30: Betting on the wrong treasure

In the office of the Provincial Administration Commissioner of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, Zhang Jiayan wearily closed the book in his hands and looked back at the Clerk beside him: "The memorial submitted to The Emperor should have reached the capital by now, right?"

"Yes. By the calendar, and given that we sent it by fast courier, changing horses and riders at every post station along the way without rest, it should have arrived by now." The Clerk nodded. "The Emperor intentionally gave you a heads-up beforehand; I fear this is to back the Second Young Master... cough, cough, cough... to back that person, isn't it?"

"When did he get involved with the Legitimate Princess?" Zhang Jiayan's brows were tightly locked, his eyes clouded with worry. "Although my father-in-law helped handle the matters back then, now that he has joined the Pacification Bureau, I fear he is coming specifically for me, coming for my father-in-law..."

"My lord, do not dwell on these things. With the Grand Chancellor there, I imagine nothing will happen." The Clerk comforted him kindly. "The Emperor dares not rashly fall out with the Grand Chancellor right now. Moreover, the capital and the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region are worlds apart; the Pacification Bureau's reach is limited, is it not?"

"You don't understand. From the moment the Great Ancestor established the Pacification Bureau, countless people—both in the capital and the outer provinces—have fallen into their hands." Zhang Jiayan rubbed his temples wearily. "If not for a momentary mistake back then, I wouldn't have left such a huge problem for myself."

On the very first day his biological son returned to his side, the boy had wanted to kill him. If he hadn't known that he and Mo Yingqi were at odds like fire and water, and specifically deployed the City Guard Army, ordered them to carry shields, and arranged for crossbowmen, he feared he would have truly died at Mo Yingqi's hands!

Yet even so, during the days Mo Yingqi spent at the Zhang residence, he turned the entire Zhang family upside down.

He threw a pile of fresh cow dung into the ancestral hall. On his eldest son's birthday, he paid people to gather snakes, insects, rats, and ants, and threw them directly onto the banquet table.

Catch him? While Mo Yingqi couldn't kill him, that didn't mean his City Guard Army could catch Mo Yingqi. Mo Yingqi was naturally gifted, and having grown up in the northern mountain forests, he could scale walls and vault over roofs like an ape; climbing high and low was like child's play to him. Dozens of City Guard Army soldiers not only failed to catch him but were instead toyed with like fools.

Not being able to catch him was one thing, but if he dared to try, Mo Yingqi would pay a group of beggars to walk around the city all day, playing clappers and singing lotus songs, embellishing his past misdeeds until the whole city was in an uproar.

Besides, what could he do? He was in the wrong from the start, and he had truly been tormented enough by Mo Yingqi; he just wanted this King of Hell to leave his home as quickly as possible.

Now, Mo Yingqi has even joined the Pacification Bureau. This is clearly saying: "I can't kill you now, but sooner or later, I will personally send you to the Imperial Prison!"

"My lord, why exactly are you submitting this memorial to The Emperor?" The Clerk still didn't quite understand. "That man is clearly at odds with you; why must you..."

"I never intended to reconcile; I just wanted to see what The Emperor's attitude is." Zhang Jiayan sighed. "Yingqi's status is different now. I fear he will be transferred out of the Pacification Bureau before long. If he enters the official career path and has the support of two Legitimate Princesses behind him, my days will be miserable."

"That might not be the case, right?" The Clerk looked slightly uncomfortable but still advised him. "The Emperor's doting on these two Princesses is known to all under heaven, but the imperial court is not the inner palace. Even if The Emperor wants to promote him, he still has to consider the Grand Chancellor's stance, right? Besides, he is only a consort. Who knows when he might be cast aside by the Princesses..."

"If only that were the case. Two Princesses marrying one husband—it is unheard of." Zhang Jiayan shook his head. "Moreover, you know Yingqi's appearance; it would be no exaggeration to say it is peerless under heaven... Furthermore, I always feel that if it were just for his looks, the two Princesses wouldn't have married him together, and with such great fanfare."

"You mean to say, they... but that's impossible, right?" The Clerk could hardly believe it. "When The Emperor was in his former residence, those two Princesses were always recuperating in the Prince's manor, only making their official appearance at the age of eighteen. He was in that cold land of the Northern Frontier; how could they possibly..."

"What if the Princesses were not in the manor?" Zhang Jiayan looked up at him. "Enough, let's not discuss this for now. I wronged the Mo family back then, but it was a helpless move. Although I had no feelings for Mo Qingyu, her beauty was peerless and her talent was top-tier. I originally thought it would be fine to just leave it at that, but I don't know who leaked the truth of what happened back then to her..."

"She looked like such a delicate person, heh... A merchant family, being able to connect with an official's lineage, what more could she want? She actually took that rebellious son and insisted on a divorce, and even left for the Northern Frontier!"

His tone was arrogant, and his attitude showed no remorse whatsoever. Zhang Jiayan had always felt that for him to have taken a fancy to a woman from the Mo family was already her good fortune. Among the scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, her family was of the lowest—the merchants. What more could she want?

"Women are just short-sighted. Her father was, in the end, nothing more than a merchant; how could he understand the affairs of the officialdom?"

Zhang Jiayan didn't want to discuss this anymore. Mo Yingqi suddenly becoming a consort had truly caught him off guard. Most importantly, Zhang Jiayan had always maintained a pessimistic attitude regarding the power struggle between his father-in-law and The Emperor.

This world belonged to the Luo family after all. Now that the Shen Family held military power, both publicly and privately, Duke Shen's household followed The Emperor's lead. It was just that The Emperor did not wish to start a war over this; being able to avoid the loss of a single soldier or horse, while also preserving his own reputation, was what mattered most.

Furthermore, the Pacification Bureau, as The Emperor's hunting dog, was watching like a tiger eyeing its prey. The position of Commander remained vacant to this day. Even if the Pacification Commissioner was Grand Chancellor Zhou's man, so what?

Fang Bowen was now emerging as a talent, and there was also the support of Mo Yingqi, the "Smiling Yaksha," and the steady and capable Lu Qianyuan. It was not that The Emperor had no cards in his hand, but rather that he didn't want to cause a huge uproar, and out of concern for Grand Chancellor Zhou's status and prestige, he had delayed completely falling out with him.

"My father-in-law is also clear that The Emperor will not truly mobilize military power, nor will he easily use the Pacification Bureau to directly suppress him." Zhang Jiayan smiled helplessly. "Both sides have their reservations. Right now, they are just testing each other. The Emperor is weakening my father-in-law, and while my father-in-law is protecting himself, he is also constantly finding ways to make The Emperor compromise. It just depends on who is the better player."

"I cannot escape this. Even if Yingqi acknowledged me as his father, I fear The Emperor would not let me go. It all depends on whether my father-in-law can get a grip on The Emperor so I can keep my life, or if I will be pushed out by my father-in-law as a scapegoat to be slaughtered by The Emperor."

The Clerk was stunned for a moment, then quickly spoke up: "My lord, you are overthinking this. You should know in your heart how the Grand Chancellor has treated you all these years. Moreover, the Grand Chancellor has always relied on you, and for these years you have been diligent and conscientious, for the Grand Chancellor, for the imperial court..."

"It's meaningless. You haven't seen how ruthless my father-in-law can be." Zhang Jiayan waved his hand. "In his later years, the late Emperor was already wary of him, fearing that the new Emperor would not be able to suppress him upon ascending to the throne. But do you know what my father-in-law did? He could even push his own son out to take the fall; what does that make me, a son-in-law whose wife is dead?"

"Others bet on the wrong horse or stand on the wrong side, but I am different. I have no choice but to bet on his horse and stand on his side..."

Zhang Jiayan stood up silently and walked to the window to look at the sky. Suddenly remembering something, he turned his head and asked: "Regarding the Su family, have they mentioned the marriage contract again?"

"You know the First Young Master's health; the marriage has been delayed time and again. Moreover..." The Clerk looked at him with some difficulty. "Moreover, moreover, after that person returned, the Young Lady of the Su family regretted it..."

"Heh, her family is certainly realistic!" Zhang Jiayan laughed in extreme anger. "It's a pity. That rebellious son didn't think much of her back then, and now, don't even think about him taking a liking to her!"

"That Su family daughter is indeed a famous beauty in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang region, but compared to the noble and precious Legitimate Princess, what is she? Not to mention that the Su family broke their promise back then and still dared to covet the Legitimate Princess's consort, looking down on my son? Bah, what kind of trash are they!"