Chapter 402 - 401: Making Preparations
Chu Lingxuan shook his head, "This position is just too good, so many are fighting for it, including the Second Prince’s party and the Third Prince’s party. My father-in-law is in their way, they’re definitely going to make trouble for him. If my father-in-law had no scandals, it would be fine, but not only does he have scandals, most people from his hometown know about them. There’s no way to stop the spread of rumors." After a pause, he continued, "Some have already begun to impeach my father-in-law, saying that as soon as he succeeded, he divorced his legitimate wife and remarried. He has accepted hefty bribes, bought hundreds of acres of farmland within three months and a four-compound house in the county town. Also, he allowed the Zhao Clan to exploit the villagers, causing some families to lose everything and be displaced, amongst other things. If the things he did when he was an official in Jiangnan get dragged into it, it’ll be even more troublesome."
Chen Afu was so taken aback that his hair stood on end, asking, "My father won’t get into trouble, will he?"
Chu Lingxuan held her hand and said, "Don’t worry, there’s a way."
Chen Afu was filled with anxiety. Leaving aside the matter in Jiangnan, the things that Chen Shiying did have already been problematic enough. She now considers Father Chen Shiying as her own adoptive father and couldn’t bear to see him upset, let alone in trouble. He was still in his thirties, at the prime of life, what would he do if something happened? And what about his family, the loyal Mrs. Jiang, and baby Zhao?
Chu Lingxuan pulled her to sit by the bed , saying, "Minister Gao of the Ministry of Industry is old and mentioned half a year ago that he wanted to resign. We always thought that if the emperor wanted to heavily employ my father-in-law, he would certainly let him take the position. Two months ago, Vice-chancellor Zhang suddenly fell sick and died. The original director of the Ministry of Personnel succeeded in the role, and Minister Huang replaced the director, thus leaving a vacancy. The emperor has always admired my father-in-law, and also knows that my father-in-law’s daughter is the foster mother of Shiyi, my wife. He may have thought of giving this important vacancy to my father-in-law... alas, it’s a pity that my father-in-law was harmed by Madam Zhao maliciously and he was left with scandals. He’s usually very good at handling relationships, so some people who knew about his past wouldn’t have mentioned it, but this time, as he blocked others’ paths, they brought up these matters. To thoroughly defeat my father-in-law, they might even go to Jiangnan to collect evidence of his crimes..."
Dingzhou is not far from the Capital City, merely two hundred miles. Chen Shiying is a well-known figure here, and his many affairs are the talk of common people, many officials must know about them. The things that Mrs. Chen did are like a ticking time bomb, never knowing when it will explode.
Perhaps Chen Shiying is also aware of these "stains," hence he has always been very careful and diplomatic, making his official career very smooth.
But this time, he was too eager and high-profile about doing practical things for the people, as well as obstructing others’ paths. This, added to the fact that the position the emperor wants him to hold is high-ranking, he has become a target for others who are bringing up his past wrongdoings.
"My father won’t be in any trouble, will he?" Chen Afu asked.