Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 55 Figure it out
The Embroidered Uniform Guard—three familiar yet unfamiliar words.

This name is quite well-known in another world; even those who know almost nothing about history have probably heard of these three words.

Chen Qing knew more about the Embroidered Uniform Guard than ordinary people, so when he heard Master Gu utter those three words, he immediately asked for details.

After chatting for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Qing finally learned about the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) of this world and what their general situation was.

The Jinyiwei of the Great Qi Dynasty also originated from the emperor's ceremonial guard. In fact, its name was not changed. Officially, it was still called the Yiluan Division, the same name it used when it was the ceremonial guard.

In this respect, it is almost exactly the same as that of the Ming Dynasty.

It did not change its name, which means that when the emperor travels, the ceremonial guard is still handled by this Yiluan Division.

At the same time, the fact that the imperial court had an imperial prison indicates that the Yiluan Division of the Great Qi already wielded considerable power. After all, the establishment of an imperial prison meant that it was an independent judicial system outside the imperial court's judicial system, responsible only to the emperor.

This was a means for the emperor to consolidate his power, and it also reflected the relative centralization of imperial power.

In terms of authority, the Yiluan Division wielded considerable power, but in terms of scale, successive Qi emperors exercised considerable restraint, resulting in the fact that even today, the number of personnel and the overall size of the Yiluan Division are still far smaller than those of the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard in another world.

"Imperial Prison".

After learning about the Yi Luan Division, Chen Qing stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before looking at Master Gu.

"So, my uncle's sworn brother actually offended the emperor, rather than committing any real crime."

After a moment of silence, Master Gu said, "If he had really committed a serious crime, it wouldn't have been unresolved for three years. If the matter from back then had been handled by the Three Judicial Offices, at most he would have been demoted or dismissed from his post."

Master Gu looked at Chen Qing and sighed, "The man is imprisoned in the imperial prison. If His Majesty doesn't say he'll be released, the court officials can only pretend that nothing happened."

At this point, Master Gu let out a long sigh: "His Majesty clearly wants to imprison my brother to death."

"If he really can't hold on any longer and dies in the imperial prison, his family will be in even more danger. The men might be sent to the army and the women to the brothel."

Chen Qing then understood the general course of events and finally realized why a case could drag on for three years without being completely resolved.

He thought for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "The emperor... is probably just venting his anger. If he really wanted to kill someone, he could use the methods of the imperial prison to make it look like he died of illness or committed suicide."

"It couldn't be easier."

Upon hearing this, Master Gu pondered for a moment, then looked at Chen Qing with a slight change in his gaze.

“My dear nephew, you have a clearer understanding of these matters in the court than I do, based on just a few words.”

Chen Qing shook his head: "Uncle is blinded by his own involvement, and besides..."

He said quietly, "Things in the imperial court are somewhat different from doing business, so Uncle might easily misunderstand."

He looked at Master Gu and asked, "Uncle, how do you plan to save them?"

"As you can see, I have prepared this amount of money. In the past year, I have spent a lot of it to buy a large number of antiques and paintings. I will bring these things into the capital to see if I can pull some strings and get the court officials to submit a memorial to the emperor."

"This will not succeed."

Master Gu said quietly, "Then we must at least find a way to bring my brother's family out of the capital, so that they are not in danger."

Chen Qing asked, "Is your uncle's elder brother considered a member of the upright officials in the court?"

Master Gu shook his head, pointed to the chests containing gold and silver in the basement, and said with a wry smile, "If my brother were truly a man of integrity, how could I have amassed such a fortune so easily?"

Chen Qing shook his head: "Being a 'pure stream' doesn't mean being truly incorruptible; it means seeing which side you're on."

He wanted to continue, but then felt that it was too vague, so he stopped the conversation and said, "These things are too complicated. It's definitely not going to work for you to rush into the capital like this. Take me with you, and I can give you some advice."

After thinking it over carefully, Master Gu nodded and said, "If nothing serious happens, I will definitely bring my nephew along."

And so, the two chatted for a while about matters of the court. Chen Qing also brushed up on his knowledge of the court. It wasn't until Gu Chang outside called for Master Gu that Master Gu got up and left.

Before leaving the underground parking garage, he looked at Chen Qing and sighed, "It's such a pity that my nephew doesn't go to study and become an official."

Chen Qing smiled wryly, "I would like to take the exam if I could, but the chances are slim." In comparison, Chen Qing does have some advantages in matters of the imperial court. Although he is not a government official in the other world, he is still closely related to the government.

They can be considered professionals in the field.

Before Master Gu could speak, the voice of the old servant Gu Chang came in again: "Master, Master Chen has arrived in the front courtyard."

Master Gu then quickened his pace and set off to leave.

Seeing the basement gate close, Chen Qing returned to the candlelight lit inside the basement, his eyes gleaming as he gazed at the flickering flame.

What is certain is that the only thing that can stand against power is power itself.

Since he could no longer live in hiding, Chen Qing had to start fighting for power, or at least, indirectly.

Only by going to Beijing and making a fuss could one possibly have such an opportunity.

If the only path to advancement is through the imperial examinations, leaving no room for further advancement, Chen Qing will have to consider keeping his talents hidden and waiting for the right opportunity.

Now it seems that Uncle Gu's sworn brother is a pretty good opportunity for Chen Qing, at least in terms of his official position...

He should be older than Chen Huan, and considerably older!
…………

For the next two or three days, Chen Qing basically stayed in the Gu family's basement, only coming out to catch his breath when it got dark.

In the past two or three days, Xiaoyue and Miss Gu would take time to go to the underground parking lot to see him, so he wasn't too lonely.

On the morning of the third day, Chen Huan finally couldn't stand it any longer. He got into his carriage and left Deqing.

For Deqing, Chen Huan was undoubtedly a big shot. The county magistrate, Hong Jing, and the richest man, Gu Shao, both personally went out of the city to see off this esteemed Mr. Chen, who might be promoted to the capital next year.

At the entrance of Deqing County, Chen Huan stood calmly, his face expressionless. He bowed to Magistrate Hong and Master Gu, and then said, "Brother Hong, if you are still serving in Deqing, please take some time to visit Huzhou City. I will treat you to a meal."

Magistrate Hong beamed with joy and quickly said, "I'll definitely bother you, I'll definitely bother you."

Chen Huan then looked at Master Gu, cupped his hands and said, "My family has suffered misfortune, and I have been most sorry for Brother Chenglong during this time. Brother Chenglong, rest assured, I will not forget your kindness."

In front of Magistrate Hong, Chen Huan still did not mention the money or any favors.

Master Gu waved his hand, returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and said with a smile, "I will probably be going to the capital next year. I hope to see Brother Zhaoming there next year."

At this point, he looked at Chen Huan and said with emotion, "If Brother Zhaoming soars to great heights in the future, don't forget us old friends."

Chen Huan nodded silently, bowed and took his leave, then turned and got into the carriage.

After he boarded the carriage, it slowly moved away from Deqing. After the carriage had gone a few dozen steps, he leaned out and looked back at the town of Deqing behind him.

On the Deqing city tower, which was already indistinct, Chen Huan vaguely saw a familiar figure.

It looks a lot like Chen Qing's figure.

Just as Prefect Chen was about to call for the carriage to stop, he changed his mind and remained silent, only letting out a muffled groan before returning to his seat in the carriage, a slight sneer in his heart.

"I'll spare you this time, let's see what you can do."

At this very moment, Chen Qing was indeed standing on the city wall of Deqing, watching Chen Huan's carriage leave. After the carriage had gone far away, this young master Chen murmured to himself.

"You were right to keep pressing the issue for so many days."

Chen Qing watched the departing carriage, muttering to himself.

"because…"

"This is the last time you can manipulate me."

(End of this chapter)