ATPnovel Chapter 30 Dai Quan Visits
Chapter 30 Dai Quan Visits
A three-courtyard siheyuan is simply three courtyards connected in a row.
The first courtyard has a main gate, a screen wall, and a rear room, mainly used to receive guests and house servants; passing through the hanging flower gate leads to the second courtyard, which has the main house and east and west wing rooms, the core area for the owner's daily life; the innermost third courtyard is the rear building, which is mostly used for female relatives to live in or store miscellaneous items.
After the round, Xiangling was covered in sweat, her little face was flushed, and she was very excited.
Liu Feng was also covered in sweat, feeling that the capital was even more humid and hot than Nanjing.
"Slow down, slow down, don't break the box."
Liu Ma directed several old women to carry several trunks to the study.
Liu Feng's lips twitched. This time, in addition to his luggage, he also brought seven or eight boxes of books with him to Beijing.
Lin Ruhai said they were all old books that were not used, but no matter how you looked at it, it seemed like he was preparing for a rainy day.
What Liu Feng couldn't understand was that Lin Ruhai and his wife hadn't sent any letters to the Jia family.
He just asked Liu An, and during the time they were renovating the house, no members of the Jia family came to inquire about the reason.
Could it be that the Jia family didn't know this house belonged to the Lin family?
Speaking of the Jia family, Liu Feng couldn't help but think of the Zhen family.
The people under the emperor's nose were indeed well-informed. He only joined in the excitement at the dock for a while before he learned from others why the Zhen family had come to the capital: the Dowager Empress had fallen ill, and the Zhen family had been ordered to come to the capital.
This Dowager Consort was no ordinary person; she was the adoptive mother of the retired Emperor. Without her constant protection, the retired Emperor would never have reached adulthood, let alone have the current royal family.
It can be said that the Dowager Empress is the great benefactor of the current royal family.
"Second Master..." Xiangling shook Liu Feng's arm.
Liu Feng then snapped out of his daze and looked down at her: "What's wrong?"
Xiangling stammered, "I'm a little hungry."
Liu Feng smiled and tapped her forehead. This girl had become a little foodie after spending so much time with Xueyan.
He looked up at the setting sun; it was time to eat.
"Go to the kitchen and see if the food is ready."
"Hey!" Xiangling skipped and hopped towards the kitchen.
Liu Feng shook his head. He really is just a child.
The Northern Garrison Command was directly under the emperor's jurisdiction. Unlike ordinary military officers, they did not need to go to the Ministry of War for handover procedures. They only needed to register at the Embroidered Uniform Guard and wait for notification from the Directorate of Ceremonial.
Upon arriving in Beijing, Liu Feng immediately went to the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) office. After registering, he was given a detailed map of the capital with numbered sections.
With nothing to do after dinner, Liu Feng sat under the lamp, looking through the streets and alleys of Beijing one by one, while Xiangling fanned him and chased away mosquitoes.
"when--"
The clock in the corner struck, and Liu Feng glanced at it; the first watch of the night had passed.
The Lin family is truly wealthy; this house has been empty for over ten years, yet they still keep such high-end items inside.
Liu Feng put down the map and rubbed his eyes. That's the downside of ancient times; without electricity, it's hard on your eyes to see things at night.
Hey, why is there no wind?
Liu Feng turned his head and laughed.
Xiangling was dozing off, her little head nodding off.
Liu Feng reached out and pinched her cheek: "Still sleeping? The sun's already high in the sky!"
"......oh."
Xiangling was still half asleep, thinking she was in bed. She groped for her clothes with her eyes closed until she heard Liu Feng's laughter. She opened her eyes, her face flushed, and she said coquettishly, "Second Master is so naughty!"
Liu Feng smiled and picked up the palm-leaf fan that had fallen to the ground: "Bring a basin of water for washing your feet."
"Oh..." Xiangling rubbed her eyes and went outside.
As soon as Xiangling left, Liu Ma rushed in: "Second Master, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has arrived."
Liu Feng, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, asked, "Who goes there?"
Aunt Liu: "He didn't say anything, just that he had something important to discuss with Second Master."
Just then, the person walked in, wearing a black cloak despite the hot weather.
Liu Feng frowned slightly. Who is this person? So ignorant of etiquette!
The man walked straight to the chair opposite him and sat down, taking off his hood. It was Dai Quan.
Liu Feng didn't recognize him, but he was taken aback to see that the man was so old yet had no beard.
Dai Quan said to Liu Ma and Liu An, who followed him in, "I have some important things to say to Liu Baihu. You may both leave."
This was the power of their presence. Without waiting for Liu Feng's instructions, Liu Ma and Liu An both withdrew.
Dai Quan looked at Liu Feng and said, "My name is Dai Quan, and I currently hold the position of Grand Seal Controller in the Directorate of Ceremonial."
Liu Feng was genuinely startled and immediately stood up, bowing respectfully: "Minister."
Dai Quanping said calmly, "Please sit down."
Liu Feng slowly sat down again.
Dai Quan: "I'm here on imperial orders..."
Liu Feng suddenly stood up.
Dai Quan: "Sit down, sit down."
Sit? Are you kidding me! Liu Feng remained standing.
Dai Quan didn't mind, took out a few sheets of ink paper from his sleeve, and casually handed them over: "Take a look first."
Liu Feng quickly stepped forward, took the papers with both hands, and examined them carefully one by one.
After reading it, I was completely stunned. Were the civil officials of the Great Qian Dynasty really that amazing?
Openly withholding military pay was bad enough, but they even dared to plot to change ancestral rules, restore the system from the late Ming Dynasty, and reinstate civil officials as commanders of the army, with military officers as deputies...
Dai Quan suddenly sighed, "The founding emperor established the system of civil and military prime ministers precisely because he feared repeating the mistakes of the Ming dynasty, preventing any single family from becoming too powerful. Unfortunately, the palace coup ten years ago... almost all the heirs that the noble families had painstakingly cultivated for decades were wiped out. Now, most of the remaining military sons are just birdsong enthusiasts and drunkards."
"A dissolute playboy who gambles and drinks... The Ministry of War is in the hands of civil officials, who nominate all military officers for promotions and demotions, and control all provisions, pay, and weaponry. If this continues, sooner or later the civil officials will completely swallow up military power..."
Liu Feng was a little confused. Wasn't he supposed to be transferred here to investigate the case? How did it turn into a power struggle between civil and military officials?
After a long silence from Liu Feng, Dai Quan had to be more explicit: "His Majesty has always wanted to take back the Ministry of War from the civil officials, but he's just lacking a suitable opportunity..."
Liu Feng nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Just as Dai Quan was about to continue, Liu Feng suddenly spoke up: "Under the whole heaven, all are subjects of the emperor. If the emperor wants to dismiss someone from office, isn't it just a matter of a single word?"
Still young!
Dai Quan shook his head slightly: "If the emperor could truly do as he pleases, then what's the point of laws? What's the point of the cabinet, the six ministries, and the nine ministers? Throughout history, apart from the founding emperors and the last emperors of dynasties, which emperor could arbitrarily execute his ministers?"
"Isn't the Embroidered Uniform Guard just someone who does this kind of thing for the Emperor?" Liu Feng blurted out.
Dai Quan nearly choked on his own saliva, unable to catch his breath. After a moment, he said, "According to the Great Qian Law, officials of the fourth rank and above must be tried jointly by the three judicial departments before a conviction can be made..."
Liu Feng curled his lip. Ten years ago, countless people were killed in the capital, but none of them were convicted after going through the proper legal procedures.
"...Otherwise, the people in the court and the public will be in a state of panic, and the foundation of the court will be in turmoil."
Dai Quan sighed again, "Ten years have passed, and apart from Prince Teng, no one has been willing to share the burdens of the royal family..."
Liu Feng rolled his eyes. If it were you, you probably wouldn't dare to risk your life for the royal family anymore.
The emperor and his son turned against each other, yet the emperor took his anger out on others; it's truly speechless.
Dai Quan remained silent for a moment before slowly recounting the emperor's instructions, not forgetting to add a final touch of manipulation: "You are bold and meticulous; as long as you put in the effort, you will definitely be able to gather evidence of the crime."
A thousand mythical beasts galloped through Liu Feng's mind. This damned emperor was trying to use him as a disposable glove!
Seeing Liu Feng remain silent, Dai Quan said, "Just as you said, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is there to do these kinds of things for the Emperor. Rest assured, the Northern Garrison is the Emperor's personal army; no one but the Emperor can touch you..."
As if afraid of leaving Liu Feng with the impression that the emperor was harsh and ungrateful, he added, "We chose you because you are a new face. Even if they find out where you came from, they will only assume that you came for the case in Jinling and won't think much of it."
Damn, this is just hypocritical!
If Dai Quan knew what Liu Feng was thinking, he would probably regret it and slap himself.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The Emperor never intended to take back the Ministry of War immediately. Start with the Arsenal Bureau, which controls military equipment and pay. The Northern Garrison has already gathered some evidence of corruption; you can start there."
Dai Quan then pulled out two more envelopes from his sleeve. Liu Feng's lips twitched. Why was he acting like Doraemon?
"One is a document from the Directorate of Ceremonial, which you can use to retrieve files from the Imperial Prison. The other is a silver note; rice is expensive in the capital, this is to help with your household expenses."
Liu Feng's eyes lit up. This old man is not bad!
Regardless, they have no shortage of hungry soldiers.
Dai Quan stood up: "Your post is on Qianmen Street. Go there directly tomorrow." After saying this, he walked straight out.