In March, turmoil stirred ceaselessly within the city of Dongjing.

The initial cause was simple enough: the court's liquidation of accumulated abuses, stripping away unearned privileges and inherited positions. Ironically, the ensuing uproar was quite turbulent.

At first, when the court began addressing the matter, unable to ascertain whether the six households whose homes were searched were involved, many interested parties spread rumors and made sarcastic remarks with strong probing intentions. This was the first wave of public unrest.

The target was clearly Zhao Guanjia (the Emperor) and the court's new policies.

However, the court responded with an exceptionally firm stance.

Not only did the court intensify the pursuit of unjustly acquired privileges, but, crucially, their theoretical leader and greatest hope, the Grand Councilor Lu Haowen, publicly expressed his support for the court. Zhao Guanjia even issued an edict, ordering the Imperial Bodyguard to vigorously investigate the source of the recent rumors and sarcastic poems, and personally dispatched the Imperial Guards to raid homes and make arrests... At this point, their probing and sarcastic remarks quickly ceased.

Because most of them were well aware that these remnants of the old era, these surviving sons of bygone power, lacked true strength.

But as the saying goes, the tree desires tranquility, but the wind never stops. Just as these former dignitaries were actively trying to disappear to ensure a peaceful transition, a 'secret' from the Jin court that spread almost simultaneously – namely, that the Jin State Chancellor and Grand Marshal Nianhan had imprisoned the Jin Emperor – greatly stimulated the existing bureaucratic system, the scholars and students in the capital, and even the ordinary people of Dongjing.

These people initiated the subsequent public unrest.

A powerful minister, and a well-known one at that, one of the masterminds behind the Jingkang Incident, had suddenly done such a thing. The rumors flew thick and fast:

Some said that Wanyan Wugunai (Emperor Taizong of Jin) favored peace, while Nianhan favored war. Now that Nianhan had imprisoned the Emperor, he would soon lead a large army south to avenge his beloved general, Wanyan Loushi.

Others said that Wanyan Wugunai might not necessarily favor peace, and Nianhan might not necessarily favor war, but since Nianhan had imprisoned the Emperor, his next step would be usurpation. And to usurp the throne, a powerful minister always needed to offer something to buy people's hearts and establish prestige. So how would barbarians like the Jurchens buy hearts and establish prestige?

By plundering the Central Plains, of course!

Therefore, at this time, Nianhan would have to go south even if he didn't want to, and even if he didn't want to fight, he would have to lead a large army to fight a decisive battle with the Great Song!

Of course, some people were a bit more optimistic, saying that Nianhan was a truly talented and powerful minister, and that he might act in the overall interest and proactively negotiate peace with the Great Song.

But the problem was, even if they were to negotiate, would the negotiations be easy? What about Shanbei, Shandong, Hebei, and Hedong? Would the Emperor agree? Perhaps the 'peace' would eventually lead to war!

In short, regardless of their specific views, almost everyone felt that since such a momentous event had occurred within the Jin court, it would inevitably affect the state level... And at this time, the court had to act swiftly and decisively, quickly ending those pointless internal 'disturbances' and concentrating on dealing with the north.

Under these circumstances, others who had previously held a neutral attitude towards 'recovering unearned privileges' immediately changed direction and chose to offer unlimited support to the court and Zhao Guanjia's policies.

In other words, Zhao Guanjia's political prestige came from leading the Great Song to withstand the invasion of the Jin from the north. And no commoner, including officials and dignitaries, wanted to experience the Jingkang Incident again. Therefore, even if everyone had a conservative instinct, a desire for stability, once faced with the potential threat from the north, not only would Zhao Guanjia's power be unrestricted, but he would also receive tremendous support in terms of public opinion.

Don't forget, that deeply ingrained great collapse was only five years ago!

Correspondingly, those former dignitaries quickly found themselves under attack from the bureaucratic system and public opinion.

Among the common people, everywhere they said that these people were Jin spies!

Some scholars and students in the capital, at a higher level, might know that these people were unlikely to be spies, but believed that they had actually affected the country's preparations for war and should be dealt with swiftly and severely.

Public tolerance for these people instantly dropped to its lowest point.

The most representative event was that dozens of slightly radical students submitted petitions to the palace and to the Honglu Temple Gazette, directly requesting the court to take extraordinary measures in extraordinary times, treating these people as 'Northern spies' for the time being, detaining them in concentration, and dealing with them after the crisis, to ensure a calm posture towards the north.

The court would certainly not listen to these words, but undoubtedly, the bureaucratic system quickly became tense, and this tension, combined with the Emperor's political promise to compensate for the past few years of half salaries, plus rewards and posthumous awards to loyal officials since the Jingkang Incident, created a double stimulus... Which forced the entire bureaucratic system to quickly cut ties with these people, and the efficiency and intensity of dealing with this matter reached a new level.

As for the protagonists in the eye of the storm, those former dignitaries of the lavish era, who later fled to Yangzhou and then returned, and who had no real merit during the Jianyan era, never imagined that a senile old man thousands of miles away suffering a stroke would directly affect their lives... It was as mystical as a story from "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons."

However, the documents for recovering unearned official positions and investigating previous rumors and sarcastic poems were absolutely real.

Speaking of the turmoil, one evening, Zheng Yinian, having returned home from gathering information, went directly to his elder brother Zheng Xiunian's bedroom. After dismissing the servants, he questioned his brother face to face within the room:

"Brother, tell me the truth, are you involved with those slanderous lyrics from the Hanfang Garden? Why does everyone I ask say that you were among those present at the Hanfang Garden that day?"

Zheng Xiunian, who had been feigning illness at home for the past few days, was deathly pale and remained silent for a long time.

Seeing this, Zheng Yinian understood. He rose, forcefully stamped his foot on the ground, turned around once, and then questioned his brother: "Brother, how could you be so muddle-headed?"

"Isn't it because I genuinely feel some resentment in my heart?" Lying on the couch, wrapped in a small blanket, pretending to be sick, Zheng Xiunian was extremely dejected and could only explain in a low voice. "The land is gone, and even the honorary official positions that the Supreme Daoist Emperor bestowed upon our brothers are about to be taken away. Only some floating wealth remains, which we are consuming without earning. Thinking of how prosperous our family was in the past, but now it is gradually declining in my hands, I am naturally indignant... And that day, while watching Cuju (ancient Chinese football) I happened to be drinking some wine with some relatives and friends in a private room, and we discussed this matter. When my resentment welled up, I wrote that little poem before leaving..."

"What good does resentment do?" Zheng Yinian was furious. "That's a Guanjia who leads troops!"

"At the time, I felt that the Guanjia was not very strict outside of military matters," Zheng Xiunian frowned slightly on the couch. "Who knew that this Guanjia would turn his face so quickly? After all, I always felt that our brothers' official positions were bestowed by the Supreme Daoist Emperor, and our Zheng family could be considered a family of prime ministers for generations, plus relatives of the Empress Dowager. How could he be so inconsiderate of appearances? To be honest..."

"To be honest, the Supreme Daoist Emperor is nothing!" Zheng Yinian, seeing that his brother was still somewhat deluded, was completely enraged. He interrupted and shouted at the top of his lungs in front of the bed. "The Supreme Daoist Emperor has to mend his own clothes in the Five Kingdoms City! He couldn't stand the hardship and cut his clothes into strips to hang himself, but he didn't even have the courage to die. He cried there bare-chested and had to ask the Jurchens to find needles and thread and have the Empress Dowager help him sew them back together... What dignity does such a person have?! And you still want to rely on such a person's dignity?!"

Zheng Xiunian was startled by his brother.

But Zheng Yinian was clearly completely enraged, his face twisted as he continued relentlessly. "Brother, let me ask you, do you even know where the word 'dignity' comes from? If you don't know, I do! After going to the Five Kingdoms City, I understood that if you want dignity, you need the strength to back it up. But where does strength come from? From soldiers and horses! And today, whoever holds the soldiers and horses has dignity! Whoever's soldiers and horses are the strongest and bravest has the most dignity! The Jin people are strong and brave, so the dignity is given by the Jin people. Later, the Guanjia gritted his teeth and trained 200,000 Imperial troops over five years, and he also became the most dignified person in the world! But what about you? You know nothing about dignity and strength! You actually think you can rely on a prisoner in the Five Kingdoms City to talk about dignity with the most dignified person in the world? You're not seeking dignity, you're burying our entire Zheng family for something that's already been lost!"

"Second brother, you're exaggerating," one dignity after another, Zheng Xiunian was frightened by his brother and could only try to soothe him.

"Exaggerating my ass!" Zheng Yinian was still furious. "Brother, I only ask you one thing, have you thought about what we'll do when Yang Yizhong comes to investigate? Do you really know what exile is like? I'm telling you, after a trip to the Five Kingdoms City, your brother only thinks that Dongjing is a paradise! But you insist on making our entire family of dozens of people suffer with you? Not to mention, you wrote those slanderous lyrics, it's fair to charge you with criticizing the Emperor and inciting unrest. Then, not only will the whole family be exiled, but you yourself will lose your life!"

Thinking of the most immediate threat, Zheng Xiunian softened his tone again: "When I wrote the poem that day, there was only a servant holding the inkstone beside me..."

Halfway through his sentence, the two brothers froze simultaneously. Immediately, Zheng Xiunian tried to get out of bed, but Zheng Yinian, his face ashen, directly raised his hand to stop him.

"What do you mean by this, second brother?" Zheng Xiunian lowered his voice. "Learning from past mistakes, shouldn't we get rid of him?"

"There's no escaping..." Zheng Yinian's voice was trembling. "The key isn't that person, but the current public opinion is condemning us, and the Guanjia is extremely dissatisfied with me for bringing back the letters from the two Emperors that day. In this situation, those people can't wait to punish us severely to please the Guanjia... Therefore, as long as they come to our house, keeping that servant will be a witness, but getting rid of him will be evidence of our guilt!"

"Then..." Zheng Xiunian finally panicked completely. "Should I give him a generous reward?"

"Under torture, how could he withstand it?"

"Is there really no way out?"

"I can't think of one." Zheng Yinian's heart was ice-cold, but he was still trying to think. "You wrote the poem with my situation in mind, the lyrics say 'Better to return home and be a commoner.' Anyone can think of me in connection with this, that's the first thing. And among the people who watched Cuju that day, you were clearly a suspect. A little investigation will reveal that, that's the second thing... So, Yang Yizhong finding our house is only a matter of these two days. Since he's going to find us, leaving this loophole is completely hopeless."

Zheng Xiunian was at a loss.

Zheng Yinian angrily punched the bedside table: "If I had known this, I would have really gone to Jinan, I could have lived for another half a year! Maybe I could have been exiled a year or two later..."

Zheng Xiunian paused slightly, but stopped himself from speaking.

Zheng Yinian looked at his brother's expression and also paused.

"Let's run away..." Zheng Xiunian said cautiously in a slightly trembling voice. "Second brother, let's run away! With our family background, if we go to Jinan, Liu Yu will definitely treat us as honored guests. We can be high officials there, amass some wealth, and when Zhang Jun and Yue Fei turn around to attack, we'll escape from the rear by sea, go to Goryeo, go to Japan... When the world is at peace, we can change our names and come back, or maybe we won't come back at all... Isn't this a way out?"

Zheng Yinian's eyes flickered, and he remained silent for a dozen breaths before shaking his head in a panic: "This is a way out... But brother, have you thought about what will happen to your wife, nephews, and nieces? If we take them with us, how can we escape? And if we leave and don't take them, after we've enjoyed a lifetime of wealth and luxury, they'll be implicated and imprisoned. How can we bear that?"

Zheng Xiunian was completely desperate... How could he bear to leave his wife and children?

But at this moment, his brother Zheng Yinian slightly covered his mouth and nose under the lamplight, and cautiously said: "But if only elder brother escapes and I stay, it would be a win-win situation..."

Zheng Xiunian looked up blankly at his younger brother, clearly not understanding.

"Brother..." Zheng Yinian took half a step forward and carefully explained in a low voice in front of the bed. "You went to the Cuju field that day, we can't hide this. Otherwise, I would definitely take the blame for you and let you go to Kaifeng Prefecture to report it, to seek acquittal..."

Zheng Xiunian was stunned, but stared fixedly at his younger brother.

"Brother, you go to Jinan, I will take care of your wife for you." Zheng Yinian finally gritted his teeth and said. "Now, this is the only way to protect our entire family!"

Zheng Xiunian opened his mouth to argue, but could not say a word, and could only sit blankly on the couch.

"Brother, leave, a strong man should have an eighty or ninety percent chance of escaping." And Zheng Yinian, seeing that his brother was unwilling to speak, simply laid out the plan completely, as a response. "After you leave, I'll delay for half a day, and then go to Kaifeng Prefecture to report it, both as an act of righteous indignation and as a means of pleading with our relatives and friends to ask for mercy, so that the disaster doesn't extend to your wife and children... At that time, brother can amass money in Jinan, escape to Goryeo, then secretly return, while I will stay in Dongjing to support the family and take care of your wife for you... This is the proper way to live! If you ask me, if you can be ruthless, don't alert your wife and children. Take advantage of the darkness, immediately disguise yourself and sneak away. I'll send you to the night market on Ma Xing Street to wait. At dawn, leave the city with the people from the night market heading east, straight to Jinan!"

After listening for a long time, Zheng Xiunian suddenly burst into tears on the bed, holding the small blanket.

He wept not because he was at his wits' end, but because, after thinking it over, his brother's plan was truly the best solution at hand... But the more he realized this, the more reluctant he was to leave his wife and children and the Dongjing where he had grown up. And the more reluctant he was, the more he understood that he had to leave quickly.

Now, he could only say that he regretted his actions!

If he had drunk less wine that day, and listened less to the instigation and encouragement of the Gao Yaokang and Gao Yaofu brothers (both sons of Gao Qiu), he would not have caused such a disaster.

Thus, Zheng Xiunian wept for half a day, and was finally, like a log of wood, semi-forcibly changed into a servant's clothes by Zheng Yinian. Then he was dragged by Zheng Yinian, pretending to be master and servant, and went out through the back door, preparing to go to the night market on Ma Xing Street.

However, as soon as the two brothers left the back door, after walking no more than fifty or sixty steps, they were blocked at the alley entrance by a group of strong men carrying lanterns and taken to a pan-fried dumpling and tofu stall across the alley.

Under the lamplight, facing Yang Yizhong and Wan Qixie, who were drinking tea with tofu, the Zheng brothers were deathly pale. Zheng Xiunian, who had once had a glimmer of hope, collapsed directly to the ground.

The owner of the pan-fried dumpling and tofu stall and the owner of the tea stall next door had been taken away long ago. Yang Yizhong looked at the brothers, but revealed a rare expression of confusion: "How are you two so clueless? With such a big loophole in the Hanfang Garden poem, why did you only think of running away today? Do you two know that the third son of the former Grand Commandant Gao Qiu reported yesterday that his two elder brothers met with you at the Hanfang Garden and directly implied that you wrote the slanderous poem? If we hadn't been waiting for you brothers, we would have launched a large-scale arrest long ago."

The Zheng brothers were completely speechless. After a long time, Zheng Yinian stepped forward and cupped his hands: "You two have worked hard."

"Hard work isn't the word," Yang Yizhong didn't know if he was feeling stifled in the palace, but his expression became more animated. "It's just that I and Imperial Censor Wan have eaten three meals of pan-fried dumplings and tofu here, and it's not good to eat anything else... I'm young, so it's fine, but Imperial Censor Wan just said that his stomach was bloated last night!"

"Alright..." Wan Qixie was also powerless and waved his hand directly. "It's Zheng Xiunian who wants to leave, right? Then leave! After you get to Jinan, you have two things to do... One is to find Hong Ya, the pseudo-Qi Prime Minister, and establish contact with him, not too directly, keep it subtle, and he will understand. The other is to tell the abbot of Lingjiu Temple in Jinan everything you can find out about the situation there. That way, not only will your wife and children be safe, but your brother will also be appointed to a substantive position, and you will have a good outcome in the future..."

Zheng Xiunian was momentarily at a loss, still not having reacted.

Wan Qixie and Yang Yizhong exchanged glances, both with some suspicion. But Zheng Yinian couldn't help but press his brother and made a kowtow on the ground.

"It would be better if you had written the poem," Yang Yizhong couldn't help but shake his head at the sight of this.

"After returning from the Five Kingdoms City, how could this official be so muddle-headed?" Zheng Yinian smiled bitterly. "This official can eat pan-fried dumplings and tofu for the rest of his life and not feel bloated."

Yang Yizhong also laughed, but first paid for the tofu, then stood up on his own, and made a gesture of yielding, asking Wan Qixie to go first, before leading a dozen strong men away directly... as if they had never been here waiting for rabbits.

And Zheng Xiunian finally woke up at this time.

The next morning, a huge piece of news broke in Dongjing: Zheng Xiunian, the maternal grandson of the late Prime Minister Wang Gui and the eldest son of Prime Minister Zheng Juzhong, fled in fear of punishment. His brother, Zheng Yinian, righteously denounced him, took the initiative to confess, and confessed on the spot in Kaifeng Prefecture to a reactionary group that was dissatisfied with the Guanjia and the court and had repeatedly gathered to 'criticize the Emperor' and 'slander the chief ministers'.

The eldest and second sons of the former Grand Commandant Gao Qiu, his brother Zheng Xiunian, his cousin Wang Huan, and many sons of chief ministers and grand commandants were all among them.

The court did not hesitate and immediately rounded up these people. Except for Zheng Yinian and Gao Yaoqing, who confessed, they were all stripped of their family status and a reward was offered for the capture of Zheng Xiunian... This incident also marked the official end of the public opinion turmoil in Dongjing in early March.

The work of stripping unearned privileges and inherited positions was no longer hindered.

The only regret was that, a few days later, it was confirmed that Zheng Xiunian had successfully fled to Jinan and had been appointed by a delighted Liu Yu as Attendant and concurrently Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.