Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 97 Contact with Power!

Gu's Library.

Chen Qing was engrossed in reading a newly printed issue of "The Chronicles of Heroes" when a faint voice came from behind him.

"Young master's family."

Chen Qing was startled and turned around abruptly to find that Yan Cong had somehow appeared behind him. He glared at Yan Cong, looked around, and couldn't help but say, "Don't the people from your Zhenfu Division make any noise when they walk?"

Yan Cong didn't reply. He looked around to make sure no one was there before speaking, "The Zhenfu Division has already registered you, young master. From now on, you are a member of the Zhenfu Division."

"My father will arrange the specific duties for you, young master, once the White Lotus Sect matter is settled."

Chen Qing was taken aback, then turned to look at the son of a high-ranking official in the Zhenfu Division, and asked in confusion, "Wasn't this matter supposed to be arranged for me after the matter of the cult bandits was settled? Commander Yan is so generous, he's already letting me into the Zhenfu Division before the matter is even settled?"

Yan Cong coughed and shook his head, saying, "Young Master, the bookstore is not a place to talk; there are too many spies there."

Chen Qing smiled, then glanced at the time and said, "It's almost noon. Go wash up, and I'll treat you to lunch."

This young master Yan has been working at the bookstore for quite some time and has been working very hard, just like a scripture apprentice, doing whatever he is supposed to do. Right now, his body and face are covered with ink stains, and his hands are even black.

After hearing Chen Qing's words, Yan Cong didn't waste any more words. He turned around and went to wash up. A moment later, the young master Yan regained his handsome appearance and followed Chen Qing to a small tavern outside the bookstore.

The two went upstairs and sat down. Chen Qing looked at Yan Cong and said with a smile, "Today, Lord Yan has given me a pleasant surprise. If I am ever harmed by the White Lotus Sect in the future, the Zhenfu Division can at least give me some compensation."

Upon hearing this, Yan Cong took a long time to recover. He quickly waved his hand and said, "I'm just a captain in the Zhenfu Division, Young Master Chen, you..."

"You must not address me that way."

Chen Qing poured him a drink and said with a smile, "Your father is one of the top figures in the Zhenfu Division. Before I joined the Zhenfu Division, I could call him brother. Now that I'm in the Zhenfu Division, of course I have to call him Lord Yan."

Yan Cong shook his head again: "The duties of the Zhenfu Division are different from those of other thousand-household offices. The duties of other thousand-household offices can be inherited, but the duties of the Zhenfu Division cannot be inherited."

He looked at Chen Qing and continued, "Like Young Master Chen, I am a newcomer to the Zhenfu Division. However, I have been in contact with many people in the Zhenfu Division since I was a child, so I am more familiar with the Zhenfu Division than Young Master Chen."

"The White Lotus case was also the first case I took on."

Chen Qing clinked glasses with him and said with a smile, "So, if things go well, we can both get promoted?"

Yan Cong was silent for a moment, then shook his head slightly and said, "I don't know about that."

"However, there is one thing I can tell Young Master Chen."

Chen Qing clinked glasses with him and said with a smile, "We're all brothers in the same government office, why bother with 'young master'? We've exchanged greetings, have you forgotten, Lord Yan?"

Yan Cong thought for a moment and then said, "Brother Chen."

Chen Qing said with a smile, "Then I'll shamelessly call Lord Yan my brother."

At this moment, Young Master Chen was quite happy.

He came to the capital not only because of his family, but also primarily to find a way to advance his career, and now he has found that way.

For someone of his background, the hardest part of becoming an official is actually taking that first step. If he can't cross that threshold, he can forget about climbing any further.

Now that he has entered the Zhenfu Division, even if he is only a captain, or what people call a Jinyitiqi (Imperial Guard), once he enters this door, there is a possibility of promotion.

How far Chen Qing goes from here depends entirely on his own abilities.

Yan Cong poured wine for Chen Qing and said, "Brother Chen, the reason you were able to enter the Zhenfu Division ahead of schedule is because my father went to meet His Majesty. I guess this was also ordered by His Majesty."

“Originally, my father should have come to see you in person, but he has been in the Zhenfu Division for many years and many people in the capital know him. At this time, there are many White Lotus rebels in and around the capital, and it would be too risky to alert them. Therefore, my father asked me to pass on this message to Brother Chen.”

Chen Qing nodded, then smiled and said, "It seems that Lord Yan has heard my earlier request for you to convey his thoughts to him."

The White Lotus sect has too many followers.

Unfortunately, these believers are not the same as the real followers, so it is very difficult for the imperial court to completely eradicate the White Lotus Sect. Even if some of the followers are wiped out, they can still rise from the ashes after a period of dormancy.

If all the believers were killed, not to mention whether the imperial court could manage hundreds of thousands of people, if that were to happen, it would likely immediately incite a popular uprising!
Therefore, Chen Qing's suggestion was naturally quite attractive to the emperor, since this method could indeed potentially eradicate the White Lotus Sect's deep-seated problems. Otherwise, with the White Lotus Sect secretly accumulating power right under the emperor's nose, it might really cause chaos in a few years.

Yan Cong shook his head: "I don't know the specifics yet."

He looked at Chen Qing and said in a low voice, "However, the He Family Village outside the city that Brother Chen mentioned, as well as that brothel in Zaoshu Hutong, have already been monitored by the Zhenfu Division. They are just waiting for an order to wipe them out."

At this point, Yan Cong's expression turned somewhat unpleasant: "The He Family Village outside the city has been under the watch of several brothers from the Zhenfu Division for several days. They have raised dozens of beggar children who come out to ask for money."

"I wonder how many evil deeds they have committed in secret."

Chen Qing lowered his head and drank his wine, then asked, "What about that brothel in Zao Shu Hutong?"

"We haven't investigated yet, to avoid alerting them, but one of our brothers went in for a look around, and inside..."

"Most of the girls inside are thirteen or fourteen years old."

Yan Cong looked at Chen Qing and said in a low voice, "It's probably not very clean either."

Brothels and brothels are completely different things.

To be precise, brothels cater to the high-end market, and the famous courtesans there are essentially idols in the world of pleasure. Although brothels also engage in prostitution, these transactions often come with emotional value.

For example, if a girl can play the piano, dance, and recite poetry, the feeling will naturally be different when you sleep together.

Brothels, on the other hand, are purely businesses dealing in the flesh, so even brothels sometimes look down on the business of running clandestine brothels.

Yan Cong glanced at Chen Qing and continued, "Originally, we could have investigated immediately, but Brother Chen still needs to continue contacting the higher-ups of the White Lotus Sect, so my father held back for the time being, waiting for Brother Chen's follow-up."

Chen Qing narrowed his eyes and said softly, "I've already written the beginning of what the White Lotus Sect asked me to write. I'll be contacting them in the next few days."

"It would be great to see that Master Yang, but if we can't, at least we should capture that guy surnamed Bai."

Chen Qing held up one finger: "Starting from today, at most one month. If we can't get in touch with the higher-ups of the White Lotus Sect within a month, we'll start closing in."

Yan Cong frowned and said in a low voice, "Brother Chen, if we can find the leader of the cult, even if it takes half a year or a year, it will be worth it."

Chen Qing shook his head.

“Just that damned He Family Village outside the city has children disabled every day. We can’t just stand by and watch them do evil. If we continue to patrol, we’ll have to take action within a month.”

"It would be good if we could find that Yang guy within this month, but if we can't find him..."

Chen Qing lowered his head, took a sip of wine, and said, "From now on, I'm considered a member of the Zhenfu Division. If I can't find that guy surnamed Yang, I'll spend ten or twenty years in the Zhenfu Division and definitely find him."

"Make him pay for his crime."

Chen Qing spoke softly, but with unusual firmness.

Yan Cong poured wine for Chen Qing and whispered, "Brother Chen, I'll go with you to capture these beasts."

He paused for a moment, then said, "My father also said that he wants to know which faction within the White Lotus Sect Brother Chen plans to support. If possible, he would like to meet with the person in charge of that faction."

Chen Qing shook his head: "We'll have to deal with this after we've closed the net. Brother Yan, please tell Lord Yan."

"I will do my best to handle this matter well. If I fail to do so, I will request punishment once I am admitted to the Zhenfu Division."

"it is good."

Yan Cong picked up his wine glass, clinked it with Chen Qing's, and said in a low voice, "Now, I have a captain's man by my side, at my beck and call."

"Brother Chen, what's the matter?"

Yan Cong looked up at Chen Qing, his expression hardening.

"Just give the order."

(End of this chapter)