Chapter 522: The Prefect of Yangzhou Comes Knocking

Hearing Han Qi's words, Chen Tang knew that this matter was as good as done.

As long as Han Qi agreed, his chances of obtaining that position would greatly increase—after all, these merchants wielded considerable influence. Especially in matters like these, they paid very close attention.

The remaining operational details could be left to the Han family. After all, among the Huizhou merchants, the Han family could be said to be extremely powerful; as long as they were willing, this matter would be no problem at all.

"Fine then, I'll make a trip to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters," Chen Tang said as he rose to his feet. "Let's go see what's going on."

Han Qi smiled and nodded, saying: "Then we'll await news from Lord Chen. I'll take my leave now."

With that, Han Qi turned and walked out.

Once he was out the door, the expression on Han Qi's face turned serious.

After boarding his carriage, Han Qi directly ordered: "Drive the carriage to the intersection, but don't leave yet."

"Yes, Eldest Young Master." His subordinate acknowledged and immediately carried out Han Qi's instructions, driving the carriage to the intersection and waiting quietly.

Han Qi sat in the carriage, waiting silently.

As for Chen Tang going to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters this time, Han Qi felt nothing good about it—in fact, he had a faint sense of foreboding.

Mao Qiguang had vanished without a trace, and the eunuch Zhang Wei had disappeared as well. That headquarters was like a giant maw that swallowed the sky, devouring everyone who went in.

The reason Han Qi had come to find Chen Tang was simple: Chen Tang was the Prefect of Yangzhou, a civil official.

From one angle, the Embroidered Uniform Guard could investigate civil officials; but from another angle, they couldn't.

So Han Qi sent Chen Tang in to see what the result would be—would Chen Tang also disappear?

If Chen Tang also vanished, then things would get interesting.

In truth, the conditions Chen Tang had proposed were quite excessive. The reason Han Qi agreed was because he had a certain premonition in his heart. Though he had no evidence, he always felt his premonition would come true.

"Young Master, Lord Chen has already come out." A subordinate came to Han Qi's side and reported.

Han Qi didn't part the carriage curtain, but directly said: "Send someone to follow him, and also post someone at the entrance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters to watch when he comes out, and see if anyone goes in."

"Yes, Eldest Young Master." The subordinate acknowledged and immediately sent men to follow.

Han Qi's carriage departed.

Chen Tang, expressionless, rode his sedan chair to the entrance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters, his state of mind quite relaxed—he didn't think this was anything too difficult.

Even if it was Xu Xianchun, so what? What could he do to him?

If worst came to worst, he would make a scene. After all, Yangzhou was not a place where the Embroidered Uniform Guard could run wild. When the time came, who would have the final say?

Wouldn't it still be him, Chen Tang, who had the final say?

With the cooperation of the Han family and others, there was much he could do. When the time came, if he stirred things up, what could the Embroidered Uniform Guard do?

Even if he beat Xu Xianchun to death in Yangzhou, what could they do about it?

If not for the Emperor having come to Nanjing, why would he go to such trouble?

He would have stirred things up long ago. The Embroidered Uniform Guard arresting people at will and slapping random labels on them—it was utterly nonsensical. This wasn't even their case. When the time came, as long as public indignation was roused, and he secretly had someone kill Xu Xianchun, what could anyone do?

The Emperor was far away, and heaven was high. Who would they send to investigate? And who could possibly investigate it clearly?

When the time came, if it really came down to it, he'd hand over one man and claim that this person had done the deed in secret.

Wasn't it easy to find someone to take the blame? Once the head was chopped off, who could do anything about it?

If they insisted on a serious investigation, then throw the man into prison, and by the time the investigators arrived, the man had caught a chill and died in prison. What could you do?

You could only find nothing at all and accept your fate!

And the officials responsible—someone like himself, for instance—would at most be charged with lax governance and poor handling of affairs. What more could they do?

A demotion, that's all. They couldn't possibly strip him of his post entirely, could they?

Even if they did, so what? What would his reputation be among the common folk? What would his reputation be among the scholars?

Why did the scholars all sing his praises? Wasn't it because he brought them tangible benefits?

What benefits would the salt merchants give him?

Benefits aplenty. So he was utterly fearless, afraid of no one. A mere Xu Xianchun—when the Emperor was in Nanjing, he could watch him swagger about, but with the Emperor not in Nanjing, what could he do?

Since the Wanli era, the court's control over the populace had already been lost. Back then, the eunuchs and Embroidered Uniform Guard agents Wanli had sent out—weren't plenty of them beaten to death? And what was the final result?

Didn't it all just fizzle out?

By that time, factions had already formed. The localities were nominally under the Great Ming, but in reality those who called the shots were these merchants and scholars, and local officials had begun to band together.

In the original course of history, Chongzhen replaced one minister, then another—what did it accomplish?

Everyone offered the same advice, everyone handled matters the same way. Whether you replaced them or not, what difference did it make?

Kill one batch, and the next batch would be the same. What could you do?

The Chen Tang before him was exactly like this—utterly emboldened by his sense of security.

Glancing at the Embroidered Uniform Guard standing at the gate, Chen Tang said directly: "Have them send a message in, saying I wish to see Xu Xianchun."

"Yes, my lord." His subordinate acknowledged and immediately sent the message in.

Inside the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters, Xu Xianchun also received the message.

Xu Xianchun looked at Chen Sheng, who was sipping tea off to the side, and said: "Eunuch Chen, what do you think should be done about this matter?"

Chen Sheng looked at Xu Xianchun with a puzzled expression and said: "Are you asking me?"

Xu Xianchun nodded and said with a smile: "Of course I'm asking Eunuch Chen."

Chen Sheng smiled and set down his teacup, saying: "This is a matter for you to resolve. I won't get involved. Everyone came here for matters concerning eunuchs, and this is a civil official's affair. What could I do about it?"

Chen Sheng didn't dare show the slightest negligence toward Xu Xianchun—that fellow was an old fox too.

See that? See that? They'd just been drinking tea and chatting a moment ago, and now he was already digging a pit for him.

Was this kind of matter something he could get involved in?

The one coming was the Prefect of Yangzhou. What business did he, a eunuch, have sticking his nose in?

In the palace, following his godfather, he hadn't learned much else, but he had learned not to stick his nose in. Matters that weren't his to manage, he absolutely must not manage—not even ask about them, not even listen. Otherwise, he'd die without knowing how.

Xu Xianchun still wanted to dig a pit for him—utterly nonsensical!

Xu Xianchun felt helpless inside as well—it seemed this young Eunuch Chen was not someone easy to get along with.

However, Xu Xianchun felt this matter was not something he could intervene in. After all, if he came up against the Yangzhou Prefect, this affair would not be easy to handle.

Xu Xianchun said, "Someone, go and invite Lord Chen Sihai over."

After all, he had people backing him; he just needed to bring someone in.

Upon hearing this, his subordinate quickly acknowledged, "Yes, my lord."

Having said that, the subordinate turned around at once and ran out without daring to delay a single moment to find the man.

Xu Xianchun stood up, straightened his clothes, and strode out the door.

Since Chen Tang had already arrived, Xu Xianchun still needed to receive him. As for what to say, naturally it would be a cloud of vague, misty words.

By the time he reached the front hall, his subordinates had already brought Chen Tang inside.

Upon seeing Chen Tang, Xu Xianchun clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Lord Chen honors us with your presence—our Embroidered Uniform Guard yamen is truly graced. Having just arrived in Yangzhou, I ought to have gone to pay my respects to you, Lord Chen, but there has been so much business that I've been busy without end and simply could not find the time."

Chen Tang glanced at Xu Xianchun, a warm smile on his face as he said, "Lord Xu is too courteous. You are the Son of Heaven's appointed envoy, sent to Yangzhou on affairs, bearing the Mandate of Heaven on your lips—it should be this humble official coming to pay respects to you. Might I ask, do you carry the Imperial Command Banner, or an imperial edict? Would you allow this humble official to pay homage to it?"

Xu Xianchun looked at Chen Tang and knew this fellow was hard to deal with—he came straight at him demanding the Imperial Command Banner and the imperial edict.

If he could produce them, having come under the Emperor's orders, this fellow would certainly turn around and leave.

But he had nothing at all.

Xu Xianchun said helplessly, "This humble official merely came to Yangzhou on Your Majesty's orders to conduct an inspection. I am not an imperial envoy—I have neither an imperial edict nor the Imperial Command Banner."

"I see." Chen Tang stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "Then the cases in Yangzhou city should still fall under this official's jurisdiction. Might I ask why Lord Xu wishes to interfere? Since when has the Embroidered Uniform Guard been allowed to accept cases?"

"And what's more, it concerns the Embroidered Uniform Guard itself—someone has lodged a complaint against Mao Qiguang, and a false accusation at that. Since when do people file lawsuits at the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and against Guard members no less? The one being interrogated is also a Guard member. I wonder what the Embroidered Uniform Guard intends to do?"

"I ask that Lord Xu hand Han Guotai over to this humble official. As for how matters stand, this humble official will investigate thoroughly—right and wrong must be clarified in the end. If Han Guotai has falsely accused a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then that's simple enough—this humble official will certainly enforce the law impartially and handle it with the utmost severity, giving the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard a proper accounting."

Hearing these words, Xu Xianchun remained expressionless, knowing this was a seasoned old hand at official games.

What "utmost severity"? That comes only after the facts are established.

If there was no such matter? Then naturally there could be no talk of punishment.

If he handed Han Guotai over, once Han Guotai left he would certainly retract his confession and refuse to admit anything. Then it would become Xu Xianchun who had falsely accused Han Guotai—how could such a thing be allowed?

Truly, strike the snake at its vital spot—this Chen Tang was not easy to deal with. He went straight to the heart of the matter, first exposing to the core that Xu Xianchun had no qualification to accept or interrogate the case, which meant the case should fall under his jurisdiction.

Under such circumstances, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had lost all initiative. Handing the man over was wrong, and not handing him over was equally wrong.

He was certain that the moment Han Guotai left the Embroidered Uniform Guard yamen, rumors would spread throughout Yangzhou city. Then it would no longer be Han Guotai falsely accusing Mao Qiguang, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard shielding its own, mutually covering up and falsely accusing Han Guotai.

They would even find a ready-made reason for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to have falsely accused Han Guotai.