Chapter 26: Duke of An

Chapter 26: Duke of An

Shen Yunhe, a man of legend.

Born into poverty, he relied on relentless study day after day, rising from a poor scholar to achieving the top score in the imperial exam.

This alone was already an achievement beyond the reach of countless scholars, yet Shen Yunhe's legend did not end there.

After winning the top honors, Shen Yunhe embarked on a meteoric rise that seemed to defy gravity.

From a compiler at the Hanlin Academy, he moved to secretary, then vice minister, and finally Minister of Personnel at the Ministry of Personnel.

He rose from a powerless, connectionless top scholar of humble origins to a powerful court official in just over a decade.

He soared upward without hindrance, his official career flourishing, envied by countless people—a rarity in any era.

Thus, Shen Yunhe was not only the Minister of Personnel but also a role model for countless scholars, especially those from humble origins, who regarded him as the ultimate role model for their life's ambitions.

It is no exaggeration to say that Shen Yunhe held an unrivaled, supreme position in the hearts of scholars from humble backgrounds.

Yet this very man, revered by scholars across the realm, had a hidden side to his story that few knew.

And perhaps that was the true reason for his meteoric rise and flourishing career.

Back then, Shen Yunhe, young and already a top scholar, coupled with his handsome appearance and dignified bearing, caused quite a sensation in the capital.

It was said that many noble families favored him, and rumors even circulated that several legitimate sons of noble families had come to blows over him.

But Shen Yunhe set his sights exclusively on the youngest son of the then Duke of An, and before long, the two were betrothed.

Half a year later, they were wed, and he became the son-in-law of the then most revered Duke of An.

Duke of An...

Cheng Yi was utterly stunned.

His shock was justified, for this Duke of An was none other than the one executed thirteen years ago for treason and usurpation—the Duke of An, Gongsun Yude.

As everyone knew, Great Yao had two legendary war gods.

One was the commander of the Northern Defense Army guarding the northern frontier—Cheng Pohu.

The other was the commander of the Annanzhou Army guarding the southern domain—Gongsun Yude.

Both war gods were indispensable to Great Yao, their contributions to its stability were monumental, and so the late emperor had bestowed the title of Duke upon both.

One was Duke Zhenguo, the other Duke of An.

They were the only two Dukes in Great Yao at the time, and no meddling Wang family had a hand in it.

Moreover, the two were kindred spirits and close comrades, jointly defending the Great Yao realm and protecting its people.

The peace and prosperity of Great Yao would have been impossible without their desperate sacrifices back then.

But thirteen years ago, a sudden upheaval drove this Duke of An to a corner.

The Duke of An rebelled.

He led thirty thousand Annanzhou troops to surround the capital and storm the imperial palace.

The entire nation was shocked.

Everyone thought the capital was about to change hands, that blood would run in rivers, yet within a single night, word spread across the capital that the Duke of An's rebellion had been crushed and he had been killed on the spot.

This was followed by the execution of the entire Duke of An household—in one night, blood ran like rivers, and not a single soul survived.

At that time, Cheng Yi was just a child under four.

Even now, he vaguely recalled the panic that gripped the capital—even the busiest, most prosperous streets had shut their doors, with not a soul in sight even in broad daylight. Cheng Yi had been confined to the mansion by his mother, forbidden to go out, while his eldest brother watched over him daily, fearing he might slip away the moment he looked away.

Not long after, his grandfather retired from the northern frontier, and it was from then on that Cheng Yi began to stay by his grandfather's side.

Cheng Yi still remembered that during his early days at the Duke Zhenguo's mansion, the entire household was shrouded in an oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.

His grandfather seemed irritable, his face perpetually grim, the servants treading on eggshells, and the stewards and guards all wore cold, stern looks.

Cheng Yi's cousins, including Cheng Lang, all kept their distance from the Duke Zhenguo's mansion, avoiding it unless absolutely necessary.

Only Cheng Yi, that fearless little troublemaker, was the exception.

He not only showed no fear of the grim-faced Duke Zhenguo but would constantly approach him, saying things others wouldn't dare say and doing things others wouldn't dare do.

Looking back now, his grandfather's mental state back then was likely influenced by the tragic death of his close friend.

He couldn't help but wonder whether his grandfather's early retirement from military service was linked to this matter.

A lifelong comrade-in-arms suddenly rebelling and being executed along with his entire household—even from afar, there was nothing he could do to stop it, no way to change the outcome.

It must have weighed on him.

Fortunately, that little rascal Cheng Yi appeared at that time, unknowingly lifting some of the gloom.

Perhaps that was why the Duke Zhenguo was especially fond of Cheng Yi, his grandson, and showed him particular care, while Cheng Yi's cousins bore no jealousy at all, feeling it was well-deserved.

Cheng Yi snapped back to reality.

The world only knew that the Duke of An had suddenly staged a coup and rebellion, leading to the execution of his entire household, but few knew the specifics.

On closer reflection, the whole affair reeked of suspicion—such a hasty coup, such an abrupt conclusion, as if everything had happened suddenly, yet also as if it were all staged.

It seemed he would need to find his grandfather for a detailed discussion someday; he likely knew a great deal about the real story.

His attention turned back to Shen Yunhe.

When he married the youngest son of the Duke of An, the Duke was at the peak of his power, while Shen Yunhe was merely a lowly compiler at the Hanlin Academy.

Like any other scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, Shen Yunhe slowly bided his time at the Hanlin Academy, building seniority.

Ordinarily, a new top scholar like Shen Yunhe, hailing from a remote countryside with no connections in the capital, would be assigned to a local post as per standard procedure.

Starting as a county deputy or county magistrate, he would climb step by step, slowly building his resume.

Some would languish for ten or even twenty years, and some might never set foot in the capital again for the rest of their lives.

But thanks to the Duke of An's pull, Shen Yunhe spent only a year at the Hanlin Academy before being directly transferred to the Ministry of Personnel as a secretary.

In the following years, he rose even faster, reaching the position of vice director of the Ministry of Personnel in just three years—a pace that said it all.

By all logic, the Duke of An's crime of rebellion was a grave offense that would inevitably drag in many people, and as his son-in-law, Shen Yunhe would surely be caught up in it.

Yet remarkably, when the Duke of An's household fell, Shen Yunhe was not implicated at all and was soon promoted to Vice Minister of Personnel half a year later.

That was truly shocking.

Moreover, less than half a year after the Duke of An's downfall, Shen Yunhe's first spouse, the Duke of An's youngest son, Gong Sunyin, passed away from illness.

Then, less than half a year later, Shen Yunhe married the younger brother of the then Imperial Noble Consort as his second spouse—namely Wang Shuci.

Later, the Wang family rose to greater power. Five years ago, the Imperial Noble Consort was elevated to Empress, and the Wang family became the most powerful family in the capital.

Duke Wang was also ennobled at that time.

Many people of Great Yao actually recognize only two Dukes, and Duke Wang always seems somewhat out of his depth when facing Cheng Pohu—putting on airs on the surface, but secretly lacking confidence.

Shen Yunhe's first spouse bore him two children: a legitimate eldest son and a legitimate eldest young master.

When he passed away, the eldest son was only five, and the youngest barely three.

The youngest was Shen Yichen.

Later, Wang Shuci bore him another son, named Shen Qinglan, whom he doted on like a precious gem.

But just a year later, Shen Yunhe's eldest son drowned in a lake, passing away quietly at the tender age of seven.

At that time, Shen Yichen was also only five years old.

Having already lost his father's care, he then lost his only brother. Cheng Yi couldn't bear to imagine how he had endured those years.

No wonder that day, even when he was knocked out by the smoke from the fire, he still clutched the memorial tablet tightly in his arms—that was the only person he cherished, yet that person had been gone for over a decade.

Worth mentioning, and rarely known to outsiders, is that this Minister's residence is now home to not just two young masters, but also an extremely low-key second young master born of a concubine, Shen Qingzhu.

Even more intriguing is that this concubine-born second young master is only three months younger than Shen Yichen.

Yet who in the capital doesn't know that when Shen Yunhe married the Duke of An's youngest son, he vowed to have Gong Sunyin as his only spouse for life, and would never take a concubine?

According to the Shadow's detailed investigation, before the Duke of An's downfall, Shen Yunhe indeed stayed above reproach with no rumors of concubines, and he even became a role model for many noble sons and daughters seeking husbands in the capital.

Thus, it's clear that the concubine now hiding in the Minister's residence and his son Shen Qingzhu were completely unknown before Shen Yichen's father passed away.

This Shen Yunhe—the more one digs, the more shocking he becomes.

Cheng Yi then thought of Shen Yichen in his past life. He had stood alone and openly accused Shen Yunhe, a high-ranking court official, of murdering his husband and son—was it possible that he had discovered something?

If his father's and brother's deaths were truly connected to Shen Yunhe, what pain must he have gone through?

What a tragedy that in the end, he not only failed to seek justice for his father and brother but also brought ruin upon himself, condemned by thousands.

How utterly hopeless must he have felt then?

He must have come to hate this world completely.

When he wept so bitterly beside his own corpse, it must not have been just for Cheng Yi, but also for himself.

Though the Shadow's investigation was painstakingly thorough, it was difficult to uncover the secrets of those years, especially since over a decade had passed.

Many things had faded away over time, and some matters, being too scandalous in nature, had been deliberately concealed.

The fact that Shen Yunhe managed to weasel his way out of the Duke of An's rebellion showed that his cunning and ruthlessness were far beyond that of ordinary men.

Moreover, Cheng Yi suspected this wasn't just about saving his own skin. After all, their emperor was famously paranoid; unless Shen Yunhe had done something specific, he would never have been let off the hook.

Furthermore, Shen Yunhe later became the Minister of Personnel, the chief of the Six Ministries.

In short, the entire affair smelled fishy, and the hidden details could only be uncovered bit by bit.

But for now, he could go ask the Old Duke—perhaps he might turn up something unexpected.

As for Shen Yichen, after leaving the Rain-Listening Pavilion, he strolled around with Chuliu for a while, and by the time they returned to the Minister's residence, dusk was falling.

The moment they entered, several sullen-faced young servants surrounded them.

"Eldest Young Master, my master requests your presence."

The speaker was Fu Liu, the personal servant of Shen Qinglan.

With such a bitter tone, it was clear they had been waiting here impatiently for some time.

Thus, they were all seething with resentment, and seeing this master and servant duo strolling in so leisurely only fueled their anger.

With a glance from Fu Liu, several servants moved to seize the pair with scowls.

Shen Yichen sneered: "This young master can walk on his own. If you dare touch me, you'll regret it."

Chuliu played along and raised his chin:

"You all know full well what my master is capable of, and my master is about to marry into the Marquis Zhongyong's household. You've all seen what kind of man our future master is—better watch out, or you'll regret it."

Chuliu truly regarded Cheng Yi as a rock, utterly missing the rueful look in his own master's eyes.

The servants didn't believe Shen Yichen had any standing in the Marquis Zhongyong's household, but the scene of Cheng Yi flying into a rage interrogating Zhu Dazhuang that day was indeed fresh in their minds.

Thus, they ultimately held back somewhat and dared not overstep.

When Shen Qinglan saw Shen Yichen swaggering in, he flew into a rage and hurled the teacup at Fu Liu.

"You useless piece of trash."

Shen Yichen clicked his tongue twice, oozing sarcasm, but his gaze landed on a figure and his heart skipped a beat.

Shen Yuzhu.

Unlike the brainless idiot Shen Qinglan, this man put on a cold, aloof front but was in truth the most vicious.

Tonight's going to be a tough one.

Just as he was thinking this, he heard Shen Qinglan scream hysterically:

"Grab this bastard! I'll shave his head clean with my own hands!"

"Shen Yichen, you're nothing but an unwanted bastard! I'll pay you back a hundred times over for what you've done to me, and you ruined my engagement? Hahaha, don't think you'll get married either!"

"Today, I'll slash your face to pieces!"

With that, Shen Qinglan came at Shen Yichen, scissors in hand.

He looked completely unhinged.