Chapter 28: Slander
Song Qianzhao pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "There is no absolute right or wrong in the world. Even the most upright people may talk nonsense and harm the country, but those in Li's party may also be capable of practical action. Ultimately, we should consider the country, the people, and ourselves."
Song Jian's brows twitched, sensing the flaw in Song Qianzhao's words, and immediately asked, "To myself?"
Song Qianzhao said as a matter of course: "If a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth."
Song Jian was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, and said angrily: "Asshole!"
He Jingyi, standing by, also looked displeased. Scholars like them valued "sacrificing one's life for righteousness" and "self-sacrifice for the public good." How could anyone be so shameless as to cry out for selfish gains?
Song Qianzhao was startled by this sudden scolding, and then a glimmer of understanding flashed in his eyes, and he simply replied: "Yes, grandson understands."
Although they all claim to be scholars and talk about benevolence and righteousness, who hasn't made a secret calculation in their heart? However, such thoughts must not be expressed out loud - the dignity of scholars must be maintained after all.
Song Jian changed the subject and said, "Censor Wang Yang was corrupt and perverted the law. He allowed his brother to commit murder, resulting in a fatality. After a joint trial by the three judicial departments, he has been imprisoned and will be exiled to Black Water Cliff in ten days."
Song Qianzhao just nodded slightly when she heard this. This result was already within her expectations.
"I have important matters to discuss with your uncle." Song Jian waved his hand. "Go back to your room and review your studies. Only the teachings of sages can correct one's mind. Put away those unorthodox thoughts of yours as soon as possible." He turned and ordered, "Mingjue, keep a close eye on the young master. Don't let him wander around outside. Wait until the Imperial College has released the food ceremony before letting him out."
"Yes, sir."
The attendants standing in the corridor bowed hurriedly.
"Grandson, take your leave."
Song Qianzhao's sleeves fluttered as she turned around, and she stepped briskly across the threshold. Suddenly, her stomach rumbled softly, and she remembered that she had been so busy running around Fengtian Prefecture with Brother Wang that she had even forgotten to eat.
"Mingjue," she turned around and said loudly, "Ask the kitchen to send some food to my room."
Mingjue was stunned when he heard this, and glanced at Song Jian's face, only to see that his expression darkened.
Liu Mingjue hurriedly lowered his head and quickly walked towards the kitchen.
Seeing Song Jian remain silent, He Jingyi frowned unconsciously, his tone revealing a hint of anxiety: "Father-in-law, he is so unaware, aren't you worried?"
He Jingyi was very worried that Song Qianzhao would become a member of Li's party, and the good reputation accumulated by the Song family for generations would be destroyed.
More importantly, Song Jian is competing with Lu Zhong for the position of assistant minister. If he gives someone else a handle now, Song Jian will probably suffer a great loss!
He Jingyi said in a deep voice: "Father-in-law, the position of assistant minister has been vacant for more than a month. I am afraid that the selection will eventually fall into the hands of the Li Party. You and Lu Zhong are just pretending to be on the stage and going through the motions.
Although the Li Party members are extremely powerful, they still dare not act too openly. They still have to put in some superficial efforts to show it to others.
Song Jian was silent for a long time before he sighed, "I know the power of the Li Party is immense, but if I don't fight for it, I'm afraid I won't even be able to keep my position as the Central Counselor, which has no real power."
He Jingyi looked at Song Jian, his eyes filled with unrelieved worry.
The Li Clan now controlled the government, with seven or eight of the Lantai Clan gone and the Qingliu left to the sidelines. Who in the court didn't lean towards the Li Clan? The slightest disobedience would result in banishment from the capital and garrisoning in remote frontier areas. Even worse, those would be imprisoned on false charges, never to see the light of day again.
All officials were terrified, and there were endless flatterers.
Song Jian was not a member of the Lantai Party, and he also hated the Li Party. He had to maneuver between the two powers to make a living. If he made a mistake, he would end up in a miserable situation.
Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the tranquility of the courtyard.
"Master! Something terrible has happened!"
The concierge rushed into the yard, breathless.
Song Jian and He Jingyi looked at each other, a hint of surprise flashed in their eyes at the same time, and they walked towards the door quickly at the same time.
As soon as he stepped out of the mansion, Song Jian's eyes fell on the courtyard wall on the right. His pupils suddenly shrank and his whole face instantly became so gloomy that water seemed to drip out of it.
When He Jingyi saw the large characters on the wall, his heart trembled, "Father-in-law, something bad is going to happen!"
On the white wall to the right of the main gate of the Song Mansion, eight large characters were smeared with filth: Li's party is a scoundrel, a scum of the Qing stream.
This was clearly someone trying to discredit the Song family. I'm afraid that by tomorrow, this matter would have become a huge uproar. If anyone else fanned the flames, the Song family would become part of the Li Clan.
The Song family has been a family of upright people for generations. If they really become evil lackeys, their reputation will be ruined. Everyone will condemn them and they will have no face left!
Song Jian took a cold look and walked away.
When Steward Huang saw Song Jian leaving, he shouted urgently, "Wipe it off immediately! Send people to guard the area, and don't let anyone cause any more trouble!"
The servant understood that the matter was of great importance, and immediately responded and sent someone to do it.
The noise outside the courtyard startled Song Qianzhao, who was practicing calligraphy. She walked to the door, knocked on it, and asked, "Mingjue."
Mingjue had just returned from outside. When he heard Song Qianzhao's voice, he quickly opened the door a crack and poked his head in, saying, "Young Master, are you hungry? I'll go to the kitchen and take a look."
"There's a commotion outside, what happened?"
Mingjue looked at Song Qianzhao with a hint of helplessness in his tone.
"Young Master, someone has written the words 'Li Party running dog, Qingliu scum' on the wall to the right of our front door. I'm so angry I can't speak."
Song Qianzhao remained calm upon hearing this, muttering to himself thoughtfully, "This is most likely a shady trick used by the enemy. Although the method may not be up to par, it is indeed effective."
Although the Lantai faction was severely suppressed by the Li faction, most scholars still held it in contempt. Most upright figures in the government and opposition took a cautious approach, neither siding with the Li faction nor getting close to the Lantai faction.
Now that Lu Zhong has slandered Song Jian as a member of the Li Party, the Lantai Party and the Qingliu forces will surely rise up to attack him, while the Li Party will watch the fire from the other side. At that time, Song Jian will be in a dilemma and can only resign.
Song Qianzhao pondered for a moment and asked, "Grandfather, do you have any solution to this problem?"
Mingjue scratched his head and said with an embarrassed smile, "Young Master, you've really stumped me. How can I guess what the master is thinking?"
Song Qianzhao nodded, crossed his arms, and fell into deep thought, muttering to himself, "The Lantai Party can't be relied upon, and neither can the Li Party. Once the Li Party falls, the Lantai Party will surely be liquidated. With wolves in front and tigers behind, it's impossible to take a middle path..."
Suddenly, her eyes fixed.
"Written on the right?"
Mingjue nodded and replied, "Yes!"
Song Qianzhao thought for a moment and gave the order immediately.
"Send someone to the left side and write the following eight characters: 'Be an upright official, upright as a mountain.'"
"Arrange the personnel to spread out now, remember to the left."
"Find some more children to make up a nursery rhyme and sing it. It will spread throughout the capital tomorrow..."
It was obvious that someone was trying to frame Song Jian and was hoping to win by such despicable means. Song Qianzhao simply took advantage of the situation and tried to build momentum for Song Jian.
Mingjue was completely bewildered and couldn't remember anything. He just thought the young master was talking nonsense. He opened his mouth to refuse, but Song Qianzhao had already guessed what he was thinking.
"I don't think you understand. Go and tell Grandfather exactly what I said. Remember to seize the initiative and gain the upper hand in public opinion. Success or failure depends on this!"
Mingjue saw the young master's serious expression and knew that the matter was of great importance. After a moment's thought, he said, "I will go and report this to the master right away."
As soon as he turned around, Song Qianzhao hurriedly shouted behind him: "Hey! Open the door for me first..."
Mingjue responded straightforwardly, but he ran away very quickly. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared. It was obvious that he had no intention of letting Song Qianzhao out.
In Song Jian's study, candlelight flickered. The three of them sat around a rosewood desk, none of them speaking first.
He Jingyi's fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of the teacup, and the tea in the celadon cup had already gone cold.
He raised his eyes to look at Song Jian and said in a deep voice: "Father-in-law, this matter must be planned early. If Lu Zhong gets the position of assistant minister, I am afraid he will be subjected to all kinds of difficulties when he works under him in the future."
Lu Zhong clearly wanted to pin the crime of "Li party's running dog, Qingliu scum" on him.
I'm afraid this stigma will spread throughout the capital before dawn. By then, the upright will surely rise up to denounce him. Besides the Li clique, who else would dare to recommend him for the position of assistant minister?
Once one's reputation is completely ruined, what other options are there except to resign sadly and retire to one's hometown?
As for fawning on others or joining the Li Clan? Song Jian never considered it. He still had the most basic moral integrity of a scholar.
Manager Huang naturally understood the pros and cons of this and was also filled with worry.
Just at this moment, Mingjue poked his head in from outside the door. Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was not right, he immediately shrank his neck and reported in a low voice.
"Master, the young master... has something to say."
Song Jian was feeling upset and was about to send the man away with a stern face, but suddenly he remembered Song Qianzhao's methods and finally controlled his temper and asked a question.
"What does he have to say?"
Mingjue scratched his head, trying hard to recall what the young master had just said.
"Young Master said... we should write eight big characters on the left and quickly find people to spread the word, saying we should be the first to get there. Exactly! If we're late, it'll be too late!"
Song Jian and the other two were completely confused.
Mingjue had not read many books, and after the young master had just talked a lot, his mind was confused and he couldn't even finish a sentence.
Steward Huang saw through his embarrassment and couldn't help but laugh, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry and invite the young master over!"
Song Qianzhao followed Mingjue and walked through several corridors.
Pushing open the carved wooden door, three pairs of eyes stared at me in the candlelight.
Song Qianzhao subconsciously touched his face. Before he could say anything, Manager Huang rushed to ask, "Young Master, what did you just say? What do you want to do first?"
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