Fifteen days’ time – for the Chang’an people whose lives were extremely rich and colorful, this was already ancient history. The matter of the Crown Prince, Prince Wei, and Yun Ye fighting until their heads were broken over a woman was no longer mentioned by anyone.
As for how many people died, who knew? But everyone had endless fantasies about that beauty who hanged herself. Just how beautiful must she have been to make Chang’an City’s three greatest wastrels fight until their heads were bloodied?
Among those most excited were the madams of the pleasure quarters. Academy students didn’t mind writing things to earn money when they had time, especially since what they wrote could be set to music and performed at the theater – this was truly too exciting.
What? This concerned the Crown Prince, Prince Wei, and their own teacher?
What of it? The Academy had no rules forbidding spreading such matters. The greater the personage, the worse the influence they caused. Academy disciples must record faithfully with brush and thoroughly expose the corrupt and shameless lives of the nobles. Thus in a short time, over a dozen versions of the truth appeared. Among them, the most praised by Chang’an’s common people was a script called “Heaven of Parting Regret” written by someone called Wuyouzi.
On the day the great drama premiered, Yun Ye deliberately went to watch. The result was he nearly died of anger. Xinyue and the others were also so furious they wanted to burn down the theater on the spot and disown the Yun family property.
On stage, Li Chengqian and Li Tai both appeared refined and cultured, merely admiring that woman called Zanniang. Their initial methods weren’t intense. Only when the fat painted-face Yun Ye appeared with his evil servants did the entire play’s scene reach its climax.
The fat Yun Ye, relying on being favored by the Emperor, had preemptively obtained Zanniang from the Emperor and showed off endlessly to Li Chengqian and Li Tai. Seeing this scene, Yun Ye turned and asked Li Tai: “Who wrote this script? It’s worthy of beheading.”
Li Tai and Hypatia were watching with great interest. He answered impatiently: “Can’t kill him. It was written by Shangguan Yi. My father has seen it too, and my mother even said it was well-written. Watch the play, watch the play! Next time they should find someone more heroic and martial to play me. This one clearly reeks of powder and rouge.”
Although names were changed and the era was switched, couldn’t you at least change the setting a bit better? The Imperial Palace definitely wouldn’t work, but using the distant view of the Yun family estate wasn’t appropriate either, was it?
“Pitifully pitiful, this slave has no recourse, cold and desolate, alone in all the seas. Boisterously a shadow puppet show, pitifully the beauty’s fate is thin…” A heart-wrenching melody, a soul-departing song, depicting a beauty’s helpless scene so movingly that tears flowed down people’s faces.
In the end, the Emperor had been fooled. What that monk had become now, Yun Ye didn’t know. He only felt the possibility of becoming ashes was very high. The Crown Prince, Li Tai, and himself – all three had been beaten so miserably. Once that monk became Li Er’s target for venting anger, one could well imagine the outcome. Killing a so-called eminent monk in broad daylight wouldn’t be appropriate, especially since at the beginning, Li Er himself had said the foreign monk was a peerless master. To kill him now would make himself look foolish.
When the fifteen-day deadline arrived, Yun Ye had planned to debate with that foreign monk and promote his positive image again. But it seemed no one mentioned this matter. After attending morning court once, he found the court completely calm. Li Er didn’t breathe a word about the foreign monk. Fang Xuanling, someone with such a good memory, seemed to have forgotten about it too. Zhangsun and Wuji only discussed at length the necessity of relocating the Eastern Capital to Zhuozhou, because his hometown of Zhaozhou was near Zhuozhou.
Everyone wanted to quickly gloss over this matter. As long as the Emperor didn’t mention it, everyone was happy to play deaf and dumb.
With great difficulty waiting until Zanniang very skillfully threw a bolt of white silk over the beam and hung herself from it, Xinyue’s face had already turned purple-blue. Xiao Miao’s hand was even gripping a section of chair armrest – that piece of wood had been torn off by her bare hands.
Light blazed from Xinyue’s eyes as she said through gritted teeth: “She likes hanging, so let her hang to her heart’s content. If she doesn’t hang ten times a day, it doesn’t count as hanging. Old Qian! Go buy that whore. When we get home today, hang her from the rafters.”
The titled lady had spoken. Old Qian rubbed his hands together eagerly and led several people away. He also felt that not dealing with this cheap slave who ruined the Marquis’s reputation would be failing himself.
Hypatia looked at Xinyue in surprise and said: “She’s just an actress. Why are you hanging her?”
Xinyue said coldly: “If you’re going to act, you should act properly. Using my Yun family for show is itself courting death. Hanging one won’t satisfy my anger. Old Zhao, tell Old Qian to buy everyone who can be bought. The Yun family has many rafters – hanging just one looks too lonely.”
Li Tai said to Yun Ye with a smile: “Well now, acting in plays has cost them their lives. Sister-in-law’s resentment runs deep. I wonder how Shangguan Yi will respond.”
Yun Ye laughed: “Nobody will die. Your sister-in-law is also a clever person. Making a big scene is fine, but killing people – she won’t do that. However, those people will probably need to be hung by your sister-in-law for several days before her anger subsides. This is also good. If we don’t curb this trend, who knows what kind of rumors will appear in the future. The Yun family would rather be seen as bullies than as weaklings. I really don’t know what Shangguan Yi and his people were thinking. If it had been written by Academy students or common people, your sister-in-law would definitely have enjoyed watching and wouldn’t have taken it to heart. Who takes seriously when common people make up a few things?”
“Once such things come from the hands of officials, that’s not simple. From what you say, they even took it to show His Majesty and Her Majesty. This means it was purposeful. Perhaps they’re just waiting for your sister-in-law to do this, so they can blow the matter up.”
“So I’m also very curious to see just how big they can blow this matter up.”
“My big brother has become a lecher, I’ve become a lecher, but you’re clever – now you’re switching sides to become a bully. That’s a good idea. Those brothers of mine really don’t know what they’re thinking. Can a few scripts and poems from scholars change the overall situation?”
“You’re being kind-hearted now. My big brother originally planned to catch them all in one net when they reach their climax. With you stirring things up like this, who knows – a few might shrink back.”
“Are you also going to suppress the common people’s right to speak?” Hypatia glared furiously at Li Tai.
“This is a private grudge. How does it involve the common people? There are many things you don’t understand. Don’t speak carelessly.”
“But they’re actors.”
“They’re also actors being used, like a knife in a murderer’s hand.”
Hypatia stopped speaking, but the compassion on her face could not be concealed no matter what. In her own homeland, she had been rashly declared a heretic because of her teachings. She had even prepared to fight lions. Surrounded by her followers, she came to this strange land, where she was accepted and respected. This made her regard this land as her academic homeland. In her view, this was a nation perfect to the extreme – with a wise monarch, intelligent ministers, studious students, and simple common people. There were no beast arenas here, no stakes for burning, and religions here only taught people how to be kind. Therefore she could not tolerate any flaws in this land.
Li Tai looked on with some heartache. He held Hypatia’s hand and said quietly: “I only wish you to see the bright side of this world. I don’t wish you to see its dark parts. You can hide in the bright world I’ve constructed for you and peacefully pursue scholarship. Don’t feel sad.”
Watching Hypatia nestle her body into Li Tai’s embrace, Yun Ye had no way to deal with these two nauseating people. Because beneath the stage there was already a scene of crying and clamoring. The Yun family’s household guards were dragging seven or eight people out barbarously. Old Qian and Old Zhao walked at the rear, nostrils pointing skyward, completely ignoring a middle-aged fat man.
Amusingly, though people in the theater hadn’t all dispersed yet, no one came out to help those people. Instead they quickened their pace leaving the theater.
Old Qian had long since developed a bad temper over these years. He cupped his hands to the fat man and said: “You just saw – these people have been bought by the Yun family. You couldn’t offer a high price, so you can’t blame the madams. As for whether the Yun family buys these people back to marry off to servants or strangles them with rope – that’s the Yun family’s business. The Yun family can afford a few dead singers.”
“This old man remembers that your Yun family once overturned powerful clans in fury over a single singer. Why is it that now it’s your Yun family’s turn to persecute these pitiful people? Tell me, what is the logic in this?”
Listening to the fat man’s roar, Old Qian chuckled: “The reason my master did that back then was because he didn’t want this world to have no justice. Now, my family is still seeking justice. As long as justice is in hand, what can’t be done?”
“These singers are just singing and telling stories!”
“Making my master into a painted-face fat man won’t do. The Yun family’s face has been completely lost because of you. Aren’t we allowed to seek justice? I know you’re an official, so I’ll answer you a couple of sentences. You can continue finding singers to perform plays, and my family will continue collecting singers. No problem – it’s just small money.”
After Old Qian finished speaking, he led the household guards away with head held high, leaving only that fat man with trembling fingers pointing at Old Qian’s back and shouting: “This old man will impeach Yun Ye!”
When Yun Ye returned home, he saw a spectacular scene. The entire courtyard was full of hanging people, both men and women. Old Qian had made comprehensive purchases – he hadn’t even spared the musicians. Nearly twenty men and women had silk passed under their shoulders and were hung high on a row of wooden frames. Those people hadn’t even removed their costumes. They’d been frightened beyond speech and only knew to weep.
Yun Ye stood in front and looked over them once, then said with a smile: “Don’t be afraid. We’re not killing anyone. My wife likes to watch you hanging, so you’ll hang for one hour every day. When her anger subsides, we’ll return your indenture contracts and set you free. Endure a few days of suffering and gain your freedom – there’s nothing wrong with that. It can be considered a great opportunity.”
Before Yun Ye could take a step, he heard a clear woman’s voice ask: “Does the Marquis truly mean what he says?”
Looking up at that woman, Yun Ye nodded: “The Yun family acts domineeringly, but we never go back on our word. Taking you all is just to make examples, to shut other people’s mouths. Why would we truly make things difficult for you?”