Chapter 770: The Aftermath of the Tremor

To avenge both the nation's humiliation and the family's grievances—this was the source of Fang Canran's motivation.

He Lingchuan had been to the Ke family estate; he remembered how resplendent and wealthy it had been. To say nothing of anything else, the Ke family's gardens were the height of luxury and refinement, continuously renovated and meticulously crafted for over a hundred years. They were considered a marvel among all the floating islands, yet they were destroyed in a single day under the hooves of the Lei Qing giant beast.

Sect Master Xue interjected, "Although the Lingxu incident was of shocking proportions, the true losses were not primarily financial."

They lay in prestige, and they lay in the hearts of the people.

Elder Dao continued, "The Tiangong claimed it would be closed for over two months, ostensibly for palace repairs—after all, the damage was too severe. I don't know if it has reopened yet. However, in our view, it is highly likely they were behind closed doors negotiating with Zuoju for a long time."

He Lingchuan laughed, "Zuoju is insidious and greedy; the Tiangong has truly found itself a fine opponent."

"Indeed." Hearing him hit the nail on the head regarding the character of the Ru Mountain spirit, Elder Dao and Sect Master Xue knew that this youth had likely dealt with Zuoju before.

Hmm, he had participated in the Lingxu City incident and also had dealings with Zuoju.

Of course, they only hid their suspicions in their bellies: "After Zuoju broke free from the shackles of the Spirit-Gathering Array, even if it couldn't defeat the Heavenly Gods and Demon Emperors of Lingxu, as long as it dove into the Earth-Core Fire Sea, no one could do anything about it. Such an advantage is truly heaven-sent."

If Zuoju hadn't been so unique, the Tiangong wouldn't have considered offering it amnesty back then, sealing it as the Ru Mountain spirit.

Everything has its pros and cons. Once this creature became uncontrollable, it immediately became a stumbling block for the Tiangong's post-disaster reconstruction! If the Heavenly Gods didn't agree to the conditions it put forward, and Zuoju threw a tantrum, would it be the palaces on the mountain that were struck, or the cities below that were shaken? It would be the faces of the Heavenly Gods and Demon Emperors that suffered!

With all of Lingxu City and all of Beijia watching, the Tiangong itself was under immense pressure.

"Did they reach an agreement in the end?"

"That should be the case, because Lingxu City has had two more small earthquakes, and it's said that even teacups didn't tip over." Elder Dao beamed when he mentioned this, "I estimate that Zuoju demanded a very suitable price."

"I think so too." He Lingchuan shook his head, "But the Heavenly Gods are used to being high and mighty, accustomed to being overbearing. They have always been the ones to trample on others; how could they tolerate being manipulated by someone else? I estimate the Tiangong won't be able to swallow this insult and will sooner or later find an opportunity to retaliate."

"That would be excellent." Elder Dao clapped his hands and laughed, "They are neighbors who cannot move away; it's never too late to settle the score."

"What about the Ru Mountain Array?" He Lingchuan asked again, "Ru Mountain is the source of Lingxu City's spiritual veins. The original array was broken and can no longer gather spiritual energy from all directions for Lingxu City's use. So, how will the great demons cultivate in the future?"

Having grown accustomed to privileges, how could they be willing to give them up?

"It's not yet clear." Elder Dao shook his head, "Zuoju was once deceived and suffered losses; now that it is clear-headed, it should be obstructing them in every way."

Even if Lingxu City could obtain the next star map, if Zuoju moved the positions of the nine peaks of Ru Mountain, I fear the new array still couldn't be built.

"Speaking of the impact of the Lingxu City incident, I heard that the Royal Court of Lingxu City almost argued themselves to death over whether or not to build a wall around the Imperial Capital."

"Build a wall?" He Lingchuan recalled the first time he saw Lingxu City—that massive city without walls under the blue sky and white clouds; how shocking it was to ordinary people! Back then, Bai Ziqi even told him that Lingxu City did not need walls.

That kind of pride and self-confidence was evident in every word.

Now, how many Lingxu City residents would maintain that confidence? "Indeed. The officials who insisted on building the wall believed that if Lingxu City had high gates and deep walls, the Lei Qing giant beast might not have been able to severely damage the Lower City, and the righteous men—hmm, they call them rioters—who created the chaos that night wouldn't have been able to escape Lingxu City so easily." Having spoken too much, Elder Dao drank some water to moisten his throat, "To avoid repeating the same mistake and to give the city residents more security, Lingxu City should build walls and set up gates; there is no need to bury hidden dangers for the sake of face."

"The opposition, however, argued that Lingxu City not setting up gates or walls both demonstrated powerful self-confidence and promoted openness and freedom, which was why the world's high talents and scholars flocked to join them; if they erected high gates and deep walls, it would instead reflect their weakness, and the city residents would become fearful instead. I also heard the Grand Minister of Agriculture of Lingxu City say one sentence in court—"

"Oh?" He Lingchuan was very interested. It seemed the Grand Minister of Agriculture's family had successfully escaped the heavy penalties of the Elixir of Immortality case; Yao Mao still had the leisure to argue in court.

"He said: At this time, the face of Beijia is more important than its substance."

"This kind of thing will never result in a conclusion." He Lingchuan said leisurely, "How did the Demon Emperor decide in the end?"

"Not clear, we haven't received the latest news yet."

He Lingchuan recalled what he had seen and heard at the Lingxu Imperial Academy, where the students were all praising the free, open, and inclusive atmosphere of Lingxu City.

Lingxu City had stood for nearly six hundred years and had its own set of governance methods; some concepts were already unbreakable. No matter who wanted to shake them, it would cause huge cracks.

Building a city wall was just one example.

"Surrounding the hunt for the culprits, accountability, and reconstruction, there are countless arguments." Elder Dao sighed, "I feel troubled for the Demon Emperor."

Then why are you beaming? He Lingchuan asked him, "Is there any news on the Elixir of Immortality case?"

"Oh, yes, but it was overshadowed by the Lingxu incident, and in the end, it was closed hastily, and no one said anything." Elder Dao thought for a moment, "State Preceptor Qingyang was the principal culprit; he was stripped of his position as State Preceptor and demoted to a commoner. Cen Poqing, as an accomplice, was stripped of his title and position, his family property was confiscated, he was given one hundred strokes of the cane, and exiled to the Northern Lands. Oh right, before he was exiled, he divorced Yao Xingning."

A prominent noble family like the Grand Minister of Agriculture must never be associated with a criminal official. He Lingchuan understood that no matter how much Cen Poqing and Yao Xingning loved each other, when disaster struck, they would each fly away.

It was even possible that Cen Poqing not being sentenced to death was the result of the Grand Minister of Agriculture and Yao Xingning's active lobbying, but the condition was that Cen Poqing had to agree to the divorce.

"As for the Grand Minister of Agriculture Yao Mao himself, he bore the responsibility of ineffective supervision; he was demoted by half a rank and fined one hundred thousand taels."

He Lingchuan didn't hear the name he wanted to hear, so he pressed, "What about Nian Zanli? The surrendered general from the Yuan Nation."

"Nian Zanli? Who is that?" Elder Dao recited the name several times before shaking his head, "Never heard of him."

He Lingchuan sighed inwardly.

Perhaps Nian Zanli's position was too low to reach Elder Dao's ears, or perhaps Nian Zanli's charges were never made public and were handled internally by the Tiangong.

No matter which possibility it was, Nian Zanli's fate would not change.

The most bizarre point of the entire Elixir of Immortality case was that State Preceptor Qingyang, who bore the heaviest guilt, was given light blame and light punishment, not even having to be beaten, just returning to civilian life to continue living; while Nian Zanli, who bore the lightest guilt—no, Nian Zanli, who had absolutely nothing to do with the case—was now rotting away in some corner, unknown to anyone.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 771 =====