Chapter 22: Scolding

Political struggles thrive on speed, striking fast and not giving the enemy a moment to breathe. Just six or seven days after Xiao Ge Lao and the son of the Duke of Mu met, Zhou Zhicheng’s younger brother, Zhou Zhizhong, who was in charge of the Ministry of War’s Civil Servant Division, tearfully arrived at the Xu family residence. Kneeling at the door, he begged:

“Uncle, please save my elder brother!”

When a relative came knocking in such distress, Xu Ge, who had been deeply pondering the ways of nature, could no longer remain unmoved. Dressed in a Taoist robe, he emerged from his secluded study and ordered someone to help Zhou Zhizhong to his feet.

“Why the urgency?” Xu Ge asked.

Perhaps he had gleaned some profound insight into the path of the transformation of Heaven and Man from the lofty words of the Feixuan Zhenjun, or perhaps the intense meditation over the past few days had left him slightly intoxicated from the effects of the elixirs, but Xu Ge’s voice was ethereal and graceful, carrying the demeanor of a truly enlightened master. 

Zhou Zhizhong, stunned, looked up to see his uncle, clad in a wide robe and flowing belt, elegantly stepping out from behind a screen.

As the head of the Civil Servant Division, Zhou Zhizhong was of course unaware that this was the favored style of the current Feixuan Zhenjun, the Celestial Emperor, known for its flowing elegance, commonly referred to as the “Great Moth” style. 

Naturally, Xu Ge did not dare to surpass the Emperor’s authority, and even when meditating at home, he only wore a simple, plain white hemp robe without any excessive designs.

In other words, it was the kind of grandiose, extravagant display associated with funerary customs.

Zhou Zhicheng had never seen much of the world and was so stunned by his step-uncle’s attire that he was left speechless. When Xu Ge Lao finally walked over, Zhou Zhicheng reacted, crying out in anguish: 

“Sir, my older brother has been harmed by someone!”

Xu Ge Lao remained calm and unhurried: “Why the rush? There is always turbulence in the officialdom. Don’t immediately claim that someone is plotting against you. It doesn’t help with unity. Tell me what happened first.”

Zhou Zhicheng, probably not understanding his step-uncle’s hint, cried even harder: 

“Sir, you don’t know, it was Yan Donglou, that villain, who personally took action, accusing my brother of imprisonment, even claiming he would ask the Imperial Censor to summon the imperial punishments! 

They’re so arrogant, looking down on the Righteous, it’s not just a slap in my brother’s face—it’s a slap in your face!”

Xu Ge Lao: ………..

Perhaps it was due to his cultivated composure, but Xu Ge Lao took a deep breath and managed to suppress his anger, which had been provoked by this pitiful relative.

He dryly asked, “Yan Donglou did this? How did he do it?”

Zhou Zhicheng sobbed, “You don’t know, sir, five days ago, the Ministry of Rites issued an official document saying that the birthday of Emperor Taizong was approaching and ordered officials below the sixth rank to write poems to praise our ancestors. 

But then, yesterday, Yan Donglou came with the son of the Duke of Mu and accused my brother of disrespecting the emperor, saying that his poetry was filled with slander. This baseless accusation, how can the Zhou family bear it?”

Xu Ge Lao… Xu Ge Lao sighed for the second time.

To be honest, if it had been another member of the Yan Dang, he would have been sure that Yan’s Dang was plotting with malicious intent, fabricating charges to exclude political rivals, using the method of a literary inquisition. 

But in the case of his own nephew, Xu Ge Lao couldn’t help but feel a bit of doubt:

Could this poor relative have really written something that could send the whole family to tson doom?

No matter what, he was still a relative. Now, crying and pleading in front of the whole family, Xu Ge Lao couldn’t refuse outright, so he said: 

“Tell me the details of what happened, so I can give it some thought.”

Zhou Zhicheng, with a large head frame and eyes full of tears, began his grievance. According to him, his older brother Zhou Zhicheng was a loyal subject who loved the country. 

After receiving the Ministry of Rites’ official document, he carefully pondered (when Xu Ge Lao heard the words “carefully pondered,” his eyelids twitched) and wrote two poems to submit. 

However, two or three days later, Yan Donglou came with his entourage, accusing Zhou Zhicheng of acting recklessly and insinuating that his words were subversive, openly sympathizing with the remnants of the Jianwen Emperor!

“My brother is loyal to the emperor; how could he possibly have anything to do with the remnants of the Jianwen reign?” Zhou Zhicheng shouted in grievance, unable to contain his anger. “But the worst part is that the Duke of Mu’s son, I never expected such venom from a noble! 

After Yan Donglou’s accusation, he even added insult to injury, claiming my brother was investigating the Ministry of Rites’ tributes, implying he was colluding with the Japanese pirates, his intentions untrustworthy!”

“My brother couldn’t bear it and tried to defend himself, saying that it was not important for the son to scold him, but such words might hurt the feelings of foreign ambassadors. 

But, but that Duke of Mu’s son became furious, first saying, ‘I just want to scold someone today, so I don’t want to scold you; but Zhou, don’t you want to go back and see the stocks in your hometown?’ and then ‘Damn you!’ before throwing a penholder at him!”

As Zhou Zhicheng recounted the accusations against his older brother, his words were vague and unclear, but when it came to recounting the Duke of Mu’s son’s insults, his memory was sharp and vivid, clearly leaving a deep impression—after all, political struggles are meant to have punchlines and explosive moments to capture people’s attention. 

The Yan Dang’s back-and-forth battles with each other usually consist of long, tedious debates filled with references, making no impression except for causing people to doze off. 

But the Duke of Mu’s son, on the other hand, created an unforgettable moment with just one “Damn you!” This would definitely make a bigger impact than a thousand references.

The officials might not remember Yan’s clever verbal attacks on his political rivals, but they would certainly never forget the phrase “Damn you!” which would haunt Zhou for the rest of his life.

In this context, it wasn’t hard to understand why the Zhou family was so devastated. Officials care about tson face above all else—how could they stand without it? If this phrase really caught on, then in the future, whenever Zhou submitted a memorial and there was a word like “damn,” the other officials would immediately think of the entire Zhou family’s head!

How could they govern and work after this? How could they even write letters and criticize others? So, despite being detained at the government office, Zhou Zhicheng had secretly sent his younger brother to request Xu Ge Lao’s intervention, hoping for a firm response.

But after hearing this, Xu Ge Lao remained silent for a long time. Truth be told, Xu Shaohu had been navigating the political scene for decades, moving like still water with hidden needles. His skills were honed to perfection, and there was no political challenge he couldn’t handle.

But the problem was, in officialdom, everyone might argue openly or secretly, but generally, no one would start with “Damn you!” 

A seasoned official like Xu Ge Lao could deal with any political situation, but he had never encountered a noble like the Duke of Mu’s son who would storm into a room and shout curses.

An official who had lived a life of comfort and prestige, Xu Ge Lao realized that he hadn’t seen such a thing in recent years. The Duke of Mu’s son, with his brutal methods, was truly something new.

A madman is still a madman. Once someone known for tson unpredictability becomes an invincible force with a government title, they are essentially unstoppable. Xu Ge Lao could make indirect jabs at the Duke of Mu’s house in the court, but the son wouldn’t understand and would remain unaffected. 

And if he used direct language, it would mean Xu Ge Lao, a leader of the Yan Dang, would have to engage in a face-to-face confrontation—something no one of his status could afford to do.

The Duke of Mu’s image had already fallen, but Xu Ge Lao still cared about his own reputation.

Thus, Xu Ge Lao found himself in a difficult position. Yet, unwilling to appear weak in front of his relative, he sighed and finally spoke again:

“The son to the Duke of Mu has always been this way, and you know that… Never mind, I’ll write a letter to the Ministry of Rites and ask them to take another look at the poetry and essays your older brother wrote.”

As a prominent figure of the “Qingliu” Dang, Xu Ge Lao also had people he could rely on in the Ministry of Rites. He could, in a similar manner, clash with the Yan Dang when it came to issues of interpretation. 

The written word could be understood in different ways, and once a certain level of expertise was reached, any explanation could make sense. 

As long as Zhou Zhicheng didn’t foolishly write things like “The Yan rebels should be punished” or “Heaven will destroy the fourth prince” in his poetry and essays, the Qingliu Dang could find ways to redeem him; it wouldn’t be easy to escape unscathed, but at least his reputation could be saved.

His relative couldn’t be stupid enough to go this far… right?

The best part was that Yan Donglou could be dismissed, but there was no way the son to the Duke of Mu could speak up in such a high-level situation. 

Once they rid themselves of this reckless, unpredictable person, wouldn’t the situation return to a comfortable zone where Xu Ge Lao could maneuver with ease? A situation where he could strategically control things with minimal effort?

After pondering this, Xu Ge Lao felt confident in his plan and was in a slightly better mood. He casually asked:

“Is there anything else?”

Zhou Zhizhong, overjoyed, quickly kowtowed: “Thank you, Uncle Xu, for your help! My family is deeply grateful for your kindness… But my older brother also asked me to seek your assistance with one more thing—the son to the Duke of Mu is too rude. 

Even if we can’t refute him directly, we should at least clear up the lies and slanders he’s spread. My older brother’s grievance isn’t as important, but he’s constantly insulting our allies, and that’s nothing less than dirtying the court’s reputation. It must be cleared up.”

Xu Ge Lao nodded slightly. He was about to agree offhandedly when he heard the last sentence—a heartfelt plea—and suddenly felt uneasy. He lowered his gaze, staring at the relative, who was prostrated on the ground with a look of grievance.

Wait a minute, hadn’t this person mentioned “the Japanese” a few times already, both intentionally and unintentionally?

This low-ranking official who had come begging, not even thinking to pity his own posterior that would soon be subjected to the court’s disciplinary staff, was actually pitying Japan, a country with silver mines?

When did my family produce such a saint who cared about the world? I didn’t know about this!

What’s going on here? What kind of relationship is this? It doesn’t seem quite normal!

Xu Ge Lao’s face remained impassive, but his heart was in turmoil. He stared at his disgruntled relative for a moment, then slowly spoke:

“Come to think of it, the censor is responsible for criticizing the court’s conduct. Didn’t your older brother’s colleagues help say anything?”

Zhou Zhizhong was baffled and indignant: “Uncle, you know better than anyone that those people are just fair-weather friends. 

How could they dare offend Yan Donglou or the Duke of Mu’s son? They just laughed when the Mu son cursed—cursed so horribly.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Ge Lao’s expression froze, and for a moment, he nearly lost his composure!

The censors of the Da’an Dynasty were “fair-weather friends”? According to the court’s old custom, censors were supposed to report matters of state, even warning the court of any misconduct. 

Despite tson low rank, tson authority was high, and they were called “mad dogs” for tson aggressive nature. Perhaps they had been subdued under the reign of the founding emperor, but in the years since, they had been just as fierce, from the ministers of the six ministries to the cabinet elders. When had they ever been afraid of the big shots?

Xu Ge Lao himself had been verbally attacked more than ten times, yet how could he not know that the censors weren’t the type to be intimidated?

Truth be told, with the censors’ unpredictable and wild nature, how could they allow noble families to bully tson colleagues? Even if they were temporarily unable to stand up to the son to the Duke of Mu, they should have risen up later, using memorials to lash out at the Duke’s family. 

The only reason they wouldn’t do this would be if—if that colleague was so disliked that even a passing dog would spit on them.

That person was just being foul-mouthed, not spineless. Could it be that they were really siding with the Japanese?

Damn it, in that case, the son to the Duke of Mu’s curses might be based on truth!

Xu Ge Lao snapped!

In an instant, his face twisted, and he almost couldn’t help but curse the entire Zhou family. But as a seasoned statesman, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and slowly spoke:

“Is that so? In that case, go back and listen to them.”

Zhou Zhizhong was delighted, but then he kowtowed again: “Please, Uncle Xu, hurry. I’ve heard that the Yan Dang and the Ministry of Rites have already colluded, and they’ll be issuing a decree soon. My older brother’s health is poor; he can’t bear this!”

Xu Ge Lao gave him a brief glance and replied indifferently:

“…Fine. I’ll make it quick.”

After sending Zhou Zhizhong off, Xu Ge Lao immediately summoned his housekeeper, instructing him to gather information, especially about any strange activities the Zhou family had been up to in the past few days. 

The housekeeper’s findings were as expected—the Zhou family had suddenly become extravagant, buying a lot of rare treasures and servants, with expenses flowing like water.

Where was all this money coming from? Xu Ge Lao’s expression was hard to describe after reading the report—he had been so engrossed in his alchemy recently that he had neglected to pay attention to the foolishness of his relative!

Having received many benefits from the Zhou brothers in the past, the housekeeper still mustered the courage to offer advice:

“Master, it’s not a big deal if the Zhou family is receiving money from the Japanese. It’s not the first time it’s happened in the Beijing…”

Xu Ge Lao’s lips twitched. Of course, he knew how the Beijing officials behaved. Because the founding emperor had been so frugal, most officials’ salaries only covered basic living expenses. 

Now, with the Taoist master’s alchemy draining the national treasury, many officials’ salaries had been converted into worthless paper money. 

Important ministers received gifts and bribes from outside the Beijing, and low-ranking officials, whose eyelids were thin, might not think much of accepting funds from the Japanese.

The Taoist master, Feixuan, had withdrawn to the Western Garden to focus on his alchemy, barely caring about such trivial matters. The official conduct had become lax, and the housekeeper’s plea was not without reason.

But the old master wasn’t dead—he was just in seclusion. If the reports were true, once Feixuan knew about Japan’s huge silver mines, his motivation to make money might…

Xu Ge Lao’s lips twitched again, and he immediately made up his mind.

“In that case, you’ll have to make a trip and pass on a message to the Jin Yiwei about Zhou Zhicheng’s punishment for me.”

The housekeeper respectfully bowed: “What message should I deliver, my lord?”

Xu Shaohu paused for a moment, then slowly uttered a sentence:

“Tell them not to listen to any rumors, and make sure to fight for me!”