The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 7 The whole story
"Really?"

That night, Xiao Yi and Zhang Mantun returned covered in blood. When Shi Deyuan heard what had happened, he clapped his hands and laughed so hard he bent over backwards.

"Hahaha, is this really a rare thing? How could he be so stupid as to dare to anger Father?"

"Stop laughing, you'll lose merit."

"No, I can't help it... Is Su Niupi dead? I'll burn paper money for him."

Zhang Mantun said regretfully, "He slipped away very quickly. Grand Tutor Yang clung tightly to the commander-in-chief and cried terribly."

"He cried? Hahaha, even an old man can cry? I really want to see that."

The more Shi Deyuan laughed, the calmer Xiao Yi became. Although he didn't know what kind of tricks the old men were up to, those who died were all lowly people.

Xiao Yi asked, "Second Brother, do you know why the Commander-in-Chief is so furious?"

"Of course I know... Hey, Zhang Mantun, you know too? Why didn't you tell Xiao Yi?"

"Shh, you can't mention this."

"Fine, don't mention it then. Go and bring me a basin of water to wash my feet."

Zhang Mantun said, "Erlang's servants are right here. How can we let the guards do these things?"

"Xiao Yi, go empty the chamber pot... Zhang Mantun, go fetch a basin of water for washing feet."

"Second Brother, don't try to get rid of me to talk about that matter. If you anger the Commander, you'll be in big trouble."

“I definitely won’t tell. Besides, if Xiao Yi heard about it, it must have been someone else who told him.”

After Shi Deyuan finished speaking, he seemed to think of something and inexplicably sighed, "Zhang Mantun, you are truly blessed to have followed me instead of the boss."

"The blessing of serving water for washing feet."

As soon as Zhang Mantun left, Xiao Yi hadn't even seen the chamber pot when Shi Deyuan stopped him.

"You want to know why your father is angry, don't you?"

"Ah."

"Hehe, who do you think looks more noble, me or the boss?"

"Of course it's you."

"It's not hard to see that, then tell me, who looks like Father's legitimate son?"

Xiao Yi was somewhat surprised. Judging from their treatment, Shi Dechong and Shi Deyuan did not seem like illegitimate sons.

He vaguely understood something.

Shi Deyuan smiled mysteriously and began to speak excitedly.

"My mother told me this story, and it's quite interesting. My father came from a farming family, and in his youth, he rose through the ranks of the Imperial Guard through his own abilities. Someone then arranged a marriage for him, and he married the daughter of an official. She was his principal wife, and it was said that she came from a scholarly family, and was proficient in poetry, calligraphy, painting, music, and chess. My father was overjoyed. He would bring Yan to every banquet to help him with drinking games, and the generals all loved to invite him. Every time they saw him, they would be all smiles. Yan even gave birth to a son for my father. Then one day, my father discovered that she wasn't an official's daughter at all. Guess what her identity was?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yi already had his answer.

But he simply waited for what would happen next.

"She's a prostitute! A prostitute, oh."

Sure enough, Shi Deyuan immediately spoke, as if sharing a priceless treasure, so excited that he danced with joy, then burst into laughter, unable to contain himself, rolling on the ground and kicking his legs wildly.

"Hahaha, those generals knew all along... Hahahaha, only Father was kept in the dark. Shi Dechong is still studying... Hahaha, of course he has to study, because his mother is a hostess..."

From this perspective, everything makes sense, but Xiao Yi recalls Su Fengji and Yan Youniang's reactions at the banquet and vaguely feels that something is amiss.

Before Shi Deyuan's maniacal laughter had even stopped, Zhang Mantun returned carrying a basin of water for washing feet.

"Erlang, you said it?"

"Of course I didn't say anything, haha, right? Xiao Yi, I didn't say anything. Ah, I'm so tired, my face hurts from smiling." Shi Deyuan pushed the loose fat on his face and said, "You will all know sooner or later that I am the father's beloved son."

Zhang Mantun curled his lip in disapproval.

Xiao Yi pondered and said, "Tonight's events are probably not so simple. Judging from Su Fengji's reaction, he did not intentionally humiliate the commander-in-chief, otherwise he would have died if he had not been careful."

“He should still be killed,” Zhang Mantun said. “Even if it was unintentional, he still offended the commander-in-chief.”

"It wasn't unintentional; it wouldn't have been such a coincidence if no one had arranged it."

"It wasn't intentional, and it wasn't unintentional, so how could it be?"

"This whole affair is so interconnected, doesn't it seem like... someone is using Su Fengji to provoke the Commander-in-Chief?" Xiao Yi countered. "Suppose the Commander-in-Chief really kills him, what would happen? Would it benefit the Commander-in-Chief?"

Zhang Mantun was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "No."

Even he knew that killing the prime minister would come at a price, and once the balance of power in the political situation was broken, Shi Hongzhao would not be able to control the situation.

Xiao Yi pressed further, "Then who will benefit?"

"You mean, someone is trying to sow discord between the Marshal and Su Niupi? Who is it?!" Zhang Mantun murmured, "Yang Bin? But he even cried, he acted so well."

Xiao Yi shook his head and pondered, "It's not Yang Bin, it doesn't align with his interests. If he were the mastermind, he would have had Su Fengji kill the commander-in-chief so he could control the situation. In the current situation, the one who benefits is..."

He paused, then slowly uttered two words.

"Your Majesty."

Although the regents had their own conflicts, they had ultimately sidelined the young emperor. Once the balance was broken, the emperor would naturally be the one to benefit the most.

Xiao Yi wasn't sure if the young emperor in the palace possessed such methods. If he did, the initial plan to use someone else to kill him might have been premeditated. Furthermore, even if Su Fengji hadn't died, the conflict between the two prime ministers had become public and irreparable; the conspiracy had succeeded.

Zhang Mantun's round eyes darted around uneasily, and he suddenly said, "Stop nagging, go to sleep."

Xiao Yi glanced at Shi Deyuan and saw that he was shrinking his neck and his eyes were darting around, looking like a thief who had stolen something.

Presumably, Shi Deyuan intended to claim these analyses as his own and curry favor with his father.

This was precisely Xiao Yi's intention. It would be too dangerous for him to personally remind the capricious Shi Hongzhao; it would be better to test him through Shi Deyuan's words.

He had originally hoped to make a contribution tonight to gain military status instead of slavery, but he'd have to find another opportunity...

--------

The next day, everything in the Shi residence was as usual, except that the servants were even more apprehensive.

At noon, just as the timely news of Guo Wei's great victory over the Khitan arrived, countless officials came to sing his praises, and the atmosphere turned jubilant.

Xiao Yi's conspiracy theories did not cause any unease, but they were not entirely useless either.

It changed a major aspect of Shi Deyuan's life...

In the afternoon, Xiao Yi was summoned to the courtyard by Shi Dechong for questioning.

Perhaps because of the matter of his birth mother, Yan, Shi Dechong's mood was somewhat affected, Xiao Yi could tell that his demeanor was not as natural and calm as usual when they met this time. He was flipping through the book in his hand, but he didn't read it at all.

"Father plans to propose marriage to the Guo family for Erlang, and this matter must be related to you."

"What does this have to do with me?" Xiao Yi asked in surprise, "Why do you say that, Young Master?"

“This morning, Erlang told Father a rather absurd thing.” Shi Dechong smiled slightly and said, “He said that everything was orchestrated by the Emperor behind the scenes in order to sow discord between Father and Su Fengji, and to make the regents fight among themselves so that he could reap the benefits.”

Xiao Yi keenly sensed his disdain and asked, "Does the Commander-in-Chief think Erlang is wrong?"

"Not only is it wrong, it's downright fanciful!" Shi Dechong said. "The Emperor ascended the throne at a young age and indulges in pleasure. His attendants are all jesters and court jesters. How could he possibly have such a scheme?"

He didn't even say "How can the emperor scheme against his subjects?" making no attempt to conceal his contempt.

Having said that, he looked intently at Xiao Yi and said, "This kind of thinking about people's hearts and understanding the current situation is something that Erlang could not have figured out. You are the one who is pulling the strings behind the scenes?"

Xiao Yi had no intention of hiding it, and replied, "Young Master is wise, Erlang did discuss this matter with me."

"As expected," Shi Dechong said. "Although you guessed wrong, you did remind Father that since he and Su Fengji could become enemies, they could also be alienated from each other. They needed to strengthen their relationship, which led to this marriage alliance."

It is evident that Guo Wei is important to historians.

"At the banquet hosted by Wang Zhang, I saw that you had considerable insight," Shi Dechong said. "Tell me, what are your thoughts?"

Xiao Yi felt that such a matter should not be asked of him, and sensed danger. Could it be that he had offended Shi Dechong because the marriage was with Shi Deyuan? But he did not know whether Shi Dechong was married or not.

"Young master, I am ignorant and have no opinion."

Shi Dechong slapped his knee, shook his head and stood up, saying, "No heart-to-heart talk, no fun. Come on, let's go to the Guo residence to propose marriage."

Xiao Yi's eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered that his analysis last night might have yielded another small opportunity...

If it were a formal marriage proposal, Shi Hongzhao should have personally visited Guo Wei's home. However, Guo Wei was currently in Yedu, with only his family remaining in Kaifeng. Therefore, Shi Dechong was to visit first to express his intentions.

Kaifeng Street is bustling with traffic.

Xiao Yi spurred his horse and followed in the procession, keeping an eye on the situation in the streets and alleys.

Suddenly, Shi Dechong in front turned around, squinted slightly, spurred his horse to speed up, but only trotted.

This trot is the most bumpy, technically called a "fast trot" or "bumpy trot," where the horse's back bounces like waves, and Xiao Yi almost subconsciously bounces along with it, his body rising and falling with the horse's rhythm.

Occasionally, he would also ride the waves, guiding the horse's pace.

After a while, Shi Deqin slowed down and deliberately rode alongside him.

"You ride a horse quite well. When did you learn?"

As a martial arts substitute, Xiao Yi's riding skills were more than good. After a moment's thought, he simply used Shi Deyuan as a substitute, saying, "Second Brother has taken me riding a few times."

"You've only ridden it a few times?" Shi Dechong smiled meaningfully. "Even in the army, there are very few people as composed, steady, and dashing as you."

"It's because Erlang taught him well."

"Like I said, without open communication, it's boring."

Suddenly, the sound of a bell drifted from afar, accompanied by the faint sound of Buddhist chants.

Shi Dechong casually said, "This is the 'Xiangguo Frost Bell.' In a moment, you will see the octagonal glazed tile hall and Paiyun Pavilion of the Great Xiangguo Temple. The Guo Mansion is nearby. Madam Chai is a Buddhist and often goes there to offer incense and pray for peace and good fortune."

Walking south along Madao Street, you will indeed see a tall building with yellow and green glazed tiles, which looks quite solemn.

Turning into the alley, a mansion came into view, with the words "Guo Mansion" written on the lintel.

"Guo, Chai..."

As if struck by a sudden inspiration, a long-forgotten memory surfaced in Xiao Yi's mind.

During the tedious history class in the afternoon, he listened attentively with his head propped up, casually underlining a line of key points in his textbook.

—"Guo Wei proclaimed himself emperor, established the Great Zhou dynasty, and made Bianjing (Kaifeng) its capital. This dynasty is historically known as the Later Zhou."

(End of this chapter)