Chapter 251: Qin Qiong

Near noon, shortly after Chen Yan returned, the two visitors unexpectedly met in front of the Weinan Marquis's mansion.

Li Chunfeng looked at the man opposite him who was a head taller, exuded a scholarly aura yet gave an unspoken authority, and bowed his hand.

"So it is the Duke of Yi, my lord; I, a humble Taoist, pay my respects."

Qin Qiong, surprised to meet Li Chunfeng here, made a joke: "It is said that the Grand Historian is a half‑immortal among mortals, only those with fate may see him. Today I'm lucky; I came to beg for a meal, and unexpectedly had the honor of meeting the Grand Historian."

"Does this mean I am also one of those fated ones?"

"Half‑immortal among mortals?"

Li Chunfeng was bewildered for a moment, then hurriedly explained: "Duke of Yi, please do not tease this humble Taoist; I only know a little of the Dao, I certainly do not deserve the title of half‑immortal; please do not overburden me."

"Ah," Qin Qiong said cheerfully, "Even Chen Yan can be called an immortal descending, you as Grand Historian, what's wrong with calling you a half‑immortal?"

"No, no, no!" Li Chunfeng hurried: "Mr. Chen calling you an immortal descending is fine, but my fortune is shallow; I dare not associate with the word immortal."

"That would be a disaster for me; Duke of Yi, please never mention it again!"

Qin Qiong raised an eyebrow, about to speak, when Chen Yan suddenly emerged from the mansion with a dark face, followed by Xiao Shunzi.

"You old Taoist, spreading rumors about me again!"

"What about you saying I can't associate with the word immortal, does that make it okay for me?"

"Consider this a request from Chen Yan, okay? Stop calling me some immortal descending behind my back; you keep spreading it, I'm tired of explaining."

Li Chunfeng saw him, his eyes instantly brightened, then firmly said: "If even Mr. Chen cannot be associated with the word immortal, then I think there are no immortals in the world."

"There are no immortals in this world!" Chen Yan felt exhausted, didn't want to continue arguing with Li Chunfeng, and respectfully said to Qin Qiong: "Marquis Qin, why didn't you give a heads‑up when you arrived? It would have let your nephew be prepared."

"If Xiao Shunzi hadn't seen Marquis Qin coming from afar, I probably couldn't even go out to greet you; wouldn't that be rude?"

"No need to make it so complicated." Qin Qiong said warmly: "I've never cared about these things; you know that."

"Go in first; I came this time with something I want to tell you."

"Alright!" Chen Yan nodded, inviting Qin Qiong and Li Chunfeng inside.

Chen Yan held great respect for Qin Qiong, because among his several uncles, Qin Qiong was the most normal.

Unlike Uncle Niu and Yuchi Gong who were unruly, and unlike Cheng Yaojin who set traps, he was always friendly, showed no airs, and cared a lot.

Moreover, anyone who faced Qin Qiong had to respect him.

He was the legendary powerhouse said to be able to fight Guan Yu one‑on‑one!

What is the saying from later generations?

One half of Sui‑Tang history, half a Qin Qiong biography!

He is the only person whose official history is more fierce than the romance; Chen Yan truly dares not fail to respect him.

Don't be fooled by his amiable demeanor; if he loses his temper, one punch could send you reincarnating.

"Come, come, Marquis Qin, Grand Historian, sit quickly!"

"Qing'er, bring tea!"

Chen Yan warmly welcomed the two.

He expected that someone would visit upon returning to Chang'an, and had already prepared some things.

Qin Qiong didn't hold back; he sat down with a grand, golden‑blade bearing, gave Chen Yan a quick glance, nodded, "You look radiant, must be doing well in Weinan County; I won't ask more."

"My boy at home has also become much sturdier, matured a lot."

"You bunch of ragamuffins finally have some semblance, no longer fooling around all day."

After saying that, he changed tack: "As for your return to Chang'an, it can't be just homesickness; could you tell the Marquis what the matter is?"

"Sure enough, you can't hide from Marquis Qin." Chen Yan's face showed a smile, "Gao Yang is pregnant; I'm about to become a father."

"So I took advantage of the quiet period in Weinan County to return to Chang'an and personally tell the elders this news."

"Gao Yang is pregnant." Qin Qiong was stunned, then delighted: "Great! Excellent!"

"With that, you're married, and soon you'll have a consort; the old men can later look at your father with a smile."

"What are you talking about?" Chen Yan didn't quite agree with Qin Qiong: "If it weren't for the uncles' continual support, how could I have lived so peacefully all these years?"

"You owe us the Chen family nothing; on the contrary, I owe the uncles much."

"Enough, let's not discuss this." Qin Qiong waved his hand, changed the subject: "I'm sure many have told you that Chang'an isn't very peaceful; the Court has been chaotic lately. Knowing Uncle Niu's temperament, I guess he might even prevent you from returning to Chang'an, right?"

"Indeed." Chen Yan nodded, "Before I came back, Uncle Niu advised me not to return."

"But I always think, with His Majesty and the great ones in the Court, no matter how chaotic it gets, it can't go that far, right? What big problem could arise?"

"Besides, three months ago they were already saying the Court was chaotic; now three months later they're still saying it."

"I don't believe the Court can be chaotic for that long!"

Li Chunfeng agreed: "Mr. Chen is right; normally the Court wouldn't become chaotic over trivial matters, let alone for such a long time."

"But what if His Majesty is behind the scenes stirring the trouble?"

"You mean…" Chen Yan was slightly stunned, as if he understood something, and fell silent.

"Exactly!" Qin Qiong said: "Everything is His Majesty and a few of his confidants pushing the waves from behind."

"And your Uncle Niu doesn't fully grasp the situation; he's the type who can turn a small matter into something extremely serious. Though he appears strict, he actually worries most about you youngsters, so his words tend to be heavy."

"In reality, His Majesty is using this to purge a group of people, promote some confidants; officials are uneasy, factions form, alliances, resignations, thus it seems chaotic."

"I see." Chen Yan suddenly understood.

Though Qin Qiong didn't elaborate, Chen Yan had basically grasped Li Shimin's thinking.

Initially, Li Shimin used his behind‑the‑scenes people to stir the Court, and then, riding the turmoil, gradually expanded his control over the Court.

While clearing out a batch of people, he promoted low‑born youths like Ma Zhou.

No wonder Li Shimin once had leisure to take Empress Changsun on a stroll in Weinan County.

He said, "If the Court were truly as chaotic as Uncle Niu says, Li Shimin would have already raised the slaughter sword."

This Li Er Feng is not a benevolent person; his methods are ruthless.