Chapter 207: Such High Standards! Let Me See! (2 / 2)

Rustle, rustle, rustle—

Many turned their heads to look at Chief Compiler Song, curious about how he would respond.

Chief Compiler Song hesitated for only a breath before decisively declaring: “Starting today, it’s official! The Song family of Guangping has always had an unparalleled passion for recording history because of our ancestor’s admiration for the Dunhuang murals. Every generation has produced a few individuals devoted to historical documentation!”

—So, their family indeed should have a private history book that conveniently recorded the story their ancestor drunkenly told his son about the past!

Tonight, he’d ensure this private history book was completed and offer it selflessly to His Majesty!

Sorry, dear ancestor!

This matter spread privately.

The aristocratic officials who had previously been crying out in protest: “?!”

So there really were hidden opportunities after all?!

—It might not have been a “good thing” for the ancestor, but for them, it certainly was!

The noble families, many of whom were connected through intermarriage, gathered in one place. With solemn expressions and hesitant glances, they exchanged looks.

Should they take the gamble?

One official suddenly slapped the table and stood up: “This matter is already decided! Sticking your neck out is a knife, but shrinking back is also a knife! Besides, this might be an opportunity—let’s do it!” With that, he strode off to Wenhua Hall!

The other officials forced themselves to take deep breaths and calm down.

He’s right. Whether you stretch your neck or pull it back, there’s a knife waiting—so let’s first see how painful it is for that colleague to take the blade!

The bold colleague was from the Qiao family of Chuansha, currently holding the rank of Taizi Zhanshi (Mentor to the Crown Prince), a third-rank official.

When he arrived at the entrance of Wenhua Hall, he found that Chief Compiler Song had already adjusted his mindset and was now enthusiastically circling Xu Yanmao.

“Xu Lang, are you serious? His Majesty doesn’t intend to replace me with you?”

“Hm, what are you reading? Oh! The historical notes about my ancestor. It’s a pity I can’t tell which parts are true and which are false.”

“If the truth is uncertain, historians must select refined language and discard the bizarre. Personal bias should not determine what is included. Even if something stems from rumors without written confirmation, it should still be recorded in the annals.”

“For example, the story of my ancestor’s reincarnation…”

Here, Chief Compiler Song paused, rubbing his stomach, which was beginning to ache again. “Although tales of reincarnation, auspicious omens, and prophetic dreams are often found in official histories, they always originate from the accounts of emperors and high-ranking officials. That’s why they’re recorded in historical texts. But to claim my ancestor was a reincarnation of a loyal minister from the early days of the dynasty—this is just an absurd folk rumor. Our family has never acknowledged such claims, so it must be categorized as ‘bizarre.’”

Xu Yanmao listened attentively, absorbing this valuable work experience.

—A university student may be naive and inexperienced, but they’re not ungrateful. When a senior takes the time to break things down and share their expertise, it feels like a blessing from a compassionate deity!

The senior official then shifted his tone, almost casually: “However, the second part—whether my ancestor had an improper relationship with Emperor Shen of Chu…”

[Of course there’s no improper relationship! Scandalous rumors have always captured attention since ancient times—no exceptions, myself included, guilty as charged.]

[Moreover, after Emperor Shen spared his life, ancestor privately petitioned Zhou Shizong to allow Emperor Shen to live freely as a commoner, and Zhou Shizong agreed—hmm, now that I think about it, could this have been the seed of the rumor? A small truth twisted into wild gossip over time?]

“Thank you so much, Xu Lang! You truly are a good person!”

Chief Compiler Song didn’t hesitate at all, seamlessly continuing the conversation in a perfectly natural tone: “This is, of course, nonsense.”

[Pfft—]

Chief Compiler Song glanced at Xu Yanmao suspiciously, but the latter’s expression remained completely normal. If he hadn’t clearly heard the inner voice, he wouldn’t have noticed the other person silently laughing at all.

Strange, what about his words was funny?

Unable to figure it out, Chief Compiler Song, still puzzled, continued: “The Song family does have a private history record, and it happens to document the truth behind this matter. I’ll present the family history to His Majesty shortly to assist in the compilation of the Zhou History.”

[Wow! The Guangping Song family actually has a family history! That’s such a blessing—they can avoid so much unverified folklore. Not like the Qiao family of the Taizi Zhanshi, whose books were destroyed in a great fire during the war. Who knows, maybe some priceless family records were lost in that blaze.]

[Wait, does that mean the glorious achievements of their ancestor, who dominated court debates, are gone too?]

The Taizi Zhanshi, sweating from rushing over, wiped his brow. His chest heaved with excitement.

See! He knew it—this was an opportunity!

Adjusting his robes, the Taizi Zhanshi composed himself, put on a smug smile, and walked confidently into Wenhua Hall under the envious gazes of his colleagues.

[What a shame. Back in the day, Grand Academician Qiao once humiliated his political rival, the old Minister of Works, who had a deeply wrinkled face. He opened with, ‘Your words, when attacking others, are as fierce as an eagle. How can I, after debating with you, face the rest of these little chicks of adversaries?’ The Minister of Works opened his mouth three times but couldn’t utter a word and awkwardly retreated back into the ranks.]

[For three years, the Minister of Works was mockingly called ‘Brother Eagle’ by his colleagues—three years! The day he was first labeled ‘manly,’ he scraped his official boots to shreds after court! Hahaha!]

The Taizi Zhanshi stumbled, smacking his forehead against the door with a loud thud.

His pupils quaked.

What in the world?!

Wasn’t his ancestor supposed to be known as “The Qiao Family’s Beautiful Jade”? How did he end up like this?!

—Overwhelmed by shock, he momentarily forgot all reverence for his ancestor.

[And then there was the Hanlin Academician, rolling up his sleeves and stepping forward to rebut Grand Academician Qiao. He wagged his tongue and hurled slander, only for Qiao to watch him quietly. When the Academician paused for breath, Qiao sighed, ‘I truly wish to get along with you. But since we cannot stand on the same side, I can only be a heartless person and hurt you over and over again.’]

[The Academician, thoroughly humiliated, fled in tears on the spot.]

[—Awkward beyond words.]

The Taizi Zhanshi stared blankly into the void, his eyes hollow.

He understood now.

In this moment… though it felt almost sacrilegious, he genuinely sympathized with his ancestor’s political enemies.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a historian furiously scribbling away. His body stiffened as despair filled his gaze. “No, don’t—”

The historian, sensing his stare, looked up and met his eyes. After a moment of silence, the historian gave him a small nod.

The Taizi Zhanshi was overjoyed.

Then, without mercy, the historian turned his back to him, blocking his view, and resumed writing with even greater vigor.

The Taizi Zhanshi: “…”

The century-old reputation of the Qiao family…

Nearby, another official let out a low wail: “The honor of my ancestor’s good name…”

Turning to look, the Taizi Zhanshi recognized the person lamenting—it was a descendant of “Brother Eagle.”

And with this incident, people might start referring to their family as “that clan as rugged and manly as Brother Eagle.”

Tragic. Truly tragic. Even worse than the Qiao family.

This thought flashed through the Taizi Zhanshi’s mind, and for a moment, he felt slightly comforted.

At least their Qiao family wasn’t the most miserable!

[In those years, Grand Academician Qiao was incredibly illustrious. His political enemies didn’t dare face him head-on, resorting to quietly submitting memorials to the emperor to impeach him.]

[When he was later sent as an envoy to Champa, nearly all his adversaries lined the streets to see him off.]

[Wait! This is recorded somewhere. I think it even gave rise to an idiom. What was it…? Oh! ‘A noble jade in essence,’ used to praise a gentleman of exceptional character, so respected even by his enemies.]

The Taizi Zhanshi was utterly numb.

So that’s the truth behind the street-lining send-off?!

[But Grand Academician Qiao could be ruthless too. Champa had its Champa rice—high-yield, drought-resistant, and fast-growing. While most rice varieties took four to five months to mature, Champa rice matured in three months.]

[Amazing stuff, truly. Grand Academician Qiao immediately sought to trade for it.]

[Did Champa refuse at the time? Oh, right! They were still in a neutral-to-hostile stance back then.]

[Grand Academician Qiao shamelessly brought in troops to attack Champa. When asked what justification he had, he actually said: ‘Champa has brought Zhou’s rice onto their land—such shameless theft!’]

[Who’s the shameless one here, my dear Grand Academician?!]

[But, honestly, for the sake of food, we can overlook some moral high ground.]

The Taizi Zhanshi: “…”

So much for their “Qiao family’s noble jade”…

Forget it. Maybe they should start calling themselves the Qiao family’s “marble” instead. At least… at least their ancestor didn’t do anything truly scandalous, right?

—His expectations were already so low.

“Even though it’s one cut whether you stick your head out or pull it back, there’s no avoiding it. But…”

This cut hurt far too much.

At this moment, tears welled up in the eyes of these officials from noble families.

[A house of orchids and books, a lineage of scholars, the Henggang Peng family, embodying jade-like purity and brilliance.]

[What an elegant reputation! Let me take a look!]

The Peng family official shut his eyes in despair.

Ancestor, forgive your unworthy descendants, for they dare not stop this madman.

A eunuch suddenly developed male characteristics:

Luan Ba, courtesy name Shuyuan, was a native of Neihuang in Weijun. He loved the Dao. During Emperor Shun’s reign, he served in the inner court as a eunuch but was later assigned as a Yellow Gate official, which did not align with his interests. Luan Ba was straightforward by nature and well-versed in the classics. Despite being a palace official, he avoided mingling with the usual inner court attendants. Later, his yang energy was restored, and he requested retirement. He was subsequently promoted to Langzhong, then further to the position of governor of Guiyang.

Excerpt from Hou Han Shu:

And also noted:

Luan He, a native of Neihuang in Wei Commandery during the Eastern Han, was the son of Luan Ba and served as Governor of Yunzhong.

—Hou Han Shu

A eunuch grows a beard:

“With a tall and robust physique, an impressive appearance, and a beard of a dozen strands growing beneath his chin, his skin and bones were as strong as iron, making him unlike other eunuchs.”

—Song Shi

Reincarnation in official histories:

Cui Xian, whose father Cui Rui served in Zelu, encountered a Daoist who called himself Lu Lao, claiming to know past and future events. Rui hosted him at his home, but one day, Lu Lao prepared to leave, saying: “When I die, I will be reborn as your son.” He then pointed to a mole beneath his mouth as a sign. When Cui Xian was born, he had the same mole, and his personality and spirit resembled Lu Lao. His father named him accordingly. He eventually became the Observation Commissioner of Shan and Guo.@@novelbin@@

—Jiu Tang Shu

(There are more examples, but let’s not list them all here.)