Qi Zhen soon felt that Qi Yuan was being overly optimistic.
Ever since the Crown Prince had been confined, he had been closely watching the situation at court.
But aside from the news that the Crown Prince’s illness had still not improved, no other news whatsoever had emerged from the Eastern Palace.
And that was not even the worst part. More terrifying still was that when Qi Zhen was drinking at a restaurant with Earl Chengyi, he happened to hear the Marquis smiling as he said, “These days, coming here for drinks can’t just be about drinking!”
The moment Qi Zhen heard that, he understood what he meant. Waving a hand, he laughed. “Oh, stop that. At our age, we should do fewer ridiculous things. Don’t forget how many old noble families have fallen these past two years.”
That was true enough. Back when Emperor Yongchang ascended the throne, he had lavishly rewarded meritorious officials, granting titles to eight ducal households, fourteen marquis households, and twenty-one earldoms.
Combined with the few noble families that had survived from the late emperor’s more restrained era, these aristocratic families had once all been illustrious and renowned.
Whose life had not been prosperous?
Moreover, these noble families had largely intermarried amongst themselves and shared common interests. That was how the nobility had managed to occupy half the court and stand in opposition to the civil officials.
But now, the nobles were being cut down one batch after another like leeks under a sickle.
Earl Chengyi immediately coughed. “What nonsense are you talking about? Duke Cheng’s household only collapsed a few days ago. Do you think I’m not afraid of being targeted by the censors?”
He snorted, his expression darkening. “What I mean is, these days, people coming to this restaurant mostly come to listen to Records of Famous Ministers Through the Ages.”
“Huh?” Qi Zhen gave an amused sound. “Aren’t Zhuge Wuhou’s stories already familiar to everyone? No matter how they retell them, it’s still the same stories. What else could they possibly add?”
Who didn’t know that the famous minister through the ages was Zhuge Wuhou?
Everyone had heard those stories since childhood. Who still wanted to hear them over and over again?
Seeing Qi Zhen react this way, Earl Chengyi clicked his tongue with a half-smile. “Look at you, out of touch already, aren’t you? What Zhuge Wuhou?”
As he spoke, he laughed. “Come, come, let me broaden your horizons and introduce you to our new famous minister through the ages!”
As he spoke, he called over a waiter, tossed him a silver ingot, and raised his brows. “Go, have the storyteller perform a section! Right downstairs in the main hall, we’ll listen from the window!”
The waiter responded with a grin and hurried off to make arrangements.
Not long afterward, the storyteller’s rich, vigorous voice rose from downstairs, full of cadence and emotion.
Qi Zhen actually became somewhat interested. Walking to the window, he casually glanced downstairs.
Only to discover that the hall below was already packed shoulder to shoulder with people.
He could not help clicking his tongue. “So many people?”
Earl Chengyi had also come over beside him by now. Hearing that, he laughed lightly. “Naturally! There’s barely a seat to be had. Listen!”
Downstairs, the storyteller slapped the table and launched vividly into the tale:
“Lord Ren, righteous and loyal to the heavens, embraced death with resolve and loudly instructed his family: ‘After I die, place me in a coffin and do not bury me! I must personally see the traitor to the nation cut into pieces before I can rest in peace!’”
Qi Zhen’s eyelids immediately twitched, and he instantly realized who this so-called “famous minister through the ages” was.
It was Ren Zhong!
D*mn it!
He cursed inwardly, his scalp tingling.
What kind of blood feud did this d*mned Ren Zhong have with the Lu family?
Had the Lu family dug up his ancestral graves or something?
He immediately demanded, “Who wrote this storybook?!”
The Lu family really had no shame!
They had even spent money hiring people to write storybooks?!
What exactly were they trying to do?!
Earl Chengyi pressed down on his shoulder. “Wait, wait. Listen to the rest first.”
Qi Zhen endured it impatiently, sitting there like he was on pins and needles.
The storyteller began from Ren Zhong’s childhood.
He described how Ren Zhong had once been merely a hired laborer on a landlord’s estate, yet eager and intelligent, standing outside the village school every day listening to lessons.
He spoke of Ren Zhong’s sincerity moving the teacher, and how the teacher eventually treated him like his own son and devoted himself entirely to educating him.
Then came stories of how Ren Zhong outwitted corrupt landlords.
How he passed the imperial examinations and returned home in glory.
Then of how, after taking office, he began as a county magistrate, punishing crafty clerks and standing alone against the local gentry, returning to the common people the lands those gentry had annexed.
And when he departed office, the common people escorted him for ten li and presented him with a “ten-thousand-people umbrella.”
Then came tales of Ren Zhong hating evil, upright and incorruptible.
Finally, the storyteller focused heavily on his grievances with the Lu family.
The listeners all became indignant, some even slamming the tables.
“This is outrageous! Isn’t the Lu family only acting this lawlessly because they’re the Imperial Grandson’s maternal family? Relying on that status to bully loyal ministers!”
“Exactly!” everyone shouted until their faces were red and necks swollen. “D*mn it, there’s no justice! A good man loses his life in a coffin, while the villains continue living comfortably, and the Imperial Grandson still wants to protect them!”
Qi Zhen could not listen any longer. With a bang, he slammed the window shut and shouted furiously, “Absurd! Utter nonsense! Complete nonsense!”
This was clearly deliberate, deliberately elevating Ren Zhong’s reputation while ruining the Lu family’s name!
Which b*stard came up with such a viciously underhanded idea?
Bah!
“A famous minister through the ages,” my *ss!
Were famous ministers through the ages so worthless now?
There were only a handful in all history one could count on one hand. What exactly had Ren Zhong done to deserve eternal fame?
Oh, so dying alone made someone a famous minister now?
The Great Zhou was already famous for “military men dying in battle and civil officials dying in remonstration.”
The civil officials practically lined up to smash themselves against pillars in Taiji Hall.
Wasn’t there already a Censor Tie right now?
That man was truly strict with himself, even his household could barely afford salted fish.
It was said the entire family was so poor they practically survived on northwest wind alone.
He refused all gifts of cooling silver and winter charcoal.
But Ren Zhong?
Incorruptible?!
If he were incorruptible, how could his hometown have built estates large enough to cover half a county?!
Seeing Qi Zhen so furious his face and neck had gone red, Earl Chengyi hurriedly tugged him back. “No need, no need! Look at you, why get this angry? Some people crave money, some crave power, and some crave neither, they only crave fame.”
Wasn’t Ren Zhong the perfect example?
Clicking his tongue, he added, “Still, look, who told him to be willing to go that far? With such overwhelming momentum, before long everyone really will be praising Lord Ren’s virtues and revering him as a living Wei Zheng!”
Qi Zhen could endure no more. “Bah! Is he worthy?!”
He was so furious smoke practically rose from all seven orifices. Returning home, he broke out in cold sweat from agitation and could not help cursing in front of Old Marquis Qi: “I don’t know which b*stard is so d*mned shameless!”
Just as Qi Yuan entered the room, she happened to hear that sentence and immediately raised her brows.
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