Chapter 17: Wind and Rain in the Zhang Kingdom: Forgetting the Lessons of the Past

Fang Longye split his focus, simultaneously sinking into cultivation and driving his avatar Fang Xian out of the Cave Abode, heading straight for the location of the Long River Sect leader.

A middle-aged cultivator in black Daoist robes was handling the various affairs of the Long River Sect in his study. Seeing a figure flash into appearance, he immediately stood up, bowed, and saluted upon recognizing the person, "Disciple Lin Lei greets Master!"

Fang Longye waved his hand and said, "No need for formalities."

Lin Lei straightened up and asked, "I wonder what business Master has with this disciple?"

"I have been sitting still for too long and wish to go down the mountain for a journey. I am telling you so you can look after the house well." Fang Longye instructed Lin Lei, following the demeanor and manner of speech of Fang Xian from his memories.

"This disciple will strictly obey Master's orders." Lin Lei had no suspicions; his master was only a hundred and fifty years old, and although he was devoted to the Dao, he was never the type to sit and cultivate in seclusion for long periods. Such spontaneous journeys were not uncommon in the past.

Seeing this, Fang Longye said nothing more; Fang Xian himself had always been a cold and reticent person.

He flashed out of the Long River Sect Dao Palace, summoned a green-leaf-shaped Dharma Artifact for flight, leaped onto it, and flew toward the direction of the current capital of the Zhang Kingdom.

The current capital of the Zhang Kingdom, Ningde Prefecture, was a natural basin surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the Li River separating it from the northern territory that had previously been lost.

A beautiful and prosperous city was built in the center of this Ningde Prefecture. The moat surrounding the city wound through streets and alleys, leading to a long river not far away, which then connected to the Li River in the north.

It was the capital newly selected by the Zhang Kingdom's imperial court after experiencing the humiliation of losing territory and the fall of the capital Yujing into enemy hands—Tai'an. It was just at dawn, and the entire city was shrouded in a layer of faint mist, which was illuminated golden by the sunlight, making it appear exceptionally peaceful and beautiful.

As the sun rose higher, the entire city of Tai'an became lively.

One could see pavilions and terraces within the city, row upon row, with layered eaves and upturned roofs reaching toward the clouds. The common people brushed shoulders, and their sleeves blocked out the sun. Outside the city by the moat, pleasure boats were as numerous as crucian carp crossing the river; scholars recited poetry and composed couplets, while chivalrous warriors drank to their hearts' content.

"Beyond the hills, more hills; beyond the towers, more towers. When will the singing and dancing at the West Lake cease? The warm breeze intoxicates the travelers, making them mistake Tai'an for the old capital."

If not for the fact that everything seen and heard along the way was a scene of a chaotic world where corrupt officials and local tyrants acted recklessly, the common people were displaced, and bandits and rebels rose one after another.

Looking only at this scenery in Tai'an, Fang Longye would have truly thought this was a prosperous age of peace and security.

Heh!

At this moment, disguised as a noble young master, he sat by a window in the best restaurant in the city, sipping wine slowly.

He scanned the magnificent and imposing palace in the imperial city with his divine sense—a palace that was almost on par with the previous imperial palace in Yujing—and sneered.

Since ancient times, the lower ranks have followed the example of the higher, and this was nothing more than that.

As the sovereign of a nation, the Emperor of the Zhang Kingdom faced the crisis of losing more than half of his territory, yet he did not think of northern expeditions, making progress, or governing diligently.

Instead, he engaged in massive construction projects, building palaces as if he intended to settle down here.

It was no wonder that so many officials and gentry were occupying positions without doing their jobs and acting recklessly.

With an emperor like this, how many subjects under his rule could one expect to risk their lives for his family's empire? Fang Longye looked at this "ceaseless singing and dancing" in Tai'an and only wanted to laugh.

These high-ranking officials of the Zhang Kingdom, who never discussed state affairs and indulged in wine and pleasure all day, truly had the flair of "famous scholars" who "sing clearly in a leaking boat and drink heavily under a burning house, unaware that drowning and destruction are imminent."

"Brother Zhang, have you heard? The Grand Commandant Ding Peng on the front lines has been forcibly recalled to Tai'an by nine imperial edicts from His Majesty, and now his entire family has been thrown into the Imperial Prison."

Inside the restaurant, a noble young master in white silk robes spoke softly to his companion.

"How could I not have heard? My father said that Ding Peng was plotting a rebellion, and the ministers in the court have already passed the verdict; in a few days, his entire clan will be exterminated." The young man in yellow finery also lowered his voice.

"Heh! Talking about rebellion—it is nothing more than fear that Grand Commandant Ding would succeed in the northern expedition and become too powerful to control. It is a pity; of the nineteen prefectures lost, only five have yet to be recovered, and the northern expedition has fallen short of success." The man in white sneered.

"Brother Li, watch your words! Who doesn't know His Majesty's intentions? Besides, this is as it should be. Furthermore, the taxes can no longer support it. It is time to slow down." The young master surnamed Zhang lowered his voice upon hearing this.

"It is hateful that these lowly commoners below are causing trouble for no reason; can they not endure a little longer? Would it kill them to pay a few more pecks of rice? Now that the finances cannot hold up, we have to cede territory to the Cang Kingdom to beg for peace." The young master in white looked indignant.

"Who is to say otherwise? These commoners have always been like this, profit-seeking; how could they understand any national righteousness? In this situation, it will be difficult to launch a northern expedition later." The man in yellow surnamed Zhang sighed upon hearing this. "It is a pity for Grand Commandant Ding. It is said that His Majesty actually did not intend to put him to death, but the Cang Kingdom, knowing we intended to negotiate peace, threw out the condition: 'Ding Peng must die before we discuss peace.'"

"There is nothing to pity. These years have been turbulent, and the military men have been arrogant and domineering. The year before last, my father was settling grain supplies with the traitor Ding, and just wanted to ask for a small kickback, but he was so stingy that he wouldn't allow a single coin and even wanted to report it to the imperial court. Now that he has ended up like this, he deserves it." Hearing this, the young master surnamed Zhang waved his yellow sleeves and sneered.

"Oh? I was not aware of that. Isn't what your father did the standard practice since ancient times? I suppose he saw that the military general was powerful and swallowed the share that should have gone to your father himself. The nature of military men is greedy and base; it is not surprising." The man in white echoed, offering his own guess.

Immediately, a smile appeared on his face, and he changed the subject.

"Forget it, let's not talk about this. By the way, Brother Sun returned to the capital yesterday after completing his term of office, and tonight we companions are going to hold a welcome banquet for him at Chunyue Pavilion. Shall we go together later?"

"Let's go, let's go! It is said that Miss Zhirou is making her debut tonight; I intend to spend a night of passion with her!"

Fang Longye toyed with the wine cup in his hand and was not surprised by the situation these two spoke of.

Such acts of destroying one's own Great Wall and cutting off one's own arms had not been rare thousands of years ago, and they would not be absent thousands of years later.

No matter which world it was, it was not strange for a heart full of passion to be washed away; it was the norm for heroes to be unjustly killed and for villains to get their way.

He looked at the long dragon formed by the National Fortune above the imperial palace and saw that it was listless and stained with black Qi; there was not a trace of the majesty of a divine dragon.

No matter how prosperous Tai'an was made to look, this whitewashing of peace could not cover up the fact that the Zhang Kingdom was now rotten to the core.

If this were the peak of the Zhang Kingdom, even though this avatar of mine belongs to the Human Race, my strength would still be suppressed by thirty percent by the Dragon Qi of the National Fortune!

Even my original body would probably not have found it so easy when I used the Soul Searching Technique on that prefecture governor back then...

With a chuckle, Fang Longye left some gold and silver and flashed out of the restaurant while the crowd of mortals remained unaware.

It was time to go and see this Grand Commandant Ding Peng.

Inside a spacious prison cell, it was silent. Although it was divided into several compartments like an ordinary bedroom, it could be considered an excellent environment compared to ordinary prison cells.

But it still had the cold and dampness common to prisons, and combined with the dark and deep environment, it was like a giant beast waiting to devour people, making one shudder.

Ding Peng sat quietly with his eyes closed, his hair, which had turned white overnight, was disheveled, and his whole body was bound by iron chains, yet the flame in his chest seemed as if it were about to burst forth.

Why? Why! It was not that he did not understand that the emperor wanted to kill the donkey once it had finished grinding the grain. But the point was, Emperor, were you not even willing to wait for that little bit of time?

Even if it were just to let me recover the entire territory?

He had never thought that the emperor would be so eager for quick success and instant benefits, and that the civil and military officials of the court would be so short-sighted!

To dispel the emperor's doubts, he had his only son abandon martial arts for literature from a young age and live as a weak scholar in the rear; he treated his colleagues without any personal feelings or regard for face, and his governance of the army and administration was harsh and ruthless, leaving him with almost no personal friends.

He never participated in the factional struggles in the court, determined to be a lone official.

Was this not enough? Your Majesty, oh Your Majesty! Open your eyes and look, in what way could I possibly threaten your throne?

"White-haired, I seek fame and merit. The old pines and bamboos of my home, blocking the way back. I wish to entrust my heart's troubles to the zither. Few are those who understand the music; when the strings break, who is there to listen?"

Just as Ding Peng had immense strength in his heart but nowhere to exert it, and his full heart of grief and indignation had no way to be vented.

Accompanied by the poem, the entire prison was filled with clouds and mist, a spiritual light illuminated the cell, and a Daoist in green robes walked through the wall and arrived before Ding Peng.

"Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable," Fang Longye performed a light Daoist salute: "This idle crane among the clouds greets Commandant Ding."

A newbie asks for care! Thanks to the friends who added this to their collections and gave recommendations. Also, reading along is very important for a new book. Reading along means flipping to the very last page of all the chapters; thank you all!

(End of chapter)