Yun Ye was not being alarmist. Whether in history or reality, such examples were innumerable. This was why idioms like “pursue victory,” “give an inch and they’ll take a mile,” and “after gaining Longxi, they covet Shu” appeared. Especially in politics, compromise was only a choice made when helpless. If one was in a strong position, it was best not to have any retreat. Once you retreated, your opponent would demand even more.
Chai Lingwu sighed and patted Yun Ye’s hand, saying: “You are the strong one, so you can only speak from your own position. The Chai Family has declined and is subject to others’ commands. Some things must be done. I hope you can understand.”
“I wish I could return to the era when we could still visit brothels without worry. But now, you and I both have a whole pile of children and grandchildren. The current situation is like steering a boat in angry seas—we cannot afford the slightest mistake. I understand your heart, but we are destined to be unable to find happiness, unless the stars and moon can reverse and time can flow backward.”
Yun Ye’s words left Chai Lingwu sighing with emotion.
“The Chai Family has already established an ancestral shrine on the distant island. One of my cousins has already gone to preside over matters there. Ye Zi, if possible, help him establish a foothold on the distant island. I always feel that you and the insect will inevitably have a life-and-death battle. When you primordial fierce beasts fight to the death, it’s better for us grasshoppers to stay far away.”
“The ancients said ‘a mantis trying to stop a chariot’—this phrase is well said. No matter how strong the mantis, the outcome of blocking a chariot is being crushed into pulp. So this mantis of the Chai Family should jump far away and not obstruct the path of those war chariots.”
Niu Jianhu came over with a smile and said: “It’s not that frightening. Now the empire’s foundation is already extremely stable. One or two families cannot overturn heaven. There are just some setbacks, nothing more. No need to be alarmed at the slightest disturbance.”
Chai Lingwu shook his head and said: “It’s not that simple. I don’t have the wisdom and decisiveness to independently support the family clan, so I hope the next generation can become more intelligent. I didn’t understand before why my father insisted on concealing his strength and biding his time. Now I understand. If the Chai Family had jumped around early on, I estimate now I could only be guarding the distant island weeping while holding my father’s spirit tablet.”
After saying just these few short sentences, the song and dance at Spring Breeze Once Pavilion had already begun. Seven or eight young women entered gracefully wearing gauze garments. Among them, Chun Shisanniang wearing red gauze had not yet opened her sandalwood mouth when her jade fingers moved first. The sound of the pipa was like pearls rolling off a jade plate, striking the opening celestial music.
“In the north there is a beautiful woman, peerless and independent. One smile topples a city, a second smile topples a nation. Don’t you know? Toppling cities and toppling nations, such beautiful women are hard to find again. In the north there is a beautiful woman…”
The voice was melodious and graceful, carrying threads of Wu accent and soft southern dialect. What could have been sung as a clear and refined northern famous melody was performed by the soft sweet voice to inspire endless imagination.
Cheng Chumo pillowed his head on a beautiful courtesan’s legs and said to everyone: “Better to sleep, better to sleep.” After speaking, he closed his eyes to sleep, but his two large hands were not honest, climbing onto the courtesan’s chest and constantly writhing.
The singing continued to drift. Between the dancing light gauze, one could see countless powdered legs and jade arms half-hidden and half-exposed before their eyes. The unique sweet fragrance of rouge and powder specific to brothels filled mouths and noses, making souls fly and bodies enchanted.
Drinking wine. Drank a lot of wine. Somewhat drowsy, Yun Ye didn’t like sleeping pillowed on beautiful women’s legs, so he found a sweet melon to place behind his head and stared blankly at the ceiling covered with patterns. The designs on the coffered ceiling fully expressed people’s longing for happiness and peaceful life—auspicious cloud patterns, intertwining branch patterns, bat designs—each one was auspicious. It was just that human hearts were not very auspicious. They themselves were not auspicious yet still yearned for auspiciousness. Damn it, people wanted too much in one lifetime.
He fell asleep amid light songs and graceful dances. The sweet melon serving as pillow had run off somewhere. When his head fell on the carpet, he woke up. Looking left and right, those lechers had all disappeared. Only Chun Shisanniang knelt to one side fanning Yun Ye with a fan.
He casually tossed Chun Shisanniang a jade pendant. Under Shisanniang’s disappointed gaze, Yun Ye went downstairs. Wang Cai immediately came over. Some new fur had just grown on its back, soft and fluffy, still needing more care.
Wang Cai was now very clingy. Wherever Yun Ye walked, it would follow. So officials of the Great Tang could often see a mangy-looking horse walking east and sniffing west in the Imperial City, eating two mouthfuls of flowers from the flower beds, drinking two mouthfuls of water from Taiye Pool, then lazily lying in tree shade to sleep.
No one dared drive this horse away. Someone had tried this before and was beaten badly by Yun Shou. Except for Zhangsun Wuji who scolded them twice, seeing that Yun Ye seemed to have no intention of repenting, he could only let things be.
Today Wang Cai had an additional floral vest on its body. The style was beautiful, somewhat covering up places where the fur color was different. Yun Ye very much disliked this thing. With it, Wang Cai would feel hot. His own brother didn’t need to look good—as long as it was cool, that was enough.
Just as he was preparing to tear off the floral vest, he heard a young girl behind him shout: “Don’t you dare tear it off!”
Yun Ye angrily turned around. Did Wang Cai’s affairs need others to manage them? Only then did he see Si Zi standing alone beneath the lintel of Spring Breeze Once Pavilion, holding onto the beam and pillar looking at Yun Ye.
This was understandable now. Only one’s own people could put clothes on Wang Cai, and only for one’s own people would Wang Cai wrong itself. Wang Cai was now feeling so wronged it constantly burrowed its head into Yun Ye’s embrace.
Yun Ye looked at Si Zi, then looked at Spring Breeze Once Pavilion. Turning back to Liu Jinbao, he said: “Tonight, drive everyone out of here, then smash it to smithereens. Tear down the building. Tomorrow I don’t want this Spring Breeze Once Pavilion to continue existing.”
When Liu Jinbao saw Si Zi, he knew this building was finished. When the Marquis said to smash the building, he was not surprised at all. He nodded and told a guard behind him, and that guard galloped back on fast horse to find people.
Liu Jinbao found a carriage. Yun Ye roughly stuffed Si Zi into the carriage, then took the carriage out of the city heading straight for the Yun Family estate. The dignified Princess Jinyang was actually running a brothel! If this got out, face would be completely lost—whether the imperial family’s or Yun Ye’s.
Jinyang sat in the carriage without saying a word, staring blankly at Wang Cai running in short steps behind the carriage. Several times she wanted to jump down from the carriage but was firmly held back by Yun Ye.
The carriage drove directly into the Yun Family’s large courtyard. Si Zi jumped out from the carriage and immediately hugged Wang Cai’s neck without letting go, strangling Wang Cai until it constantly whinnied.
“Stop tormenting Wang Cai there. I’ve already ordered people to tear down that building. Don’t think about it anymore. However much money was lost, Brother-in-law will compensate you. If you feel stifled in the palace, come to Yushan to stroll around, listen to lectures, feed the pandas—all very good. If you want to eat delicious food, come to the house and have the cook make it for you. How did you even think of opening a brothel?”
Jinyang still said nothing. Yun Mu came out from the moon gate and took Jinyang, covered in horse fur, back to the rear courtyard. When Jinyang reached the moon gate, she suddenly burst into loud tears: “You all like to kill people, killing everyone. Little Zhi even gave me a basket of fruit to trick me into killing Father Emperor. Brother-in-law, I’m begging you, send me back to Yuntai Mountain. I’ll go find my master. I’ll hide in the mountains and not come out. That way I won’t lose face for you all. I don’t want to see that fool Little Zhi, I don’t want to see that fool Little Zhi…”
Yun Ye stood frozen in place. Now he finally understood everything—why Li Er had been unconscious at that time…
With an iron-blue face, he returned to the study. Only after quite a while did he catch his breath evenly. Supporting himself on the desk, he slowly sat in the chair, watching as night curtain slowly descended, then watching as the red sun rose from the east.
His mind was empty. Not until sunlight shone on his eyelids did he hoarsely say to the outside: “Send people to escort Si Zi to Yuntai Mountain. This matter must not be publicized.”
The imperial family was just a muddy pit. Whoever could walk away was one less person. Without thinking, Yun Ye knew how much pressure this child had endured during this time. Yun Ye didn’t even dare imagine Si Zi’s terrified expression after seeing her father poisoned from eating the fruit she had sent.Perhaps Yuntai Mountain could truly calm her heart.
Li Tai came to see off his younger sister, bringing many gifts—a full convoy of vehicles. Just as they were about to exit Chang’an city, another convoy came to the city gate, silently mixing into the procession. These were gifts the Emperor and Empress sent to their daughter.
Yun Ye strolled along Chang’an’s city wall with Wang Cai. Li Tai caught up from behind and said softly: “I actually really want to go to those bases you established deep in the Qinling Mountains. When I get there, I’ll be blind and deaf. Playing dumb like this, knowing nothing—how wonderful that would be. If Hypatia doesn’t mind the desolation there, I want to bring her along too.”
“Good idea! Si Zi is going to Yuntai Mountain, Chengqian has gone to Yuezhou, and now you want to go to the Qinling Mountains. You’re leaving your father and mother for that fool Li Zhi to care for? Look at His Majesty’s body—how much he’s declined in just over a year! Before, he would boast at every turn about having the strength to capture tigers and shoot bears. Now he doesn’t say it anymore. All day long he drinks and makes merry. Such days won’t last long. Last time I asked him if he could still mount a war horse and wield an iron lance, the old man gave two bitter laughs. Look at his big belly—where is there even half a trace of the heroic bearing of the former illustrious ruler?”
After hearing Yun Ye’s words, Li Tai cupped his hands and quickly departed. He really couldn’t bear to listen anymore. If one followed Yun Ye’s account, his old man’s days were even harder than those of lonely widowed elderly.
This was just how things were. In all of Chang’an, except for the common people, no one lived comfortably. When the Emperor was uncomfortable, he changed tricks to torment his subordinates. Various kinds of edicts were issued from the Imperial City—civil officials had to practice martial arts, military officials had to become literate. Yun Ye looked at the results reported by the Ministry of War and didn’t dare sign above them. Now in all the Great Tang there was not a single illiterate military official.
With the large-scale dismissal of advisors, current official documents were like heavenly books—writing a whole pile of idle talk without knowing what they meant. Zhangsun Wuji’s idea of combining civil and military capabilities was utterly hated by officials throughout the realm.
Yun Ye himself was the standard combination of civil and military capabilities. He didn’t know why Zhangsun Wuji was so lavishly praising what he called his own self. As long as it was something the enemy liked to do, Yun Ye had to completely sabotage it. So recently the number of times Yun Ye spoke crudely had been very frequent. For example, right now he was cursing loudly at the military general before him: “You’re just a pig-head!”