Chapter 128

Ever since the passing of Emperor Longping, the reign title of the Great Yong had changed from Qianyuan to Jingzhi.

Now that Zhao Rong had ascended the throne, he considered himself a monarch of restoration. During Emperor Longping's lifetime, the court and the country had been a scene of prosperity, and the ministers always reported the good news while concealing the bad. Even if there were disasters or banditry somewhere, they were merely minor skin ailments, not worth worrying about.

Emperor Longping loved to hear such things, and Emperor Jingxing loved them even more.

In Zhao Rong's eyes, his father, who had been over eighty and dim-sighted, could govern the empire into a flourishing age of peace and prosperity; he himself was only in his sixties, a full twenty years younger than his father, so didn't that mean he was in his prime?

With him being so young and promising, could he possibly govern the country worse than the late Emperor?

"I am a wise monarch, and my world is thriving day by day. Who dares say I lack the skill to govern?"

Zhao Rong lived in his own world. Having struggled until the age of sixty to climb to this position, couldn't he enjoy himself properly now?

Besides indulging in pleasure, Zhao Rong was not without things to do. In the days since he took power, he had been busy clearing away those hidden dangers that could threaten him.

Those who had spread rumors that he used unscrupulous means and turned against his own kin were all treacherous villains of the state with malicious intentions; they had to be eradicated.

Then there were the remnants of the old Crown Prince's faction, and even the "Fourth Master's faction" that wanted to support the foolish Fourth Imperial Prince—none of them could be spared.

This day, Emperor Jingxing, Zhao Rong, was flying into a rage in the Imperial Study.

"What are you all good for! You can't even deal with a wet-behind-the-ears brat. What use do I have for you?"

Cai Shichun stepped forward with a bow: "Your Majesty, rest assured. I have already had men set up checkpoints along the road north, and the soldiers of the Divine Machine Battalion are also awaiting orders. Even if he can escape for a moment, he will certainly never reach the northern border."

Zhao Rong suppressed his anger and asked again about the affairs of the old Crown Prince's manor.

The Chief Eunuch beside Cai Shichun stepped forward and said: "The young prince of the Shou Prince's manor suddenly fell ill the day before yesterday. Although he is still alive, he has become a simpleton. This old servant went to see him specifically yesterday; the young prince is drooling from the corner of his mouth, his lower limbs are paralyzed, and even eating requires someone to feed him. When this servant spoke to him, the young prince could not answer a single question."

"It is pitiful that my eldest brother met his end at the hands of the Heavenly Heart Sect rebels, and now my brother's only son has fallen into such a state—it truly breaks my heart! Pass on my oral decree: have the best physicians from the Imperial Hospital go to diagnose and treat him. They must help my imperial nephew recover from his suffering as soon as possible."

Zhao Rong walked up to the Chief Eunuch, grabbed his wrist, and patted his arm forcefully.

The old eunuch looked at Zhao Rong, who had a smile on his lips, and felt a chill run down his back.

"This old servant obeys the decree."

Not long after the old eunuch withdrew, the two Grand Secretaries, Pan Song and Shi Jinzhong, arrived with a memorial to request an audience.

Before the imperial desk, Zhao Rong flipped through the memorials. Most of them were articles praising the prosperous age and the monarch's skill in governance—for instance, reports of auspicious omens descending from heaven in various places, such as heavy snow in the sixth month, and snow had been considered an auspicious sign since ancient times.

Or reports of two suns in the sky, with phoenixes singing in the firmament, which portended that the monarch was wise and the Empress virtuous, like two brilliant suns hanging in the sky, illuminating the mountains and rivers, making the world peaceful and clear—truly a good omen.

Zhao Rong approved them with pleasure.

"With such auspicious omens, does this not prove that my ascension to the throne is truly favored by heaven and desired by the people?"

The two Grand Secretaries exchanged a glance and chimed in with perfect tacit understanding.

"Your Majesty received the mandate from heaven; may you live forever and prosper!"

Pan Song and Shi Jinzhong were the high-quality "capable ministers" selected by the aged and muddled Emperor Longping after strict vetting.

Although the current Emperor Jingxing was not quite the same as the late Emperor, their characters—loving merit and hating blame—were exactly the same.

Since His Majesty believed the empire was thriving, then it was thriving; no one would be idle enough to come out and sing a different tune.

After all, everyone had gotten used to it over the years. If a monarch who wielded a big axe to carry out reforms really came along, it would be their turn to be restless.

While Zhao Rong was singing and dancing, enjoying the world he had finally obtained, a thousand miles away, three down-and-out monks were experiencing the "torture" of the prosperous age.

"Which temple are you monks from? Do you have travel permits and ordination certificates?"

Gongsun Jin, who was over fifty, took out the ordination certificate and explained: "We are monks from Yunshan Temple, now returning from a pilgrimage, intending to return to our temple."

At the city gate, a group of soldiers guarded the vital passage, questioning and inspecting them one by one.

The soldiers held portraits, saying that a noble from the south had been attacked by villains and was missing. They were holding the portraits of that noble and his attendants to find the missing noble and provide protection.

Gongsun Jin led the two dusty little monks, with Zhu Huaian following behind. As he passed the gate official, he glanced at the portrait; it depicted the wealthy, plump face of Zhu the Heir.

Unfortunately, he had been skipping meals, and his figure had long since thinned down. Let alone finding him by following the portrait, even if his own mother came, she might not be able to recognize him.

After leaving the city, the three traveled along the official road. During this time, Zhu Huaian saw a troop of cavalry wearing the armor of the Capital Guard. In the prison carts they were escorting, several prisoners with black cloth over their heads were locked in iron cages with chains.

Zhu Huaian's eyes showed shock, but Gongsun Jin pulled him to the side of the road.

The people locked in those prison carts were none other than his mother's family, who had parted ways with him.

After the cavalry troop left, Zhu Huaian shook off Gongsun Jin's hand, his eyes red: "I must go save them!"

Gongsun Jin pulled Zhu Huaian to his side and whispered: "You can barely protect yourself; how can you save them!"

"The only plan now is to head north. If Your Highness goes back, it will only make them disappointed!"

"This journey is difficult, as we had long anticipated. As long as Your Highness can live, our lives are not worth mentioning."

Hearing this, Zhu Huaian felt as if he had been struck by lightning; he seemed to have lost his soul, unable to speak for a long time.

Wang Liang followed silently behind. After walking for a short while, another troop of soldiers arrived.

The leader carried two swords and two blades, his complexion dark, his expression stern and solemn.

When he saw the three people dressed as monks, he raised his hand to stop the soldiers behind him and pulled the reins to come closer.

"Where are you masters from, and where are you going?"

Gongsun Jin answered according to the old script. After the other party took out the portrait and scrutinized the three of them,

The general on the horse suddenly said: "The northern land is no longer the territory guarded by the Prince of Changting of the past. Now this place is full of crises, with many bandits and villains wandering about. Since you are monks from the north, you should go back early and never travel far again."

Having said that, the general reined in his horse, returned to the formation, and led the soldiers to resume their journey.

Zhu Huaian said with lingering fear: "Who is this person? I thought he had recognized our true identities."

Gongsun Jin's legs were trembling; he wiped away cold sweat, his voice somewhat hoarse: "This person is a general of the Divine Machine Battalion, named Zuo Zixiong. When I was in the capital with the Prince, we had met him."

"Could it be that he recognized you?"

Gongsun Jin hesitated for a moment and shook his head: "Probably not. I only met him once, and it has been several years. Besides, with my current disguise, how could he recognize me?"

"If he had really recognized us, I'm afraid we would already be his prisoners."

The three walked and stopped. By evening, masked bandits suddenly rushed out of the mountain forest and surrounded them.

Wang Liang reached into his bosom, where a short blade was hidden.

Seeing this, Gongsun Jin immediately shook his head to signal him.

Those bandits were aggressive, and they wouldn't even spare monks.

The leader heard Gongsun Jin step forward to speak and immediately narrowed his eyes to interrupt: "I'm already a bandit, damn it. Do you think I believe in Buddha?"

The bandit leader sneered, as if he had seen through everything.

"I've seen countless people. At a glance, you don't look like proper monks; you're probably just swindlers!"

"You three have been drifting along the way, probably swindling many people and cheating them out of money, right? Hand over all the valuables on you, and I can spare your lives."

A bandit stepped forward and stripped the three of their clothes. Except for some strange talismans, other hidden bits of silver, some gold beans, and short blades and daggers were all looted by the other party.

"Still saying you're monks? It seems you've swindled quite a lot along the way."

The leader spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on Gongsun Jin's head, then laughed and led the crowd away on horseback.

Gongsun Jin felt nauseated. Beside him, Wang Liang said indignantly: "They're just bandits. I have the confidence to deal with them. Why did Master have to be so cowardly?"

Zhu Huaian explained for Gongsun Jin: "Small patience leads to great plans. Master has his reasons for doing this. If you were to fight these bandits and government soldiers happened to pass by, wouldn't that ruin the big plan?"

Gongsun Jin wiped the filth off his head and smiled: "Now that we are penniless, we have truly become beggars."

Hearing this, Zhu Huaian and Gongsun Jin looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

Only Wang Liang, who had experienced hard times, looked at the two in confusion. Now that they had no silver or dry rations, they would have to go hungry for their next meal. He really couldn't understand what they were laughing at.

It wasn't until noon the next day that the two who had been laughing could no longer make a sound.

In this day and age, one cannot move an inch without money.

By the third day, the group, having only begged for a few mouthfuls of coarse rice porridge, didn't even have the energy to talk.

At this time, the clothes of the three were no better than those of the beggars on the street.

When they entered the city, the street vendors also treated them as refugee beggars, driving them away one by one, fearing that if they got too close, they would contaminate their stalls.

"Junior brother, we need to find some food." Zhu Huaian tugged at Wang Liang's sleeve. The latter understood. When passing by a steamed bun shop, Wang Liang was quick-eyed and nimble; taking advantage of people not paying attention, he took two steamer baskets of buns and disappeared into the crowd.

At the corner of the street, the three gathered around the steamer baskets, smelling the fragrant white flour, their noses inexplicably sour.

However, before they could take a few bites, a dozen refugee beggars poured out from the alley opposite.

Wang Liang narrowed his eyes. Pedestrians on the street glanced over, but these people seemed to have long been accustomed to it, and no one stepped forward to stop them.

Zhu Huaian held Wang Liang back, and the latter could only watch indignantly as those refugees overturned the steamer baskets and scrambled for food like starving dogs.

Seeing this scene, Gongsun Jin immediately reminded: "Eat quickly!"

Having said that, the old man picked up the bun he still had in his hand and bit into it.

The three had just finished the buns in their hands, and before they could swallow the last bite, the refugees who had snatched the steamer baskets clean surrounded them.

Countless dirty hands groped around. Seeing that there was no other food to be found, some starving refugees reached into Gongsun Jin's mouth to dig.

The old man had bad teeth, and his mouth was still full of unchewed food; now he had become the target of everyone's attack.

After the commotion, the three, with disheveled clothes, fell into complete silence.

"I'll go find some water." Wang Liang, who came from a poor background and was used to such things, was the first to calm down.

Only Zhu the Heir and Gongsun Jin could not calm down for a long time.

"My father once said that he had experienced peaceful times when doors were not locked at night and things dropped on the road were not picked up. How many years have passed since then, and how has the world become like this?"

Gongsun Jin licked his dry, cracked lips and said: "The road north is still very long. In the future, the Prince and this old monk will encounter many things. This can also be considered a kind of cultivation. As the saying goes, sitting on the world is not as good as walking the world. Only by measuring the length of the empire step by step can one sit well on the empire and govern it well."

"Why did the descendants of the founding Emperor and the second Emperor not surpass them? It is because they walked the empire and saw what the world was like before."

Zhu Huaian reached out to touch his sleeve; his monk's sleeve was significantly thicker than an ordinary sleeve. While touching it, there seemed to be something inside.

Ever since he walked all the way from Jinmen, every time he encountered something, he would subconsciously touch his sleeve.

The road to the northern border was destined not to be peaceful.

In Jingxia Street, Xu Qing was training a rooster in the mortician's shop.

Ever since he could understand the sounds of birds and beasts, he could always hear Jin Luan spouting foul language there.

In order to train Jin Luan well, he set a rule: as long as they were in the mortician's shop, whoever said a dirty word would have a feather plucked, no exceptions.

Xuanyu had no objections to this. As a cat immortal, it never said dirty words, unless it was in a particularly angry situation.

"This is the how many-th time? A bet is a bet, do it yourself!"

Jin Luan plucked a feather and put it aside, unable to help but curse: "Damn you, just you wait, Master Jin. I don't believe you never say dirty words."

"Immortal Xu, it said dirty words again!"

"..."

Jin Luan glared at the black cat that was watching the fun without fear of trouble. After holding back for a long time, it finally had to pluck another feather.

Just like that, in the short span of an hour, Xu Qing had a handful of golden chicken feathers in his hand.

Later in the evening, two people came to the mortician's shop; they were Zhao Zhonghe and his nephew from the patrol office.

As soon as they entered the shop, Zhao Zhonghe couldn't help but blurt out a curse: "Whoa, this chicken is raised so damn fat, it must be at least five..."

The next moment, the golden chicken flew over.

Zhao Zhonghe raised his sheathed long blade to block, but unexpectedly, a force comparable to a martial artist who had condensed his Qi struck him, knocking him directly to the ground.

Jin Luan was quick-eyed and quick-mouthed. By the time the other party came to his senses, a tuft of hair was already missing from the top of his head.

"This chicken?" Zhao Zhonghe was suspicious and uncertain.

Xu Qing stepped forward and explained: "This is a rooster raised by the coffin shop at the end of the street, not mine. This chicken is a bit fierce. As long as someone speaks foul language, it will peck at their hair. Constable Zhao needs to be careful..."

"A rooster from the coffin shop?"

Zhao Zhonghe was quite surprised: "It pecks people as long as they curse? Can this beast be so human-like?"

As soon as the words fell, the bald chicken flew over again.

Beside him, Zhao Yuan widened his eyes. Watching his uncle being pecked, he said with curiosity: "Can this chicken really understand human speech?"

"I'm not familiar with this chicken. Maybe it just understands dirty words." Xu Qing decisively drew a line with Jin Luan.

"I'll try!" Zhao Yuan was in his twenties and still had some youthful spirit. He carefully came to Jin Luan and tentatively said: "Hey, little turtle!"

Jin Luan was so angry that it flared up: "Damn you, your whole family are little turtles! You are the big turtle!"

After several tufts of hair fell to the ground, Zhao Yuan covered his head and winced.

Xu Qing looked at Jin Luan expressionlessly.

The next moment, the bald chicken, having just finished pecking someone, began to pluck its own feathers again.

"Alright, don't provoke it anymore!"

Zhao Zhonghe came to Xu Qing somewhat cautiously. He was a rough man, and there were many messy things in the government office. Usually, he could be said to be full of foul language. Now, asking him to refrain from saying dirty words was really a bit awkward.

"Shopkeeper Xu, I came here because of Brother Shi's matter..."

Shi Quan in the government office had jumped into the water and drowned to save Zhao Zhonghe and his nephew. His body was still being kept in the mortician's shop.

Xu Qing remembered this. He patted a thin-skinned coffin in the shop and said: "The burial clothes have been put on, and the remains have been repaired. If Constable Zhao has time, you can bury him at any time."

"Then let's set it for today. Sorry to trouble you, Shopkeeper Xu."

(End of chapter)