Chapter 91
Chapter 91
At Li Wenzheng's command, two silver-clad warriors rushed into the main hall to seize Shen Lang. Shen Lang laughed inwardly.
*‘Li Wenzheng, you’ve finally shown your hand. To think a dignified Second-Grade Scholar and Silver-Clad Imperial Censor would end up dying on another's sword. You shun the path of life and leap headfirst into death!’*
Shen Lang smiled and asked.
"Lord Li, may I ask why my time has come?"
Li Wenzheng slowly twirled the wine cup in his hand, as if toying with it, and spoke calmly.
"Not only is your death imminent, but you have also brought disaster upon the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. Lady Mulan, your family is also implicated. In a few days, His Majesty will dispatch a silver-clad emissary to investigate the Count of Xuanwu's Estate."
His gaze, his expression, even his movements—all appeared serene. A flicker of annoyance crossed Shen Lang's eyes.
*‘This old man finds your calm, self-important act most displeasing.’*
Shen Lang gave a small laugh before returning to his seat. He had one virtue: he would tolerate a certain amount of posturing from someone about to die and would never interrupt them.
"Lord Li, before you take me away, wouldn't it be best to state my crime clearly? Otherwise, people might say you arrest and punish others arbitrarily, without so much as a warning."
"Shen Lang, your *Boundless Wind and Moon* is, I must admit, quite well-written. The verses are of a rather high standard."
It would have been proper for Shen Lang to return the compliment, but he did not.
"Since even you, my lord, say my book is well-written, my literary skills must truly be exceptional."
Hearing this, Li Wenzheng nearly choked but quickly composed himself. Shen Lang was merely a live-in son-in-law on the brink of death. There was no need to quibble over his lack of decorum.
"Your book contains many fine verses. ‘Rather than spend the night with countless flower-like beauties, I’d sooner return home and sleep with my wife. Though the pleasures of the pillow may be less, she won’t ask for money when the sun rises.’ An unrefined verse, perhaps, but one that clearly reveals the ways of the world. And this one is also good: ‘Since ancient times, grace and grudges, even after ten thousand years, never turn to dust.’ But my absolute favorite in the book is this poem.
‘The glorious days have passed, and visitors have ceased; the pipes and zithers no longer sound, and even the songs have stopped. The swordsman’s majesty and splendor have vanished; the treasured zither’s sound is utterly gone, and the brilliant golden star has lost its light. On the jade-adorned steps, only a desolate silence like autumn frost remains; where have the moonlit songs and dances of those days gone? The singing, dancing beauty will not return; today, on the western hill, only a handful of ashes remains.’”
Just then, Zhang Jin interjected.
"I prefer another poem, one that reveals the nature of human sentiment.
‘The matchmaker kindly explained that Meng Xi wished to marry a wealthy man. If fate wills it, you will meet though a thousand miles apart; if not, you will not recognize each other even face to face.’”
Soon, Zhang Jin and Li Wenzheng began to trade praises for the verses in Shen Lang's book. Then, suddenly, Li Wenzheng slammed his wine cup to the ground and roared.
"But your book contains hidden treasonous intent."
He raised his voice, and everyone strained to listen. Shifting from a calm tone to a sudden thunderous shout was a trick often employed by old men. They would start speaking like a gentle drizzle, then suddenly roar like a clap of thunder, startling you into wetting yourself. Li Wenzheng recited in a booming voice.
"Listen to this poem.
‘Zhurong, the god of fire, descends from the south, whipping the fire dragon, and flames scorch the sky. The sun claims the noon hour, enthroned at the center of the heavens, refusing to depart, and all nations seem to be in a blazing furnace. The green of the Five Great Mountains withers, the clouds lose their luster, and Yanghou, the god of water, worries from the ocean depths that the waves will run dry. How I wish for an autumn wind (the Golden Wind) to blow one evening and wash away the heavens’ heat for me.’”
Everyone who heard the poem shuddered. Most people there hadn't even read Shen Lang's *Boundless Wind and Moon*, assuming it was just a well-written erotic novel. They never expected to find a poem of such magnificent scale within its pages. It was an exceptional poem, but how could it contain treasonous intent?
Li Wenzheng sneered. "His Majesty once said that the New Policies, like the blazing sun in the sky, would shine down upon all corruption without exception, sweeping away the world's filth."
Indeed, the king had said such a thing. Shen Lang and the Count of Xuanwu's Estate had also often likened the New Policies to the scorching sun. They had said that until now, the great tree of the Marquis of Zhenbei's estate had shielded them from the sun in Tiannan Province, but now that the Marquis had withdrawn, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was left to face the blistering heat alone.
"Shen Lang, your poem compares the sun in the sky to a malevolent fire, scorching so intensely that many nobles cannot survive. And in the final line, you say, ‘How I wish for an autumn wind (the Golden Wind) to blow one evening and wash away the heavens’ heat for me.’ Shen Lang, what are you trying to do? Are you plotting treason?
His Majesty is the sun that shines brightly and magnificently upon our State of Yue, so what is your motive, Shen Lang? Do you intend to shoot down the sun like the legendary Hou Yi? You speak of an ‘autumn wind (the Golden Wind)’ blowing? The Count of Xuanwu's family name happens to be Jin. You say this Golden Wind (Jin Feng) will sweep away the world's heat. Does this not mean you intend to abolish the New Policies, or perhaps rebel and seize the throne for yourself?"
At that moment, Shen Lang was genuinely impressed.
*‘Amazing! As expected of a god of scholarship, your ability to dissect and twist words is truly remarkable. A perfectly normal poem has been twisted into one with intent to oppose the New Policies and plot treason.’*
The important thing was, even to Shen Lang, it sounded plausible. It was a stretch, and baseless, but the interpretation was certainly convincing. However, in the Great Yan Dynasty, punishments for words were rare, unlike in the Qing Dynasty, and they did not have severe penalties like literary inquisitions.
During the Qing Dynasty, a scholar once wrote, "How can the gentle breeze (Qing Feng), which knows not how to read, presume to flip through the pages of a book?" The Qing court claimed the ‘gentle breeze (Qing Feng)’ referred to the Qing Dynasty and had him beheaded. Such things did not happen in the Great Yan Dynasty. Li Wenzheng could use this poem to frame Shen Lang, but he couldn't secure a conviction. If one were to interpret things so freely, five or six out of every ten poems in the world could be construed as treasonous.
"Do you think I cannot secure a conviction with this poem? Then the next one is the poem with which you, Shen Lang, have sealed your own doom."
Li Wenzheng recited the poem, his voice laced with killing intent.
"I knew long ago your love had faded, yet I felt a helpless jealousy. For whom was I bound by deep affection, only for us to be at odds now? Lost in sorrow, I could not sleep, and lifting the curtain, I found it was dawn; in my chambers, I sit and weep until dusk. Only the souls in heaven greet me like old friends."
Everyone listened but could discern no hidden meaning. It was another well-written poem, though perhaps not as exceptional as the previous one. More importantly, it seemed to contain no treasonous intent whatsoever; it would be impossible to twist its meaning, no matter how hard one tried.
Li Wenzheng produced two copies of *Boundless Wind and Moon*.
One was a version sold in Nanshan Prefecture, and the other was sold in Xuanwu City.
"Bring me a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone."
A few servants quickly brought the items. Li Wenzheng copied the poem onto the paper. His calligraphy was superb—elegant, yet with a sharp edge, and the power in his strokes seemed to pierce through the paper. He wrote Shen Lang's poem on a large sheet and had several servants hold it up for all to see clearly.
"This is an acrostic poem. Everyone, read the third character of each line together."
Everyone gasped and looked closer.
"Jun-Jing-Zhu-Tian!"
Read backward, it meant, 'Heaven shall punish Lord Jing (Tian Zhu Jing Jun)'! Everyone gasped in shock.
*‘An acrostic poem... It really does contain a treasonous message! With such solid evidence, Shen Lang is truly a dead man this time.’*
Li Wenzheng continued, "Of course, some might suspect this is a mere coincidence! But I can assure you all, this is no accident. It was deliberately written by Shen Lang. I have two copies of *Boundless Wind and Moon* in my hands—one bought in Nanshan Prefecture, the other in Xuanwu City. There is a difference between these two versions.
The first book reads, ‘Lost in sorrow, I could not sleep, and lifting the *vermilion* curtain, I found it was dawn,’ while the second reads, ‘Lost in sorrow, I could not sleep, and lifting the *punishment* curtain, I found it was dawn.’ The first uses the character ‘zhu’ (朱) for vermilion, while the second uses the character ‘zhu’ (誅) for ‘to punish’ or ‘to execute.’ A ‘vermilion curtain’ (朱帐) exists, but where in the world is there a ‘punishment curtain’ (誅帳)? What does this prove? It proves that after writing this acrostic poem and seeing no one discover it, Shen Lang grew bolder and more reckless, changing the character ‘zhu’ (朱) to ‘zhu’ (誅)."
By changing that one character, the meaning becomes, 'Heaven shall punish Lord Jing (Tian Zhu Jing Jun).'
"And who is Lord Jing (Jing Jun)? He is the current king's adopted son and son-in-law, a member of the royal family. To say that heaven will punish him is to curse royalty. Shen Lang, if this is not treason, what is?"
This was a fatal blow. Who was Lord Jing? He was a figure in the State of Yue whom no one dared to touch. His name was Ning Jing, but his original surname was Sha, and he was the crown prince of the state of Nan'ou.
Nan'ou was a small state, about the size of three commanderies, with a population of over a million. It was a vassal state of Yue. The State of Yue was a feudatory state of the Great Yan Dynasty, and Nan'ou was a protectorate of Yue.
Nan'ou's geographical location was crucial, situated in a buffer zone between the State of Yue and the Sha Man tribes. Over twenty years ago, Yue fought a great war against the Sha Man tribes in the southwest, and the king of Nan'ou personally led his elite troops into battle. Though he stood at the vanguard and achieved great military honors, the king of Nan'ou was tragically killed in that battle.
The king of Yue was overcome with grief, even shedding tears before his army and mourning the loss across the nation. At the time, the crown prince of Nan'ou was only nine years old, so the king of Yue brought him to the capital, adopted him as his son, and bestowed upon him the royal surname of Yue.
The character 'Jing' (矜) meant 'sleeve.' It signified that the State of Yue and Nan'ou were eternal brothers, like limbs of the same body. From then on, Crown Prince Ning Jing of Nan'ou was treated as an equal to the royalty of Yue. Some even believed he enjoyed greater honor than the king's own biological children.
In the political climate of Yue, one could criticize the king's brothers, his various sons, even the crown prince, but Crown Prince Ning Jing of Nan'ou was like flawless white jade—no one dared to tarnish his reputation. Anyone who did would face severe punishment from the king. Thus, Crown Prince Ning Jing became a political taboo in the State of Yue, never to be mentioned in a negative light.
Ning Jing spent fifteen years in the capital, earning a great reputation and becoming widely known for his wisdom. Do you know who wrote the first memorial proposing the implementation of the New Policies in the State of Yue? It was none other than Crown Prince Ning Jing of Nan'ou. At the time, he was only eighteen years old. His memorial caused a great stir and ignited the fierce winds of the New Policies in Yue. That very year, the king betrothed his daughter, Princess Ning Luo, to him. At that point, Ning Jing reclaimed his original surname, becoming Sha Jing.
After marrying Princess Ning Luo and returning to Nan'ou with her, Sha Jing officially ascended to the throne as the new king of Nan'ou and was known as Lord Jing. As the king of Nan'ou, Sha Jing was not only the king's adopted son and son-in-law but also a bulwark against the southwestern enemies of Yue. He had become a noble and symbolic figure who could not be defiled. And yet, Shen Lang had dared to curse him in a poem in *Boundless Wind and Moon*, writing, 'Heaven shall punish Lord Jing.'