Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 145 Ten Steps in a Calculation

At the Zhenfu Division's drill ground, Chen Qing was inspecting his subordinates as they trained, his hands behind his back. Yan Cong jogged up to him and lowered his head, saying, "Boss, the Crown Prince has sent a letter asking you to go home. He's waiting for you at your house."

Chen Qing raised an eyebrow, then looked up at the sky, a vague premonition forming in his mind.

Something must have happened.

Chen Qing was not surprised at all by this premonition, because it was not some kind of metaphysics, but rather something he had foreseen about a month ago when he had the Imperial Guards begin investigating Yang Yuanfu.

People have self-knowledge.

Chen Qing was very self-aware.

When he sent people to investigate Yang Yuanfu, he knew very well that with his position as a centurion in the Zhenfu Division, and being a newcomer to the Zhenfu Division, it would be difficult for him to truly bring down the prime minister who had been in charge of the cabinet for more than ten years.

You should know that four years ago, the position of Prime Minister was actually the one that steered the country!
It's just that he doesn't have the status of a head of state.

Even if Chen Qing had the ability to find evidence of the other party's crimes, there would be nowhere to file a complaint. Even if he did, it would be like ants gnawing at an elephant.

They remained unmoved.

Therefore, Chen Qing never intended to bring down this Minister Yang himself. What he actually did was to secretly stir up a storm in the court and among the people.

Moreover, this wind direction must be done stealthily, with as little noise as possible.

The less noise, the more realistic the effect.

As long as some people believe this trend, naturally some will be unable to resist and will take action.

A month ago, Chen Qing had anticipated that the Minister Yang might not be able to restrain himself and might do something outrageous, which would make it natural for the emperor's power to grow stronger, and Chen Qing had completed his preparations.

After that, the subsequent inspection by the Zhenfu Division can begin.

Now, the pebble he threw into this not-so-peaceful lake a month ago may have finally stirred up some ripples.

However, all of this was just Chen Qing's own estimation before he met the chubby boy. He turned around and looked at Yan Cong, and said with a smile, "Then you can keep an eye on things here, Brother Yan. I'm going home for a bit."

At this point, Chen Qing stretched out a big yawn: "If I don't come tomorrow or the day after, Brother Yan, please ask Lord Yan for leave on my behalf."

Upon hearing this, Yan Cong realized something was wrong. He looked at Chen Qing and asked, "Boss, is something the matter?"

"I do not know either."

Chen Qing said with a smile, "But I think if something really happens, it will probably take a few days."

"If I come to the Zhenfu Division again tomorrow, then nothing will happen."

Yan Cong nodded and said, "If there's anything I can help with, please let me know."

"There's nothing I can help with."

Chen Qing smiled and said, "However, you must maintain the connection with Miss Mu, Brother Yan. This is the key for the court to completely eliminate the White Lotus Sect, and it cannot be lost."

Yan Cong nodded: "Don't worry, boss, I've been keeping an eye on things."

Chen Qing then left the Zhenfu Division with his hands behind his back.

The house that Master Gu bought was very close to the Zhenfu Division, both located in Da Shi Yong Fang. It was just a short walk from the Zhenfu Division.

Chen Qing will be home soon.

That's why he felt something was off, because since Prince Jiang had already arrived at Da Shi Yong Fang, he should be able to reach the Zhenfu Division in just a few steps, but he didn't go.

Upon returning to his residence, Xiaoyue was already waiting at the door. Upon seeing Chen Qing, Xiaoyue immediately greeted him, "Young Master, you're finally back! The Young Master has been waiting for you for almost half an hour."

Chen Qing smiled and asked, "Where is the young master?"

"In the backyard, the master kept me company and talked with me."

Chen Qing hummed in agreement, handed the changed-office uniform to Xiaoyue, and then said, "I'll go take a look."

Upon arriving at the backyard, Chen Qing bowed to Master Gu and the chubby boy. Master Gu stood up and patted Chen Qing on the shoulder, saying, "Zizheng, you should keep the young prince company."

He bowed respectfully to the chubby boy and quickly withdrew.

The chubby boy looked up at Chen Qing, then pointed to the seat opposite him and sighed, "Chen Qing, you're in trouble."

Chen Qing sat down opposite him and asked with a smile, "Young Master, what trouble have I gotten myself into?"

"You've been sued."

Little Fatty looked at Chen Qing and frowned: "We've reported it to His Majesty."

Chen Qing thought for a moment and then asked, "Is it Hong Jing, the magistrate of Deqing, or my father?"

The chubby boy stared wide-eyed at Chen Qing, then clicked his tongue in disapproval.

"You're really something else."

"How did you know?"

Chen Qing said with a smile, "When I started investigating Minister Yang, I thought this kind of thing might happen. Thinking back, there are only two people who can accuse me and are qualified to write memorials to His Majesty."

“It will be even more difficult for Magistrate Hong to get the memorial to His Majesty.”

Prince Jiang sighed: "You live a really tiring life."

Chen Qing said quietly, "I didn't want to live like this before. I wanted to stay in Deqing, be a live-in son-in-law, and live a comfortable life."

"But if you're honest, you'll get bullied."

Chen Qing said quietly, "I guess I'll just have to work a little harder." "It's your father, accusing you of disobedience."

The chubby boy sighed and said, "He wants His Majesty to dismiss you."

"I really don't know what your father was thinking. How could things have turned out like this between father and son? Is the bond between father and son really less than that of Yang Yuanfu?"

"He and Master Yang probably didn't know each other beforehand, did they?"

Chen Qing said with a smile, "Isn't it normal to be opportunistic? I can't let my son rise to prominence."

The chubby boy looked at Chen Qing and asked, "His Majesty sent me to inform you and ask for your opinion."

He paused, then continued, "His Majesty said that he could keep this memorial and not issue it, as if he had never seen it."

"We cannot leave it unsent."

Chen Qing answered firmly, saying softly, "This matter has come to this point, and we have no choice but to make a big fuss about it."

What specific crime did my father accuse me of?

Prince Jiang replied, “Disobedience and unfilial piety.”

Chen Qing smiled and said, "At most, I am unfilial, but not to the point of being disobedient. This does not constitute a crime against me. At most, I will be stripped of my post."

He looked at Prince Jiang and said in a low voice, "I was prepared for this situation. Prince, please inform His Majesty and ask him to dismiss me from my post and send someone to search my official residence."

At this point, Chen Qing paused, then continued, "After I lost my position in the Garrison Command, I stayed at home and didn't go anywhere."

Prince Jiang asked curiously, "What did you put in the Zhenfu Division's office?"

Chen Qing looked around and said with a smile, "I released the Zhenfu Division's officers. I have already compiled and listed all the results of the investigation into the Yang family during this period. The relevant evidence is all in the drawer of my office."

"If Your Majesty sends someone to search my official residence, all this evidence can be presented to the court in a legitimate manner."

The chubby boy gasped, "When did you start preparing?"

He looked at Chen Qing, his expression turning strange: "You bastard, you knew this day would come?"

"nor."

Chen Qing smiled and said, "Your Highness, I like to make contingency plans to prevent all sorts of situations from happening."

“After I started having people investigate Yang Xiangong, I anticipated four scenarios and made four preparations.”

"The first possibility is that I'm not capable enough, the investigation can't continue, and it just fizzles out."

"The second possibility is that there was pressure from the imperial court, and the matter came to an abrupt end."

"The third possibility is the current situation, where I was forced out of the Zhenfu Division by some means."

The chubby boy looked at him strangely.

"What about the fourth one?"

Chen Qing was silent for a moment, then continued, "The fourth possibility is that I am assassinated by White Lotus Sect bandits, or by someone posing as a White Lotus Sect bandit. In that case, the matter will just be dropped."

The chubby boy clicked his tongue, exclaiming repeatedly, "You rascal, you rascal..."

He didn't know what to say, so he asked, "You finally managed to become a centurion of the Zhenfu Division, and now you've lost it all for no reason. Isn't that a pity?"

Chen Qing smiled and said, "Your Highness is spouting such nonsense again."

"The officials of the Yiluan Division and the Zhenfu Division are not officials of the imperial court."

Chen Qing smiled and said, "Your resume doesn't matter."

He coughed and said seriously, "As long as I am loyal to His Majesty and do what His Majesty wants to do, everything will be fine."

The officials of the Zhenfu Division were indeed not officials; in a sense, they were essentially retainers of the Jiang family!

For a retainer, the emperor's favor is naturally the most important thing.

However, in front of Prince Jiang, Chen Qing couldn't speak too bluntly, so he had to put on a facade of loyalty to the emperor.

In fact, once Chen Qing gains the emperor's favor and the matter is resolved, he can easily regain his position in the Zhenfu Division.

The chubby boy stood up, looked at Chen Qing, shook his head and sighed, "You guys are all so scheming."

“I’ll go to the palace right now and act as your mouthpiece.”

At this point, he patted Chen Qing on the shoulder and said, "Be careful. If anything happens, come find me directly."

Chen Qing stood up and said with a smile, "I'll see the young master off."

He escorted the little fat boy to the door, watched him get into the sedan chair, and then stood at the door, touching his still smooth chin.

"I always feel..."

Young Master Chen frowned slightly.

"What did you forget to think about?"

He walked into the yard with his hands behind his back, a thought creeping into his mind.

My own cheap old man.

Would someone be that stupid?

(End of this chapter)