Yun Qing instructed Xu Wu, "Summon Yang Duoming here. I have something to ask him." Xu Wu shook his head and replied, " ...
Yun Qing instructed Xu Wu, "Summon Yang Duoming here. I have something to ask him."
Xu Wu shook his head and replied, "Wangye, Yang Duoming cannot come. Yesterday, Wangfei ordered him to be beaten with twenty military strokes. He definitely can't get out of bed right now."
Yun Qing returned to the rear courtyard, looking surprised, and asked Yuxi, who was making clothes, "Did you have someone beat Yang Duoming with twenty military strokes?" Yuxi had only mentioned that Yang Duoming had come over yesterday afternoon to report matters; she had not said that she had also punished him.
Yuxi put down her needlework, then rubbed her eyes. "Because his negligence and carelessness exposed his identity, I punished him. If he is this careless again, he may very likely lose his life on the mission."
Yun Qing said no more about this. "I just heard Biaodi1 say that Yang Duoming not only caused Jiang Xiao'er2 to lose the ability to continue his family line, but also had him disfigured? Did Yang Duoming tell you how Jiang Xiao'er2 offended him?" Although Jiang Hongjin always attracted people's dislike3, it was still excessive to lay such a hand4 on him.
Yuxi was surprised. "Jiang Xiao'er2?" In truth, she knew in her heart that this Jiang Xiao'er2 was actually Jiang Hongjin; she simply did not know who had given him this nickname.
Yun Qing said with a smile, "He ranks second in the Jiang family, so I have always called him Jiang Xiao'er2. Besides that, he also has another nickname: Colourful Peacock5."
"Puchi…" Yuxi couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Colourful Peacock? How did you come up with such a nickname?"
When Yun Qing thought of things from childhood, a smile also appeared on his face. "That Jiang Hongjin always held his head high when looking at people. He always dressed like clusters of flowers and brocade6 then, exactly like a Colourful Peacock5."
Jiang Hongjin did not like Yun Qing and felt that Yun Qing was crude. Yun Qing likewise did not like Jiang Hongjin; not only was he like a sissy, he also had an air of being high, high above others7, which only made people lose their appetite8, just by looking at him.
Yuxi was such a sharp person. She asked, "You don't like Jiang Hongjin?" If he didn't like him, that was fine by her. She wouldn't even need to say much; Yun Qing would handle the aftermath.
Yun Qing gave an 'mm'. "He merely read a few more books, yet acted as if he were one grade higher9 than me. Just seeing him makes me annoyed." When Yun Qing was in the capital back then, he made quite a few friends thanks to his straightforward, cheerful personality. But he had always refused to associate with Jiang Hongjin.
Yuxi had not expected Yun Qing to hate Jiang Hongjin so much. This was a good thing for her. After giving it some thought, Yuxi said, "This can't actually be blamed on Jiang Hongjin either. It was caused by the Imperial Court's system." Even at the same rank, the status of civil officials was always higher than that of military generals. To put it plainly, this was created by the Emperor's policy of valuing civil matters and slighting military matters10.
Yun Qing looked somewhat gloomy as he recalled, "When I was young, I did not understand. Those civil officials merely played with their lips11 and wrote a few essays, so why was their status higher than that of the military generals who threw away their heads and spilt their hot blood12? And why did they receive more respect?"
Yuxi naturally knew the reason. Those in power deliberately raised the status of civil officials and suppressed military generals; in truth, it was to restrict the power held by military generals. Military generals held military authority, so if they developed a heart that was not that of a subject13, they could easily become uncontrollable. However, civil officials could be easily suppressed if they rebelled, and comparatively speaking, the harm would be much smaller. However, Yuxi did not intend to say these words as they were unnecessary.
Yuxi asked, "You just said you wanted to see Yang Duoming. What? Do you think Yang Duoming was responsible for this matter?"
At first, Yun Qing had indeed suspected this, but on second thought, he felt it was not quite right. After all, Yang Duoming had gone to carry out an errand under Yuxi's orders. It was impossible for him to have developed such deep-seated hatred and resentment towards Jiang Hongjin. "It shouldn't be him. But Yan Xi is his subordinate, so this matter must have something to do with him in some way."
Yuxi shook her head. "Yang Duoming probably has nothing to do with what happened to Jiang Hongjin. Otherwise, he would have told me yesterday. I think this matter may be a misunderstanding."
One lie needs countless lies to make it round14. Yuxi decided that, once this matter was over, she would never hide anything from Yun Qing again. Covering up a lie was even more exhausting than handling government affairs. Moreover, lying to Yun Qing also made her feel somewhat guilty. However, even though she felt this way, Yuxi was still not prepared to tell Yun Qing the truth about this matter. The truth was so shocking to the world that it would horrify their customs15; whether Yun Qing believed it or not, it would cause endless trouble in the future. Life was going perfectly well now, and she did not want to raise any waves16 again.
Yun Qing nodded. "I also feel that there is something strangely suspicious about this matter. How about this: have Gao Song go and ask Yang Duoming what exactly is going on?"
Yuxi gave a nod. "Naturally, that is a good idea." After pausing, she asked about the Yun family's past. "Herui, I don't know much about the Yun family. Can you tell me about them in detail today?" She also wanted to know more about them because everyone in the Yun family had left the world. If Yun Qing had not brought it up himself, Yuxi would not have dared to ask, fearing that it would only make him sad.
Yun Qing gave Yuxi a brief overview of the Yun family's situation. Old Master Yun was an orphan, one who no longer even remembered his own parents. So apart from the three generations living in the household, there were no other relatives in the family. It was very simple. "Originally, Grandpa wanted to adopt Third Younger Brother into Second Uncle's line…" Unexpectedly, before the adoption could take place, a change occurred in Tong City.
After hearing this, Yuxi asked in puzzlement, "Why did Aunt marry Jiang Wenrui back then?" Scholarly families generally would not marry their daughters off to military families. Especially a hundred-year family of book fragrance17 like the Jiang family, who placed great importance on family rank and household status. Even if Jiang Wenrui had fallen in love with Yun Qing's aunt, the Jiang family elders would not have agreed to the marriage without a good reason.
Yun Qing answered, "It seems my Aunt's real father had once helped Jiang Wenrui, though I'm not sure exactly what happened. I only know that not long after Aunt married into the Jiang family, she became pregnant with my Biaodi1. But when she gave birth, she had a difficult labour. Not long after the child was born, she passed away."
Yuxi could not help suspecting a hidden plot. The daughters of military families were usually relatively strong and healthy. If their bodies were healthy, childbirth would also be much easier. Who knows? Maybe there's more to this than meets the eye! Yuxi asked, "How was your aunt's health?"
Yun Qing shook his head before replying, "Not very good. Apparently, she had a weak constitution from childhood." He then explained to Yuxi, "Aunt was not my Grandpa's legitimate biological daughter, but the daughter of his sworn brother. When she was young, she was abused by her grandparents, which caused her health to be very poor. Later, my Grandpa brought her to the capital and hired physicians to care for her, but she was still very weak."
Yuxi did not think about it further. For a woman in poor health to give birth was like passing through the Ghost Gate Pass18. Since Jiang Hongfu's birth mother was in poor health, it was indeed very easy for her to have a difficult labour.
Yun Qing continued, "Although my Aunt passed away rather early, my Uncle loved Biaodi1 very much. Even after he married Yu Shi as his second wife, he still loved my Aunt very much. There was no situation, as the rumours say, where once there was a stepmother, there was also a stepfather19."
Yuxi smiled. "That is your Biaodi1's good fortune." She guessed that it was probably because Jiang Wenrui had treated his eldest son too well, which had made Yu Shi feel a sense of crisis. When the Yun family was still around, Yu Shi harboured misgivings and dared not act against Jiang Hongfu. Once the Yun family had fallen, however, Yu Shi could no longer hold herself back.
In fact, things were indeed just as Yuxi had expected. Because Jiang Wenrui had brought up Jiang Hongfu with one hand20, the father and son had extremely deep feelings. Before Yu Shi gave birth to a son, she expressed concern for Jiang Hongfu and asked after his well-being at first. Unfortunately, he did not reciprocate her efforts.
Yu Shi was angry inside, but she did not dare act recklessly. To establish a stable position in the Jiang family, she could only redouble her efforts to please Jiang Hongfu. However, Old Master Yun was a very vigilant person. Upon learning of Yu Shi's actions, he immediately arranged for Jiang Hongfu to stay with the Yuns for a while. When he returned home, Jiang Hongfu became more guarded around Yu Shi and would not allow her to be overly solicitous towards him.
Old Master Yun was afraid that his grandson would suffer losses, so he invited him to stay at the Yun residence periodically. This rendered Yu Shi's calculations useless. However, as a result, the relationship between the cousins was cultivated instead, and Jiang Hongfu and Yun Qing became as close as real brothers.
After Yu Shi gave birth to Jiang Hongjin, she could no longer tolerate Jiang Hongfu in her heart. As long as he was around, her son would always come second, which was not at all what she wanted. Unfortunately for her, Old Master Yun protected Jiang Hongfu very well and was very wary of her, so Yu Shi could not find an opportunity to harm Jiang Hongfu.
After the Yun family fell, Yu Shi carefully designed a plan to get rid of Jiang Hongfu. In her previous life, her scheme succeeded. It was precisely because Jiang Wenrui lost Jiang Hongfu that he devoted all his efforts to cultivating Jiang Hongjin, who became the youngest zhuangyuan21 in the Great Zhou dynasty. In this life, however, because Yuxi inserted a pole across22 this matter and saved Jiang Hongfu's life, Yu Shi and Jiang Hongjin's days became difficult. When Jiang Hongjin took the metropolitan examination, he did not even rank among the top three.
Yun Qing pointed out, "Look, Mom and Dage both loved you very much! Biaodi1 did not have that." These words were also intended to comfort Yuxi. Although Jiang Hongfu had also lost his mother, he lived a much more comfortable and relaxed life than Yuxi.
Yuxi smiled and dismissed it: "I only said it casually."
Gao Song found Yang Duoming and asked him if he knew Jiang Hongjin. Having previously received a hint from Yuxi, Yang Duoming immediately replied, "I know there is such a person. This man is the tongzhi23 of Luoyang City and also the son of the Minister of Revenue."
Gao Song nodded. "Then, do the two of you have any enmity?" Seeing Yang Duoming shake his head, Gao Song asked, "You truly have never harboured any ill will towards him?"
Yang Duoming replied as if he was chopping nails and cutting iron24, "I don't even know him. Where would enmity come from? There may be some misunderstanding here."
Gao Song then questioned Yan Xi, who gave the same answer as Yang Duoming. Gao Song did not linger much longer and soon returned to the Yun residence.
Yang Duoming said to Yan Xi, "Pour me a cup of water." Receiving twenty blows as punishment would take at least half a month to heal, even with the best medicine.
Yang Duoming drank half a cup of water, then lay back down on his stomach. His backside was beaten raw, and even the slightest movement was excruciating. For the next few days, he could only eat liquid food; if he tried to eat anything solid, he would be in agony again.
Seeing Yang Duoming like this made Yan Xi feel very upset. "Big Brother, Wangfei was too ruthless." His words carried a note of dissatisfaction with Yuxi's actions.
Yang Duoming frowned and reprimanded him: "We messed up this errand, so it's only right that Wangfei punish me. Yan Xi, this matter ends here. Don't bring it up again. Otherwise, it won't just be twenty strokes." If they angered Wangfei, they might lose their lives when that time came.
The thought of Yuxi's methods made Yan Xi shiver. "I won't say it. I will never say it again." He didn't want to become a eunuch, so it was better for him to listen to Big Brother and do as he said!
Yang Duoming nodded and said, "Leave the outside matters to Ah Mao for now. Don't go out. Once my injuries have healed, you will leave Haocheng with me." If they happened to run into Jiang Hongfu's people, that would cause a serious problem.
Yan Xi nodded.
Footnotes Full List
- 表弟 (biǎodì) — a younger male cousin whose family relationship comes through a female line (mother's side or father's sister's side)
- 江小二 (Jiāng Xiǎo'èr) — literal: 'Jiang Little Two/Jiang Number Two'; meaning: a teasing nickname because he ranks second in the Jiang family)
- 招人嫌 (zhāo rén xián) —meaning: be unlikeable or annoying
- 下这样的手 (xià zhè yàng de shǒu) - meaning: act so ruthlessly
- 花孔雀 (huā kǒng què) — meaning: a flashy, showy, overdressed person
- 花团錦簇 (huā tuán jǐn cù) — meaning: colourful, ornate, and splendid)
- 高高在上 (gāo gāo zài shàng) — meaning: arrogant and superior
- 倒胃口 (dǎo wèi kǒu) — literal: 'turn the appetite/stomach upside down'; meaning: to disgust or put someone off
- 高了一等 (gāo le yī děng) — superior in rank/status
- 重文轻武 (zhòng wén qīng wǔ) — meaning: favour civil officials over military officials
- 耍耍嘴皮子 (shuǎ shuǎ zuǐ pí zi) — meaning: talk cleverly without doing real work
- 抛头颅洒熱血 (pāo tóu lú sǎ rè xuè) — meaning: sacrifice life and blood in battle
- 不臣之心 (bù chén zhī xīn) — meaning: rebellious or treasonous intent
- 圆 (yuán) — meaning: patch up or complete a lie so it seems consistent
- 惊世駭俗 (jīng shì hài sú) — meaning: extremely shocking and unbelievable
- 起波澜 (qǐ bō lán) — meaning: stir up trouble or disturbance
- 百年书香之家 (bǎi nián shū xiāng zhī jiā) — meaning: a long-established scholarly family
- 鬼门关 (guǐ mén guān) — meaning: a life-threatening ordeal
- 有了后娘就有后爹 (yǒu le hòu niáng jiù yǒu hòu diē) — meaning: after a father remarries, he may stop treating his previous/late wife's child warmly
- 一手带大 (yī shǒu dài dà) — literal: 'raised to adulthood with one hand'; meaning: personally raised someone
- 状元 (zhuàngyuan) — the top scholar in the imperial exams
- 横插一干 (héng chā yī gān ) — likely typo for 横插一杠 (héng chā yī gàng) — literal: 'insert a pole horizontally'; meaning: suddenly interfere or intervene
- 同知 (tóng zhī) — government sub-prefect (old)
- 斩钉截铁 (zhǎn dīng jié tiě) — meaning: firm, decisive, and categorical
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