Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 660 Deployment
Pei Yuan's words were like a thunderclap out of nowhere, leaving everyone speechless.

Yao Qian, whom Pei Yuan had described as steady and reliable, nearly collapsed in his seat.

Commander Pei's words were not only full of murderous intent, but also incredibly fierce!

In just a few words, he pointed his sword at several people they dared not even think of.

First, there was the rumor concerning the emperor's lineage. Once this matter was brought to the forefront, allowing the emperor's family affairs to be discussed by the people, it would inevitably anger the emperor and the empress dowager.

The part about the rumors even used the comparison between the Marquis of Shouning and the Marquis of Jianchang to sow discord between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.

No one dared to imagine how these powerful people would respond.

Secondly, the direct target of the rumors is Crown Prince Deok!

It shouldn't even be mentioned that the Crown Prince of De was involved in this matter; the entire De Kingdom might be in deep trouble if he were to be implicated.

Then, there's something even more critical.

That is, as Pei Qianhu clearly pointed out, the Shandong officialdom deliberately protected the heir of the Prince of De, allowing the Prince of De to have absolute power in Shandong.

The collusion between local officials and princes is something the emperor greatly fears. If this were confirmed, all the major officials in Shandong would probably have to be replaced.

No wonder Commander Pei said that this case could send them to the top.

The position of Imperial Censor is not based on accumulating years of experience or on performance evaluations and selections; rather, it is based on building up reputation to obtain the official rank.

The most obvious example is Zhang Lian, Song Chunniang's father-in-law.

He started out as a minor seventh-rank censor, but gained great prestige by impeaching the Marquis of Shouning and the Marquis of Jianchang. He then went on a border inspection tour to gain experience, and upon his return, he went directly to Shanxi to serve as a third-rank provincial inspector.

Another example is Shi Jie, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, who was busy trying to get promoted.

At that time, Shi Jie went to extreme lengths to boost his reputation.

As an official in the Censorate system, he didn't rely on reports or evidence, but directly took over the work of the Imperial Observatory and used metaphysics, such as natural disasters, to "ponder" the matter.

If these younger brothers can clear the Shandong stage, and then gain some more experience and realize their reputation, they will all rise to great heights.

However, the sinister nature of this matter has also become clear.

Just yesterday, these lowly officials were being belittled by the officials in charge of the Six Ministries over the issue of job assignments, who were trying to make them admit that they were trash and obediently go to lowly positions to fill the gaps.

They felt deeply humiliated and wanted to fight back. But the thought of their brother, the commander of a thousand households, gave them the courage to persevere.

But their brother, the commander of a thousand households... really thinks too highly of them.

With their limited abilities, how could they possibly contend with the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the two Marquises of Zhang, and the officials from all over Shandong?

For a moment, they even felt that the officials who kept manipulating them and trying to make them accept their fate as beasts of burden were the ones who truly loved them.

Seeing that the atmosphere was a little awkward, Huo Tao and Tian Fu exchanged glances, and Huo Tao took the initiative to ask, "Commander, is it true about this rumor?"

Pei Yuan understood their meaning and reassured everyone, saying, "There are indeed such rumors, and they are indeed related to the Crown Prince of De. In the end, it was indeed the officials from various places who joined forces to suppress this matter."

Huo Tao, considering the difficulties of the matter, took the initiative to ask, "Even if it's true, this matter involves His Majesty. I'm afraid that regardless of whether it's a rumor or not, it's not something we can easily get involved in."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a pang of anxiety, wondering how this audacious commander would respond.

But Pei Yuan laughed and said, "No need to be nervous. This is just a pretext for me to escalate the situation in Shandong. My primary target is still De Fan."

"All you need to do is lift the lid. As for the rest, I, the commander, have already made other arrangements."

Upon hearing Pei Yuan's words, not only the scholars who were already destined to go to Shandong, but even Huo Tao, who was uninvolved, breathed a sigh of relief.

Everyone was relieved that Pei Yuan didn't intend to make a big deal out of this rumor.

The gossip of the imperial family is not something to be trifled with; one wrong move and you could lose your head.

It's better to target Dewan.

Compared to facing a combination of the emperor, the empress dowager, and the two marquises of the Zhang family, challenging this powerful vassal state that gave the court officials so much headache was nothing.

For a moment, everyone was eager to try it out.

Pei Yuan didn't explain anything further, but simply asked Yao Qian, "Yao Qian, what do you say?"

Following Pei Yuan's words, everyone else turned their attention to Yao Qian.

Yao Qian also felt this heavy pressure.

But at this point, what other choices could he make?

The commander in front of me is a powerful figure capable of wiping out the entire Imperial Censorate.

Now that he has revealed part of his plan, if he dares to say no at this moment, his own corpse will likely appear outside the city very soon.

Yao Qian immediately said solemnly, "As I just said, if the commander says to investigate, then we will investigate. We will never betray the commander's trust."

Pei Yuan laughed heartily with satisfaction, "Well said!"

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this deadly conversation was about to end, Pei Yuan's smile vanished, and he stared at Yao Qian, saying calmly, "Then when Yang Tinghe summons you tonight, don't get nervous and say the wrong thing."

Yao Qian's mind raced, and he quickly realized the problem.

Pei Yuan designated him as the core figure in this southward expedition, meaning he became the second person responsible. If news of the operation leaked, Pei Yuan would certainly face certain death, and he certainly wouldn't escape unscathed.
Thinking of this, Yao Qian made up his mind and immediately said, "As the Grand Secretary, Yang's time is extremely precious. Since he wants to see us, then of course we should go together."

"In this way, we can also point out each other's shortcomings and fill in the gaps, so as to avoid saying the wrong thing."

After speaking, Yao Qian asked the others, "What do you all think, brothers?"

Despite their differing feelings, the younger brothers all applauded Yao Qian's idea, believing it to be sound.

In this way, they no longer need to suspect each other, and can work together to accomplish great things.

Pei Yuan smiled and said to everyone, "Then you should go back and make good preparations."

"I might also join in the fun on this trip south. If any trouble arises, I'll handle it for you."

Upon hearing this, the younger brothers responded in unison.

After Pei Yuan finished informing them, he told everyone that they didn't need to gather there anymore. Before leaving, Pei Yuan kept Bai Jun behind alone.

Although Pei Yuan did not deliberately mention his betrayal, he did offer a few words of concern.

Bai Jun understood without saying that his previous actions had left an excellent impression on Pei Qianhu.

After everyone had left, Yun Buxian, who had been silently watching over him, asked Pei Yuan with some confusion, "Does Commander Qian think so highly of that Yao Qian?"

In their previous interactions, Commander Pei did not seem to have any special regard for Yao Qian, and should have had an indifferent impression of him.

Pei Yuan, who was deep in thought, turned around and asked, "What's wrong? Is he not good?"

Fearing that Commander Pei might misunderstand, Yun Buxian quickly said, "How dare I? I was just blind and didn't see the merits of Yao Qian."

Pei Yuan asked with a smile, "Then who do you think is more suitable?"

"This..." Yun Buxian dared not say more.

Pei Yuan asked curiously, "Tell me, what were the thoughts of my former close followers? They always spoke frankly to me."

Yun Buxian then said, "I have also been in contact with these people for a period of time, and I think that Xu Qing is the most responsible and Tao Jun is the most resourceful. In my opinion, these two seem to be the most suitable people to take charge of this trip south."

Pei Yuan silently read it over before saying, "Okay, I've got it. I'll be more targeted in my personnel selection next time."

After saying that, he explained his approach to Yun Buxian: "These people are all talented individuals selected from among thousands of people, so it doesn't matter to me who is in charge."

"If I can make one of them feel special, he can perform much better than usual."

"That's enough."

Upon hearing this, Yun Buxian knew that Commander Pei still intended to personally take charge of the matter.

Sure enough, Pei Yuan continued, "I will also be heading south in a few days to personally oversee this matter; nothing will go wrong."

Yun Buxian quickly asked, "Is the commander going to Shandong?"

Pei Yuan shook his head. "If we don't go into Shandong, I guess the investigation team will stay in Dezhou to handle the case. Then I'll go to Jingzhou in Hejian Prefecture. Jingzhou is adjacent to Dezhou, but it's not in Shandong. If anything happens, it won't be too much of a hindrance."

Then, he said to Yun Buxian, "I'll leave you in the capital this time to help me deal with those trivial matters."

Upon hearing this, Yun Buxian felt somewhat regretful that he couldn't stay by Pei Qianhu's side and secure a position, but Pei Qianhu had repeatedly entrusted him with important responsibilities, clearly indicating his intention to give him important tasks.

Yun Buxian immediately replied, "While I am in the capital, I will certainly do my job well so that the commander will have no worries."

"Hmm..." Pei Yuan responded, pondered for a moment, and then praised, "You did a great job with the wedding this time, which has fulfilled one of my wishes."

Upon hearing this, Yun Buxian smiled and said, "It is the wish of everyone in our Qianhu Office that the two commanders can get married. In this way, our Qianhu Office will be more united, and others will no longer have any doubts."

Pei Yuan's trusted confidants in the Thousand Household Office were mostly transferred by him to Liansheng Temple in Yanggu and five Hundred Household Offices in Shandong.

Many of the Imperial Guards in the Jingzhong Thousand-Household Garrison were replacement soldiers retrained by Tantai Fangtu. These replacement soldiers also came from the military households of the Zhenxie Thousand-Household Garrison, which had been passed down through generations.

Some were even directly transferred from the Huguang Regional Military Commission.

These guys weren't very loyal to Pei Yuan; they preferred the rightful Commander Han.

The presence of a powerful deputy commander like Pei Yuan in the Zhenxie Thousand-Household Office has already been seen as a hidden danger by many Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards).

Now that the two are together, Pei Yuan can use the Imperial Guards in the capital more effectively.

With the improved financial situation of the Zhenxie Thousand-Household Office, the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) in the capital is now expanding rapidly. Currently, it has two hundred-household offices guarding Daxing and Wanping, as well as the Puxianyuan Hundred-Household Office responsible for protecting Pei Yuan's residence nearby.

In addition, the Zhihua Temple's Thousand-Household Office was also supplemented with two hundred personnel.

If these personnel can be fully utilized, they will be a significant help.

Pei Yuan said, "I will remember your contribution and reward you in the future."

Yun Buxian was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude. Commander Pei was always fair in rewarding and punishing, and his predecessors had all risen to power by gradually accumulating merits.

After Pei Yuan finished discussing the rewards, he asked, "Then do you know where you should focus your energy this time while staying in the capital?"

After a moment's thought, Yun Buxian replied, "The commander probably intends for me to focus my efforts on the money exchange, right?"

Pei Yuan said with satisfaction, "Not bad. You must keep a close eye on the money shop. Tian Fu's vacancy hasn't been finalized yet, so he'll stay in the capital for now. If you have any problems you can't solve, go and consult Tian Fu."

Yun Buxian quickly agreed.

Seeing that Pei Yuan was in a good mood, Yun Buxian couldn't resist his curiosity and asked Pei Yuan, "I have a question that I would like to ask you, Commander."

Pei Yuan glanced at him and, as expected, did not refuse. "Then tell me."

Yun Buxian immediately asked, "I grew up in the capital and I remember that there was indeed a rumor circulating for a while that the emperor was born to a woman named Zheng. However, although this matter caused quite a stir, it was denied by the late emperor. Moreover, Zheng Wang was executed after the current emperor ascended the throne."

"This rumor is almost an old story, and it has been spread privately by merchants traveling from all over the country. Even if the commander had someone spread it in Shandong, it would be hard for people to believe it."

"According to Commander Qian, it is clear that he intends to use this rumor to sow discord between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, as well as the two Marquises of Zhang. If that is all, I'm afraid it won't have much effect."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan couldn't help but laugh, then looked at Yun Buxian nonchalantly and said, "Does it matter?"

Yun Buxian was taken aback.

Pei Yuan said calmly, "If this is the truth, simply repeating it over and over will already have a destructive effect."

"If this rumor is false, then it will be trouble for the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."

"What does this have to do with us?"

As Pei Yuan spoke, he thought about how the Zhang brothers had repeatedly acted arrogantly under the protection of the Empress Dowager; he also thought about how, at the most critical moment of Zhu Houzhao's implementation of the new policies, the Empress Dowager sided with the court officials, becoming the last straw that broke Zhu Houzhao's back; he also thought about Liu Jin, who was executed by being cut into a thousand pieces; he thought about the new policies that were completely abandoned; and he thought about the current situation where Zhu Houzhao could only seek a military breakout.

Pei Yuan smiled and said, "However, I think it's hard to say."

The calm surface of the water does not mean there is no surging anger beneath. And those on the edge of the abyss, are they unaware? They are simply cautiously maintaining a tacit understanding.

Seeing Yun Buxian's puzzled expression, Pei Yuan couldn't help but mutter to himself, "The real battle often takes place in one's mind."

(End of this chapter)