Chapter 579 - 329: Brilliant as the Galaxy!
Chapter 579: Chapter 329: Brilliant as the Galaxy!
The massive news Chen Yunfan spoke of was none other than the fact that Chen Xuanji had returned to Great Wei.
"A few days ago, Father traveled day and night to return to Capital Prefecture. That very day, the Emperor appointed him as the Minister of War, in charge of the world’s military forces and ordnance deployment."
"Minister of War?"
Recently, Chen Yi had read many books and gained a better understanding of the situation within the Imperial Court.
The Nine Ministers were the Minister of Heaven, Minister of Earth, Minister of Rites, Minister of War, Minister of Justice, Minister of Works, Minister of Supervision, Counselor, and Minister of Ceremony.
Among them, the Minister of Heaven oversaw the appointment, dismissal, and performance evaluation of officials.
The Minister of Earth managed the national treasury’s funds and provisions, handling matters like the country’s salt and iron monopolies, as well as tax supervision.
The Minister of Rites governed the imperial examinations, sacrifices, protocol, and Academic Administrators. Institutions like the Imperial Academy and Honglu Temple all fell under his jurisdiction.
The Minister of War, head of the military officials, controlled their promotions and the distribution of ordnance. Under his command were departments such as the Armory Department and the Courier Service Department.
The Minister of Justice oversaw the judicial system, supervising the Imprisonment Department and the Prison Department.
The Minister of Works managed construction and craftsmanship. The Minister of Supervision controlled the Inspectorate Office of each state. The Counselor oversaw the Stargazing Pavilion, using celestial phenomena to determine national policies. The Minister of Ceremony managed royal affairs...
The Nine Ministers held equal rank, each performing their respective duties as First Grade officials.
Besides them, there were Dukes, Marquis Wus, the Nobility, and the four divisions of the Secretariat—of which the White Tiger Guard was one.
Chen Yunfan nodded and took a letter from his sleeve. "Mother wrote a letter. Do you want to read it?"
Seeing his mischievous smile, Chen Yi knew he was testing him. He smiled and shook his head.
"I won’t read a letter written to my older brother."
Lin Zhong had tested him earlier, and now Chen Yunfan was doing the same. Did they really want to know his attitude toward the Chen Family’s matriarch, Cui Yu, that badly?
Heh.
Why would he have any obvious feelings toward a stranger?
Chen Yunfan froze for a moment. Upon realizing his intention, he laughingly called him sly. "Mother didn’t say much in the letter. She just told me to behave myself in Shu State."
Chen Yi casually agreed, "As she should."
"Besides that, there’s one more thing. Can you guess what it is?"
"Just tell me, Brother."
"How boring."
Chen Yunfan put the letter away, no longer keeping him in suspense. "After Father took up the post of Minister of War, according to custom, he must first inspect the Border Towns of the Nine States.
"In other words, he’ll be arriving in Shu State in a few days."
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, his hand pausing as he lifted his teacup. "Father... is coming to Shu State?"
Chen Yunfan tilted his head back and chuckled, "I offered to let you read it just now, but you refused. Regretting it now, aren’t you?"
Seeing Chen Yi take a sip of tea, completely unmoved, he found it dull and snorted.
"Shu State is the southern gateway of the Great Wei Dynasty, and the Three Towns of the Dingyuan Army are the most crucial of the key strongholds. Whether for public or private reasons, Father should make a trip here to understand the situation.
"Not to mention that both I... and you are in Shu State."
While his mind raced with countless thoughts, Chen Yi calmly replied, "That doesn’t have much to do with me."
"What? After marrying into the Xiao Family, do you plan to cut all ties with the family?"
"According to our dynasty’s customs, when a man marries into his wife’s family, his original family will usually remove his name from their genealogy.
"Even if they don’t, I’ll still be labeled ’married out.’ My future descendants will have no ties to the Chen Family."
Hearing this, Chen Yunfan and Lin Zhong exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but fall silent.
Chen Yi observed their expressions, set down his teacup, and asked with a light smile, "If you have something to say, Brother, you might as well speak plainly.
"Did the family order me to do something?"
Realizing he couldn’t hide it from him, Chen Yunfan shook his head helplessly. "Mother wants you and me to go see Father, to see if he needs us to wait on him."
"Wait on him?"
Chen Yi laughed involuntarily. "Father is one of the Nine Ministers of Great Wei. He’ll be surrounded by attendants wherever he goes. Why would he need me to serve him?"
Chen Yunfan hesitated, looking as if he wanted to say more.
Seeing this, Lin Zhong stood up, cupped his fists in a salute, and said, "Young Master Yi, there’s no need to belittle yourself.
"You are now the world-renowned Mr. Qingzhou. I imagine the Master would also like to see you."
Chen Yi glanced at him, then turned his head to signal Xiaodie to pour more tea.
Whether he was being neglected or not, how could he not know?
Previously, when Chen Xuanji replied to Chen Yunfan, he had also written a letter to Chen Yi, claiming he had already punished Cui Yu and so on.
Between the lines, he had shown the utmost care and concern.
Although Chen Yi didn’t reject the people of the Jiangnan Prefecture Chen Family, he had developed a certain level of wariness toward them.
Especially after learning that Chen Xuanji had taken the post of Minister of War, his suspicions became even more certain.
He and Chen Yunfan had been targeted by the White Tiger Guard. The Jiangnan Prefecture Chen Family had to be aware of it—at the very least, Chen Xuanji and Chen Xuandu definitely were.
Chen Yi even suspected that the mastermind behind arranging his marriage into the Xiao Family wasn’t the matriarch Cui Yu, but the Patriarch—his father, Chen Xuanji.
Otherwise, with his past talent and learning, even if he didn’t become a king or prime minister, passing the imperial examinations wouldn’t have been a difficult task.
There was another suspicious point.
After Chen Xuanji left and he was imprisoned by Cui Yu, not a single clan elder from the Chen Family showed their face.
This didn’t match the memories in Chen Yi’s mind, nor did it make logical sense.
Thinking of this, Chen Yi made a decision.
"Since Father is coming, both out of familial duty and common sense, I should go and pay my respects."
Hearing this, a smile returned to Chen Yunfan’s face as he teasingly scolded, "Brother Yi, you said so much just now, I really thought you didn’t want to see Father."
Chen Yi looked at Lin Zhong, who had sat back down, and smiled subtly.
"It’s good to see him. I’ll let Father see that I’m living very well in the Xiao Family now. I’m sure he’ll be pleased."
If it really was Chen Xuanji’s idea, then his half a year of idle life in the Xiao Family had probably already deviated from Chen Xuanji’s original intention.
But what did that have to do with him?
He was now just a live-in son-in-law of the Xiao Family, Xiao Jinghong’s husband, an Instructor who taught people calligraphy, and nothing more.
If the Chen Family wanted to use him to plot against the Xiao Family, they were dreaming!
Unaware of the underlying complexities, Chen Yunfan picked up his teacup to moisten his throat and said, "Both you and I haven’t seen Father in a long time. I wonder if his temper has improved at all."