Chapter 560
Killing as a Warning
The Censorate wielded immense power.
Although the Imperial Inspector was only a seventh-rank official, he had the power to dismiss county magistrates, execute prisoners, and mobilize garrisons. Like the Secret Service, he was also an imperial inspector, responsible for reporting major matters to the emperor and making immediate decisions on minor matters.
In the early years, the Secret Service and the Anti-Corruption Guard did not have the power they have now. Emperor Ning used the power of the Censorate to incite the Qi family and the Liu family to fight each other, which led to the Liu family losing power.
In those years, relying on the Empress Dowager's protection, the Liu family became accustomed to running rampant in the countryside, abusing their power and influence. Selling official positions, embezzling public funds, raising private armies, and privately minting copper coins were commonplace. When the Liu family became complacent, they didn't even bother to cover up their crimes. When the Censorate intervened, it was almost effortless to destroy the evidence.
Over the course of six years, the imperial inspector, in accordance with the law, exiled dozens of members of the Liu family's collateral branches and executed over a hundred of the Liu family's cronies.
At that time, the Qingliu faction, led by the Qi family, held sway over the Ministry of Rites and the Censorate, until the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Xu family gained power.
Chen Ji looked at the travel permit in his hand. The other party had come prepared, and the salt permit was a registered item that could not be freely traded, so the other party also had the legal right to do so.
He looked up at Zhou Biao: "I, Meihuadu, am just a middleman. The laws of Da Ning have never said that one cannot be a middleman."
Zhou Biao gave a forced smile: "Viscount Chen, we didn't say we wanted to investigate you. We just want to investigate the origin of these consignment salt certificates and see who is selling them privately."
Chen Ji calmly said, "Investigate the origin of the salt permit? Lord Zhou, I'm afraid you'll find yourself in trouble."
Zhou Biao said slowly and deliberately, "No need for Viscount Chen to worry. We are only temporarily sealing up this batch of salt certificates. If there are no problems, we will return the salt certificates."
Chen Ji's heart sank.
Twenty percent of the salt certificates sold on consignment at Plum Blossom Ferry came from the inner court. The boxes containing the salt certificates were transported in and out, which could not be hidden from the eyes of those who were interested.
Zhou Biao was clearly aware of this, but he didn't care. The other party didn't actually intend to seize the salt certificates; they just wanted to stall him for a few days.
Chen Ji countered, "Was it Miss Qi's idea?"
Zhou Biao smiled and said, "What is Viscount Chen saying? I don't understand. My Censorate is just doing things according to the law, and it has nothing to do with others... Guards, seal up the salt permits, account books, and money of Meihua Ferry."
After saying that, he instructed his subordinate imperial inspectors: "Remember to seal each box and make a record. If there is no problem with these salt certificates, we must return them intact. Not a single salt certificate, not a single tael of silver, and not a single account book can be missing."
The imperial inspector bowed and said, "Yes."
The next moment, the imperial inspectors led the five city garrisons in, as if they were ransacking a house. The gangsters tried to stop them, but Chen Ji shook his head. The other side had brought an imperial warrant, and this was not something that could be stopped by mere anger, not even by viscounts or nobles.
Amidst the chaos of war, Xiaoman and the young monk arrived. Xiaoman approached them, puzzled, and asked, "Young master, what happened?"
Chen Ji turned his head and saw that Wu Yun was squatting on Xiao Man's head, while Xiao Man was holding the whale knife in her arms. He asked curiously, "Why did you even bring the whale knife?"
Xiaoman explained, "You called me in such a hurry, it must be something serious, maybe even something serious... so I brought it with me."
Chen Ji took the whale-shaped blade into his hand, watching the infantrymen of the Military Command come and go before him. He pushed the blade away with his thumb and then sheathed it. He pushed it away again, and sheathed it again.
While pondering, Yang Zhong approached Chen Ji: "Lord Chen, may I have a word with you in private?"
Chen Ji calmly said, "Let's talk about it here."
“Alright,” Yang Zhong said frankly, his hands tucked into his official robes. “Miss Qi asked me to pass on a message to you: if you can publicly sever ties with Miss Zhang and make her give up on you, Miss Qi will help you buy back Princess Baili… But Princess Baili cannot stay in the capital; she must go south to Jinling and never return to the capital in this lifetime.”
With a clang.
Chen Ji pushed the scabbard open again with his thumb, and his voice startled Yang Zhong, who took a small step back: "Lord Chen, I am an Imperial Censor of the Censorate. Using private torture against me is a capital offense. Even if you have a noble title, no one can protect you."
Yang Zhong watched as the gleaming blade of the Whale Blade slowly returned to its sheath, and then felt relieved: "Lord Chen, this capital city is not a place for fighting. The Chen family will not help you now, and Plum Blossom Ferry has been shut down. The only person you can rely on is Miss Qi. Although you wronged her before, she is willing to help you this once and for all. She has the money you can't afford."
Yang Zhong observed Chen Ji's expression and, seeing Chen Ji's calm demeanor, grew bolder: "Lord Chen, you should know that there are quite a few people in the capital who covet Princess Baili. If you don't agree to Miss Qi's request, I wouldn't mind buying Princess Baili back myself. There's also the second son of Vice Minister Li of the Ministry of Works, the son of Vice Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue, the son of the Qian family, one of the eight major merchant families, and the youngest son of the former president of the Shanxi Merchants Association..."
"That's not all. The second master of the Chengguo Duke's Mansion has also said that he wants to 'invite' the princess to his mansion to teach his daughter to play the zither; Minister Feng of the Court of State Ceremonies has some old grudges with Prince Jing and now wants to 'take care of the daughter of an old friend'; and there's Yuan Wang, who has said that the Yuan family of Runan is not short of money. As long as Minister Chen is willing to bow down to Miss Qi, she can ask Minister Qi, the Left Censor-in-Chief, to spread the word and make others back down. If Minister Qi is not enough, Grand Secretary Qi can also step in."
Yang Zhong remained silent, as did Chen Ji. Only the infantrymen of the Five Cities Garrison searched the building, leaving Mei Rui Tower in a complete mess.
Chen Ji suddenly said, "Lord Yang."
Yang Zhong asked in confusion, "Hmm?" Chen Ji rubbed the hilt of his sword with his thumb, "Actually, it wasn't easy for me to get to this point. I risked my life for six gold melon seeds and a promise to entrust my son to someone. Xiao Man doesn't understand, the Pao Ge doesn't understand, the soldiers of Chongli Pass don't understand, the Sanshan Society doesn't understand, and the common people in the city won't understand either, but it doesn't matter. As long as I can bear the consequences, nothing else matters."
Yang Zhong was taken aback: "What are you going to do?"
Chen Ji pushed the jaw of the knife with his thumb, opening and closing it repeatedly.
The next moment, Chen Ji struck Yang Zhong in the abdomen with the hilt of his knife. Yang Zhong bent over like a shrimp, his face turning red and purple, unable to speak from the pain.
Zhou Biao angrily pointed at Chen Ji from a distance: "Chen Ji, you publicly assaulted the Censorate's Inspector, do you know what crime you have committed?"
But Chen Ji ignored him and dragged him out by the collar: "Brother, get me a rope and a horse."
The man agreed, turned around, and went out the door.
Chen Ji dragged Yang Zhong out of Mei Rui Tower, and Zhou Biao followed behind him angrily, saying, "Chen Ji, you beat up a court official in broad daylight. Don't think that just because you've become a viscount, the Censorate can't touch you. I'll go to the palace later to impeach you and make sure His Majesty strips you of your title and exiles you to Lingnan."
At this moment, the gang leader brought over a horse and tossed Chen Ji a bundle of hemp rope.
Chen Ji bent down and tied the hemp rope around Yang Zhong's leg. Zhou Biao's expression changed upon seeing this: "Chen Ji, do you have a death wish? Dragging and killing the imperial inspector is punishable by death by a thousand cuts!"
Chen Ji sat on his horse, placing the whale-shaped sword across the saddle, and looked down at Zhou Biao with a sidelong glance: "Give it a try."
Zhou Biao flew into a rage: "Are you really not worried about your future?"
Chen Ji's face remained calm: "Go back and tell Miss Qi, and also tell others, that anyone who wants to go to the Jiaofangsi in seven days can come and give it a try."
Inside the Plum Blossom Pavilion, Xiaoman anxiously clutched her sleeves. She turned to the little monk, pinched his waist, and urged in a low voice, "Hurry, hurry, hurry! Young Master is going crazy..."
The young monk ignored Xiaoman, lowering his eyes and chanting in a low voice: "From this day forward, before the image of the Pure Lotus-Eyed Tathagata, in all the worlds that exist for countless eons to come, I vow to deliver all sentient beings suffering in hell and the three evil realms, freeing them from hell, the evil realms, the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, and so on. Only after all such beings have attained Buddhahood will I attain perfect enlightenment... I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty, and I will not attain Bodhi until all sentient beings are liberated."
Xiaoman was extremely anxious: "Why are you chanting scriptures at a time like this? What did we discuss before we came? Hurry up, I'll make whatever you want to eat when we get back."
As soon as he finished speaking, the little monk opened his eyes, strode out of the Plum Blossom Pavilion, and whispered a few words to Chen Ji.
Chen Ji looked at the little monk in surprise. The little monk put his palms together and said, "Amitabha."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Thank you."
Those around them couldn't understand the cryptic conversation between the two, and before they could react, they saw Chen Ji spur his horse to leave.
Lin Yanchu led the Five Cities Garrison to block the way, and whispered, "Sir, it's not too late to put Lord Yang down now."
Chen Ji calmly said, "Get out of the way."
After pondering for a moment, Lin Yanchu finally led his troops to retreat.
Chen Ji rode out and actually dragged away Yang Zhong, a seventh-rank imperial inspector.
He walked through the bustling city, attracting passersby to stop and watch. They were extremely astonished to see a young man in a red official robe riding a horse and dragging an imperial inspector in a blue robe.
Horses trampled the long street. Yang Zhong, like a tattered sack, was dragged by hemp ropes, rolling and crashing on the bluestone slabs. He first cried out in pain, then his cries turned into dying sobs.
His blue robe, adorned with the seventh-rank xiezhi emblem, was quickly torn to shreds, revealing raw, bloody flesh beneath. A long trail of blood trailed behind.
At the back door of Meirui Tower, Zhou Biao roared furiously, "Chen Ji, you're dead! His Majesty will not spare you, the entire court will not spare you, and the laws of Great Ning will not spare you!"
Inside the Plum Blossom Pavilion, the gangster looked at the mess on the ground, smiled, took out his pipe from his waist, and slowly lit it for himself.
Xiaoman stomped her feet in frustration: "Brother, what time is it and you're still smoking? Hurry up and think of something to do."
The man laughed heartily, "What else can we do? We're just idling around anyway. The next seven days shouldn't be our concern; it's the people whose names were called out by Lord Yang that should be thinking about what to do." (End of Chapter)