PFC Chapter 87 The Empress Tests Her Again
Chapter 87 The Empress Tests Her Again
Lin Chen boarded the carriage that had been prepared and headed towards the palace.
Inside the carriage, Lin Chen leaned against the soft cushions, his eyes half-closed.
"System, check-in."
A thought suddenly occurred to him: he hadn't signed in today.
"Ding! Daily check-in successful!"
"Received: 5000 taels of silver"
"Obtained: [Item - Nourishing Incense] x5 (Low-grade Profound, can nourish the soul)"
The incense for nourishing the spirit has arrived just in time; I'll need to be on my toes when I meet the Empress later.
The carriage quickly entered the imperial city and stopped outside the Imperial Study.
"Your Excellency, we have arrived," the young eunuch said, bowing.
Lin Chen straightened his robes—actually, there wasn't much to straighten; his dark gold brocade robe was a bit wrinkled from being pressed down on the ship.
Anyway, the Empress was already used to his behavior, so she couldn't be bothered to make a fuss.
The air inside the Imperial Study was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.
Empress Zhao Lingyang sat upright behind her desk, dressed in a bright yellow casual robe, her black hair loosely tied up, looking less dignified than usual in court and more relaxed.
She was reviewing memorials when Lin Chen entered. She put down her vermilion pen and looked at him with a half-smile.
"Your subject Lin Chen greets Your Majesty." Lin Chen bowed with his hands clasped, appearing lazy and unrefined.
"No need for formalities," the Empress waved her hand. "Please take a seat."
The eunuch brought over an embroidered stool, and Lin Chen didn't stand on ceremony, plopping down and casually crossing his legs, even stretching his neck a bit.
"Your Majesty, you've dragged me here the moment I disembarked! At least let me catch my breath!"
The Empress laughed in exasperation at his shameless behavior: "What, do I have to choose a time that's convenient for you to see me?"
"No, that's not it," Lin Chen said with a grin.
"I'm quite tired from the long journey, and I'm afraid I might fall asleep while we're talking. Please don't blame me for being impolite."
"Stop being so glib." The Empress's smile faded, and she got to the point.
"The matter in Jiangnan has been handled well."
The entire 6,000-plus members of the Grand Canal gang were wiped out, 27 corrupt officials were brought to justice, over 30 million taels of silver were confiscated, and a Grand Canal Merchants' Association was even established… Tell me, how did they manage to do that?
Lin Chen shrugged: "What else can we do? Kill those who should be killed, confiscate those who should be confiscated. I'm just lucky, my subordinates are capable."
"Your subordinates are capable?" The Empress raised an eyebrow.
"The Eight Vajra Warriors are all Grandmasters. Lin Chen, don't you have a bit too many 'capable' subordinates?"
coming.
Lin Chen knew perfectly well that the Empress was testing his capabilities.
He pretended not to understand.
"Is it too much? I think it's alright. After all, I am now the Duke of Zhenguo, and I need to maintain a certain presence when I go out, otherwise wouldn't I be disgracing the court?"
"A show of force?" The Empress laughed in exasperation. "Eight Vajras and three hundred first-rank iron cavalry, you call that a show of force? This lineup could easily sweep through Jiangnan!"
"Of course," Lin Chen said smugly.
"Your Majesty, you didn't see it. When those people from the Grand Canal Gang saw my formation, their legs went weak with fear."
Before I could even lay a hand on them, they were all kneeling on the ground.
The Empress stared at him for a long while, then leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice:
"Lin Chen, tell me the truth, what is the origin of your Eight Vajras?"
Eight Grandmasters, top-tier combat power in the entire Great Yan realm, how come they've all gathered under your command?
Lin Chen blinked, looking completely innocent:
"Your Majesty, they are all former subordinates of my father, the old Duke."
"Former subordinates of the old Duke?" The Empress frowned.
"Yes." Lin Chen sighed, his expression turning somewhat sad.
"As Your Majesty knows, my father and seven elder brothers died in battle in the northern border, and their remains were never found."
Over the years, some of his former subordinates who had followed him have become disillusioned and retired to the mountains, while others have wandered far from home.
"They only started coming to us after I inherited the title," Lin Chen continued.
"They said that the old Duke had been kind to them back then, and now that only I am left in the Lin family, they couldn't just sit idly by, so... they all came."
That's seven parts truth and three parts falsehood.
The Eight Vajras were indeed summoned by the system, but Lin Chen set their background as "former subordinates of the old Duke".
Moreover, the groundwork had already been laid through Yuan Tiangang—Yuan Tiangang's publicly stated identity was "entrusted by an old friend to come out of the mountains to assist the young master."
The Empress's eyes were deep, as if she were judging the truth of these words.
After a long silence, she slowly said:
"The old Duke... is indeed sincere in his dealings with people, and has many loyal followers. However, eight Grandmasters... is simply too astonishing."
"Who says otherwise?" Lin Chen said with a bitter face.
"At first, I was also startled, but they all said that they were acting on my father's dying wish to protect the Lin family bloodline, so I couldn't refuse."
Besides, with them around, I am indeed much safer when I travel. Don't you agree, Your Majesty?
The Empress didn't respond, but instead said:
"What about those three hundred... no, five hundred iron cavalry? Were they also former subordinates of the old Duke?"
"No, that's not it." Lin Chen waved his hand.
"That was bought with silver by your subject. As Your Majesty knows, the Duke's Mansion still has some resources."
We recruit skilled individuals from all over the country, train them at great expense, provide them with plenty of elixirs, and offer them a variety of cultivation techniques.
Spending millions of taels a year to train hundreds of first-rank cavalry isn't outrageous, is it?
These words were spoken with such conviction that the Empress was momentarily speechless.
The Lin family's original resources—spending several million taels a year to train a private army—were not really that difficult.
Which of the top families in the Dayan Dynasty didn't have hundreds or thousands of private soldiers?
However, Lin Chen's team was too elite.
"Enough." The Empress waved her hand, no longer pursuing the topic.
"Let's talk about the Jiangnan Canal Transport Association. The imperial court takes 20%, the Lin family takes 20%, the Su family takes 10%, and the rest of the families take 50%..."
"You certainly know how to plan this."
"I'm doing this for the sake of the court," Lin Chen said solemnly.
"The Grand Canal is the lifeline of Jiangnan and must be firmly controlled."
The imperial court holds 20%, the Lin family holds 20%, and the Su family holds 10%, totaling 50%, enough to control the overall situation.
The remaining 50% will be distributed among the various parties, which will both appease the people and allow them to check and balance each other, preventing any major disturbances.
The Empress nodded: "Good idea. But... you've been quite attentive to the Su family."
Lin Chen smiled: "The Su family is the richest family in Jiangnan and is familiar with the canal transport business."
Moreover, the Su family contributed significantly to my trip to Jiangnan and should be treated with special consideration.
"Is that all?" the Empress asked meaningfully.
"How come I heard that you proposed marriage to the Su family, wanting to marry their eldest daughter, Su Xiaoxiao?"
"Your Majesty is truly well-informed," Lin Chen didn't deny.
"Su Xiaoxiao is both beautiful and talented, and I fell in love with her at first sight. Anyway, I already have seven sisters-in-law in my family, so one more won't make a difference."
Looking at his dissolute appearance, the Empress suddenly said:
"Lin Chen, your seven sisters-in-law... are you really planning to take on all the responsibilities yourself?"
Here comes the real problem.
Lin Chen stopped joking and said seriously:
"To be honest, Your Majesty, my grandmother had long ago made arrangements for me to take on the responsibility of eight branches of the family and continue the bloodline of my seven elder brothers."
After I come of age, we will hold a wedding ceremony together.
As for Su Xiaoxiao… I will also marry her with the proper formalities and gifts. All eight wives will be equal wives, without distinction of rank.
That's a very honest statement.
The Empress was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Eight concubines...you are quite fortunate."
"I'm lucky," Lin Chen said with a smile.
The Empress stopped pursuing the topic and picked up a memorial from her desk:
"These are the evidence of crimes committed by Cui Mingyuan, Vice Minister of War, and Zhou Ming, Vice Minister of Revenue."
"I have ordered an investigation and confirmed that both men were guilty of embezzlement, bribery, and collusion with foreign enemies. The evidence is irrefutable, and according to the law, they should be executed, and their entire families exiled."
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Your Majesty is wise."
"However..." The Empress paused.
"The Cui and Zhou families are, after all, among the five great families, ancient clans with branches all over the world. If I were to take drastic measures, it might trigger a major upheaval."
"So, what does Your Majesty mean?"
"Cui Mingyuan and Zhou Ming will be executed in three days."
His family...were fined three million taels of silver, stripped of their noble titles by three ranks, and their properties in Jiangnan confiscated.” The Empress said calmly:
"What do you think of this approach?"
Lin Chen thought for a moment and nodded:
"Your Majesty has considered all aspects; you must punish them, but you cannot push them too hard."
The Cui and Zhou families have suffered a great loss this time; they should behave themselves for a while.
"I hope so." The Empress took out a brocade box from under her desk.
"I cannot fail to reward Jiangnan for his merits. Here are 100,000 taels of gold in exchange, 100 high-grade spirit stones, and 10 bottles of 'Condensing Essence Pills'."
In addition, there is an imperial estate on the outskirts of Beijing, which I bestow upon you so that you may house your subordinates.
Lin Chen took the brocade box, didn't even look at it, and casually put it aside: "Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty."
"Is this your attitude?" The Empress raised an eyebrow.
"Otherwise what?" Lin Chen said with a grin.
"Why should I stand on ceremony with Your Majesty? Whatever Your Majesty bestows, I will accept it."
The Empress laughed in exasperation and waved her hand, "Alright, alright, get lost. Just looking at you annoys me."
"Then I shall take my leave." Lin Chen rose, but turned back as he reached the door.
"Your Majesty, a new Miss Su has joined our household. We are planning a family banquet in a few days. If Your Majesty has the time..."
"I don't have time," the Empress interrupted him. "Get out of here."
Lin Chen left with a smile.
Inside the imperial study, the Empress watched his retreating figure, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.
After a long silence, she sighed softly and said to the person behind the screen, "Qingluan, what do you think?"
Qingluan stepped out from behind the screen and bowed, saying:
"What Duke Lin said... is nine parts false and one part true. The Eight Vajras could not possibly be the old Duke's former subordinates, otherwise back then..."
"Yes." The Empress tapped the imperial desk lightly. "Lin Chen... you've given me a difficult problem."