Refusing the Marriage Alliance, I Founded a Dynasty - chapter 9

I went to the prison to see Mr. Feng.

He truly was a praiseworthy virtuous minister, sitting upright in his cell, clothes clean, hair crown neat. Though confined within prison walls, he carried himself with a calm composure.

The guards, having received my instructions, dared not show Mr. Feng any disrespect. The cell was clean. When I entered, I saw a guard carrying freshly prepared food. Upon seeing me, he hurriedly saluted.

“Mr. Feng still refuses to eat?”

The guard replied, “Yes. Since Mr. Feng entered the prison, it has been five days, and he has not taken a single bite or sip. Every day, my brothers and I buy fresh dishes from the tavern to offer him, but Mr. Feng refuses to touch them, so we have no choice but to take them away.”

I ordered someone to bring a jug of wine and entered the cell.

Feng Qing did not open his eyes, but I did not mind.

I placed two wine cups on the table, knelt respectfully, and said to him, “Mr. Feng, Yu visited your residence before and chatted for a while with your wife and son.”

Feng Qing remained unmoved.

I filled the wine cups and said, “I have a question. May I ask Mr. Feng to resolve my doubt?”

He was silent for a moment, then looked at me and asked, “General, you are one chosen by Heaven, and your Mentor is a great sage of our time. Why would you seek me for answers?”

I saw his face pale and ashen-these past days must have been his limit.

I poured the wine down my throat. It was wine from the West Market Tavern, not of the best taste, but on the march, supplies are scarce, and to drink such wine is already a rare treat. What was there for me to complain about?

I asked, “All the civil and military officials of the former Yin dynasty are but idle seat-warmers. Mr. Feng, being among them, must know the truth best. What I do not understand is, how could a man as upright and unyielding as you become Chief Minister of the Dali Temple and yet remain unscathed?”

The court is rotten to the core; the clear-headed are the ones most deserving of death.

Feng Qing probably did not expect such a question from me and actually smiled, though the smile was tinged with effort and weariness. “When the Sage Emperor is without virtue and the ministers are all treacherous, they always need a target to appease the people and control public opinion, so that this dark world may have a glimmer of light.”

Pitiful that though he understood the truth, he could not break free.

I mused, “They hate you to the core, yet cannot do without you, all because of the overwhelming will of the people that they fear?”

Feng Qing replied, “Exactly so. In the past, for the sake of the people, I once beat an Aristocratic Youth who was bullying others in the street. The Aristocratic Families wanted to punish me, but the people shielded me with their own bodies. When I left office, the people presented me with the Ten Thousand People Umbrella. When my Mentor appointed me to the Dali Temple, the people celebrated, for their days would improve-they finally welcomed a just official, and would no longer be left with nowhere to turn after being oppressed. The people treat me with such sincerity; I could never betray them, even at the cost of my life.”

After entering the city, I had walked its streets.

A blind old woman held my hand and said, “General, please release Lord Feng. He is a good man.”

The blacksmith told me, “If not for Lord Feng’s help, my daughter would have been taken by an Aristocratic Youth, her fate uncertain. General, please take my life instead and let Lord Feng go!”

A young woman washing clothes said to me, “General, if not for Lord Feng, I would have been bullied by ruffians and thrown myself into the river. Please spare Lord Feng!”

A widow holding her child said, “General, it was Lord Feng who helped my son and me reclaim our seized family property. Lord Feng is a good man!”

The owner selling soy milk said, “General, I once blocked the road of an Aristocratic Family because I closed my stall late. If not for Lord Feng, I would have died under their horses.”

Seeing Feng Qing’s astonished expression, I realized I had shed tears. I raised my hand to wipe them away and said to Feng Qing, “Since you are unwilling to serve as an official, then leave!”

Seeing him silent, I continued, “In the past, I never believed there could be someone like you in the court. Only today do I see that there is still light in this world. As you said, though Yu is a rebel, I am not a villain. I did not wish to kill you before, and now I cannot bear to do so. Therefore, you should leave and reunite with your family.”

Feng Qing smiled at me and said, “General, your righteousness is admirable, but I, Feng, am unworthy of your favor. I wish to live and die with Great Yin.”

I stood up and questioned him, “Do you serve Great Yin, or the people?”

Feng Qing asked me, “What is the difference?”

I said, “Magistrate He served Great Yin. When the city fell, his whole family died for the country, facing death calmly, without a trace of resentment. I respect him. You wish to die for your country, but because I have shown benevolence and restrained my troops, your wife treats me with courtesy, and after today’s conversation, it is clear your loyalty is to the people. If so, what difference does it make whether the Meng Clan or the Li Clan rules the world? If you serve as an official, you can see whether the Meng Clan’s actions benefit the people. That is better than dying in prison and leaving only regret.”

Feng Qing looked at me, his gaze strange. “What use am I, that the General treats me so?”

Indeed, my father’s court is full of talented people-why insist on Feng Qing?

I said to him, “Mr. Feng, I too have been oppressed.”