Chapter 103

After seeing off his brother and the four from the village, Lin Chen is in no rush to return to the martial hall.

He suddenly feels that he is extremely unfamiliar with the Liang Dynasty.

Up to now, he seems to only understand a tiny corner of the Liang Dynasty.

So far, he only knows that Poyang County belongs to Raozhou Prefecture, and to the left of Raozhou Prefecture is Huizhou Prefecture, while to the right is Quzhou Prefecture.

Raozhou Prefecture governs eleven counties, and Raozhou Prefecture, Huizhou Prefecture, and Quzhou Prefecture all belong to the Jiangnan Circuit.

How many circuit regions like the Jiangnan Circuit are there in the entire Liang Dynasty?

What is above the Jiangnan Circuit?

The imperial capital, the center of the Liang Dynasty?

And what countries are there surrounding the Liang Dynasty?

It seems there is an invisible hand deliberately blocking the information and awareness of the common people at the bottom.

This invisible hand must come from the upper echelons of the Liang Dynasty.

"Forget it, why bother thinking so much? The village chief was right about one thing: as long as I keep improving my own strength, that's enough. Strength is the best means to deal with all changes."

Unable to find a lead, Lin Chen chooses to give up.

If the Open-Acupuncture Stage isn't qualified to know, then he'll reach the Organ Cultivation Stage; if the Organ Cultivation Stage isn't enough, then he'll enter the Ranked Tier.

However, what Lin Chen didn't expect was that just as he arrived at the entrance of the Zhenyue Martial Hall, he was stopped by someone.

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

The people from the government office are very polite, but their tone brooks no argument. Lin Chen nods, not asking why the County Magistrate wants to see him.

The most likely reason is that his brother's matter has been exposed.

The main gate of the County government office!

Lin Chen didn't expect to return so soon, stepping into the government office for the second time.

Even the two soldiers guarding the gate look at him with surprise, clearly unable to understand how he could return after only an hour.

Entering the county government office, this time he is led toward a different corridor. After passing through the front hall, he appears in the main hall of the county government office.

"Young Master Lin, he is inside now."

The man leading the way stops at the steps before the door. Lin Chen glances at him, steps onto the stairs, and crosses the threshold of the main hall.

In the main hall, three men in official robes are sitting. Lin Chen didn't expect Lord Su to be here too. Seeing Lord Su present, his heart relaxes slightly.

He has naturally seen the County Magistrate before; during the competition, he was sitting beside Lord Su, and with such a grand entourage, it would have been hard not to see him.

"Disciple pays respects to the County Magistrate, pays respects to Lord Su..."

After bowing to the two, Lin Chen's gaze falls on the last person and pauses.

"This is Platoon Leader Fang, who is specifically in charge of handling the Poyanghu fish demon matter."

He He Ruyun's introduction shocks Lin Chen. Although he had anticipated that the County Magistrate summoning him was highly likely related to his brother, he didn't expect it to be stated so directly.

Shouldn't the monster matter be covered up?

Even if his brother is a person in the know, how can this Lord He be so sure that he also knows the truth?

Taking a step back, even if his brother told him, he could have found other reasons to cover it up.

This Lord He speaking so directly gives Lin Chen a sense of confusion and disorientation.

A moment ago, he was analyzing that the upper echelons of the Liang Dynasty should be strictly guarding against the monster matter, strictly forbidding the leakage of information, but now Lord He mentions it so bluntly, as if it were nothing.

"Lin Chen, according to the laws of our Liang Dynasty, anyone who knows about monster beasts must be taken to the military camp. Judging by your appearance, you must have known something. Since that is the case, come with this official to the military camp."

Listening to this Platoon Leader Fang, Lin Chen is a bit stunned, but he reacts in a flash and immediately replies: "Disciple does not know what monster beast the Lord is talking about?"

"It's fine if you don't know. As long as there is suspicion of being in the know, you can be taken away according to the law."

Lin Chen:...

"Platoon Leader Fang, don't tease Lin Chen."

Su Su Lingchuan sees Lin Chen's confused expression and can't help but laugh. He is a martial hall student after all, and as the director of the Poyang Poyang Wuzhengsuo, he cannot watch Lin Chen be bullied by these two.

"Lin Chen, it's fine even if you know about the monster beast matter. If you have any questions, you can ask this official."

"Lord Su, Disciple really doesn't know what monster beast the three Lords are talking about?"

Lin Chen looks innocent; he fears this is a trap!

First, Lord He spoke directly, causing his mind to be stirred up, then Platoon Leader Fang intimidated him. Under these circumstances, Lord Su comforting him might lead him to admit it.

The possibility of a chain trap is not zero!

Hearing Lin Chen's answer, He He Ruyun and Fang Ze burst into laughter simultaneously. Su Su Lingchuan looks helpless: "This official wouldn't deceive you. Forget it... since you don't believe it, this official will tell you the Bai Shengyu of the Founding Emperor."

Su Su Lingchuan stands up from his chair. He He Ruyun and Fang Ze's smiles fade upon hearing "Bai Shengyu of the Founding Emperor," and their expressions become serious.

"Within the borders of the Liang Dynasty, all books and speeches involving monster beasts shall be destroyed. The common people are strictly forbidden from discussing monster beast matters. Anyone who violates this shall be exiled to the Northern Frontier as a warning."

"If there are remaining monster beasts causing trouble within the borders of the Liang Dynasty, those affected by them and those in the know must all be sent to the border cities to guard the frontier."

"These two laws are set as ancestral laws, to be followed for generations, and shall not be changed!"

When Su Su Lingchuan recites this, his expression is solemn. Lin Chen glances at He He Ruyun and that Lord Fang, who have the same expression.

He can feel that the solemnity and respect of these three are not superficial, not mere lip service, but genuine reverence, as if this Bai Shengyu of the Founding Emperor carries supreme majesty and inviolable sanctity.

The Bai Shengyu is naturally not sacred, so these three have heartfelt reverence for the Founding Emperor; that kind of fervent worship cannot be faked.

Therefore, Lord Su is not setting a chain trap to trick him into admitting it.

He is just a small student, and bringing out the Bai Shengyu of the Founding Emperor makes Lin Chen feel he isn't important enough for that.

"Now you should believe this official's words."

Su Su Lingchuan looks at Lin Chen with a smile. Lin Chen says embarrassedly: "It was Disciple who misunderstood."

"If I hadn't read your file, I would have thought you were a child of some noble family. Your mind is delicate and you are so cautious; you don't look like the son of a fisherman."

Fang Ze stares at Lin Chen; just his gaze brings immense pressure to Lin Chen.

"Although Disciple comes from a fisherman's family, Disciple read many books when young and also likes to listen to storytellers tell stories. Having heard many, I've pondered some principles of conduct."

Lin Chen answers very frankly. As for his soul-transmigration, as long as he doesn't say it, no one will know; there's nothing to feel guilty about.

People with natural wisdom exist; what is his little bit of cleverness?

"Lin Chen, now that you know the Bai Shengyu of the Founding Emperor, this official asks you, do you want to know about the monster beast matter?"

Su Su Lingchuan brings the topic back, staring at Lin Chen with burning eyes.

This time, it is Lin Chen's turn to be silent.

Listening to the meaning, the Founding Emperor of the Liang Dynasty issued a Bai Shengyu not allowing news about monster beasts among the people, so does he want to know or not?

After three breaths, Lin Chen makes a decision.

He has already embarked on the path of a martial artist, and sooner or later he will know the inside story.

"Disciple wishes to hear the details."

Su Su Lingchuan and He He Ruyun look at each other. He He Ruyun, who had been silent, speaks for the first time: "Three hundred years ago, the court of the Great Chu Dynasty was dark and lawless, and monsters and demons ran rampant."

"The imperial family was weak, its majesty hard to uphold. Noble families and clans in various places held troops for their own protection, carving out territories, and the flames of war were continuous and endless."

"The common people were trapped in water and fire, losing their lives under the flames of war and the claws and teeth of demons. Their suffering was indescribable, and wails were heard everywhere; it was a tragic sight."

"Until the Founding Emperor raised the banner of rebellion, and the people of the world gathered in response. In just five years, the Founding Emperor destroyed the noble families and clans, unified the world, and established our Great Liang Dynasty."

Lin Chen listens quietly. He can't hear anything special in this; it's a normal rise and fall of a dynasty, with nothing special—just the corruption and decline of the old dynasty and the rise of the new one.

As for the descriptive words in Lord He's language, as the winning side, they naturally write whatever they want.

"Do you know what the difference is between our Great Liang and the Great Chu?"

He He Ruyun seems to be able to see through Lin Chen's thoughts. After seeing Lin Chen shake his head, he enunciates: "The difference between our Great Liang and the Great Chu is like clouds and mud!"

"Before the Great Chu was the Great Song, and before the Great Song, there were other dynasties like the Great Qi and Great Zhou. Yet, in the past, the change of dynasties was merely a change of imperial bloodlines, a change of masters of the country. Only our Great Liang's Founding Emperor had the supreme courage to change the heavens and the earth, creating an unprecedented new pattern for all time."

He He Ruyun is impassioned. Lin Chen can see that everything Lord He says comes from the heart, which makes him more curious about what the Founding Emperor did.

"Throughout history, whenever a dynasty fell into turmoil, a new dynasty would replace it, but the chaos of demons in the world never changed in the slightest."

"Those newly established dynasties, in order to stabilize their country, did not hesitate to grovel, colluding with demons, signing treaties under the walls, ceding land, and offering up people, hoping for temporary peace."

"Some even took advantage of the chaos in the world to secretly collude with demons, hoping to use the power of demons to ascend to the throne of the Nine-Five and dominate the world."

"Such shameless acts could not last long. These dynasties controlled by demons lasted at most ten years, or less than a hundred years, before being attacked by the people of the world, overthrown again, and turned to ashes."

"Even the powerful dynasties of the past like the Great Chu, Great Song, Great Qi, and Great Zhou mostly adopted policies of appeasement toward demons, using peace talks as the main means, hoping to exchange compromise for temporary peace."

"When the dynasty was at its peak, the demons might restrain themselves, but once the dynasty entered its middle or late stages and national strength declined, the demons would reveal their ferocious faces again and cause chaos in the world."

"At this time, the imperial family, in order to protect its own country, had no power to contend with the demons and could only retreat again and again, constantly ceding land for peace, until the end of the Great Chu, when the vast territory of the past was less than thirty percent left, the mountains and rivers were broken, and the land was scarred."

At this point, He He Ruyun's voice rises sharply, his eyes slightly red: "Only our Great Liang's Founding Emperor set a national policy at the beginning of the founding: Great Liang... must not have a single demon existence. If one generation can't do it, then two generations; if two generations can't do it, then three. Unless the people of our Great Liang are all dead, this policy will never be changed."

"The Founding Emperor set three national policies: open the Martial Administration Department to govern martial arts matters in the world. All people of our Great Liang can learn martial arts techniques!"

He He Ruyun looks at Lin Chen: "Before the Great Liang, no dynasty had ever opened the path of martial arts to the common people. Martial arts techniques and resources were all in the hands of the imperial family and the noble families; ordinary people had no path to learn martial arts."

Lin Chen's heart tightens. He can understand why the previous dynasties didn't open the path of martial arts to the common people.

If everyone in the world learned martial arts, it would be even harder to govern.

The Founding Emperor truly had great courage. Such behavior is good for the country, but the opposite for the imperial family.

"Second, set a strict household registration policy. Those who are not martial hall students cannot be officials. Ninth-rank officials can get five business quotas, the Open-Acupuncture Stage only has one business quota, and only Organ Cultivation has two."

"Those martial arts families, if they want to arrange for servants to do business, must enter a martial hall, and thereafter obey the court's conscription to slay demons and eliminate monsters."

"The reason why demons could cause chaos in the previous dynasty was that noble families in various places only cared about their own interests, chose to stand by while demons harmed ordinary people, and even had a tacit understanding with the demons."

"And our Great Liang now also has martial arts families, but no matter which one, they have countless demon lives on their hands, listed on the Demon Slaying Ranking!"

"Third, after the Founding Emperor died, he did not enter the imperial mausoleum. His body was buried in four places: his head was buried in the Northern Frontier ice fields, his body was buried at the East Sea shore and the West Frontier abyss, and the imperial mausoleum only kept his clothes for future generations to admire. The Founding Emperor did this to guard the frontier with countless soldiers of our Great Liang and resist the invasion of demons."

Lin Chen's mouth hangs open. He now understands why the three Lords Su have such respect for the Founding Emperor.

A founding emperor who had himself dismembered is rare in the world!

And with the Founding Emperor's prestige, buried in the borderlands, how could the border soldiers let demons invade? They would surely guard it with their lives!

How could the descendants of the Great Liang imperial family dare to let their ancestor's body fall into the hands of demons? They would surely govern diligently!

He He Ruyun stands up and bows, looking at Su Su Lingchuan and Fang Ze.

"May the people of our Great Liang have no fear in their hearts and no worries in their childhood!"

He He Ruyun recites loudly. This sentence of the Founding Emperor is carved in the main hall of the court and also in the county government office everywhere.

"May the people of our Great Liang all be like dragons, and martial arts flourish!"

Su Su Lingchuan follows closely. This sentence of the Founding Emperor is carved in the Martial Administration Department and the Martial Administration Offices everywhere.

"May the territory of our Great Liang be solid for ten thousand years, and no one dare to invade!"

Fang Ze also bows. This sentence of the Founding Emperor is carved at the border, on his tombstone, and on the flags of the military camps.

Looking at the performance of the three Lords, Lin Chen only feels that these three Lords have a temperament that doesn't match their strength and age.

Passionate and yet a bit childish.

But listening to the deeds of the Founding Emperor told by the three Lords, even though he has lived two lives, his heart is surging at this moment.

"As for the Founding Emperor issuing the Bai Shengyu not allowing news of demons within the Great Liang, it was only because demons had caused chaos for many years, and the people had a deep fear of demons. Even though the Founding Emperor ordered local governments to slay demons in public many times, the psychological fear was already branded in the hearts of the people. Coupled with the fact that the dynasty was just established and remnants of the previous dynasty and other forces were secretly stirring up trouble, many people were afraid that their children would learn martial arts and end up losing their lives to demons, so they didn't dare to go to martial halls. That was why the Founding Emperor issued this Bai Shengyu."

"Through two hundred years of hard work by our Great Liang, the demons within the Great Liang are almost gone, and half of the borderlands lost and ceded by the Great Chu have been recovered. The situation today is very different from when the country was founded. The court officials have long felt that this Bai Shengyu of the Founding Emperor is no longer appropriate, but because of their respect for the Founding Emperor, it has not been canceled all these years."

Su Su Lingchuan smiles slightly: "This time, Platoon Leader Fang should also thank you, otherwise, taking one more person to the military camp would mean an extra hundred taels of expenditure, and this amount of silver was also set by the Founding Emperor."

Hearing this, Lin Chen suddenly realizes that the Founding Emperor didn't expect his descendants to be so capable, and the Great Liang could grow to this point. And the Great Liang court officials, out of their worship for the Founding Emperor, although they felt this Bai Shengyu was somewhat outdated, still hadn't canceled it.

"Lord, since the demons are gone, what about Poyanghu?"

"Those demons of that year fled or died, but they left behind some tricks in the mountains, rivers, and marshes. There are always some unwilling people who want to stir up trouble, especially the other few countries, but they are just clowns."

He He Ruyun has a look of disdain in his eyes. Lin Chen silently notes this, so besides the Great Liang, there are other countries.

"The prosperity of the Great Liang makes these few countries restless. They would rather see a Great Liang constantly consumed by demons, like the Great Chu, Great Qi, and Great Zhou."

Fang Ze takes over the conversation and bows at the same time: "Kid, I originally wanted to take you to the military camp, but your Lord Su is unwilling to let you go, so this official won't force you."

Fang Ze leaves very decisively. Su Su Lingchuan watches Fang Ze leave and laughs: "Lin Chen, now that you know these things, can you set your mind at ease?"

Lin Chen scratches his head and says embarrassedly: "Thank you, Lord, for clearing up my confusion."

"Go back to the martial hall and practice martial arts with peace of mind. Someone will handle the Poyanghu matter. If you are still worried, make your own strength improve faster. The stronger your strength and potential, the more attention the higher-ups will pay to you, including the safety of your family and friends."

PS: Actually, I've been thinking about this chapter for a long time, afraid of being called filler, but the character of the Great Liang Founding Emperor was decided on the first day I started the book. This is the keynote character of this book and must be described in detail.

A big chapter of 4,700 words, the 3,500 monthly ticket bonus is delivered. Continuing to ask for monthly tickets.

(End of chapter)