Infinite Professions from a Pearl Collector

After the imperial envoy was "invited" to rest, the oppressive atmosphere in the great hall eased slightly, but everyone’s heart remained heavy.

Wang Xing strode up to Chen Ye, his voice low and his eyes filled with undisguised killing intent.

"Prince, that dog of an Emperor clearly wants you dead! What are we waiting for? Let’s rebel now! This general is willing to be the vanguard and level the Capital City for you!"

Hearing this, the generals in the hall all voiced their agreement, each filled with righteous indignation.

"I agree!"

"Please give the order, Prince!"

In the past five years, they had followed Chen Ye, fighting their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They had long since come to see him as their one true leader. As for the Emperor of Great Yong, he wasn’t even worth a fart in their eyes.

Chen Ye waved his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet. Then, he said calmly, "The time is not yet right."

Wang Xing froze for a moment, then said anxiously, "Prince, the blade is already at our necks! What ’right time’ are we waiting for?"

"He is testing me, which means he’s already getting anxious. But it’s not enough. The fish is only tentatively nibbling the bait; it hasn’t swallowed the hook."

Chen Ye didn’t want a hasty rebellion that would brand him a traitor and usurper.

He wanted a righteous cause, to win the hearts and minds of the people.

He wanted the new Emperor to personally deliver the justification for rebellion right to his doorstep.

Two days later, the imperial envoy—who had been treated to fine wine and good food, yet was so terrified he had lost a considerable amount of weight—was finally escorted respectfully out of the city.

Accompanying him was a sincere memorial from Chen Ye and large chests filled with silver coins—a full two hundred thousand taels, ostensibly a birthday gift for the Grand Empress Dowager.

In the memorial, Chen Ye stated that as a high-ranking official on the frontier, his responsibilities were immense. With the barbarians circling, he dared not abandon his post, fearing he would fail both the late Emperor’s charge and the new Emperor’s trust.

Therefore, he implored the Emperor to understand his difficult position and permit him to continue guarding the border for the nation in Great Liang.

Every line overflowed with loyalty.

「Great Yong Capital City, Zichen Hall.」

Cao Xun looked at Chen Ye’s memorial, then at the gift manifest presented below. A flash of anger crossed his face, quickly replaced by an almost imperceptible ecstasy.

’Not coming?’

’It’s better that he doesn’t come!’

’This is exactly what I was waiting for, for Chen Ye not to come!’

"What a pillar of the state! What a defender of the nation’s borders!" Cao Xun slammed the memorial down on the imperial desk, his voice icy.

Below, the Imperial Censors and Officials exchanged glances, their faces all showing excitement.

Their noses were incredibly sharp; they had naturally scented an opportunity to win the Emperor’s favor.

Thus, just two days later, a memorial personally submitted by the head Imperial Censor appeared on Cao Xun’s desk.

In the memorial, dozens of Chen Ye’s great crimes were listed at length.

From maintaining a personal army with rebellious intent, to unlawfully executing Court officials and embezzling tax revenue, to competing with the common folk for profit and living a life of extravagance... Each and every charge was enough to have his entire clan executed.

After reading the memorial, Cao Xun expressed no opinion. He simply held onto it, neither approving nor rejecting it.

But this attitude gave the officials a very clear signal.

And so, the Noble Families and powerful elites who had long been salivating over the rich lands of Great Liang swarmed in like sharks that had smelled blood.

In an instant, memorials impeaching Chen Ye were submitted like snowflakes in a blizzard.

In just over ten days, Chen Ye went from being a pillar of the state to a great villain who brought disaster upon the nation and its people, a man of heinous crimes.

In the imperial Court, the calls for his execution shook the heavens.

Facing the impassioned courtiers, Cao Xun put on a troubled facade, as if conflicted by their past relationship as sovereign and subject. He sighed and lamented, delaying a final decision.

It was not until half a month later that he, with great reluctance, issued a Holy Decree.

In the Holy Decree, Cao Xun first vehemently denounced Chen Ye’s various evil deeds. Then, changing his tone, he cited Chen Ye’s past achievements and decided to show mercy beyond the law. He merely stripped him of his title as Marquis Zhen Xi and all his positions as a Military Officer, ordering him to reflect on his transgressions in seclusion.

At the same time, he dispatched a new Jiedu Envoy to Luojing to take over his duties.

When the news broke, the entire former territory of Great Liang was in an uproar.

"On what grounds? On what grounds are they stripping our Prince of his office?"

"This land, these oxen, they were all given to me by the Prince! Without the Prince, how are we supposed to live?"

"That dog of an Emperor is just jealous of our Prince!"

The common people didn’t understand the struggles of the imperial Court. They only knew that since King Liang had arrived, they had finally been able to live peaceful lives with full bellies, warm clothes, and land of their own.

Now someone was trying to harm their King Liang, and that was worse than killing them.

Instantly, public outrage flared.

With some people fanning the flames in secret, all sorts of unfavorable rumors about the new Emperor quickly spread through every street and alley.

The army was like a pot of boiling water. None of the Soldiers could accept the Holy Decree. Wang Xing and others rushed into the Prince’s Mansion time and again, begging Chen Ye to rebel immediately, but he turned them away each time.

As for Chen Ye himself, from the day the Holy Decree arrived, he shut his doors and refused all visitors, as if he were truly reflecting on his mistakes in seclusion.

This only caused the rumors outside to intensify.

"Have you heard? The Emperor is doing this step by step. First, he strips the titles, and next, he’ll be coming for our Prince’s life!"

"We can’t just stand by and watch!"

It’s unknown who started it, but more and more commoners began to gather spontaneously before the gates of the Jiedu Envoy’s Mansion, standing there in silence.

They didn’t shout or cause trouble, merely expressing their stance in this most silent of ways.

The autumn rain fell without end, and the air was biting cold.

The rain soaked through their clothes, but the crowd before the mansion gates only grew larger, a dark, dense mass of people, none of whom were willing to leave.

Just then, the main gates of the mansion slowly swung open.

Chen Ye walked out.

He was now dressed only in simple cyan robes. His figure was still tall and broad, but his face was tinged with weariness, and even his temples were streaked with a touch of gray.

He stood in the rain, looking at the thousands upon thousands of people before him, a flicker of emotion in his eyes.

"My friends, please go home," he said, his voice a little hoarse. "It’s getting cold. What will you do if you fall ill from this rain?"

His words only made it worse. As soon as he spoke, a wave of suppressed sobs rippled through the crowd.

A white-haired old man fell to his knees, choking back tears. "Prince! You can’t leave! If you leave, how will we survive?"

"Prince, we won’t let you leave!"

"Prince!"

The cries rose and fell as countless people knelt in the mud and water, weeping and begging him to stay.

Chen Ye’s eyes reddened, and tears mixed with the rain as they slid down his cheeks.

He faced the crowd and gave a deep bow.

"I... have failed to live up to your great kindness..."

In this bleak and sorrowful moment, the sound of urgent hoofbeats broke the silence of the rain, drawing closer from the distance.

"Make way! Everyone, make way!"

"An imperial envoy from the Court is here! All idlers, stand back at once!"

Then, a squadron of cavalrymen in the uniform of Great Yong soldiers brutally pushed through the crowd, escorting a lavish carriage straight to the mansion gates.

The carriage curtain was then lifted, and a young man in embroidered official robes, with a fair complexion and an arrogant expression, appeared before the crowd.