#91: Falling Sick from Wine in Spring (Part 2)

Ever since the Dengwen Drum echoed throughout the capital that morning, the Assassin-Begonia case, which had led to a purge of half of the capital’s officials, was brought up again in taverns and teahouses. Some of the scholars who had just arrived for the spring examination had only a superficial understanding of the matter before, but now they heard everything about it.

Qiu Fang had a reputation for being a clean official. The person who struck the Dengwen Drum was his daughter. Although no one knew how she had survived the persecution back then, her coming forward to seek justice for Liu Fuliang made people wonder about the truth. And thinking more deeply, were the people behind the Assassin-Begonia case really the five princes?

But such a conjecture was merely a thought in everyone’s minds, and no one dared to speak of it aloud.

Compared to “what is the real truth,” what was more popular in the marketplace were the achievements of the former Crown Prince.

Although the five princes were talented, they were still privileged nobles who were out of touch with the world. Everyone obviously preferred to hear the legendary stories of the Crown Prince. They heard about his early intelligence, how he had lived in the Youzhou military camp for two years at the age of ten, was made Crown Prince at twelve, and was already working independently at fifteen. He had managed floods, fought locust plagues, not to mention the poems and writings that had been passed down.

The renowned Scholar Zhengsou personally gave him the title of “Chengming.” Out of loyalty to his teacher and old friend, he risked everything to send troops to the southern border and, with thunderous force, uprooted the “human sacrifice for ghosts” cult that had been rampant at the time. To this day, in the areas from Jingchu to the two Guangs, the common people still worship statues of the Crown Prince, remembering his feat of eliminating evil back then.

The storyteller in the tavern narrated his deeds in a captivating manner, and even the beggars outside the door scrambled to the steps to listen.

Perhaps it was these great achievements in his youth that shortened the Crown Prince’s life. But a person like him, who lived a life of great deeds, could also become a legend after his death. The “Lament of the Golden Heaven” by the deceased Princess Ning’le is still widely circulated. At the time, the scholars and students below the Censorate rushed to write poems for the Crown Prince, demanding that the culprits be punished without mercy.

This was not only a reflection of public sentiment but also a grand event in the literary world.

Chang Zhao sat on the top floor of the building, his spring tea now cold. Outside the window, a few new green buds had just bloomed on the willows.

Su Shiyu sat opposite him and listened to the storyteller’s words. He couldn’t help but say with a wry smile, “Pingnian, you’ve gone to a lot of trouble.”

In recent days, Chang Zhao had been spending a lot of time with him. Both of them were constrained by various parties and had to live cautiously. After several banquets, Su Shiyu confided in him and gradually felt that they were true confidants.

Therefore, Chang Zhao only kept his half of the bet with Luo Wei a secret. Su Shiyu had already seen his ambition. Whether it was for his own benefit or his feelings for the Noble Consort, he could only stand on his side.

The meeting at Fengle Tower was his way of pledging his allegiance.

Chang Zhao asked with a smile, “Why do you say that?”

Su Shiyu pointed down. “Su Luo Wei wants to reopen the Assassin-Begonia case out of kindness, wanting to reclaim the posthumous reputation of the over one thousand people who were implicated. But she also knows that as long as His Majesty is on the throne, this cannot happen. So she risked sending someone to strike the Dengwen Drum to sow doubt in the hearts of the people—was there really a hidden truth in that case? Sometimes, conjecture is more frightening than evidence. His Majesty now disregards remonstrance and criticism. She has a good reputation and was the Crown Princess. If she were to initiate a palace coup one day, she could use just a few words about the hidden truth of the Assassin-Begonia case to make the scholars of the world believe her seven-tenths.”

“This is exactly like what Yu Qiushi and His Majesty did back then, using the ‘Lament of the Golden Heaven’ poem to severely punish the culprits. With scholars on her side and public opinion stirred up, even the most absurd things can be made to sound convincing to the world. After all these years of fighting with Yu Qiushi and His Majesty, she has learned a lot from them.”

Chang Zhao raised his eyebrows. “Oh, Shiyu is clearly talking about your sister. What does this have to do with praising me?”

Su Shiyu’s expression didn’t change as he continued, “Her doing this would risk Qiu Xueyu’s life and implicate others. That’s why she had to come and negotiate with you. You agreed to her request not to implicate others, so you had the market extensively praise the Crown Prince’s achievements. This way—”

He raised his teacup and toasted Chang Zhao. “The public sentiment that was originally directed at the drum-striking incident is now directed at the late Crown Prince. As the Crown Prince’s reputation grows and the Golden Heaven poem case becomes a legend, the scholars, officials, and common people who wrote poems back then and passionately sought justice for the Crown Prince will, deep down, resist anyone trying to reopen the Assassin-Begonia case. Don’t forget, the people Qiu Xueyu is seeking justice for are the very people who died under their pressure.”

“Who would admit that they made such a huge mistake?”

He took a sip. “Who has the generosity of spirit to admit that they were deceived by the Grand Tutor and the current Emperor? When His Majesty and the Grand Tutor planned that vicious scheme, they tied those passionate scholars to the same boat. If people were killed by mistake in the Assassin-Begonia case, then they are all accomplices. In the end, the Crown Prince is already dead. Having such a good reputation after death is enough. As for who killed him, to these people, how important is that? Even if they have some suspicions, they won’t say it aloud. The praise for the Crown Prince that Brother Pingnian has been intentionally spreading these past few days is just to remind them of this, isn’t it?”

Chang Zhao clapped his hands and laughed heartily, a look of admiration in his eyes. “So—”

Su Shiyu said calmly, “So, Brother Pingnian has indeed kept his promise. The way he avoids implicating others is by using this matter to suppress the public opinion surrounding the Dengwen Drum. In the future, by refuting Qiu Xueyu’s witnesses and physical evidence one by one and upholding the original verdict, the people in the marketplace will not only not have any doubts but will probably also secretly celebrate.”

He paused here. “However, Brother Pingnian’s actions are not without a way to break the situation. Both you and His Majesty are using dead people. Now that he has been praised to such an extent, Brother Pingnian, aren’t you afraid that if he didn’t die—if the Empress were to find someone to impersonate him, this plan would fall apart?”

Chang Zhao scoffed. “Is he so easy to impersonate?”

“The late Crown Prince died too early. The people who are crying for his justice have almost never seen him. The golden statue and the portraits only capture a small part of his essence. The common people in the marketplace have no idea what this noble looked like. What good would it do for the Empress to create an exact replica of him as a puppet? Trying to break this plan is a fool’s dream.”

Su Shiyu’s brows furrowed slightly, and he seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

Chang Zhao looked at the yellow-green willow branches, deep in thought, and sighed. “Your sister, your foster father, the civil officials in the great Yin dynasty, and even His Majesty and the Grand Tutor are all too concerned with reputation. To do one thing, they must first do ten thousand things to prove that they are right. But in the history books, the winner writes the history. Caring about too many things will only bring you trouble.”

Su Shiyu remained silent. They sat opposite each other for a while. Chang Zhao suddenly said, “The last time I saw the spring scenery here was with Bo Ming.”

The name sounded familiar. Su Shiyu thought for a moment and asked, “Is that Xu Dan, Minister Xu?”

Chang Zhao grunted in response, but his gaze did not leave the window. It seemed to drift far away. “I have had few friends since I was a child. I only managed to make one or two after coming to the capital. To call them confidants... No, I don’t need to call them confidants. I’ve had very few people I could even have a drink with. Now I have gained His Majesty’s favor, but Bo Ming refuses to drink with me. He says that if our paths are different, we shouldn’t conspire together. Different paths... Oh, well.”

Su Shiyu’s expression was complex. After a long time, he said, “Brother Pingnian is a sentimental person.”

He couldn’t help but feel a little sad. “When I was under Minister Su’s tutelage, because Minister Su was so prominent and the Empress was so powerful, I had to avoid suspicion. Even when I was on good terms with people, I didn’t dare to get drunk. Brother, we share the same plight. It’s truly fate.”

Chang Zhao shook his head. “Let’s not talk about it. The melting snow and the spring scenery today are truly a rare sight. Let’s drink together until we pass out!”

Su Shiyu then smiled. “Very well. Let’s not go home until we’re drunk.”

Luo Wei had not left the house these past few days. The crabapple trees in the back garden had grown new leaves, turning green day by day. The bitter winter had vanished into spring overnight, but she was caught off guard and caught a cold.

Every day after court, Ye Tingyan would bring books to her bedside. Sometimes he would tell her about the changes in court, and sometimes he would read new poems.

Luo Wei suddenly realized that his voice had never changed. The difference before was just a deliberate disguise.

The words were beautiful, and his voice was still as clear and pure as ever. When she closed her eyes, she would always wonder if she had been in a very long dream.

The dream had started in the third year of Tianshou. In the dream, a torrential spring rain had fallen for four years. Her hair and clothes were completely soaked, but the crabapple flowers did not wither for years, nor did a single petal fall in the rain.

“The old case has been reviewed.”

Ye Tingyan held a bowl of medicine. He patiently blew on it a few times and then raised his hand to feed her. Luo Wei would feel dizzy at the smell of the bitterness. As soon as she frowned, he would magically pull out a candied plum and put it in her mouth.

It was only when she was a child that she was afraid of bitter medicine.

Luo Wei licked it, and a sweet taste filled her tongue.

She tilted her head and drank the medicine completely, saying sullenly, “I wasn’t going to be difficult.”

It had been many, many years since he had to coax a little girl who wouldn’t drink her medicine with a candied plum.

Ye Tingyan just smiled and said nothing. When he spoke again, he suddenly had a childish look of pride. “I have walked through the streets and alleys of the capital these past few days. Everywhere I go, I can hear people praising him.”

It took Luo Wei a moment to realize that the “him” he was talking about was himself.

“Why do you say ‘him’? Aren’t you him?”

Ye Tingyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “That’s not what I’m trying to say.”

Luo Wei persisted. “This is more important.”

So he gave in. “I don’t know why I said that either. He and I are, after all, different.”

Luo Wei coughed. Just as she was about to say something, Ye Tingyan quickly cut in. “It’s nothing. It will be fine once I become him again. For now... it’s not the right time.”

Luo Wei thought for a while before she understood his intention for bringing this up. She couldn’t help but sigh. “Chang Zhao’s methods are impressive. I knew he wouldn’t sit idly by after agreeing to our bet, but I didn’t expect him to make such a move. But... does Song Lan know his intentions? Didn’t he say anything?”

“Song Lan originally wanted to use this opportunity to retaliate against the people who had put pressure on him during the Remonstrance of Jinghe Autumn. Chang Zhao’s actions naturally displeased him. Besides, he is not as guilty as he was four years ago. The more he hears the praise for the late Crown Prince, the more easily he gets angry. As a result, Chang Zhao has lost favor these past few days, and he trusts me more. I am using this opportunity to search the palace for the Ezhen tribe’s spies that you suspected before. This time, I will definitely find him.”

Luo Wei nodded in agreement. She was about to ask another question but decided against it.

Since she hadn’t asked why she had been sick for a whole month, Ye Tingyan also pretended that nothing was wrong. “Although the re-examination of the Assassin-Begonia case failed, the Ministry of Justice is holding on to the ‘Crown Prince’s personal letter’ and has not yet come to a conclusion. Song Lan also doesn’t want to kill Qiu Xueyu at this time, so as not to add any more doubts to a settled case. This time, he will definitely force Qiu Xueyu to admit in public that she provided false evidence, so as to prevent any further opportunities to reopen the Assassin-Begonia case.”

Luo Wei squeezed his hand tightly. “She...”

Ye Tingyan comforted her. “Song Lan won’t allow her to die. I’ve told the people at the Ministry of Justice not to use the same severe torture as in the Zhuque Office, but physical pain will be unavoidable.”

Luo Wei let out a breath and said calmly, “Good, good.”

She gave a bitter smile and said slowly, “You know, Ah Fei’s striking of the Dengwen Drum was something we decided on a long time ago. She was saved by Shukang and me back then, and she didn’t give up on life because of this. Later, she was accidentally exposed in the palace and managed to escape, fleeing to the northern border. I actually didn’t want her to come back. Although this matter was impossible without her, and although there would have been complications without her, I knew that even if she were to survive, she would suffer a lot, a lot.”

“But we must protect things that are more important than life, and people who are more important than ourselves.”

Ye Tingyan said softly, “Yes, and we must also protect those beautiful friendships and principles. So we’re willing to sacrifice our lives without any regrets.”

After dusk, Luo Wei suddenly felt more energetic, so she walked around the garden with Ye Tingyan for a long time. The willows were half-blooming, and the branches were lush. This helped to calm her restless and anxious mood.

Zhou Chuyin and Zhou Xuechu invited them over to have some snacks and admire the moon. The two of them gladly accepted the invitation. After watching the moon for a while, a sudden strong wind arose. Ye Tingyan wrapped his outer robe around Luo Wei, and they hurried through the corridor.

“Was it yesterday that the insects woke up? It’s time for spring to return. The spring weather is still chilly. You should wear more clothes when you go to court.”

The next morning, Ye Tingyan hurried back after the morning court.

When Luo Wei opened the door, she saw that the hem of his robe was damp from the spring rain.

He just said in a low voice, “The Noble Consort gave birth last night. The lights in the palace were on all night.”

Luo Wei was stunned when she heard this. “The child must be nine months old. Are the Noble Consort and the child alright?”

Ye Tingyan thought for a long time and did not answer her question. Instead, he said with difficulty, “Weiwei...”

“Shiyu was... sent to the Zhuque Office yesterday.”