The Crime of Rebellion Against the Throne

Wang Yang laughed a few times. "Haven't you heard? 'To affront those above you and usurp the privileges of the noble is called rebellion against the throne.'"

He looked at the squad leader with a trace of pity and mockery in his eyes. "Of course. What would a mere squad leader like you know?"

Presence. I have to project presence!

While the squad leader hesitated, Wang Yang swept his sleeve out, glared, and thundered:

"Those guilty of Rebellion Against the Throne shall be put to death! Their families exterminated! Their property confiscated! My family has been illustrious for generations! My second uncle serves as an Attendant Gentleman of the Cavalier in the capital! If anything happens to me, word will surely reach the emperor's ears! Did you think I was joking when I said I would wipe out your entire clan?!"

Wang Yang clasped his hands behind his waist, his voice and expression equally fierce.

No one saw his hands twitch uncontrollably several times behind his back.

His fingertips were ice-cold!

To make a lie convincing, details mattered as much as presence. A lie without details was like a castle in the air: its falsehood became obvious the moment anyone heard it.

That was why Wang Yang had filled his story out with two details: the grave crime of rebellion against the throne, and a second uncle serving as a Mounted Attendant.

The crime of rebellion against the throne had existed in both the Han and Tang dynasties. Wang Yang knew that much.

But compared with his knowledge of the Han and Tang, his understanding of Eastern Jin and the Southern Dynasties was far less thorough. He did not know whether the crime of Rebellion Against the Throne existed in this particular era. He had merely reasoned that Eastern Jin and the Southern Dynasties lay between the Han and Tang, and many of their institutions had carried the past forward unchanged. If both the Han and Tang had it, Eastern Jin and the Southern Dynasties probably did too.

So he had chosen to frighten them with the charge of Rebellion Against the Throne. As for its precise penalties, he had exaggerated them to the utmost, aiming to seize the advantage with his opening salvo.

He was gambling.

Gambling that these soldiers did not know the specific provisions governing the grave crime of rebellion against the throne.

As for assigning his nonexistent second uncle a post as a Mounted Attendant, that too had been carefully considered.

As the saying went, "The posts of Yellow Gate and Cavalier require excellence in both the man and his lineage."

"Yellow Gate" referred to the Yellow Gate Attendant, and "Cavalier" to the Attendant Gentleman of the Cavalier. "The man" meant character and talent, while "lineage" meant family pedigree.

In Eastern Jin and the Southern Dynasties, these were prestigious offices. Anyone who did not come from an illustrious, high-ranking family was ineligible.

Moreover, a Mounted Attendant served close to the emperor, subtly reinforcing Wang Yang's earlier claim that "word would reach the emperor's ears."

Apparently, Wang Yang's backside was not destined for destruction yet. Had a scholar-official been present, he would have recognized this as an empty bluff at once. The soldiers' arresting him would not have constituted rebellion against the throne in the first place, and even if it had, there would have been no grounds for exterminating three branches of their families.

But what would these army grunts know about that?

They had heard of rebellion against the throne, but often lumped it together with grave offenses such as "treason" and "unnatural crime." All they knew was that it was an earth-shattering charge ordinary people would never have the chance to commit in their entire lives. Who could have imagined they would stumble into it today?!

And when they heard Wang Yang say his second uncle held a high office like Mounted Attendant, that made the man a towering figure in their eyes!

Even the highest-ranking officer at their A Qu Garrison probably counted for less than a fart in his second uncle's eyes. If they really offended someone like that, how could they possibly survive?!

Wang Yang's image began to change in their eyes. He was no longer a timid, scrawny young vagabond. Looking at his proud expression and hearing his assured speech, they actually began to sense an imposing air they dared not face directly.

No one dared laugh anymore. The two soldiers who had been about to seize him hurriedly backed away. They could not say whether their clans would be exterminated, but they knew one provision of the law: "Inferiors Fighting Superiors: all are deemed criminals."

Even the squad leader held his breath and quietly began to think.

I can't give them room to think!

It was just like advertising: once an opening appeared, he had to press forward in one surge and pour every one of his ideas into their heads.

Feigning indifference, Wang Yang brushed off his sleeve, which was so tattered that loose threads stuck out. Had his clothes not been so disgraceful, those few dusting gestures might genuinely have carried a touch of aristocratic grace.

"To tell you the truth, my surname is Wang, my given name Yang, and my courtesy name Zhi Yan. It comes from 'The Gentleman Lives in Harmony,' in the 'Odes of Yong' of the Book of Songs. The poem says, 'How clear and bright your eyes, how radiant your face.' If I hadn't encountered bandits on the road, I would have met the people my second uncle sent to fetch me long ago. Would I still be stuck in this wretched place?!"

Wang Yang had recited that line from the Book of Songs with his head swaying not to parade his learning, but to establish his identity through another detail.

Eastern Jin and the Southern Dynasties prized literary accomplishments over martial prowess, and scions of great families often competed in literary learning. Children from ordinary households could afford neither tutors nor books. Even if they wanted to study, they lacked the means, and even if they managed it, they had almost no path upward. This was the so-called "monopoly on knowledge."

This was still the age of aristocratic clans, unlike the rise of commoners after the advent of the imperial examinations. Had Wang Yang traveled to the Tang or Song, showing off that line would have meant little.

More important was Wang Yang's final sentence. It sounded like an offhand complaint, but was actually a crucial seed planted for later. Wang Yang was hinting to the soldiers: My second uncle has already sent people to fetch me! Even if you want to kill me to silence me, you'd better consider the risks.

Sure enough, the soldiers' gazes changed as soon as Wang Yang finished. Their shock now held a trace of awe, though some doubt remained mixed in.

The handsome youth seethed inwardly. Why do people listen when he recites poetry, but not when I do?! Aren't I the protagonist?! Aren't Du Fu's poems better than that line from the Book of Songs, where even the line lengths don't match?! Then he thought, So the Langya Wang really are this powerful. He's actually scared them all into submission.

The squad leader swallowed and asked cautiously, "Then... do you have any documents that can prove your identity?" His tone was completely different from before.

Wang Yang frowned and snapped, "Weren't you listening? I encountered bandits on the road. I couldn't even save my clothes or carriage, let alone my documents!"

The squad leader said awkwardly, "But without proof..."

Looking thoroughly impatient, Wang Yang cut him off. "My genealogy and household registration are proof. How can you say there's no proof? Go and check them yourself."

Never mind Wang Yang's claim to belong to the Langya Wang, a clan of the highest rank. Even if he belonged to the lowest tier of the gentry, a squad leader had absolutely no authority to investigate his household registration or genealogy. Just as the man was at a loss, Wang Yang yawned.

"Forget it. I won't make things difficult for you. I'll give you some proof."

He looked at the soldier named Ding Jiu and said, "You. Go pick up a branch for me."

Ding Jiu cast an inquiring glance at the squad leader. Black Han, holding the spear, said to the squad leader, "I'll go."

The squad leader nodded. Black Han hurried off to gather branches, picking up three for Wang Yang to choose from.

Black Han stopped three paces away from Wang Yang, rested his spear against his shoulder, bowed, and presented the branches with both hands, his manner exceedingly respectful.

Ding Jiu was a little displeased. Had he known it would turn out like this, he thought, he would have been better off simply going to fetch them himself.

Under the conventions of modern etiquette, polite expressions had become instinctive to Wang Yang. He was just about to thank the man when he remembered the identity he was pretending to have and forcibly swallowed the words. He casually took a branch and began drawing on the ground.

Everyone craned their necks to look. At first, they thought he was going to write, but then it seemed more like he was drawing a picture. His design twisted and curved through hooks and angles, with intricate markings and tiny characters embedded in the middle. The pattern was exceedingly complex.

"This... this is... a talisman?!" the squad leader and several soldiers exclaimed.

Wang Yang tossed the branch aside. "Look closely. This is the most authentic Light-Passing Talisman of the Way of the Celestial Masters. My Langya Wang clan has passed down the Way of the Celestial Masters for generations. Surely you know that?"

What Wang Yang had drawn was a Daoist talisman from Dunhuang held by the National Library of France. Rather embarrassingly, it was also the only talisman he knew how to draw.

From the perspectives of cultural and intellectual history, Wang Yang's strongest subjects were actually Confucianism and Buddhism, with Daoism coming last. His talk of "the most authentic Light-Passing Talisman of the Way of the Celestial Masters" was pure bluff.

But the Langya Wang clan's hereditary practice of the Way of the Celestial Masters had been established through research by Chen Yinke. The soldiers would not necessarily know that, of course, but Wang Yang intended to cow them with precisely these "lifelike" details, delivered with "righteous confidence"!

Although Buddhism and Daoism flourished in Eastern Jin and the Southern Dynasties, ordinary people knew little about them. Even if they just barely recognized a talisman, how could they know whether some "Light-Passing Talisman" was authentic?

They knew even less about whether the Langya Wang clan practiced the Way of the Celestial Masters as a family tradition!

They could not even imagine what the great aristocratic clans ate every day, let alone the knowledge and beliefs handed down within those families.

They did know, however, that many aristocratic scions followed Buddhism or Daoism. Wang Yang's speech and bearing had already made them somewhat inclined to believe his claimed identity. After seeing the talisman, they could not help believing him a little more.

Seeing their expressions of respect and fear, Wang Yang rejoiced inwardly. Just as he thought he was about to get through this ordeal, two familiar voices suddenly rang out, jarringly:

"I'm from the Langya Wang too!"

"I'm also a member of the Langya Wang!"

Motherfucker!!!

Ten thousand grass-mud horses instantly thundered through Wang Yang's mind!

Notes: ① "Inferiors Fighting Superiors: all are deemed criminals" comes from Zhang Fei's "Memorial on Annotating the Jin Code," quoted in the "Treatise on Punishments and Law" in the Book of Jin. It was a law of the Jin dynasty. Liu Song and Southern Qi both continued using the Jin Code. Only in the Liang Dynasty were the laws compiled anew, though they were still based on the Jin Code.

② Chen Yinke's article establishing the Langya Wang clan's hereditary practice of the Way of the Celestial Masters was titled "The Relationship Between the Way of the Celestial Masters and Coastal Regions," collected in Collected Drafts from Jinming Hall, First Collection.

③ Daoist talismans of the medieval period resembled complex pictures more than the simple seal-script designs seen in television dramas. The one Wang Yang drew came from the Dunhuang Library Cave. Although the manuscript dates to the Tang, this type of talisman may well have been inherited from earlier eras. Readers interested in its specific design can consult volume 33 of Dunhuang and Western Regions Documents Held by the National Library of France, item p.4824.

④ Some histories of law date the origin of the crime of "rebellion against the throne" to the "ten abominable crimes" of the Northern Qi Code. This is incorrect. The crime already existed in the Eastern Han. The "Biography of Liang Tong" in the Book of the Later Han states: "In the eighth year of Jianchu, he used slander to have the two honored ladies killed, and implicated Song and the others in rebellion against the throne." The "Biography of Chen Qiu" in the Book of the Later Han states: "Cao Jie and Wang Fu argued again, maintaining that Empress Liang's family had committed rebellion against the throne. Though she had been buried in the Yi Mausoleum, Emperor Wu had deposed Empress Wei and instead paired Lady Li with him in sacrificial offerings." The incident was also recorded in the Annals of the Later Han: "The imperial in-laws harbored hatred toward the Liang family and wished to destroy it, so they falsely accused it of rebellion against the throne." The Jin Code inherited this crime. The "Treatise on Punishments and Law" in the Book of Jin quotes Zhang Pei's "Memorial on Annotating the Jin Code": "To affront those above you and usurp the privileges of the noble is called rebellion against the throne."