Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
After entering the room, the young lord raised both arms obediently, allowing his attendants to help him bathe and change clothes.
Having just finished a discussion, his heart was still stirred. He couldn’t help but say to the attendant behind him, “Those fools are utterly blind and deaf. Where on earth did they get such nonsense, daring to slander Guan Yu, claiming he grew proud and greedy because of Cao Cao’s favor? If the loyal soldiers in the afterlife heard such words, wouldn’t their hearts turn cold?”
Everyone in the Eastern Palace knew this young master adored Guan Yu, mentioning him constantly and unable to tolerate anyone speaking ill of him even halfway through a sentence. He even interfered with public opinion and longed to sneak out each night, earning the nickname “Slow Executioner” prince.
Within the Eastern Palace, he was like an ancestor—stubborn to the point of refusing food; no one dared offend him, only shielding him and doing their utmost to satisfy him.
His close attendant, named Yao Yong, smiled and agreed, “Your Highness is right. Rumors end with the wise and thrive among the foolish. Fortunately, the wise like Your Highness are still the majority in this world.”
This pleased him greatly. The silver mask he wore was removed, and the light from the lamp cast a gentle halo over his face. As Shen Mingsu had predicted, it was a handsome, bright countenance.
A faint smile played at his lips, and his eyes shone like clear mirrors, brimming with youthful vigor. Suddenly, he asked, “How has Rongxiu been lately?”
Yao Yong replied, “The princess has been confined.”
“She deserves it. The sacred teachings the tutor gave—they haven’t absorbed a single word, stuffing it all into the dog’s belly.”
Earlier, people in the bridge market had said she bullied the young master of the Ten Brocade family and smashed a commoner’s stall, causing him to be imprisoned for half a month. Luckily, the young master of Ten Brocade wasn’t scared off by her.
—
Rongxiu had been locked up by the princess consort for several days, her frustration mounting as she smashed everything in her room repeatedly.
“I didn’t hit anyone! I’ve said it all! Why won’t anyone believe me? I want to see Mother Consort; you must let her come…”
All the servants inside and outside the room hung their heads, none daring to utter a sound or open the door.
Once the case was cracked, the emperor personally ordered the princess consort to take her home and confine her for a month to discipline her well. The princess consort, who had once doted on her, had since hardened her heart and refused to see her for half a month.
Others did not know this, but the princess consort and the Liang family understood the truth—she was wrongfully accused.
Yet what could be done? Liang Er was dead; this blame could only fall on her.
That day, the princess consort visited the Liang family. To avoid suspicion with Feng Zhongyan, Liang Er’s body had been buried, but the funeral had not yet been held. Only today was the news of a death by illness made public.
Madam Liang was unaware and truly believed it was illness. She wept inconsolably at the mourning hall, with the princess consort beside her soothing her.
The eldest son, Liang Qingheng, swept the room with his gaze, failing to find Liang Yu. He found him in the study and bluntly asked, “Father, did the third brother really die of illness?”
Liang Yu said nothing.
As the eldest son, Liang Qingheng was well aware of his brother’s usual deeds. This sudden death, with the coffin sealed so quickly, was suspicious.
Seeing Liang Yu remain silent, Liang Qingheng’s expression darkened. “Feng Zhongyan?”
Liang Yu’s face suddenly showed despair. Closing his eyes, he said in pain, “Liang Er sought his own death. At this moment, moving against Lady Shen is a dead end. Gao An warned us long ago to end this matter, but he was foolish enough to personally interrogate Lady Shen, angering Feng Zhongyan. Feng Zhongyan refused to accept it, went to kneel before His Majesty, and what could the emperor do to appease him? Only give the order.”
When Gao An had invited the Liang family to travel to Youzhou, it was a ‘request.’ In the end, things turned out like this—who must bear the consequences? The Liang family or Gao An?
Neither!
Years ago, the Zhao family betrayed the trust of Emperor Shunjing, abandoned the young heir of the Zhou family, and seized the throne. Though condemned by ministers and scholars, how did they secure their reign?
—
By virtue.
He established the Guangxing Academy, made repeated pilgrimages to Lingshan to invite the White Elder, reverently listened to his teachings, and when the White Elder passed away, knelt in the rain to see him off.
He was no longer the traitor who acted in bad faith, seizing Zhou family lands amid chaos, but rather a wise ruler baptized by the White Elder.
A wise ruler devoted to his people would never sully himself with bloodshed, especially not a dozen slaughtered families.
If not for the protection of Princess Consort Kang of the Liang family, he would have been lost a year ago.
Liang Qingheng’s face paled gradually. After a long silence, he said, “But the news I heard is that His Majesty’s hand is also faltering. Ling Muchen’s pills no longer work.”
—
Since the Jingzhao Prefecture incident, Feng Zhongyan had not returned home for half a month.
Madam Feng sent messengers daily to the Ministry of Personnel and had gone herself, but failed to bring him back. Tonight, sitting by the lamp and rubbing her temples, she perked up when a maid called out, “Province Governor.”
Feng Zhongyan had not yet shed his official robes as he entered, greeting, “Mother.”
Knowing he had endured twenty blows, Madam Feng rose to examine him.
“I am fine, Mother. Please don’t worry.”
Looking up at him, she could not understand his actions or motives.
Lady Shen had been at the residence for over a year. He usually remained indifferent, but she had thought he harbored some grievance. Who could have guessed that this time, for her, such a tumult would arise?
Madam Feng dared not ask recklessly. So long as he was safe, “Where is Lady Shen?”
“She will return in a few days.” Feng Zhongyan did not linger. “Mother, please rest. I’m going to see Father.”
He did not even drink a cup of tea.
After he left, Madam Feng was still dazed. Chun Su comforted her, “Now that you’ve seen the governor unharmed, Madam, you may rest assured.”
Madam Feng shook her head. “With him in this state, how can I rest? I’d rather he were as he was before.”
A mother knows her son best. If his heart still held Lady Shen, the patience he had shown over the past year must have been born of deep affection. Once love takes root, one becomes bound, weak, and vulnerable.
Her worry now was that the Shen family’s case would eventually drag him down.
Feng Zhongyan arrived at the study. The Duke stood before a grand landscape painting, its artistry exquisite—mountains towering in layers, rivers vast and misty.
“Father,” Feng Zhongyan said as he approached.
The Duke did not turn or inquire about outside matters but gazed silently for a while before speaking:
“When the Zhou family fell, the world said I knelt too quickly. They did not know that Emperor Jingshun died in battle, leaving the border generals leaderless. Two hundred thousand Hu cavalry threatened the frontier. In Changdu, including the Feng family, three great clans stirred restlessly. I did not kneel before the Zhao family but before the first man to sit on that throne—the one who could quell the internal chaos fastest and stop the cavalry from crossing the border, whether his surname was Zhao or Zhou.”
Only then did Feng Yuanji turn, looking up at the young statesman standing half a head taller than him.
That face had shed its youthfulness. The sharpness in his eyes surpassed even his own in youth, like an eagle surveying from the skies. Beyond sharpness lay calculation.
It was a blade even he, as a father, could not read clearly.
Feng Yuanji spoke softly: “To earn the title ‘wise,’ one must first cast away all shadows, becoming the righteous ruler the world most wishes to see. He must stand constantly in the sunlight, so the world may always look up and admire him. Only light can strengthen the faith of followers and suppress the myriad insects crawling in the pillars, driving them away.”
“Boying, whether ‘wise’ or ‘loyal,’ both require that light.”
The two lamps on the table shone brightly, their wicks straight and steady. After a moment of silence, Feng Zhongyan lifted his robe and knelt. “Your teaching is well received, Father.”
—
On the way back to the quiet courtyard, Feng Zhongyan suddenly stopped.
Behind him, Fu An and Wei Changfeng had to halt as well, following his gaze toward the high pavilion. Apart from a single lantern, nothing else was visible.
Feng Zhongyan suddenly said, “Bring me an arrow.”
Fu An hurried to fetch one, returning breathless. “Master, are you going night hunting…? But there are no birds here.”
Before he finished speaking, Feng Zhongyan drew his bow, aimed at the lantern, and released the arrow with a sharp “shoo.” The lantern fell, and its light extinguished instantly.
Feng Zhongyan turned and handed the arrow to a shocked Fu An, offering an explanation: “It’s too bright.”
Fu An glanced at the equally puzzled Wei Changqing beside him.
Too bright?
—
Early the next morning, the deputy general beside the Duke of Qingzhou galloped into the city. Outside the palace gate, he spotted Ling Muchen and called out, “National Master!”
Ling Muchen turned. Seeing the situation, he understood the outcome and smiled, “Congratulations on your triumphant return, General.”
The deputy general beamed, spinning in his saddle. The Duke’s mansion and the National Master were always one family. Excited, he bent forward to share, “This time, the Duke personally cut off a Hu’s head. It was exhilarating!”
“When will the Duke return to the capital?”
“The Hu are not yet eradicated. The Duke plans to stay in Qingzhou. I must report to His Majesty first.” As he turned, he noticed the dark shadows under Ling Muchen’s eyes. “National Master, you didn’t sleep well last night?”
Ling Muchen rubbed his eyes. “You could say that. I dreamt all night of the Great Sage fighting demons.”
The deputy general said, “I have a talisman bell to exorcise evil spirits. Take it…”
“Clang clang clang—”
Ling Muchen winced, leaning back. “Keep it away, the ringing hurts my ears.”
The deputy general said no more, spurring his horse and riding off amid swirling dust. Ling Muchen watched the horse’s tail disappear into the palace gate, shaking his head with a smile.
Just relying on that useless Duke?
His head was probably chopped off by some Feng family general instead.