Dugu Mou rushed to Qinzhou on a swift horse. His relationship with Yun Ye wasn’t good enough to warrant traveling thousands of li to visit him when ill, so his arrival necessarily came with utilitarian purposes.
Li Tai sat cheerfully in the great hall with no intention of leaving. This wasn’t because he didn’t know to avoid such matters—it was because Yun Ye had asked him to stay and watch the show. Prince Wei was qualified to know the conversation between two treacherous ministers.
Dugu Mou was no ordinary minister. Seeing that he had no way to speak privately with Yun Ye, he sighed deeply and said, “His Majesty’s health deteriorates daily, yet the empire’s national power is at its zenith. Our territory is unprecedentedly vast throughout history—when the sun rises at Qingtang, the Eastern Sea still has stars filling the sky. The saying goes that a state cannot be without a ruler for a single day. So this old official has come to Qinzhou hoping to get one statement from Brother Yun.”
Yun Ye waved his hand in categorical refusal, “Matters of succession are not for ministers to discuss. Even if we must discuss them, it should be in the Hall of Ten Thousand Citizens, not in private meetings. Taking ten thousand steps back, even if His Majesty prepares to abdicate, that is His Majesty’s affair. We should just await the decree from the Hall of Ten Thousand Citizens. Why wade into this flood? Not only is it not worthwhile, it also appears extremely base.”
Li Tai also said cheerfully, “Indeed. Dugu, you’re also a heroic figure of your generation—why are you so concerned about succession matters? Logically speaking, I, a descendant of the Li family, should be the most anxious one.”
Dugu Mou closed his eyes and sighed deeply, “So you’re saying Prince Hengshan has not the slightest chance of ascending the throne? Very well, this old official has been meddling. Zhangsun Chong also answered the same way. He also said that only decrees issued from the Hall of Ten Thousand Citizens count—whoever is written in the decree is who it will be. The Zhangsun family suffered thanklessly from participating in succession struggles in earlier years and doesn’t plan to involve itself now.”
Yun Ye removed the blanket draped over his legs, walked to Dugu Mou’s side, and said earnestly, “Forget about who is the Crown Prince! From now on, we must all learn to forget who the Crown Prince is. Not only must we forget, but Yun Shou and the others must also learn to forget. Countless facts prove that without ministers’ participation in succession struggles, no matter who it is, they cannot stir up great waves.”
“Who becomes Emperor—what does it have to do with us? Dugu, we’ve already reached the pinnacle of ministerial rank. If a new Emperor emerges, can we possibly be enfeoffed as princes? Unless someone harbors thoughts of usurpation, otherwise participating in succession struggles has only drawbacks for us and not the slightest benefit.”
Dugu Mou hadn’t expected Yun Ye to speak so sharply in front of Li Tai. His expression became somewhat awkward. Indeed, this reasoning was sound—he, Yun Ye, and Zhangsun Chong had truly reached the limit of official positions. Not only were they ranked among the Three Excellencies, but becoming Dukes already represented the pinnacle of personal glory. To advance further, one could only usurp and replace.
Since both Yun Ye and Zhangsun Chong were unwilling to concern themselves with Li Xiang, Dugu Mou knew that he alone had absolutely no way to influence anything. After drinking a cup of clear tea, he hastily took his leave. Now having the most direct answer, the Dugu family’s course of action also needed readjustment.
“Is he an idiot? At this time, he actually dares to discuss in my presence who will be the next Emperor? Does he think I’m dead?” Li Tai was somewhat displeased.
“He’s different from us normal people. Shou’er and Huan’er were born by me, Hui’er was born by you, Zhangsun Lu was born by Zhangsun Chong—there’s a clear lineage that can be traced. But Dugu Fu was born by his cousin—so tell me, is he an idiot or not?”
Yun Ye smiled enigmatically at Li Tai.
Li Tai’s fury immediately dissipated completely. Grabbing Yun Ye’s arm, he asked, “So you’re saying Dugu Mou can’t father children? But Ankang really did give birth to Dugu Fu! That’s my nephew!”
“That’s right, Ankang gave birth to him. He is your nephew, correct…”
Having the opportunity to gossip in the Great Tang was the greatest enjoyment for Yun Ye, especially such high-level gossip that others simply couldn’t access. Ever since Zhou Xing revealed this great secret, Yun Ye had long wanted to spread it everywhere. It was just that gossip conflicted with the title Duke of Chu and his venerable age, so he could only keep it bottled up inside without telling anyone.
However, Li Tai didn’t count as an outsider. This fellow simply wasn’t an outsider at all. Especially with his strong curiosity filling him with desire to know these secrets. Finally, in his Prince Wei mansion that leaked information in all directions, Yun Ye firmly believed this matter would soon spread throughout Chang’an.
Li Tai only spread rumors—this was one of his perverse pleasures—but he never believed rumors. The more high-level the rumor, the more he liked it, even if the rumor concerned his own sister.
“So you’re saying Dugu Mou will soon have no time to involve himself in imperial family affairs?”
“Of course not. First, let him clear up the fact that he’s not a eunuch. Of course, spreading rumors isn’t very nice. If we invite him to pleasure quarters a few times when we return to Chang’an, that will count as making amends!”
“Can we spread it even more viciously?”
“The facts are even more vicious than you imagine!”
“So that means we can embellish freely?”
“Exaggeration, extension, embellishment—don’t you understand these techniques? How you spread the rumor, I don’t care, but just don’t tell others that I told you. The Yun family is now cultured and refined—we can’t afford to lose face.”
Li Tai stared straight ahead, chuckling lewdly, not knowing what he was thinking. Ankang was his sister—probably he wouldn’t associate it with her. In any case, this time Dugu Mou wanted to have easy days—that wouldn’t be very easy.
Having just recovered from a serious illness, he couldn’t withstand exertion. After climbing only two levels of Maiji Shan with Li Tai, he was gasping for breath. Yun Shou couldn’t bear watching and wanted to carry Yun Ye down, while completely ignoring Li Tai who was also wheezing like a bellows.
They hadn’t reached Niu’er Hall yet, so they could only see limited scenery. Yun Ye had originally planned to throw some paper strips down from Sanhua Terrace, but now it seemed they couldn’t manage it. He could only walk back feeling disappointed.
Maintaining a childlike heart when old is very important. This is why many people become increasingly bastardly as they age. An elegant childlike heart makes people feel amiable and approachable, while a vulgar one makes people find them detestable. As for the childlike heart Old Cheng was playing with now, it was extremely vile. After Madam Cheng passed away, Cheng Chumo was completely finished, because his father was having too much fun and once wanted to find him a sixteen-year-old stepmother. If he just brought her back to raise as a songstress, that would be no problem and would even be considered an elegant affair. Ever since Yun Ye had joked about Zhang Liang with “one tree of pear blossoms overwhelming the crabapple,” this phrase had rapidly been adopted by the people of the Great Tang.
Old Cheng insisted he should remarry. Cheng Chumo, about to turn sixty, refused unto death. So the willful Old Cheng planned to expel Cheng Chumo and make him establish his own household, while proclaiming to the entire world that he wouldn’t leave his title to Cheng Chumo.
The title was actually just a joke. Cheng Chumo himself was already a marquis now. In a few more years of accumulating seniority, he could become a duke. This title was something Cheng Chumo had fought for with his own blade and spear—it was in no way inferior to the nominal title of Duke Lu.
Yun Ye’s serious illness meant Cheng Chumo returned late from Lishan Palace and learned of it slowly. By the time he rushed to Qinzhou to see Yun Ye, Yun Ye and Li Tai were already preparing to return to Chang’an.
“That woman is a songstress?” After hearing Cheng Chumo’s complaint, both Yun Ye and Li Tai became interested in this matter.
“That’s right, called something like Yan Huichun! I went to see her—she looks just so-so. I originally wanted to directly eliminate her, but Cheng Fu was guarding there and wouldn’t let me kill that songstress. As you know, Cheng Fu only listens to my father.”
“Think of a solution! If this continues, the Cheng family will be laughed to death. Buying her back to keep in the household, I’d have absolutely nothing to say—one more plaything in the house is nothing. But now that woman wants to become the mistress of the Cheng household—isn’t that a joke? Based on what does she deserve to be a Duke’s wife?”
Li Tai squirmed his massive buttocks on the chair and smiled wickedly, “If she could truly restore youth, I’d marry such a woman too. But it seems Uncle Cheng is overthinking things—like he’s afraid of something. I understand now. The old master is worried that the Cheng family’s power is too great and is deliberately taking precautions.”
“Whether you inherit the Duke Lu title or not is just that way. Chu Liang is now thriving in the Lingnan naval forces, and Chu Bi has also established firm footing in the court—a dignified Vice Minister of Justice is quite imposing. At this time, one should indeed consider dividing the household.”
Cheng Chumo said with a dark face, “Plenty of people divide households. When great families reach a certain level, they certainly divide. But who divides households using such vile methods? This isn’t dividing the household—this is planning to destroy the Cheng family’s reputation.”
Yun Ye said helplessly, “The old master’s purpose lies precisely here—he wants to ruin the Cheng family’s reputation, making it so no one comes calling, which would be best. Think about it—if I went to stay at your house for a few days, would I call that woman ‘Auntie’ or not?”
“Even though my face has always been rather thick and I could call her that, Xinyue, that petty woman, would probably hang herself right after I finished calling her ‘Auntie.’ If the old master marries this woman, he could absolutely use her as a door guardian. At the very least, Xinyue would die before stepping through your Cheng family’s main gate.”
“By extension, among those who currently associate with the Cheng family, which one doesn’t have some status? If that woman’s background were noble, everyone would just hold their noses and accept it. But coming from a pleasure quarter makes people furious, especially with a name like Yan Huichun. The old master not only disrespects his own status but also insults almost all the nobles in the process. The old master is deliberately making himself into a pile of dog shit so everyone will avoid him. Once everyone avoids him, the old gentleman’s purpose will be achieved.”
Yun Ye smacked his lips and continued, “Although the stratagem is somewhat crude, the effect is absolutely excellent. Recalling the old master’s entire life, his stratagems have always been like this—simple, practical, convenient, and highly operable.”
“For the Cheng family, it takes no effort at all. Marry a woman into the household, hold a wedding banquet that no one attends, and the great achievement is complete. From then on, whenever guests come to the house, just have this Yan Huichun entertain them a couple of times, and I guarantee even wild dogs won’t enter your gate.”
“Everyone wants an illustrious family background, yet they don’t realize that people with illustrious backgrounds fear nothing more than others knowing their background is illustrious. Regardless, the Cheng family’s household division is definitely set.”
Cheng Chumo cried out miserably, “So I really have to call that whore ‘Mother’?”
“From now on, show some respect. That’s your stepmother—you can’t call her a whore!”
“If I call her ‘Mother,’ don’t you all have to address her as ‘Aunt’?”
“If we don’t go, we don’t have to address her. From now on, just avoid her when you meet.”
“That won’t do! I can’t let the Cheng family become the laughingstock of Chang’an!”
“Forget it. Uncle Cheng’s temperament grows stronger with age, and his methods are extremely shrewd. He simply won’t give you any opportunity. If I haven’t guessed wrong, by now you already have a sixteen-year-old stepmother named Yan Huichun.”