Even after the Dragon Sparrow Army was formed, although Han Qian tried his best to push the credit for the “Epidemic Water Memorial” onto Shen Yang and others in front of Feng Yi and the rest, when the Dragon Sparrow Army truly drew Anning Palace’s attention and Anning Palace sent out agents to thoroughly investigate the matter, he and his father still couldn’t wash away suspicion.
Therefore, even without today’s events, Han Qian would have done his utmost to persuade his father to take up a provincial post and leave this place of troubles.
With Han Jun entering the court, eldest uncle Han Daoming had formally aligned himself with Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s faction. With so many matters entangled, Han Qian knew this was the time when decisive action to cut through the chaos was needed even more.
Seeing Han Qian’s burning gaze turn toward him, Han Daoxun couldn’t help but ponder silently again.
Although over the past two or three months Han Qian had spoken at length about the many benefits of taking up a provincial post, when it truly came time to make a decision, Han Daoxun still hesitated. He truly didn’t know how much time he could secure to implement the ambitions in his heart: “Is taking up a provincial post truly feasible?”
“Father wishes to implement new policies, but without first testing local resistance, even if His Majesty has the determination to sever his wrist and cut out the infection, he absolutely wouldn’t dare attempt it lightly. But if father takes up a provincial post and chooses a prefecture or county to implement new laws first, once there are great results, it will surely move His Majesty’s heart. Then, when promoted and expanded, you can win more support and possibly achieve your name in history, father.”
Han Qian couldn’t very well tell his father “you troublemaker, quickly leave Jinling for me—the farther the better,” so he could only persuade with patient guidance.
“His Majesty is advanced in years. Father taking up a provincial post cannot be delayed any further.”
Han Daoxun looked at the puddle of water stains outside the gate, where extremely faint bloodstains hadn’t been washed away, and asked Han Qian: “These past months, you’ve always worried that I would submit memorials remonstrating to eliminate old abuses, that I would anger the powerful throughout the realm, ultimately falling to a ruined reputation. You’ve strongly encouraged me to take up a provincial post, probably also fearing that one day my extreme measures would implicate you, right?”
“…” Han Qian fell silent. His father was far from foolish—in fact, very clever. How could his thoughts possibly be hidden from his father?
“Having thoroughly studied historical records, how could I not know that among those who desire to reform the world, how many can come to a good end?”
Han Daoxun smiled, recalling a past event, and spoke slowly.
“When I first took up a provincial post, the realm was not yet divided into three. At that time, various military governors controlled their territories, and I too was single-mindedly focused on achieving merit and fame to strengthen our clan. After your mother died of illness, I sent you back to Xuanzhou to live with relatives. Afterward, in Chuzhou, I judged a case and restored the good names of a young couple. This was a small matter to me, and I quickly forgot about it. In the eighth year of Tianyou, Chuzhou also suffered military disaster. When marching out to battle, I became separated from Xicheng and the others. Pursued by bandits, I fled to a farmhouse to take refuge. The owners happened to be the young couple whose good names I had restored in that case years ago. They did their utmost to conceal me until the bandit soldiers withdrew. This was originally a beautiful story. When taking my leave, I was thinking of having Xicheng seek out this young couple after returning to give them generous gifts so they wouldn’t be so impoverished. Before departing, the young couple cooked meat soup as a gift to me, so I wouldn’t lack strength to walk back to the prefecture after being hungry for several days. But think about it—this young couple was starved to skin and bones. During the three days and nights I hid in the farmhouse, we all only ate grass stems to fill our bellies. How could there possibly be any meat? After pressing them, I learned they had exchanged their newborn son with neighbors, and cooked him into meat soup to thank me for my kindness. Back then, I too had a heart of iron and stone. Returning to the prefecture, I had Xicheng and the others go bind this young couple and their neighbors and bring them to prison for interrogation. When Xicheng and the others rushed there, the young couple had already hanged themselves in the woodshed. This matter, and this world—it’s a nightmare I haven’t been able to escape for many years…”
Han Qian stood there in a daze.
“Taking up a provincial post is also good. My ambitions are great but my talents meager. Though my heart encompasses the world, it’s difficult to sustain such aspirations. But being able to benefit one region can be considered slightly fulfilling my wish. However, Qian’er, you must conduct yourself well!” Han Daoxun reached out to pat Han Qian’s shoulder, then walked back to the study in the western wing.
Han Qian understood that his father’s willingness to set aside his great ambitions at this moment and not be so urgent was actually placing high hopes on him.
His heart was full of bitter smiles. All his efforts were merely struggling to survive, not wanting to fall to a tragic end of universal betrayal and being torn apart in the marketplace. What qualifications did he have to shoulder these high expectations? Could he tell his father that Emperor Tianyou would surely die within four years, that the person in Anning Palace would be ruthlessly cruel beyond anyone’s imagination, and that the one in Chuzhou was also not someone willing to submit to a subordinate position?
……
……
“You truly place great importance on the Han father and son, to actually let Han Qian control the Left Bureau of the secret bureau.” Su Hongyu’s delicate jade hands rested on the zither strings. Looking at Li Zhigao opposite her with infatuation, she sighed with a languid demeanor.
Yao Xishui also had many dissatisfactions in her heart, but at this moment, she seemed even more dissatisfied that Su Hongyu didn’t conceal her affection for Li Zhigao at all in front of her, this “outsider.”
Even after the Dragon Sparrow Army formed combat effectiveness and became an elite force stationed near Jinling, its greatest function would only be to restrain Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s faction from recklessly moving against the Third Prince and the Marquis Xinchang’s household. But troop movements in the court all had regulations and protocols.
Moreover, Emperor Tianyou was still alive and well. In the capital region, besides the Dragon Sparrow Army, there were also the Southern and Northern Guard Offices’ total of eighteen guard armies—about two hundred thousand troops providing protection.
So under normal circumstances, even Chen De, Li Zhigao, and others had extremely limited power they could directly employ. When truly encountering any sudden situations, they had only the Guard Battalion and the marquis household’s three to four hundred household soldiers they could directly deploy.
Without deployment orders from the Bureau of Military Affairs and Ministry of War, only when completely tearing off all pretense would they directly deploy the Dragon Sparrow Army.
The purpose of establishing the Left and Right Bureaus of the secret bureau was to secretly monitor and spy on the movements of Anning Palace, the Crown Prince, Prince Xin, and other factions, and even undertake the heavy responsibility of bribing, intimidating, or even assassinating generals and officials.
The Left Bureau of the secret bureau’s operations were concealed in darkness, not subject to court regulations and oversight. Han Qian controlling the authority of Left Bureau Counselor meant that to a certain degree, his power was even greater than Chen De, Li Zhigao, and others.
Moreover, Li Zhigao and they were also allowing the secret forces of the Left Bureau of the secret bureau to be completely organized by Han Qian himself, which was equivalent to giving up Wanhong Tower’s direct control over him.
Yao Xishui was naturally opposed, but Marquis Xinchang Li Pu and Li Zhigao advocated for this, and they had their reasons.
That was that the Han father and son had already played too great a role. At this time, they would rather give up direct control over Han Qian than pull Han Qian and his father onto the same boat as themselves.
Facing Su Hongyu’s “complaint,” Li Zhigao only smiled and said: “The Han father and son are not creatures of a small pond. Without sharing generous benefits with them, it will be difficult to accomplish anything.”
“Fine, fine, fine. I’m just talking. I don’t want to hear your serious lectures.” Su Hongyu languidly waved her hand, interrupting Li Zhigao’s words.
At this moment, a blade-wielder dressed in black announced himself and entered, hastily whispering a few sentences in Li Zhigao’s ear before withdrawing.
Seeing Li Zhigao’s face full of shock, Su Hongyu asked: “What is it? What happened?”
“Nothing much, only that the agent planted in Wuli Alley just saw Han Jun, who had come to visit his uncle Han Daoxun, carry out the corpse of a trusted subordinate and leave the Han residence with resentment!” Li Zhigao said.
“Ah! What happened?” Yao Xishui was also moved hearing this and asked.
“What exactly happened in the residence isn’t clear. The agent only saw the youth Zhao Wuji who shot and killed Fan Wucheng that day standing atop the courtyard wall and taking action! Han Jun also had three trusted subordinates whose right arms were broken, and beforehand the Han family’s household soldiers and household soldier disciples in the city had completely surrounded the Han residence.” Li Zhigao said.
“Didn’t Han Qian say he had extremely deep private grievances with the old estate, and you all have never been able to verify it?” Su Hongyu laughed. “Well, now that Han Qian has proposed that his father Han Daoxun take up a provincial post, you can only fulfill his wish!”
“Hmm! I thought I could rest tonight,” Li Zhigao smiled bitterly, saying, “I’m returning to the residence. I won’t stay here talking with you all.”
“As if you’ve been talking with me.” Yao Xishui mocked.
“…” Li Zhigao waved his hand and left Wanhong Tower with his escorts.
Han Daoxun’s remonstrance to expel famine refugees had gradually worsened his reputation, and he had already been isolated by other court officials. At this time, Han Qian also had no information sources from the upper levels of the court, but the Marquis Xinchang’s household had long noticed the Bureau of Military Affairs’ transfer orders concerning Han Jun.
Han family’s eldest, Han Daoming, had served under Xu Mingzhen’s command when serving in Chaozhou in earlier years, and had considerable private friendship with Xu Mingzhen. Now his son entering the Bureau of Military Affairs’ Northern Bureau, which was personally managed by one of the core figures of the maternal relatives surnamed Xu and the Crown Prince’s faction—Vice Director of Military Affairs Niu Gengru—undoubtedly represented Han Daoming as Chizhou Provincial Governor formally becoming a member of the maternal relatives surnamed Xu and the Crown Prince’s faction.
Although Chizhou wasn’t as prosperous as Yang, Hang, Run, Hu, Yue, and other prefectures, it was still a superior prefecture administering eight counties with over seventy thousand registered households. At the same time, as the western gateway to the capital region, bordering Chaozhou and Shouzhou to the north and connecting to various prefectures and counties of Jiangnan West Circuit to the west, its position was especially important.
Han Wenhuan had served as garrison commander in Chizhou in earlier years, cultivating deep connections in the local area. Before Han Daoming took up his post in Chizhou, his son Han Jun had married a daughter of the great Chizhou clan Yang family. After serving as provincial governor and concurrently commanding the garrison army and provincial troops, his prestige in Chizhou was unmatched for a time.
Not to mention the deep power the Han clan had cultivated over generations in Xuanzhou.
Although the old family head Han Wenhuan was still alive, Han Daoming as the Han clan’s natural heir held a higher position within the Han clan than second brother Han Daochang and third brother Han Daoxun.
Of course, Li Zhigao and they also guessed that Han Daoming’s son Han Jun entering the capital this time should be under the direct instruction of the Han clan’s old family head Han Wenhuan.
With the situation becoming increasingly favorable to Anning Palace and the Crown Prince’s faction, Li Pu, Li Zhigao, and others felt redoubled pressure.
Han Daoxun’s discord with his father and elder brothers in earlier years was no secret.
Han Qian also claimed he had struggled under the shadow of second uncle Han Daochang in his youth and harbored resentment.
However, even if these were all true, it couldn’t guarantee that after the entire Han family made their choice, the attitudes of the Han Daoxun and Han Qian father-son pair wouldn’t change.
Over the past several months, the role Han Qian played by the Third Prince’s side was too great—so great that it was no longer a question of killing to silence him, but so great that losing the Han father and son would make their hopes of success even more remote.
Therefore, when Third Prince Yang Yuanpu, instigated by Han Qian, advocated establishing a secret bureau, Li Zhigao was not only not angry, but even more firmly recommended Han Qian to control one bureau, hoping this would solidify the attitudes of Han Qian and his father Han Daoxun.
Li Zhigao hadn’t expected that Han Qian not only already understood their thinking, but that the attitude he demonstrated was so clear and ruthlessly decisive.