Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2851 Master Qingsong 69.0
"Huh?" Jin Miaomiao was taken aback and looked at Shen Cha. "What do you mean that the door was originally part of the house?"

"It means exactly what it says." Shen Cha looked at Shen Haolin, then at Song Yaojia. "This..."

"It's not hard to explain, it's just that the previous dynasty was absurd." Shen Haolin patted Shen Cha. "Let your brother Yaojia say that he really likes these kinds of stories and has been interested in hearing about these strange tales since he was a child."

"Haolin understands me best." Song Yaojia didn't think Shen Haolin was mocking him. He shook his head smugly and said, "The story about Jinyang Ward wasn't something I heard. It was Uncle Bai and Grandpa Bai who told His Majesty, me, and Xiaobai. It was quite a coincidence. We were just kids back then, sneaking out of the palace and our homes to wander the streets. Of course, we didn't dare shake off the guards back then; we were too young and didn't have the guts. We don't know how we ended up in Jinyang Ward. We wanted to go in and explore, but the guards stopped us. Not only the guards, but I remember there was someone who lived here who recognized us and also stopped us along with the guards."

"Why are you stopping me?"

"We wanted to ask, isn't Jinyangfang a place where famous scholars and officials live? Many civil officials in the court also live here. Why can't we go in and have a look around? But the guards wouldn't say. They just coaxed us to leave, then bought some snacks that kids like on the street, and then took us directly to the Bai residence."

"The President's residence?"

“Yes!” Song Yaojia nodded. “At the time, Grandpa Bai and Uncle Bai were both at home. They asked the guards where we had gone to play. When they heard that we had almost gone to Jinyangfang, they didn’t react in any particular way. They just called them together and asked us if we were curious as to why they wouldn’t let us in back then.”

"You're all so curious, you'd definitely answer yes, right?"

“Of course.” Song Yaojia smiled at Jin Miaomiao and said, “Grandpa Bai and Uncle Bai didn’t hide anything from us or keep us in suspense; they just told us the origin of Jinyangfang.” He looked at Jin Miaomiao, then at Meilin, “Do you know the origin of the name Jinyangfang?”

“It seems so.” Jin Miaomiao looked up at the sky, staring at the roof for a long time. “I heard my master say that a princess from the previous dynasty had her princess’s residence at the location of Jinyang Ward today. Although the princess was later convicted and her residence was confiscated, this place still uses her title and is called Jinyang Ward.” She looked at Song Yaojia. “Right?”

“Yes, and no.” Song Yaojia nodded first, then shook his head. “Jinyang Ward was indeed the location of the former Princess Jinyang’s residence. The entire area of ​​Jinyang Ward now belongs to the former Princess Jinyang’s residence. However, the princess was not convicted and her property confiscated. Rather, she died unexpectedly because she was too promiscuous. Her cause of death was not very honorable, so the previous dynasty only said that she had a sudden illness and died suddenly. That is the origin of Jinyang Ward. But after Princess Jinyang’s death, about ten years later, this huge and luxurious princess’s residence welcomed a second owner, whose title was also Jinyang. This second Princess Jinyang was the one who was convicted and her property confiscated.” He paused for a moment, “…attempted rebellion.”

"Treason?" Jin Miaomiao was taken aback. "You want to become emperor yourself?"

“Yes!” Song Yaojia nodded. “It’s just that she was exposed by her advisors. In fact, if her advisors hadn’t exposed her, she wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything.”

"So what?" Jin Miaomiao spread her hands. "Why do those scholars and people from respectable families want to live in Jinyang Ward? Why do they like to be intimate with the princess?"

"Of course not, what are you thinking!" Song Yaojia said, both amused and exasperated. "Because they consider this place their spoils of war, the most glorious place for scholars. The fact that two imperial relatives fell at the hands of scholars in this place proves that this place is auspicious for scholars." "Huh?" Jin Miaomiao couldn't understand why those upright scholars longed for Jinyangfang. She stared at Song Yaojia with her mouth agape, unable to come to her senses for a long time.

Song Yaojia didn't rush her, letting her recover on her own.

“But didn’t the first Princess Jinyang die suddenly from an illness?” Merlin looked at Jin Miaomiao and kindly reached out to gently pat her chin. “What does this have to do with scholars?”

"The sudden illness was just what they said to the outside world. The real cause of death was," Song Yaojia said, touching her nose sheepishly, "that she was murdered by the talented men in her household."

"Those talented men in her household?" Jin Miaomiao finally came to her senses, only to hear another outrageous statement, "How many talented men are there?"

"Grandpa Bai said," Song Yaojia thought for a moment, then looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, "that there are thirty or fifty?"

"Yes!" Shen Cha nodded. "That's what Eunuch Qian said." She tugged at Shen Haolin. "Right?"

“Yes, less than fifty.” Shen Haolin looked at Jin Miaomiao and Meilin’s shocked expressions and explained, “The first one was Princess Jinyang. She was naturally romantic and had a particular fondness for handsome, talented scholars. In her short life of thirty years, she probably spent twenty years selecting handsome and talented men.”

“Yes!” Shen Cha nodded. “Eunuch Qian said that this Princess Jinyang goes to Jiangnan every year to select talented men. She doesn’t like those from the great families. Occasionally, she will choose poor families, those who have no money or power but are good-looking and learned. She pays them to support them and, if the opportunity arises, she can recommend a few to the emperor to make them officials. But she chooses mostly those from humble backgrounds, since there are many more poor, good-looking, intelligent, and learned men from humble families. In this way, picking and choosing, filtering and supplementing, for about thirty years, nearly fifty talented men have lived in her mansion.”

"But," Merlin couldn't understand it at all, "why does she keep so many talented men around? Just to support them and have them do her research?"

"Of course not." Jin Miaomiao immediately understood why Shen Cha had been so hesitant before, and why Song Yaojia felt embarrassed. She nudged Meilin, "Was that guy surnamed Fei keeping a whole yard of girls just to play the piano and sing for him?"

"Huh? Ah!" Merlin suddenly realized what he meant, his face turning bright red. "Is that what you mean?"

“Didn’t we say before? The first Princess Jinyang was naturally promiscuous, and the cause of her death couldn’t be revealed to outsiders, which was quite shameful.” Jin Miaomiao sighed. “But, this princess seemed to have a good relationship with those talented men, right? Why?”

"Why else?" Song Yaojia sighed helplessly. "Whether you're male or female, you'd feel ashamed to gain wealth and power through this method, right? Whether you're male or female, you'd feel it was the darkest moment of your life, wouldn't you?"