Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 123: Taking sides
After exchanging a few words with Chen Qing, the chubby boy hurriedly left, leaving Chen Qing standing at the entrance of the main hall, looking around.

Just now, he was still at the Zhenfu Division dealing with Hall Master Bai. Yan Cong had just taken Hall Master Bai and the others away when Chen Qing was summoned directly to the palace by someone from the palace.

This was his first time in the palace, and it disrupted his original plans.

With Yan Cong's help, his centurion's office now has more than forty people. It should be able to gather them all in another month. After everyone works together and gets things going, it will take about two months to get things really up and running.

Chen Qing himself was also planning to see the emperor again in two months.

But this time, due to unforeseen circumstances, he was suddenly summoned to the palace, and according to Prince Jiang, he also had to meet with several prime ministers. So there would most likely be a scene of "bantering" between them. At this time, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

But despite his anxiety, he was also very clear that this was a great opportunity for him.

This is not just a chance to meet a powerful figure, but also a great opportunity to showcase your abilities, almost as good as an interview.

As long as he performs well enough, even if he is unlikely to be promoted immediately, his future prospects will undoubtedly be much smoother.

This period of time was also a precious opportunity for Chen Qing. He needed to adjust his state as much as possible and make some preparations for what he would say when he met the emperor later.

However, the court session had already ended, leaving him little time to prepare. He only waited a short while before a eunuch approached him and asked, "Are you Commander Chen of the Garrison Command?"

Chen Qing returned the greeting with clasped hands: "It is indeed I, Chen."

The young eunuch glanced at Chen Qing, then smiled and said, "Commander Chen is so young. Please come with me. His Majesty is almost at the Imperial Study."

Chen Qing nodded and followed the little eunuch. Soon he was led to the entrance of a palace. The little eunuch bowed to Chen Qing and said, "Commander Chen, just wait here. His Majesty will summon you in a moment."

Chen Qing nodded, said okay, and continued to wait quietly.

A moment later, a eunuch came to summon him. Chen Qing followed the eunuch into the imperial study. After entering the imperial study, he quickly glanced up and then lowered his head slightly, entering the imperial study without looking to the side.

In a fleeting glance, he saw five elderly men dressed in court robes standing to the left of His Majesty the Emperor, several of whom had flushed faces.

Meanwhile, the chubby Jiang Chu stood alone to the right of the emperor, his face flushed with anger, practically ready to stand with his hands on his hips and start cursing at the old men.

Chen Qing stepped forward, knelt down, and bowed his head, saying, "Your subject Chen Qing, a centurion of the Zhenfu Division, pays respects to Your Majesty."

His Majesty the Emperor, with his hands tucked into his sleeves and his expression not very good, looked at Chen Qing's clothes after hearing his words. He noticed that Chen Qing was wearing ordinary clothes and not the official uniform of the Zhenfu Division, so he raised an eyebrow but did not speak.

"So you are Chen Qing."

The emperor raised his hand: "Rise and answer."

Chen Qing stood up, and only then did he have time to glance at the emperor.

His Majesty the Emperor bears a four or five-point resemblance to the chubby Jiang Chu, though he is taller and has the same build, though according to the other world's standards, he appears somewhat chubby.

However, in this era, people describe this physique as prosperous and noble.

Thin people are not very popular.

After seeing Chen Qing's face, the emperor laughed and said, "You do have a scholarly air about you. It's truly remarkable that you dared to infiltrate a cult and make such a great contribution."

Without hesitation, Chen Qing bowed and clasped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, I was able to infiltrate the cult and clean up the cults in the capital and surrounding areas thanks to Your Majesty's decree, the proper command of the Crown Prince, and the strong support of several superiors from the Yiluan Division and the Zhenfu Division."

"I only did a little bit of effort, it's not worth mentioning."

Upon hearing this, the emperor's initial displeasure at Chen Qing for not wearing official robes vanished instantly. He looked at Chen Qing and said with a smile, "You certainly know how to talk."

Wang Han, the Imperial Tutor, frowned deeply. The old man stepped forward silently, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty, the Zhenfu Division is an office that handles affairs. Having someone like this who is good at talking may not be a good thing."

Without hesitation, Chen Qing immediately looked at the Imperial Tutor and said, "My lord, I am only speaking the truth. Moreover, being eloquent and being capable are not contradictory. The leaders of the cult have all been captured and will likely be executed tomorrow."

"If you don't believe me, I'll take you to the Zhenfu Division later. You can question them yourself, or have the Three Judicial Offices interrogate those cultists."

Prime Minister Wang immediately flew into a rage, and said in a deep voice, "When have you ever been involved in speaking to His Majesty...?"

This Mr. Wang originally wanted to say, "When did you get the right to interrupt?", but he stopped midway through his sentence when he remembered Chen Qing's identity.

Chen Qing is from the Zhenfu Division... and specifically from the Northern Zhenfu Division. The Northern Zhenfu Division not only has the power to control the imperial prison, but also the function of supervising all officials, making it equivalent to the disciplinary commissioner for these civil officials.

Even though Chen Qing's position was low and insignificant, this Minister Wang was still unwilling to offend Chen Qing too much.

If this is a petty trick, even if they can't investigate him as the Imperial Tutor, they can easily find out who his sons and disciples are. Prime Minister Wang took a deep breath and said in a solemn voice, "I am speaking to His Majesty!"

Chen Qing said solemnly, "The elder is speaking to me, so I must naturally offer my defense."

Yang Yuanfu, the Minister of State, stepped forward silently and tugged at Wang's sleeve, signaling him to step back. He then turned to Chen Qing and asked with a smile, "Commander Chen, as far as I know, His Majesty ordered the suppression of the cult bandits two years ago. For the past year or so, the Zhenfu Division should have been busy clearing out the cult bandits."

"From the time Chen Baihu came to the capital until now, it's only been two months. According to Chen Baihu, all the credit should be given to you alone?"

The old man's question was tricky. If Chen Qing answered yes, he would naturally offend the Zhenfu Division. If Chen Qing answered no, it would put him in a difficult position with the emperor.

Even His Majesty the Emperor frowned slightly. Just as the Emperor was about to speak, Chen Qing had already answered.

"My lord, as I just said, the credit does not belong to me, but to His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and the Zhenfu Division."

"His Majesty's decree is wise, the Zhenfu Division is well prepared, and the Crown Prince's command is appropriate."

"That's why we had this great victory."

Minister Yang was greatly displeased and asked, "So, you're saying this has nothing to do with you, Commander Chen? If that's the case, how long have you been in the Zhenfu Division? Yet you've already been promoted to Commander for your merits?"

Chen Qing did not answer, but knelt down on the ground again and bowed his head, saying, "Your Majesty, as this old man said, I have no merit whatsoever. I am deeply apprehensive about being promoted by Your Majesty. On the contrary, the Crown Prince, who oversaw the overall situation, did not receive any reward."

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you revoke my title of centurion and reward the heir apparent."

Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on His Majesty the Emperor's face.

Prince Jiang, standing to the side, beamed with joy.

Only then did Minister Yang realize that Chen Qing was not the core of this debate at all; the real core lay with Prince Jiang Chu of Zhou!

What they were arguing about was whether Jiang Chu could work in the Yiluan Division, not the White Lotus Rebellion case.

This Grand Secretary was naturally quite composed. He was only taken aback for a moment before he realized what was happening. He chuckled and said, "Truly worthy of being a figure who can hide in the White Lotus Sect. You are truly shrewd and resourceful."

After saying this, he no longer looked at Chen Qing, but turned to His Majesty the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the merit in the case of the cult bandits is immense, but in the final analysis, it is the merit of the Zhenfu Division and this Chen Baihu. No one knows what the Prince of Zhou's heir actually did."

"We still believe that we cannot break the court's precedents and rules over such a trivial matter!"

The Emperor's smile faded, and he looked at the cabinet ministers, saying expressionlessly, "The White Lotus Rebellion has become a minor matter in Prime Minister Yang's mouth. Why hasn't the outer court dealt with this minor matter as soon as possible?"

"The county magistrates under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture even colluded with the White Lotus Rebellion!"

The emperor slammed his hand on the armrest and said angrily, "Jiang Chu will eventually return to Bianzhou to inherit the throne. How long can he stay in the capital? Who does it bother by me giving him a temporary post in the Imperial Ceremonial Office?"

"Why are the cabinet ministers so unanimously opposed?"

The emperor's face darkened: "What exactly are you afraid of?"

afraid of what?
Naturally, they feared that the monarch's power would become boundless and that the emperor would become a tyrant.

But no one dared to say it aloud.

A deathly silence fell over the imperial study.

This whole affair, from beginning to end, is essentially a clash between the power of the monarch and the power of the ministers, and now it's sparks flying everywhere.

Chen Qing's mind raced, and he suddenly stepped forward, bowed, clasped his hands in greeting, and said in a clear voice, "Your Majesty, I dare to offer my advice."

His voice broke the silence of the imperial study.

The emperor raised an eyebrow: "Go on."

Chen Qing took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the matters concerning the Imperial Ceremonial Office and the Garrison Command are..."

He lowered his head, his voice resounding.

"It has nothing to do with the outer court."

(End of this chapter)