Chapter 156 Rumors Rumors
Meng Ting followed He Tang's gaze and looked at Su Fengzhang. He also agreed with what he said. Back then in Qingzhou Prefecture, why did Meng Ting quickly accept Su Fengzhang as his good friend? In addition to his outstanding talent, his appearance also played a big part.
The emperor was obsessed with looks, and this custom of serving food based on appearance spread from the capital to the entire Zhou Dynasty. It is no exaggeration to say that the Zhou Dynasty was a world that loved to judge by appearance.
There is no need to elaborate on how outstanding Su Fengzhang's appearance is. Meng Ting couldn't help but think of Miss Liu Xu from Yonglefang. She still misses Su Fengzhang to this day, and she can't help feeling a little jealous in her heart.
Su Fengzhang got goosebumps from being stared at by them, and quickly said, "What are you doing? Stop looking at me like that."
He Tang chuckled and said, "After taking a closer look today, I really think that Brother Su, you are radiant and handsome."
Meng Ting also nodded and said, "No wonder the girls at Yonglefang miss you so much. Every time I go there, they ask about you. Brother Su, if you're willing to go with me, those girls will definitely rush to entertain you."
He Tang even said, "Brother Su, although I have always only painted pictures of beauties, if you are willing, I would like to..."
"Stop, stop, stop, stop!" Su Fengzhang quickly stopped them, "I repeat, these are all rumors."
"First, whether the Fifth Prince is gay or not has nothing to do with you and me. We are all scholars, so we shouldn't care about these rumors."
"Secondly, even if he is gay, the prince will not be interested in me."
"Third, let me say it again. The Fifth Prince was simply helping someone in need that day. It had nothing to do with any romantic relationship."
Meng Ting coughed and reminded him, "Brother Su, what you said is not correct. It should be a gay affair."
Su Fengzhang looked at him helplessly and rolled his eyes at him: "Brother Meng, are you rushing over here because you're worried about me, or are you coming here just to see me make a fool of myself?"
Meng Ting touched his nose and explained with a wry smile, "Of course I came here because I was worried about you. If it were someone else, I wouldn't bother to care whether he was gay or not."
"Then you just believe what I say. If the Fifth Prince is really interested in me, how could I not know it?" Su Fengzhang said.
He Tang said, "That's not necessarily true. Just because it wasn't interesting before doesn't mean it won't be interesting in the future. Brother Su, I think you'd better get married soon so that the Fifth Prince won't have any more ideas."
When it comes to getting married, Su Fengzhang hesitated. The emperor's words were there, how could he ignore them?
Before, he had always thought that the candidate the emperor was referring to was Princess Hejing, and Prince Rong’s attitude was similar. But now, looking back, he felt that he might have guessed wrong. Could it be that the person the emperor was referring to was the fifth prince?
This thought made Su Fengzhang shudder. He had no tendency to be a homosexual. No, no, no matter how open-minded the emperor was, he would not be so open-minded as to help his son find a homosexual partner!
"It's not that I don't want to get married, but... I can't get married for the time being." Without the emperor's explicit order, Su Fengzhang didn't dare to say it directly.
Meng Ting also looked at him worriedly: "What does it matter whether you get married or not? If the Fifth Prince really likes you, would he care whether you have wives or concubines at home?"
"In the previous dynasty, the deposed emperor took a fancy to the prime minister of Zhumen, and he could get him if he wanted."
"You're getting more and more outrageous." Su Fengzhang pinched his forehead and said, "I've already told you, it's all fake!"
Meng Ting coughed and said, "Brother Su, whether it's true or not is not important. What's important is that this matter has spread. I'm afraid many people now think that you two are having an affair."
He Tang also said: "Once this matter spreads, it will definitely have an impact on Brother Su's reputation."
It has never been a good reputation to curry favor with the powerful, not to mention that the person involved with Su Fengzhang is a prince. It is easy to imagine how detrimental these rumors will be to him.
Scholars pay the most attention to reputation. Su Fengzhang was born into a noble family and is an orthodox scholar. Not only is he quite talented, but after he proposed to revise the grand ceremony, his reputation among scholars has become even better.
However, once the rumor about the fifth prince comes out, it will probably directly destroy his business.
Su Fengzhang also frowned. It took him only one mouth to spread rumors, but it took him a lot of effort to refute them. Not to mention that even if he was willing to refute them, people who shouldn't believe them would probably still not believe them. "Who spread this rumor?"
Meng Ting shook his head and said, "I also heard it from the girls. I don't know the source."
Su Fengzhang pinched his brows and said, "It's those few people around here."
Meng Ting and Tang also pondered, each with their own suspicions: "So what should we do now?"
Su Fengzhang actually smiled: "If the Fifth Prince doesn't care about this rumor, this matter will have both advantages and disadvantages for me."
"Everyone knows the disadvantages, what good can there be?" He Tang asked curiously.
Su Fengzhang said, "At least for a while, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince won't attack me."
"That's true, but it's possible that the rumor was spread by the prince." Meng Ting said.
He Tang was still worried: "But this is not a good thing after all. Who knows if it will affect Brother Su's career."
Su Fengzhang tried his best to persuade them and finally made them believe his words. At least they believed that he had nothing to do with the Fifth Prince now. As for whether he would have anything to do with them in the future, he was not sure.
After seeing the two off with a mixture of laughter and tears, Su Fengzhang returned to the house and fell into deep thought.
He was not sure whether the Fifth Prince was a homosexual, but the Fifth Prince had no special inclination towards him. He also didn't know where this rumor came from. Su Fengzhang knocked on the table, and several people flashed through his mind.
The fifth prince is also a prince. Although he is neither the legitimate son nor the eldest son, nor the emperor's most beloved prince, it seems that the emperor has some trust in him. There are some matters in the court that the crown prince and the fourth prince cannot interfere, but the fifth prince is often involved. This is also a strange thing.
In this case, if the Fifth Prince's reputation as a homosexual spread, it's hard to say which of his brothers was responsible.
Rather than believing that the fifth prince was a homosexual, Su Fengzhang was more inclined to believe in the suppression tactics used by other princes.
This time was no different. What could be more likely to dissuade the emperor from pursuing his ambitions than the Fifth Prince being involved with a minister, and the news of their affair spreading throughout the capital? After all, with so many sons, there was really no need for the emperor to choose a homosexual prince to succeed him.
Su Fengzhang originally thought it was just a rumor, but what he didn't expect was that his affair with the fifth prince became more and more popular, so much so that when he went to the Hanlin Academy, he could see his colleagues' subtle and meaningful smiles.
Some of the eyes were worried, but more of them were mocking or slightly contemptuous. But just as Su Fengzhang thought, even if they were full of malice in their hearts, no one dared to say it in front of him.
In this regard, he could only turn a blind eye, do what he had to do, and pretend to be ignorant.
On the other side, Prince Rong also heard this annoying rumor. He was not as calm as Su Fengzhang. He rushed to the palace with a rush of blood in his head.
"Your Majesty, it happens that the Fifth Prince is here with you. I have something to ask him." Prince Rong said.
The emperor frowned and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? Take a breath and talk slowly."
Prince Rong stared at the Fifth Prince and asked, "Qin Fang, people say you've taken a fancy to Su Fengzhang and want to have an affair with him. Is this true?"
"Ah Le!" The emperor suddenly put down the book in his hand, frowned and cursed, "What are you doing?"
Prince Rong, however, was not afraid of the emperor's anger at all. Instead, he said nonchalantly, "Your Majesty, why are you so anxious? I just heard some gossip, so I came here to ask about my good nephew."
The Fifth Prince was not afraid of Prince Rong, and he raised an eyebrow and replied, "Of course it's fake."
Before Prince Rong could express his joy, he continued, "But Uncle, are you really planning to marry He Jing to Lord Su? You're being so casual, aren't you afraid of creating a couple that's unhappy with each other?"
Prince Rong said, "How could they be a couple with grievances? This is the person I carefully selected. She is exceptionally talented and self-disciplined, with a spirit of ice and snow that is unconventional. She is also proficient in both civil and military affairs. Such talents are rare in the world."
The emperor added, "What's even more rare is that he is knowledgeable, interesting, and not pedantic."
Well, the aesthetic tastes of these two brothers are pretty much the same.
The fifth prince raised his eyebrows and asked, "Uncle, is this what you like, or does He Jing like it?"
"I like it, and your sister likes it too." Prince Rong said confidently.
"It's a pity that Lord Su is so cold and seems to have rejected you." The fifth prince said with a smile.
Prince Rong's face darkened, and he snorted coldly, "That's because he doesn't know how to appreciate your kindness. He's young and hot-headed and doesn't know the consequences. Humph, once he's suffered, he'll know how good things are in Prince Rong's mansion."
The Fifth Prince said, "Look, Father, your uncle says that we are a match made in heaven, but at the same time he's trying to coerce and bribe us. If that's the case, wouldn't it be more convenient to just ask your Majesty to issue an edict granting the marriage? Why bother with all that nonsense?"
The emperor said nothing, but Prince Rong was unhappy: "When did I ever use coercion or bribery?"
The fifth prince laughed and said, "You want to make him suffer. Isn't this coercion and inducement?"
Prince Rong rolled his eyes and said, "I was helping him."
"Alright, if you don't like it, don't get involved. This is the husband I've chosen for He Jing with great difficulty."
Prince Rong walked away, but the emperor looked at his fifth prince hesitantly.
After hesitating for a long time, the emperor finally said, "Fang'er, are you really interested in Su Fengzhang..."
The fifth prince said calmly, "Father, you're overthinking it."
The emperor sighed and said, "You are not young anymore. You are already old enough to get married and have children. It was your father who was confused back then. That's why... If you really like him, don't worry about your uncle. Their marriage is not even on the table."
The Fifth Prince sighed and said, "Father, you truly misunderstood. Furthermore, Lord Su was punished by the Crown Prince, and then he got involved with me. Not only did he suffer, but his reputation was also ruined. I am truly sorry for him."
Seeing his indifferent expression, the emperor didn't say anything else. After the fifth prince left, he sighed deeply, held his forehead and showed a distressed look.
After a while, the emperor suddenly said, "Eunuch Li, go and help me with something."
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The author has something to say: I give you a kiss, that’s all for today.
Take a break~ Don't wait until midnight
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