The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Xiao Lang

“This is the Southern Chen Dynasty, also known as the Southern Chen, established by Emperor Wu of Chen, Chen Baxian, after the Xiao Liang. The Chen Dynasty has been established for more than ten years and has gone through four emperors. The current emperor is Chen Xu, the nephew of Emperor Wu of Chen, and the Prince of Ancheng.”

As the two walked along the streets of Jiankang City, Fenghuang told Xiao Jinyu about the Southern Dynasty. When he mentioned Chen Xu, the Prince of Ancheng, the boy didn’t notice Xiao Jinyu’s slight pause.

The streets were crowded with people and bustling with activity. Ox carts could be seen moving slowly everywhere. Most of the people riding in the ox carts were scholars and young masters dressed in white shirts, each holding a jade ruyi or shaking a feather fan, talking and laughing.

When they reached a less crowded place, Fenghuang leaned close to Xiao Jinyu’s ear and continued in a low voice, “I heard that this Prince of Ancheng is not a good person either. Like Gao Zhan of the Qi State, he also usurped the throne from his nephew. After ascending the throne, he suppressed and purged the important ministers of the previous dynasty. Recently, everyone in Jiankang City has been talking about one thing.”

“What is it?”

As soon as Xiao Jinyu finished asking, Fenghuang grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a bustling teahouse filled with guests.

There seemed to be a heated debate going on in the teahouse. Several young masters were even arguing until their faces turned red. The storyteller also seemed to enjoy the sense of accomplishment of being able to make people argue until their faces turned red, smiling without saying a word.

“What a pity! We will never hear such beautiful lines as ‘Once I heard of Zhou Xiaoshi, now I sing of the man under the moon. Jade dust does not leave his hand, and the streets are empty as if a sheep cart passed by’ again,” one of the young masters lamented.

As soon as he finished lamenting, he heard another voice in the teahouse snort and say, “A person who has achieved his current status by relying on his skills in bed, is he worthy of your praise?”

“What did you say?” The previous young master stood up angrily.

“Isn’t that the case? That Han barbarian was just a commoner who sold straw sandals and made shoes, with a humble status that couldn’t even be considered a poor scholar. If it weren’t for his face that captured the heart of Emperor Wen, how could he have achieved his current status? Only people like you would regard him as a role model?”

“You—”

Just as the two were arguing fiercely, a voice suddenly came, “No matter how General Han achieved his current status, he was courteous to the virtuous during his lifetime, loyal to the country, and bravely killed enemies on the battlefield. How can ordinary people despise and compare him? As the saying goes, one should not judge a person by their words, nor should one discard their words because of the person. Since he has passed away, why do you gentlemen slander him with such vulgar words?”

This voice was different from the others’ anxiousness. It carried a kind of clear and bright moonlight, as if it had washed away the noise and anxiety in the teahouse.

“Oh, Xiao Lang is here!”

Someone shouted first, and everyone in the teahouse turned their heads in the same direction. They saw that the speaker was a young master sitting in a wheelchair. Unlike other scholars, this young man was dressed in a plain dark blue robe, with skin as white as jade and affectionate eyes. He had both the clarity of the moonlight shining between pine trees and the purity of a clear spring flowing over rocks. He wore no ornaments, but gave people a sense of “meticulousness, gentleness, and elegance.”

Such temperament and appearance undoubtedly perfectly met the current Southern scholars’ pursuit of morbid beauty. However, perhaps only Xiao Jinyu could see that the young man’s handsome appearance was already a result of his body being pushed to the limit.

This young man is probably not going to live much longer!

“Young Master Xiao Xian, why do you have time to join in the fun today? Didn’t I hear that there is a young lady in your family who has fallen ill with lovesickness because of General Han’s death?” A young man wearing a tall hat and wide belt smiled while shaking his feather fan.

The young man, known as Young Master Xiao Xian, didn’t seem to mind the sarcasm in the words and only replied, “How can private family matters be casually spread as a joke for others? If it were truly lovesickness, Young Master Zhu wouldn’t know about it. How come Fourth Young Master Zhu knows better than me that there is a young lady in my family who has fallen ill with lovesickness? Could it be that someone from my family told you?”

These words were also an indirect way of satirizing him for casually fabricating rumors and slandering others. Immediately, the surrounding gazes turned to the young master surnamed Zhu, all revealing disdain. The young master surnamed Zhu’s face also turned pale.

“What are you looking at? I was just asking casually.” After saying that, Fourth Young Master Zhu flicked his long sleeves and hurried out of the teahouse with several attendants. As he left, he muttered, “Pretending to be something you’re not. You’re just an unfavored, abandoned son of the Xiao family. Do you really think that just because you have some literary talent, you can claim the title of the most handsome and talented man in Jiankang City?”

The young man named Xiao Xian still didn’t seem to care and called his attendant to push his wheelchair away.

At this time, a boy’s voice suddenly asked, “Wait, Young Master Xiao Xian, are you from the Lanling Xiao Clan?”

It was Fenghuang who asked.

The young man immediately ordered his attendant to stop the wheelchair, and his gaze also turned towards Xiao Jinyu and Fenghuang.

“Yes, may I ask what business this young master has?” Xiao Xian asked politely.

He is indeed a descendant of a noble family in the South, every gesture exudes elegance and nobility.

Fenghuang was about to answer when Xiao Jinyu grabbed his hand.

“I have long heard of the fame of Xiao Lang of Jiankang. My younger brother is just admiring your reputation and saying hello,” Xiao Jinyu said first.

Fenghuang was stunned and was about to say something when a wave of mocking laughter erupted around them.

“So it turns out to be someone who doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth and wants to cling to the Xiao family!”

After all, the Xiao family was a prestigious family. Although they had declined now, there were still many poor scholars who wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to cling to them in order to seek recommendations for official positions.

But this kind of clinging behavior often made these noble families look down on them even more.

Just as everyone was watching the show with anticipation, unexpectedly, Xiao Xian didn’t show any anger on his face. He even nodded to Xiao Jinyu with a smile and then ordered his attendant to push his wheelchair away.

After Xiao Xian left, Fenghuang couldn’t help but ask, “Qing Gege, why didn’t you let me explain just now? You could have reunited with the Xiao family.”

✿✿✿

Xiao Jinyu shook her head. “You saw it just now. Just by saying hello, we were looked down upon by others. It can be seen that the concept of social hierarchy among the Southerners is even stronger than in the North. If we rashly claim kinship, it will be counterproductive. No matter how much we say, they won’t believe us.”

Fenghuang nodded. “That’s true. Those noble families value status and never take commoners seriously. They wouldn’t rashly accept a stranger as a family member.”

People in this era valued surname and pure bloodline. Even if you were in a high position, without a noble surname, you could only be considered a commoner. Those who impersonated a noble surname would even lose their heads.

“Then what should we do?” Fenghuang became a little anxious, and then suddenly thought of something. “But, Qing Gege, didn’t your aunt leave you some tokens? She said that you could use them to return to the Xiao family and claim kinship.”

Mentioning those tokens, Xiao Jinyu fell silent for a moment, then shook her head. “Just having tokens is not enough. Firstly, we don’t know why my mother left the Xiao family and went to the Northern Qi as an official. Secondly, I still don’t know who my father is, and why my mother only lived with me and never mentioned my father. Thirdly, what do the Xiao family think of my mother? Will they really recognize me, their granddaughter?”

When Xiao Jinyu said this, Fenghuang also fell silent.

“That’s true, but Qing Gege can’t not return to the Xiao family because of these reasons, right?” The boy said, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. “How about I go and inquire about the situation of the Xiao family first?”

After saying that, he didn’t hesitate and was about to pull Xiao Jinyu’s hand and walk out of the teahouse.

At this time, Xiao Jinyu asked again, “By the way, Fenghuang, who was that Han Zigao they were arguing about just now?”

Fenghuang smiled and said, “This Han Zigao, he has the same fame as Gao Changgong in the North. There is a saying, ‘Gao Changgong in the North, Han Zigao in the South.’ A few years ago, this Han Zigao was known as the most handsome man in the South. I heard that he was originally just a commoner from a humble background, making a living by weaving shoes. During the Hou Jing Rebellion, he met Chen Qian, the Emperor Wen of Chen, who was going to Wuxing to be the governor. Because of his ‘beautiful appearance, resembling a woman,’ he was favored by Emperor Wen. Later, he was taken to fight everywhere and made many military achievements.

After that, Chen Baxian, the Emperor Wu of Chen, eliminated Hou Jing, replaced the Xiao Liang, and became the emperor. After his death, he passed the throne to his nephew, who was Chen Qian, the Emperor Wen of Chen. So this Han Zigao also enjoyed wealth and honor, and suddenly rose to become a general with great power in the Southern Chen, holding power for a time. However, I really didn’t expect that just two years after the death of Emperor Wen, Han Zigao suffered the disaster of his family being exterminated.”

After saying this, he paused and said with a dry smile, “It seems that Qing Gege is right. Since ancient times, beauties are like famous generals, not allowed to see old age. This Han Zigao can also be considered a combination of beauty and military talent, right?”

As soon as he finished asking, he heard Xiao Jinyu ask, “Hou Jing, is he dead?”

Seeing that her expression seemed a little off again, Fenghuang quickly put away his smile, put down the teacup in his hand, and nodded. “Yes, he’s been dead for a long time.”

“How did he die?”

“I heard that he was killed by one of his subordinates, Yang Kun, the son of Yang Kan. After killing him, he sent Hou Jing’s body to General Wang Sengbian. Then Wang Sengbian cut off his hands and gave them to Gao Cheng, the powerful official of the Eastern Wei at the time. He also sent his head to Jiangling to Xiao Yi, the Emperor Yuan of Liang at the time. His body was thrown in Jiankang City and eaten by all the people in the city. Even Princess Liyang, whom he had forced to be his concubine, ate a piece of his flesh!”

Liyang?

Liyang was not even fifteen years old at that time, right? And those men of the Xiao family, who were her father and brothers, how could they bear to do that?

“Sister Yuqing, your handwriting is so beautiful. Why don’t I come to your house often in the future, and you can teach me how to write?”

Seeing that Xiao Jinyu’s eyes seemed to be filled with tears, sparkling with an unusual fragility, Fenghuang quickly shut his mouth and said cautiously with an apologetic look, “Qing Gege, did I say something wrong again?”

Xiao Jinyu immediately regained her composure and said with a smile, “No, you said earlier that the current emperor of the Southern Dynasty is Chen Xu, the Prince of Ancheng. Is that Chen Shili, the nephew of Chen Baxian, who was once held hostage in Jiangling by Xiao Yi, the Prince of Xiangdong?”

Fenghuang thought for a while before nodding. “Yes, before the Chen clan replaced the Xiao Liang, he seemed to have been a hostage in Jiangling. Later, the Western Wei attacked Jiangling, and Xiao Yi, the Emperor Yuan of Liang, was defeated. He and Chen Chang, the son of Chen Baxian, were taken to the Zhou Dynasty as hostages. However, after Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he was recalled from the Zhou Dynasty and granted the title of Prince of Ancheng. As for the name Chen Shili, I don’t seem to have heard of it. Is it his courtesy name? But I remember his courtesy name seems to be Chen Shaoshi?”

After saying that, he smiled again. “I didn’t expect Qing Gege to remember such distant events.”

Xiao Jinyu smiled slightly and didn’t answer. Chen Shili was just his childhood name, but probably no one would have thought that Chen Xu, who was a hostage in Jiangling, would rush to Guangling and take her life.

She still remembered what the man had said in her ear when she died, “Don’t worry, I will definitely avenge you, and I will definitely avenge your family. Because only in this way can I gain his trust and fulfill our common wish.”

Chen Xu, the Prince of Ancheng, he really lived up to expectations…

In her previous life, she was proud and never admitted defeat to anyone. She also prided herself on her ability to judge and use people. She probably never thought that one day she would be betrayed by such a person!

Thinking about it, she smiled bitterly in her heart and couldn’t help but clench her fists again.

“Fenghuang, how long has it been since Hou Jing rebelled against the Liang Dynasty?”

Fenghuang thought for a moment and answered, “It should be almost twenty years, right?”

Is that so? It’s been that long? In other words, she was reborn twenty years later.

After pondering for a moment, she suddenly stood up and said, “Fenghuang, accompany me to Wu Yi Alley!”