Chapter 235 Chang Yao's Complaint

Chapter 235 Chang Yao's Complaint

Their lord had no real, deep friendship with the Chang family, and he had never even met with Marquis Chang Hongchuan of Dingbei or his heir Chang Yao in private.

A fleeting glimpse during a grand court assembly revealed the entirety of the interactions between Jiang Tong, Chang Hongchuan, and Chang Yao.

This relationship was practically that of complete strangers. Even if they came to see him under Jiang Tong's name, he would only send a steward to receive them out of courtesy.

They couldn't even see the person in question, so how could they possibly ask for help in persuading Jiang Yuan?

Even if they could entice them with benefits and get the steward to act as a go-between, what benefits would they have to persuade someone like Chang Yao after they had convinced the steward?

The more the people in the Earl's Mansion thought about it, the more they felt that this plan was simply not going to work, and Jiang Shun was well aware of this as well.

He said, "I'm just putting all the candidates out there first; it doesn't mean we have to go through Chang Yao's connections."

Chang Yao may be a tough nut to crack than Wang Xiaozhi, Xie Wanniang, and Hao Yu, but his former and current guards are not necessarily all invincible.

With a little more effort, Jiang Shun believed that they could definitely pick out someone from among these people whose weaknesses they could exploit.

Jiang Shun believed that the vast majority of people in this world were those who coveted power and wealth, were greedy and lustful, were unwilling to always suffer and work hard, and longed to leave the northern border to enjoy a life of leisure in the capital or somewhere else.

He briefly explained his method of first conducting an investigation, then addressing the root cause and offering incentives. The others listened and thought the method was feasible, so they split up and began to take action.

Unbeknownst to them, Xie Wanniang had already written a letter and sent it to Jiang Yuan, who in turn immediately went to Chang Yao and confessed his true identity.

What Jiang Yuan didn't know was that Chang Yao had actually investigated Hao Yu and him in private. Otherwise, Chang Yao wouldn't have dared to entrust them with the preparation of military supplies during the war years, and then repeatedly promoted Jiang Yuan afterward.

For those stationed on the border, vigilance is just as essential as physical strength.

Chang Yao, who already knew about Jiang Yuan's background, felt even more disgusted with Jiang Tong and his wife when he heard Jiang Yuan say that his biological parents had regretted their decision because of his meritorious service and wanted him to be recognized as their ancestor.

Before Jiang Yuan could even ask for anything, Chang Yao had already taken over all the tasks he could.

"Don't worry, they definitely won't be able to cause any trouble within Baoding Prefecture. I will also submit a memorial to His Majesty on your behalf."

Although Jiang Tong and his wife were despicable, Jiang Yuan, as a son, could not bring himself to submit a memorial to the emperor criticizing his own parents in a feudal dynasty where loyalty and filial piety were paramount.

Chang Yao was different. He was the garrison commander of Zijing Pass, and Jiang Yuan was a young subordinate whom he had entrusted with important responsibilities. It was perfectly reasonable for him to not allow others to interfere in his army in order to ensure the safety and stability of the pass.

To Chang Yao's surprise, just as he was pondering how to word his memorial to fully expose the despicable nature of Jiang Tong and his wife, the people Jiang Tong sent handed him a ready-made handle.

He inquired everywhere about his former and current guards, focusing on their weaknesses and predicaments...

Chang Yao slammed his hand on the table. "How dare you!"

He instructed the guard who had come to deliver the message to pour water and grind ink. He had already decided how to write this memorial!

Jiang Shun and his group, who were still racking their brains to find and screen suitable people, never dreamed that their sneaky behavior would be directly defined by Chang Yao as spying on military secrets and plotting something sinister.

While they were still busy with their own affairs, back in the capital, their master had already been directly questioned by the emperor at the grand court assembly because of this matter.

Of the generals who fought alongside the emperor to conquer the country, seven or eight out of ten who received titles had their military power revoked by the emperor.

Jiang Tong was no exception, so he was just a figurehead in the Ministry of War, living a leisurely life, which was equivalent to receiving an extra salary for nothing.

The emperor was willing to grant people like him status, wealth, and even power, but he would never allow them to try to regain control of the military.

The actions of Jiang Tong's subordinates in the northern border had clearly offended the emperor.

The emperor didn't lose his temper or punish him directly, but just being stared at by the emperor with unfathomable eyes and asked him what he wanted to do in a flat tone was enough to terrify Jiang Tong.

He hurriedly knelt down to beg for forgiveness, confessing that he was not, as Chang Yao suspected, attempting to spy on the military situation in the northern border. The reason his subordinates were inquiring about the personal circumstances of the generals guarding Zijing Pass was because he was searching for his biological son.

Jiang Tong's words shocked the entire court. The officials exchanged glances, quickly conveying messages that only they understood.

Unlike their complete bewilderment, the emperor had already learned the whole story from a separate letter that Chang Yao had sent.

Yes, Chang Yao not only wrote a memorial to complain, but he also secretly sent a letter to the emperor explaining the whole story.

After reading the letter, the emperor almost immediately understood what Jiang Tong was planning. Naturally, he also disagreed with Jiang Yuan's decision to acknowledge his ancestors.

One reason was that the emperor believed Jiang Tong and his wife were unfit to be parents. Another, and most important, reason was that the emperor would never tolerate anyone else seizing military power again.

Therefore, although Jiang Tong played the victim with genuine emotion and at first glance seemed to be a loving father who had been thinking about his eldest son all these years, the emperor remained unmoved and asked the most fatal question.

"I wonder if your eldest son has any obvious characteristics that could prove his identity?"

Jiang Tong paused for a moment, but he quickly found a suitable reason for himself: "Your Majesty, I was away on a campaign at the time and was forced to separate from my child before I could even see him."

This argument was clearly untenable. Before the emperor could even speak again, those in the court who were at odds with Jiang Tong had already jumped out to question him.

He, as the father, couldn't even meet his child. Surely the child's biological mother wouldn't be in the same situation as him?

The child was forced to leave his birth mother before he was one year old. During this period, did the child's birth mother not write to her husband to tell him about the child's situation?

If they truly valued this child as Jiang Tong claimed, and never forgot him, wouldn't they have sat down together and talked about the past in the twenty years since the child left them?