[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-immortals-disappeared":3,"chapter-after-the-immortals-disappeared-after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-82":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After the Immortals Disappeared",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283966,4468,"Chapter 82: Worrying needlessly is not as good as drinking wine","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-82",82,"\u003Cp>\"If Father's memorial arrives first, it might be read and then suppressed; if the memorial is submitted only after rumors are flying everywhere, it will confirm the situation, and it will be useless for the Royal Court to deny it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why would it be suppressed?\" He Lingchuan's thoughts shifted, and he suddenly understood. \"Hiss—you mean the Royal Court is wary of the situation and wants to keep it secret? That’s not good; wouldn't our credit be swallowed up then?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Royal Court was currently dispatching troops to attack the Grand Marshal, and the fighting at Woling Pass had only recently ended. The vast empire was leaking from all sides, and the Royal Court was exhausted from plugging the holes; at a time like this, they likely wouldn't want to force the Governor of Xunzhou into rebellion and create another powerful enemy for themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, it was highly likely that they would suppress what happened in the Panlong Desert and keep it secret. This way, both the capital and the Governor of Xunzhou could breathe a sigh of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if that happened, the military merit He Chunhua had been pinning all his hopes on would likely fly away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having taken such a great risk and paid such a heavy price, how could he be willing to accept that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, He Chunhua's strategy was to send people into the capital to stir things up first. As long as the rumors spread, the Governor of Xunzhou would have to rebel even if he didn't want to!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mutual suspicion between him and the Royal Court was already separated by only a thin layer of paper. It seemed He Chunhua had decided to poke through it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having figured this out, He Lingchuan couldn't help but clap his hands. \"Old Dad is impressive; his blade hasn't dulled with age!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yue lowered his head. \"Once the rumors spread, our credit will be confirmed. But the flames of war will be rekindled in the Yanbei region, and I don't know how many lives will be swallowed up; or perhaps Nian Zanli will simply defect to the Northern Demon Kingdom, and the territory of Great Yuan will instantly lose a province. For Great Yuan, none of this is a good thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then is it a good thing for the Royal Court to suppress our credit?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Perhaps the Royal Court intends to deal with the Grand Marshal first, and then consider the problem of Xunzhou, defeating them one by one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan found this amusing. \"Nian Zanli isn't a straw effigy, just standing there stupidly waiting for someone to attack. Since he has the intent to rebel, he's like a powder keg; it's better for it to explode sooner rather than later, as it might cause less harm.\" As he spoke, he patted his younger brother on the back of the head. \"Sometimes, good intentions lead to evil results.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yue sighed. \"I'll tell you something else, but don't spread it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan made a gesture of zipping his lips. \"Don't worry, no pillow talk can be blown away from me right now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also found it a bit strange; this younger brother was usually self-important and independent, and didn't really get along with him. How was it that after this trip to the Panlong Desert, He Yue had become so inclined to be close to him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be because he helped He Yue deal with Nian Songyu? He Yue subconsciously looked left and right. \"A few days ago while eating, Father asked me how I viewed the Grand Marshal's rebellion, and I said it was treasonous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan took a big slurp of almond tofu. \"What's the problem with that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That was just to handle Old Dad,\" He Yue said in a low voice. \"Actually, putting myself in his shoes, I think the Grand Marshal has his reasons. The King treats state affairs like a child's game. Just take the Northern Demon Kingdom for example—I actually agree more with the Grand Marshal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh?\" He Lingchuan was somewhat surprised. \"You don't approve of defending the territory?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who doesn't approve? But national policy must be determined by reality; one cannot just rely on the courage of a common man. Look at Panlong City—it’s considered quite remarkable for holding out for thirty-two years after becoming an exclave. But its mother country is weak; no matter how Zhong Shengguang struggled, the Xiluo Kingdom only ended up losing the Panlong Wasteland again, and a few years later, it ceased to exist itself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The strong can be impassioned and say that those who offend us will be punished no matter how far away they are, but the weak must know how to weigh trade-offs,\" He Yue said earnestly. \"Our mother country now is no longer the wealthy and strong Great Yuan of the past. Only if the Grand Marshal manages to pacify the North can Great Yuan free up its hands to settle the chaos within the country.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan smiled. \"You want to say, 'to repel foreign aggression, one must first settle internal affairs'?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yue nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then, what if the internal chaos cannot be resolved for a long time? Separatism, floods, famine, rebel armies, border unrest—in the past ten years, it seems we've only solved the disaster relief part, and even that wasn't always successful. Because Old Dad is in Qiansong County, the Hongya Road is very peaceful, but it wasn't like that seven or eight years ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan continued, \"The Grand Marshal hasn't just gained power today; he has been assisting the monarch in managing these troubles for a long time, and I haven't seen them properly resolved either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yue wanted to say something but stopped, finally sighing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. \"It's fine to worry needlessly, but you can't talk recklessly. You cannot spread a single word of what you said today, lest you implicate Old Dad and me!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yue retorted, \"Of course, I'm not stupid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Liu Baobao is hosting a drinking party at the Xiangsi Pavilion tonight; are you going?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I cannot drink alcohol.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, Lady Ying was very strict with this youngest son. He was fourteen; he could discuss marriage, but he couldn't touch alcohol. Pfft! He Lingchuan wanted to say more, but his eyes darted, and he grabbed another piece of red date cake. \"I'm going to bathe; we'll talk later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting for He Yue to reply, he jumped out the window and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eh?\" He had slipped away too fast; He Yue felt something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a few breaths later, several figures walked into the doorway, and the one in the lead was none other than Lady Ying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as she saw the tabletop, she froze. \"These are the snacks for the tea party guests, they were supposed to be sent out now! Yue'er, why didn't you say anything if you wanted to eat? I would have had someone make them and send them over.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were hardly any pieces left of the pastries meant for ten people; when did her son become such a big eater! He Yue: \"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan, having slipped back to his own courtyard, patted his belly—sixty percent full, happy! He had someone prepare clean water, took a comfortable bath, and drank a cup of hot milk. Just as he was about to lie down for a short nap, his gaze suddenly swept over the broken blade by the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, this blade was kept in the study; he had subconsciously brought it with him today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He casually drew the broken blade and gently stroked it. Ever since leaving the illusion, this blade didn't seem as chillingly sharp; the edge that seemed capable of cutting one's eyes appeared to have no effect on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, only on him. He Yue had only lightly touched the body of the blade, not even reaching the edge, and had already cut his finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan raised his finger and touched the blade, retracting it immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cherished his skin and flesh very much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His finger was fine, completely intact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan grew bolder and gently pressed his finger onto it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still no blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed down hard, creating a dent in his fingertip, yet the skin still didn't break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as sharp as if it hadn't been sharpened at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan was suddenly overjoyed and swung the blade several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*Crack*, the sandalwood table a few feet away snapped in two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This blade was unique only to him! He Lingchuan couldn't put it down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since this lonely soul of his had arrived in this strange world, although he lived a life of luxury and was surrounded by attendants, everything was inherited from the original body, and there was always an unrealistic sense of illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only this blade was truly and uniquely his; others couldn't even touch it for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a pity, though; he didn't know its name. A precious blade should have a name; why didn't Zhong Shengguang engrave its true name on the scabbard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1511,"2026-06-20T02:23:30.219Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","21c9fa12e30ea2c102f5897ebc5dfc47869b515c1be6547bbcc7e1117110d425","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-83","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-81",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-immortals-disappeared-cover.jpg"]