Chapter Forty-Seven: I Am but an Ordinary Mortal (Part One)

The emperor and the crown prince were at odds, and rumors were spreading ever more widely, beginning to reach the regions of Heluo. The noble clans still remained silent, but among the common folk, the tales ran rampant. There were many versions, but the one most widely accepted claimed that the crown prince had taken a fancy to one of the emperor’s concubines and requested her from the emperor, only to be refused and deeply disliked thereafter.

So, the crown prince must have lost his mind!

Zheng Yanqing, having heard this rumor, couldn’t help but secretly chuckle.

This version, in fact, was not so different from what he had known in his previous life. It seemed that for a story to become perfected, it needed time and repeated refinement. He thought that those storytellers among the neighbors sounded as if they were perched right atop the walls of the Palace of Benevolent Longevity, witnessing everything firsthand. Their accounts were full of vivid detail, but no matter how one listened, it all seemed utterly ridiculous.

“Someone’s up to mischief,”

One midday, Du Ruhui and Yanqing were strolling along the banks of the Yi River when Du Ruhui suddenly brought up the matter.

Of course, someone was behind it—how else could such rumors emerge?

Du Ruhui said, “This involves two of the emperor’s most favored concubines. It appears to originate from within the palace.”

The rumor subtly indicated that the concubine coveted by Yang Guang was either Lady Xuanhua or Lady Ronghua. Both were young, fitting Yang Guang’s age. Furthermore, Lady Xuanhua was the daughter of Emperor Xuan of the Southern Chen dynasty, the sister of the last Chen emperor. When Yang Guang conquered Chen, he stayed in Jiangdu, and when the captives were sent to Chang’an, Lady Xuanhua was kept in the palace. At that time, Empress Dugu was still alive, and Yang Jian dared not act recklessly. After Dugu’s death, Lady Xuanhua gained favor.

Yanqing listened with a cheerful smile but kept silent.

He was not in a position to express much opinion on such matters.

However, Du Ruhui’s assessment matched that of Li Ji earlier.

Li Ji had said the rumor likely originated from Princess Leping, Yang Lihua, and others. Yang Lihua was the empress of Emperor Yuwen Yun of Northern Zhou. After Yuwen Yun’s death, Emperor Jing of Zhou ascended the throne. Emperor Jing was Yang Lihua’s son and the grandson of Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian. At the time, Yang Lihua had pleaded with Yang Jian to spare her son’s life, but he nonetheless died mysteriously.

While Empress Dugu lived, she wielded great authority, and Yang Lihua dared not voice dissatisfaction.

Yet she worked tirelessly to amass wealth and claimed much land near Chang’an… Was it out of revenge?

After Dugu’s death, Yang Jian became absorbed in wine and women, and Yang Lihua’s supervision waned.

By then, Yang Lihua’s hatred for Yang Jian had grown thin.

But as fate would have it, one of her lovers was caught by Yang Guang, who insisted on executing him according to the laws of the Kaihuang era, despite Yang Lihua’s pleas. Yang Lihua took this to heart, and the death of her beloved rekindled her old hatred for Yang Jian. Now, however, she transferred that hatred onto Yang Guang.

During the struggle for the crown prince, Yang Lihua sided with the hidden prince.

Now...

If the rumor had been spread by outsiders, how could they know so much about the secrets of the inner palace?

Thus, Li Ji speculated that the most likely author was Yang Lihua herself. Of course, there must have been others involved, perhaps even Lady Xuanhua, one of the principal figures in the story.

After all, Yang Guang’s conquest of Chen had brought ruin to Lady Xuanhua’s homeland—she had every reason for enmity!

“Brother Du, why bother with all this?”

Zheng Yanqing laughed. “These matters have nothing to do with us humble folks. It’s the most beautiful season at Longmen right now; let’s not waste such splendid scenery.”

“You’re right, absolutely right!”

Du Ruhui laughed heartily and headed toward Longmen Mountain.

It was said there were twenty famous Wei steles on Longmen Mountain, later known as the Twenty Inscriptions of Longmen, encapsulating the essence of calligraphy from Han and Wei times.

Spending all day reading at home was hardly ideal, so they decided to venture into the mountains to relax.

Yet Yanqing had no inkling that a silent conspiracy against him was quietly unfolding in the city of Luoyang.

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According to Cui Min’s plan, to bring down Xiong Ji, he had to deal with Zheng Shian.

In truth, Zheng Shian alone was not much, but his prodigious grandson made him wary.

Cui Min naturally did not fear Yanqing himself, but he had to be cautious of the Chief Inspector of the Supervisory Bureau, who regarded Yanqing as a confidant.

Besides Pei Shiju, there was someone related to the Li family, the Duke of Tang, and the Hetouling clan.

If these forces united, not even all of Zhengzhou could withstand them, let alone Cui Min.

But if Cui Min could ruin Zheng Yanqing’s reputation, the Pei, Dou, and Li families would not truly break with the Cui clan. Without the support of those three, Zheng Shian and his grandson amounted to nothing. Of course, someone had to step forward.

Wang Tong was undoubtedly the ideal candidate.

He hailed from the illustrious Taiyuan Wang family, one of the four great clans of Hedong, closely tied to the Pei family. He was also highly learned and cared deeply for his reputation. In private, he often styled himself a sage, possessed of an extraordinary vanity.

As long as Wang Tong was willing to ruin Zheng Yanqing’s reputation, no one could say much.

At worst, he’d be accused of bullying the young, but for a man like Wang Tong, such things mattered little.

Besides, he was in the right—exposing a villain for the scholarly world. He would likely feel all the more pleased for it.

Cui Min’s task was simply to spread rumors.

On one hand, he ordered his men to circulate tales in the neighborhoods, claiming Zheng Yanqing’s poems and essays were ghostwritten and plagiarized.

On the other, he repeatedly asserted that Zheng Shian abused his power in the marketplace, relying on his grandson’s fame for intimidation.

After all, such rumors were nothing more than words easily uttered; Cui Min hardly needed to exert himself. Why not?

Truth be told, Cui Min’s lies were easy to expose, but the question was: who would bother?

The common folk already harbored resentment toward the wealthy, especially since Xiong Ji’s scissors business had risen so rapidly, provoking envy.

Thus, not only did no one refute the rumors, they grew ever more exaggerated.

It must be said that from ancient times to the present, everyone’s blood boils with gossip.

So the rumors became increasingly absurd. Some even stepped forward, claiming the famous Goose Ode style was their own creation, only for Yanqing to copy it. Yet nobody believed such claims… You see, the rumors targeted only Yanqing’s talent and character, never the Goose Ode style itself. If someone claimed authorship, they’d be asked for proof… But Yanqing had Sun Simiao as his witness!

Du Ruhui and Zheng Yanqing spent seven days in the mountains, but upon returning, they found themselves at the eye of the storm...

“Brother Yanqing, there are so many people outside now saying you’re just a fame-seeker, with no genuine talent or learning.”

Zheng Hongyi sat angrily in Yanqing’s study, viciously biting into the fruit Yanqing had brought back from the mountains.

“Those people are just talking nonsense. They’re jealous of Yanqing.”

Dou Fengjie was equally displeased. To him, Zheng Yanqing was an idol, not to be maligned.

“Let them say what they wish,”

Zheng Yanqing smiled, picking up a round fan and gently waving it.

—————————————————————————————————— Two chapters released together; one more to come.