vrcanaries Chapter 144 Emperor Yongzheng: Do not believe rumors! Do not spread rumors!
Chapter 144 Emperor Yongzheng: Do not believe rumors! Do not spread rumors!
Lin Ke continued, "However, before the fourth prince had even calmed down, Li Wei sent all of Lü Liuliang's books to the capital, so Yongzheng was about to lose his temper again!"
"Oh, let me introduce this scholar, Lü Liuliang. He was born in the second year of the Chongzhen reign and was a Ming dynasty loyalist, so he never had a good impression of the Qing dynasty. In order not to keep his queue, he grew his hair long and became a monk, let alone serve as an official in the Qing dynasty!"
Lü Liuliang: I will overthrow the Qing and restore the Ming! I hate their queue hairstyle the most, it's so ugly!
Emperor Kangxi: ...Who's in the Ming Dynasty anymore?! Why are they so rebellious against the Great Qing?!
Zhu Yuanzhang: We've got Old Zhu here! So what!?
“He participated in the war against the Qing dynasty and for the restoration of the Ming dynasty in his youth, but he failed. In the second half of his life, he devoted most of his time to completing his writings.”
"The contents of these books are all about the distinction between the Central Plains and the barbarians, and to a certain extent they are negating the rule of the Qing Dynasty. In short, this person's life was basically about opposing the Qing Dynasty."
"However, this person's influence was beyond everyone's expectations. Not only was he revered as a great Confucian scholar after his death, but people also built temples and ancestral halls for him. Even locals would go to worship him before taking office."
What truly broke Yongzheng's guard was that Li Wei, whom he trusted, had also gone to pay homage to this Lü Liuliang, which showed just how deceptive this group of literati was.
Li Wei: We're doomed!
Yongzheng (staring): Can I have a moment to think before we talk?
"Immediately afterwards, the fourth brother was hit hard again, and he was about to break down again! Because the Hunan side sent over Zeng Jing's confession!"
"Unlike the prime suspect, Lü Liuliang, Zeng Jing was just a poor scholar from the mountains. He had never seen such a grand scene before. Although the letter he wrote was passionate and stirring, he was essentially just a timid scholar."
"So when it comes to confessing, he's much more pragmatic than Zhang Zhuo. It seems only Zhang Zhuo is a truly honest and naive fool! Yue Zhongqi didn't need much patience before this old scholar backed down, claiming he was a heinous criminal. Not only that, this anti-Qing, pro-Ming scholar even started praising Emperor Kangxi."
"This guilty subject, though I am in a remote valley, was deeply saddened and overwhelmed with grief upon hearing the news of the Holy Ancestor's passing. I was wrong! It was all due to Lü Liuliang's fallacies and heresies that we were disrespectful to His Majesty..."
A hot-tempered young man from the Song Dynasty: This scholar has no backbone at all! I thought he would be like his apprentice!
A romantic scholar from the Tang Dynasty: It seems that Zhang Zhuo was completely fooled by him. He was a tough guy back then, but when it came to Zeng Jing himself, he probably confessed without even being tortured much!
A scion of a prominent family in the Ming Dynasty: This guy is quite ridiculous. He actually thinks he can fool others into rebelling!
....
"Just as Yongzheng was investigating Zeng Jing's confession, he discovered that the source of the matter was actually the Eighth and Ninth Princes. It turned out that after the Eighth and Ninth Princes were convicted, their personal eunuchs were not spared either. They were exiled by the Fourth Prince. From the capital to Guangxi, these eunuchs never stopped spreading rumors!"
"Rumors spread like wildfire, and soon it's unclear where they came from. Besides, by the time Zeng Jing heard about them, they had already been circulating for quite some time!"
"Actually, it's human nature to love watching the excitement. They don't care whether the rumors are true or false, nor do they care what the consequences will be for the people involved. They just think that the gossip involving those in power is more interesting. It's just that Lao Si is having a tough time. He works hard and no one says anything, but more people believe these rumors."
"Moreover, the prime suspect, Lü Liuliang, is dead, and the secondary suspect, Zeng Jing, has backed down. Who should we blame for the reputational damage suffered by the fourth brother? The kicked-out eighth and ninth brothers?"
First Emperor: No wonder this person wrote a book to refute the rumors!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: Especially the general public involved, and on a large scale!
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: As the saying goes, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels a thousand miles!
.......
"Although the situation had unexpectedly spiraled out of Yongzheng's control, in order to consolidate imperial rule, any emperor would have sought a solution, and the fourth prince was no exception."
"However, the fourth prince is indeed quite honest. When investigating the source of the rumors, he distributed these ten charges to the ministers of various provinces. Now those who didn't know before know."
"In particular, after reading it, Tian Wenjing, who was in charge of Henan, immediately submitted a memorial to the fourth prince: 'After reading it on my knees, I cannot help but feel heartbroken. Zeng Jing deserves to be killed! Not killing him would not appease public anger!'"
"In response, Yongzheng said: To deal with such people, Lü Liuliang should be severely punished, Zeng Jing should be lightly punished, and then he should personally refute the rumors!"
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: The attempt to refute the rumors failed, and the attempt only made things worse, hahaha, it's kind of funny!
Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty: ...Is this funny?!
A Ming Dynasty soldier: It feels a bit like trying to hide something obvious!
……
"However, there is a version of the story that is widely circulated in folk tales and unofficial histories."
"Here's what happened. Fourth Brother said he wanted to severely punish Lü Liuliang, but he's already gone to the underworld, so we can only find fault with his descendants and have their entire family executed."
"In such a plot where the whole family is executed, there is always one survivor. This survivor grows up and begins to seek revenge. The Lü Liuliang family is no exception. They have a granddaughter named Lü Siniang, who is said to have escaped the massacre because she was fostered by her wet nurse."
"Afterwards, Lü Siniang mastered martial arts, sneaked into the palace, and beheaded Yongzheng."
"Despite the fame of this anecdote, it doesn't stop these two from loving each other, hahaha!"
"The unofficial history about Lü Siniang and Yongzheng's love is also widely circulated! But all of the above is pure nonsense! Because Yongzheng did not exterminate Lü Liuliang's entire family, let alone this granddaughter who never existed."
Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty (speechless): ...
A spoiled young master from the Tang Dynasty: This unofficial history is wild enough! Hahahaha, they can fall in love like this?! Aren't they separated by the fates of their families?
Da Song Chongwang Shaonian: So unofficial history isn't necessarily true, but it's wild enough, hahaha, I'm dying of laughter!
A young girl from the Ming Dynasty, who was just watching the drama unfold, exclaimed: "The score is on Lili Plain!"
……
In another timeline, Emperor Yongzheng was furious upon seeing the comments on the screen!
What a mess!
I, the Emperor, could fall in love with the daughter of a sinner?! Even a dog wouldn't believe that!
Speaking of which, wasn't the Ninth Prince the one who started this rumor?! The Eighth Prince might not be capable of doing something like that!
If they had known it would turn out this way, those eunuchs would have preferred to be executed!
……