newbobooks Chapter 257
Chapter 257
Zhou Chu was somewhat surprised by Chen Jing's decisiveness.
Zhou Chu was initially puzzled. How could someone like Chen Jing, who had been navigating the political arena for decades and was a shrewd and experienced man, do something so foolish?
Seeing Chen Jing's youngest son, who was tied up like a dumpling with his mouth stuffed up, Zhou Chu seemed to understand something.
"As expected, a spoiled brat ruins three generations."
Zhou Chu said with a half-smile.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing's eyes were filled with despair, and he did not refute it. At this moment, Chen Jing no longer possessed the demeanor of someone who once commanded the world; he resembled an old man in his twilight years.
Zhou Chu knew that even if he didn't kill Chen Jing, the old man wouldn't survive. He was already over seventy years old, and with such a shock and upheaval, he would probably be bedridden by now if it weren't for the Chen family.
Since that's the case, I'll let him get what he wants.
"Tell me, how many of these Japanese pirates are there, and where are they hiding?"
Since Chen Jing was so sensible, Zhou Chu didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly.
"There are more than 3,000 Japanese pirates. I don't know the exact number. The leader is a Fujianese man named Liu Chao, who has more than 1,000 Japanese under his command. The rest are river bandits and pirates."
Chen Jing was smart; he didn't use this as leverage to negotiate with Zhou Chu, but simply stated it directly.
"This group of Japanese pirates is hiding at the border of Chongming County and Songjiang Prefecture. Chongming County originally had many gangs, which was very suitable for them to hide. However, they mainly robbed at sea. Many families in Jiangnan had connections with them, but it was difficult to control them."
Chen Jing continued.
In fact, if these people weren't so difficult to control, the gentry of Suzhou Prefecture would have used them to deal with Zhou Chu long ago. These Japanese pirates basically didn't plunder on land; they mostly went out to sea. The border of Chongming County was just one of their strongholds.
"Your attitude is not bad, so I can let your Chen family off the hook. However, you still need to sign the confession and affix your fingerprints. From now on, if your Chen family works for my Embroidered Uniform Guard, he must die."
Zhou Chu pointed to Chen Jing's youngest son, who was tied up, and said.
As for Chen Jing, Zhou Chu didn't say how to deal with him, but Zhou Chu believed that Chen Jing should be a smart person and know what to do.
"In that case, I am very grateful for your great kindness in saving me."
As Chen Jing spoke, he tried to kneel down while holding onto his cane, but Zhou Chu raised his hand to stop him.
After Chen Jing left, Zhou Chu ordered the Imperial Guards who had come with him to quickly launch an operation, confiscating the property of the other families besides the Chen family and arresting those who were arrested.
Chen Jing returned home shakily. At this time, Chen Jing's eldest and second sons had received the news and were waiting for news of their father with worried expressions.
When the two learned of the third brother's actions, they felt their scalps tingle and realized that disaster was imminent. However, this was Songjiang Prefecture, in the Jiangnan region, where Zhou Chu now held absolute power. Even if they tried to escape, where could they possibly go?
Go to sea? They'd probably be stopped by Zhou Chu's men before they even set sail.
For a moment, both of them were extremely uneasy, waiting for their elderly father at home as if they were awaiting judgment, feeling extremely anxious.
Seeing Chen Jing return shakily, his eldest son hurriedly ran over to support his father.
Chen Jing arrived at the main hall, sat down, and looked at his two sons. He was quite satisfied with them.
“The third brother is not coming back. I promised Lord Zhou that the Chen family would secretly serve him from now on. I have also signed a confession. If you dare to betray Lord Zhou, he can settle accounts with the Chen family at any time.”
Chen Jing looked much older than when he left, and he spoke slowly and carefully.
"This may not necessarily be a bad thing for my Chen family. Lord Zhou's rise is inevitable. No one can say for sure what the future of the Ming Dynasty will be like. You must remember that the most taboo thing in life and work is to be two-faced. Now that you have stood on Lord Zhou's side, you must do your best to serve him from now on."
Chen Jing gave earnest advice.
"Take care of the third son's family members later, so as not to arouse Lord Zhou's suspicion."
When Chen Jing said this, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing's two sons exchanged a glance. They knew very well that if they wanted the Chen family to continue, some decisions had to be made.
"Don't worry, Father, I'll have someone take care of it right away."
The eldest brother said respectfully.
Chen Jing nodded upon hearing this.
"Lord Zhou has given this old man a lot of face, so I should be sensible. After I die, I should tell everyone that I died of illness. Remember, remember, no matter what you do, you must be firm. The worst thing is to be neither a good person nor a bad person. Since I have chosen to follow Lord Zhou, I must be thorough."
Chen Jing seemed a little uneasy and kept nagging.
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing's two sons immediately understood their father's meaning. They knelt down before Chen Jing, kowtowed, and burst into tears.
Chen Jing died, and it was said to be from illness. Only his two sons knew that Chen Jing had committed suicide by poisoning himself.
"What's your name?"
Zhou Chu looked at the Chen family's eldest son, who was standing before him with an unusually respectful expression, and asked.
"In reply to your question, my name is Chang, and my courtesy name is Zilin."
The eldest son of the Chen family said respectfully.
"Zilin, I understand."
Zhou Chu waved his hand, indicating that Chen Chang could leave.
Zhou Chu wouldn't make empty promises to the Chen family right away. After all, the Chen family had only recently submitted to him, and making promises so soon would be ridiculous, especially considering they had fought each other to the death before.
Zhou Chu didn't need to say anything; Chen Chang would think about how to behave. Only in this way could he keep up with Zhou Chu's pace. Chen Chang wasn't just considering the survival of the Chen family. Now that he had climbed onto Zhou Chu's coattails, he would find a way to hold on tight.
A few more days passed, and the imperial entourage that issued the decree finally arrived in Suzhou Prefecture by boat.
"Zhou Heng is hereby reinstated as Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, granted the title of Marquis of Changping, with a fief of one thousand households, and concurrently appointed Governor-General of Jiangnan Province, with full authority over matters related to the suppression of Japanese pirates in the southeast. This is the imperial decree."
Zhou Chu accepted the imperial edict and looked at the boxes of gifts bestowed by the emperor, which included gold and silk.
Emperor Jiajing himself was now unaware of how much money he had, so naturally he bestowed more rewards. Of course, most of these rewards were not written down in the open, but rather were placed there by Jiajing's people, since all rewards were subject to regulations and could not be exceeded.
Zhou Chu only glanced at it briefly, but there was a whole chest of gold alone, worth at least twenty or thirty thousand taels.
Not to mention the other antiques and calligraphy and paintings, especially those by famous artists, which were specially selected by Jiajing to be bestowed upon Zhou Chu.
"You must all be tired from your journey. Take a good rest and then explore Suzhou Prefecture and enjoy the spring scenery of Jiangnan."
After Zhou Chu finished speaking, he gave Chunlan a look, and Chunlan stepped forward and gave each person a reward of ten taels of silver.
"Thank you for your generous reward, Lord Zhou."
Even the eunuch reading the imperial edict dared not act arrogantly in front of Zhou Chu, and his attitude was very respectful.
Zhou Chu was not surprised to be granted the title of Marquis of Changping, as Jiajing had promised him this before. What surprised him was that he would receive a fief. A marquis with a fief is a completely different matter from one without one.
Having a fief meant that the titles of nobility in Zhou and Chu could be inherited, which was very important.
Zhou Chu was not surprised by the other two appointments. He knew very well that if he wanted to lift the sea ban, he had to solve the Japanese pirate problem first; otherwise, opening the sea would be a disaster for the people living along the coast.
As luck would have it, a few days ago the Chen family sent them information about a group of Japanese pirates. These pirates had just walked right into the line of fire.