[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign":3,"chapter-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-15":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Eternal Green Immortal Sovereign",{"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},2270023,4432,"Chapter 15: He Swept His Robes and Departed","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-15",15,"\u003Cp>“Master, Old Li has struck Second Master’s men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged steward bowed respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ping’s expression remained unmoved: “Just servants squabbling. Give each of them ten lashes. Isn’t Old Li nearly seventy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ping seemed to recall something and added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Li is too old for corporal punishment. Record the sentence, but delay it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged steward lifted his head in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So in the end, only Zhao Mahzi would be whipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Master’s favoritism is far too obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged steward had served the Zhu household for over a decade—he was no fool. He understood perfectly: the Master meant to use this to reprimand Second Master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Zhu Ping remained in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ping’s lips curled slightly: “Old Li, you’ve given me quite a surprise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Li, the Master, mindful of your age, has spared you the lashes. Instead, you are confined to your quarters for three days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged steward smiled warmly, his face showing not a trace of punishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui: “Thank you, Master. Master Zhu, a small token—please accept it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled a bulging money pouch from his sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Zhu took the bag without expression, weighed it in his hand, and the clinking of copper coins rang out clearly—his smile widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elders still understand propriety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Li, you’re a long-serving servant of this household. Keep working hard—the Master sees everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unspoken meaning: Beat them freely—the Master has your back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui: “The Master is truly a benevolent man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this Zhu household, what you do doesn’t matter—only whom you side with does. As long as someone protects you, everything you do is right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This pouch of copper coins was just bought by Wang Zhao from a shop down the street after Li Rui heard the news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s how gifts work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small sliver of silver doesn’t look as generous as a full pouch of copper coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw off the middle-aged steward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Zhao finally spoke, pale with relief: “Master, is it over?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui glanced at his foolish disciple: “What could possibly be wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two Zhu brothers have long been at odds, but the tension remains beneath the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as I didn’t strike Zhu Lie, the matter is minor. Zhao Mahzi can only blame his own incompetence—he deserved the beating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go. Don’t neglect the hay for three days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After sending Wang Zhao away, the room held only Li Rui. His eyes gleamed with cold light: “Zhao Mahzi must not be allowed to live.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Mahzi, flaunting Zhu Lie’s authority, had abused his power in the Zhu household—raping women, bullying men—and he was careful, never provoking those he shouldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhu Master turned a blind eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he should never have crossed Li Rui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhao Mahzi eats in the mess hall. Poisoning him risks harming others—and that could bring bigger trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If too many died, even the Zhu household might draw the attention of the authorities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though this world lacks precise instruments, seasoned constables remain formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then make it clean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui made his final decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a dark little room on the west side of the Zhu household, the door stood open; faint moans of agony drifted out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old bastard, when I’m healed, I’ll poison your horse first—see how you explain it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Mahzi lay on his bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bare-chested, under the moonlight, his back bore exactly ten fresh, bloody lash marks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ow…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Mahzi thought of his ten lashes and Li Rui’s mere three-day confinement—his rage boiled over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Mahzi caught a shadow moving in the corner of his eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it, are you dead? Can’t you walk without making noise?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He assumed it was one of his attendants coming to change his medicine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A quilt smothered his head, plunging him into darkness. The suffocation made his limbs thrash wildly; he struggled desperately, but to no avail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had strength, how could he match a cultivated martial artist?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mind your manners in your next life—some people are not for you to provoke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Mahzi’s face, trapped beneath the quilt, turned crimson. His eyes bulged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Old Li!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to curse “damn you,” but no sound came—only a low gurgle—then his limbs went limp, utterly still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui did not loosen his grip even as Zhao Mahzi ceased resisting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He counted silently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two hundred fifteen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two hundred sixteen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when he reached five hundred did he release the quilt. Zhao Mahzi had soiled the bed, his face purple-black, tongue lolling—he was dead beyond doubt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave Zhao Mahzi no chance to feign death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui felt no inner turmoil—he even took time to meticulously clean the scene, taking every valuable item from the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he arranged Zhao Mahzi’s body to look like a man who had fallen from bed and frozen to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having finished, he turned away calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swept his robes and departed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this age, there were no surveillance devices. Many murders ended as unsolved cases—let alone the death of a mere Zhu household servant, which the authorities had no interest in investigating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the authorities might possess supernatural powers beyond his imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like the Divine Weapon Talisman he’d heard about from Zhu Yue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even if such means existed, the authorities would never waste them on a lowly commoner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Mahzi’s corpse was discovered the next day by several guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the dead of winter; meat hung in the kitchen for half a month without rotting. By the time Zhao Mahzi was found, his body was frozen solid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui heard that Second Master, upon hearing the news, flew into a rage, vowing to find the killer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Mahzi’s belongings had vanished—clearly a robbery-murder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Zhao Mahzi had been involved in many of Li Rui’s secret dealings; he had many enemies, and Li Rui was merely one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Li Rui was currently confined to his room—no opportunity to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless he was a cultivated martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A seventy-year-old man becoming a cultivated martial artist? What nonsense!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The matter would inevitably fade into obscurity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Zhao Mahzi dead, the Zhu household servants secretly rejoiced—without his oppression, their lives might improve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some stories change flavor as they pass from mouth to mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, some whispered Old Li had done it—but that seemed implausible. After seven or eight retellings, it became: Zhao Mahzi had committed too many evils under Second Master’s banner—his death was the vengeance of a vengeful ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, how else to explain a strong, living man dying silently, without a sound, while guards in the next room heard nothing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of this had anything to do with Li Rui, a seventy-year-old man nearly buried in the grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Rui returned to his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his eyes, a string of small characters appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Congratulations, Host. Achievement Completed: “Famous in the Jianghu—Initial Journey 2.”】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1156,"2026-06-19T22:01:09.077Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a00bfd67c7c3aa8e929a146547e38fb0deb8d26b9167810be39fe049d8da1f0e","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-16","eternal-green-immortal-sovereign-chapter-14",866,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Feternal-green-immortal-sovereign-cover.jpg"]