Horse-head Wall Reflects the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 107 A Thousand People Cry Out in Unison, Ten Thousand Places Share Suffering, Yet No One Dares to Stop Them

It was already springtime, but the trumpet creeper vines remained short, showing no intention of climbing upwards.

The invitation to meet Zhang Shuwen had shown him his deep affection, but if the answers hadn't already been laid bare before him, Guan Yin would likely have been fooled by the former's act.

"A single trumpet creeper symbolizes longing." This kind of joke is only told to others... However, Guan Yin was not in a hurry to leave, and he did not exchange any letters with Cheng Jianwei.

Just three months later, an adapted version that was seven parts similar to Qin Xianglian's story became a hot topic in the capital. At almost the same time, Zhang Shuwen's teacher was punished by the emperor, fined three years' salary, and demoted by one rank.

The excuse he used was not from someone else, but from Zhang Shuwen, a student he had personally promoted, who was murdered by his teacher. The teacher claimed that he was the one who committed the murder, and that he wanted to force Zhang Shuwen to marry his daughter.

The beneficiaries of this incident were, of course, those in the camp opposed to Teacher Zhang Shuwen's political stance. However, they soon used Cheng Jianwei's excuse of failing to help his colleagues as an excuse to request a deduction of his salary, thus maintaining a delicate balance.

However, by the time the news of the changes in the capital reached the madam of the music academy, the petition signed by the people had already been signed by hundreds of names.

"Ling Xiao, what are your plans for this matter?" After a long absence, Guan Yin, who had returned to Huizhou before the new play became popular, sat in the music hall facing Ling Xiao.

The same story has already spread in Huizhou. Things from the capital are obviously more popular. Ling Xiao is not stupid. Of course he knows that the story is about him and for his own benefit: "Now that things have come to this, if Zhang Shuwen can really confess his crimes and accept punishment, then all these unfaithful people will learn a lesson from this."

"But what if things don't turn out the way we want?"

The two factions were vying for power in the court, and the emperor needed to maintain a balance. The fact that Cheng Jianwei and Zhang Shuwen, who were from the same cohort in Huizhou, were already a troublesome matter, not to mention that the two were on opposing sides but had crossed paths with the same woman.

For the emperor, having a handle to hold, which elevates the woman's status and allows him to use it to balance the scales of justice, is ideal.

For both factions, Ling Xiao's existence or not depends solely on whether he is still useful at the moment.

"What does Miss Guan mean?" Ling Xiao was stunned for a moment.

As the saying goes, it's hard to defy the will of the people. The play has already started in the capital, and there's a petition from hundreds of people in Huizhou Prefecture. Even if the current emperor is forced by public opinion, this matter must be accomplished.

"The root of public anger is your passing." Guan Yin took a sip of tea, then poured some for Ling Xiao beside him, and said with a smile, "Although the story on the stage is about resurrection and is very exciting."

“But in reality, if you hadn’t died, there would have been no victim in this case, and Zhang Shuwen would have ended up with a fate where he could escape death but not punishment… That’s why I said that things might not go as planned.”

Guan Yin's words were met with silence from Ling Xiao.

"I originally thought..."

"You thought I should be more daring than your Sister Guan." Originally a recent graduate, Guan Yin was forced to understand so much absurdity and helplessness in the world after this transmigration. Her smile was tinged with self-mockery.

"At first, I was hesitant to go back because I was afraid that I would die here and never be able to return. Now I dare not do it because I know that this era is not something that I alone can change. Being able to protect the people around me is the greatest limit. In the end, it is yourselves who will live up to your potential."

As Ling Xiao listened to Guan Yin's account, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, instantly overshadowing his previous silence.

"Besides, Cheng Heng, who came here with me, is gone. Whether he went back or disappeared completely, I have no way of knowing."

Without a system or a cheat code, everything is like a dream within a dream, one that can never be woken up. So one has to face it—in dreams, one can always see through some truths that are not understood in real life. But a dream is still a dream, whether it is a good dream or a nightmare, it is ultimately a dream of the "heart".

"I am afraid."

“Even if it doesn’t go as planned, I still want to try, to let them know that there are consequences for being unfaithful.” Ling Xiao broke the silence he had cultivated. “The law does not punish the masses, let alone a petition signed by hundreds or thousands of people?”

"Zhang Shuwen is just one person; an emperor can have thousands upon thousands of ministers."

Ling Xiao didn't have much formal education, and was ultimately raised in a naive manner by the madams of the music academy. The music academy had its own set of unavoidable problems, but it also kept Ling Xiao away from many disturbances and prevented him from seeing the greater oppression.

"The emperor will not do anything to his subjects simply because of a promise to marry someone."

“Those ministers only felt that your status was not good enough for Zhang Shuwen, and they even tried to force a connection... Have you ever thought about what you would do if Zhang Shuwen denied it and said that you had found someone else outside, thus implicating Cheng Jianwei?”

"At that time, your 'birth' will be the beginning of your inability to defend yourself, and Cheng Jianwei's testimony will be regarded as a pre-arranged confession by adulterers, ultimately ruining your career."

Ling Xiao had already become quite haggard because of this incident; his once youthful appearance now seemed to have aged past twenty.

Perhaps even Heaven couldn't bear to see the beauty wither, for the few strands of white hair that were forced out seemed like silver threads embedded in black jade, giving her a pitiful appearance.

Guan Yin didn't continue, but Ling Xiao realized the gap between himself and the former. The books he hadn't read and the world he hadn't seen were far more terrifying than Ling Xiao had imagined.

I thought the brothel was the place where people were treated like dirt the least. But I never expected that it was through the efforts of the brothel madams that a corner of peace was forcibly created. At least for women like them who had no one to rely on, having a place to eat and live like human beings was already extremely rare!
"Miss Guan, why, why must it be so difficult for women?"

Guan Yin couldn't answer that question. It seemed that in every online novel she'd read, the female protagonist could ultimately change a woman's living conditions in a feudal era. So easily, either through the love of a superior or some so-called later-era ideology.

But... is it really that easy?

Guan Yin's silence was the answer to everything. Ling Xiao said nothing more, just sat there, a single tear streaming down his face.

"A message has arrived from the capital." The madam of the music academy pushed open the door and entered without anyone noticing. Ling Xiao glanced at her in a fluster, but still didn't get a clear look at her fleeting expression.

It was clearly heartache.

"The capital city..." Even though more than half a year has passed, for Ling Xiao, the word "capital city" is still a painful memory that cannot be easily ignored.

"Now you should stop thinking about the capital. I told you the other day that if you can't go to the capital with Zhang Shuwen, you should come back to my brothel." The madam of the brothel did not rush to read the news from the capital to the two of them. Instead, she looked at Ling Xiao with a cold face.

"Now that things are like this, you definitely can't go to the capital. You'd better stay here in this brothel obediently and don't even think about any man redeeming you for the rest of your life!"

The brothel madam was as sharp-tongued as ever, but this time Ling Xiao didn't argue with her—this matter involved a wide range of people, and without the support of the brothel madam and the sisters, it would have been impossible to collect so many petition signatures.

"Mom, I was wrong." Once Ling Xiao softened his tone, the madam of the music academy could no longer maintain her cold words.

"News from the capital says that Zhang Shuwen's case has now fallen on his teacher's shoulders. He has been fined and demoted. For him, it's just that his path to promotion has become more difficult, and he's also gained a reputation for loving his wife more than anything."

"Clang." The cup rolled onto the table in his hand, and Ling Xiao's hand was still trembling.

If Zhang Shuwen knew he was still alive, he probably wouldn't have implicated the brothel, he probably wouldn't...

"Do you think your mother could have this information without anyone in the capital?" The once flamboyant girl, though the madam of the music academy knew that much of Ling Xiao's usual demeanor was just bluffing, was still reluctant to see him become like this. "I will tell you about some of the past later."

"Now just remember, if you really want to expose the filth behind this document to others, your mother can also bring it to the emperor's eyes."

The madam's gaze never left Ling Xiao, watching even the slightest movement he made: "If you want to let it go, I can understand."

"I don't want to give up."

“These sisters and these people also do not want to see such a heartless man tarnish the reputation of Huizhou Prefecture, and I do not want Zhang Shuwen’s evil to go unpunished.”

This time, with the affirmation of the music school mother, Ling Xiao's answer was affirmative; she would persevere through thick and thin.

"it is good."

"The letter also mentioned that it hoped this matter could be blown out of proportion..." However, the person who wrote the letter actually hoped that Ling Xiao would really "die," a thought that the madam of the music academy swallowed back.

Having finally watched Ling Xiao grow up, survive, and return home—no matter who it was or what their motives were, the Jiaofang Mama would never allow anyone to have another chance to hurt Ling Xiao.

Today she's Lingxiao, but what about tomorrow? She still won't be able to protect the girls in the brothel, one after another!

"Make a bigger scene. I'm not dead, how can I make a bigger scene?"

Ling Xiao had grown up, and the madam of the music academy knew she should have realized he understood everything. She just couldn't understand why Ling Xiao wouldn't believe he wouldn't want them dead.

"If your mother were willing to let you go, she wouldn't have gathered so many people to petition the government. She just wanted to get justice for you." Fortunately, Guan Yin, who had a mouth, was among the two who couldn't speak. Seeing the atmosphere between the two become tense again, his eyes were full of helplessness.

"I……"

The madam of the music academy still wanted to deny it, but the petition on the table was undeniable.

"The emperor had always intended to settle scores with Teacher Zhang Shuwen's faction, allowing his own nephews and nieces to bully men and women, commit violence in the streets, and seize someone's land today or tear down someone's wall tomorrow... The amount of corruption was not small either."

"The matter of the butler back then?"

“Of course, they were involved.” The madam of the music academy directly admitted Guan Yin’s guess. “What could a minor official from Huizhou Prefecture do? Even if he had the guts, he couldn’t possibly have gotten his hands on so much disaster relief money by mistake.”

"As expected..." Otherwise, how could Zhang Shuwen have produced such evidence so easily? It was simply a case of sacrificing a pawn to save the king. Guan Yin immediately sensed something was amiss.

The emperor disliked making choices out of necessity and preferred to see both sides fighting each other, as this would help him mediate between them.

However, on one side was an honest scholar whom the emperor had personally promoted, and on the other side was a powerful and influential family, headed by the emperor's former tutor when the emperor was still a prince.

Not every emperor had any teacher-student relationship with his former tutor. In terms of reason and sentiment, the country came before the family, and the relationship between the emperor and his subjects came before that between the emperor and his sons. The emperor did not want the descendants of these powerful families to be too secure!
"The prevailing sentiment in the court is to suppress the arrogance of the Grand Tutor's faction, but excessive suppression is also a problem."

The emperor would then feel that he was being led by the nose by the other side, and thus would not gain any advantage.

The person who sent the letter from the capital couldn't possibly be unaware of this principle. It's just that after being in a high position for a long time, who wouldn't want to pull down their superior and sit in that position themselves?
If you can't get the emperor's position, you can always get the position of Grand Tutor. Demote an old Grand Tutor and send a new one up.

Ideally, that's how things should be in the imperial court. However... some positions aren't for just anyone, and even if they become vacant, they don't necessarily have to be filled by a new person: even if it's not the supreme throne.

"So, your survival is the best outcome."

If Ling Xiao hadn't died, neither the Grand Tutor's lineage nor Zhang Shuwen could have been punished according to the Emperor's wishes, but they wouldn't have been suppressed to the point of being unable to raise their heads, allowing the Qingliu faction to become dominant. In the ups and downs of the court, could the Qingliu faction, which had been drifting in the mud for twenty or thirty years, still be considered a completely pure and upright faction?

"Besides, your mother doesn't want you to die." The madam from the music academy rarely spoke her heart to Ling Xiao.

Just before the petition was delivered to the capital and was about to fall into the emperor's hands, the courtesan, along with Ling Xiao, helped the Cheng couple settle back into their quiet little village.

"My son, you must take good care of yourself. I don't want to lose you again." Cheng Mian left early, and Cheng's mother's heart had long been broken and pieced back together. When she learned of Ling Xiao's accident, her heart, which had been painstakingly pieced together by several girls, shattered again, and her hair turned silver overnight.

"Mother can't bear this again..."

"Father, Mother... Your unfilial son is going back to the music academy with Mother, fearing that he will bring shame to the family."

Ling Xiao was unaware that the Cheng family had talked with the madam of the music academy all night, and the madam had promised to hand over the music academy to Ling Xiao, saying that she had never had any children in her life and treated Ling Xiao as her own daughter.

It's ironic how fate works. So many women in the brothels dreamed of finding a man to "escape their misery" and leave the world that confined them.

Who could have imagined that the singer, dancer, and madam of the music academy would develop a mother-daughter relationship over time, and that strangers would develop a sisterly bond in a short period of time, yet time did not allow the woman full of romantic feelings to truly care for Ling Xiao.

"You can come visit your mother and father often."

"We're old now, and we don't care about fame, fortune, power, or status anymore. As long as we have someone who cares about us and can see us when they think of us... we'll be content!"

"Ha! The people around the Grand Tutor really know how to teach students!" The emperor picked up something he was holding, intending to hit the Grand Tutor, but finally pulled it back just before letting go.

The Grand Tutor was, after all, his teacher, and the emperor could not afford to give the world a reason to criticize him for a moment's pleasure, lest he become a laughingstock.

"Aren't you satisfied with just getting an official position? Grand Tutor, your Wang family really knows how to teach students!"