instructed those around Empress Zhang, "Serve the Empress well."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Everyone hurriedly assented.

Those around Empress Zhang naturally dared not be negligent — these people could all be said to be Empress Zhang's confidants, and their standing within the palace was very high. The more secure the Empress's position, the higher the standing of these people.

Should the Empress give birth to a son, these people would all rise like chickens and dogs ascending to heaven — the eunuchs could quickly become the Crown Prince's Companions, and the palace maids could become the wet nurses by the Crown Prince's side.

Such status was unmatched by anyone, so naturally they were all the more devoted to Empress Zhang.

After seeing Empress Zhang off, Zhu Youxiao came to Chen Hong's side, shot him a glare, and said, "What great matter was so urgent that you had to come now? No sense of timing."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this servant knows his error." Chen Hong said hastily.

Chen Hong knew His Majesty's temperament — for ordinary matters His Majesty didn't care much, and words like these were merely a way of taking out his anger on him.

If there were truly something and he didn't come to report it, then his fate would likely be even worse. It wouldn't be as simple as His Majesty merely rebuking him.

Zhu Youxiao glanced at Chen Hong and said, "Still, we can't delay proper business. Alright, speak — what is it?"

"It's news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Chen Hong said hurriedly.

"Has Cui Chengxiu made his move?" Zhu Youxiao asked.

"Yes, he has already acted." Chen Hong bowed in reply. "Just now, Wei Dazhong was arrested by the Shuntian Prefecture on suspicion of involvement in a theft case. He has already been taken to the prison, and Lord Cui has left the Shuntian Prefecture."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Just have them keep watch. Lately, have them also make inquiries around the city to see if anyone is trying to stir up trouble over this matter."

"If any officials or scholars want to oppose this policy, they will surely collude with one another. Have your men keep an eye on them. If anyone is found colluding, report it to me promptly."

Zhu Youxiao had never relaxed his surveillance over these people.

Ever since he ascended the throne — whether it was keeping people for propaganda purposes, trying to control the direction of public opinion, or monitoring these individuals — Zhu Youxiao had never let his guard down.

Planting his own spies among the scholars was a long-term process.