Traveling through the emperor, overthrowing the empress dowager at the beginning

In the Chang'an prefectural government office.

Ye Chen stretched out his hand and slowly picked up the bamboo slips that Shen Qiu had given him.

He gently unfolded the bamboo slips and scanned the contents on them.

The expression was as if he was examining a series of ordinary things, without showing too much surprise.

In his mind, the evil deeds of this playboy were like the fallen leaves on the tree. He had seen too many of them and was no longer surprised.

Most of them are similar.

It's nothing more than abducting women, beating people to death, framing people, and forced buying and selling.

Ye Chen understood in his heart that this was a great opportunity to deal with the local powerful people in Chang'an City.

The entire Chang'an City is like a chess game, and Dong Ning is the chess piece that can be used.

By dealing with Dong Ning, Ye Chen can use this as an opportunity to crack down on local tyrants, so that even after he leaves, he can completely control the entire Chang'an City.

Ye Chen looked at the bamboo slips, squinting his eyes and thinking for a while.

He looked at Shen Qiu and said in an unquestionable tone of command: "Shen Qiu, imprison Dong Ning and his sixteen city defense soldiers. Send people to guard them at all times and do not allow any outsiders to contact them."

Shen Qiu responded respectfully, turned around and went to carry out the order.

Just as Shen Qiu was leaving, a guard quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and reported to Ye Chen: "Sir, the governor Guo Xing is here to see you."

Ye Chen nodded slightly and said, "Let him in."

After a while, the prefect Guo Xing walked in.

His face had the calmness of a veteran official, and although there was some respect for Ye Chen in his eyes, it was not much.

He bowed to Ye Chen and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Sir, I am here because the local border governor Dong Yu wants to see you."

While Guo Xing was speaking, he looked at Ye Chen, trying to see something from Ye Chen's expression.

When Ye Chen heard this, he narrowed his eyes and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

He was silent for a moment, then slowly said to Guo Xing: "In that case, bring him here."

His voice was calm, yet it held an irresistible authority.

Guo Xing's heart trembled slightly, and he felt an invisible pressure emanating from Ye Chen, and quickly responded: "Yes, sir."

Then he hurried back.

The atmosphere in the prefectural government office was somewhat depressing.

Ye Chen sat upright on the main seat, his posture was upright, like an unshakable mountain. Although the imperial aura on his body was restrained, it still made people feel awe.

Guo Xing brought Dong Yu here. As soon as Dong Yu entered the door, he quickly looked at Ye Chen with a hint of temptation in his eyes.

Ye Chen looked at the two of them with a sharp gaze that seemed to be able to penetrate people's souls.

Dong Yu was startled when he saw this. He immediately stepped forward, smiling broadly, and said, "Sir, I am the Marquis of Fubian. I have come here to apologize for my son's reckless behavior. I didn't recognize the great man, so I made such a big mistake."

As he spoke, he quietly took out an exquisite brocade box from his sleeve. A sly look flashed in his eyes as he continued, "Sir, this is just a small gift. It's not much of a token of respect. I beg you to be kind enough to give it to me."

Ye Chen watched his actions, a hint of barely perceptible disgust flashing in his eyes. He raised his hand slightly and refused, "No need. I will judge this matter fairly. Don't mention it again."

His voice was cold and contained an unquestionable determination.

When Dong Yu saw that his bribery failed, his face instantly turned gloomy.

"Sir, please don't go too far. My Dong family has been nobles for generations and is quite powerful in this city and even in the capital. You are just a small imperial envoy. You can control me now, but when you get to the capital, humph."

Dong Yu's voice rose a few degrees, his eyes full of provocation.

Hearing this, Ye Chen's eyes became even colder.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Guo Xing quickly stepped forward with a flattering smile on his face and said to Ye Chen, "Sir, you see how serious this matter is. Let's all take a step back. If you release Young Master Dong first, the head of the Dong family will naturally not treat you unfairly. We can discuss the benefits."

After hearing this, Ye Chen looked at Guo Xing again, the corners of his mouth suddenly raised slightly, but there was a playful look in his eyes, and he said: "Okay, I can take a step back, but I have to wait until you give me the benefits first."

Hearing this, Guo Xing and Dong Yu were both stunned.

But I didn’t expect Ye Chen to agree so readily.

Dong Yu immediately said, "Don't worry, my lord. If you release my son, I will immediately give you a thousand taels of gold."

Hearing this, Ye Chen also laughed. His laughter echoed in the room, but it was elusive.

His eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, his gaze cold, as if he was looking at two prey that had walked into a trap.

He wanted to use these two people to further understand the power of the powerful people in Chang'an City, and then deal with them in one fell swoop.

After laughing, Ye Chen pretended to be gentle and said to Dong Yu and Guo Xing, "You two, although this imperial envoy intends to let Dong Ning go, he has caused such a big mess today. If I let him go right now, where will my reputation as an imperial envoy be? How about this, you two go back and wait for five days."

Hearing this, Dong Yu hurriedly stepped forward and said with a smile, "Sir, can you please allow me to meet my son?"

Ye Chen was silent for a moment, as if thinking, and then he said: "You can meet him, but you can't meet him in the prison. You can only talk to him from a distance."

Ye Chen's eyes turned serious, and he continued to explain: "This is also for me to establish my authority among my subordinates. After all, I have said before that you must keep a close watch on the young master."

Hearing this, Dong Yu was a little disappointed, but he couldn't say anything more and had to agree.

Guo Xing nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Excellency has given it much thought. I will now take my leave."

After saying this, the two of them retreated respectfully.

After the two left, Shen Qiu walked forward with light steps.

Her cold face looked even more beautiful under the lights of the prefect's mansion, and her figure was graceful yet heroic.

She looked at Ye Chen with doubt in her eyes and asked softly, "Your Majesty, are you really going to release Dong Ning?"

Hearing this, Ye Chen shook his head slightly and said, "Of course not, Qiu'er, think about it. Dong Yu is the Marquis of Fubian, and he can actually casually take out a thousand taels of gold today. Such financial resources, even in the capital area, there are probably not many marquisates that can have such financial resources. How powerful is the Dong family and how rich is their financial resources? I am really curious."

Ye Chen paced with his hands behind his back, his eyes gleaming with wisdom as he continued, "I'm taking this opportunity to ask Dong Yu to make a higher bid. I'll try to insinuate things when I'm in contact with him, so I can see how powerful the Dong family really is. When Fu Yao arrives, I'll tell her this information and have her initiate an intelligence organization to conduct an in-depth investigation."

"Only after I find out their true colors can I use Dong Ning to capture them all!"

Hearing this, Shen Qiu felt relieved and admired Ye Chen's plan.