Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 115 Full of Enthusiasm!

A centurion is already a sixth-rank military officer.

Normally, even in a special government office like the Zhenfu Division, it would take at least ten or eight years to rise from the grassroots level to the rank of centurion.

But precisely because it is a special government office, under special conditions, the promotion of officers in the Zhenfu Division does not need to be measured by common sense.

Simply put, as long as the emperor is pleased, there's no problem.

As soon as the emperor uttered these words, Yan Hu immediately turned his head to look at Tang Can, the garrison commander beside him. Tang Can was also looking at him. The two bigwigs of the garrison commander exchanged a glance, and everything was understood without words.

Clearly, His Majesty the Emperor was somewhat dissatisfied with the attitude of the Yiluan Division and the Zhenfu Division, feeling that neither of them was supportive enough of him.

Even the crown prince of Zhou tried to avoid the whole affair as much as possible.

The emperor seemed determined to ensure that the Jiang family would gain a foothold in some key government offices.

This consolidation was not for the personal benefit of Prince Jiang Chu of Zhou, but to establish a precedent for the policy, so that the emperor would face little resistance when appointing members of the Jiang family in the future.

Simply put, if this policy is implemented, the emperor may even be able to select capable individuals from collateral branches of the imperial family and assign them to important government offices.

Even if these people don't directly protect the emperor's safety, as long as they are in this position, some people in the court with ulterior motives will definitely be hesitant to do evil before they can act against them!
Now, Chen Qing, who has just entered the Zhenfu Division, has obviously been caught up in this political turmoil.

The two bigwigs of the Zhenfu Division quickly figured out His Majesty's thoughts. Even Commander Yan Hu felt a little worried for Chen Qing.

He knew perfectly well that Chen Qing's promotion this time seemed like a meteoric rise, but in reality, he had no foundation whatsoever. It all depended on the Emperor's idea. In the future, when the Emperor's idea disappeared, Prince Zhou could return to his fiefdom in a carefree manner, while Chen Qing would not even be able to stay in the Imperial Guard.

Yan Hu had a good impression of Chen Qing. At least in his opinion, Chen Qing was a promising and capable young man who could be cultivated as a key member of the Zhenfu Division in the future.

However, what Commander Yan didn't know was that Chen Qing had almost voluntarily drawn himself into this storm.

The two high-ranking officials of the Zhenfu Division were only stunned for a moment before they both lowered their heads and bowed to the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, we have no objections."

Both the Zhenfu Division and the Yiluan Division were the emperor's personal guards. Their personnel appointments and removals were entirely at the emperor's discretion. When the emperor inquired about their affairs, it was merely a polite formality.

Don't take this seriously.

With no objections from the two officers of the Zhenfu Division, the matter was essentially settled. The emperor glanced at Yan Hu and continued, "How old is your son, Yan Cong, this year?"

"Your Majesty, he is just nineteen."

Commander Yan bowed deeply and said, "I joined the Zhenfu Division last year."

The emperor said calmly, "Yan Cong also made great contributions in this campaign to eliminate the cult bandits. He took the lead in capturing people, so he deserves credit."

"People say that when recommending worthy people, one should not avoid relatives. But when it is not appropriate to avoid relatives, one should not avoid them. Let Chen Qing set up a centurion's office in the Zhenfu Division, and let Yan Cong be the captain and his deputy."

Upon hearing this, Yan Qianhu lowered his head deeply, but his eyes flickered slightly.

Reorganizing a centurion's office yourself is completely different from taking over as centurion in an existing centurion's office under the jurisdiction of the Zhenfu Division.

It seems that His Majesty truly wants the Prince of Zhou's heir to have some say in the Zhenfu Division!
Maybe…

It may not be that Prince Jiang.

Thinking of this, Commander Yan couldn't help but glance up at the Emperor, whose face remained completely expressionless. After just one glance, he quickly lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, my son has only been in the Zhenfu Division for less than a year. If he is promoted so soon, it might invite criticism. My son…"

The emperor interrupted him without any politeness.

“I cannot block your son’s path just because you are a commander of the Zhenfu Division. If you feel it is inappropriate, I can transfer you to the Yiluan Division.”

The Zhenfu Division actually wielded far more power than the Yiluan Division. Upon hearing this, Yan Hu immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said, "Your subject dares not."

"I obey the imperial edict."

The emperor grunted in acknowledgment, waved his hand, and said, "The White Lotus Sect seems to have considerable influence in the capital region. We have extinguished their arrogance this time, but we must not let our guard down."

"We must do the follow-up work well and eliminate this hidden danger for the Great Qi."

These words were a signal to send the guests off. The group bowed respectfully to the emperor and took their leave.

The chubby boy bowed respectfully and was about to carefully retreat when the emperor grabbed his shoulder: "Stay a moment."

The chubby boy had no choice but to stay. After everyone had left, he cautiously glanced at the emperor and bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty, I have done everything you asked me to do. That day, when we went to suppress the bandits outside the city, I was personally at the front lines..."

"I didn't say anything to you."

The emperor looked at him and said with a smile, "You did a pretty good job this time."

At this point, the emperor sat back down in his seat and said calmly, "We're brothers, speaking privately. This time, regardless of what others think, I'm determined to push this matter through." "So…"

His Majesty's gaze sharpened: "Therefore, you cannot hide."

"If you hide, I will have no way to attack you."

The chubby boy looked worried: "Your Majesty, do I look like that kind of material?"

"Whether you are a material or not doesn't matter. Your position here is just to put up a signboard for our Jiang family."

His Majesty the Emperor was silent for a moment, narrowed his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "For more than a hundred years, our Jiang family has been too good to those scholars."

"If no changes are made, I'm afraid that in a few years, government will no longer be able to govern outside the Forbidden City."

Upon hearing this, Prince Jiang shrank back, no longer daring to listen.

His Majesty the Emperor, however, remained unmoved. He sat in his seat, his gaze lost in thought, as if recalling events from three years ago. He paused for a moment, then continued, "Jiang Chu, if I cannot use my own people, I will have no choice but to use eunuchs."

"do you understand?"

The chubby boy looked up at the emperor, met his gaze, then silently bowed and sighed, "Your subject... will do his best."

…………

"Chen Qing, you've struck it rich!"

In a tavern, the chubby boy looked at Chen Qing sitting in front of him and exclaimed, "You absolutely have to treat me to drinks! It has to be the most expensive in the capital, for a whole month!"

Chen Qing smiled and poured him a glass of wine, then asked with a laugh, "What's the matter that makes Your Highness so surprised?"

"Today, His Majesty summoned us to the palace for an audience."

The chubby boy looked at Chen Qing, clicking his tongue, then looked around before whispering, "His Majesty wants to promote you to the position of centurion in the Zhenfu Division."

At this point, the chubby boy raised his thumb and little finger.

"A sixth-rank official!"

Chen Qing was also somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

Several days ago, he had already anticipated what benefits he would gain from this matter, but in his view, at most he would only be able to take advantage of the situation to become a captain.

It will take a lot of effort to consolidate this position.

Now, with just one word from the emperor, he has been promoted to a very high position!
Within the Zhenfu Division, a centurion is considered a mid-level, or even upper-middle-level, position!

This achievement far exceeded his expectations.

Fortunately, having lived two lives, Chen Qing still possessed a certain composure. Although he was surprised, he didn't show much emotion on his face, simply smiling and saying, "If it's true, it's all thanks to the young master's good fortune."

"You're lucky because of me."

The chubby boy shook his head and sighed, "I don't know who I'm owed this good fortune to."

He looked at Chen Qing and said with a wry smile, "Before the New Year, we came to the capital together. I thought that the capital was too complicated for you, Chen Qing, while I came to the capital just to visit my grandmother, which is like visiting a relative."

"I never imagined that this place would become your lucky spot, but for me, the waters are a bit deep."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing chuckled and, while eating, asked the chubby boy about the situation during the audience with the Emperor.

A person's judgment ability is largely determined by their ability to acquire information. Chen Qing was able to accurately diagnose the emperor's situation some time ago, which was actually due to some key information he obtained from the chubby boy.

At this moment, the chubby boy needed someone to advise him on what to do next, and that's why he was in such a hurry to see Chen Qing.

Therefore, he quickly told Chen Qing about most of what happened in the palace. The two talked about the palace while drinking and chatting, and before they knew it, they had finished two jugs of wine.

At this moment, Chen Qing once again obtained a large amount of useful information.

However, he was still unclear about some details, so he asked Jiang Chu a few more questions.

By the time he had gotten the important information, the Prince of Zhou was already so drunk that he was slumped on the soft couch, unable to move.

Chen Qing, however, was not yet quite drunk. He poured himself a glass of wine, tilted his head back slightly, drank it all in one gulp, then turned his head to look at the scenery outside the window and muttered to himself.

"What an energetic young emperor!"

(End of this chapter)