Chapter Thirty-Three: The Scapegoat

While feeling vigilant, he could not help but feel a twinge of resentment.

If you’re hungry, do you not have feet of your own? Can’t you go to the kitchen and ask for food yourself?

Chen Kan felt a surge of impotent rage. He watched helplessly as Ji Gang devoured his meal until not even a stray hair was left behind.

"Hiccup!"

Having eaten his fill, Ji Gang let out a burp and poured himself another cup of wine, sipping it slowly, as if he had completely forgotten Chen Kan’s existence.

It wasn't until he had finished the entire pot of wine that he looked back at Chen Kan and said, "Chen Kan."

The resentment in Chen Kan’s eyes vanished in an instant. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "I am here, my lord."

"Do you know why His Majesty sent you to the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

Chen Kan hurriedly bowed his head and said, "To be honest, my lord, I am completely baffled. I beg for your guidance."

Perhaps because Chen Kan’s demeanor had been respectful from start to finish, Ji Gang finally revealed a satisfied smile.

"Do you know what the greatest obstacle is currently hindering His Majesty from realizing his grand ambitions?"

As soon as Ji Gang spoke these words, Chen Kan felt a jolt in his heart. Then, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck, instantly clearing the fog before his eyes. So, this was the profound intention behind Zhu Di’s actions.

He understood!

Seeing Chen Kan standing there, stunned, Ji Gang asked with a smile, "Well? Do you understand now?"

Chen Kan straightened his posture and nodded slowly. "I understand, my lord. Thank you for clearing the confusion for me."

"Since you understand, go and do it. That idiot Li Jinglong is currently in charge of this matter; you should confer with him more."

After saying this, Ji Gang waved his hand and stood up to leave without a second thought, leaving Chen Kan standing there in a daze.

He had not expected that Zhu Di would entrust this matter to him. This was—damn it—simply incredible!

If one were to ask what the greatest obstacle before Zhu Di was, Chen Kan would have answered without hesitation: "The vassal kings!"

Without a doubt.

This point was something Chen Kan had already reached a consensus on with Fang Xiaoru back when Fu Yu had come to call off their engagement.

As for why, it was simple. The situation Zhu Di currently faced was no different from the state of affairs at the beginning of the Jianwen Emperor’s reign. In fact, one could argue that the situation was even more severe.

The princes—such as the Princes of Zhou, Min, Dai, and Xiang—who had been struck down by the Jianwen Emperor’s erratic and heavy-handed policies were all minor vassals who posed no real threat to imperial power. Conversely, the vassal kings who had escaped the Jianwen Emperor’s purges due to Zhu Di’s rebellion—such as the Princes of Liaodong, Ning, Shen, and Han, the Princes of Jin and Qin in the west, and the Prince of Shu in Sichuan—were all powerful lords commanding tens of thousands of troops. Having witnessed the Jianwen Emperor’s campaign to reduce their power, these great vassals were now on high alert against the imperial court.

Zhu Di needed to expend far more energy and time to clean up the mess left behind by the Jianwen Emperor. Furthermore, Zhu Di had a fatal flaw: his claim to the throne was illegitimate. If the great vassals had not dared to defy the world and rebel when the Jianwen Emperor tried to curb their power, they might well be driven to openly raise the flag of rebellion if Zhu Di tried to do the same.

The reason was clear: the Jianwen Emperor was a legitimate heir; his efforts to consolidate power were justified. But Zhu Di himself was a vassal who had risen through rebellion. If he could rebel, why couldn't they?

As for why Zhu Di chose him for this task, Chen Kan soon realized the reason.

He had a grudge against the vassal kings—a deep-seated hatred involving the theft of his fiancée. His betrothed, at the instigation of the Prince of Jin, Zhu Ji-xi, had broken off their engagement in public. Such an insult, in any era, was a profound humiliation, and it had been caused by a vassal king. Thus, his natural stance was already in opposition to the vassals.

Of course, if he had merely suffered the humiliation of a broken engagement, he wouldn’t have been chosen for this task. But before that incident, he had used his silver tongue to persuade the famously stubborn Fang Xiaoru to surrender to Zhu Di. This event had proven his capabilities.

With both factors combined, he became the most suitable candidate to curb the vassal kings. His ability was beyond doubt, and his position was even more secure. Thinking of this, even Chen Kan felt that he was a heaven-sent choice for the job. It would be a crime against heaven and earth not to curb those vassals!

Now that he knew why Zhu Di had sent him to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the next priority was definitely to get something to eat.

Looking at the mess on the table, Chen Kan couldn't help but shake his fist hatefully in the direction Ji Gang had left. *Pah, you treacherous sycophant, daring to steal my food. You think you’re a big official now? When I’m a higher rank than you, I’ll wipe out your entire family!*

After making this mental vow, Chen Kan had no choice but to run back to the kitchen. Since the Embroidered Uniform Guard relied on communal meals, no one would be delivering food to him.

The plump cook in the kitchen, seeing Chen Kan coming again from afar, hurriedly turned back to hide the chickens, ducks, fish, and meat.

"Don't hide them; I saw you! Make me another portion just like the last one. If there's even a leaf of vegetable missing, I’ll beat you to death!"

Hearing Chen Kan’s demonic voice, the fat cook broke into a cold sweat. He looked at Chen Kan pitifully and said with a mournful face, "My lord, there are strict quotas for the grain and provisions provided for the Guard’s daily meals. I don't dare to waste them."

"Don't talk nonsense. Looking at how fat you are, I know you must have been skimming off the brothers' rations every day. Hurry up and make it, or I’ll beat you to death!"

"My lord, I am innocent!"

"Hmm?"

Chen Kan was in a terrible mood; he might as well have had "Don't provoke me" written on his face. At this deep, menacing grunt, the fat cook immediately crumbled.

With a miserable face, he said, "Please wait a moment, my lord. I'll get right on it."

"That's more like it."

Chen Kan’s expression shifted from anger to joy, satisfied with the cook’s pragmatism.

Having secured a feast of fish and meat, and to avoid a repeat of what had just happened, Chen Kan chased the fat cook out of the kitchen and hid inside to eat alone.

As he ate, he pondered the task of curbing the vassals. Although he had a grudge against the Prince of Jin, Zhu Ji-xi, and certainly wanted to take him down, he couldn't make him the first target, or he would easily be accused of settling personal scores. Another important point was that he could not let the label of "vassal-curber" be pinned on him; history had shown that ruthless officials rarely met a good end.

Therefore, before officially beginning, he had to find a scapegoat.

A scapegoat...

As he pondered, the oily, powdered face of Li Jinglong suddenly popped into Chen Kan’s mind.

And then, his thoughts spiraled out of control.

Li Jinglong was perfect. He was a Duke, backed by a swarm of nobility, and he was Zhu Di’s nephew. His background was solid, his head was big enough to take the blame, and most importantly, he was a total idiot. He was the perfect, heaven-sent scapegoat. If he didn't end up carrying a dozen or so heavy burdens on his back, it would be a shame for him to be so ugly.