[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-assuming-the-langya-surname":3,"chapter-assuming-the-langya-surname-assuming-the-langya-surname-chapter-4":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The False Clan of Langya",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2273800,4442,"Chapter 4: The Crime of Evil Rebellion","assuming-the-langya-surname-chapter-4",4,"\u003Cp>Wang Yang laughed a few times: “Haven’t you heard that usurping the grave of a noble is called ‘evil rebellion’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at the squad leader, his eyes tinged with pity and mockery: “Then again, what would you know—you’re just a lowly squad leader?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Presence—there must be presence!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seizing the moment when the squad leader hesitated, Wang Yang swept his sleeve and glared, shouting loudly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evil rebels! Kill their bodies! Exterminate their families! Confiscate their wealth! My family has been noble for generations! My second uncle serves as a Palace Attendant in the capital! If anything happens to me, it will reach the Son of Heaven’s ears! Do you think I’m joking when I say I’ll wipe out your entire clan?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang stood with his hands clasped behind his waist, his tone fierce and commanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one saw his palm twitch uncontrollably behind his back,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his fingertips icy cold!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To lie convincingly, beyond presence, the key lies in detail. A lie without detail is like a castle in the air—obviously false at first hearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Wang Yang inserted two details: the crime of evil rebellion, and his second uncle’s post as Palace Attendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crime of evil rebellion existed in both Han and Tang. Wang Yang knew this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was not deeply versed in the history of the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties; he did not know whether evil rebellion was still a crime in his own time. Still, he reasoned: since the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties lay between Han and Tang, many institutions carried forward unchanged—if Han and Tang had it, then Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties likely did too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hence he chose this crime to intimidate them. As for the specific punishment of evil rebellion, he exaggerated wildly—he wanted to strike first with fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was gambling,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>betting these soldiers knew nothing of the exact legal text of evil rebellion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for fabricating a second uncle as a Palace Attendant, that too was deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Yellow and Scatter offices require both virtue and noble lineage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yellow” refers to the Yellow Gate Attendant; “Scatter” to the Palace Attendant. “Virtue” means character and talent; “lineage” means family rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yellow and Scatter offices were prestigious posts in the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties—only those of high aristocratic birth could be appointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the Palace Attendant was a close attendant of the Emperor, subtly reinforcing Wang Yang’s earlier claim of “reaching the Son of Heaven’s ears.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was lucky for Wang Yang that no scholar-official was present—if one had been, he would have instantly recognized this as empty bluster. Even if the soldiers had truly arrested him for evil rebellion, there was no legal basis for exterminating three generations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what did these soldiers know?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had heard the term “evil rebellion,” often conflating it with “treason” or “heinous crimes,” knowing only that it was a monstrous offense ordinary people could never commit—how could they imagine encountering it today?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And when they heard Wang Yang’s second uncle held such a high post as Palace Attendant, he became, in their eyes, a figure of unimaginable stature!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the highest officer at their own garrison would be worth nothing in his second uncle’s eyes. To offend such a man—what disaster would that bring?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Wang Yang’s image transformed in their eyes: no longer a timid, gaunt vagrant, but a man of haughty bearing and confident speech, radiating an aura too imposing to challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one dared laugh. The two soldiers who had moved to seize him stepped back immediately. Whether or not they would exterminate his clan, they knew one law: “To defy a superior is to be a thief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the squad leader held his breath, silently pondering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t give them room to think!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s like advertising—once you crack a gap, you must press forward without pause, flooding their minds with your message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang idly brushed dust from his tattered sleeve, frayed at the edges; had his clothes not been so shabby, the gesture might have seemed genuinely aristocratic:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me tell you plainly—I am Wang Yang, styled Zhiyan, named after the ‘Junzi Xie Lao’ chapter of the ‘Yong Feng’ section of the Book of Songs: ‘Your clarity shines, your countenance gleams.’ Had I not been ambushed by bandits, I would have already met the men my second uncle sent to fetch me—why would I be stranded in this wretched place?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang recited the Book of Songs not to show off, but to use this detail to affirm his status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties, literature was prized over martial skill; aristocratic sons vied in literary refinement. Commoners had neither money for tutors nor books—even if they wished to learn, they could not afford it, nor could they hope for advancement. This was the so-called “monopoly of knowledge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was still the age of aristocratic clans, unlike the later imperial examination era when commoners rose. Had Wang Yang been transported to Tang or Song, quoting the Book of Songs would have meant nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More crucially, his final remark—seemingly a casual complaint—was a vital hint: my second uncle has already sent men to retrieve me! Even if you wish to kill me to cover your tracks, consider the risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, after Wang Yang spoke, the soldiers’ gazes changed—shocked, tinged with awe, yet still laced with doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The handsome boy seethed inwardly: Why does he get attention just for reciting poetry, while I get nothing?! Isn’t I the protagonist?! Isn’t Du Fu’s poetry better than his uneven, half-baked Book of Songs line?! Then he thought: So the Wang clan of Langya is this powerful—they’ve frightened them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The squad leader swallowed hard and ventured cautiously: “Then... do you have any documents to prove your identity?” His tone was now utterly different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang frowned and rebuked: “Didn’t you hear me? I was ambushed by bandits—I lost even my clothes and carriage, let alone documents!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The squad leader hesitated: “But without proof...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang cut him off impatiently: “My genealogy and household registry are proof—go check them if you dare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Wang Yang were merely a low-ranking scholar family, the squad leader had no authority to investigate genealogies or household records. As he stood helplessly, Wang Yang yawned:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, I won’t make things hard for you—I’ll give you proof.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to the soldier named Ding Jiu: “You—go pick me up a branch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Jiu glanced at the squad leader. The black-haired spearman stepped forward: “I’ll get it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The squad leader nodded. The black-haired man hurried off, returning with three branches for Wang Yang to choose from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped three paces away, leaned his spear against his shoulder, bowed low, and offered the branches with both hands—his demeanor deeply respectful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding Jiu was annoyed: If I’d known he’d do this, I’d have picked them myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under modern etiquette, polite phrases had become instinct for Wang Yang—he almost said “thank you,” but remembered his assumed identity and swallowed the words. He casually seized one branch and began drawing on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone leaned forward to watch. At first they thought he was writing characters; then they realized he was drawing. The design twisted and coiled, intricate in texture, with tiny characters embedded within—a complex, elaborate pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This... this... is a talisman?!” the squad leader and several soldiers exclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang tossed the branch aside: “Look closely—it’s the most authentic Tongguang talisman of the Celestial Masters. My Wang clan of Langya has transmitted the Celestial Masters tradition for generations—surely you’ve heard of that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The design Wang Yang drew was from a Dunhuang talisman housed in the Bibliothèque nationale de France. To his shame, it was the only talisman he could draw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the perspective of cultural and intellectual history, Wang Yang’s true expertise lay in Confucianism and Buddhism—Daoism ranked last. So his claim of “the most authentic Tongguang talisman of the Celestial Masters” was pure bluff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Wang clan of Langya’s hereditary transmission of the Celestial Masters tradition was verified by Chen Yinke. These soldiers certainly didn’t know that—but he needed these vivid, confident details to scare them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Buddhism and Daoism flourished in the Eastern Jin and Southern Dynasties, common folk knew little—even if they recognized a talisman, how could they judge whether a “Tongguang talisman” was authentic?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as for whether the Wang clan of Langya truly transmitted the Celestial Masters tradition? They had no idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They couldn’t even imagine what aristocrats ate daily, let alone the esoteric beliefs passed within their families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they did know that scholar-official families often followed Buddhism or Daoism. Wang Yang’s speech and bearing had already made them half-believe his identity; now, seeing the talisman, they believed a little more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their mixture of awe and fear, Wang Yang felt a surge of relief—he thought he was nearly through—when two familiar, jarring voices suddenly rang out:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m also of the Wang clan of Langya!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m from the Wang clan of Langya too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thousand wild horses galloped through Wang Yang’s mind!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————————————————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Note: ① “To defy a superior is to be a thief.” From Zhang Fei’s “Annotations on the Jin Code” in the Book of Jin, Criminal Law Annals—a Jin dynasty law. The Southern Dynasties of Song and Qi retained the Jin Code; only under Liang was a new code compiled, still based on Jin law.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>② Chen Yinke’s article verifying the Wang clan of Langya’s hereditary transmission of the Celestial Masters tradition is titled “Taoism and the Coastal Regions,” included in “Collected Works of the Jinming Pavilion, First Series.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>③ Medieval Daoist talismans resembled intricate drawings, not the simplified seal-script symbols depicted in TV dramas; Wang Yang’s design is derived from the Dunhuang manuscripts, and although this is a Tang Dynasty copy, such talismans may have originated in earlier traditions. For those interested in the exact pattern, see Volume 33 of the Bibliothèque nationale de France’s Dunhuang and Central Asian Manuscripts, No. P.4824.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>④ Some legal historians wrongly trace the origin of “evil rebellion” to the Northern Qi Code’s “Ten Grave Crimes.” Incorrect. This crime existed in the Eastern Han. The Book of the Later Han, Biography of Liang Tong: “In the eighth year of Jianchu, he falsely accused and killed two noble consorts, framing Song and others with evil rebellion.” The Book of the Later Han, Biography of Chen Qiu: “Cao Jie and Wang Fu argued that the Liang family had committed evil rebellion; though buried in the Yi Mausoleum, Emperor Wu deposed Empress Wei and paired Li Lady with the ancestor.” This is also recorded in the Chronicles of the Later Han: “The maternal family hated the Liang clan and sought to destroy them, falsely accusing them of evil rebellion.” This crime was inherited in the Jin Code; Zhang Fei’s “Annotations on the Jin Code” states: “Usurping the grave of a noble is called evil rebellion.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1812,"2026-06-19T23:36:03.373Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7839de92da994d855544f2bc7cc4d3e64e763516482f6a3d58bfcd710cd08898","assuming-the-langya-surname-chapter-5","assuming-the-langya-surname-chapter-3",62,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-false-clan-of-langya-cover.jpg"]