Chapter 117: The Kong Family's Path to Breaking the Stagnation, Zhang Yi's Rescue Plan

After Zhang Yi gave him that warning, Kong Ne spent his days pondering the dilemma.

What was the way out for the Kong family? What could a family caught in the churning tides of history actually do? He had no answer. That cursed Taoist Zhang Yi had left behind a riddle that had tormented him for days. Now that Zhang Yi had presented this condition, it was a difficult offer for Kong Ne to refuse.

"What do you want me to do?" Kong Ne asked testily, sitting back down with an indignant expression.

"When the time is right, I want you to plead with the Crown Prince on my behalf."

"I won't do it. Do I look like a fool?" Kong Ne refused without hesitation. Although the Crown Prince seemed kind to him, he was, after all, the Crown Prince of the Great Ming. If he were to say something wrong and cause the Emperor to rain down divine punishment upon him, he might be able to handle it, but he could not risk the consequences for his grandfather or the Kong family. Most importantly, the very mention of the man deep within the palace terrified the Kong family. He lacked the courage to face that Emperor, even if...

"Come, let’s go somewhere else. It’s not convenient here. You can tell me about the Crown Prince on the way," Zhang Yi suggested, glancing at the women passing by.

"How about my place?"

Zhang Yi rolled his eyes. "Your home is likely riddled with the Emperor’s spies. Is that a place to talk? Let’s go to my Taoist temple."

Zhang Yi pulled Kong Ne up, and the two headed toward the temple outside the city. Upon arriving at the Qingxin Temple, Deng Zhongxiu was still meditating in the main hall. Seeing Zhang Yi return, he asked loudly, "Junior brother, why are you back so early?"

Zhang Yi didn't explain, simply telling Deng Zhongxiu not to let anyone disturb them before leading Kong Ne to the backyard.

"August, a change in the heavens... it’s because of me. My father deduced the fate of the Northern Yuan and knows their time is up. By August at the latest, the Yuan capital will surely fall!"

Back at the temple, Zhang Yi knew his first priority was to convince Kong Ne. His identity as a Taoist was quite useful when it came to revealing certain parts of the future. Kong Ne looked thoughtful, then stared at Zhang Yi with half-belief.

"If your family’s position as Celestial Masters was usurped, couldn't your father see that coming?"

The question was awkward, but Zhang Yi’s composure remained unshaken. "Fortune tellers cannot foresee their own fate. It is natural that my father cannot see things related to Dragon Tiger Mountain. Think about it: while your Kong family was busy fence-sitting, my Zhang family threw our lot in with the current Emperor early on. The Emperor even came to our mountain to seek an omen of 'Heaven’s Mandate.' If we hadn't seen the truth clearly, would we have defected so quickly? We weren't afraid of the Mongols returning and razing our temple to the ground."

Kong Ne considered this and found it logical. Wasn't his own family paralyzed by fear, only to end up alienated by everyone? In contrast, the ruthlessness of the Taoists from Dragon Tiger Mountain had allowed them to secure a firm footing in the new dynasty. Though they had been disciplined by the Emperor, what were those minor storms compared to the plight of the Kong family?

"I’ll believe you. Go on... but I must make it clear: even if you give me the answer, I cannot guarantee I will risk everything to plead with the Crown Prince for you!"

Zhang Yi nodded. "Have you ever wondered why you were sent to Yingtian?"

Kong Ne paused, lowering his head in thought. With only the two of them present, there was no need for pretense. "Because my family offended the Emperor, so he needed someone in the capital as a hostage..."

Zhang Yi shook his head. "If he just needed a hostage, wouldn't your grandfather, who has been playing the fool, be the best one? Why you? And don't listen to the rumors outside; I didn't stay in the capital because the Emperor ordered it. I stayed of my own volition after speaking with my father! So, the assumption that because the Zhang family left a hostage, your family must also do so, is invalid."

It was the first time Kong Ne had learned the truth about why Zhang Yi remained in the capital. He was stunned. He had wanted to stay, and the Master had actually agreed? Thinking of Zhang Yi’s capabilities, Kong Ne began to trust him more.

Zhang Yi continued, "Since the Emperor doesn't need you as a hostage—at least not for that reason—then why are you here?" Before Kong Ne could answer, Zhang Yi went on: "First, we must consider how the Emperor intends to deal with the Kong family. Actually, his handling of your family ended the moment your father, Kong Xixue, was titled Duke Yansheng. Your grandfather tried to be clever and offended the Emperor, so he was trapped in Yingtian as a countermeasure. Given this, you came to Nanjing, and as you said on the way, the Crown Prince came to greet you. Have you not sensed the political significance behind that?"

"What political significance?" Unlike the wily Zhang Yi, Kong Ne was only a ten-year-old boy.

"The Emperor won't ultimately destroy the Kong family because of your noble ancestor. As long as the world needs Confucian scholars to govern, the Emperor will cater to the literati. So, neither your grandfather nor you will come to harm. But being safe does not mean your image in the Emperor’s eyes will improve. Small measures and sanctions will gradually erode your influence. You know as well as I do that the Emperor recently banned private worship of Confucius. This is the Emperor tightening the noose."

Kong Ne nodded silently. Zhu Yuanzhang’s ban was indeed designed to weaken the Kong family’s influence. And that was just the beginning. His anxiety, or perhaps the worsening of his grandfather’s condition, likely stemmed from this. The Emperor seemed to have no further actions, but the space for the Kong family to survive was shrinking.

"So, he is tightening the noose while sending Crown Prince Zhu Biao to welcome you—a father-son duo playing good cop and bad cop. The purpose of bringing you to Yingtian is not hard to guess. It is a calculated favor. And what is the purpose of this favor? Simply put, it is to make you loyal to the Ming. The Emperor doesn't expect the older generations of the Kong family to be sincere, but he wants you on his side. Your attitude determines the current plight of the Kong family!"

After Zhang Yi pointed this out, Kong Ne felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of enlightenment. Recalling Zhu Biao’s kindness and Zhu Yuanzhang’s subtle pressures, he realized it was all a performance. Politics was indeed a deep, dark pool.

"So, when you warned me about August, it was because..."

"Because the Emperor knows your grandfather’s last hope will be extinguished when the Yuan capital falls. He might die then, or simply lose all his spirit. At that point, he will have no value to the Emperor, serving only as a prop for the Emperor to show grace. The Crown Prince will then plead for him to return to Qufu. You will be moved to tears of gratitude, the Emperor will have vented his anger, and he will have won your heart in the process!"

Zhang Yi spoke calmly, but Kong Ne felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. Even though it was summer, he was freezing. He had thought he understood the world, but he realized his thinking was far too simple.

"So, you can do nothing, and you will be fine. But if you act before the capital falls, or show the Emperor that the Kong family has value, your days will be much easier. At the very least, your grandfather might not die of despair."

Kong Ne remained silent. Zhang Yi might not have known the full extent of Kong Kejian’s condition, but Kong Ne understood that after long periods of feigning madness, his grandfather’s mental state was already failing. He wasn't a mastermind; the pressure of the charade was crushing him. Kong Ne feared his grandfather might truly go insane long before the capital fell.

After Zhang Yi’s reminder, he suddenly knew what he had to do.

"The Ming Emperor needs the loyalty of the future Duke Yansheng—not the ordinary kind. Or, your family must find the resolve to overcome their inner demons, even at the risk of death. The fall of the Yuan capital is the deadline. If that moment passes, your sincerity will no longer be worth anything!"

Kong Ne took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed deeply to Zhang Yi. "Kong Ne, the fifty-seventh descendant of the Kong family, thanks you."

It was the first time Kong Ne had thanked him sincerely. Zhang Yi chuckled. The boy hadn't disappointed him. Kong Ne was an honest person—more honest than himself—and this solemn gratitude meant he had accepted the conditions.

"What should I do?" Kong Ne asked, already focused on the plan to save Xu Cunren.

"Helping with this won't harm you. This move might change your awkward status in the capital. The current plight of the Kong family is that your spines have been broken. It’s time for the people in the capital to see that the Kong family still has men!"

"Men!" Young Kong Ne jumped up, his face flushed with excitement. He had been stifled for too long; he felt so aggrieved. Everyone treated his family like traitors, like fence-sitters. He repeated his father’s instructions in his heart, but could no longer suppress his resentment. Youthful blood still ran hot; who would willingly endure such humiliation?

"Tell me what to do, and I will do it!" The future Duke Yansheng, with eyes red, looked ready to sign a military pact with Zhang Yi.

"Kids are so easy to trick," Zhang Yi thought, relieved. If he hadn't convinced Kong Ne, he would have had to persuade someone else, which would have been much harder and likely less effective. Fortunately, the boy still possessed a bit of naive goodness. He hadn't been wrong to nudge him. Though he was using Kong Ne, he wasn't harming him—his advice was sincere. Kong Ne was the perfect stepping stone for the Emperor to back down gracefully.

As for what came next, it would be up to fate. Facing that volatile monarch, even Zhang Yi had no guarantee of success.

"I will write something for you. You copy it and present it to the Emperor!" Zhang Yi went off to write, leaving Kong Ne alone in the courtyard, looking around with curiosity.

...

"Hmm..."

Not long after, Zhu Yuanzhang received a report from the Qingxin Temple.

"The Kong boy went to the temple? Didn't those two just have a fight?" Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and dismissed the news. He had too many important matters to concern himself with every move of Zhang Yi.

"Are they still outside?" the Emperor asked, not looking up at the eunuch beside him.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Go out and tell Liu Ji: no one is to plead for Xu Cunren. If anyone mentions it again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Eunuch Wang accepted the order, stepped out of the Imperial Study, and shook his head toward Liu Bowen in the distance.

"The Emperor refuses to even see him. I fear Master Xu’s fate is sealed!" Liu Bowen sighed and turned to leave.