Chapter 1174: The Earthworm Emerges

The soldiers are lined up all around, like stars and clouds.

The wind lifts the black cloak, yellow dust on the official road swirls low, the Emperor's personal guards are lined up, Chishan stomps its hooves, Liang Qu looks levelly at the military formation, clearly seeing the muscles of the warhorses jumping, seeing the white steam sprayed by the horses, the rise and fall of the soldiers' armor plates.

An invisible pressure rises like a mountain, pulling up from the ground, tilting over, the common people are silent.

The horsetail whisk waves, Eunuch Li walks slowly in front, Heavenly Feather Commander Meng Qiang accompanies in the middle; the Heavenly Feather soldiers hold the "Shun" big flag levelly, respectfully following behind.

"Wang Chao, Chai Shen."

"Here!"

The Red Blood Dragon Horse leaps out, the two riders' iron armor clanking, cold silver light flowing on the armor.

"Hold the flag."

"Yes!"

The Imperial Guard Commander presents the Great Shun yellow flag, the Heavenly Feather bows to receive it, one hand gripping the big pole, one hand wrapping the flag surface, bundling it upright, carrying it diagonally on the shoulder, looking toward the east.

"Li Bingzhong, Zhang Shaofan."

"Here."

"Hold the flag."

"Yes!"

"Shi Yao, Miao Kun."

"Here!"

"Hold the flag."

"Yes!"

Imperial City Meridian Gate, the common people crane their necks.

Thirty-eight Heavenly Feather Guards, thirty-eight Great Shun dragon-blood horses, thirty-eight Great Shun flags, neat and uniform, step out of the ranks, two columns of nineteen rows, stepping onto the central official road.

The sewing is neat and clanking, the straight belt is square.

Eunuch Li turns around, walks quickly to under Liang Qu's horse, bows and salutes: "Reporting to Marquis Baron Xingyi, the team has been formed."

Liang Qu nods, looking around: "Thank you, gentlemen!"

Thirty-eight riders shout in unison:

"For the sake of Great Shun! For the sake of His Majesty! For the sake of the King's affairs! We do not fear hardship!"

Eunuch Li sings along: "Gentlemen, what are you doing on this trip?"

Thirty-eight riders shout again:

"To celebrate for Great Shun! To celebrate for His Majesty! To celebrate for Marquis Baron Xingyi! To spread our names throughout the world!"

The sound shakes the roof tiles.

Chishan stomps its hooves and retreats, clearing the way on the official road, Liang Qu shouts loudly: "Beat the drums! Send them off!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Harmony-Coordinating Official beats the drums fiercely, the drumbeats are dense like rain, the common people's faces are flushed, holding their breath and waiting.

Eunuch Li stands on the side of the official road and sings: "Spread to the Southern Zhili, go!"

Whoosh.

The banners flutter.

Thirty-eight riders go two by two.

"Spread to the West of the Pass, go!"

The banners flutter again, flying in the wind.

In a flash, one capital and eighteen provinces, thirty-eight riders spreading names, like opening a sluice gate, step into the air without a trace, rushing to the world. On the central official road, twenty-four more people fill the vacancies, take over the commander's small flags, mount their horses, the common people show anticipation, Meng Qiang gives an order, whips the horses, galloping through the streets and alleys of the capital.

Amidst the attention of all.

The leading Heavenly Feather Guard's neck is red, veins jumping, shouting loudly:

"Joyful report! Joyful report! Marquis Baron Xingyi has attained the Dao and become a Saint, how magnificent is our Great Shun, the whole world celebrates together, by His Majesty's edict, a great feast for the world for seven days! Effective from the day of hearing the news!"

"Joyful report! Joyful report! Marquis Baron Xingyi has attained the Dao and become a Saint, how magnificent is our Great Shun, the whole world celebrates together, by His Majesty's edict, a great feast for the world for seven days! Effective from the day of hearing the news!"

Boom!

The silent air begins to flow, the held breath expands wantonly.

The palace maids lining the road throw fresh flowers, scattering them on the official road, scattering them on shoulders. By the side of Jishuitan, giant elephants draw water, their four hooves like pillars, heads held high spraying water flowers, rainbows spanning across Jishuitan.

The common people cheer, rushing into the taverns and restaurants along the way, drinking fine wine.

Pingyang, Huangzhou, Xihe, Heyuan, Datong, Hantai, Southern Frontier, Northern Court... the Heavenly Feather rushes past, the mounted scouts scatter.

In the fourth month, the mountains rise from the ground, and all the majestic mountains know.

In the fifth month, the Heavenly Feather spreads the names, and all the people of the world know.

Xu Zishuai rushes into the street, grabs a handful of lotus petals, and scatters them into the air. The petals drift down, soaking the hair tips. On the Heavenly Street, doors and windows open together, seeing the scouts waving flags, running past.

Chishan's two hooves stomp in turn, accompanied by music, dancing with joy, its mane overflowing.

The vast capital is filled with joy for a time.

"The plums are ripe."

"What?" Eunuch Li turns his head.

Liang Qu grabs the horse whip and points to the scouts running far away: "At that time, I was just at the Four Gates, registered in the books, didn't need to pay taxes, and was coaxed by my senior brother to treat guests at the best restaurant in Pingyang County, Langyun Tower."

"Because it was early summer, the cicadas were chirping, the earthworms were emerging, and halfway through the meal, several senior brothers said they wanted to drink the green plum wine from Master's garden. It was just at this time, a scout ran to the street and shouted."

"Shouted?"

"Yes, shouted very loudly. He shouted 'Joyful report! Joyful report! Marquis Weining has attained the Dao and become a Saint, the whole world celebrates together, by His Majesty's edict, a great feast for the world for five days! Effective from the day of hearing the news!' Haha, mine is seven days!"

Eunuch Li is stunned. He wants to flatter him by saying it's because Liang Qu is the youngest Wu Sheng in Great Shun.

"Lord Li, is this the end?"

Swallowing the words on the tip of his tongue, Eunuch Li bows and answers: "Reporting to Marquis Baron Xingyi, His Majesty has arranged a banquet tonight. Before the banquet, Marquis Baron Xingyi can circle around Jishuitan, go home first to settle down and rest, wash and bathe. After an hour or so, I will come to inform you again."

"Honk!"

The elephant's cry is high and clear, spraying water at the official road, suppressing the yellow dust.

Liang Qu laughs loudly, can't help but pay out of his own pocket, setting up a ten-day flowing feast. Helplessly, under the feet of the capital, there is no reason for him to reward others. He turns to find his master, Xu Yuelong, and others to ask for some silver, crushes it into small grains, and throws them high into the air.

"Go buy wine, go buy wine! Everyone go buy wine!"

"Roar!"

Cheers rise again.

"Marquis Baron Xingyi! Marquis Baron Xingyi! Marquis Baron Xingyi!"

"Mother! I'm back!"

The servants welcome him along the way, sweeping away the dust. Xiang Fang Su is full of smiles, striding into the house in a flurry.

"Oh my, my good son, you finally decided to come back! This trip to Pingyang has been eight or nine years!" The woman walks out of the corridor, pretending to cry and complain.

"Huh? Didn't I come back for the New Year holiday the year before last? It should be at least once every two or three years. Tea, is there tea? I'm dying of thirst. Old Zhao, hurry, hurry."

The woman greets the servants to bring tea: "I heard the fleet docked early this morning, why are you only back now? It's almost dinner time."

Xiang Fang Su puts down the teapot and wipes his mouth: "How could I have time to come back? The ship stopped outside the capital, then the hundred officials welcomed us, drinking, calling names, reading edicts, that took more than an hour."

"Pacifying the chaos in the Southern Frontier, the Ghost Mother Sect is gone, and Liang Qu has become a Wu Sheng. We in the River-Lake Office all got a share of the glory, were welcomed together, walked slowly to the Meridian Gate, and did it all over again, that took until noon."

"In the afternoon, there was the 'Wu Sheng Spreading Names' arrangement. I only found time to come back after the name spreading ended. Is there anything to eat at home? I didn't even have lunch, let me pad my stomach first. Mother, you didn't see it, that scene, it was truly a sea of people, gongs and drums shaking the sky. In my opinion, don't just stay at home, go out and walk around."

"This Marquis Baron Xingyi is too fast. The day of Perfected Form is still before my eyes," the house steward reminisces.

"Small places produce big figures," the woman sighs. "I was staying in the room, and when I heard the name spreading outside, I was thinking, if only this was my son's name."

"Pfft!" Xiang Fang Su spits out a mouthful of tea, coughing repeatedly, "If your son can get to know such a person, you should burn high incense. It's better that it's me, I don't have such dreams."

"Hey, you can't do it, but you don't allow your mother to think about it? Of course, high incense must be burned. When your father asked you to go to Pingyang, I thought it was mediocre. The Ghost Mother Sect had been shrinking in Jianghuai for decades, how could it be so easy to earn merit? It would have been better to go to Heyuan Prefecture. As a result, in a blink of an eye, it was cleaned up directly. Once the name spreading came out, the family restaurant, all 40% off, celebrating Marquis Baron Xingyi becoming a Wu Sheng. Is your mother generous? I even have to pay for the labor."

Xiang Fang Su gives a thumbs up: "My father climbed high."

"That's for sure. Anything to do in the next few days?"

"There must be things to do, when is there nothing to do? Today is the world name spreading, later there will be the Enfeoffment Ceremony, the Southern Frontier and Jianghuai Merit Ceremony, I guess it will take a month. Why?"

"Introducing a young lady to you!"

"Hmm..."

Joy is not just in one family.

Ke Wenbin, Ran Zhongshi, Bai Yinbin, Xu Yuelong... all returned to the capital today.

A parent's heart is endless, returning home with joy at the right time.

Dumplings when mounting the horse, noodles when dismounting. Xu Yuelong rolls up his sleeves, eating egg noodles in big mouthfuls, saying vaguely: "Father, you said the Enfeoffment Ceremony in a month, is it that fast? In the past, the time between Marquis Weining's name spreading and enfeoffment was about a year, right?"

"That's because the situation was different. First, no one knew if Marquis Weining could be promoted, so naturally there was no preparation. Liang Qu is different. I estimate that when he attained the unity of heaven and man, the cabinet had already discussed it. Second, Ningjiang Prefecture is too close to Southern Zhili, there are always considerations and disputes."

"Father, you are well-informed, tell me, where will Marquis Baron Xingyi be enfeoffed this time?"

"I really don't know that," Xu Wenzhu shakes his head. "Not enfeoffed in the two capitals, it definitely won't be Southern Zhili. Pingyang and Yixing are impossible, and it's rare for it to be his hometown. In terms of conditions, the vicinity of the Yellow Shahe in the north is more suitable for Marquis Baron Xingyi, but strategically it's not needed. Perhaps it's somewhere in the south."

At dusk, cheers and noise can still be heard on the street, and patrolling soldiers can be seen everywhere.

A great feast for the world, allowing the people to gather and drink, full tax exemption, wine and meat at a big discount, the capital is even halved, and there is an imperial feast, hundreds of plays, far more lively than other places tenfold.

This is the prosperity unique to the capital, everyone is sharpening their heads to drill in here.

After cleaning up the mansion, the long-silent Second Liang Mansion welcomes its master, everyone chooses a room, restoring vitality, full of joy.

Otter-Open runs under the Mo Long Jin Bridge, lines up copper coins, puts down half a piece of silver, points with its claws, wanting fifty portions of brain meat. The two-foot-tall Fat Catfish, Cannot-Move, Round-Head, and Fist stand behind drooling.

Creak.

The sunset flows through the door crack, from narrow to wide.

"Ah!" Long Yao closes her eyes, retreating in horror, "What is this, I've got a stye, I've got a stye!"

"Who told you not to knock? You deserve it!" Liang Qu puts his arm around Eying's shoulder, pulling his wife into his arms, his face not red and his heart not beating.

"Who would be hugging and kissing their wife in the main hall in broad daylight? And it's stringing, yuck..." Long Yao strikes back, hugging her own shoulders and shivering.

"If you have a fart, let it out quickly."

Long Yao hugs her arms, her cheeks bulging, and says nothing.

"Alright, say it, what's the matter?" Long Eying laughs, interrupting the two.

"Eunuch Li is here!"

Liang Qu's chest is pushed, and he has to let go of Eying.

"Alright, let's go eat!"

"Where is His Majesty?" Liang Qu looks around, "Eating in the Imperial Garden?"

"The banquet hasn't started yet," Eunuch Li bows, "His Majesty will arrive later."

"Greetings, Teacher."

As the sound rings out, Liang Qu lowers his head and sees the boy in the courtyard respectfully saluting him. His age is about a year or two older than Wen Wen Shi Yun, fourteen or fifteen, but he has a lot more seriousness and solemnity.

Outside, people mostly call him Marquis Baron Xingyi or Lord Liang. Teacher is a less common title, mostly used in academies for instructors. Liang Qu hasn't been called this before.

"Who are you?"

"Father Emperor asked me to visit Teacher and send a scroll." The boy respectfully holds up the book.

"Marquis Baron Xingyi, this is His Highness the Sixth Prince," Eunuch Li hurriedly introduces.

Sixth Prince?

Liang Qu doesn't pay too much attention. Due to martial power, the selection of the Great Shun Emperor is not necessarily among the princes, just a higher probability. There is no such taboo about contact. He takes the scroll and is curious: "Why do you call me Teacher?"

"When I was young, learning to read, cut sounds, and correct pronunciations was an agonizing ordeal. Fortunately, you, sir, invented the Pinyin system, saving me from that sea of bitterness. I mastered it in half a year. After much thought, I consider Marquis Baron Xingyi to be half my mentor in enlightenment, so I dare to call you 'Sir' to bask in a little of your glory."

Liang Qu suddenly realizes and unfolds the pages sent by the Holy Emperor through the prince.

It is a big map, marked very flashily, with four colors: red, yellow, blue, and green.

Basically, the middle is big blue, both sides are big green, further out is small yellow, and further out is big red.

The upper and lower reaches of the Huai River, the Five Lakes, the government offices around Jianghuai, Xihe Prefecture, and Pingyang Prefecture are blue. Outside this circle of blue, most are green, green to the border provinces is yellow, and over the yellow is red, big red—Southern Frontier, Northern Court, Great Snow Mountain, all red.

Simple and clear.

"Can't run around anymore," Liang Qu sighs.

"Teacher is the pinnacle of the world, every move is watched by people. Such a limitation is a helpless move to avoid being a startled bird and causing chaos. Once there is chaos, it could be the death of hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people," the Sixth Prince bows and salutes, "Please understand, Teacher."

"It's fine, with great power comes great responsibility." Liang Qu sits on a stone stool. He estimates that every Wu Sheng who knocks open the Heavenly Pass receives a similar map along with congratulations.

Ordinary people need to register and have someone guarantee them when entering or leaving, and it's about the same when reaching Sky Dragon.

"Tell me, what is the difference between the colors? What does green mean?"

"Blue is the range Teacher can go to at will. Up and down the Huai River, both sides of the Huai River, and even Huangzhou and other places, Teacher can enter and exit freely, without time limits."

"Green is for reporting. According to the process, send a visiting card three days in advance, and you can enter and exit freely. If time is tight, you can also enter and exit directly after getting the Ministry of Revenue's seal. Southern Zhili, the capital, and most of the road provinces are like this."

"Yellow is that you must obtain the Imperial Court's permission and consent before you can go. Without consent, you must not go privately, otherwise you will face accountability."

"Finally, red is strictly forbidden to enter or exit. It is seriously regarded as treason, stripping of titles and positions."

Liang Qu nods.

Looking at the map again, it actually doesn't have much impact. Except for Lingnan and Heyuan, all the places he has been to before are blue, including Hantai.

Although Hantai is on the border, it belongs to both sides of the Huai River.

It's not that he can't understand. Once a Wu Sheng moves, the world knows. Without an order, going to the border for no reason, Great Shun is not nervous, but the Southern Frontier and Northern Court are nervous. It is equivalent to intensifying the conflict. If a spark causes a fire and they start fighting, whose pot is it?

"What do these circles mean?"

The Sixth Prince bows: "After discussion by the cabinet ministers, these are your candidate fiefs."

Liang Qu is stunned, immediately looks at the circles, and then frowns.

There are seven candidate fiefs in total.

There are two in the upper reaches of the Huai River. One location is probably near Jianshui, the size is standard, slightly larger than Pingyang, belongs to the Central Plains, very close to Huangzhou. The other location is next to the West of the Pass.

There are two on both sides of the Yellow Shahe, both in the upper reaches. The first one can't be called barren, with many mountains and dense forests, and a low degree of development. The second one directly has a desert, which counts as a border location.

Regardless of the Huai River and the Yellow Shahe, the advantage of being close to the border is that it is large. The fief is very large, seven or eight times the size of Pingyang Prefecture, or even ten times.

The remaining three: two are near the sea, mostly distributed evenly between Southern Zhili and Lingnan, standard.

The last one is between the upper reaches of the Huai River and Lingnan, also in the scope of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, with land demon kings.

"Which one does Lord Liang fancy?"

"Your Majesty!"

"Father Emperor!"

The Holy Emperor arrives in casual clothes and asks Liang Qu with a smile.

Liang Qu scratches his head, stares at the map and thinks for a long time: "This subject doesn't know. Can Your Majesty allow this subject to take it back and think about it carefully?"

"Not knowing means you are not satisfied with any of them," the Holy Emperor says.

Liang Qu breaks into a sweat.

"Is it because the border is too poor?" The Holy Emperor points, "Jianshui is rich, with a large population and smooth trade routes. For your railway, I can make the decision to build a special line there."

"Lingnan is also not bad. Although there are demon kings as neighbors, you don't have to face the Southern Frontier Great Wu directly, there is no pressure to guard the pass, and the heaven and earth spiritual energy is abundant. The population is small, but it wins in having many spiritual objects. It is also a rich place. The Withered Glory Wu Sheng once practiced in seclusion here."

Liang Qu praises repeatedly: "Good place, good place."

"Hahaha!" The Holy Emperor laughs and shakes his head slightly, "There is wealth, there is size, there is north and south. Is it that you are reluctant to leave your home, and also reluctant to leave the Jianghuai Great Marsh?"

Liang Qu is a bit embarrassed.

He even regrets that he was in Yixing at the beginning. If he were in Jianshui, how good it would be. The sect is from Jianshui, Uncle Chen is also from Jianshui. Opening a Jianshui martial arts hall, things wouldn't be so tangled, everyone would be together.

Alas, Pingyang is in Southern Zhili, it is impossible to enfeoff outsiders.

The two sit opposite each other, Eunuch Li and the Sixth Prince stand by.

"Lord Liang is not the material for being an official," the Holy Emperor pours tea himself and says suddenly.

Liang Qu is stunned.

"Although your official career is smooth, unimpeded all the way, you understand human feelings and worldly wisdom, and everyone is kind to you, but Lord Liang, you actually haven't truly experienced what it is to be an official, or rather, you don't understand the patience of being an official."

"For example, your trip to the Southern Frontier, you dug out Gong Qianqing's matter, I dismissed him from office and put him in jail, just because this matter was discovered by you, that's all."

Liang Qu is speechless and bows: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Holy Emperor shakes his head: "Why thank me? To thank, thank yourself. I said, it's because of you."

"You can be unimpeded because you can bring benefits to everyone, and you also know how to 'share'."

"Dealing with the Ghost Mother Sect, you gave all the merit to the high-ranking disciples of the River-Lake Office, but you didn't touch a single thing of the Ghost Mother Sect yourself, and even the supreme blood stones of Xiangyi County could be taxed in full."

Liang Qu is shocked: "Your Majesty, this..."

The Holy Emperor smiles slightly: "Don't be surprised, it's true that the mineral veins in Xiangyi County withered. Do you remember who was in charge locally?"

"Seems to be... an old eunuch who returned to his roots?"

The Holy Emperor nods: "That old eunuch was originally enjoying his old age in Xiangyi. Who knew that two supreme blood stones would emerge from the abandoned mine? He felt that you, this little child, were fresh, and learned that you had once received my verbal praise, so he reported it to the capital all the way."

"At that time, I knew that you had a strange beast that finds mines. With only a few supreme blood stones, you could still hand over half. It was clearly an abandoned mine with no one in charge. No one would know if you took them away."

"You can bring benefits to others, benefits so great that others are willing to let you do things according to your temperament. Jian Zhongyi is like this, Gong Qianqing is like this."

"If it were someone else, Gong Qianqing would at most be demoted, and wouldn't even enter jail. It's just that you would be unhappy, and I felt that the value of Gong Qianqing's relationship with the South Sea King is not as high as making you happy. This is what it means to be an official."

"An official has a flaw in morality, bullying men and women, but as long as he can do things and handle problems, he can still be prosperous, and I will turn a blind eye."

"If you were not twenty-seven this year, but sixty-seven, seventy-seven, eighty-seven, and the benefits were not so great, all the friction would rush toward you. Even if you entered Sky Dragon, it would be the same, because you are Sky Dragon, and the South Sea King is also Sky Dragon."

"'The three realms are not peaceful, just like a burning house, full of all kinds of suffering, very terrifying,' ah."

"So I think, if you really want to be an ordinary official, you can't stand it, and if you want to be an ordinary enfeoffed king, you won't be satisfied either." ===== CHAPTER 1175 =====