Chapter 115: Collapse (Part 2)

Although the warm third month of spring had not yet arrived, the weather in the second month had already turned somewhat mild. And unlike Nanyang, Luoyang had after all seen one heavy snowfall during the winter, so the land here was moist and fertile, brimming with the intent of spring.

At dusk, Gongsun Xun, in a cheerful mood, casually broke off a green willow shoot that had stretched from the chicken coop outside the window into the Imperial Secretariat, closed the window, then picked up the empty grain sack at his feet and turned to leave... Well, even with the matter of the "demon chicken," they still had to keep feeding the chickens here at the Imperial Secretariat — otherwise, how would they receive warnings from Heaven?

Of course, judging by the solar eclipse that had suddenly appeared yesterday, Heaven's means of warning were perhaps a bit too numerous, and it probably wouldn't miss these few chickens.

"Brother Gongsun."

"Gentleman Cadet Gongsun."

"Wenqi~"

Gongsun Xun walked all the way out of the Imperial Secretariat carrying an empty sack and a tree branch, greeted along the way by voices everywhere, and he too was beaming with spring warmth, raising the sack and willow branch to salute with clasped hands whenever he met someone.

Even after he had walked out of the Imperial Secretariat, out of the Southern Palace, and was about to head to Tongtuo Street to find his carriage, someone still came forward on their own initiative to greet him: "Wenqi, wait!"

Hearing the voice, Gongsun Xun stopped in his tracks, then turned and earnestly returned a formal salute to the person: "Lord Wang."

The so-called Lord Wang was naturally Wang Yun, who hurried forward, seized Gongsun Xun, and pulled him to a secluded corner of the street.

"What guidance does Lord Wang have for me?" Gongsun Xun tied the sack to the ceremonial sword at his waist, then asked, holding only the tree branch.

"Wenqi." Wang Yun grasped his hand and said sincerely, "Opportunity has come again."

Gongsun Xun neither replied nor showed any superfluous expression.

"Wenqi." Wang Yun spoke with increasing earnestness, "I know the matter of the grand court assembly on the first day of the month disappointed you young men — you no longer come to the gatherings, and Yuan Hao even resigned from office and went home... But from the perspective of my few extra years of experience, to accomplish great things, one must still endure in patience, bide one's time, and be indomitably persistent! Now, because of that anonymous placard, Cao Jie has voluntarily resigned from the post of Grand Prolonger of Autumn, holed up at home not daring to stir, and has already lost control over the Tiger Guard and Feathered Forest armies, and even the Eunuch Monitorate; and Lord Yuan, who worked in concert with Cao Jie, is now also in considerable trouble..."

"I made that placard," Gongsun Xun suddenly said, out of the blue.

"What?"

"I said, I made that placard," Gongsun Xun repeated frankly.

"Why would you do such a sensational thing... No, you precisely meant to use this to bind the hands and feet of Cao Jie and the Yuan clan, and then continue to seek the extermination of the eunuchs!" Wang Yun was initially shocked, but immediately caught on. "But in such a momentous matter, why did you not discuss it with me at all?"

"If I had discussed it with Lord Wang, what if Lord Wang had forbidden it?" Gongsun Xun countered boldly. "Or what if Lord Wang's stance was not firm, and you went to inform Lord Yuan?"

"The Grand Administrator of Taiyuan, Lord Liu, who recommended me for office back then, was imprisoned and beaten to death by the eunuchs for sheltering me. I, Wang Zishi, have a blood feud with the eunuchs — the murder of my lord!" Wang Yun's face flushed red as he answered indignantly. "Since you did it for the extermination of the eunuchs, even if I did not approve, I would never stoop to informing on you!"

"But if Lord Wang had not come seeking me today, how would I have known that Lord Wang was still a comrade on the same path?" Gongsun Xun countered again.

Wang Yun suddenly calmed down: "Wenqi, do you already have a plan in mind? Setting aside what has been done before, now that the situation is so favorable, you must have a follow-up move, correct?"

Gongsun Xun paused for a moment, but finally nodded slightly in reply: "I won't hide it from Lord Wang. After the grand court assembly on the first day, I was greatly disappointed in all the gentlemen of the Censorate, and moreover, I came to understand that the extermination of the eunuchs is a matter of life and death — how could one rely on daily feasting and drinking, sitting around waiting for a good opportunity to arrive? Therefore, I do indeed have another scheme in mind..."

Wang Yun was silent for a moment, but finally, with a surge of ruthless determination, he tightly gripped the other's arm:

"Wenqi, I won't ask about your entire plan — even if I asked, you might not tell me. Just tell me, is there any place where I, Wang Zishi, can be of help? I won't hide it from Wenqi: for over ten years, I have not dared to hold even a simple memorial for Lord Liu... It's not that I am disloyal or unfilial, but that if I cannot kill even one Regular Palace Attendant, I truly do not know how I could face Lord Liu in the netherworld below! And in the blink of an eye, I am already forty, already aging and decrepit! Things having come to this, you need not hold back — speak freely!"

"In that case." Gongsun Xun looked deeply at Wang Yun, whose eyes were reddening, and then calmly asked, "Lord Wang, I wish to make Yang Qiu the Colonel-Director of Retainers, but the current post of Colonel-Director of Retainers is already occupied. I wonder if you could lend me a hand?"

"Yang Qiu is a cruel official, and he is also associated with the Regular Palace Attendant Cheng Huang. With storms already raging in the court, putting such a man in the post of Colonel-Director of Retainers — would that not make Heaven... would that not make some people even more unrestrained?"

"If the situation were not in turmoil, where would the good opportunity to exterminate the eunuchs come from? And if not a cruel official, who would dare to kill eunuchs?" Gongsun Xun's expression was one of complete disapproval. "The other lords of profound scholarly lineage are indeed magnanimous, but who among them dares to undertake such a great task? Moreover, although this man Yang Qiu is associated with Cheng Huang, he is not familiar with the other Regular Palace Attendants... Lord Wang, if you can help in this matter, then help; if you cannot, I will still do my utmost! Because in Luoyang today, this is the only man who can step forward to wield the blade!"

With that, Gongsun Xun flicked his sleeve, tucked his "Central Terrace willow branch" under his arm, and strode away proudly. It was only when he had found Han Dang and the others and was about to mount his horse to return home that a sudden urgent cry came from behind him:

"I shall do as you say! Do not fail my hopes!"

Gongsun Xun could not help but laugh at these words. He clamped his horse's flanks and hurried straight to Yang Qiu's residence.

As it happened, Yang Qiu had also just returned home from the Imperial Secretariat not long ago, and was changing clothes under the attendance of his favorite young concubine, exchanging a word or two in passing... However, just as they were about to get intimate, they suddenly heard chaos outside the door, as if someone were raiding a house!

Then, before Minister Yang Qiu and his young concubine could hurriedly put on their clothes, a household servant, disregarding all protocol, came swiftly to the door and reported on his knees that the Investigator of the Capital Officials had come to visit!

"Master!" The household servant kneeling outside the door kowtowed repeatedly to beg forgiveness. "It is not that we are incompetent, but that this so-called Investigator of the Capital Officials is outrageously bold. When we refused him entry, he insisted that our kitchen was on fire and that it fell precisely under his official duties, and then he led several fierce fellows to ride their horses straight in!"

Yang Qiu was baffled.

However, before he could open his mouth to inquire, Gongsun Xun's voice had already reached his ears: "Lord Yang, back at my teacher Lord Liu's residence, didn't you tell me that we regretted not meeting sooner? How is it that after becoming Prefect of the Imperial Secretariat, you've forgotten this? And what's this about 'no communication for those below two thousand shi' — such an excuse must have been made up on the spot, right? Lord Yang, Lord Yang, are you in the room? If you don't come out, I'm coming in!"

Yang Qiu's young concubine was terrified to death, yet the more anxious she became, the harder it was to put on her clothes properly. Yang Qiu had originally intended to dress properly before going out, but seeing that Gongsun Xun's voice was getting closer and closer, he disregarded everything else, simply pulled on his trousers, and pushed the door open to go out! His young concubine, helpless, could only hurriedly gather her clothes, bend down, and hide behind the door.

"Gongsun Wenqi!" Yang Qiu was furious and flustered. "If you don't give me a clear explanation today, tomorrow I will, in my capacity as Prefect of the Imperial Secretariat, dismiss you from your post as Gentleman Cadet!"

Gongsun Xun glanced at the pair of bare feet behind the door and couldn't help but look up and laugh: "Just back from the Imperial Secretariat, and Lord Yang is already so impatient... Very well, if Lord Yang hears what I have to say and finds it unworthy of regard, then dismiss me from this post."

Although Yang Qiu's lingering anger had not yet subsided, he finally caught a hint of meaning and forcefully suppressed his rage to ask: "Just tell me what matter this is?"

"Get out!" Gongsun Xun pointed at the Yang household servant and said, then could not help but raise his voice toward the room. "That lady in the room, you might as well cover your ears — hearing these words could be fatal!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, a bundle of clothing was seen falling from behind the door, covering the pair of bare feet.

"She really is obedient..." Gongsun Xun was taken aback.

"Speak," said the bare-chested Yang Qiu, his gaze growing increasingly strange.

"Oh." Gongsun Xun pointed to the open space in the courtyard. "Since the lady finds it inconvenient here, why don't we go over there..."

"Just speak!" Yang Qiu said without any courtesy. "I govern my household with extreme strictness — even if the servants were here, it would not matter, let alone my concubine?"

"Very well." Gongsun Xun glanced at the door that was slowly closing, then smiled again. "Since it is Lady Cheng, it is indeed of no consequence... Lord Yang, I wish to ask you one thing: on that day when the hen turned into a rooster and the gate of the Southern Palace collapsed, the words you spoke outside the Imperial Secretariat — do they still hold true?"

Yang Qiu had initially been somewhat impatient, but upon hearing this, he was suddenly invigorated: "My, Yang Fangzheng's, resolve to exterminate the demonic anomalies in the court has never wavered in the slightest. Wenqi, tell me honestly, did Lord Lu and the others send you?"

"I came of my own accord," Gongsun Xun said dismissively. "Is that not permissible?"

Yang Qiu laughed while lowering his head to tie his belt: "Though Wenqi has some ability — causing a disturbance at Wang Fu's house, going to the Yuan clan's mansion to berate them... it is indeed admirable. But when it comes to a critical position like Colonel-Director of Retainers, Wenqi, a mere thousand-shi Gentleman Cadet who doesn't even have the qualifications of a thousand-shi county magistrate, is probably willing but powerless, no?"

"Yet I have already arranged everything for Lord Yang."

Yang Qiu froze there, then stopped tying his belt altogether and hurriedly looked up with a serious expression, fixing his eyes on this young fellow townsman: "Wenqi, do not toy with me — how could you arrange such a thing?"

Gongsun Xun did not flinch in the slightest and answered frankly: "Lord Wang Zishi of the Censorate has already agreed to immediately submit a memorial impeaching the current Colonel-Director of Retainers for incompetence! My teacher, Lord Lu, has also promised me that if an edict is issued, he will immediately make arrangements without any mishap... Moreover, with Cao Jie now confined at home awaiting punishment, the Yuan clan entangled in rumors, and Wang Fu currently pursuing the case of Empress Song, at this moment there is no one who can obstruct Lord Yang."

Yang Qiu's heart pounded with excitement: "Please instruct me, Wenqi — what should I do?"

Gongsun Xun raised his hand and pointed behind the other man.

The latter immediately understood: "Have Attendant Cheng speak for me in the palace?"

Gongsun Xun nodded slightly, then turned directly to leave.

"Wenqi!" Yang Qiu was overjoyed. He grabbed his trouser belt with one hand and seized the other man with the other. "You and I, brother, are originally men of the same hometown and should be close. Since you have made the rare trip here, why not stay and have a cup of wine with me, and then tonight we can sleep foot-to-foot and discuss great matters together?"

Gongsun Xun was speechless in his heart. He pointed once more toward the other man's room, then strode away swiftly.

Yang Qiu, unconcerned, hitched up his trousers and returned to his room — only to find his beloved young concubine kneeling behind the door, trembling and weeping like a pear blossom bathed in rain.

"My lady, why do you act this way?" Yang Qiu saw her disheveled clothes, her pitiful expression, her delicate and alluring manner, and with the tremendous good news that had just arrived, he could not help but feel his heart stir once more. He pulled her directly from the floor into his embrace.

"To answer my lord husband," Lady Cheng said with even greater caution, "just now when my lord was discussing important matters with that visitor, although I blocked my ears and dared not listen, after all we were too close, and I still heard quite a bit... My lord governs the household with extreme strictness, and I feared my lord would hold me to blame!"

"Aiya!" Seeing her so cautious, Yang Qiu grew even more unable to restrain himself. "My lady speaks truly. I must indeed punish you thoroughly..."

Let us set aside how Yang Fangzheng now displayed his great prowess, scourging the bewitching creature within his household; nor speak of how Gongsun Xun, after leaving the Yang residence, went straight home and placed that willow branch into a pottery vase to nurture it with clear water; nor mention how the spring evening breeze gradually grew heady, the warmth brimming over. Let us speak only of one matter: yesterday, because Yuan Feng had compared his Yuan clan to the sun, yet his words had instead summoned the very thing he spoke of, coinciding with a solar eclipse, he had consequently grown utterly listless in spirit.

And it was not only this. It must be known that Yuan Zhouyang sat long within his chamber, finding no peace day or night, taking neither water nor grain in any measure, his spirit growing ever more wilted... Therefore, apart from Yuan Benchu, who had returned to the thatched hut outside the city to continue his mourning vigil, all the other members of the Yuan clan came one after another to visit him.

However, aside from Yuan Kui alone, none of the others knew what malady of the heart truly afflicted the head of the Yuan clan. Moreover, the brothers Yuan Feng and Yuan Kui could not possibly speak of this matter to the younger generation. Thus, the crowd merely performed their filial duties blindly.

But just at this moment, someone came from outside the gate to announce that the Excellency over the Masses, Yang Ci, had arrived in person.

Yuan Feng dared not put on airs, so he forced himself to rally his spirits and led the Yuan clansmen out to receive him.

"Zhouyang, though you and I are linked by marriage, at this time of chaotic court affairs, I cannot stay long." Yang Ci grasped his in-law's arm just outside the gate, showing no intention of entering. "There is one matter I must speak with you about. You need only listen..."

Yuan Feng's spirit was weary and dulled, and as the warm breeze outside the gate blew over him, he grew somewhat dazed and muddled. Having no desire to prolong the entanglement, he simply nodded.

"Today the Son of Heaven summoned me to the palace and spoke of the solar eclipse." At this point, Yang Ci felt his in-law's body tremble, but paid it little mind, merely continuing, "From the Son of Heaven's intent, he wishes me to resign from my position as one of the Three Excellencies as soon as possible."

Yuan Feng nodded slightly, opened his mouth to speak, but for some reason his voice came out somewhat slurred: "The Son of Heaven is too hasty. How can there be a solar eclipse at noon yesterday, and then without even waiting for the court assembly, on the very next day he forces the current Three Excellencies, plus the imperial tutor, to resign to ward off calamity? Could it be he fears this will delay the matter of changing the reign title?"

"I thought so at first as well." Yang Ci could not help but sigh. "The Son of Heaven is, after all, my student, so I could not resist asking one more question... What do you think, Zhouyang?"

Yuan Feng was an exceedingly clever man. He started slightly, then looked at the faint trace of mockery at the corner of Yang Ci's lips, and suddenly it dawned on him — the Son of Heaven's move was to swiftly vacate a position among the Three Excellencies, so that he, Yuan Zhouyang, could take it!

In other words, the Son of Heaven harbored the deepest suspicions toward the Yuan clan, and did not wish to delay even a single day before removing him from the post of Colonel of the Long River Encampment!

And this in-law of his had not come here out of any good intention. The Son of Heaven had actually grown so suspicious of his Yuan clan over such an absurd anonymous notice... Yang Ci had come to watch the joke!

"Hahaha..." Yuan Feng struggled to free himself from his in-law's supporting grasp, then forcibly suppressed the stifled resentment in his heart, laughing aloud and preparing to deliver a few heroic words, seeking only to prevent his in-law from departing in smug satisfaction.

Yet, halfway through his laughter, as the warm breeze brushed his face, Yuan Feng suddenly felt half of his face stiffen, as though utterly unable to exert strength. His laughter abruptly turned bizarre and grotesque, and then half his body lost all sensation... By this point, he could no longer stand steady. And with Yang Ci too shocked to catch him in time, Yuan Feng of the Yuan clan — four generations of Three Excellencies, on the very verge of becoming Excellency over the Masses — toppled straight backward, slamming loudly to the ground before his own main gate in full public view!

———————I am the dividing line of having no time to put on trousers———————

"In former times, when the Grand Progenitor of this dynasty was in Luo, he was ever held in high regard by the lords Qiao, Liu, Lu, and Wang, and in all matters he heeded their counsel. When the villager Yang Qiu sought the post of Colonel-Director of Retainers, he invited the Grand Progenitor to his home and revealed his intent. The Grand Progenitor, deeming him fierce and stern, perfectly suited for the position, thereupon agreed to canvass on his behalf. Qiu was overjoyed and gave himself over to unrestrained abandon, stripping off his clothes to drink wine, and further had his junior wife serve barefoot at the banquet. The Grand Progenitor witnessed this and firmly declined. Upon leaving, he spoke to his attendants: 'A gentleman must rectify his person and establish virtue. Yang Fangzheng is neither square nor upright. Though I have now agreed to aid him, he is not one to form a deep bond with!' His attendants all concurred." — Miscellaneous Records of the Scholarly Grove, Rectifying the Person Chapter, Recorded by an Anonymous Author of Yan

PS: Today I quarreled with a friend, and as we quarreled, a web novel plot idea emerged... then for half the day I couldn't focus enough to write... In the end, I actually managed to keep my daily update streak. I'm rather impressed with myself.

Also, the reader group is 684558115. Everyone can join.

(End of Chapter)