Chapter 51 His Majesty Has Made a Move

Looking at Li Jinglong’s shrewd expression, Chen Kan really found it difficult to equate him with the title of a fool.

"The Emperor has made his move. I will personally screen the people and items entering and leaving your room in the coming days. Stay here with peace of mind, though I reckon you won't be staying much longer anyway."

While Chen Kan was still feeling uncertain, Li Jinglong did not dwell on the matter and instead brought up something else.

"The Emperor has made his move?"

Chen Kan instinctively straightened up, as this was, after all, a matter of life and death for him.

Li Jinglong said, "The Emperor remarked that since the Prince of Jin is so fond of the capital, he might as well stay in the capital indefinitely."

Hearing this, the stone that had been weighing heavily on Chen Kan's heart finally dropped.

Zhu Jixi could be said to be the first true enemy he had made since arriving in the Ming Dynasty—the kind where only one of them could survive.

If Chen Kan failed to bring Zhu Jixi down, Zhu Jixi would sooner or later have him killed.

Now that Zhu Emperor had made up his decision, coupled with the measures he had already arranged, Chen Kan could finally rest easy.

"The matters ahead will entirely depend on your hard work, Lord Duke."

Li Jinglong narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Rest assured, the Prince of Jin can no longer stir up any great waves."

"Alright, I'm leaving. Stay here peacefully, there won't be any danger."

Li Jinglong had rushed to the Imperial Prison seemingly just to convey this piece of news to Chen Kan.

Chen Kan stood up to see him off, "Take care on your way, Lord Duke."

"By the way, I heard that the Commander feels it is a waste of your talents to merely serve as a Guard Evaluator, and he is petitioning the Emperor to create an additional Guard Evaluator position within the Northern Pacification Office, intending for you to take up the post."

As he was about to leave, Li Jinglong casually dropped a piece of gossip, uncertain whether it was true or false.

"True or false?"

Chen Kan was somewhat suspicious. That bastard Ji Gang, how on earth did I offend you?

Li Jinglong waved a hand and said, "This duke only heard it through the grapevine."

After seeing Li Jinglong off, Chen Kan suddenly felt his heart in turmoil.

Ji Gang wanted to officially promote him—what was his mindset?

Did he not understand the principle that blocking someone's career path is akin to murdering their parents?

Or was Li Jinglong lying?

Yet what benefit would it bring Li Jinglong to sow discord between him and Ji Gang?

Chen Kan's advantage was his intelligence, his worldly experience from living two lives, and his clear understanding of historical trends, which always allowed him to stay a step ahead in responding to any situation.

What he had learned from history books in his past life gave him the capital to look down upon this era.

However, intelligent people invariably share a common flaw—suspicion.

Right now, Chen Kan had fallen into the trap of overthinking.

Various conspiracy theories intertwined and crossed paths in his mind, causing a dull ache in his head.

On the other side, after stepping out of the Imperial Prison, Li Jinglong hummed a little tune as he walked toward the Weicui Pavilion.

Clearly, his mood was exceptionally good.

He had not lied to Chen Kan after all; Ji Gang had indeed asked Zhu Di whether Chen Kan could be kept in the Brocade Guard permanently.

However, Zhu Di had refused.

Li Jinglong had simply framed it differently and omitted the detail that Zhu Di had rejected Ji Gang's request.

Time quietly slipped away, and more than half a month passed.

Over the past half-month, Fang Xu, who stood guard at the entrance of the Imperial Prison round the clock, had intercepted a total of twelve waves of people attempting to sneak into the prison. This included three waves of bribed Brocade Guard officers, four waves disguised as criminals who let themselves be caught by the Brocade Guards to enter the prison, and five waves of assassins who stealthily crept in.

One had to admit, to be able to bribe the Brocade Guards to such an extent, Zhu Jixi had truly invested heavily.

Of course, these people might not all have been sent by Zhu Jixi alone.

Yet whether it was Chen Kan, Li Jinglong, or Ji Gang, all of them unanimously pinned this debt on him.

However, what kind of place was the Brocade Guard prison? It was Zhu Di's private domain.

Their journey could only ever reach the gates of the Imperial Prison before coming to an end.

And once inside the clutches of the Brocade Guard, even wishing for death became an extravagant luxury.

Therefore, Chen Kan was currently sipping a cup of sweet wine slowly, while at his feet lay three assassins who had been tortured beyond human recognition.

"Sir, we've gotten everything out of them. This subordinate guarantees that not a single word they said is false."

Fang Xu’s face was filled with a fierce aura.

Upon hearing Fang Xu's voice, the three lying assassins reacted as if they had heard something utterly terrifying.

Terror gripped their faces as they frantically scratched at the ground with their hands and feet.

Yet the ropes binding their hands and feet severely restricted their movements, and though the cords dug so deeply into their wrists and ankles that blood began to seep out, they remained completely oblivious to the pain.

Inhaling the nauseating stench in the air, Chen Kan frowned almost imperceptibly.

Handing his wine cup to Fang Xu, he looked down at the three assassins on the floor, covered his nose, and asked, "According to what you've said, your wives and children are all in the hands of the Prince of Jin. Are you certain you are willing to step forward and testify against him?"

"Willing, willing! This guilty wretch is willing! This guilty wretch is willing to testify against the Prince of Jin!"

As soon as Chen Kan spoke, the three assassins scrambled to beg for mercy, vying with one another. Compared to the inhumane torture inflicted by the Brocade Guards, wives and children suddenly meant nothing at all.

"Good."

Chen Kan nodded, turned his gaze to Fang Xu, and asked, "Does the Brocade Guard have the capability to transfer their families safely from Taiyuan to the capital?"

Fang Xu chuckled and replied, "Sir, under this heaven, there is nothing the Brocade Guard cannot accomplish—only things we choose not to do."

"Cut the nonsense. If it can be done, go do it immediately. If it's done poorly, I'll hold you accountable."

"Thank you, My Lord! Thank you, My Lord! This guilty wretch kowtows to you!"

Hearing this, the three assassins were simultaneously startled and overjoyed, their eyes welling up with hot tears of excitement.

"Don't pull any tricks behind my back, and your families will remain safe. Otherwise, you all know the methods of the Brocade Guard."

Fanning the air in front of his nose with an expression of disgust, Fang Xu smartly ordered his men to carry the three assassins out of Chen Kan's cell and wash the bloodstains off the ground.

Once the assassins were removed, Fang Xu lowered his voice and asked, "Sir, should their family members be..."

As he spoke, Fang Xu made a slashing motion across his own neck.

Chen Kan was also caught in a dilemma. As the saying goes, if you don't uproot the weeds completely, the spring breeze will make them grow back; he loathed endless cycles of revenge.

Yet this era valued the principle that retribution should not extend to family members.

In the future, Chen Kan would have a family of his own.

Moreover, within the imperial court, Chen Kan dared not guarantee that being a time-traveler would ensure smooth sailing forever.

Though he frequently blustered about executing entire clans, that phrase largely functioned as a mere profanity or verbal filler.

These assassins had come to assassinate him; no matter how they were tortured, Chen Kan would not feel a shred of compassion.

Because Chen Kan knew very well that if he had fallen into their hands, his fate would not have been any better than theirs.

However, their family members were likely completely innocent and unaware.

After a long silence, Chen Kan ultimately could not cross the barrier of his own conscience.

Sensing Chen Kan's hesitation, Fang Xu lowered his voice to persuade him, "Sir, one must not harbor womanly benevolence."