Chapter 516: Han Qi's Scheme

Just at that moment, a figure walked in from outside.

This was a man who looked to be in his thirties, mature and steady, and from his features he bore some resemblance to Han Shicheng. He was precisely Han Shicheng's eldest son, Han Qi.

Han Shicheng was very satisfied with his eldest son, Han Qi.

Though his birth mother had passed away early, under the care of his later stepmother he could be said to have grown up thriving, and he had considerable skill in business. Han Shicheng now relied on him in many matters.

Seeing his eldest son walk in, Han Shicheng asked, "Did you find out what happened?"

Han Qi nodded and said, "I've already investigated clearly. Second Brother was originally going to the Imperial Academy today, but after arriving there he ran into a young man whose identity should be out of the ordinary. At the time, Second Brother tried to buy the man's maidservant with money, and then he was seized by them."

"As for where Second Brother was taken—I don't know."

"Nor do I know how he ended up in the hands of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"And the current situation is that the Embroidered Uniform Guard has a confession in hand saying Second Brother accused Mao Qiguang. That makes things very difficult. If the Embroidered Uniform Guard holds firm on that, then Second Brother will be guilty of false accusation."

"So we've offended someone!" Han Shicheng sighed and said, "That's easy enough to handle—send people to make inquiries and find out exactly who we've offended. We'll offer our apologies, give money where money should be given, send people where people should be sent. Don't hesitate over spending money or calling in favors—get your Second Brother out first, and we'll talk about the rest later."

Han Qi naturally understood his father's meaning. With his brother in their hands right now, under such circumstances nothing was more important than rescuing his brother. As for settling accounts or seeking revenge afterward, that was a matter for later.

Moreover, in business one pursued harmony to generate wealth. The other side being able to move the Embroidered Uniform Guard proved they were people of real power. Under such circumstances, it was better to talk and see whether there was any possibility of cooperation. When all was said and done, it was all business—as long as no one was harmed, there was no major problem.

But Han Qi still thought of one possibility.

Raising his head to look at his father, Han Qi said, "Father, I think we should still prepare for both contingencies. If one path doesn't work, we might as well do something else. The Emperor is in Nanjing now—we may need to make use of our connections there."

"What do you want to do? Let's hear it." Han Shicheng glanced at his son and said slowly.

"No one knows how this matter will ultimately develop." Han Qi said with a grim face, "We don't know the other side's identity, nor whether they're targeting us or targeting Mao Qiguang. Judging from the current situation, the likelihood of them targeting us is very high, so we need to think of a way."

"Once the path is blocked, we'll have to take forceful measures to get this done. We must protect Second Brother—everything else can be sacrificed."

"What do you want to do?" Han Shicheng looked at his son and asked once more.

"Does Father have anyone in Nanjing who can put in a word for us? Preferably someone who can see the Emperor at any time—I need such a person. When necessary, this person needs to be able to bring the matter directly before the Emperor." Han Qi said with a grim face.

"That's certainly no problem." Han Shicheng nodded, unconcerned about this matter.

With the family's many connections, there was no shortage of people who could accomplish this.

"Our family has standing before Duke Wei and Duke Cheng; at the Six Ministries in Nanjing we also have connections—at least with the Six Ministries, we can put in words; and with the Governors of several surrounding provinces, we can all put in words. Getting them to handle some matters isn't difficult. What do you want them to do?" Han Shicheng said in a relaxed tone.

Hearing his father say this, Han Qi's face showed no sign of surprise.

The family had operated for so many years, pouring in so much money every year—naturally they would have such connections. If they didn't, that would be the strange thing.

Han Qi said, "If the matter cannot be resolved, then we must find a way to exonerate Second Brother. The best way is to make Mao Qiguang's crimes stick."

"Right now the Embroidered Uniform Guard is using this as their talking point—the crime they want to establish is false accusation. So as long as Mao Qiguang's crimes are real, Second Brother will be fine. The things Second Brother said—we can find evidence for all of them. Even if there's no evidence, we can manufacture evidence."

"As long as Second Brother wasn't talking nonsense and Mao Qiguang's crimes are confirmed, then naturally there's no problem. As for the people behind this, we can also counterattack—at that point we'll say before the Emperor that the Embroidered Uniform Guard shields its own, not only failing to rigorously investigate the guilty Mao Qiguang but also framing the one who filed the accusation."

"By then, whoever is behind this, we'll make sure they can't just walk away. At the very least, the Embroidered Uniform Guard officers who caused us trouble this time won't escape involvement—they'll all be dealt with by the Emperor."

Han Shicheng looked at his son and said in a somewhat helpless tone, "But since ancient times, the common people do not contend with officials. We're merchants—if we start a fight with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I'm afraid there won't be any good outcome. If they merely investigate us, our days will be hard to bear."

"What does that matter?" Han Qi said nonchalantly, "In this world today, it's simply those with power and influence who have the final say. So what if we offend the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Can't we just find a powerful backer? Can the Embroidered Uniform Guard really turn the world upside down?"

"Besides, we've only offended Xu Xianchun within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, not everyone. This time it's Xu Xianchun stirring up trouble—we can help that Lord Cui with his matters, and who knows, he might even thank us."

"If that truly doesn't work, we'll go through the channel of the Yangzhou eunuch garrison commander and find the Eastern Depot. The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot can be played against each other—that Eunuch Wei has been waiting for an opportunity all along. This time might just be it."

Han Shicheng looked at his son with some worry, still not wanting his son to get dragged into these affairs.

Though they had cultivated some people over the years and had deliberately arranged for their descendants to become officials, in reality they would not use officials for such matters. To put it plainly, this was a family matter, not something where everyone should throw their weight in.

If something truly went wrong, the Han family would find it hard to account for themselves before the others. Han Shicheng was somewhat worried—after all, this matter was too big.

Seeing his father hesitate, Han Qi smiled and said, "Father need not worry—this is merely preparing for a rainy day. If the matter can ultimately be resolved properly, then that would naturally be best, and we won't have to offend anyone or take such risks."

"But if the other side refuses, then we'll have no choice but to do it this way—after all, Second Brother must be saved."

"Let's make preparations in advance. If things truly turn sour, at least we won't be caught unprepared. If you agree to this, then I'll arrange the people right now."

Han Shicheng looked at his resolute son and said, "Then do as you've said."

"Yes, Father." Han Qi nodded, a brilliant smile spreading across his face, yet a shadow of gloom flickered in his eyes.

The words he had just spoken were not only advice to his father—they were also a test of his father.

Han Qi had already thought the matter through when he arrived. What the Embroidered Uniform Guard was plotting this time was probably no small matter. That worthless brother of his certainly wasn't what they were after; as for Mao Qiguang, he was even more of a joke—merely a Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

A Yangzhou Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—he too was a Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. For the high-ranking officials of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, dealing with such a person wouldn't be done with such a big show, nor would they drag his brother into it.

The internal discipline of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was very strict. Though they appeared to be mute, they were the Son of Heaven's personal troops—no one could control them, and they operated under military law. In fact, the internal discipline of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was even stricter than military law. One had seen many such matters.

This time, the Embroidered Uniform Guard must certainly have designs on the Han family. When this matter developed to its end, it would definitely be exactly as he imagined—there would not be the slightest surprise.

And the choices left to him were two: either turn hostile, or abandon his brother.

For Han Qi, abandoning this brother wasn't necessarily a bad thing. A good-for-nothing playboy who stirred up trouble all day and would compete with him for the family inheritance—removing this person would bring him many benefits.

Though Han Guotai was Han Qi's own younger brother, Han Qi could still bring himself to do it.

And with this brother gone, the family's vulnerabilities would be fewer. For Han Qi, this was undoubtedly good news.

Most crucially, this matter ultimately had only two solutions—no other options. Han Qi speaking to his father first was undoubtedly an attempt to test his father's attitude.

He even made the matter sound very frightening, precisely to make his father realize the severity of the situation. If his father decided to abandon his brother, that would naturally be the best outcome.

But clearly that didn't happen. Though his father was very afraid and very worried, he still agreed to his plan.

Han Qi walked outside while pondering what to do.

Even if he didn't do this himself, his father would do it. It was just that the family's power was not currently in his own hands, which was rather displeasing.

If he were the one in charge, he definitely wouldn't—well, whatever. If things were pushed to a certain point, his father would do it, and that would be troublesome.

Letting out a helpless sigh, Han Qi raised his head and looked at the sky.

This matter had truly come at the worst possible time. If he could take all the power from his father's hands, he wouldn't have to be so conflicted today.

After exiting the main gate, Han Qi boarded a carriage and said in a flat tone, "To the Yangzhou eunuch garrison commander's office."

In the city of Yangzhou, there were few people who could put in a word with the Embroidered Uniform Guard. They were loners by nature, so seeking out the Yangzhou eunuch garrison commander was a possibility—have them communicate with Xu Xianchun.

"Yes, Young Master." The servant below quickly replied with a respectful tone.

They also knew that their young master could make the decisions for more than half of the household.