Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2854 Master Qingsong 72.0
Jin Miaomiao looked at Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and then at Song Yaojia, and let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong with you now? Why are you sighing all of a sudden?" Merlin tilted his head and looked at her. "Did something come to mind again?"

"No, I'm just feeling a bit sentimental."

"Feeling sentimental?" Merlin asked, puzzled. "Sentimental about what?"

"The previous dynasty is truly a very special existence. Since ancient times, apart from the previous dynasty, there has never been another dynasty like it."

“That’s true.” Merlin nodded, agreeing with Jin Miaomiao’s statement. “The government relies entirely on aristocratic families for rule, and the royal family has no power whatsoever. They’re like puppets, aren’t they?”

“It’s not that they have no power at all; they do have a little, but not much.” Jin Miaomiao sighed again and said, “Actually, it’s understandable. After nearly a hundred years of war, it’s not easy for the world to be at peace and there are no more wars. Whether it’s the former royal family, the powerful clans, or the common people, they all hope to live a stable, peaceful, and happy life. They don’t really care who is in power.”

“That’s right.” Song Yaojia nodded in agreement when she heard Jin Miaomiao’s words and said, “After a century of war, no one in the world wants any more instability. Everyone is working hard for this. The royal family may seem weak and irresponsible, and the aristocratic families may seem tough and domineering. In fact, they all have only one goal.”

“A stable life, a time for recuperation and rest.” Shen Cha sighed softly. “Therefore, whenever they discover any unstable factors, or what they call the causes of chaos, they will eliminate them without hesitation.”

"So, Princess Jinyang was the cause of the chaos?" Seeing Song Yaojia nod, Jin Miaomiao sighed. "To be honest, this reason is much more reasonable than being killed by the talented men in the princess's mansion."

“But,” Merlin yawned, “wasn’t it announced to the public that he died of a sudden illness?”

"Although the official announcement stated that he died of illness, no one is a fool. In addition, the rumors circulating in the city at that time all pointed in that direction. People would probably think that the reason those talented men did this was either because they were jealous of her or because they were dissatisfied with Princess Jinyang."

“That’s true. However, revealing the truth might not be popular and could easily cause controversy and unrest, right?” Merlin couldn’t sit still any longer. He stood up and jumped around a couple of times, saying, “So, it’s better to guide the conversation in that direction than to reveal the true cause of Princess Jinyang’s death.”

“No, you’re mistaken. The cause of death is true. Princess Jinyang was indeed killed by those talented men who had only been in the manor for less than half a year.” Song Yaojia smiled. “Those talented men first mixed sleeping pills into the princess’s tea, and then strangled her with a white silk ribbon.”

"It's actually true?"

"The two heads of the Imperial Medical Academy personally examined the body, so it can't be faked. It's just that the reason for taking action wasn't that simple."

"Not from their own hearts?"

"A few children from humble backgrounds, coming directly from another province to the capital and staying at Princess Jinyang's residence, completely unfamiliar with the place, where did they get the sleeping potion?" Song Yaojia raised an eyebrow. "Who gave them the audacity?" "Someone behind them?" Jin Miaomiao was taken aback. "Who did they contact? Were they already planting spies back in Jiangnan?"

“It's unlikely that the seeds of discord were sown back in Jiangnan,” Song Yaojia sighed. “At first, Princess Jinyang organized very few intellectual discussions, but the number increased later on, and the topics became more and more explicit. I even saw some of the topics preserved in Princess Jinyang's residence. In the early stages, it was truly pure scholarship. One topic that impressed me the most was whether the power of the Grand Secretary and the Cabinet should supersede the imperial power.” He looked at Shen Haolin, Shen Cha, and then at Jin Miaomiao, and said, “I suspect that this might be what triggered the vigilance and dissatisfaction of the aristocratic families.”

"The Grand Secretary and the Cabinet," Shen Cha sighed. "Several powerful families have expressed their concerns? This kind of topic probably isn't just for the Princess's residence, is it? Students from all over the capital are probably participating, right?"

“The Princess’s debates usually invite young talents from all the prominent families in the capital, not just those from her own residence. So,” Song Yaojia spread her hands, “when those young men from prominent families go home and talk to their elders, it will naturally attract their attention. Other topics are fine, but when it comes to the power struggles between the royal family, the Grand Secretary, and the cabinet, they have to be on high alert.”

"So, the aristocratic families' solution is to bribe people in the princess's residence?"

“Yes!” Song Yaojia nodded. “Their target is very clear: the scholars from Jiangnan who have just entered the mansion. They can’t bribe the old people in the mansion, so they can only bribe these newcomers, because they haven’t been conquered by Princess Jinyang’s charm yet.”

"That's true, they're quite easy to persuade, aren't they?"

“That’s right.” Song Yaojia nodded. “Those scholars who just entered the princess’s residence still carried some of the pride of scholars. Although they chose to enter the princess’s residence for their families, deep down they didn’t agree with their choice. Just like I said before, Princess Jinyang’s reputation for being amorous is not a slander. She really does have a thing for that kind of thing, so these scholars definitely wanted to…” He cleared his throat awkwardly, “...serve her in bed, but what exactly happened, nobody knows.”

"Isn't this obvious?" Jin Miaomiao sneered. "I've never heard of someone taking the money, improving their family's life, and then turning around and denying it was a business deal." She snorted. "So, they feel humiliated and want to get rid of this relationship, right?"

“Everyone who first enters the princess's residence probably reacts this way, but things change over time. Princess Jinyang probably never imagined that someone would betray her or try to kill her because of this,” Song Yaojia said, taking a sip of tea. “But this is just the trigger; the main reason is…”

"The benefits they get from doing this are huge, aren't they?"

“Yes!” Song Yaojia nodded. “They were promised great benefits, and someone promised them that after the deed was done, they would no longer be the pets of Princess Jinyang’s mansion, but the pillars of the country.”

“It’s obvious how important reputation is to scholars, isn’t it?” Shen Cha sighed. “Scholars are proud and easily swayed. Plus, they come from humble backgrounds. If they can change their social standing and escape their humble origins through this battle, it’s an enormous temptation for them.”

"That's true, but only a handful of the most powerful families have that kind of power. But could those top families really do something like this? Probably not?"

"Of course they won't do it themselves; they'll definitely find someone to help them, and there will be someone who's willing to help them."