Yue Fuguang nodded. "It's common for merchants to seek protection from powerful officials."
[The man in the grayish-white robe next to him is named Huang Lifan. His family is impoverished, and his clan reduced their support after he repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. He now relies mainly on the charity of his classmates, with Bao Zihui providing the most assistance.
The man opposite them in the dark red robe is named Hong Feng. He comes from an aristocratic family; his father and brothers all serve as court officials. Oh, I forgot to mention, their family belongs to Sima Jing's faction.]
"So, what role did Hong Feng's family play in the frame-up of the Bao family?"
[Not just Hong Feng; Huang Lifan and Song Mingwei also did plenty in the matter of Sima Jing framing the Bao family.
Old Master Bao was quite strict in managing his household. Initially, Sima Jing tried to plant 'correspondence' between Bao Qianjun and the Dongyi people in the Bao family study but failed.
Later, these three, leveraging their status as classmates and 'close friends' of Bao Zihui, entered the Bao study under the pretext of borrowing books.
The three worked in concert: two distracted Bao Zihui by asking for scholarly advice, while the third secretly planted the 'evidence of treason' against the Bao family.]
"What kind of treacherous friends are these? The other two might be one thing, but why would Huang Lifan do this? Didn't Bao Zihui help him a great deal?"
[For power and profit, of course. Pulling off this job would earn greater rewards from the Sima family. Moreover, this man perceived Bao Zihui's daily care as condescending charity.
He was deeply jealous of these sons of officials, wishing one day to drag them down from their pedestals into the mud and trample them underfoot.]
"So they all became running dogs for the Sima family. What happened to them later?"
Aside from Hong Feng, who, due to his father and brothers' connections, remained a loyal lackey of the Sima family, neither Song Mingwei nor Huang Lifan achieved the importance they desired from the Simas.
Both neglected their studies increasingly and became non-entities within the Sima faction's talent pool. It didn't take long for them to turn and pledge allegiance to Qian Yi.]
"They defected to Qian Yi? Wasn't their old master, Sima Jing, angry?"
[Sima Jing never thought much of these two to begin with. Even villains look down on petty scoundrels; they're too unreliable to trust!
Originally, betraying the Sima family would have meant certain death. But when Sima Jing saw they had gone to Qian Yi,
and since Qian Yi was Prince Kang's man, Sima Jing, out of consideration for Prince Kang, didn't pursue the matter further.
Later, Huang Lifan contacted Hong Feng, acting as a bridge to connect Sima Jing down in Jiangnan with Qian Yi in the capital, Shangjing.
Aren't you curious, Master, how Qian Yi managed to stand out among the lower-ranking officials and catch Emperor Mingxi's attention, even receiving vigorous promotion?
The reason lies in the strong recommendation from his cousin and former study companion, Sima Jing.
Qian Yi repaid Sima Jing handsomely for this recommendation. In the later period, when the Dyan court descended into chaos, capable, principled ministers loyal to Dyan became fewer and fewer.
They were either ousted by Qian Yi and his clique or marginalized by the factions they supported. Behind all this, one could faintly discern Sima Jing's shadow.]
The Crown Prince massaged his temples. Great. If he went back and told his Imperial Father all this, the Emperor would probably be furious all over again.
The other princes clearly had the same thought. They stopped eating, their minds racing to come up with excuses to slip away after the banquet. They absolutely could not go see their father with their eldest brother, the Crown Prince.
Otherwise, while His Majesty might hold back due to the Crown Prince's status as heir, he would have no such reservations about beating his other sons!
The brothers exchanged glances—silence spoke volumes at this moment.
Those among the officials who considered themselves capable, principled, and loyal to Dyan felt their hearts sink. Could they be the ones who lost in the court struggles, the batch the little immortal lord mentioned who died early?
"Emperor Mingxi failed to judge character properly. No wonder the country fell and his family was destroyed, his offspring nearly slaughtered to the last."
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
Yue Fuguang didn't need to look back to know who had caused those noises.
Apart from the Crown Prince, who already knew of his early death and could remain composed, continuing his meal unhurriedly, his foolish younger brothers were thoroughly frightened.
They had considered the possibility of their own deaths before, perhaps even that they belonged to the early-death group. But this was the first time they heard the little immortal lord explicitly state the fate of the Emperor's children.
The little immortal lord used the word 'slaughtered,' indicating some of their deaths must have been gruesome. And 'to the last,' though preceded by 'nearly'—who knew how narrow that 'nearly' was?
The Emperor currently had over twenty children, not counting those yet unborn. Who knew if they were included in that 'nearly'?
For high society, the commotion they made was somewhat improper. Fortunately, the officials at their table were seasoned veterans.
Someone immediately cupped his hands in apology: "Your Highnesses, esteemed colleagues, my apologies! This humble official's hand slipped, overturning the bowl. Most improper, most improper!"
Another promptly said, "No matter, no matter. The tea truly is a bit too hot."
Yet another offered a considerate reminder: "Brother Chong Ming, you should go change your clothes and check for any scalds."
"Yes, yes. Brother Chong Ming, go quickly and return soon. The procession to fetch the bride should be arriving shortly."
These men covered for each other seamlessly. Yue Fuguang also glanced back curiously before losing interest.
The people around her silently breathed a sigh of relief.
[Indeed. With over twenty children, his line nearly faced extinction. His misfortune was only slightly better than that of the First Emperor back on planet Blue.]
"Little Pearl, what happened to those three villains later?"
[Hong Feng's father and brothers followed the Sima family and became officials of the Wei state. But Wei was just a separatist regime clinging to a corner of the land, and it didn't last long either.
After the fall of the Wei state, Hong Feng tried but failed to attach himself to a new power. In the end, his entire household was wiped out.
As for Song Mingwei and Huang Lifan, after the Bao family's downfall, they even pretended to be good men, secretly visiting Bao Zihui in prison.]
"What were they up to, a weasel paying respects to a chicken?"
[They coveted the Bao family's wealth, of course. The entire Bao household was imprisoned, and their property confiscated. But the Bao family was a century-old aristocratic house; a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.
The Baos surely had remaining assets. Song Mingwei, who was already quite wealthy, wasn't too concerned, but Huang Lifan's eyes gleamed with greed for that money.
So he dragged Song Mingwei along and, using Hong Feng's connections, got into the prison.
Bao Zihui was naive, rich, and 'simply foolish.' He actually believed these two, entrusting them with his personal wealth and begging them to pull some strings, hoping at least to secure a better outcome for the female members of his family.]
"Whether wealth nurtures conscience is debatable, but the saying 'poverty breeds cunning schemes' is perfectly embodied in Huang Lifan. He, who received the most kindness from the Bao family, was the most ruthless among the three in sucking the marrow from their bones."
[Exactly! Bao Zihui's money was divided between him and Song Mingwei. Moreover, because they 'bravely' visited their friend in prison, they gained a reputation for being righteous and loyal. Infuriating, isn't it?
With money in hand, both indulged in debauchery and completely abandoned their studies, their achievements capped at the provincial graduate level for life.
Later, both entered Qian Yi's faction, specializing in dirty work for Qian Yi, Li Shang, and others. Many of the so-called 'evidence of crimes' against high officials later were fabricated out of thin air by these two.]
As fate would have it, karma came full circle. They squandered the wealth swindled from the Bao family on a life of debauchery and excess, ruining their health within a few years. Before Chu Qiuyue could even seek her revenge, they had both turned to dust.]
"A heap of yellow earth? Little Pearl, not to be pedantic, but shouldn't it be two heaps of yellow earth for two people?"
