Chapter 63 Who's so bored as to ban even storybooks!
When Lin Sui heard that A Chan was going to a teahouse to listen to storytelling, he went with her.
The two walked through two streets and arrived at a teahouse called Tingxiang. Achan had been there once before and knew the place well.
She asked for a seat on the second floor near the railing, a spot where she could see the storyteller below, hear him clearly, and have a good view.
There are two storytellers who reside here regularly, one old and one young. The older one is good at telling anecdotes from ancient and modern times, while the younger one is good at telling stories of the supernatural and strange. Today's storyteller is the older one.
When Achan and Lin Sui sat down, the old gentleman had already been talking for a while. She listened to a few words and heard that he was talking about the life of a top scholar from more than ten years ago. The old gentleman said that the man became famous in the prefecture when he passed the provincial examination at the age of sixteen and was almost taken home by a local tycoon to be his son-in-law.
She peered down and saw that no one below seemed to have any objection to the top scholar's age, so it was probably true.
When she was sixteen, she was still on the mountain plucking fur and scratching faces with other fox cubs. This person was only one step away from becoming an official. Humans can be terrifying sometimes.
Achan turned around and ordered a pot of perilla drink and a pot of plum drink from the waiter, as well as a plate of candied fruit and a dish of scholar's cakes.
Just as the waiter brought the drinks over, someone downstairs suddenly announced, "Honored guest, please tip Mr. Wu ten taels of silver."
Ten taels of silver was a considerable reward for a storyteller. The old man immediately stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your reward, sir. May I ask if you have any stories you would like to hear?"
This is the rule in the teahouse: if there is a large tip, the recipient can specify the story.
"Has Mr. Wu read the Record of a Hundred Battles?" The speaker was a richly dressed young man, who also looked somewhat wealthy. He sat at the table closest to the storyteller's desk, with two serious-looking guards standing behind him, suggesting he was of high status.
The old gentleman immediately nodded: "I have heard of it. Would you like to hear it, esteemed guest?"
The young master waved his fan and said, "Not so. I prefer the later revenge story."
Upon hearing the name, a chorus of agreement immediately arose from below: "Indeed, the revenge story is full of twists and turns from the very beginning, with constant suspense. Compared to the Hundred-Battle God General who fights every day, his grandson's story is much more captivating."
Others disagreed and immediately retorted: "You don't know anything! A real man should go to the battlefield. His son and grandson's whining is just dirty talk."
"How can you call it sordid? This kind of thing is the most common among the wealthy and powerful. This is called realism. You are simply disgracing culture."
Hearing the constant chatter and even arguments from the crowd below, the young master remained unperturbed, raising his voice slightly: "I've heard that Mr. Wu is a man of great learning and knowledge. I'd like to know if you can deduce from this story of revenge which family the Hundred-Battle General belongs to today?"
"Young master, aren't you asking a bit too much of a question? How do you know the revenge story is set in the present day?" Someone thought the young master was making things difficult for the storyteller and couldn't help but speak up.
"I know it." The young master smiled without saying a word, but his chubby face made him lose a layer of mystery and added a touch of comicality.
The old gentleman nodded slightly to the guest who had spoken up for him, stroked his beard, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "This old man is just making a guess. Distinguished guests and esteemed readers, just enjoy the show."
"You really know? Please tell us, sir."
While the conversation was in full swing, Lin Sui quietly asked A Chan, "What is the revenge story they're talking about?"
Achan briefly told Lin Sui a story about revenge. Lin Sui had never read a storybook before, but she could read and was quite interested in the story. She planned to buy a copy of "Revenge" when she went back to the bookstore.
As the two were talking, Mr. Wu had already sat down. He slapped the gavel and said, "What I am about to say is all my own opinion. If there are any errors, please forgive me."
Then, he cleared his throat and said, "As you all know, after returning to the capital, the Hundred-Battle God General was granted the title of Duke. If the author of this book did not arbitrarily fabricate a title, then our scope is narrowed down to the four Dukes of the current dynasty: Duke of Yingguo, Duke of Liguo, Duke of Xuguo, and Duke of Songguo."
The fathers of these four dukes all rose to power through military achievements. We should look beyond their fathers and focus on their sons.
The Duke of England's household has both a son and a daughter, but only one legitimate son to date, which seems similar to the situation in the book, and further analysis is needed.
Looking at the Duke of Li, there are three legitimate sons in the Duke of Li's mansion. The first two are both literate and martial, and both have joined the army. This is slightly different from the revenge story. However, the Duke of Li's wife died young, so let's keep that in mind.
In my opinion, Duke Xu is the least likely character to be the prototype in the book. Everyone knows that Duke Xu and his wife were childhood sweethearts, and he had no wives or concubines in his household. Moreover, the current Duke Xu's heir has no talent for cultivation, but he has a great business mind, which is completely inconsistent with the book.
As for the final Duke Song's mansion..."
The storyteller took a breath, and immediately someone below shouted impatiently, "Tell me! What happened to the Duke of Song?"
"The Duke of Song's principal wife died young, and the Duke's heir was made heir shortly after his birth." The old man had only begun speaking when the crowd fell silent, all sensing that something was amiss.
"Moreover, for the sake of his legitimate son, the Duke of Song did not remarry, but instead had his concubine take care of the heir. That concubine was later promoted to the position of principal wife, and only after many years did she give birth to her own son. The heir of the Duke of Song's mansion is a martial arts prodigy praised by everyone. Last year, he broke through to the third realm, and not long ago, he replaced the Marquis of Zhenbei and obtained military power in Xiling. Now he is in charge of an army in Xiling."
The murmurs below grew louder: "Hiss, isn't this exactly like The Revenge?"
“I felt something was off when I was reading the book. It really is the Duke of Song’s family.”
"Doesn't that mean... the heir of the Duke of Song is a fake?"
"It's not exactly fake, is it? The book says that he was originally born to that concubine. Although he was an illegitimate son, he was still the Duke's own son."
"Who exactly replaced the legitimate heir with an illegitimate one?
"Who else could it be? That concubine's family—one became the heir apparent, and the other the Duchess. Is there even a need to ask?"
"Shouldn't we be curious about how Mr. Baomu knew about the Song State Duke's family affairs?"
"Don't you all understand yet? Baomu, Baomu, it's clearly the character 'Song' in his name. Mr. Baomu's identity is quite interesting..."
Seeing that the murmurs below the stage were getting out of control, the storyteller tapped his gavel and reminded everyone, "I suppose you all have your own guesses, but the truth of the contents of that revenge story is still unknown. It's best not to take it as fact."
"Well said, sir. Here's another reward." The young master seemed very satisfied with the old man's analysis and gave him another ten taels of silver.
Unfortunately, no one is paying attention to the money anymore. Everyone is more concerned about whether the heir of the Duke of Song's mansion has really been replaced.
If it's true, that would be an incredible event!
Achan was somewhat prepared, but Lin Sui was completely dumbfounded.
Lin Sui hadn't attended any of the Duke's mansion's banquets in the past two years and knew little about the four major Duke's mansions. However, this heir of the Song Duke's mansion had recently gone to Xiling, making him her father's superior; her father and elder brother had discussed this man during dinner last night.
At that time, the three of them were sitting at a table eating, and there was no one else around. Her father then talked about the arrangements for the family after he returned to Xiling.
The elder brother casually asked, "Now that Prince Song has stabilized the morale of the army in Xiling, why is His Majesty in such a hurry to send Father back?"
Her father said tactfully that the young master had amazing martial arts talent, but unfortunately he was not good at leading troops and had a stubborn temper. His Majesty needed him to go back and mediate.
Lin Sui had only overheard the conversation casually, only gleaning that His Majesty seemed to intend to groom a prince for the throne, but unfortunately, this prince hadn't satisfied His Majesty. Now, to hear the shocking news in the teahouse that the prince might be a fake was truly astonishing.
No wonder Ah Chan likes to come to the teahouse to listen to storytelling. She's happy to hear such wonderful stories every day.
"Do you think it might be true?" Lin Sui leaned forward slightly and asked A Chan in a low voice.
Achan didn't know either. She had previously accepted the story of the Hundred-Battle God General, which Song Yan had told her was based on the previous Duke of Song.
Now, if you tell him that the revenge story is not only based on his descendants, but is also happening now, who would believe it?
"I wonder if Duke Song has ever read any storybooks. If he finds out that his two sons have been switched, will he try to find his biological sons back?" Lin Sui guessed.
Compared to himself, who was deliberately sent away, the eldest son of the Duke's mansion, who should have been the heir but was replaced, seemed to be in a worse situation.
Achan rested her chin on her hands and said, "But now the Crown Prince's position is very secure, and he is also a martial arts genius. What will happen to the legitimate son after he is found? Moreover, the book says that the Crown Prince sent someone to assassinate the legitimate son, and we don't even know if the person survived."
“He must have survived, otherwise why would this story have been written? I bet the Mr. Baomu they’re talking about is the eldest son himself,” Lin Sui said to A Chan while listening to the discussion downstairs.
"Then isn't he in the capital? We'll soon be able to witness the Duke welcoming his new son?"
Achan immediately became interested. She was already considering whether she should try to bump into Lord Bai at the entrance of the Mingjing Bureau in a couple of days, or visit him at his home.
Perhaps there will be a chance to witness the scene of the Duke of Song, who lives next door to Lord Bai, recognizing his relatives.
Achan noticed that the young master who had started the conversation downstairs had already left the teahouse with his men. However, the people downstairs didn't care about his departure; they were already having a great time discussing whether the revenge story was true or false and what Mr. Baomu's intentions were.
Because the story was so shocking, no one could listen to any other stories that day, so the storyteller left early.
Seeing that there were no stories to hear, Achan sat with Lin Sui for a while longer, drank two cups of beverage, and planned to go to the bookstore together to buy a revenge story.
I imagine the Revenge Chronicles will sell very well today; there might even be a queue to buy them, so I'd better go early.
When the two of them got close to the bookstore, they found several yamen runners standing at the entrance, and the bookstore owner and his employees were being escorted out by the runners.
After the people were taken away, the bookstore's door was locked, and then the yamen runners affixed two seals, effectively sealing off the store.
The group of constables ignored the crowd of onlookers and led the person away with grim faces.
After everyone had left, Ah Chan saw that the crowd of onlookers had not dispersed, so she and Lin Sui went up to ask what had happened.
An elderly gentleman nearby heard Achan's question and patiently told her, "I heard that he was arrested for selling banned books."
"A banned book." Achan was surprised. "Does the old gentleman know what kind of banned book it is?"
"I think it's called something like 'Revenge'?"
Ah Chan looked like she'd seen a ghost: "A revenge story?"
The old man clapped his hands: "Yes, that's the name."
"Why?" Achan didn't understand, and was even a little frustrated. She hadn't even finished reading the story yet, and the revenge story had become a banned book? At least tell her who was knocking on the door first!
Who's so bored as to ban even storybooks!
The old man didn't know the reason, but a middle-aged man next to him chimed in: "I heard from those yamen runners that the author of the book had ulterior motives and slandered the Duke of Song's mansion. The Duke of Song went to the palace overnight and complained directly to His Majesty, demanding that the book be banned and that the author be held accountable. That's why the yamen is now issuing a warrant for his arrest."
What's more devastating than having a storybook you're following banned? It's having your storybook unfinished, only to have your author become a wanted criminal overnight...
Achan sincerely felt that it was reasonable for the Duke of Song to be so unsuccessful. He was preoccupied with these trivial matters every day. How could he possibly accomplish anything great?
Meanwhile, the Mingjing Division.
Feng Yang hurriedly entered the inner hall and reported to Bai Xiuming, who was reviewing case files sent from various prefectures, "My lord, there's been some movement at the Zhenbei Marquis's residence."
"Speak." Bai Xiuming raised his eyes.
"The Marquis of Zhenbei sent his trusted confidant out of the city today, and judging from the direction, he is not going to Xiling."
Bai Xiuming raised an eyebrow slightly: "Has something significant happened today that I am unaware of?"
Feng Yang thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "When I returned to the yamen today, I saw people from the Jingzhao Prefecture arresting people everywhere. They said His Majesty ordered the closure of a book, but it should be unrelated to this matter, right?"
"Go check it out."
"yes."
Feng Yang returned less than half an hour after leaving, bringing with him some very interesting news.
"You mean, that book says the heir of the Duke of Song's mansion was replaced, and the current one should have been the Duke of Song's illegitimate son?"
"Yes, the people are talking about this now. Many bookstores have been shut down, and the books they were selling have been confiscated. I brought one back with me."
Feng Yang presents Shunlai's newly published banned book.
Bai Xiuming casually flipped through it, a smile appearing on his lips: "This is really interesting."
Feng Yang waited until Bai Xiuming turned to the last page of the book before he spoke: "If nothing unexpected happens, the Marquis of Zhenbei's men should have gone to Jizhou."
"Jeju? What are you going there for?" Feng Yang asked, puzzled.
"If the contents of this book are true, as long as evidence is found to prove that the identity of the heir of the Duke of Song's mansion is in doubt, His Majesty will definitely send him back to the capital to defend himself, and the Xiling Army will once again become ownerless. What do you think he's going to do?"
Bai Xiuming was simply curious as to why the Marquis of Zhenbei, who had been sealed off from his residence and ordered to reflect on his actions at home, had suddenly reacted so quickly this time.
Does he have an informant he's unaware of, or is someone deliberately passing the information to him? If it's the latter, how did the informant manage to evade the spies of the Mingjing Division?
The next day, the crackdown on people and the banning of books not only did not weaken but intensified. It was said that the officials had not been able to find Baomushanren. When Baomushanren sold his storybooks to bookstores, he always had others do it on his behalf and never showed his face himself.
This is good news for Achan.
At the same time, she was also worried about Mr. Xu's safety. Could Mr. Xu, who also sold Mr. Baomu's books, have been arrested as well?
She spoke with Chen Hui, and the two returned to Changpingfang, intending to first check on Boss Xu and his bookstore to see if they were alright.
As expected, the bookstore in Anpingfang that we had seen last time was shut down, and Achan had a bad feeling.
When she arrived at Mr. Xu's shop, she was surprised to find that not only was his shop not sealed off, but a group of onlookers had also gathered at the entrance.
Achan went over and found that the two were playing chess at the entrance of the bookstore. There were people around who wanted to give them pointers, but they were covered by the people next to them to keep quiet.
Of the two playing chess, the younger one was Song Yan, whom Achan had met just a few days ago. She was also familiar with the person sitting opposite Song Yan. Although this person had only been to the shop once, Achan recognized him at a glance.
She was the one who came to the shop to buy incense pills on the day the Xue family sent people to smash it up, and she had even helped her husband. This husband was exceptionally handsome and unforgettable.
Ah Chan thought to herself, if nothing unexpected happens, this should be the Mr. Wen that Boss Xu mentioned before.
Although she didn't know why Mr. Xu's shop was still safe and sound, everyone was watching the game, and she took a few more glances out of curiosity.
Achan wasn't an expert in Go, but she could still understand it. Chen Hui, who was next to her, knew a little more. Both of them could tell that the two people playing Go were highly skilled, far beyond what ordinary people could match.
I thought Song Yan looked easy to talk to and that his chess style would be steady, but to my surprise, his style was quite aggressive, and he fought to a standstill with the steady Mr. Wen.
Ah Chan glanced around a few more times, and when she spotted Boss Xu's figure at the back of the crowd, she quickly squeezed through.
"Mr. Xu, are you alright?" she asked as she approached Mr. Xu.
Mr. Xu sighed, "It's fortunate that Mr. Wen came today, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to save this shop."
"Mr. Wen, was it him who helped you?" Achan turned around in surprise and looked at Mr. Wen in the crowd.
Boss Xu whispered to Achan, "The yamen runners of the Jingzhao Prefecture call this Mr. Wen Imperial Censor. I thought he was a teacher at the academy because he was gentle and polite. I didn't expect him to be such a high-ranking official."
"What rank?"
Boss Xu looked around, lowered his voice even more, and gestured three: "Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, third rank."
Achan covered her lips with one hand: "Such a high-ranking official?"
“That’s right.” Mr. Xu said with great enthusiasm, “Speaking of which, I should have met this Lord Wen a few years ago, but unfortunately my memory is not good, and I almost forgot about him after more than ten years.”
"Have you known each other before?"
“No, that’s not it,” said Boss Xu. “When this Lord Wen passed the imperial examination with top honors, I saw him parade through the streets. He was not even twenty years old at the time. He was handsome and the top scholar of the year. The scene was spectacular. I heard that several princesses came to throw flowers at Lord Wen. After the parade, the fragrance of flowers on the street lasted for a whole day.”
Achan's eyes widened as if the characters the storyteller had described had actually appeared before her.
She could take a few more glances at Mr. Wen, the top scholar at sixteen and the first six in a row at nineteen. It was a pity she didn't have to take the imperial examinations, otherwise she would have definitely tried to bask in Mr. Wen's talent.
As the two were talking, Wen Zhong, who was surrounded by the crowd, had already conceded defeat. He smiled and said to Song Yan, "Young friend Song, I concede defeat."
Song Yan put down the white chess piece in his hand and returned the same smile: "Thank you for the concession."
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