Chapter 25: The Army Presses Upon the Eastern Plains

The Crown Prince had given personal orders, and how could Qin Wei dare to show any negligence? For this reason, both he and his men were on high alert, watching every move of the Zhang household with utmost vigilance. Not to mention such an obvious target as a pigeon.

The imperial guards assigned to investigate the Zhangs were the elite of the elite; bringing down a lone pigeon was trivial for them. Qin Wei untied the letter from the pigeon’s leg—correspondence written by Lord Zhang to his colleagues in Dongyuan.

“Keep this letter and the silver together as evidence. Report everything truthfully to His Majesty!”

At present, Qin Wei was tasked with watching Lord Zhang in the capital, while Chancellor Liu was charged with a thorough audit of the national treasury. The most pressing matter left was Chen Mu.

“I must trouble you, my son, to travel to Dongyuan once more.”

With great solemnity, Chen Xingtian placed the Imperial Sword in Chen Mu’s hands, patting his shoulder with gravity and affection. As always, Li Biao accompanied Chen Mu.

But things were different this time. On their last visit to Dongyuan, Chen Mu and Li Biao had traveled incognito, avoiding attention at every turn. They hadn’t dared to wear fine clothes, their horses were inferior even to those of common soldiers, and when they left, they were hunted down and barely escaped with their lives—a most humiliating ordeal.

Now, however, Chen Mu was backed by a thousand-strong, well-armed force. Across his back hung the Imperial Sword, symbol of the emperor’s supreme authority, and he appeared openly as the Crown Prince himself.

Excellent! Let’s see who dares to slight me now.

Long before Chen Mu’s army reached Dongyuan, an imperial edict from Chen Xingtian had already arrived:

“No official is to leave Dongyuan, not even the imperial commissioners.”

The officials of Dongyuan were baffled by this decree, but remained unconcerned. After all, they had an understanding with Lord Zhang in the capital—any movement from the emperor or the court would be relayed to them at once. As there had been no recent word from Lord Zhang, the officials paid the edict little mind, each staying in his own post and continuing to extort exorbitant prices for grain from the starving refugees.

By the time they realized something was amiss, it was already too late. Chen Mu had arrived at the borders of Dongyuan at the head of his army.

The first county they entered was Yuyuan, the same place Chen Mu had visited before.

“The Crown Prince himself brings the Imperial Sword! Is your county magistrate not coming to receive him at once?” Li Biao bellowed at the gates of the local yamen.

In truth, Li Biao’s threats were hardly necessary. The petty officials at the entrance, unaccustomed to such scenes, were already paralyzed with terror at the sight of the troops behind Chen Mu. At Li Biao’s roar, they scrambled headlong into the magistrate’s office.

“My lord! Someone… someone has arrived!”

The portly magistrate, dozing in his chair, was startled awake by the commotion, visibly annoyed.

“What is it? Why all this panic?”

“It’s the Crown Prince—he’s here, and he demands you greet him at once!”

“The Crown Prince?”

The official leapt to his feet.

“Say that again—who has come?”

“The Crown Prince, bearing the Imperial Sword. He commands you to greet him at once!”

Now the magistrate was truly stricken. He rushed to his quarters, donning official robes at record speed, and hurried out. In his haste, he tripped over the threshold, falling hard, but scrambled up and rushed to Chen Mu’s horse, dropping to his knees and kowtowing repeatedly, his body pressed low in abject submission.

“Your humble servant, the magistrate of Yuyuan, greets Your Highness!”

His servile demeanor was a far cry from the arrogant, overbearing man Chen Mu had encountered before. Watching him grovel now, Chen Mu felt a wave of disgust.

“Yuyuan County.”

“Your servant is here.”

“Is your official sash missing a section?”

The magistrate did not dare lift his head, nodding fervently.

“Your servant has been remiss—guilty, deserving of death.”

Chen Mu sneered.

“Yes, you do deserve death, but not for that.”

“Weren’t you the one who recently told me I had no right to concern myself with your attire? Why the sudden change of face today?”

The magistrate was bewildered.

“Your servant does not understand. I beg Your Highness to enlighten me.”

With things so plainly stated, Chen Mu marveled at how such a fool could hold office.

“Yuyuan County, raise your head and see who I am.”

The magistrate barely flicked his gaze upward before lowering it again, his tone crawling with obsequious flattery.

“Your servant dares not look upon the august countenance of Your Highness, lest I offend…”

Chen Mu had no patience for this farce and signaled Li Biao with a glance.

Li Biao immediately stepped forward, seizing the magistrate’s flabby chin in a firm grip.

“When you’re told to look up, you look up! Enough nonsense!”

With that, he wrenched the magistrate’s head up.

“Your servant does n—”

Before he could finish, the magistrate’s eyes locked onto Chen Mu’s face.

“Well, magistrate, do you remember me now?”

Speechless, the magistrate stared in shock.

The Crown Prince? The man who had come to file a complaint that day was the Crown Prince himself!

“All right, it seems you do remember,” Chen Mu said lightly, and Li Biao released the man’s chin in distaste.

Even Chen Mu was secretly astonished—how much gluttony must it take to grow so fat in these lean times?

“Tell me, is it true that your county embezzled relief grain and funds intended for the disaster victims, then opened government-run grain shops to sell at extortionate prices?”

Cold sweat had soaked the magistrate’s robes; his voice trembled.

“N-no… no…”

“No? Still refusing to admit it?” Chen Mu’s hand swept down, and the soldiers behind him surged forward, pinning the magistrate to the ground.

“Strip that official’s robe off him! He is unworthy of it!”

“Yes, sir!”

For these soldiers, dealing with such a bloated, feeble man was child’s play. The magistrate was so limp with terror he could scarcely stand, little better than a hog awaiting slaughter.

The soldiers crowded around and, in short order, tore the robes from his body, leaving him in only his inner garments. With the outer robe gone, a further discovery was made.