[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-5":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"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},2364274,4623,"Chapter 5: Teahouse Upheaval","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-5",5,"\u003Cp>The court session ended, but the adverse political fallout had only just begun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the grand hall, Emperor Tianyuan’s body trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sudden and catastrophic defeat declared his military reforms a failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one cared about the process; everyone only saw the emperor’s newly trained army routed, all prior glorious victories rendered void.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one challenged him in court because the ministers had just received the news and had not yet had time to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they coordinated, the groups harmed by the reforms would inevitably act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only would the military reforms be attacked, but all previous reform measures would come under scrutiny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, please preserve your imperial health!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch beside him, Zuo Guang’en, spoke up to urge caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—I can draw a two-shi bow. A little setback won’t touch me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Issue an edict summoning the Grand Secretaries and the noble lords to discuss this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guang’en, you don’t need to stay with me. With this happening, the court will erupt—go handle it first!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember, send the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate how the defeat occurred. This affair is too unusual.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I don’t believe Duan Wenhong would lead troops into battle without first consulting someone about the weather.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he didn’t understand celestial signs, surely his army had veteran generals who should have reminded him that firearms need waterproofing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Tianyuan forced down his rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, rest assured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This matter, this old servant will investigate thoroughly—no suspicious person will escape!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Guang’en immediately pledged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This crushing defeat would severely damage Emperor Tianyuan’s imperial authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eunuchs exist only by clinging to imperial power; if the emperor’s authority crumbles, they will be the first to suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The civil officials outside who long to devour them alive would pounce at once and tear them to pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the frontline defeat was an act of heaven, it might be bearable—but if it involved human malfeasance, the most violent political struggle in the Tianyuan court would erupt immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the teahouse, Li Mu, who had come to gather intelligence, was deeply disappointed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teahouse teemed with gossip from all walks of life, but the information was far too trivial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who’s quarreling with whom, who’s cheating on whom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone lost their money here, someone’s widow took a lover there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine for entertainment, but useful intelligence amounted to zero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch had become a myth in their mouths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Evil dragon turning,” “Yellow River breached,” “Fanzhen rebellion”—they spun tales with vivid detail, all pure fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was understandable; those discussing it were commoners with inherently limited information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone with even a hint of status would meet in private upstairs rooms, not in the chaotic main hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Da Yu Dynasty didn’t punish speech—but that applied only to commoners; it didn’t mean court officials could speak recklessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fighting’s broken out outside!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone shouted, instantly activating the nation’s innate love of spectacle; everyone stretched their necks toward the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Embroidered Uniform Guard arresting foreign spies! Bystanders, clear the way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the Embroidered Uniform Guard were arresting spies, the crowd scattered instantly; chaos intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Li, we should leave!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If the Embroidered Uniform Guard are involved, it’s bound to be trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Bao spoke awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d suggested coming to the teahouse, and now, barely seated, they’d stumbled into this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial-authorized law enforcement agency in the capital could make children cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why rush?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re arresting spies—it has nothing to do with us. Leaving now would look like guilt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haven’t you seen those running ahead? They’ve already been blocked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu spoke calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Embroidered Uniform Guard’s fearsome reputation stemmed not just from their own brutality, but mostly from smear campaigns by civil officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arbitrary cruelty and persecution of loyal ministers did occur, but most actions followed imperial orders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without higher direction, even the Embroidered Uniform Guard had to follow the rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who ignored court protocols and acted recklessly rarely lived long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The noble youths upstairs remained calm; he could too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the fleeing patrons were forced back, along with the “foreign spies” being hunted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teahouse’s closed front door, battered by their frantic collisions, groaned as if about to collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh”—arrows rained down, killing the spies but inevitably wounding bystanders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Li Mu silently cursed the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s entire family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To enforce like this beneath the imperial palace—unafraid of injuring imperial relatives? Pure reckless fools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Li Mu ordered his retainers to retreat upstairs, but halfway up the stairs, they were blocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gentlemen, we are from the Zhenyuan Marquis’s household—this is my lord’s nephew.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he named his household, Fu Bao also produced the Marquis’s official calling card.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The truth proved: in this world, background still mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing “Zhenyuan Marquis,” the blocker immediately sent one man upstairs to report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If he’s the Zhenyuan Marquis’s nephew, let him come up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But his retainers must stay and help defend.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The youth spoke indifferently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, he didn’t care about the Zhenyuan Marquis—he merely didn’t want to create unnecessary enemies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, your safety is paramount…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the middle-aged eunuch finished, the youth waved him off: “The situation outside is too chaotic. We lack manpower—we can’t guarantee we won’t be dragged in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, the Zhenyuan Marquis is a special case. If his nephew is trapped outside and something happens, it’ll be a major problem.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness is right—this old servant’s vision is too narrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eunuch’s flattery pleased the youth greatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the stairwell, learning only he himself was allowed upstairs, Li Mu frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Use tables as barriers, benches as weapons—hold the southwest corner. Keep outsiders away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu gave the order immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gentleman doesn’t stand beneath a crumbling wall; the upstairs situation was unknown. Going up alone wasn’t necessarily safer than staying below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to control one’s fate than surrender it to others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The retainers who followed him to the capital were elite soldiers, carefully selected from the army—each had seen blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only they had armor and weapons, this small scene wouldn’t even be worth mentioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the defensive position was formed, the chaotic crowd surged in, all racing for the third floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of cold steel—a head rolled down the stairs; the foremost teahouse patron paid for his recklessness with his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately followed by more screams; those scrambling up the stairs turned and fled, terrified of becoming the next victims.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing someone approach, the retainers raised their benches to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the lesson of blood had sunk in—they now moved with extreme caution, dodging at the first sign of danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, the foreign spies, hot on their heels, entered the teahouse; a terrifying atmosphere engulfed the entire room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1125,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","5452a3fad4bb2d93a7e0d34818f2f56101c247fa5189b46b6feddd29526987c9","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-6","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-4",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]