Chapter 149: Chen Wenyun

In Yuncheng County, Chen Wenyun, who had gone to Jinan Prefecture with Zhang Jie for the provincial examination, was holding a letter sent by Wu Song.

"This day has finally come."

Clutching the letter, Chen Wenyun felt both a sense of relief and a sense of trepidation.

Ever since Zhang Jie had clarified his ambitions, he had been tossing and turning, unable to make a decision.

But the tax work he saw after the autumn harvest—where the wealthy paid a symbolic amount of grain, while the poor, who were barely clothed and emaciated, had their last copper coin squeezed out—made him make up his mind.

Although he didn't fully understand the world Zhang Jie described, he knew that

the world before his eyes was wrong and should be changed.

People can die of old age, fall to their deaths, drown, or even be killed by others,

but they shouldn't be starved to death after their last grain of food is taken away!

"Official, are we really going to participate in this?

This is a crime punishable by death!

I'm not afraid, but Yun'er and Li'er are still young.

For their sake, I hope you will think twice, Official!"

Chen Wenyun's wife, Lady Wang, advised him with a face full of worry.

Although she wasn't particularly smart, she was, after all, the person who shared a bed and lived day and night with Chen Wenyun.

She saw the strangeness in Chen Wenyun after his conversation with Zhang Jie.

Seeing a leopard spot and knowing the whole leopard, she also had a vague guess about what Zhang Jie and Chen Wenyun were plotting.

But, but this was an act of rebellion, something that would lead to the execution of the nine generations!

"Yun'er and Li'er."

Hearing the names of his two children, even Chen Wenyun, who thought he had prepared early, couldn't help but fall silent.

He was prepared for a one-way trip, but what about his children?

Shouldn't he avoid involving them for the sake of his own ideals?

Although he guessed that Zhang Jie had made preparations for the great cause, he ultimately didn't have a certain grasp of victory.

Once they failed, even if Chen Yun and Chen Li were still children, the Great Song court wouldn't let them go.

Decapitation and the like were simple; even death by a thousand cuts wasn't impossible!

The Great Song never spared the most cruel means for those who dared to rebel!

Because only such cruel means could deter those who were also eager to try!

To the officials, they never considered why people rose up;

to them, it was just those low-born people refusing to be peaceful corpses and instead acting like mantises trying to stop a chariot!

However, in the next second, Chen Wenyun firmed his resolve, and he said in a deep voice:

"Wife, it is precisely so that children like Yun'er and Li'er in the world can have a better future

that we must do this!"

"Then I will go pack the luggage."

Although Lady Wang didn't quite understand Chen Wenyun's ideals, husband and wife are one,

and she ultimately chose to stand by his side and firmly support him.

"Wife, thank you for your understanding!"

Chen Wenyun grabbed Lady Wang's hand, moved deeply.

With such a wife, what more could a husband ask for?

Feeling Chen Wenyun's intense gaze, Lady Wang couldn't help but blush:

"Official, Li'er and the others are still outside!"

"Haha!"

Chen Wenyun laughed: "That brat probably ran out to play long ago."

"Let's add another younger brother or sister for Li'er and the others today!"

Chen Wenyun picked up Lady Wang and headed straight for the bedroom.

He had received a bit too much stimulation today and needed to vent properly...

If Zhang Jie knew that Chen Wenyun still had the mind to do these things, he would definitely praise him for having the demeanor of a great general.

A certain Sima Yi, with the gaze of a wolf and the look of an eagle, tested his sons Sima Shi and Sima Zhao when he usurped the Cao Wei.

After Sima Zhao received the news, he was restless and couldn't sleep at night,

while only Sima Shi behaved, slept, and ate as usual, snoring like thunder at night.

This made Sima Yi decide to usurp the Wei: he was already old,

and didn't have many days to live; only with a successor who was fearless in the face of danger would he dare to act.

Otherwise, even if he succeeded, it would just be making a wedding dress for someone else.

Unfortunately, what he didn't know was that Sima Shi was later laughed to death by Liu Shan,

allowing Sima Zhao to take the position, and the throne fell to Sima Yan,

and then a Sima Zhong, who was "weak-minded" to put it nicely, or a retard to put it bluntly, took the throne,

and an evil queen, Jia Nanfeng, who left a reputation of infamy through the ages, stepped onto the political stage.

Following that were the Rebellion of the Eight Princes and the Uprising of the Five Barbarians, and finally, the Emperor Wu of Liu Song, Liu Yu, rose and killed the Sima clan almost completely.

So, Liu Shan was the ultimate culprit who led to the extermination of the Sima clan~

While Zhang Jie was summoning people from all walks of life, Gao Yanei had also recovered from his injuries,

and through the connections of Liang Shicheng, he entered the palace and became a palace official.

"Sweeping the floor, sweeping the floor, still sweeping the floor, damn it!"

In the Imperial Garden, Gao Yanei, who had been sweeping the floor for quite a while, was full of complaints.

Think of him, Gao Yanei, when had he ever fallen to such a state?

Moreover, he didn't enter the palace to be a bitter, floor-sweeping eunuch!

"Endure, I must endure!"

Gao Yanei kept warning himself in his heart.

However, his tightly clenched broom and the bulging veins on his arms showed that he was not as calm as he appeared on the surface.

"The Emperor is here!"

Suddenly, a sharp and feminine voice sounded outside the Imperial Garden.

"Long live, long live, long live the Emperor!"

Gao Yanei, who was sweeping in the Imperial Garden, hurriedly knelt down.

Zhao Ji, surrounded by many eunuchs, guards, and palace people, slowly walked in front of Gao Yanei.

"Get up."

Zhao Ji's words were as flat as water, without the slightest fluctuation.

He didn't know how many times he heard such flattering words in a day;

at the beginning, he was still somewhat excited,

but after many years, he had long since become accustomed, or rather, numb to it.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Gao Yanei stood up slowly, leaning on his broom.

"Eh!

Aren't you Gao Kan from Gao Aiqing's family? Why have you entered the palace?"

Zhao Ji, who recognized Gao Yanei's identity, was somewhat surprised.

Although he didn't know every little eunuch in the palace,

he had naturally seen Gao Yanei, who was the "only son" of Gao Qiu, whom he favored.

Gao Yanei, knowing that this was the opportunity his adopted father Liang Shicheng had spoken of, hurriedly said:

"Replying to Your Majesty, I, I lost my ability to be a man because of some things.

Thinking of Your Majesty's kindness to my Gao family over the years, which is higher than Mount Tai and deeper than the East Sea,

I entered the palace to be a palace servant, hoping to repay even a ten-thousandth of Your Majesty's heaven-like kindness!"

"Hmm, you are very good."

Hearing that Gao Yanei came to repay his kindness, Zhao Ji nodded with satisfaction.

He promoted Gao Qiu from a small hoodlum to the Palace Grand Marshal in charge of the 800,000 Imperial Guards in one step; naturally, it was a great kindness.

But no matter how great the kindness, it is ultimately difficult to withstand the erosion of time.

More than ten years have passed, and even he doesn't know how much gratitude Gao Qiu still remembers in his heart.

And today, Gao Yanei's performance let him know that Gao Qiu still remembers the kindness to some extent and is loyal.

For him, the Emperor, what is most important is not how capable his subordinates are, but their loyalty!

A certain guy who was talented but lacked even a bit of loyalty,

and even dared to write poems to mock him, had already gone to Qingzhou to be a "White-Clothed Prime Minister"!

"However, I seem to have heard somewhere about this Gao Kan losing his ability to be a man."

Zhao Ji was thoughtful, but he couldn't remember it at all.

"Replying to the Emperor, this Gao Kan is known as Gao Yanei by outsiders."

The great eunuch Yang Jian, who was beside Zhao Ji, whispered.

"Oh, so it's him."

Zhao Ji understood instantly.

The fact that this Gao Yanei was castrated by an unknown strong person had caused a huge stir in Bianliang,

and even he, an emperor who lived deep in the palace, had heard of it.

The reason he didn't recognize him just now was simply because he hadn't connected Gao Yanei with Gao Kan.

After all, in front of him, the Emperor of the Great Song, Gao Kan could only be Gao Kan,

not some Gao Yanei who bullied men and women and did all sorts of messy things!

"Your father also has a heart."

Looking at the respectful Gao Yanei, Zhao Ji said meaningfully.

To be able to sweep the floor in the Imperial Garden he liked to visit, Gao Qiu must have exerted effort in this.

Otherwise, how would a mere little eunuch who had just entered the palace have the opportunity to see him?

Those eunuchs who had been in the palace for more than ten years were still struggling in various inner palace offices!

"Your Majesty, I only seek an opportunity to repay Your Majesty's kindness!"

Gao Yanei didn't dare to hide it and knelt on the ground with a thud.

"Opportunity?

Then I will give you an opportunity; you will follow by my side from now on."

Thinking of Gao Qiu, who knew how to handle things, Zhao Ji chose to give Gao Yanei an opportunity.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness, thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness!"

Gao Yanei, overjoyed, kowtowed repeatedly.

"Get up."

Zhao Ji said lightly, not moved by Gao Yanei's act of showing loyalty.

He suddenly asked: "Gao Kan, what is your name after entering the palace?"

Gao Yanei, whose forehead was red from kowtowing, answered honestly:

"Replying to Your Majesty, I haven't been in the palace for long, and haven't changed my name yet; I am still called Gao Kan."

Zhao Ji shook his head upon hearing this:

"Kan means 'earth' and 'lacking'; it implies a ridge in the field or the bumps and setbacks of life;

this is inauspicious. How about I give you a new name?"

Gao Yanei was instantly full of joy: "I thank Your Majesty for the name!"

The eunuchs surrounding Zhao Ji, whose ranks were much higher than Gao Yanei, who was currently unranked,

looked at him with eyes full of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Is this just a name bestowed by the Emperor?

A name bestowed by the Emperor means this eunuch has caught the Emperor's eye.

And as long as he has caught the Emperor's eye, even a little eunuch without rank can soar into the sky,

becoming a top-tier figure among the thousands of eunuchs in this palace!

Even the great eunuch Yang Jian, who had always stood by Zhao Ji's side

and firmly occupied the second position, couldn't help but look at Gao Yanei with higher regard.

And Zhao Ji was still thinking about what name he should give Gao Yanei.

"Hmm..."

He pondered for a while, but had no ideas.

Suddenly, he thought of a certain person he hated very much,

who had disappeared from the eyes of the Imperial City Division ever since he left Bianliang City, and he had an idea in his heart:

"Ren means kindness, closeness, virtue, benevolence; you will be called Gao Ren from now on."

"Thank you, Your Majesty; I will be called Gao Ren from now on."

Gao Yanei, oh no, that's not right, Gao Ren, hurriedly thanked him.

"After you finish cleaning the Imperial Garden, come to the Genyue to serve."

Zhao Ji made arrangements for Gao Yanei and then left with the other palace people.

"Lin Chong, you just wait for me!"

After watching Zhao Ji walk away, Gao Ren looked in the direction outside Bianliang with a face full of hatred. ===== CHAPTER 150 =====

After watching Zhao Ji walk far away, Gao Ren looked in the direction outside Bianliang with a face full of hatred.