41 You threatened me
"Isn't it a good deal to exchange a princess title for a prime ministership?"
After a snowfall in the capital, the streets and alleys, with their upturned eaves and green tiles, were covered with a thick layer of snow.
The biting wind whipped up snowflakes that flew straight onto people's faces.
Shen Suqin tucked her chin into her white fox fur coat, her whole body wrapped up in a round shape, and walked forward little by little in the snow.
She was wearing bright red lipstick today, a color rarely seen on her. Xiao Pingchuan was momentarily stunned, standing in front of the carriage watching her walk out of the mansion.
"What's wrong?" Shen Suqin asked.
Xiao Pingchuan snapped out of his daze. "Nothing, get in the car."
"Um."
The villa in the western suburbs was very large. When they arrived, there were already quite a few people in the courtyard, all of them scholars from humble backgrounds. They all looked very scholarly and were not in a hurry.
When Shen Suqin stepped into the courtyard, several people blushed, wanting to look but not daring to.
“You all arrived early,” Shen Suqin said generously. “Today is not my day, so please feel free to say whatever you want.”
They knew the purpose of their trip when they received the invitation; the conversation was secondary, the main goal was to build momentum.
"Rest assured, sir, we will certainly have a good time," someone replied to Shen Suqin.
"Come on, brothers, let's debate this path for those from humble backgrounds. Who dares to step forward?"
"What's the point of a poor family having a way out? If you want to argue, argue about the Zhongzheng system for selecting officials, about how powerful families favor each other and how aristocratic clans hold power."
Upon hearing this, the courtyard fell silent.
The hundred or so people looked at each other, none of them daring to respond.
“What’s there to be afraid of? There was no road before, but someone had to forge one,” Shen Suqin said. “Do you want your descendants to be subservient to others for generations?”
"Yes, someone has to find a way out!"
In this way, the courtyard gradually became lively.
“Brother Zhuo,” Shen Suqin called out from the crowd.
The person who came was as thin as the strong yet withered branches of a plum tree.
“Brother Zhuo, your writing is excellent. Please record a few points. I want the world to know what we have discussed today,” Shen Suqin said.
The visitor bowed and said, "Rest assured, sir."
After strolling around the courtyard, Shen Suqin led Xiao Pingchuan into the house.
The room was warm with a charcoal fire burning inside.
Several scholars who couldn't stand the cold hid inside, but when they saw Shen Suqin come in, they quickly went out again.
"Does the general think today's plum blossom appreciation banquet was useful?" Shen Suqin asked.
Yes, it will.
How did you know?
“They are very resentful. Not only them, I guess all the poor scholars in the world are waiting for this opportunity.”
Shen Suqin nodded, "I hope they can do better."
Having said that, she looked out the window and quietly watched the group of scholars debating and conversing passionately in the plum garden...
The banquet lasted a whole day, and it's said that some people who weren't satisfied went to Xingyuan Restaurant for a three-day discussion.
Since that day, voices of doubt and opposition have emerged among the people regarding the selection system for officials of the Liang Dynasty, and more and more people are demanding that scholars from humble backgrounds be given a chance.
At the same time, the Dengwen Drum, which had not sounded in the capital for decades, suddenly rang out.
Three scholars from humble backgrounds jointly sued the current prime minister, Pei Ruhai, for improper selection of officials and for favoring his own clansmen.
Emperor Jingkang was furious and decided to personally intervene in the matter.
From this point on, students from impoverished families have truly ushered in their opportunity.
In the dead of winter of the twenty-third year of the Jingkang era, the whole country was in an uproar. Poor scholars took to the streets to march and shout, demanding that Prime Minister Pei be severely punished and that the poor families of the world be given an explanation.
Initially, local officials, at Pei Xiang's instruction, did their utmost to suppress the rebellion.
They originally thought that this time, like before, they could just give these peasants a little push and they would back down.
But to everyone's surprise, the more they suppressed it, the stronger the backlash became, and the more people joined, until it eventually formed a force that even the state army could hardly suppress.
Now, Prime Minister Pei panicked, and so did Emperor Jingkang.
He had no choice but to urgently summon Prime Minister Pei to the palace for discussion.
“Your Majesty, I believe that someone is instigating this matter behind the scenes,” Pei Ruhai said. “Although the spearhead is currently pointing directly at me, who can’t see that they want to shake the powerful families and Your Majesty?”
Emperor Jingkang's face grew darker with each word. "What does the Crown Prince think?"
Shi Ye stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Your subject believes that this is not the time to pursue responsibility. The important thing is to stabilize the situation and get those poor people out of here as soon as possible."
“You’re right. If we let these people continue their nonsense, something terrible will happen sooner or later,” Emperor Jingkang said. “Then tell me what to do?”
"Go with the flow," Shi Ye said.
"No!" Prime Minister Pei interrupted him. "Go with the flow? Does Your Highness mean to grant their wish and allow poor scholars to enter the court?"
Shi Ye replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Yes."
"Nonsense, Your Highness. Don't forget, you also come from a noble family. Are you trying to dig your own grave? Besides, if making a scene gives them what they want, then everyone in the world will follow suit and make a scene first if they want something. Are you going to back down then?"
"Prime Minister Pei, you flatter me."
"Your Highness has lived in the palace for so long that you don't understand how troublesome those unruly people are. If you ask me, we should not give an inch. If they cause any more trouble, we should send troops to suppress them until we have them all under control."
Shi Ye's face instantly turned cold. "Does Prime Minister Pei consider all the people of the world as enemies?"
Pei Ruhai stood firm, "Aren't they enemies? They want the aristocratic families to concede and want to take the throne themselves. They have wolfish ambitions, and they don't deserve it."
Shi Ye took a deep breath. "The world belongs to all people, not to my Shi family, nor to your Pei family or any other aristocratic family. Prime Minister Pei, do not overstep your bounds."
Pei Ruhai sneered, "Your Highness is of noble character, why not give up your position as Crown Prince to someone else? After all, this empire is not yours anyway."
"you!"
"Alright, Ye'er, you can go now."
"Father!"
"Guards, take the Crown Prince away."
Shi Ye bowed, glanced at Prime Minister Pei one last time, and then left.
After the Crown Prince was taken away, Pei Ruhai immediately restrained his outward aura, lowered his eyes and said to Emperor Jingkang, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is too impatient, or too young, and not up to the task."
Emperor Jingkang coughed twice. "Let's give him some more time. By the way, what are your plans, my dear minister?"
"I had someone investigate a little before, and the trouble started after the plum blossom viewing banquet at the villa in the western suburbs."
"A plum blossom viewing banquet at a villa in the western suburbs? Is it related to the Crown Prince?"
Pei Ruhai neither confirmed nor denied it, only vaguely saying, "Your Highness was also misled by the villains."
"who!"
"Xiao Pingchuan's new wife is Shen Suqin, a concubine's daughter of the Shen family."
Emperor Jingkang racked his brains for a while before finally remembering such a person. "Isn't she from the countryside?"
"She did come from a rural background, but she studied under Ji Weiya and wrote the 'Dongliang Fu' at a young age, which gave her a high status among literati."
"You mean she caused all this?"
"yes."
"reason?"
Pei Ruhai sighed, "It's all because of old things. Your Majesty, do you know that back then, Princess Changtai insisted on marrying Shen Jinghe? Originally, Lord Shen and his first wife were already married, and the first wife was pregnant with a child, which was Shen Suqin."
"After the princess was forced to marry, the original wife was demoted to a concubine, and the legitimate daughter was demoted to a concubine's daughter. Most importantly, Shen Suqin was sent to the countryside before she was even a month old, until His Majesty bestowed a marriage upon her."
“Previously, Shen Suqin insisted on getting the princess and Shen Jinghe to divorce, but I stopped her. She probably holds a grudge against me, which is why she caused all this trouble.”
Emperor Jingkang listened intently, his anger growing with each word. "A mere country woman has stirred up chaos in the land and even incited the Crown Prince's ambitions! How utterly despicable! Has Prime Minister Pei grown old and kind-hearted? He's been manipulated by a woman."
"Alas, she is, after all, the general's wife."
"So what if he's the General's wife? Xiao Pingchuan has no military power right now, what are you afraid of him for? Arrest him if you need to arrest him, beat him if you need to beat him, and suppress this matter as soon as possible, otherwise I will really hold you accountable."
Pei Ruhai knelt down, "Your Highness, I obey your decree... However, if Your Highness obstructs me, I..."
"The Crown Prince's life cannot be touched. As for the rest, it's up to you. Do I need to teach you that?"
"I obey the order."
On the other side, Shen Suqin was listening to Ju Tao's report.
Ju Tao has been monitoring the situation through Xingyuan restaurants in various locations over the past few days.
Shen Suqin inquired about the matter every day, fearing that things would get out of control.
You said Jiaozhou was the most troublesome?
"Yes, Boss Su sent a message saying that he has put in a lot of effort behind the scenes."
Shen Suqin was both amused and exasperated. "Tell him to keep a low profile. He offended quite a few people recently because of the Jinyunfang incident. We can't let anyone find a handle against him now."
"Then I'll send him the message right away."
"Well, it would be best to let him find a secluded place to lay low for a while. I have a feeling that the Pei family won't just sit idly by."
"good."
"The capital has been in great chaos these past few days. The Crown Prince has asked the general for help in maintaining order and hasn't returned to his residence for several days. There are few people in the residence, so please be careful when you go out."
"I understand, Sister Qin."
"Alright, you and I should try not to go out these next few days. If there's anything, let someone from outside come in."
"good."
Shen Suqin originally thought that no matter how arrogant Prime Minister Pei was, he wouldn't dare to openly break into the General's Mansion to arrest people.
Who would have thought that that very night, he would send several hundred men to break down the gates of the General's Mansion and arrest Shen Suqin.
Xu Youcai tried his best to stop them, but in the end, Shen Suqin, fearing they would get hurt, voluntarily went with them.
Along the way, Shen Suqin was blindfolded and pushed into a carriage.
When she regained her sight, she realized she was in a dungeon, and the person who had captured her was none other than Pei Tingfeng from the Pei family.
“Cousin,” Shen Suqin smiled, “I never expected you to get involved in this matter.”
“If you want to harm my father, I can’t stay out of it.” Pei Tingfeng’s tone was not good. “Do you know how much trouble you’ve caused? Just for a divorce agreement, just to vent your anger, you’ve tied the whole world together and stirred up chaos. Didn’t you ever think that if things get out of control, you’ll become a sinner for all time?”
"Don't flatter me. The real reason those scholars from humble backgrounds are so easily swayed is that your aristocratic families have controlled the government for centuries, leaving them no way out. If the world is going to fall into chaos, it's because your aristocratic families committed the sins first," Shen Suqin replied casually. "As for the rest, I was just an afterthought."
Pei Tingfeng: "I won't argue with you. But you should know that you're not the only one who's been arrested. They have no power or influence, and they don't receive the same treatment as you. They might already be missing limbs by now."
Shen Suqin wasn't worried about that, as she had previously asked His Highness to protect these people.
However, Pei Tingfeng could not possibly know these things.
So she went along with him and said, "You're trying to threaten me with them."
"yes."
"Unfortunately, I don't buy into that. Since they chose to stand up and endure this, it was expected. What does it have to do with me?"
Pei Tingfeng hadn't expected her to be so hard-hearted, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.
"What do you want?" He backed down a step. "If it's a divorce agreement, I can start looking for one right now."
Shen Suqin leaned against the cell door. "It's too late. Now I want more than just a divorce agreement."
"Then what else do you want?"
"I want Shi Yunzhu to never be a princess again. You see, isn't it a good deal to exchange a meaningless princess title for a prime ministership?"
Pei Tingfeng's face turned ashen. "I can't make that decision."
"You can go back and discuss it with Prime Minister Pei."
"To be honest, no one can shake the Pei family. In the end, you may end up with nothing."
"We'll see."
Why would you do this?
Shen Suqin avoided answering, "I'm curious, you know about the land tax reform, right? Why didn't you tell Prime Minister Pei?"
Pei Tingfeng was taken aback. "Why are you asking this?"
"curious."
“If my father finds out, you won’t survive, and there will be no possibility of reform.”
Shen Suqin narrowed her eyes: "You're on His Highness's side?"
"Not really, I stand on the side of the people."
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