Chapter 34: The Lecher

When it comes to being a scapegoat, if you don’t let your brother take the fall, who would you let?

"So, Li Jinglong, you are the one!"

Having settled on his scapegoat in his mind, Chen Kan felt satisfied. He stood up, rubbed his belly with contentment, and walked away under the mournful gaze of the fat cook.

Back in his office, Chen Kan fetched a topographical map of the Ming Dynasty and used a red brush to circle over a dozen small spots. Each circle represented the fief of a vassal king. The larger the circle, the greater that king’s military might. If someone else were to attempt to strip these kings of their power, it might very well drive them to rebellion. But for Chen Kan, who came from a later era, while not exactly effortless, it was certainly well within his grasp. After all, history recorded that Zhu Di had succeeded in stripping the vassals of their power; Chen Kan simply needed to copy the homework.

Staring at the largest circle on the map, relevant memories surfaced. Prince Ning, Zhu Quan, held the fief of Daning. With an army of eighty thousand and six thousand war chariots, he was the most powerful vassal in the Ming imperial clan, second only to the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di. During the Jingnan Campaign, Zhu Di had dangled the promise of splitting the empire in half to secure the loyalty of the fierce Duoyan Sanwei from him—a promise that had never been fulfilled. Historically, he was also the first one Zhu Di had targeted.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Kan took a memorial and wrote four large characters on the cover: "Strategy for Curbing the Vassals."

Of course, he couldn’t just copy the homework entirely; otherwise, where would the sense of accomplishment be? Since he had arrived, these vassal kings wouldn't have it as easy as they did in the history books. At the very least, Chen Kan would never allow the absurd situation where the Ming Dynasty in its middle and late stages spent thirty to forty percent of the national tax revenue just to support the imperial clansmen. That was the sweat and blood of the common people; wasting it on these royal relatives was far too extravagant. With that kind of money, the Ming Dynasty could have ground the Jurchen "pigskin" into dust countless times over.

Therefore, after much thought, Chen Kan settled on a strategy: "Strip their power, retain their titles, and keep the princes under house arrest."

After writing several thousand words, Chen Kan nodded in satisfaction. He blew the ink dry, tucked the memorial into his sleeve, and stepped out of the room. Simply having the memorial wasn't enough; he needed a strategy. And that strategy depended on how ruthless Zhu Di’s resolve was. Did he merely want to reclaim military command, or was he prepared to wipe them out completely? He would have to test Zhu Di’s attitude.

Furthermore, he certainly couldn't sign his own name to this memorial. It was too easy to offend people. It was better to let Li Jinglong take the lead. As for the credit, Chen Kan’s requirements weren't high—Li Jinglong could take the lion's share, provided he left a little bit of soup for him to drink. Of course, cash would be even better.

***

Chen Kan searched the entire Imperial Guard headquarters but couldn't find a trace of Li Jinglong. Without him, a temporary worker like Chen Kan didn't even have the qualifications to enter the palace, let alone test the waters with Zhu Di.

He grabbed a passing Imperial Guard officer. "Have you seen the Commander?"

"The Commander?"

"Haven't seen him!"

He asked several more officers, but none of them had seen Li Jinglong. Chen Kan grew anxious. Skipping out on work during business hours—what kind of trouble was Li Jinglong stirring up?

"My lord, at this hour, the Commander is likely taking a nap at the Weicui Pavilion," a soft voice whispered in his ear.

Chen Kan turned to see Huang Gou'er walking forward as if nothing had happened, shaking his head while muttering, "Didn't see him, not sure, don't know..."

"Weicui Pavilion, taking a nap?" Chen Kan was dumbfounded. This Li Jinglong was truly audacious. During the reign of the Founding Emperor, there were strict prohibitions against officials visiting brothels, with heavy penalties for violators. Although the Jianwen Emperor had relaxed these rules, this was still work hours! Not only was he visiting a brothel during the day, he was taking a nap there? That was going too far.

Chen Kan, filled with righteous indignation, headed out of the yamen. Of course, he had no intention of going to the Weicui Pavilion to find Li Jinglong. Firstly, his finances wouldn't allow it, and secondly, well, his finances wouldn't allow it. What truly angered him was that Li Jinglong hadn't invited him when skipping work—it was simply not brotherly. So, Chen Kan decided to skip work himself!

He had an entire afternoon left; what should he do? It certainly wouldn't be to watch cute girls with big eyes. So, Chen Kan chose a direction and headed toward the banks of the Qinhuai River. He passed the Yihong Building without a glance. He passed the Weicui Pavilion, forcefully resisting the urge to go inside and make Li Jinglong pay for his expenses. He continued walking downstream along the Qinhuai River. Before long, Chen Kan was drenched in sweat.

"Who said the south was pleasant? Damn it!"

Muttering a curse, he looked up at the house before him. That’s right—skipping work was, of course, to see how the renovations on his house were coming along. As the saying goes, a person’s life is nothing more than food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Currently, he wore the bull-patterned robe provided free by the Imperial Guard and ate the meat and fish they provided for free. The most pressing matter now was the housing. Having spent a thousand taels of gold—a sum he had never spent at once in either of his two lifetimes—he had to at least hear some progress.

When Chen Kan arrived at the house, he saw that it had become a massive construction site, filled with artisans. He was quite satisfied with the efficiency of the Ming craftsmen; it had only been two days, and the main gate was already looking brand new.

After confirming that the craftsmen hadn't cut corners, Chen Kan strolled slowly further downstream along the Qinhuai River, hands clasped behind his back. He had been in the Ming Dynasty for four full days and hadn't yet properly enjoyed the scenery of this world. The sun was perfect, the breeze was gentle, and he didn't have to work or struggle for a living. The only downside was the heat, but that couldn't stop his desire to appreciate the beautiful mountains and rivers of the Ming Dynasty. It couldn't stop him at all.

As he walked, Chen Kan realized he had left the city.

?

Was the capital of the Ming Dynasty really this small?

Never mind, it didn't matter. Chen Kan continued to wander aimlessly forward. Suddenly, a sound of silvery laughter reached his ears. Chen Kan looked out and saw that it was a group of relatives from some family across the river, out for an excursion to escape the heat.

On the gentle plains along the Qinhuai River, the grass was lush and ancient trees towered. A group of young ladies was laughing and playing. Chen Kan stood on the bank, quietly appreciating the rare and beautiful sight.

"Ah—you lecher!"

The women across the river noticed Chen Kan and offered him a warm greeting. Chen Kan rubbed his nose, gave a mischievous smile, and whistled at the riverbank.

"Oh! Where did this lecher come from? Hurry up and leave! Can you afford the consequences if you disturb the nobles?" The women were slightly panicked. Although the social atmosphere in the early Ming Dynasty was relatively open—not like the late Ming or early Qing periods where women were confined to their boudoirs—they were still clearly unsettled.