Linghu Defen had completely become the laughingstock of the entire realm. Yun Ye wasn’t joking—he really had distributed five thousand leaflets in Chang’an. Ten days later, leaflets were also being distributed in Luoyang. It was estimated that in a month, Jinyang and Yangzhou would have the same leaflets published.
As someone from the future, Yun Ye knew very clearly how to completely destroy a person’s reputation. In this world, being a good person didn’t necessarily mean you would have a good reputation. Reputation was something very fragile, often affected by some minor incidents. Most ridiculously, when the majority of people said you were a good person, then you were a good person—even if you murdered, committed arson, raped, pillaged, and committed every evil deed, you were still a good person, as long as you licked clean the bloodstains from the corners of your mouth after eating meat in front of the public.
Chang’an needed a topic, needed a topic that would shock everyone. Otherwise, people with nothing to do would always look up at that increasingly large star overhead. Looking at it long enough, idle gossip would inevitably emerge.
Now it was fine. Linghu Defen, at the right time and the right place, had provoked Yun Ye’s anger. If you had just talked about it, that would have been one thing, but sending your student to warn him in person—what was that about? Who did he think he was? Just because he wrote a “Book of Zhou,” did that really make him so remarkable? The academy had plenty of busybodies holding his broken book, researching it over and over—not to appreciate it, but to find flaws, preparing to write their own version that would have to be better than his.
Manuscripts at the printing workshop had long been piled to the ceiling. Three people had written “Books of Zhou”—because they wrote later than him, they became nothing but wastepaper with no more publishing value. Those three who wrote “Books of Zhou” wished nothing more than for him to be utterly disgraced. At this time, he still dared to jump out. He was seeking his own death—he couldn’t blame anyone else. How would he explain the flaws that those professionals picked out from his book?
This time, Yun Ye not only wanted to strike at Linghu Defen’s self-esteem but also destroy his pride. Believing your work to be a brilliant masterpiece only to find it riddled with errors—no one could accept that.
The most vicious aspect of this affair lay precisely here. Yun Ye’s cursing words, Linghu Defen could ignore, but attacking his writing and striking directly at his core—this was the true reason he vomited blood.
Concealing faults and promoting virtues had always been the nature of the people of this nation. Now someone appeared who specialized in exposing people’s private matters, turning a blind eye to all the merits of an entire book yet attacking minor flaws, infinitely magnifying them. Ever since Yun Ye cursed Linghu Defen, those three angry authors were doing exactly this openly and righteously—Yun Ye didn’t even need to commission them.
The “Book of Zhou” from among the “Eight Great Books of the Tang” recorded in the Tang Dynasty’s historical records was ruined. Yushan Academy, the Imperial Academy, and the Institute of Literary Erudition all put this book away one after another, replacing it with a “Book of Zhou” co-authored by three other people. The reason was that the book written by Linghu Defen had too many flaws.
Linghu Defen ran wildly through his home with disheveled hair, liked to violently ram his head against pillars, giggling foolishly from dawn to dusk. His entire person was like someone whose spine had been extracted. Only now did everyone understand why Yun Ye wanted to save his old life—it was to make him endure uninterrupted blows and torment while alive. This was even more cruel than killing Linghu Defen.
In grief and indignation, Linghu Defen’s youngest son took up weapons and went to the Yun Family to fight to the death. As a result, Old Jiang broke his leg and threw him back to the Linghu Family, warning: If you dare go to the household to commit assassination again, it won’t be dealt with by just breaking a leg. Attempting to assassinate a Marquis means executing the entire family, even if your family is also of marquis rank.
Unable to contain his anger, the eldest son of the Linghu Family struck the bell and drum of the Court of Judicial Review, demanding the arrest of the assailant. Dai Zhou could only smile bitterly and produce the weapon the Yun Family had seized from the youngest son of the Linghu Family, along with testimony from countless witnesses. Indeed, as the Yun Family’s household general said, breaking the leg was already the lightest punishment.
“Yun Ye is acting against all convention!” Wei Zheng angrily pounded the table at the Central Secretariat. He had never imagined that when Yun Ye committed evil deeds, he would be so thorough about it.
“He’s giving a warning—warning all those who intend to move against the Yun Family. Linghu Defen insulted his ancestral master. This was originally a knot that couldn’t be untied. This boy is decisive in killing and acts with swift determination. From this situation of killing ten thousand enemies while losing three thousand of his own, he’s not planning to yield. But that’s normal too—aren’t all military generals of this character?”
Fang Xuanling consoled Wei Zheng, saying: “Now he only has his marquis title left, not a single official position. What more are you dissatisfied with? The Linghu Family is finished, but won’t the Yun Family also gradually decline?”
“Prime Minister Fang’s thinking is incorrect. The Yun Family is only temporarily withdrawing from the court and countryside. Haven’t you noticed his age? This year, at most, he’s only twenty-four years old. So what if he wastes ten years? He’ll only be thirty-four, which would seem young even for a governor. What state will you and I be in after ten years?”
“How Brother Fang will be, I, Old Du, don’t know, but I know about myself. Anyway, I absolutely cannot last more than ten years. Six or seven years at most, and I’ll retire and return home. My elderly mother is still in the household—going back to attend to her is also fulfilling the duty of a filial son.”
Du Ruhui appeared quite calm. He had already prepared himself—as soon as the wind direction wasn’t right, he would immediately flee. Retiring and returning home wasn’t bad either. After being prime minister for over ten years, being able to retreat with one’s body intact was also a blessing.
“You’ve fulfilled your duty as a son, Old Du, but how will you account for your duty as a subject? Watching His Majesty increasingly unable to suppress the evil thoughts in his heart, you don’t plan to exert some effort for the common people of the realm? We found it so difficult to eliminate even one Yun Ye. If you retreat, the Great Tang will truly see no tomorrow.”
The veins on Wei Zheng’s forehead bulged. He didn’t have confidence in Li Er’s self-restraint. The Emperor’s patience was growing worse and worse. He heard that a few days ago, two more palace attendants had been beaten to death. Previously, such things almost never happened, but this year, this was already the third incident. Looking again at the memorials he approved, they were full of malevolent energy. Crimes that could previously be pardoned now received heavier punishment. Crimes that previously required heavier punishment now all resulted in beheading. He wanted to get Li Er back onto his original track, but unfortunately, the effect was minimal. Now the Emperor already had quite a few complaints about him.
Fang Xuanling took a sip of tea and squinted at the two men, saying doubtfully: “This old man always feels something isn’t right. Yun Ye is also someone this old man watched grow up. Speaking fairly, he’s definitely not an evil person. Three days ago, this old man invited Master Xuanzang to make a trip to the Yun residence, hoping to use the Master’s compassionate heart to dissolve Yun Ye’s malevolent energy. As a result, Master Xuanzang stayed at the Yun residence for only half a shichen before coming out. I later asked the Master why he didn’t admonish Yun Ye. The Master told me: ‘Originally there is no malevolent energy—where does the talk of dissolution come from?'”
“Master Xuanzang’s peaceful energy is most capable of dissolving violent malevolence. Now the Master says Yun Ye is very normal, that he doesn’t have violent energy all over his body like His Majesty. I believe the Master’s statement. Old Wei, you say if all of this was intentional on Yun Ye’s part—if the mania, ferocity, and violence were all an act—what then?”
“Absolutely impossible. He simply couldn’t endure such ostracism, so he exposed his true nature. This old man specifically studied his business methods in earlier years. Old Fang, Old Du, he’s a living hungry wolf! He won’t give up until the last bit of profit is squeezed dry. Look at Chang’an city—are there still any general stores? No, right? Know where they went? They were all swallowed up one by one by the Convenience Store.”
“Look again at Yuezhou. The official document he submitted is still in your hands, Old Fang. In order to demolish the old city, he actually deliberately lured bandits to attack the city. He could have easily eliminated the water bandits, but he insisted on going in a big circle, letting the water bandits completely destroy Yuezhou city before making his move to capture them. There’s nothing to say about the battle—no matter how you put it, he was in the right because he captured all the water bandits in one net.”
“But think about it—what were the feelings of those pitiful common people watching their homes being destroyed? What were the feelings of the common people fleeing with their wives and children when the bandits attacked? These things could have been avoided. He deliberately didn’t, so that when he demolished and relocated, it would be convenient for him. He had those water bandits help him achieve his goal. He did compensate the common people, and indeed everyone lived much better than before, but for such a cold-blooded boy who toys with people’s hearts, you still say he has no malevolent energy?”
“Look at his several military campaigns—which one wasn’t filled with rolling heads and rivers of blood? Is this something a benevolent commander could do? Li Ji and the others never dared to engage in mass slaughter. This fellow is different. Whenever his stratagems emerge, they’re poisonous schemes. Including this time dealing with Linghu Defen—it’s the same. Old Fang, don’t be deceived by him. This boy is no good thing. I’ve been specifically studying this boy these past few years, and my final conclusion is: don’t give him opportunities. As long as he has an opportunity, others will be eternally doomed.”
Wei Zheng’s words caused the two people sitting in the room to lose interest in speaking. Watching the water on the stove boiling and steaming, they were too lazy to call servants to brew new tea. Regarding this person Yun Ye—they could neither love nor hate him, neither get close to nor distance themselves from him. Three first-rate figures full of wisdom and strategy also didn’t know what to do with him.
Wei Zheng finally said heavily: “This is a demon, a true demon. I now believe his ancestral master being a broom comet star is true—it wasn’t fabricated by him to help the Empress out of difficulty. He said that star would appear, and that star appeared. He said the demon star would hang in the sky for three months. It’s already been six days now, and it’s still there. He says tomorrow his family’s ancestral master plans to observe the sun at close range. I believe the demon star tomorrow will definitely form the most malicious opposition configuration.”
“Oh, it’s not called opposition anymore—it’s called researching the sun, just like how he likes to approach close to His Majesty to speak. Can the sun be studied?”
Li Er was also asking Zhangsun the same words. Although he also believed that the son of the Eastern Emperor Taiyi should not be approached, that opposition was an offense to the Eastern Emperor, Yun Ye said that taking advantage of the total solar eclipse to approach the sun quietly like a petty thief was precisely a quality that someone who liked to study learning must have.
These words were only suitable for deceiving ghosts. Li Er didn’t believe a single word. But now, the broom star was someone else’s ancestral master—knowing some exclusive information was inevitable.
He picked up the stone sunglasses that Yun Ye had sent from the table and put them on his head, looking around everywhere. The surroundings indeed darkened quite a bit. Yun Ye said: Tomorrow will be an astronomical spectacle not seen in hundreds of years—we must carefully appreciate it.