Yamafu Military Affairs

Chapter 684 Mutation
After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Just as Qin Wen was listening to Chen Yuncong's eloquent speech and his views on the general situation of the world, Chen Ran, whom he had met before, walked in from outside, hurriedly went through the curtain and found Chen Yuncong, and whispered a few words to him.

"Young Master, the Dengzhen Pagoda has suddenly issued a decree ordering it to close its doors and remain silent. It seems you won't be able to retrieve the peace charm you requested."

Qin Wen's ears twitched, and he heard this news, which was hardly a secret, clearly.

Upon hearing the sudden closure of the Dengzhen Tower, Chen Yun remained expressionless, simply nodding and apologizing to Qin Wen before leading Chen Yu out.

Watching the backs of the master and servant, Qin Wen raised his head slightly, his gaze passing over the white walls and gray tiles, and landing on the ceramic tower that pierced the clouds. For some reason, his spiritual senses were inexplicably restless.

'Something happened at the Tower of Ascension? Was it the Boundless Body? Or one of the other Boundless Saints? Or perhaps, the Boundless Venerable?'

Thinking of the battle between Si Chen that he had witnessed in the novel "The Legend of Shura," Qin Wen subconsciously made a guess and pricked up his ears to listen to the conversation between the two people outside.

"What's going on? The Dengzhen Pagoda has stood for a hundred years and has never closed its gates. Why would Elder Zhu issue such a decree?"

Like Qin Wen, Chen Yun also had a general idea in his mind, but due to his status, he was not clear about many things.

"What's the panic? This morning at the morning court, Zhu Weng already sent someone to inform the court about the closure of Dengzhen Pagoda. I've discussed it with Hong Yanyan, Shi Xianzhi, and a few others, and it won't affect the overall situation."

Before Chen Yu could reply, a strong voice came from outside the garden. Then, an old man with white hair and beard, wearing a scarlet robe and a jade belt, appeared in front of Chen Yuncong, supported by two maids.

"grandfather!"

Seeing the old man speak, Chen Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief and calmed down.

“When Ah Jing comes back, Uncle Da has some loose ends to take care of, so he’s still staying at the department.”

Patting his grandson's head, Chen Guangye slowly said, "I heard from Ayu that a high-ranking official has come to our house. He was recommended by Wuyu?"

"Yes, they are in the hall now."

"Take me to see him."

As he spoke, Chen Guangye, a Wenyuan Pavilion official whose every stomp could shake the court and the country, walked into the hall with steady steps, not at all like an old man in his eighties.

"Mr. Miaoxuan?"

"This humble Taoist, Miaoxuan, greets Elder Chen, the Immortal Historian of Yuyang."

After exchanging names and formalities, Qin Wen finally had time to examine Chen Guangye, whom Chen Yun described as a man of both literary and martial talents who had almost single-handedly carried forward his family's legacy and transformed the Haining Chen clan into one of the three most prominent families in the Southern Ming Dynasty.

Like most elderly people, Chen Guangye had loose skin, slightly droopy eye bags, and sparse age spots. However, Qin Wen's senses were far more acute than those of ordinary people. He could sense that the old man was not as weak as he appeared on the surface.

Moreover, Chen Guangye's eyes, which were incredibly deep and resembled two clumps of black mercury, were completely free of the cloudiness that one would expect from an elderly person.

'His physical cultivation is quite impressive; he must have been a formidable military strategist in his younger days.'

Qin Wen also noticed Chen Guangye's right hand, which was trembling slightly, and silently added, "He seems to be suffering from an old ailment. It's hard to say how much strength he still has." At the same time, Chen Guangye looked at the facial features under Qin Wen's mask and became more and more alarmed.

The reason is simple: Qin Wen's appearance is too similar to that of Zixu Jun of Suxuan Temple, as if they were made from the same mold.

No, they're practically identical!
Chen Guangye's heart stirred, and he suddenly thought of the lofty and unapproachable Xuanpin Venerable. Sixty years ago, he had met Wei Wuliang before she ascended to immortality. At that time, she was just Su Xuan Zhenren, and her appearance and demeanor were exactly the same as Qin Wen's now!
Thinking of this, Chen Guangye felt much more at ease and was almost completely confident about Chen Yun's trip to Songjiang. As someone in a high position, he knew far more than others, and things like nature, the ten emotions and eight sufferings, and the dragon energy restrictions were really nothing to him.

After all, there are even more horrifying things hidden within Jinling City.
"Uncle, something's happened!"

Inside the imperial city, outside the Imperial Study, Fan Yiwu, the Minister of Revenue dressed in red silk with blue trim, saw Chen Shuda, the Minister of War, arrive upon being summoned and immediately stepped forward to remind him.

"What's wrong, Lord Fan? Why are you so panicked?"

The imposing and dignified Chen Shuda stopped in his tracks, glanced at the other six ministers of the Six Ministries who were also waiting outside, and asked in a low voice.

Before Fan Yiwu could reply, the young emperor's still-childish and angry voice came from the imperial study: "What, the six ministers haven't arrived yet?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Shuda raised his hand to stop Fan Yiwu, indicating that he did not need to say anything more, and then took the initiative to cup his hands and say loudly, "Your subject Chen Shuda, Fan Yiwu, Hong Risheng, Shi Longjiang, Zheng Mingyan, and Li Shenbo hereby decree."

"Summon the six ministers: Chen Shuda, Fan Yiwu, Hong Risheng, Shi Longjiang, Zheng Mingyan, and Li Shenbo to an audience!"

Accompanied by the voice of the eunuch holding the pen, the six people quickly entered the imperial study and saw the young emperor standing with his hands behind his back, wearing a gold-embroidered dragon robe.

After they had performed the grand ceremony, the young emperor waved his hand to tell them to rise. He turned around, and his imposing gaze swept across the face of Li Shenbo, the Minister of Personnel, Chen Shuda, the Minister of War, and finally settled on Fan Yiwu, the Minister of Revenue, whose face was ashen.

Sensing the young emperor's murderous glare, Fan Yiwu shrank back nervously, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Is the next stop Fan Yiwu, the Minister of Revenue?"

The young emperor let out a cold snort, his expression quite agitated.

"Yes, it is indeed your humble servant."

Fan Yiwu raised his head and answered with a forced smile.

"Hmph! You still have the nerve to come before me!"

As he spoke, the young emperor raised his hand and threw a memorial, which landed heavily in front of the six people.

"The official ships carrying the silver from the ten salt merchants of Jiangnan to supply the national treasury have once again sunk in the Han Canal, with over a million taels of silver vanished without a trace. Transport Commissioner Wang Feng, Deputy Commissioner Liu Tao, the escorting soldiers, and the boatmen have all perished! Last time you said that the rebels of the Great Shun Dynasty marched south to the Huai River, invaded the border, and robbed my money. Now, what do you have to say?!"

Looking at the still-angry young emperor, Chen Shuda exchanged a glance with Li Shenbo, the Minister of Personnel beside him, and immediately sensed the thorny nature of the matter.

"Collecting salt tax and replenishing the national treasury is the lifeblood of the court. The annual profit from the salt monopoly reaches 3.6 million taels of silver, accounting for more than half of the country's commodities. The late emperor repeatedly emphasized that the transportation of salt and iron and the collection of salt tax are of paramount importance. However, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of War have been negligent and lax, resulting in the weakening of the Huai River naval forces. This made it easy for the rebel army to advance south, burning, killing, and looting. The Han Canal section has been in disrepair for many years and has many hidden reefs. Several shipwrecks have occurred within half a year!"

The young emperor grew angrier as he spoke, his piercing gaze shifting from Fan Yiwu to Shi Longjiang, the Minister of Works: "Tell me, why is it that of my three major salt-producing regions, only the Lianghuai area, where the true dragon resides, cannot collect this tribute silver?"

(End of this chapter)