Chapter 124

Chapter 124

[After the Transmigrated Man Broke Off His Engagement to the Princess – 7]

Jiang Yingchen was an ordinary man. How could he withstand severe torture? He wept for his parents and sobbed until tears and mucus covered his face, confessing everything from his twenty-first-century parents’ names to the last time he had wet his pants.

The interrogators had seen such behavior many times. Observing him, they knew the demon’s mind had reached the verge of collapse. With no further doubts, they took his signed and fingerprinted confession to Su Zhong.

The interrogation had drawn no blood, and Su Zhong had heard and witnessed the entire process. He had no reason to doubt it. After ordering the demon guarded carefully, he entered the palace to report to the Emperor.

Ying Zheng sat on the imperial throne and listened without moving an eyebrow. He read the confession, then nodded. “Execute the demon. As We said before, enfeoff Jiang Weier as a Commandery Lady. You will handle the matter personally.”

Su Zhong accepted the command and withdrew. Upon returning to the Court of Judicial Review, he did not pause before heading straight for the prison.

Even if the demon had lost his powers and was temporarily restrained, Su Zhong could not relax. He needed to watch the man die with his own eyes.

The torturer asked respectfully, “Chancellor, did His Majesty’s decree specify how the demon should be executed?”

“It did not.” Su Zhong glanced at Jiang Yingchen’s drenched face, uncertain whether it was covered in tears or sweat. His expression became compassionate, and he sighed. “The soul within belongs to a demon, but the body belongs to my late friend’s son. Since His Majesty did not specify the method, why should I leave his corpse incomplete?”

He asked, “What did you call the first method you used?”

The torturer bowed. “Paper Masking.”

Su Zhong waved his sleeve.

The torturer acknowledged the order and approached.

Jiang Yingchen had already been tortured to the verge of collapse. His eyes were vacant, and he lay motionless on the floor.

He remained dazed when the torturer drew near. Then another sheet of wet paper covered his face. Jiang Yingchen abruptly understood. He struggled violently and thrashed with all his strength, but nothing could save him.

He died yet again.

…

Bright sunlight streamed through the window, yet Jiang Yingchen felt as though he remained inside that dark and terrifying prison. His eyes flew open. As if the light had stabbed them, he screamed and covered his face with both hands.

The gesture brought him back to himself. Trembling, Jiang Yingchen lowered his hands and looked around the unmistakably modern room. He burst into tears of joy!

He was back!

He had returned alive yet again!

For the first time, he felt genuine fear and unease toward transmigration.

Even though he entered an ancient world with which he had gained some familiarity.

Even though the identity he replaced enjoyed a standard of living far superior to that of most people in the same world.

He had truly died three times!

The fear of death could crush a person completely, never mind experiencing it three separate times!

If he died once more, it would be real. He would never transmigrate back again!

“What do I do?! What am I supposed to do next?!”

Jiang Yingchen’s face was bloodless. “Small inventions don’t make money. Salt and iron are state monopolies, and touching them means death. Cooking draws competitors. Meeting acquaintances lets them expose me, and then I die even more horribly. What else can I do?”

His overwhelming desire to survive inspired his mind, and Jiang Yingchen rapidly patched the holes in his plans. “If soap isn’t profitable, forget it. If salt and iron are deadly, stay away. Cooking draws rivals, but it still makes money. I can accept smaller profits; that’s better than nothing. If acquaintances can expose me, I’ll limit contact with outsiders. I won’t meet Su Zhong. I’d rather lose a powerful patron than lose my life…”

At the thought of Su Zhong, venom flashed in his eyes. He wanted revenge, but Su Zhong was the exalted Chancellor while he was merely a fallen gentry son. Their power was utterly unequal. What could hatred accomplish?

“I won’t meet Su Zhong. I should avoid Jiang Weier too and marry her off quickly. I can change my surroundings and befriend people I’ve never met before. Yes, I’ll say I’ve only just recovered from a serious illness and want to leave the imperial capital to clear my mind…”

“No, I need to research more famous poems and take them with me. My entire rise depends on them! I also need to read more books and try to place first in the imperial examination. Qidian has countless transmigration examination novels. If all those fellow transmigrators can rise to wealth and power, why can’t I?!”

With those thoughts, Jiang Yingchen opened Baidu and began searching frantically. He compared the results against the famous poems remaining from his exam preparation and deliberately avoided works containing too many literary allusions. Once he had memorized most of what he needed, the familiar dizziness finally arrived.

This was his final transmigration. Life or death, glory or ruin-everything depended on this attempt!

After his previous experiences, Jiang Yingchen did not dare behave too strangely when he opened his eyes. He drank his medicine, then said he felt better and wished to sit in the study.

Everything proceeded extremely smoothly. Jiang Yingchen’s gloomy mood gradually lifted. The sun had only just risen within his heart when a crack of thunder announced an approaching storm.

That familiar, hateful voice appeared again, dripping with sarcasm. “Little brother, you’re here? Have you decided how you want to die?”

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

Jiang Yingchen silently recited amen, then decided to treat the damned System like flatulence. He would neither listen nor respond.

Liu Che did not care. He chuckled twice and began cracking sunflower seeds.

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

Jiang Yingchen clenched his fists and began silently reciting, “When others anger me, I won’t be mad. If anger makes me ill, no one can take my place…”

He became twice as cautious in secret. He introduced new dishes and profited from the restaurant. When he discovered others copying him, he did not grow angry. Instead, he voluntarily published the recipes, winning a good reputation for both himself and the Jiang Family.
He could not remain in the imperial capital. Too many people there knew the body’s original owner. Sooner or later, he might run into Su Zhong, or Jiang Weier might notice something amiss.

Jiang Yingchen claimed that he wished to travel and clear his mind while pursuing his studies. After coaxing Jiang Weier into staying behind with a mixture of persuasion and firmness, he departed for Luoyang. There, he assumed a false name and began moving among the scholars.

Having died several times in succession, Jiang Yingchen had finally learned a degree of caution. He did not dare form close relationships. Instead, he released one plagiarized poem every seven days to build his reputation.

He knew his own literary attainments were abysmal, so he never composed verse or traded poetic lines in public. He also refused to discuss the Four Books and Five Classics. No matter how insistently his new friends invited him, his lips remained sealed. He imitated the original owner’s mannerisms from memory and maintained a pensive silence.

That performance truly fooled quite a few people. They concluded that he possessed immense literary talent but was simply eccentric and withdrawn.

Jiang Yingchen rejoiced inwardly while maintaining a detached expression. Two months later, someone bestowed upon him the elegant sobriquet of the Silent Young Master. Since every famous poem he copied was a treasure distilled from five thousand years of Chinese civilization, his admirers multiplied, and his fame soared throughout scholarly circles.

The identity Jiang Yingchen used was false to begin with. As he interacted with more people, inconsistencies inevitably emerged. Others followed the clues and investigated. With Jiang Yingchen having privately instructed his family servants not to conceal too much, Luoyang’s powerful clans soon learned that he was no impoverished scholar. He had been born into a meritorious noble house, only losing his title after his father’s conviction.

As the old saying went, even a wrecked ship still had three thousand nails. The same principle applied to the Jiang Family.

Besides, compared with the thin and unremarkable tale of an impoverished scholar, the story of Young Master Jiang was far more appealing. He had been born into a household of bells and cauldrons, only to taste all the fickleness of the world after his family’s decline. Now, after years of silence, he had astonished everyone with his brilliance!

Better yet, he had raised his little sister to adulthood. Unwilling to owe favors, he seldom even visited Su Zhong, a Chancellor and old family friend. He kept himself above reproach and did not have so much as a concubine or bedchamber maid…

With one halo after another piled upon him, Jiang Yingchen seemed to glow with golden light. He instantly became the finest young man in the eyes of the aristocratic clans and the dream lover of secluded, unmarried maidens.

Jiang Yingchen had never lacked money. Now he was famous as well, socializing exclusively with Luoyang’s elite and basking in their admiration. Everything proceeded so smoothly that, amid his elation, he began to suffer from a certain illusion.

Whenever people drew infinitely close to power, they tended to feel as though that power belonged to them.

In short, Jiang Yingchen’s head began to swell.

After generations of strategic marriages in the ducal household, the original owner’s appearance had improved considerably over that of his forebears. He could not be called the most handsome man of his age, but he was at least above average. Combined with the lingering prestige of his ancestors and his supposed talent, this was enough for several eminent families to consider investing in his future by marrying him one of their daughters.

These dignitaries did not know that Jiang Yingchen had plagiarized every poem. Nor did they know that it was the original owner who had refused to cling to the Chancellor and kept himself morally above reproach. They merely saw a young man of dazzling literary talent who surely possessed profound designs. He understood the virtue of keeping his mouth shut and showed none of an ordinary youth’s impetuous arrogance. With the Jiang Family’s connection to Su Zhong added on top, was he not the perfect son-in-law?

The men went home and mentioned him to their wives. The noblewomen made further inquiries and discovered that, yes, he was rather handsome, dependable in character, and blessed with heaven-sent genius. True, he had yet to earn an examination degree, but the moment he sat the examination, success would surely fall into his hands. His future was limitless. Better still, both his parents were dead, so their daughter would become mistress of the household the moment she married in…

Why hesitate over such an excellent prospective son-in-law?

Then they investigated a little further and discovered a problem.

When Young Master Jiang’s grandfather was alive, he and the late Emperor had arranged a marriage. Although both men who made the agreement were now dead, the betrothal had never been canceled.

Compete with a princess for a husband?

On second thought, never mind!

Jiang Yingchen naturally knew that several powerful Luoyang families wished to marry their daughters to him. Even as he reveled in his success, he did not forget to evaluate them one by one.

This family’s daughter was born to a concubine. No!

That one was legitimate, but she had several older brothers and would inherit very little. No!

This one was legitimate and had no older brothers. Unfortunately, her mother’s womb had proved useless and produced only one daughter, so the family property would pass to her younger half brother. Would that fellow ever treat Jiang Yingchen as a proper brother-in-law? No to her as well!

This one was decent. She was legitimate, had one older brother, and her mother remained in favor. Unfortunately, her maternal family was of modest rank and could not provide him with the greatest possible assistance.

He might as well choose the Liu Family’s daughter. Her family background was the best, and her mother was even a County Princess of the imperial clan. Marrying her would make him kin to the imperial family. The only problem was that the young lady resembled her father and was somewhat ugly.

Jiang Yingchen found that regrettable, but he soon consoled himself. It did not matter. He could always take concubines!

He had arranged everything beautifully in his own mind and dropped several hints to the Liu Family. At first, they responded enthusiastically. Then their attitude abruptly cooled.

Unable to understand why, Jiang Yingchen quietly asked about it over a banquet. The Liu Family’s eldest son told him the truth. “When Duke Jiang was alive, he reached an agreement with the late Emperor. Who under Heaven would dare steal a husband from a princess?”

After seeing the man off, Jiang Yingchen began calculating in his room.

There was no shortage of daughters born to the Reigning Emperor, but some were too old and others too young. Those close to Jiang Yingchen’s age had already married or become engaged. The oldest unbetrothed princess was only eleven, a full seven years younger than he was.

Surely he could not be expected to wait several years before marrying!

That was what Jiang Yingchen thought, but he was not foolish enough to say it aloud. If he truly appeared before the Emperor, he would naturally claim that he was too old and unworthy of a princess.

Once he finished considering that matter, Jiang Yingchen turned his thoughts back to the imperial examination.

He had to sit it.

For one thing, these great clans would not commit to marrying their daughters to him until he had an examination degree and proved his worth. For another, only after earning a degree could he become an official and finally put his network of connections to use.
It all came back to the same point. The protagonists of imperial-examination novels always swept first place at all three levels. Why should he, a transmigrated protagonist, be incapable of the same?

Jiang Yingchen brimmed with ambition. “Even if I don’t become the top laureate, third place is the absolute minimum!”

Liu Che immediately squealed with laughter like a pig.

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

Jiang Yingchen pretended not to hear him and sat down at the desk to read.

Then the damned System asked, “Little brother, were you the top scorer in your province on the gaokao?”

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

The damned System continued, “Which one did you attend, Tsinghua or Peking University?”

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

The damned System said, “Oh, neither? What happened? Didn’t like them?”

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

The damned System asked, “Did your gaokao score even cross the first-tier university cutoff?”

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

The damned System asked, “Did you rank among the top hundred in your province?”

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

The damned System added, “Top thousand would be fine too.”

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

The damned System cried out in theatrical astonishment. “No way! Surely there isn’t really someone who couldn’t even reach the first-tier cutoff in modern times but dreams of becoming the top laureate after traveling back to ancient times?!”

He sneered. “Little brother, when it comes to fighting, you know better than to humiliate yourself by challenging a martial arts master. So why does your ego swell this much when brains are involved? You never ranked in the top thousand in your province, yet third place in ancient times is your bare minimum? Zhao Zilong was made of nothing but courage. Are you too? What else could make you dream so boldly?”

Jiang Yingchen: “…”

Jiang Yingchen’s face turned livid. He raised his middle finger. “Damned System, fuck your mother!”

Liu Che: “Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!”

The imperial examination was clearly not so easy to pass.

The original owner had been both diligent and hardworking, and the education he received was enough to crush that of the general populace. Yet even he had never dared sit the examination. That fact alone spoke volumes.

As for Jiang Yingchen…

In all honesty, his natural aptitude was worse than the original owner’s, and he possessed none of the man’s diligence or perseverance. Success would have required a miracle.

Jiang Yingchen opened the *Book of Documents* and glanced at a random passage. The printed text read: “The King said: Thou art an old servant. Thou canst greatly ponder distant matters. Knowest thou not how King Wen labored? Heaven kept secret and secure the place of our accomplished work; I dare not but bring King Wen’s designs to their utmost completion.”

He recognized every individual character, but when they were strung together… Sorry, that was wrong. There were two characters near the end he did not recognize at all.

For someone who had never encountered the *Book of Documents* to suddenly be examined on it was no different from dragging an elementary school student into a university calculus exam.

Jiang Yingchen’s expression froze. With mechanical movements, he closed the *Book of Documents* before him.

The path of passing the imperial examination and entering officialdom was blocked. He would have to find another way after all.

He would have to raise his prestige, become a standard-bearer of the scholarly world, and wait for the imperial court to summon him to service.

That was his only option.

Jiang Yingchen rubbed his forehead and thought bitterly for a long time. At last, his eyes shifted, and a scheme came to him.

…

The twenty-first day of the fourth month that year marked the seventieth birthday of Luo Yuan, the Duke of E.

He was a highly respected veteran of three reigns, and seventy was a truly venerable age. Even Ying Zheng left the palace and visited the Duke of E’s residence to celebrate, bestowing enormous honor upon the occasion.

Although the Duke of E had retired and no longer took part in government, his rank and seniority remained formidable. With the Son of Heaven himself in attendance, every person seated in the hall was an important minister or high official. The Duke of E’s two sons sat below to accompany the guests.

Jiang Yingchen’s grandfather had been close to the Duke of E while still alive, so Jiang Yingchen found a way to approach him. The Duke wished to lend a hand to the descendant of an old comrade and granted him this opportunity. When he saw the harmonious mood at the banquet, he asked casually with a smile, “Your Majesty spends your days within the palace. Have you ever heard of Six-Foot Alley?”

Ying Zheng sat at ease in his chair. “What is Six-Foot Alley?”

The Duke of E laughed heartily but did not elaborate.

His son understood and stepped forward to reply. “It began with an amusing incident in Tongcheng. Your Majesty governs countless affairs each day, so it is only natural that you have not heard of it. A family surnamed Wu lived beside a family surnamed Jiang, with an alley running between their homes. When the Wu Family expanded their residence, they wished to occupy the alley. The Jiang Family refused, and the two households fell into a bitter dispute. The Jiang Family eventually wrote to a relative in the capital and asked him to use his influence against the Wus. When they received their relative’s reply, however, they were deeply moved and immediately withdrew their wall by three feet. Their neighbors felt ashamed when they saw this and withdrew by three feet as well. From then on, the lane became known as Six-Foot Alley.”

“Oh?” His interest piqued, Ying Zheng asked, “What did the letter say?”

The Duke of E smiled. “Better to let the man himself tell Your Majesty.”

Ying Zheng arched one swordlike brow, took a sip of tea, and sat upright.

Still unaware of the danger, Jiang Yingchen followed the etiquette he had been taught. He entered quickly with his head bowed, performed a grand obeisance, then lowered his head respectfully and did not dare speak without permission.

Nothing in Ying Zheng’s expression revealed joy or anger. “What did you write in that letter? Recite it for Us.”

Jiang Yingchen suppressed his excitement and replied respectfully, “This commoner merely wrote a poem.”

Ying Zheng asked, “What poem?”

Jiang Yingchen drew a deep breath and recited with dramatic cadence, “A letter crossed a thousand miles, all for a wall. What harm in yielding three feet to a neighbor’s call? The Great Wall still stretches ten thousand miles today, but Qin Shi Huang has long since passed away!”

Ying Zheng: “…”

Ying Zheng: “………………”

Liu Che once again squealed like a pig. “Brilliant, little brother!”