Chapter 1007 - 1009: Promotion, Obstruction_1
The two glared at each other with bulging eyes, angry, but suddenly they both burst out laughing. Dengdeng, playing to one side, looked at them, puzzled, wondering what game they were playing.
Bai Ruozhu laughed so hard her body shook. Looking at Jiang Yichun she said, "Why should we get angry over others? Especially those not worth our time. From now on, we’ll be known as the ’Bane of Capital City,’ specializing in dealing with such shameless and unreasonable scum. We’ll strike down one if they come alone, and beat a pair if they come as two!"
Jiang Yichun’s smile grew wider at her words, "Good, we’ll join hands and advance together; no one will be able to bully us."
Bai Ruozhu broke into laughter, thinking they could be bullied, but they would fiercely strike back. She remembered the whip Jiang Yichun had cracked on Yang Hongwen’s back while on horseback. It was simply too cool; she would also practice horse riding and whipping. If she encountered someone like Yang Hongwen again, she’d be sure to deliver several harsh lashes as well.
Just thinking about it made her feel insanely exhilarated!
Elder Jiang Ge, who fainted from anger because of Jiang Yichun, claimed illness and stayed in bed for two days, but on the third day, he still went to court. However, this time he was very quiet, as if he lacked the energy to speak.
Fan Li, the governor of the Capital, uncovered quite a few problems as well. Initially, he was somewhat afraid to expose them, but remembering the Emperor’s words, "Do not let me down," he felt the Emperor was hinting at something. If he couldn’t even grasp this much, he would truly live up to that sentence and disappoint the Emperor.
So, Fan Li bit the bullet and thoroughly investigated all the evidence of Yang Hongwen’s bullying and womanizing, presenting it to the court.
Offending Yang Tianhua was preferable to disappointing the Emperor, so he steeled himself for the challenge.
The Emperor, after reading the evidence, directly tossed it at Yang Tianhua’s face, "Yang Tianhua, is this how you teach your son?"
Yang Tianhua’s eyes, flashing with a cold light, glanced at Fan Li, inwardly cursing Fan Li for having the audacity to go through with it. He had already told Yang Hongwen to clean up what needed cleaning, to silence those who needed silencing; how was it still discovered?
He didn’t know there were people who acted faster than him, like those from Batianzhai.
All the women had been rescued and were willing to testify. The coachman Bai Ruozhu had initially saved also agreed to testify, and Jiang Yichun even managed to have his Indenture Contract stolen out.
Yang Tianhua, looking at these incriminating pieces of evidence, had his expression changing unpredictably, then finally turned his gaze to Jiang Yichun behind him. He knew it was not within Fan Li’s capability to bring all these to light. If it wasn’t that Fan Li had colluded with Jiang Yichun, then it must be Jiang Yichun aiding him from the shadows.
Because of Yang Hongwen’s case, the Emperor was furiously enraged and directly ordered Fan Li to imprison Yang Hongwen, and later to exile him to the remote borderlands. As for Yang Tianhua, for failing to teach his son and allowing him to commit wrongful acts in the Capital, he was penalized with six months’ forfeiture of salary and confined to self-reflection for two months. His position was temporarily handed over to deputy officials.
Yang Tianhua protested his innocence, but the Emperor countered with a single phrase, "I will permit you to protest your innocence, just find evidence that proves Yang Hongwen’s innocence, and we will let bygones be bygones."
It was then that Yang Tianhua refrained from making a scene in the Main Hall and went home after the court session to discuss strategies with his retainers.
That same day, Madam Yang went to see Imperial Concubine Liu, wondering why the Emperor, who had initially told them to impeach Jiang Yichun, had changed his stance.
Imperial Concubine Liu, recalling the Emperor’s tone that night which seemed to carry a hint of "go ahead, if they’re not afraid of death," thought that perhaps it was difficult to predict the Emperor’s mind—maybe he had intentionally set a trap for the Yang Family.
After several days of rest, Bai Zepei went to report to the Imperial Academy and officially became a member. Surprisingly, Ding Guangji was also there. The two had previously met in Jiangnan, and they quickly became comfortable with each other.
Ding Guangji provided Bai Zepei with many things to take note of regarding the Academy, which turned out to be a great help to Bai.
Soon after, the Emperor made judgments regarding individuals involved in the Duke of Duan’s rebellion during the morning court session and then rewarded those who had contributed to quelling the rebellion. Jiang Yichun, being the main contributor to the suppression of the rebellion, and having also eradicated Batianzhai, was directly appointed by the Emperor as a fourth-rank Jinwu Guard Right Guard Commander, and his wife was conferred the title of fourth-rank Imperial Order Lady.
As the Jinwu Guard is the Emperor’s personal guard, Jiang Yichun’s rise within its ranks easily led people to speculate about the Emperor’s intentions. Although the specifics were unclear, everyone knew that they should not offend Jiang Yichun lightly.
However, just at that moment, Elder Jiang Ge, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.
"Your Majesty, your elderly subject has a matter to report," Elder Jiang Ge bowed to the Emperor, "Jiang Yichun did not rise through the Martial Exam Ranking, and he had no military merits prior to this. He only eradicated bandits twice and suppressed the Duke of Duan’s rebellion. Such quick promotion is unjustifiable. What would it mean for fairness? How would those military officers who have struggled for decades to reach a fourth-rank feel?"
As expected, some generals who heard this stood up, feeling that Jiang Yichun was too young and not suitable for the position. They also felt that his rapid promotion was unfair, which would discourage other military officers.
Jiang Yichun didn’t care much about the promotion, but now that Elder Jiang had stirred up trouble, he was determined to seize the position.
"Elder Jiang is mistaken. Ambition is not limited by age. There were generals in their twenties in ancient times, so why can’t there be a fourth-rank military officer like me? As for military merits, do the achievements during the suppression of the rebellion not count? Eradicating bandits and removing harm for the people, resolving the collusion with the Turkic Country by Batianzhai and restoring peace to the Northwest—do these not count as military merits?"
Jiang Yichun arched an eyebrow, "You think I have not held office for long, but have you considered that I have been with the Tongzheng Division for seven years, risking my life for the Imperial Court and investigating numerous cases?"
A murmur spread through the crowd, who had all thought that Jiang Yichun suddenly returned to the Capital, and because he was favored by the Emperor, he eradicated some bandits casually and obtained a decent office. They thought that the pacification of the Northwest was anticipated by the Emperor, who arranged for him to be there to accomplish great deeds for promotion.
But no one expected that he had come from the Tongzheng Division. Many shrank back, intimidated by those from the Tongzheng Division.
The Emperor, sitting on the Dragon Throne, forced a helpless smile. He didn’t want Jiang Yichun to be disliked or guarded against, which was why he omitted mention of Jiang’s previous post in the Tongzheng Division, even using his bandit purge to cover up the past. Yet Jiang himself did not care and spoke freely of it.
The Emperor felt helplessly that no aristocratic son would act like him, so unconcerned about reputation.
Suddenly, Tang Yin recalled that Jiang Yichun was not really an aristocratic son; he had been expelled from the Jiang Family, arising from the masses. He was unfettered by the rules that constrained aristocrats, not needing to weigh the interests of his Family, and thus he was truly at ease.
For a moment, even Tang Yin, the Emperor, felt somewhat envious of Jiang Yichun.
In the end, the Emperor dismissed Elder Jiang Ge’s opposition and still bestowed upon Jiang Yichun the position of a fourth-rank Jinwu Guard Right Guard Commander, and also conferred upon Bai Ruozhu the title of a fourth-rank Imperial Order Lady.
Jiang Yichun went home and showed Bai Ruozhu the Golden Canon Gift as if showing off a treasure and laughed, "See, your husband has helped you rise in rank. From now on, you don’t have to bow to anyone below the fourth-rank when you go out."
Bai Ruozhu looked at him sideways, "You mean to say you got promoted just so I could bow less when I go out?"
Jiang Yichun said with great pride, "Otherwise, for what reason? Could it be to make a fortune? If I wanted money, wouldn’t I have gone into business?"