[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shao-song":3,"chapter-shao-song-shao-song-chapter-269":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Shao Song",{"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},1558435,2024,"Chapter 269: Public Opinion (Continued)","shao-song-chapter-269",269,"\u003Cp>In March, public opinion within Dongjingcheng was in constant turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The initial cause of the matter was simple enough—it was, of course, the court's actions to clear up accumulated abuses and revoke excessive favors and hereditary privileges. But laughably, the turmoil this stirred up was itself quite convoluted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the beginning, when the court handled this matter, since it could not be determined whether the six households that had been raided earlier were implicated, many stakeholders, with a strong sense of probing, spread rumors and engaged in satire. This was the first round of public opinion turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clearly aimed at the new policies of Zhao Jiu and the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon, the court responded to these people with an extremely tough stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only did the court intensify its efforts to revoke excessive favors and hereditary privileges, but, critically, the theoretical leader of these people, their greatest hope, Lu Haowen, Lu Xiang, directly and publicly expressed support for the court. Zhao Jiu himself issued an imperial decree, ordering the Imperial City Bureau to vigorously investigate the origins of the rumors and vulgar poems from the previous days, and had the Imperial Guard directly break into homes to search and arrest... At that point, the probing and satirical behavior of those people quickly stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because most of them were well aware that they, these remnants of the old days, or the leftovers of a bygone era, had no real power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as the tree desires stillness but the wind will not cease, just as these former nobles were actively lying low to seek a peaceful transition, a piece of \"secret news\" from the upper echelons of Jin Jun spread almost simultaneously—that the Jin Jun Chancellor and Grand Marshal, Zhan Han, had imprisoned the Jin Jun ruler. This greatly stimulated the existing bureaucratic system, the retired scholar-officials and Imperial Academy students, and the ordinary people of Dongjingcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The subsequent public opinion turmoil was mostly initiated by these people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A powerful minister, and a well-known one at that, one of the masterminds behind the Jingkang Incident, suddenly doing such a thing—related rumors immediately flew everywhere:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some said Wuqimai advocated peace, Zhan Han advocated war, and now that Zhan Han had imprisoned the ruler, he would soon lead a great army south to avenge his beloved general, Wanyan Loushi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others said Wuqimai might not necessarily advocate peace, and Zhan Han might not necessarily advocate war, but since Zhan Han had imprisoned the ruler, the next step would be to usurp the throne. And for a powerful minister wanting to usurp the throne, he always needed to produce something to buy people's hearts and establish prestige. So, how would a barbarian like the Jurchen buy people's hearts and establish prestige?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, by going south to plunder the Central Plains!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, at this time, even if Zhan Han didn't want to go south, he would have to; even if he didn't want to fight, he would have to lead the great army and fight to the death with Great Song!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there were also some with a bit of optimism, saying that Zhan Han was a truly capable powerful minister, and that he might instead take the overall situation into account and actively seek peace with Great Song.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the problem was, even if they wanted peace, was peace easy to negotiate? What about Shanbei, Shandong, Hebei, and Hedong? Would the Emperor allow it? It was possible that \"peace\" would ultimately lead to war!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, no matter what their specific views were, almost everyone felt that since such earth-shattering events had occurred in the upper echelons of Jin Jun, it would inevitably directly affect the state level... And at such a time, the court had to cut through the Gordian knot, quickly end those pointless internal \"ripples,\" and concentrate on dealing with the north.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, those who had originally held a neutral stance on \"revoking excessive favors and hereditary privileges\" immediately changed direction and chose unlimited support for the court and Zhao Jiu's policies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it bluntly, Zhao Jiu's political prestige came precisely from leading Great Song to withstand the invasion of the northern Jin people. And no commoner, including bureaucrats and nobles, wanted to experience another Jingkang Incident. Therefore, even though everyone had a conservative instinct, or a pursuit of stability, once they truly faced the potential threat from the north, Zhao Jiu's power was not only unrestricted, but he also received tremendous support in public opinion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don't forget, that unforgettable great collapse was only five years ago!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Correspondingly, those former nobles quickly found themselves caught in a pincer attack from the bureaucratic system and public opinion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the common people, it was said everywhere that these people were simply Jin spies!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were also some retired scholar-officials and Imperial Academy students, of a higher caliber, who roughly knew that these people were unlikely to be spies, but believed they had actually affected the state's war preparations and should be dealt with quickly and severely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Public opinion's tolerance for these people instantly dropped to its lowest point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most representative incident of this was that several dozen slightly radical Imperial Academy students, while submitting memorials to the palace and submitting articles to the Honglu Temple Gazette Bureau, directly requested that the court, in extraordinary times, adopt extraordinary measures, temporarily treat these people as \"northern spies,\" concentrate them under guard, and deal with them after the major events were over, to ensure a composed posture towards the north.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court certainly wouldn't listen to such talk, but without a doubt, the bureaucratic system also quickly became tense. This tension, combined with the Emperor's political promises to compensate for the half-stipends of the previous few years, plus rewards and posthumous honors for officials who had maintained their integrity since the Jingkang era, created a dual stimulus... forcing the entire bureaucratic system to quickly sever ties with these people. Then, the efficiency and intensity of handling this matter also reached a new height.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the protagonists in the vortex of events, those former nobles from the era of abundance and peace who later fled to Yangzhou and then returned, having rendered no real service during the Jianyan era—they never imagined that an old man thousands of miles away having a stroke would directly affect their lives and property... It was as bizarre as a story from \"Journey to the West: Subduing Demons.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the documents revoking their hereditary privileges and official positions, and the investigation into the previous rumors and vulgar poems, were as real as could be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of the storm, one evening, Zheng Yinian, who had gone out to gather information, returned home and went straight to his elder brother Zheng Xiunian's bedroom. Dismissing the servants, he confronted his brother face-to-face in the bedroom:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother, tell me the truth, do you have anything to do with that vulgar poem at Hanfang Garden? Why is it that no matter who I ask, they all say you were among those present at Hanfang Garden that day?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian, who had been feigning illness at home for the past few days, was pale and speechless for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Zheng Yinian understood. He stood up, stamped his foot on the ground in frustration, turned around, and then turned back to question him: \"Brother, how could you be so foolish?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wasn't I just feeling some real resentment?\" Zheng Xiunian, lying on the couch wrapped in a small blanket, was utterly dejected and could only explain in a low voice. \"The estates are gone, the attendant official ranks bestowed upon us brothers by the former Emperor Daojun are also about to be taken away. We're left with only some movable wealth to live on, watching our family, once so prosperous, decline in my hands. Of course, I felt indignant... And that day, while watching cuju, I happened to drink some wine with some old friends in a box, and we discussed this matter. My resentment flared up, and I wrote that little poem before leaving...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's the use of indignation?\" Zheng Yinian was momentarily furious. \"That's an Emperor who commands troops!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At the time, I thought the Emperor wasn't too strict outside of military matters,\" Zheng Xiunian frowned slightly on the couch. \"Who could have imagined the Emperor would turn hostile so quickly? After all, I always felt that our official positions were bestowed by the former Emperor Daojun, and our Zheng family has been a family of chancellors for generations, plus we are relatives of the Empress Dowager. How could he be so inconsiderate of face? If you ask me...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you ask me, the former Emperor Daojun is nothing!\" Seeing that his elder brother was still somewhat stubborn, Zheng Yinian became completely enraged. He interrupted, jumping and cursing by the bed. \"The former Emperor Daojun has to mend his own clothes in Wuguocheng! Once, unable to bear the hardship, he cut his clothes into strips to hang himself, but didn't even have the guts to die. He cried half-naked, and finally had to ask the Jin people for a needle and thread so the Empress Dowager could help sew them back together... What face does such a person have?! And you want to borrow face from him?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian was momentarily frightened by his brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zheng Yinian, seemingly completely enraged, continued with a ferocious expression. \"Brother, let me ask you, do you even know where the word 'face' comes from? If you don't, I do! After my trip to Wuguocheng, I understood: to have face, you need power to back it up. But where does power come from? Isn't it just soldiers and horses?! And today, whoever holds the soldiers and horses can have face! Whoever has the strongest and most robust soldiers and horses has the most face! The Jin people have strong soldiers and horses, so face is given by the Jin people. Later, the Emperor gritted his teeth for five years and trained an Imperial Army of two hundred thousand, and he became the most face-worthy person in the world! But you? You know nothing about face and power! You actually think you can talk about face with the most face-worthy person in the world, relying on a prisoner in Wuguocheng? You're not asking for face; you're trying to bury our entire Zheng family for things that are already lost!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second Brother, you're exaggerating,\" Zheng Xiunian, frightened by his brother's string of 'face' comments, tried to placate him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exaggerating my ass!\" Zheng Yinian's anger did not abate. \"Brother, let me ask you one thing: have you thought about what we'll do when that bastard Yang Yizhong investigates? Do you really know what exile feels like? I tell you, after a trip to Wuguocheng, your brother now thinks Dongjingcheng is a paradise! And you want to drag the whole family of dozens to suffer with you? Not to mention, you wrote that kind of vulgar poem. If they charge you with slandering the Emperor and inciting the people, there's nothing to say. Then it won't just be exile for the whole family; your own life will be at stake!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian, thinking of the most immediate threat, softened his tone again: \"When I wrote the poem that day, there was only a servant holding the inkstone...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mid-sentence, both brothers froze simultaneously. Then, Zheng Xiunian tried to turn over and get up from the bed, but Zheng Yinian, his face pale, directly raised his hand to stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Second Brother, what do you mean by this?\" Zheng Xiunian lowered his voice. \"A lesson from the past, shouldn't we deal with the person?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There's no escape...\" Zheng Yinian's voice trembled. \"The key isn't that person, but the current public opinion is all denouncing us, and the Emperor is extremely dissatisfied with me bringing the letters from the two former emperors that day. Under these circumstances, those people are eager to deal with us severely to curry favor with the Emperor... So, once they come to our house, keeping that servant is a witness, but getting rid of him is evidence of our guilt!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then...\" Zheng Xiunian finally panicked completely. \"Should I give him a generous reward?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Under the five tortures, who can hold out?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there really no way out?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can't think of one.\" Zheng Yinian's heart was ice-cold, but he was still trying to think. \"You wrote the poem based on my situation, and the line 'Better to go home and be a commoner' would make anyone think of me—that's one. And among those who went to watch cuju that day, you were clearly a suspect; a little inquiry would reveal it—that's two. So, Yang Yizhong will find our house in a day or two. Once he does, with this loophole, there's simply no way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian was at a complete loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Yinian, however, angrily slammed his fist on the bedside table: \"If I had known this, I would have just gone to Jinan. I could have lived half a year longer! Maybe even been exiled a year or two later...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian was slightly stunned, then seemed about to speak but stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Yinian, seeing his brother's expression, was also stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's flee...\" Zheng Xiunian said cautiously in a slightly trembling voice. \"Second Brother, let's flee! With our family background, if we go to Jinan, Liu Yu will surely treat us as honored guests. We can become high officials there, amass some wealth, and when Zhang Jun and Yue Fei come to attack, we can escape by sea from the rear, go to Goryeo, to Japan... When the world is settled, we can change our names and return, or simply never come back. Isn't that a way out?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Yinian's eyes flickered. He was silent for a full ten breaths before shaking his head in panic: \"It is a way out... But brother, have you thought about it? If it were just us brothers, we could flee. But what about sister-in-law, nephews, and nieces? If we take them, how can we escape? And if we leave without them, after enjoying half a lifetime of wealth and honor, they will be implicated and imprisoned. How could we bear that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian was utterly despairing... How could he bear to leave his wife and children?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at that moment, his younger brother Zheng Yinian, in the lamplight, slightly covered his nose and mouth and spoke cautiously: \"But if you flee alone, brother, and I stay behind, that would be a perfect way out...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian looked up blankly at his own brother, apparently not understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother...\" Zheng Yinian stepped forward half a step and explained carefully in a low voice by the bed. \"You went to the cuju field that day; this can't be hidden. Otherwise, I would definitely take the blame for you, and then have you report it to Kaifeng Prefecture to seek exoneration...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian was stunned for a moment, then stared fixedly at his brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Brother, you go to Jinan. I will take care of sister-in-law for you.\" Zheng Yinian finally gritted his teeth and said. \"At this point, this is the only way to preserve our entire family!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian opened his mouth to argue, but in the end could not speak, and could only sit stiffly on the couch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Elder brother, you should go. A strong, healthy man like you has a good chance of escaping.\" Seeing that his elder brother was unwilling to speak, Zheng Yinian simply laid out the entire plan as a response. \"After you leave, I'll stall for half a day, then go to Kaifeng Prefecture to report you. With the merit of a denunciation that places righteousness above family loyalty, I can persuade our relatives and old friends to plead for leniency, so the disaster won't reach your wife and children... By then, you can freely collect money in Jinan, flee to Goryeo, then secretly turn back, while I hold the family together in Dongjingcheng and look after our sister-in-law for you... This is the real way to survive! If you ask me, if you can harden your heart, don't alert our sister-in-law and the others. Take advantage of the coming darkness, disguise yourself, and slip away quietly. I'll see you to the Maxing Street night market. At dawn, you leave the city eastward with the night market crowd and head straight for Jinan!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian listened for a long while, then suddenly hugged the small quilt on the bed and burst into loud sobs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason for his loud sobbing was not that he was at his wit's end, but because after thinking it over and over, his younger brother's plan really was the best way out under the current circumstances... But the more this was the case, the more he could not bear to part with his wife and children and the Dongjingcheng where he had grown up since childhood. And the more reluctant he was, the clearer it became that he had to leave quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, he could only say he regretted his earlier actions!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only he had drunk less that day, and listened less to the instigation and goading of Gao Yaokang and Gao Yaofu (both sons of Gao Qiu), he would never have brought such disaster upon himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, Zheng Xiunian cried for half the day, and in the end, like a block of wood, was half-forced by Zheng Yinian to change into a servant's clothes. Then, dragged by Zheng Yinian, they pretended to be master and servant, went out the back door, and prepared to head for the Maxing Street night market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, no sooner had the two brothers stepped out the back door and walked fifty or sixty paces than they were blocked at the mouth of the back alley by a group of sturdy men carrying lanterns, and then taken to a potsticker and tofu stall in the alley across the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the lamplight, facing Yang Yizhong and Mo Qixie, who were drinking tea with their tofu, the Zheng brothers' faces turned deathly pale. Zheng Xiunian, who had harbored a glimmer of hope until then, collapsed directly to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The owner of the potsticker and tofu stall and the owner of the tea stall next door had long since been taken away from the scene. Yang Yizhong sized up the two brothers and, for once, showed a puzzled expression: \"How could the two of you be so unaware of the situation? The inscription poem at Hanfang Garden was such a huge blunder—why did it take you until today to think of fleeing? Do you brothers know that the three sons of the former Grand Commandant Gao Qiu? The youngest one turned himself in yesterday, reporting that his two elder brothers met with you at Hanfang Garden, and directly hinted that the improper poem was written by you. If we hadn't been waiting for you brothers, we would have launched a large-scale arrest long ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zheng brothers were completely speechless. After a long while, Zheng Yinian stepped forward and cupped his hands: \"We have caused the two of you trouble.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Trouble is not the word.\" Yang Yizhong, perhaps because he had been cooped up in the palace, looked increasingly animated. \"It's just that you've made me and Censor Mo eat potsticker tofu here three full meals, and we couldn't very well go eat anything else... I'm young, so it's fine, but Censor Mo was just saying his stomach was bloated last night!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright...\" Mo Qixie was also helpless and waved his hand directly. \"Zheng Xiunian is the one who wants to leave, right? Then go! When you reach Jinan, you have two things to do... One is to find the puppet Qi Chancellor Hong Ya and establish contact with him. Don't be too direct; be subtle. That man will understand on his own. The other is to clearly explain to the abbot of the Lingjiu Temple in Jinan whatever intelligence you can gather about the respective situations. If you do this, your wife and children will not only be safe, but your younger brother can also obtain a substantive post, and you yourself can have a good outcome in the future...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Xiunian was momentarily dazed, still not reacting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Qixie and Yang Yizhong exchanged a glance, both showing a hint of doubt. It was Zheng Yinian who couldn't help but press his elder brother down, making him prostrate himself on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If only you had written that poem,\" Yang Yizhong said, shaking his head at the sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How could I, having returned from Wuguocheng, be so muddled?\" Zheng Yinian gave a bitter smile on the spot. \"I could eat this potsticker tofu for a lifetime and never feel bloated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Yizhong also chuckled. He first put down the money for the tofu, then stood up on his own, made a deferential gesture to let Mo Qixie go first, and then left with a dozen or so big men... as if they had never been lying in wait there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at this moment, Zheng Xiunian finally came to his senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next morning, earth-shattering news broke in Dongjingcheng—Zheng Xiunian, the maternal grandson of the late Chancellor Wang Gui and the eldest son of Chancellor Zheng Juzhong, had fled in fear of punishment. His younger brother, Zheng Yinian, placing righteousness above family loyalty, had voluntarily turned himself in and, at the Kaifeng Prefecture, immediately exposed a reactionary clique that harbored discontent towards His Majesty and the court, and had repeatedly gathered to 'revile the imperial carriage' and 'slander the chief councillors.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eldest and second sons of the former Grand Commandant Gao Qiu, his elder brother Zheng Xiunian, his maternal cousin Wang Huan, and many sons of chief councillors and grand commandants were all among them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court did not hesitate and immediately swept them all up in a single net. Apart from the informants Zheng Yinian and Gao Yaoqing, the rest had their background documents of official status retroactively destroyed, and a reward was offered for the capture of Zheng Xiunian... This incident formally put an end to the public opinion storm in Dongjingcheng in early March.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The work of stripping away excessive favors and sinecures proceeded without further hindrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only somewhat regrettable thing was that, a few days later, Zheng Xiunian was confirmed to have successfully fled to Jinan, where the overjoyed Liu Yu appointed him as Attendant-in-Chief concurrently Minister of Revenue.\u003C\u002Fp>",3756,"2026-06-06T07:46:04.529Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","490b152fe1d54a594c7f4813e341f11a2796e9c7ce1ffc3544286607807f80fa","shao-song-chapter-270","shao-song-chapter-268",489,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshao-song-cover.jpg"]