Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 265: Find a Grandfather

Hun Tian Terrace, with pavilions and warehouses.

Chen Lingzhi explained to Ren Yuan softly, "From the perspective of hindsight, Ren Gong is very much like a sword used by the emperor to suppress meritorious officials and nobles, and he has an upright character and a good reputation, so he can be called an invincible sword."

"People like this usually don't have a good ending." Ren Yuan sighed lightly.

"Yes." Chen Lingzhi nodded.
"In the second year of Tianjian, the Northern Dynasty invaded Sizhou. The offensive was so fierce that people in the city even had to carry door panels on their backs to fetch water, otherwise they would be shot to death. The governor Cai Daogong asked Cao Jingzong, who was nearby, for help, but Cao Jingzong ignored him and went out hunting in a show of force. In the end, Sizhou fell and Cai Daogong died for his country."

"When the news reached the capital, the court and the public were in an uproar. Ren Gong then impeached Cao Jingzong for being afraid of the enemy and avoiding battle, delaying military operations, and causing the fall of Sizhou. The emperor was also very angry, so he dismissed Cao Jingzong from office and stripped him of his title, and ordered him to reflect on his actions at home."

"As a result, the Northern Dynasty's Zhongshan King Yuan Ying invaded the south, and the Linchuan King fled from the battlefield, resulting in a great defeat at Luokou. The situation was extremely critical, and the emperor had to re-employ Cao Jingzong and Wei Rui to lead an army of 200,000 to rescue Zhongli." Chen Lingzhi continued:
"However, Cao Jingzong claimed to be ill and could not go out. He also privately told the eunuchs who came to inquire about his health that he was worried about slander and was not focused, so he was not suitable to lead the army."

"Humph." Ren Yuan couldn't help but sneer, "What do you mean by fearing slander? It's just to take the opportunity to avenge Ren Fang."

"That's right." Chen Lingzhi nodded and said, "I don't know if there was someone behind the scenes colluding, or if Ren Gong really angered the public, but the nobles and aristocrats soon rose up to attack him, as if 'if Ren Fang doesn't leave, the country will perish'."

"As a result, the emperor couldn't stand the pressure. For the sake of the overall situation, he had to transfer Ren Gong away from the court and sent him to Xin'an County." Chen Lingzhi continued: "The emperor once told my father that in a year or two, he would call Ren Gong back, and the two of them would supervise the officials together, one inside and one outside."

Chen Lingzhi then sighed:
"My father also admired Ren Gong very much and often said that he was a clear stream in this turbid world and a rare good official in the corrupt officialdom."

"When he was the governor of Xin'an, he enjoyed 800 dan of public land, but he only took one-fifth of it and used the rest to help the villagers. When there was a famine, he used his own salary to make porridge to help the victims, saving more than 2,000 people."

"Due to the disaster, some families abandoned their babies after giving birth. Ren Gong issued a strict order prohibiting the abandonment of babies, otherwise it would be the same crime as murder. He also provided money to pregnant women to help them through the difficult times. As a result, thousands of children survived. Officials and people throughout the county believed that they had encountered a benevolent government that had not been seen for a century, and they respected Ren Gong very much."

"It seems that there are still good officials in this era." Ren Yuan also admired him very much, especially when compared with those corrupt officials with dirty hearts and rotten lungs, Ren Fang's image seemed even more noble.

"Unfortunately, he died less than a year after arriving in Xin'an. He was only 49 years old." Chen Lingzhi sighed with regret:

"When he died, his family had only 20 dan of peach blossom rice and no money. He also left a will not to allow his family to take anything from Xin'an, so he refused to accept any gifts. When he was buried, the coffin was made of miscellaneous wood and the burial was made of old clothes. The people of Xin'an were very sad, and the people spontaneously built a ancestral hall for him and offered sacrifices to him on time every year."

"When the emperor heard the news of his death, he was eating a green melon from the Western Garden. He immediately threw the melon onto the plate, overcome with grief. He counted on his fingers and said, 'Ren Fang used to say he was afraid he would not live to be fifty, but he died at forty-nine. He knew his fate.' He mourned for him that day and cried bitterly. He was posthumously awarded the title of Minister of Rites and the posthumous title of 'Jingzi'."

After that, Chen Lingzhi lowered his voice and said, "This is just public information. In fact, on the day the emperor heard the news of Ren Fang's death, he ordered my father to secretly investigate the cause of Ren Fang's death."

"Are there any results?" Ren Yuan didn't hold much hope.

"Yes, at that time, the Gou Chen Division had just been established, and the government and the public knew nothing about our magical powers, so naturally they had no precautions. My father soon found out that Ren Gong was assassinated." Chen Lingzhi paused, and said in a deep voice: "And found out that the murderer was Wu Fashou, the elder brother of Linchuan King's new favorite concubine Jiang Wuwei."

"What?" Ren Yuan was surprised and asked incomprehensibly, "Even if Ren Fang impeached Xiao Hong, he wouldn't have wanted to kill him, right?"

"Indeed." Chen Lingzhi nodded and said, "After the defeat at Luokou, Xiao Hong has become a rat crossing the street that everyone wants to kill. As the Chief Censor, it is reasonable for Ren Gong to impeach him. What's more, Ren Gong did not pursue him relentlessly. Even if the two of them have a grudge, it would not become a mortal enemy." "What about Wu Fashou?" Ren Yuan asked in a deep voice.

"Nothing." Chen Lingzhi smiled bitterly, "When they found out it was him, he had already fled to the capital. When they tried to arrest him, he fled to the Linchuan Palace. Later, the emperor personally ordered Xiao Hong to hand over Wu Fashou, but he ended up committing suicide in his palace out of fear of punishment."

"What a suicide out of fear of punishment." Ren Yuan laughed sarcastically, "I didn't expect Xiao Niang also knew how to commit suicide."

"This matter caused a lot of uproar at the time, but it was eventually dropped." Chen Lingzhi said softly, "After Xiao Hong was reinstated, no one mentioned it anymore."

"Well, that's natural." Ren Yuan nodded, not surprised at all.

"With your intelligence, you should understand why I am telling you so much detail, right?" Chen Lingzhi gave him a sweet smile that made people feel like sitting in spring breeze.

“You’re not trying to persuade me to accept this guy as my grandpa, are you?” Ren Yuan smiled and took a sip of tea.

"It's true." Chen Lingzhi nodded.

"Puff..." Ren Yuan almost spit out a mouthful of water. "Is this necessary?"

"Yes. If you can become Ren Fang's grandson, it will be of great help to you." Chen Lingzhi answered seriously: "Now that you have offended Xiao Hong, he must get rid of you as soon as possible. My father can't protect you completely, you still need to find some support outside of the Gou Chen Division."

"Is Ren Fang's grandson valuable?" Ren Yuan asked without understanding.

"Of course." Chen Lingzhi nodded and said, "First of all, the case between Xiao Hong and Ren Gong is widely known. If you are Ren Fang's grandson, not only will you have the moral high ground, you will also become the focus of everyone's attention. It will be much more difficult for Xiao Hong to attack you again."

"Secondly, the emperor has wronged Lord Ren, and this has become a knot in his heart. Now that you have become Lord Ren's grandson, he will most likely compensate you."

"Finally, you should take a look at this." Chen Lingzhi said, taking out a file from the file and handing it to Ren Yuan.

Ren Yuan took it and took a look, it was information about an organization called "Lantai Ju".

In short, this is a literary society with Ren Fang as its core.

Because Ren Fang was serving as Chief Censor when the society was formed, and the Censorate was elegantly known as "Lan Tai", this society was called "Lan Tai Ju".

At first glance, this seems to be a very normal gathering of literati, but upon closer inspection, it is not simple at all.

(End of this chapter)