Chapter 618: Public Punishment, Private Promotion

Making a scene in public would only increase the ridicule. Fan Long glanced at the tray again. Fan Sheng's chest heaved, and he hurriedly grabbed a cup and downed it in one gulp, holding his breath as he said:

"Fine, the past is wiped clean."

He Lingchuan was moved: "Second Brother Fan is magnanimous!" He then moved to stand before the giant bear and personally took a cup of wine for it: "Third Brother?"

The giant bear was quite straightforward; it held the wine cup with its two front paws, stuck out its long tongue to smack its lips, and seemingly finding the taste good, lifted it and downed it in one gulp.

"Another cup." It asked the maidservant in a muffled voice. This wine had a hint of honey; it was delicious!

He Lingchuan simply grabbed the wine vessel and poured for it himself.

The giant bear drank two cups and was still left wanting more.

Fan Long couldn't watch anymore and coughed: "Old Third!"

Only then did the giant bear stop and return the wine cup.

He Lingchuan laughed: "If Third Brother Fan likes this wine, just come find me to get some often. The bees on the back mountain will soon produce linden honey."

Fan Bao was reluctant to part: "It's a pity I have to leave tomorrow."

He Lingchuan asked casually: "Oh, where to?"

Fan Long replied: "He and Old Second have been sent to the eastern battlefield, departing tomorrow."

He Lingchuan looked at Fan Sheng, who remained expressionless.

He immediately laughed: "Then I'll have the cook pick out a few jars of honey wine for Third Brother Fan to take along."

Fan Bao's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and it smacked its lips.

Fan Sheng kicked its fat butt with his knee; this glutton only cared about eating! A month ago, someone had nearly chopped off its front leg, and it had already forgotten?

"We appreciate the kind intention." Fan Long smiled, "However, drinking wine on the battlefield leads to mistakes; it still needs to be more disciplined."

Fan Bao lowered its head.

But the honey wine at this mountain villa was so delicious.

At this moment, Fan Long said to Fu Shanyue:

"I brought twenty brothers; please arrange accommodations for them."

"It has already been prepared." Fu Shanyue had no choice but to express his welcome. The Heart-Unity Guard moving into Pianxiang Shanzhuang was the Emperor's requirement; could he say "no"?

"For the sake of safety, the Crown Prince and the Special Envoy must be accompanied by the Heart-Unity Guard when going out." Fan Long smiled, "If you are uneasy about the food, you can also have them taste the dishes first."

Fushan Yue was moved: "Grand Commander Fan, you have gone to great trouble."

*Motherfucker*, the Emperor shouldn't have specified things to such detail, otherwise Fan Long would have already called it an imperial decree.

This bastard was just using the Emperor's order as a pretext to annoy them.

Once the scene was handled, He Lingchuan turned and entered the back kitchen.

Several unfriendly gazes from behind followed him all the way to the corner.

The Soul-Sucking Mirror in his bosom suddenly spoke up and asked him: "This Nian Zanli you intend to deal with seems to be quite considerate of the Yuan Nation, doesn't he?"

"Oh?"

"Isn't he decrying the current ills, hoping to save the masses from fire and water?"

"If a person wants to rebel, they must find a good reason." He Lingchuan said nonchalantly, "Not just to find one for others, but most importantly, to find one for themselves."

Not only must they tell their followers that their choice is correct, but most importantly, they must convince themselves that they have a clear conscience so that their will can remain firm.

Otherwise, how could an ordinary person withstand the pressure of being pointed at by a thousand people and the power of public opinion? The mirror was thoughtful: "Then he doesn't think that way?"

"How he thinks is not important." He Lingchuan said coldly, "One must look at what he does and what consequences it causes. In the Hanhe Great Battle, both sides were the prime of Yuan Nation's youth, and tens of thousands were killed or injured in an instant, offering a great gift to Beijia. The key is, they don't even value him. Do you think a person like Nian Zanli can save the masses from fire and water?"

The mirror went "uh," this question was a bit out of its depth? "Whether Nian Zanli or the Yuan Wang Ting wins, the war can end; isn't that good?"

"Originally, whether it was him or the Grand Marshal fighting the Yuan Wang Ting to the death, it would at most be called rebellion! The so-called 'victor is king, loser is bandit,' the changing of dynasties, that is all the Yuan Nation's own business." He Lingchuan added, "Now, Nian Zanli wants to lead an outside race to attack his motherland. Do you know what this is called?"

"Ah?"

"This is called invasion!" He Lingchuan said word by word, "Throughout history, those who led foreign enemies to attack their motherland, how could they deserve a good end?"

"Nian Zanli is borrowing troops from Beijia. I ask you, if he wins, does he have to pay back the debt? Does he have to submit and pay tribute to Beijia? Is it that Beijia will have whatever it asks of him?"

"Uh..." The mirror hadn't thought that far.

"Then he will have to plunder the Yuan Nation's marrow and fat, continuously transporting it to Beijia until the people are impoverished and the wealth is exhausted. To put it bluntly, he will have snapped the roots of his descendants." He Lingchuan pointed outside casually, "Look at how the people of Lingxu City live; whether they suck the blood of the Yuan Nation or not, the songs are still sung and the dances are still danced. But what will be the fate of the Yuan people?"

"This is called 'diminishing the insufficient to supplement the excessive'; it is not the Dao of Heaven." He said grimly, "Now, do you still think Nian Zanli is being considerate of the Yuan Nation?"

The mirror couldn't make a sound.

The master was sharp; it couldn't win an argument against him.

What He Lingchuan thought of, however, was the Immortal-Demon Great War three thousand years ago.

Facing the invasion of the Heavenly Demons, why did the immortals resolutely fight back? Why couldn't they just let it be? Because the Heavenly Demons only brought plunder to the human world, endless plunder. Those spiritual energies, those resources, originally belonged to all living beings in the world.

The more the Heavenly Demons took away, the less was left for the world. The remaining immortals and demons alike had to start internal strife to compete for these limited resources.

Those who lose die out completely; only the winners get to eat the scraps.

The harder one worked, the more painful it was.

If one didn't work hard, they would perish.

Heh.

After the banquet ended and the people dispersed, Fu Shanyue came to find He Lingchuan.

"The guests have all left, but the Heart-Unity Guard hasn't."

"I know. I saw them." The Heart-Unity Guard had already settled into Pianxiang Shanzhuang; no matter where He Lingchuan walked, he could often see their figures flickering by.

These were all eyes and ears sent by Fan Long; Fu Shanyue even had to arrange accommodations for them, which made him unhappy just thinking about it.

"These guys will spy everywhere and report to their masters." Fu Shanyue snorted, "We must give them a warning; we can't let them live too comfortably."

"By the way, I have already inquired about the disposal of the Fan Sheng and Fan Bao brothers from above: a six-month salary penalty, a half-rank demotion, and deployment to the eastern battlefield."

"Disposal?" He Lingchuan didn't understand the situation in Lingxu and didn't know if this was considered light or heavy.

"That's right, disposal! The Fan brothers were originally sent to Qingding City on official business, but they went to Baishajuan without authorization to help Cen Poqing deal with you. Neglect of duty, assisting a major criminal, obstructing the Red Yan Special Envoy's investigation—hmm, and what he interfered with was the Longevity Pill case that even Bai Ziqi found troublesome. Originally, with multiple crimes punished together, they should have been severely punished."

Only hearing Fu Shanyue sneer: "A six-month salary penalty, isn't that just a joke? Do the Fan brothers lack that bit of money?"

"A half-rank demotion, and their immediate superior is still their own brother; what's so great about that?"

He Lingchuan asked him: "Then is going to the eastern battlefield considered a punitive assignment?"

"If they can perform meritorious service, it's atonement, and everyone is happy." Fu Shanyue kept a straight face; he certainly wasn't happy.

In his view, these punishments were all understated.

"Before the Emperor ascended the throne, the Fan brothers were already his direct line, and now they are guarding the South Gate of Lingxu City for him; it shows that at least Fan Long is deeply trusted." He Lingchuan laughed, "For the sake of a nobody wearing the title of 'Red Yan Special Envoy,' the Emperor has no reason to severely punish his favorite general."

However, the Special Envoy represented the Red Yan Nation. Fu Shanyue knew he was deliberately downplaying this point and exhaled: "By the way, do you really not want to join Red Yan? My old man won't last more than a few years, and I'm set to sit on the throne. Come help me, and you won't have to suffer this kind of bird-like treatment in the future."

"During this tour, I discovered that I am not compatible with Beijia." He Lingchuan smiled, "Once the matters here are settled, I will leave."

"Hey, hey, the Longevity Pill case was just an exception, who told us to stab Lingxu City right in the lungs?" Was this kid scared black by Lingxu City? "Actually, there are so many officials in Red Yan who don't have to deal with Lingxu City in their entire lives. Once we return to Red Yan, won't everything be stable and controllable?"

He Lingchuan smiled: "We'll see."

Fu Shanyue made a sound of disdain. "We'll see" meant "no chance"? After nightfall, Old Dan returned and brought He Lingchuan an oil-paper package.

Opening it, inside was a teacup and a few strands of graying hair.

"Is this Works Zaifu Kua's?"

"Yes, this is the cup he used to drink tea at the exhibition organized by the Lord; the rim of the cup should have his saliva on it." Old Dan said, "The hair was taken by the Lord himself; there can be no mistake."

"Excellent!" He Lingchuan clapped his hands, "With these two things, plus his birth date, it is enough. You thank the Lord for me, and by the way, make an appointment to see her soon, just say that the matter she entrusted to me has made progress."

Since others have thrown a peach, he must return a plum and report the progress in time.

"Yes."

"Hmm, wait." He Lingchuan rubbed his chin, "Now that the Heart-Unity Guard has moved into Pianxiang Shanzhuang, they are watching me even tighter than Fu Shanyue. You are always running back and forth between me and the Lord, which easily arouses suspicion."

Old Dan was startled. He Lingchuan had moved from the Pan Shan residence to here, and it was already full of unfamiliar faces, which was indeed unfavorable for his covert work.

He Lingchuan beckoned, and a small squirrel jumped onto the windowsill and stopped on his shoulder.

This time he handed over a few fragrant roasted hazelnuts: "Xiao Qiao, help me deliver two messages, one to the branch office in Songyang Prefecture, and the other to this address."

He read the other address to the squirrel: "Quietly go find a man surnamed Dong; don't let others discover you. The man surnamed Dong has an incredibly ugly face, or he covers his face with a scarf; he is very easy to recognize."

This squirrel was called Xiao Qiao.

It listened to He Lingchuan's message, chirped twice, turned around and jumped back onto the tree, disappearing into the shadows of the forest in two leaps.

Pianxiang Shanzhuang was full of trees, and no one knew how many squirrels were hidden there. The Heart-Unity Guard wanted to track Xiao Qiao from here?

Then let them try.

￥￥￥￥￥

Works Zaifu Kua had drunk too much wine, his walking was unsteady, and he felt dizzy in the carriage, so he simply stayed in the Lower City tonight.

Like a retired official of Lingxu City with wide social connections, he generally had a residence in the Lower City as well.

The young and beautiful concubine he had only bought back last year was the same age as his granddaughter, yet she was sensible and well-behaved. Seeing him return tonight with unsteady steps and a flushed face, she hurriedly cooked him a sweet and sour plum soup to sober up.

After eating two bowls, Works Zaifu Kua suddenly vomited up quite a bit of wine, and the concubine was terrified.

However, he felt much more comfortable after vomiting, the stuffiness in his chest eased slightly, and he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 619 =====