Chapter 56: That’s Just a Matter of Human Decency

Zhu Di certainly had every reason to be furious. He had re-established the Brocade Guard precisely to monitor the slightest stirnings of dissent throughout the realm.

Yet this time, the Brocade Guard had not caught the faintest whisper of the Prince of Jin’s rebellion.

What was more, the capital lay right beneath the emperor's feet.

Not only had the Brocade Guard failed to uncover the plot beforehand, but even Jing Qing, a remnant partisan of Jianwen who was actively being hunted, had been able to brazenly pass in and out of the capital—the most peaceful and secure place in the entire empire—right under the very noses of the imperial secret police.

This alone showed just how slack the Brocade Guard had become.

If Chen Kan had not stumbled upon the plot like a blind cat catching a dead mouse, everyone would still have been kept completely in the dark by Zhu Jixi.

How could Zhu Di not be enraged?

Ji Gang instantly realized that His Majesty was dissatisfied with the Brocade Guard to the absolute extreme.

Enduring the sharp, stabbing pain in his chest, he scrambled up and threw himself entirely flat onto the ground before Zhu Di, kowtowing to plead for mercy.

"Your Majesty, this minister deserves death. The laxity within the Brocade Guard of late is entirely due to my failure to strictly govern my subordinates. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Zhu Di breathed heavily, speaking through clenched teeth, "Is it merely a failure to govern your subordinates?"

"I beg Your Majesty for punishment."

Ji Gang pressed his forehead hard against the floor, not daring to move a muscle.

He knew all too well just how terrifying a furious Zhu Di could be.

The more sincere his attitude in admitting fault, the greater the chance he might earn Zhu Di’s leniency. The moment he dared to offer any excuse or defense, it would surely draw down a tempest of devastating wrath from the emperor.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, Zhu Di turned, walked over to a stool that was still mostly intact, and sat down. His icy gaze swept over Ji Gang, who remained prostrated before him.

"I want to know how many more Jianwen partisans, aside from Jing Qing, are involved in this affair, and how many others harbor treacherous intentions. Furthermore, if you are unable to sit comfortably in the seat of the Brocade Guard Commander, I do not mind finding someone else to take your place."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, this minister will see to it immediately."

A flash of ruthless calculation crossed Ji Gang’s eyes. His face burned with humiliation, and deep within, he was consumed by burning anger.

The dignified Brocade Guard had actually been forced to rely on a blind cat catching a dead mouse merely to stumble upon the Prince of Jin’s treasonous plot!

It seemed that recently he had given his little pups too much leeway.

Resolving in his heart to strictly discipline his subordinates the moment he returned, Ji Gang raised his head and said, "If within three days I fail to capture Jing Qing and his remnant accomplices, this minister willingly offers his neck to the executioner's blade."

"Get out!"

As the saying goes, when an emperor flies into a rage, blood flows for a thousand miles.

The capital of the Great Ming, which had relaxed its guard for less than a month, was instantly placed under strict martial law once again.

Brocade Guards clad in flying-fish garments and carrying embroidered spring sabers at their waists could be seen everywhere.

Many officials who had previously expressed dissatisfaction when Zhu Di entered Yingtian were still sitting quietly in their homes when Brocade Guards smashed through their doors, dragging them away indiscriminately without rhyme or reason.

There were no formal charges, not even a proper justification—merely the accusation of being suspected Jianwen partisans.

Anyone who dared to resist was executed on the spot.

In an instant, the entire capital echoed with wailing and weeping. Officials trembled in fear for their own lives, and even ordinary citizens shut their doors and stayed inside.

Though it should have been one of the busiest seasons of the year, not a single commoner could be seen on the main streets.

Meanwhile, Ji Gang led a team in person, hurtling directly toward Huainan Prefecture.

Before long, Chen Kan, confined within the imperial prison of the Brocade Guard, found that he had inexplicably acquired a great many new cellmates.

"What on earth is going on? Has His Majesty rounded up the entire imperial court in one go?"

Standing behind the wooden bars, Chen Kan watched as wave after wave of officials were shoved into the cells by the Brocade Guards.

He felt a profound sense of absurdity.

This was no longer a simple matter of one or two officials being imprisoned; ever since the first official was dragged into the jail, there were now at least one or two hundred of them.

How many ranked officials were there in the entire capital to begin with?

Did Zhu Di intend to abandon the governance of the state entirely?

Or were the affairs of the Great Ming no longer in need of handling?

Could things really be played this way?

A storm of question marks arose in Chen Kan's mind.

Fortunately, none of the people Chen Kan was familiar with had been thrown into prison—at least, not yet.

Beckoning to a passing Brocade Guard officer, Chen Kan asked, "What is the situation with all these people?"

Recognizing Chen Kan, the officer bowed and replied, "Reporting to Your Honor, these men are all officials suspected of participating in the Prince of Jin's treason. The Commander gave the order for us to arrest them first and detain them here, awaiting his personal interrogation upon his return from Huainan."

"Ah!"

Chen Kan understood now. Ji Gang was embarking on a massive wave of guilt-by-association and frame-ups simply to secure his own wealth and glory.

In other words, had his main quest been triggered?

"Ding. Please make a choice, Host:

One: Become the savior, rescuing the officials about to be unjustly executed by Ji Gang, thereby becoming Ji Gang's political rival. Reward: The favor of Fang Xiaoru.

Two: Pretend to see nothing, becoming an accomplice to Ji Gang and failing Fang Xiaoru's expectations. Reward: The favor of Ji Gang."

Trying to find a sliver of humor in his bitter situation, Chen Kan triggered a system prompt tone entirely within his own mind.

Chen Kan began to feel thoroughly conflicted.

If it were just one or two people, he could easily save them, and Ji Gang wouldn't care much; at worst, he would just find another opportunity for Ji Gang to perform a meritorious service.

However, this was a matter of one or two hundred people, and a steady stream of officials was still being hauled inside. Furthermore, he himself had not yet received a pardon from Zhu Di and remained confined to the prison—how on earth was he supposed to save them?

Save them with his life?

After wrestling with the dilemma for a long time, Chen Kan remained at a complete loss.

Fang Xiaoru really had handed him a formidable problem.

Returning to his cot to lie down for a while, listening to the overlapping cries of despair and grievances echoing through the prison, Chen Kan felt thoroughly irritated.

He reached out and grabbed a pot of sweet wine, swallowing the greater part of it in a single gulp.

Regrettably, although the sweet wine had an alcoholic kick, the proof was far from high.

After downing half the pot, his mind only grew clearer and more alert.

"Sigh, what kind of bloody mess is this? I was born with a life of endless toil, how bitter..."

Growling in a low voice, Chen Kan hurled the wine pot fiercely against the ground, shattering it.

"Someone come here!"

Steeling his heart, Chen Kan thought to himself: So what if it means saving people?

At worst, he would just have to trade blows with Ji Gang.

He refused to believe that a prophetic time-traveler like himself could be trampled beneath the feet of a cruel official.

Console himself as he might, Chen Kan ultimately decided to follow in Fang Xiaoru's footsteps.

"Your Honor, what are your orders?"

Before long, two Brocade Guard officers hurried over at the sound of his call.

"Bring Fang Xu to me."

Issuing his instructions to the two officers, Chen Kan began to calculate rapidly in his mind.

Ji Gang had taken the vast majority of the men with him to Huainan Prefecture to hunt down Jing Qing and his remnants. This meant that currently, within the Brocade Guard headquarters, apart from Li Jinglong, his own rank was the highest.

However, he had no real prestige within the Brocade Guard. The manpower he could actually mobilize at best consisted of the few company commanders under Shi Wen who had accepted his bribes, along with Fang Xu and Huang Gou'er.

This meant that relying solely on his own meager influence, it was utterly impossible to protect so many officials.

What could he do? What on earth was he to do?

Whenever he encountered a situation that could not be resolved by his own strength alone, Chen Kan felt a splitting headache.

Because this meant he once again had to find a way to leverage outside power.

And was outside power so easily leveraged? That sort of thing was nothing more than raw human favors and complex social debts.