Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 227: Chapter 218: Demotion by One Rank

“Oh, Yang Zhenshan, the garrison officer of An Yuan City, that’s right, it’s him!” Emperor Chengping also remembered.

“I remember he had distinguished himself in the battle at Chongshan Pass, led 300 troops, and killed nearly a thousand enemies. Right, Marquis Changping also said this man possesses both wisdom and bravery, talent fit for a general!”

Eunuch Chen’s smile became even brighter. “Indeed, Your Majesty has a good memory. If Your Majesty hadn’t reminded me, this old servant would have forgotten that Marquis Changping had also mentioned Master Yang in the battle report!”

How could he not know that Liang Chu had mentioned Yang Zhenshan in the battle report? He simply hadn’t brought it up.

Now that His Majesty remembers, it just shows that His Majesty has a good memory and isn’t old yet—it was His Majesty who reminded this old servant.

And if His Majesty hadn’t remembered, he wouldn’t bring it up either.

“It’s a pity that he’s a bit too old!” Emperor Chengping said with some regret.

“The age doesn’t matter much; what’s important is that this Master Yang comes from a humble farming background.” Eunuch Chen reminded once again.

Coming from a farming background proves a humble origin, with little entanglement with the various forces within the court.

Such a person actually fits Emperor Chengping’s desires best, because he is currently most averse to officials in the court forming cliques and factions.

However, Emperor Chengping did not speak further, instead focusing his attention on the contents of the memorial.

After he finished reading the memorial, his wrinkled face couldn’t help but sag.

“Where is the Crown Prince?”

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince should be in Wenhua Palace dealing with state affairs at this time!”

“Have him come here!”

Emperor Chengping’s voice was especially cold and stern, and Eunuch Chen didn’t dare to say another word, bowing as he exited the study.

After about a quarter of an hour, a middle-aged man dressed in bright yellow brocade robes and with refined features came to the study panting.

“Your son pays respect to you, Father Emperor!” The Crown Prince knelt and performed a big salute.

However, it was as if Emperor Chengping hadn’t heard him at all, continuing to flip through the memorial in his hands.

Eunuch Chen stood by the side with his head bowed and eyebrows low, even his breathing becoming softer.

Apart from the sound of Emperor Chengping flipping through the memorial, no other sound could be heard in the study.

The Crown Prince knelt on the ground, his forehead touching the marble floor, his cold sweat dampening the ground.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, with the Crown Prince feeling both numbness and pain in his legs, before Emperor Chengping finally said, “Tea!”

Immediately, Eunuch Chen sprang to life from his statue-like state, hurrying forward to replace the tea for Emperor Chengping.

Sipping the tea lightly, Emperor Chengping lifted his eyelids and calmly glanced at the Crown Prince.

“Rise!”

“Thank you, Father Emperor!” Only then did the Crown Prince stagger to his feet.

“Look at this!”

The Crown Prince, bowing, picked up the memorial from the table.

As he quickly went through the memorial, a hint of helplessness flickered in his eyes.

What an undeserved disaster!

What on earth is all this mess!

He wanted to facilitate a marriage alliance between Changping Marquis Mansion and Marquis Jingyuan Mansion, but he never forced anything.

The stance of the Changping Marquis Mansion was always clear; they did not participate in the succession struggle, and the Crown Prince understood this, so he wasn’t aiming to drag the Changping Marquis Mansion into the mire—he just wanted to add an additional layer of assurance with Marquis Jingyuan Mansion.

If such a strategy succeeded, it would be an ace up his sleeve, and if it failed, he wouldn’t be too insistent.

However, he never expected the Marquis Jingyuan Mansion to handle things this way.

Even though he now didn’t know all the causes and consequences, he could already guess where the problem lay.

“Father Emperor!” The Crown Prince opened his mouth to say something.

Yet, just as he opened his mouth, a teacup flew towards him.

“Useless fool!”

The curse that followed made the Crown Prince, who had intended to dodge, stop his body abruptly and allow the teacup and tea to hit his chest, soaking his clothes.

“Father Emperor, please calm your anger!”

With a thud, the Crown Prince knelt again.

Emperor Chengping looked down at him with a somber expression. “Rise!”

With a bitter face, the Crown Prince stood up again.

“What on earth is Marquis Jingyuan trying to do? He actually dares to secretly move the imperial guard out of the Capital!”

Emperor Chengping was truly angry, pointing at the Crown Prince as he spoke harshly: “Today he dares to move the imperial guard out of the Capital; does he dare to lead the imperial guard into the Imperial City tomorrow!”

As soon as these words came out, the Crown Prince could no longer stand and had to kneel again, “Father Emperor, Marquis Jingyuan wouldn’t dare!”

“Not dare? I think there’s nothing he wouldn’t dare to do!” Emperor Chengping leaned forward, striking the Crown Prince’s head hard with the memorial.

Yang Zhenshan had made a mistake in his thinking; he believed that Yuan Qing drawing his sword at the garrison office was a more serious matter than Marquis Changping dispatching Yuan Qing to Chongshan Town.

But whether something is serious or not is up to Emperor Chengping to decide; whatever Emperor Chengping deems serious is the ultimate betrayal.

Whether it’s arrogance and despotism or abuse of power, none of these mattered much in Emperor Chengping’s eyes. But secretly moving troops out of the Capital City, even if just a few dozen people, that was a taboo in Emperor Chengping’s heart.

After reprimanding the Crown Prince, Emperor Chengping’s anger subsided somewhat.

“Speak, what did you have Marquis Jingyuan’s men do in Chongshan Town?”

Although the Secret Martial Guards monitored many officials and nobles in the court, not everything was reported to Emperor Chengping; otherwise, Emperor Chengping would not need to do anything else, just listen to reports from the Secret Martial Guards all day.

The Crown Prince spoke tentatively, “Your son—”

“Louder!” Emperor Chengping commanded.

“Your son wishes for the Marquis Jingyuan Mansion to form a marital alliance with the Changping Marquis Mansion!”

Emperor Chengping looked at his foolish son, feeling somewhat powerless.

He reclined on the cushions, his gaze calm as he examined the Crown Prince.

“Stupid, truly stupid!”

The Crown Prince panicked; he could feel the gaze of his Father Emperor and was extremely anxious.

“What is the true foundation that has sustained the Changping Marquis Mansion for over three hundred years? Do you not understand?”

“Your Highness knows.” The Crown Prince replied in panic.

“Knowing that, why would you still commit such a foolish act!” Emperor Chengping really thought the Crown Prince was foolish.

For an emperor, a noble like the family of the Changping Marquis, who do not form factions, take sides, or covet power, is the most reassuring kind.

If Your Majesty employs me, I will contribute my effort and work; if Your Majesty does not need me, I will enjoy wealth and honor.

This is the main reason why the Changping Marquis Mansion has not been stripped of its title in over three hundred years.

This is also why Emperor Chengping can rest assured by placing Liang Chu in Chongshan Town.

All other border garrisons have garrison eunuchs, and the Secret Martial Guards strictly monitor them, but what about Chongshan Town now? The garrison eunuch Lv Hua had long since run off to Beiyuan Town, and the power of the Secret Martial Guards wasn’t present at Chongshan Pass either.

In short, Liang Chu is the noble whom Emperor Chengping trusts the most.

Initially, if it wasn’t for the need to reorganize Chongshan Town, Emperor Chengping certainly would have kept Liang Chu with the imperial guards.

“Return and you will be grounded for a month; reflect well on your actions for Us!”

Emperor Chengping said, tiredly.

The Crown Prince knelt on the ground, with a defeated look on his face, responding, “This son abides by Your Majesty’s decree!”

“Proclaim Our edict, Marquis Jingyuan has abused his authority and disregarded national laws; he is to be demoted in rank by one level, fined three years of salary, and removed from his post as the commander of the Fenwu Camp.”

Hearing the decree, the Crown Prince shivered.

He knew that Marquis Jingyuan had thoroughly lost this time.

Losing salary and position were nothing.

But a demotion in rank!

Such a punishment was extremely serious.

Marquis Jingyuan was a Second-rank Marquis, and being demoted by one level meant a Third-rank Marquis; if Marquis Jingyuan couldn’t obtain military merit to be promoted once more, the next generation would become Marquis Jingyuan instead.

What nobles fear the most is demotion or dispossession of their titles.

Yet the Crown Prince dared not plead for mercy, and could only bow and exit the study.

After he left, Emperor Chengping leaned against the couch, massaging his forehead wearily.

“Marquis Changping has contributed to Chongshan Town, reward him with a thousand taels of silver, and appoint one of his sons as a garrison officer over a thousand households!”

There are penalties for those who err, rewards for those who merit it.

It might be a little premature to reward the Marquis Changping now, but he had also suffered grievances due to the issues caused by the Crown Prince, so Emperor Chengping could only appease him first.

…

An Yuan City.

Yang Zhenshan was naturally unaware of the happenings in the Capital City, and after capturing Yuan Qing, he had locked him in the garrison office’s large prison and then ignored the matter completely.

Because what remained to be done was no longer within his power to manipulate at will.

He was unsure how effective Xu Jin’s impeachment would be, nor did he know to what extent Liu Yuanfu would go.

All he could do now was wait for the news; for everything else, he would have to wait until the results were out before making any plans.

As for Marquis Jingyuan, Yang Zhenshan didn’t actually worry too much.

As the saying goes, this is Chongshan Town, and Marquis Jingyuan, no matter how powerful, could not meddle with the affairs of Chongshan Town.

Compared to Marquis Jingyuan, Yang Zhenshan’s most pressing issue at the moment was the marriage arrangement for Yang Yunxue.

Liang Jinyan had arrived in An Yuan City, and not only Liang Jinyan, but also the eldest from the Changping Marquis Mansion, Liang Hui, who was Liang Jinyan’s father.

Liang Hui was the legitimate eldest son of Liang Chu and had the right to inherit the Marquis Mansion. Although he had not been officially designated as the Princely Heir, his position in the Mansion had long been established.

With Liang Hui arriving in person, it was natural for Yang Zhenshan to go out of the city to receive him.

Watching the long procession advancing along the imperial road, Yang Zhenshan stood before the city gate on horseback, stroking his beard in contemplation.

As the entourage approached, a handsome middle-aged man wearing a black Taoist robe descended from the carriage.

“Master Yang, hahaha, for you to come out and welcome me personally is really too flattering for Liang!”

This head of the Marquis Mansion was interesting, taking such a humble approach.

“Mr. Liang jests; for Mr. Liang to visit in person, Yang is genuinely overjoyed!”

The two exchanged pleasantries and compliments shamelessly, with not a single substantial word between them.

Liang Hui also holds an official rank, that of a Commander in Chongshan. Although it’s a nominal position without real power, no one can ignore his presence, for he is the future Marquis Changping.

“The junior has come to meet Master Yang!” Liang Jinyan stepped forward and gave a fist-and-palm salute.

Yang Zhenshan nodded smilingly, but did not say anything, simply welcoming Liang Hui into the city.

Back at the Yang Mansion, Yang Zhenshan naturally entertained them well.

Liang Hui quite approved of the marriage, keeping up a friendly conversation with Yang Zhenshan the whole time.

The two chatted about everything, from Chongshan Town to the Capital City, from the Capital City to Jiangnan, discussing not national affairs, but delightful topics of culture and elegance.

To be honest, in this regard, Yang Zhenshan was no match for Liang Hui.

In terms of worldliness, Yang Zhenshan seriously lacked in many areas.

Having been in this world for many years, he was only intimately familiar with the Liaodong Region, with far less understanding of the whole of Da Rong, mostly just hearsay.

But Liang Hui was different. After all, he was a nobleman’s child, had always lived in the Capital City, and could describe the customs and geography of the entire Da Rong in detail.

Conversing with him broadened Yang Zhenshan’s horizons significantly.

Of course, Yang Zhenshan did not forget the matter at hand; he kept observing Liang Jinyan.

Though he did not interact much with Liang Jinyan, he was able to discern a lot from his every move.

Courteous, neither arrogant nor impetuous, and despite his youthful appearance, his conduct was very steady.

This was a typical noble scion; in fact, those libertine noble scions are the minority.

The more profound the family background, the more stern their family discipline will be.

And most scions of noble families are brought up with strict teachings; while they might have some bad habits or a bit of arrogance, it is normal; however, they are always much superior in matters of etiquette compared to officials of humble origins.