No one knew how much longer they would have to wait.
If this continued, the Imperial Grandson’s reputation would be completely ruined.
Ren Zhong had been molded into the image of a minister for the ages. Judging by the current momentum, he was about to surpass even Zhuge Wuhou himself, beating Wei Zheng with one fist and kicking the Duke of Zhou with the other.
Who could possibly compare to Ren Zhong?
And conversely, the more illustrious Ren Zhong’s reputation became, the worse the Imperial Grandson’s reputation grew.
Everyone was saying that when the Imperial Grandson had executed corrupt officials in the past, it had all been an act, a show put on to win himself a good name.
But when it came to his own relatives, he suddenly turned deaf and blind, practiced favoritism, and bent the law.
Pretending as though nothing had happened.
Just thinking about all this made Qi Zhen’s teeth ache. His heart felt as though an enormous boulder were pressing down on it, so heavy he could barely breathe.
As he was brooding over it, Liu Zhong came running in at full speed. He was in such a hurry that he almost forgot to kneel and pay his respects.
“Marquis! You’d better go out and see the excitement for yourself! Oh heavens, we’re finished!”
Finished?
What was finished?
Qi Zhen jumped in fright. His right eyelid twitched uncontrollably, and he barked, “Stop making a fuss! What earth-shattering thing could have happened? Get lost!”
The man had nearly scared him to death.
Liu Zhong let out a miserable groan.
“It really is something huge, Marquis! The students of the Imperial Academy stormed the Confucian Temple and forcibly carried out the statue of Sage Confucius! They’re parading it through the streets right now. They say– they say they’re going to the palace gates to lodge a complaint before the Emperor!”
Pfft!
Qi Zhen sprayed out a mouthful of tea.
His entire body went numb. Looking up at Liu Zhong in horror, he demanded, “What did you say?!”
Tea covered Liu Zhong’s face, but he didn’t even bother wiping it off. Wearing a miserable expression, he said,
“It’s true, Marquis. They’re shouting things like, ‘Establish the heart of Heaven and Earth, secure the fate of the people, continue the lost teachings of the sages, and bring peace to all generations.’ They’re accusing His Highness the Imperial Grandson of disregarding the law, of being disloyal and unrighteous… and they’re heading for the Imperial Palace right now!”
Mother of heaven, my dear mother!
Qi Zhen leapt to his feet and rushed outside. In his haste he kicked a display shelf and nearly fell over. Fortunately, the shelf had only recently been replaced and was sturdy enough not to even wobble.
Ignoring the pain, he hurriedly ran toward his father’s courtyard.
The moment he entered, he asked,
“Father, have you heard?”
Old Marquis Qi had known about it long ago. Hearing the question, he snorted.
“If I waited for you to tell me, who knows how much later I’d have found out? Come on, let’s go have a look.”
Old Madam Qi was extremely anxious.
“Old Marquis, Yuan Jie’er isn’t home! We have to inform her about this!”
Everyone was worried.
This matter seemed to have gone too far.
Originally, Qi Yuan had wanted to elevate Ren Zhong’s reputation so that he would fall into the taboo of having merit so great it overshadowed the ruler, making Emperor Yongchang suspect that he was using his death to earn the reputation of a virtuous minister.
But now, the situation seemed to be spiraling out of control.
Confucius was, to all scholars under Heaven, practically a divine figure.
He could not be profaned in the slightest.
Now the students had even brought out the Sage himself and were collectively staging a sit-in protest at the palace gates, petitioning the Emperor.
That was truly terrifying.
Even Emperor Yongchang would likely find it difficult to withstand the wrath of all the scholars in the realm.
Old Marquis Qi was actually rather uneasy himself. His heart pounded violently, but in the end he forced himself to calm down.
Then he remembered something Qi Yuan had said earlier, that he could go out in the afternoon and watch the excitement.
A thought stirred in his mind.
Could the “excitement” Yuan Jie’er had been referring to be this very spectacle?
But if it really was, had she thought about how it was supposed to end?
There was no point thinking about that now.
Suppressing the anxiety and heaviness in his heart, Old Marquis Qi forced a bitter smile.
“Enough. Let’s stop talking and go see what’s happening first.”
Qi Zhen accompanied Old Marquis Qi outside.
The streets were indeed packed with people.
Many officers from the Patrol Bureau and the Military Command Bureau were galloping back and forth through the streets, struggling to maintain order.
Qi Zhen immediately spotted Lu Mingan and called out loudly, “Princess Consort Lu!”
Lu Mingan saw him as well and quickly rode over. Finding a quieter spot, he sighed.
“I’m afraid the streets won’t be peaceful today. You’d best avoid wandering around.”
Qi Zhen looked deeply troubled.
“What exactly happened?”
“A group of students has risen up. They say they want justice for Ren Zhong. They’re demanding that the court severely punish traitorous officials and reward loyal ministers. They also want Ren Zhong posthumously honored as Duke Wenzheng, inducted into Lingxiao Pavilion, and buried alongside the emperors in the imperial mausoleum.”
“…?”
Old Marquis Qi was so stunned he nearly laughed from anger.
They certainly dared to dream.
Throughout history, how many distinguished ministers had ever entered Lingxiao Pavilion?
Either they had saved the emperor’s life and helped him win the throne, or they had been truly outstanding statesmen who governed the realm.
Ren Zhong?
What achievements did he have?!
Qi Zhen was equally dumbfounded.
“These students have gone completely mad, haven’t they?”
Did they have any brains at all?!
Did they really think just anyone was qualified to receive such honors?
Lu Mingan could only shake his head helplessly.
“Students are naïve. Once they’re stirred up by people with ulterior motives, there’s nothing to be done. And they’re not afraid of death. The Five-City Military Command and the Embroidered Uniform Guard have already arrived. They’ve ordered the students to return the statue, but the students absolutely refuse. They’re even prepared to fight the Embroidered Uniform Guard head-on…”
If that happened, blood would flow like rivers.
Old Marquis Qi and Qi Zhen were both stunned.
The seriousness of the matter had far exceeded anything they had imagined.
If things truly unfolded that way, the consequences would be disastrous.
How could the authorities even handle it?
If people actually died, it would only provoke even greater outrage among the students.
At that point, not only these students but scholars throughout the empire would lose faith in Xiao Yunting.
In their eyes, he would forever become a tyrant and a fool of a ruler, unworthy of their service.
For the first time, Old Marquis Qi feared that his granddaughter had pushed things too far and might end up ruining everything.
After all, this concerned the future succession to the throne!
Wasn’t Qi Yuan supposed to become the Imperial Grandson consort?
If the Imperial Grandson ceased to be the Imperial Grandson, then… how could Qi Yuan possibly become Imperial Grandson Consort?
Before they could talk much longer, a Patrol Bureau officer hurried over to find Lu Mingan.
“Lord Lu, you need to come at once! Something terrible has happened! Those students, they’ve started throwing themselves onto the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s blades!”
What?!
Now that was truly serious.
Lu Mingan no longer had time for pleasantries with Old Marquis Qi and the others. He vaulted onto his horse and galloped away.
Qi Zhen and Old Marquis Qi exchanged a look.
Gritting his teeth, Qi Zhen said, “Father, let’s go take a look ourselves! We need to find out what’s actually happening!”
Indeed.
They first had to know exactly what was going on.
Old Marquis Qi mounted his own horse as well, and together the two of them hurried to the scene.
The moment they arrived, both men spotted Qi Yuan.
She was standing on the second floor of a bookstore nearby, leaning against the railing and smiling as she watched the crowd below.
The instant he saw her, Qi Zhen tugged on Old Marquis Qi’s sleeve.
“Father, let’s go find Yuan Jie’er!”
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