Chapter 103: The Father‑in‑law Emperor

The Wang Family's intelligence apparatus, once fully activated, is astonishingly efficient.

In just a month's time, the various 'romantic exploits' of the Later Liang Emperor Zhu Wen spread like a plague throughout Zhongyuan and Jiangnan.

"Hey, have you heard? Our emperor has recently taken another concubine!"

"What concubine? The version I heard isn't like that!"

"Oh? Quick, tell us!"

In teahouses, taverns, and fields, everywhere people were mysteriously discussing it.

Soon, under the Wang Family's deliberate guidance, a unified and most explosive version began to circulate.

"Have you heard? Our emperor doesn't like young maidens; he prefers…… daughter‑in‑laws!"

"What? What are you saying?" Everyone hearing this stared at the speaker in disbelief, as if he had just uttered an Arabian Nights tale.

"How could this be possible? The emperor is the Son of Heaven; how could he have such a morally reprehensible fetish?" someone questioned.

"I also find it hard to believe, but I heard this from an old eunuch in the palace; he said the emperor is deeply enamored of his daughter‑in‑law, and it hasn't been just a day or two." The speaker spoke with conviction, making people inclined to trust him a little.

"This… this is too absurd! Don't the emperor's sons have any objections?" another asked.

"I'm not sure about that, but I've heard the emperor's sons all fear him greatly; even if they knew, they probably wouldn't dare complain." The speaker shook his head and sighed.

"Exactly! I heard that his sons, in their scramble for the crown‑prince position, are rushing to send their own wives into the palace!"

"Good heavens! Is this even human? It's outright bestial!"

"So now, people outside have given him a nickname…… the "Father‑in‑law Emperor"!"

"Father‑in‑law Emperor? Hahaha, that's spot‑on! Too spot‑on!"

In a short time, the story of the 'Father‑in‑law Emperor Zhu Wen' spread like wildfire, becoming after‑dinner chatter. It was turned into various catchy sayings and folk songs, sung incessantly in streets and alleys.

One verse goes: 'The Zhu emperor sits on the dragon throne, loving not his realm but his daughter‑in‑law. Day after day he summons her to the palace, night after night he feasts without weariness.' This lyric vividly depicts Zhu Wen's infatuation with his daughter‑in‑law and his frequent, ethics‑defying summons of her to the palace.

Another verse runs: 'Prince Bo's wife is most favored, for her beauty and slender waist. Prince Ying harbors envy, resenting that his own wife lacks charm.' This verse portrays Prince Bo's wife as a beautiful, graceful woman deeply favored by Zhu Wen, while Prince Ying, whose wife falls short, is filled with jealousy and resentment.

These verses, easy to understand and tinged with color, greatly satisfied the populace's curiosity and love of gossip, spreading faster than official court bulletins.

The Wang Family even used its own printing workshop to turn these stories into beautifully illustrated pamphlets, which were quietly distributed nationwide via trade routes.

In a short time, Zhu Wen's 'prestige' was known throughout the land.

He went from being a founding emperor to becoming a laughingstock of incest overnight, and the prestige of the Later Liang Court plummeted.

Zhu Wen, far away in Bianliang, flew into a rage upon hearing this.

"Investigate! Have them investigated!" he roared madly, "Who is it? Who is spreading rumors behind my back? Drag them out! I will have them torn to pieces and exterminate their nine clans!"

The Later Liang's lackeys immediately launched a harsh crackdown nationwide. Countless commoners and scholars suspected of being 'rumor‑mongers' were arrested, imprisoned, and tortured.

But this approach not only failed to stop the rumors, it provoked even greater public anger, causing the 'Father‑in‑law Emperor' gossip to intensify until it was practically an established fact.

Zhu Wen investigated high and low; in the end, all clues pointed to the same place—Jiangnan, the Wang Family of Yangzhou.

Because only the Wang Family had both motive and ability to stir up such a public‑opinion storm in so short a time.

"Wang Family! Wang Po!" Zhu Wen gritted his teeth in the palace, eyes bloodshot, "I have always kept to myself with you, yet you dare to insult me behind my back!"

He immediately prepared to order the mobilization of a large army to march south and attack the Wang Family.

But his trusted minister Jing Xiang clung to him desperately.

"Your Majesty, absolutely not!" Jing Xiang knelt on the ground, pleading, "Now Li Keyong in the north eyes us hungrily, a major threat to our dynasty. Our forces must be wholly devoted to defending the eastern river; we cannot fight on two fronts at this time!"

"Moreover, the Wang Family has operated in Jiangnan for generations, deep‑rooted. Their strongholds are sturdy, their troops elite—even Huang Chao's hundreds of thousands could not overcome them. If we rashly launch a southern campaign, the outcome is uncertain; should we lose, Li Keyong will swoop in, and our Great Liang will truly be in peril."

Zhu Wen, though brutal, was not a complete fool; he knew Jing Xiang spoke the truth.

He currently lacks the ability to engage the Wang Family in a death‑match.

"Then… am I just to sit by and watch them humiliate me?" Zhu Wen trembled with rage.

"Your Majesty, a gentleman's revenge can wait ten years." Jing Xiang whispered, "The Wang Family's act is merely a verbal jab; it does no harm to the foundations of our Great Liang."

"What we urgently need now is to stabilize the interior and eliminate Li Keyong, this grave internal threat. Once the north is pacified and our strength grows, we can then turn back and easily deal with that Jiangnan clown."

Upon hearing Jing Xiang's words, Zhu Wen's anger gradually subsided.

He snorted coldly and said, "Fine! Just as you say—let the Wang Family live a few more years!"

"Convey my decree: richly reward Prince Bo Zhu Youwen to pacify him. Also, transfer Prince Ying Zhu Yougui away from the Capital to a frontier garrison. I do not wish to see his ugly face again!"

He thought this would quell the internal strife.

But he did not know that this decision would become the final straw that broke the camel's back, utterly igniting the volcano in Zhu Yougui's heart.

……

Meanwhile, in Jiangnan, the Wang Family stronghold.

Wang Po (Wang Xiu) looked at the intelligence regarding Zhu Wen's reaction and wore a smile of everything going according to plan.

Everything was within his expectations.

He knew Zhu Wen presently dared not move against him.

That was exactly the effect he wanted.

Through a public‑opinion battle, without shedding blood, he temporarily subdued Zhu Wen, the greatest potential threat, buying precious time for the Wang Family's development.

"Uncle Tian, well done." Wang Po (Wang Xiu) praised Wang Tian.

"It's all thanks to the Head of Family's planning." Wang Tian replied modestly.

"Next, our focus must return to Jiangnan itself." Wang Po (Wang Xiu)'s gaze fell again on the map, onto the region representing Xuan Prefecture.

"Zhu Wen is tied up by public opinion and cannot attend to anything else. Li Keyong in the north is also standoffish with Zhu Wen's main forces. Now the whole world is at its most vulnerable defensively."

"This is also the best time for us to resolve Jiangnan's internal problems!"

He rose, walked to the map, and firmly pointed his hand at Xuan Prefecture's location.

"The Military Governor of Xuan Prefecture, Tian Yi, is brave but reckless, arrogant and domineering. He holds Xuan Prefecture, a vital grain‑producing region, and controls the lower Yangtze waterway, a constant threat to our Wang Family."

"Before, we left him be, fearing to alert the Court. But now the Court has changed hands; Zhu Wen is preoccupied and will hardly care if Jiangnan changes masters."

"Pass my orders!" Wang Po (Wang Xiu)'s voice turned icy and resolute.

"Order the First Legion, Second Legion, and the Divine Machine Battalion to assemble immediately!"

"Three days later, the troops will set out for Xuan Prefecture!"

"I want, within the Era Name Deadline, to have the entire Xuan Prefecture planted with my Wang Family's banner!"

"Also, notify Wang Tian, have him go to Gold Mound once. Tell that petty king of Gold Mound, Yang Xingmi."

"Just say, my Wang Family will attack Xuan Prefecture, let him keep his subordinates in line, don't act rashly. Otherwise, after I finish dealing with Tian Zui, the next one will be him!"

"Yang Xingmi, this name was like thunder in the South of the Huai region at the time. He was not only the Military Commissioner of South of the Huai, but also a mighty warlord of the turbulent era. His sphere of influence was mainly concentrated in the vicinity of Gold Mound; the terrain there is strategic, easy to defend but hard to attack, providing favorable conditions for his rise."

"Yang Xingmi had long eyed the prosperous South of the River with drooling desire. Since ancient times, the South of the River has been the land of fish and rice, with a flourishing economy and thriving culture. The wealth and resources there made countless people envious, and Yang Xingmi was no exception. He knew that if he could incorporate the South of the River into his domain, it would greatly strengthen his power."

"To achieve this goal, Yang Xingmi had been secretly plotting, continually expanding his forces and strengthening his control over the Gold Mound area."

"Wang Po (Wang Xiu) had a mind as clear as a mirror; he was fully aware that, in the matter of attacking Xuan Prefecture, the person most likely to trip him up and stab him in the back was none other than Yang Xingmi."

"Therefore, to avoid possible future trouble and unnecessary conflict, he knew it was necessary to give the other side a warning or reminder beforehand, thereby achieving a certain deterrent effect. This way, the other side might restrain themselves in future actions and not go too overboard."

"Yes, Head of Family!" the messenger guard bowed, took the order, and quickly withdrew.