Chapter 377

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

"Shh... keep your voice down!"

"Dare to do it but afraid of people talking? The current Emperor is benevolent and has never engaged in punishing people for their words. What is Lu Wang anyway? Does he think he's above even the Emperor?"

After this person finished shouting, all around were students who had never experienced the world's cruel beatings; once their blood was up, every single one feared neither heaven nor earth, and they chimed in agreement.

"Exactly! Don't try to scare us—we're all our own people here. Reading a few essays, what is there to fear! I not only want to read them myself, I also want to pick two well-written ones and take them home this afternoon to read to my younger brother and sister. Though they're young, they must start learning these principles early!"

"Right! This batch of essays really is of good quality—look at this one, just two short passages but uses seven or eight instances of bi-xing technique, reads smoothly and catchily..."

"What use is reading smoothly? Obsessing over meter and rhyme, one look and you can tell it's imitating Han Li's 'Maolin Fu' from back then. Pity it only got the form, didn't learn the essence. It doesn't expose Lu Wang's errors thoroughly, doesn't explain his wolfish ambition clearly. The scolding is soft and limp, not a bit of force!"

"Who says there's none?? I say there's plenty. You go read it properly. Yesterday I... cough! Look at this line... don't just recite it in your head, read it out loud..."

"Don't look at the others, everyone come look at mine!"

"Aiyo, this one's not bad! Where's it from?"

"Pasted on the toilet door behind Shou Xin Zhai! Yours isn't bad either, where's it from?"

"Mine is pasted on the toilet behind the canteen!"

"Let's copy them quick and paste them back exactly as they were. Otherwise if these good manuscripts get torn down, the people behind won't get to see them!"

Originally there were two "bulletin boards" in the Taixue. One was called the "Big Board," right at the canteen and dormitory entrances. The other was called the "Small Board," scattered on the walls of various study halls, dormitories, and canteen toilets.

The Big Board had the most foot traffic and the largest display area, mostly official orders. Last time Song Ji's "Vegetable Levy Order" was posted on these two boards.

The Small Boards were very scattered, but students spent a long time in the toilets. Even those who didn't stay long, if they saw interesting content, wouldn't mind being smoked a bit more.

—For example, someone scolding a certain teacher for not acting human, writing a long doggerel poem, and drawing a portrait of the teacher kneeling.

—Another example: Lin from neighboring Nanlu Academy, wolf-hearted and dog-lunged. How he relied on his fiancée's family to establish himself and make his fortune, then repaid kindness with ingratitude, doing petty villain deeds. Finally someone pushed him into a cesspit and gave him a thorough beating. Don't know which knight-errant did it—refreshing!

—Another example: Back when Han Li wrote about yellow dogs fighting roosters, everyone followed with 'a moment's technical itch, composing essays to match,' all joining to excoriate Cao Xianggong. The walls were full of anti-Cao essays.

That yellow-gate eunuch heard 'toilet,' at first found it strange. After a moment's thought, he understood the flavor.

Early morning, the tea house had few idle people. A crowd of students had pushed several tables together, spread out many essays, chanting and reciting together, appreciating and analyzing, making comments. Praising this one for penetrating to the wood, saying that one's brush strength wasn't enough, didn't show Lu Wang's jackal-wolf nature.

The yellow-gate eunuch stood at the door for a while, just about to enter, when he saw an old woman come out from inside, hurriedly blocking him. With a smile she said: "Sir, inside is full. Why not come another day?"

In fact the main hall clearly had several empty tables, but he didn't make things difficult either. He backed out.

Right then, a student inside called: "Guo A Po, tea's gone. Trouble you to add some hot water for us!"

The old woman busily turned back with an "Aye." When she turned again and looked up, she saw the yellow-gate eunuch with several people still at the door, not having gone far.

Her face instantly showed wariness, but her mouth kept smiling. She pointed far off and said: "Sir, better go that way. There's also a tea house over there!"

Seeing the group turn away, she finally let out a breath. Hurriedly she shut the door tight, went to refill tea for the students.

That yellow-gate eunuch also didn't delay further. Instead he took people quietly to the Taixue.

Thus before noon, many essays copied from the toilet doors all over the Taixue had already been delivered into Ciming Palace.

In Ciming Palace, early morning, Empress Dowager Yang, who hadn't yet eaten breakfast, heard the news that the Emperor had fallen ill and suspended court, and urgently summoned Imperial Physicians.

Zhao Yu had always been diligent. In these years since succession, the times he suspended court could be counted on one hand.

Although Funing Palace sent word that the Emperor was fine, and Imperial Physicians said they'd already done acupuncture and given medicine. The cause was eating the wrong thing triggering diarrhea and fever. Empress Dowager Yang still couldn't help worrying.

With her heart still hanging, she saw the foot-high stack of manuscripts before her.

Empress Dowager Yang hastily flipped through once, then heard the people below describe the situation behind the scenes at tea houses, wine shops, streets and alleys. Her face turned black.

No wind, no waves.

The current Emperor has no son. Lu Wang is like a crucian carp scattering eggs everywhere, constantly making moves. How could the palace not know?

Just didn't know the outside rumors had actually spread to this extent.

Zhao Yu acts the proper Emperor all day. Won't be ruthless here, won't bear to be harsh there. If one day someone usurps the nest...

If the other party weren't sick, Empress Dowager Yang could barely control her temper. She wanted to drag this cheap son over and scold him thoroughly.

She couldn't be bothered with verbose talk. After pondering a moment, not caring if the method was crude, she just summoned that trusted yellow-gate eunuch from before. Face-to-face she gave him instructions, told him to take those many student manuscripts out of the palace.

After sending her capable palace attendants to Funing Palace, having the Palace Front Command dispatch two extra squads to rotate guard duty, and sending a message to Empress Deng, she personally controlled palace entry and exit. Though not sealing the palace gates, she didn't let inside information leak out easily.

Next day early, Zhao Yu had improved but his condition still fluctuated. For some reason, whatever was in the medicine made his eyelids impossible to open. He really couldn't get up, so he had to suspend court again.

The Emperor suddenly fell gravely ill. Two consecutive days of suspended court. The palace made such moves. Watchful people outside saw it and couldn't help generating many thoughts.

The most agitated was naturally Lu Wang.

Watching his confidants inside the room capturing people and questioning many details, he never spoke a word. But his hand gripped the chair leg beneath him hard, palm nearly white.

After the people left, a retainer hurried over.

"Wangye, something's happening in the palace. That one... could it be he really will...?"

Lu Wang's spine heated up, his back of the head also hot. His whole body had an inexplicable excitement.

He forced down the anticipation in his heart and asked: "Push a bit. See what the various families say. Are the memorials all prepared?"

"Long ago we sent greetings. They're definitely prepared. Just afraid this matter won't go smoothly..."

This person finished speaking, realized his words were ill-omened, and hurriedly shut his mouth.

Someone at the side immediately replied: "If it goes smoothly, Wangye enters Chongzheng Hall in glory—naturally best. Even if the worst happens, it doesn't hinder them submitting memorials first. The Emperor has no son. Bringing in an adopted heir one day earlier means cultivating him properly one day earlier. It's perfectly proper!"

Lu Wang immediately nodded.

He had painstakingly managed and won people over. Besides the Imperial Clan, he'd gathered quite a few advocates. These past years, memorials came intermittently, and he spread rumors among the people, urging the Emperor to adopt an heir early against unforeseen needs.

If Zhao Yu really doesn't make it this time, one shout from him, court and countryside respond. Perfect for ascending the throne.

If he really refuses to die, sending the sons into the palace first counts as settling for second best.

Pity that Da Wei's Bureau of Military Affairs and the Three Military Commands shared authority over troop mobilization, deployment, and command—so that officers did not know their soldiers and soldiers did not know their officers—and he had long been stripped of his real post by that old hag Yang in the palace, who forged the late Emperor's last edict, leaving him with nothing but an empty title.

Otherwise, holding the post of Prefect of the Capital Prefecture, he could build up prestige; pressuring him now, with Zhao Yu's cowardly conduct, might well prompt him to abdicate voluntarily, allowing him to rightfully ascend the great throne.

Inside the room, someone was restlessly plotting, while outside, an aide hurriedly arrived.

This man wore a look of alarm; as soon as he entered, he presented a scroll of manuscripts to Lu Wang, his voice somewhat tight, saying: "Your Highness, please look at this..."

At such a critical moment, someone dared to be late; Lu Wang was already quite displeased, but upon receiving the manuscript and glancing at it twice, his expression stiffened.

He flipped through a few pages hastily, his face growing uglier, and asked: "Where did this come from?"

"I went out early to eat wanzi, and at the stall I met several students from Xi Shan Shu Yuan. Hearing them speak of Your Highness's usual conduct, their tone seemed off, and seeing everyone reading these articles, I went over to ask and obtained the manuscripts..."

"The manuscripts are all here? None missing?"

"They're all here!"

Lu Wang immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then hurriedly asked: "Did you ask about the origin? Why did they write such articles? Quickly send people to capture these students..."

But before he finished speaking, the aide unexpectedly interrupted again with breathtaking audacity.

"Your Highness! It's no longer a matter of missing or not! As I came, I inquired around and learned that these past two days, especially last night and this morning, manuscripts outside have spread across the sky—the toilet walls of the Two Studies and all the great academies are plastered with them! It's said more and more are posted, and not one bears a signature; no one knows where they came from!"

"Students are like firecrackers—light one fuse and a whole string goes off with a bang. Now everyone follows the trend, writing whatever rubbish, thinking they are outspoken ministers speaking frankly, acting arrogantly—only, Your Highness, the situation outside seems off..."

Lu Wang knew it was off, and quickly handed the manuscripts to a retainer beside him who had been listening tensely, saying: "You all look quickly—see if there are any clues—how so many articles suddenly appeared."

Everyone passed them around one by one, and soon the room was filled with cursing.

"This bunch of ingrates!"

"What are they writing! Utter nonsense, complete rubbish!"

"Who would believe it, who would listen—Your Highness need not worry; ignorant juniors are just shouting at each other to put on a show. Anyway, students never curse this one, only that one; all because of that former surnamed Han, who gained fame by cursing, letting everyone know this shortcut. Now that they have the opportunity, worms swarm in—actually timid inside, it doesn't matter at all..."

As he spoke, he very resourcefully suggested: "Your Highness, why not instruct the Grand Tutor and summon two heads of the great academies to explain things clearly to them, and have them properly manage their students!"

He was about to continue offering ideas when he heard the latecomer from before hurriedly speak: "The Grand Tutor and the heads are useless! Now it's not just students!"

These words out, everyone stared at him.

This man was about to speak, but looking up, he met Lu Wang's cold face; the words on his lips stuck with a gulp, and after a long while he forced out: "Outside on streets and alleys there's also much talk—idlers and lazy women all say..."

"Say what?!" Lu Wang grew anxious, nearly grabbing the other's lapels and shaking his head, and hurriedly blurted out everything.

"Say... say Your Highness has long harbored intent, these years drugging the palace, originally wanting to substitute Li for Peach, and also say... the palace..."

His eloquence had been decent before, but upon this sentence he stammered, not a single coherent word left.

Lu Wang clearly had a chair, but he could hardly sit still, as if sitting on a hot stove, his buttocks practically on fire.

He felt this time was truly troublesome, and hurriedly asked again: "What else was said? Where did these words originally come from?"

What came before was passable; what came after was sheer nonsense.

The aide thought darkly: If I had such ability, would I still be begging for food under you?!

But he dared not retort, so he hurriedly picked out a few things he had learned from his inquiries to say.

Seeing him speak more while the master's face grew worse, everyone in the room exchanged glances, knowing it was bad, and hurriedly stopped him, cursing those stupid men and women as ingrates.

With such a reputation outside, Your Highness still wishes to inherit the great line—how can it be that the commoners haven't even seen you, yet behind your back have already spat at you countless times?

Without the people's hearts, how can one be Emperor?

Lu Wang could not fully trust this reporting aide, and immediately pointed to several people, ordering: "You go out and see—what exactly is the situation outside!"

By afternoon, the group returned one by one, but they were all blocked outside the courtyard, packed tightly, and had no choice but to brace themselves and enter the Gong Ya to report to Lu Wang.

"There are indeed some rumors outside... ordinary commoners usually don't meddle in so much; this time I don't know what's happening—Your Highness, I fear someone is pulling strings behind the scenes!"

"We must think of a way; otherwise, if they keep fabricating like this, your reputation will be ruined!"

"No need to inquire—walk a circle and you'll hear it. To say no one is fanning the flames, I don't believe it..."

Hearing one or two repeating such words here, Lu Wang had no more hope, only growing angrier as he listened, and couldn't help but scold: "I sent you out to learn this?! Do I raise you all to eat dry rice?! You've finished inquiring—what to do, do I still need to teach you?!"

One man plucked up courage: "Then... we'll also send people to spread word quickly... only..."

This man hadn't finished saying "only" when he heard someone outside urgently knocking at the door.

"Your Highness! Let Your Highness know! Someone from the palace has come outside, saying they will transmit the Empress Dowager's edict!"

Lu Wang could no longer attend to anything else, and hurriedly out to receive the edict.

It was exactly midday; the eunuch transmitting the edict finished reading the oral decree, then pointed to the several food boxes set before him, smiling: "Your Highness, the Empress Dowager says there have recently been many groundless rumors in the Capital; please don't think too much. She has sent some food to calm your fright."

After speaking, he had someone open the food boxes one by one, while he himself stood to one side, looking as if he would wait to watch Lu Wang slowly enjoy them before leaving.