Chapter 103: The Founding Emperor

After seeing off his elder brother and the village chief, Lin Chen did not rush back to the martial arts academy.

He suddenly felt that he knew nothing of Great Liang.

To this day, he had only glimpsed a tiny corner of it.

So far, he only knew that Poyang County belonged to Raozhou Prefecture, with Huizhou Prefecture to its left and Quzhou Prefecture to its right.

Raozhou Prefecture governed eleven counties, and both Raozhou, Huizhou, and Quzhou Prefectures fell under Jiangnan Dao.

How many such regional divisions like Jiangnan Dao existed across all of Great Liang?

What lay above Jiangnan Dao?

The imperial capital at the heart of Great Liang?

And what countries bordered Great Liang?

It seemed an invisible hand deliberately obscured information from the common people.

That invisible hand must originate from the upper echelons of Great Liang.

“Forget it. Why overthink? The village chief was right—just keep improving your strength. Strength is the best way to handle any change.”

Unable to find answers, Lin Chen chose to let it go.

If the Awakening Realm wasn’t qualified to know, then cultivate the organs; if that wasn’t enough, enter the ranked ranks.

Yet Lin Chen hadn’t expected that as soon as he returned to the Zhenyue Martial Arts Academy’s gate, he was stopped.

“Young Master Lin, the County Magistrate requests your presence. Please come with us.”

The government officials were polite, but their tone left no room for refusal; Lin Chen nodded without asking why the magistrate wanted to see him.

The most likely reason was that his brother’s matter had been exposed.

The County Office gates!

Lin Chen hadn’t expected to return so soon, stepping into the government office for the second time.

Even the two guards at the gate looked at him with surprise, clearly puzzled why he’d come back just an hour after leaving.

Inside the county office, this time he was led down a different corridor, past the front hall, and into the main courtroom.

“Young Master Lin, they’re inside.”

The guide stopped at the foot of the steps; Lin Chen glanced at him, then stepped up onto the threshold and entered the courtroom.

Inside, three men in official robes sat seated; Lin Chen was surprised to see Su Daoren there, and seeing him, his heart eased slightly.

He had naturally met the County Magistrate before—during the martial contest, the magistrate sat beside Su Daoren, surrounded by attendants, impossible to miss.

“Disciple Lin Chen bows to the County Magistrate, to Su Daoren…”

After bowing to the two, Lin Chen’s gaze fell on the third man and halted.

“This is Fang Baihu. He is specifically in charge of the Poyang Lake fish demon matter.”

He Ruyun’s introduction shocked Lin Chen; though he’d suspected the magistrate summoned him because of his brother, he hadn’t expected such directness.

Shouldn’t the demon matter be concealed?

Even if his brother knew, how could this He Daoren be certain Lin Chen knew the truth too?

Even if his brother had told him, they could have used some other excuse to cover it up.

This He Daoren speaking so plainly left Lin Chen feeling disoriented and lost.

Just moments ago, he’d assumed Great Liang’s upper echelons tightly suppressed demon-related information—but now He Daoren mentioned it so casually, as if it meant nothing.

“Lin Chen, according to Great Liang law, anyone who knows of demonic beasts must be taken to the military camp. Judging by your appearance, you likely know something. Then come with me.”

Hearing Fang Baihu’s words, Lin Chen was stunned, but quickly recovered and replied: “Disciple doesn’t know what the official means by demonic beasts.”

“You don’t need to know. Any suspicion of knowledge is enough for lawful detention.”

Lin Chen: …

“Fang Shixiong, stop joking with Lin Chen.”

Su Lingchuan saw Lin Chen’s bewildered look and couldn’t help laughing; as head of the Wuzheng Force, he couldn’t let Lin Chen be bullied by these two.

“Lin Chen, even if you know about demonic beasts, there’s no harm. If you have questions, ask me.”

“Su Daoren, disciple truly doesn’t know what the three officials mean by demonic beasts.”

Lin Chen wore an innocent expression—he feared this was a trap!

First, He Daoren spoke directly, throwing him off balance; then Fang Baihu threatened him; now Su Daoren offered comfort—Lin Chen feared he might be tricked into confessing.

A chain of deception wasn’t impossible!

Hearing Lin Chen’s reply, He Ruyun and Fang Ze burst out laughing; Su Lingchuan looked helplessly at them: “I wouldn’t deceive you. Very well… since you don’t believe me, I’ll tell you the founding Emperor’s edict.”

Su Lingchuan rose from his chair; He Ruyun and Fang Ze immediately stopped laughing, their expressions turning solemn.

“Within Great Liang, all texts and speech concerning demonic beasts shall be destroyed. The people are strictly forbidden to speak of demonic beasts. Violators shall be exiled to the northern frontier as punishment.”

“Anyone affected by surviving demonic beasts or who possesses knowledge of them must be sent to border towns to guard the frontier.”

“These two laws are established as ancestral law, to be followed for all generations, unchangeable!”

As Su Lingchuan recited, his expression was solemn; Lin Chen glanced at He Ruyun and Fang Baihu—they wore the same solemnity.

He could feel their solemnity and reverence were not superficial, not mere pretense, but genuine awe—as if the founding Emperor’s edict carried supreme authority and sacred inviolability.

The edict itself wasn’t sacred; therefore, these three genuinely revered the founding Emperor—their burning admiration was unmistakable.

So Su Daoren wasn’t setting a trap to trick him into confessing.

He was just a lowly disciple; why would they invoke the founding Emperor’s edict unless it was true? Lin Chen didn’t think he was important enough for such a ruse.

“Now do you believe me?”

Su Lingchuan smiled at Lin Chen, who felt embarrassed: “Disciple misunderstood.”

“Had I not seen your records, I’d have thought you were some noble’s son—so careful, so thoughtful. You don’t seem like a fisherman’s son.”

Fang Ze stared intently at Lin Chen; just his gaze pressed immense pressure upon him.

“Disciple was born to fishermen, but as a child I read many books and enjoyed listening to storytellers. Hearing enough tales, I learned some principles of conduct.”

Lin Chen answered calmly; his soul-transmigration was his secret—no one could know, so he had nothing to hide.

Natural geniuses existed; his small cleverness meant nothing.

“Lin Chen, now that you know the founding Emperor’s edict, I ask you: do you wish to know the truth about demonic beasts?”

Su Lingchuan brought the topic back, his gaze fixed on Lin Chen.

Now it was Lin Chen’s turn to fall silent.

It seemed the founding Emperor of Great Liang had issued an edict forbidding commoners from knowing about demonic beasts—should he learn the truth?

After three breaths, Lin Chen made his decision.

He had already embarked on the path of the martial cultivator; sooner or later, he’d learn the truth.

“Disciple wishes to hear the full account.”

Su Lingchuan and He Ruyun exchanged glances; He Ruyun, who had remained silent until now, spoke for the first time: “Three hundred years ago, the Great Chu court was corrupt and tyrannical; demons and monsters ran rampant.”

“The imperial family weakened, its authority crumbling; regional clans and noble houses hoarded armies, carved out territories, and war raged endlessly.”

“The people suffered in fire and water, dying by the thousands in war and demon claws—misery beyond words, the land filled with wailing, unbearable to behold.”

“Until the founding Emperor rose in rebellion, and the people of the realm rallied to his cause. In just five years, he shattered the noble houses and unified the land, founding our Great Liang dynasty.”

Lin Chen listened quietly; these details held no special insight—it was the usual rise and fall of dynasties: an old regime decayed, a new one rose.

As for He Ruyun’s dramatic phrasing, the victors always wrote history as they pleased.

“Do you know how Great Liang differs from Great Chu?”

He Ruyun seemed to read Lin Chen’s thoughts; seeing him shake his head, he spoke slowly: “The difference between Great Liang and Great Chu is as vast as heaven and earth!”

“Before Great Chu was Great Song; before Great Song came Great Qi, Great Zhou, and others. But in all past dynastic transitions, only the imperial bloodline changed, the throne passed hands. Only our Great Liang founding Emperor, with unparalleled courage, transformed heaven and earth, forging a new order unseen in all history.”

He Ruyun spoke with fervor; Lin Chen could tell his words came from the heart, deepening his curiosity about the founding Emperor’s deeds.

“Throughout history, whenever a dynasty fell into chaos and a new one replaced it, the chaos caused by demons and monsters never changed.”

“Those new dynasties, desperate to secure their thrones, humbled themselves, allied with demons and monsters, signed humiliating treaties, ceded land, surrendered populations—all for fleeting peace.”

“Worse still, some seized the chaos, the slaughter of the people, secretly colluded with demons, hoping to use their power to seize the imperial throne and dominate the world.”

“Such shameful acts never lasted. These demon-controlled dynasties, whether short-lived or enduring less than a century, were overthrown by the people’s uprising and vanished into dust.”

“Even the once mighty dynasties of Chu, Song, Qi, and Zhou, when facing demons, mostly adopted conciliatory policies, seeking peace through compromise.”

“When the dynasty was strong, demons might retreat; but once it declined, the demons would again reveal their monstrous faces and plunge the world into chaos.”

“At that point, the imperial court, powerless to resist, could only retreat further, ceding land and begging for peace—until the end of Chu, when its once vast territory shrank to less than a third, the land shattered, the rivers and mountains scarred.”

At this, He Ruyun’s voice rose sharply, his eyes reddening: “Only our Great Liang founding Emperor, from the very beginning of his reign, established the policy: Great Liang… shall not have a single demon exist. If one generation fails, then two; if two fail, then three. Unless every last subject of Great Liang perishes, this policy shall never change.”

“The founding Emperor established three imperial policies: first, the Wuzheng Force, to govern all martial arts across the realm; every subject of Great Liang may learn martial arts!”

He Ruyun looked at Lin Chen: “Before Great Liang, no dynasty had ever opened martial arts to the common people. Martial arts were monopolized by the imperial family and noble clans; ordinary people had no path to learn.”

Lin Chen’s heart tightened; he understood why past dynasties refused to open martial arts to the people.

If every commoner learned martial arts, governance would become far harder.

The founding Emperor truly had boldness—this policy benefited the nation, but was the opposite of what the imperial family desired.

“Second, a strict household registration policy: only martial arts academy students may hold official posts. A ninth-rank official may hold five merchant licenses; Awakening Realm holds only one; Organ Cultivation holds two.”

“Martial arts noble houses wishing to assign servants to commerce must enroll in a martial arts academy, then obey imperial summons to slay demons.”

“Past dynasties suffered demon chaos because noble clans cared only for their own interests, ignoring demon atrocities against commoners, even tacitly colluding with them.”

“Now, Great Liang has its own martial arts noble houses—but every one of them has countless demon lives on their record, listed on the Demon-Slaying Roster!”

“Third, after the founding Emperor’s death, he did not enter the imperial mausoleum. His body was divided into four parts: his head buried in the northern frontier’s ice plains, his body in the eastern sea’s shore and western abyss. The mausoleum holds only his robes for posterity to honor. This act was his wish—to stand with Great Liang’s countless soldiers, guarding the frontier against demonic invasion.”

Lin Chen’s mouth hung slightly open; now he understood why Su Daoren and the others revered the founding Emperor so deeply.

A founding emperor who had himself dismembered—unheard of in history!

And given the Emperor Taizu’s prestige, how could the border soldiers allow demons to desecrate his resting place? They would surely defend it to the death!

The descendants of the Great Liang imperial house would never permit their ancestors’ remains to fall into demonic hands—they would surely strive with all their might!

He Ruyun rose and bowed, glancing at Su Lingchuan and Fang Ze.

“May the people of Great Liang live without fear, and their childhoods be free of sorrow!”

He Ruyun recited aloud—these words of Emperor Taizu were carved into the grand hall of the imperial court and into every county government office.

“May every subject of Great Liang rise like a dragon, and the Way of Martial Arts flourish forever!”

Su Lingchuan followed closely—these words of Emperor Taizu were carved into the Wuzheng Force and every Wuzhengsuo across the land.

“May Great Liang’s borders stand eternal for ten thousand years, unchallenged by any!”

Fang Ze likewise bowed—these words of Emperor Taizu were carved into the borderlands, upon his tombstone, and upon the banners of every military camp.

Observing the three officials' demeanor, Lin Chen felt their presence now carried an aura that did not match their strength or age.

Passionate and overly idealistic.

Yet as he listened to the three officials recount Emperor Taizu’s deeds, even though he had lived two lifetimes, his heart now surged with emotion.

“As for Emperor Taizu’s imperial decree forbidding any news of demons within Great Liang’s borders, it was because demons had ravaged the land for years, leaving the people with profound terror. Even though Emperor Taizu ordered local governments to publicly execute demons on numerous occasions, the fear had already burned like a brand into the people’s hearts. Coupled with the newly established dynasty, lingering remnants of the previous regime and other factions secretly stirring chaos, many commoners feared their children would take up martial arts only to be killed by demons—thus they dared not send them to martial academies. That was why Emperor Taizu issued this decree.”

“After two centuries of relentless effort by Great Liang’s people, demons within our borders have nearly vanished, and half of the borderlands lost to Da Chu have been reclaimed. The current situation is vastly different from the founding era. The court officials have long felt this imperial decree is no longer appropriate, but out of reverence for Emperor Taizu, they have never revoked it.”

Su Lingchuan smiled faintly: “This time, Official Fang, you should thank him. Otherwise, bringing one extra person to the military camp would cost an additional hundred taels—this sum was set by Emperor Taizu himself.”

Hearing this, Lin Chen suddenly understood: Emperor Taizu never imagined his descendants would become so powerful, that Great Liang would grow to this height. And though the court officials now felt the decree outdated, their reverence for Emperor Taizu had kept it intact all these years.

“My lord, if demons are nearly extinct, then what of Poyanghu?”

“Those demons either fled or died, but they left behind hidden schemes in mountains, rivers, and lakes. Some restless souls still seek to stir up trouble—especially from the other nations—but they are merely petty tricksters.”

He Ruyun’s eyes held disdain. Lin Chen silently noted: so besides Great Liang, other nations existed.

“Great Liang’s prosperity has left these nations restless. They would rather see Great Liang worn down by demons, like Da Chu, Da Qi, and Da Zhou.”

Fang Ze took up the thread, bowing as he spoke: “Young man, I originally intended to take you to the military camp, but your Master Su refuses to let you go. I won’t force the matter.”

Fang Ze departed without delay. Su Lingchuan watched him go, then chuckled: “Lin Chen, now that you know all this, are you at ease?”

Lin Chen scratched his head, slightly embarrassed: “Thank you, my lord, for clarifying.”

“Return to the martial academy and focus on your training. The matter of Poyanghu will be handled by others. If you still worry, then hasten your own advancement—the stronger your cultivation and potential, the more attention the higher-ups will pay to you, including the safety of your family and friends.”

PS: I pondered this chapter for a long time, fearing it might be called “fluff,” but Emperor Taizu of Great Liang was a character I established on the very first day I began this novel—he is the foundational figure of this book, and must be portrayed in detail.

A 4,700-character chapter, delivered as a bonus for 3,500 monthly votes—still seeking monthly votes.

(End of Chapter)