Chapter 273

In the Academy, the Mo Juzi and Gongyang Su Wang stared in stunned silence.

Watching the boy nearly dragging a bearded man sprinting toward them, the man shamefully covered his face; yet Gongyang Su Wang and the Mo Juzi recognized him—Li Guanyi halted and bowed.

"Disciple greets both Academy Masters."

"When Ling Pingyang arrives here, please inform the two elders not to wait for me."

Emperor Ji Zichang shamefully covered his face.

Li Guanyi felt the Academy student in his grip was extremely tense; he glanced around but found no main gate—he realized the main gate was still three to five minutes away, and this bearded Academy student might not hold out.

So he said, "Forgive the rudeness."

Qin Wu Hou lifted Ji Zichang onto his shoulder.

He leapt straight over the Academy's wall.

Gongyang Su Wang: "…………"

Mo Juzi: "…………"

Gongyang Su Wang suddenly burst into laughter; unlike many Confucian schools bound by rigid dogma, he adapted flexibly to circumstances—the old man strolled leisurely forward:

"Do not look at what is improper. Do not speak of what is improper."

"I saw nothing, old Mo Juzi."

He looked at the Mo Juzi, extended his hand, and smiled:

"The wind rises, clouds swirl—the time is long. Mo Juzi, shall we play another game?"

Li Guanyi carried Ji Zichang straight over the wall; for Li Guanyi, who came from the common folk and had close ties with Master Siming and Yao Guang, this was nothing—but for the monarch of Zhongzhou, who had been confined since birth by layers of ritual propriety—

Right beneath the eyes of the Confucian Academy's foremost master and the Mo Juzi.

Someone was lifted over the wall.

How utterly improper!

How……thrilling!

Exciting!

Ji Zichang felt his heart pounding wildly; he said, "You—you dared to leap over the wall in front of Gongyang Su Wang?!" Li Guanyi replied, "Does the Academy have any rule forbidding leaping over walls?"

Ji Zichang could not answer.

Li Guanyi said, "I know a senior figure in the Academy who greatly enjoys leaping over walls. If such a senior does it, surely we younger students may as well."

Ji Zichang smiled bitterly: "No wonder it's you—where to?"

Li Guanyi answered, "To get something to eat." He reached into his robe and found he had little silver left; Ji Zichang noticed his gaze and asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Guanyi replied, "Brother, perhaps we should choose a more ordinary restaurant."

"I don't have much money."

Ji Zichang stared in shock.

Jiangnan—the land of plenty!

The eighteen provinces of Jiangnan are the very heart of the empire's water transport; you rule a thousand li of Jiangnan, yet you, a noble lord, claim you have no money? But Ji Zichang, having been emperor for many years, knew when someone spoke truthfully.

This boy truly had no money.

A lord of Jiangnan, penniless?

Ji Zichang suddenly burst into laughter, finding it the most absurdly funny thing in the world; he pointed to the jade pendant always at Li Guanyi's waist and said, "Don't fool me—this pendant is clearly something only a royal noble family would possess."

"Its texture and luster are top-grade, worth a thousand gold."

"If you have no money, why not pawn it?"

Li Guanyi stroked the jade pendant and smiled in reply:

"Because this item is not for sale—not even for a thousand gold."

This pendant was given to him by Young Lady Xue Shuangtao—how could he ever trade it? Ji Zichang said, "Fine, if that's how it is, then as you wish—lead the way."

Li Guanyi realized Brother Changwen rarely ventured out and knew less about Ducheng than he, an outsider; after wandering briefly, Li Guanyi brought him to a modest-looking restaurant.

He ordered several dishes.

Ji Zichang heard Li Guanyi's order and said, "How many lies are in your mouth?"

Li Guanyi stared in shock: "What?"

Ji Zichang chuckled, "These dishes you ordered must cost hundreds of taels—yet you say you have no money?"

Li Guanyi replied, "What dishes?"

He pointed to his order: "Autumn leeks are already old—scrambled eggs with autumn leeks, one braised chicken, one vegetable platter, one egg-drop soup, two bowls of mixed rice—how much could that cost?"

"Even in Zhongzhou, these cost barely more than a copper coin."

"Are your eggs made of gold, or your rice made of gold beans?"

Li Guanyi noticed Ji Zichang's smile slowly freezing.

Something seemed to shatter.

The young emperor's face turned pale; after a moment of silence, he seemed to understand, and asked, "How much is one egg worth?"

Li Guanyi replied, "A couple of copper coins?"

"Even in Zhongzhou, ten or so copper coins are enough for a meal; with twenty or more, you can afford meat."

Ji Zichang fell silent for a long while, then pressed his fingers to his brow.

Li Guanyi mused, "Have you also been oppressed by Zhongzhou's Imperial Household Department? The so-called 'one egg costs ten taels, two green onions five taels, with five taels in fire tax.'"

"A simple stir-fried egg dish worth at most twenty copper coins is sold for fifty taels."

"Truly absurd."

Ji Zichang drew a deep breath; his hand, which had always been steady as Emperor in the palace, trembled; he gritted his teeth and said, "... The Imperial Household Department draws the state's salary, yet deceives the throne and hides truth from above—when I return, I will impeach them!"

Li Guanyi said, "What use is impeaching just a minor official of the Imperial Household Department?"

Ji Zichang froze.

Li Guanyi said: "A mere official from the Imperial Household Department is at most fourth or fifth rank—how would he dare embezzle such a massive sum? It must be passed up layer by layer, each level siphoning off a share—perhaps one copper coin per egg."

Ji Zichang asked: "Then, Master Pharmacist, where did all this silver go?"

Li Guanyi replied: "Isn't it obvious?"

The dishes arrived. Li Guanyi took a bite and said: "You've heard about the recent events in the city, haven't you? Sword Mad Murong Longtu has challenged every Grand Master in the martial world, the Academy's Head, and even the legendary figures of the Jianghu."

"By rights, no one would dare stir up such trouble."

"But when I arrived, I found someone had raised the head tax at one city gate to five times its original level, exploiting it to amass wealth—and this man is the consort of a certain princess."

Ji Zichang's gaze dropped, shadowed with gloom.

Li Guanyi ordered a pot of wine. As he drank, he naturally activated his innate talent for political discourse at the dining table: "The problem is already clear. Even without mentioning my few close friends, even someone like me can see it plainly."

"The Central Region spans only a thousand li. In terms of land fertility, it's inferior to the Central Plains and Guanzhong; in commerce and abundance of goods, it falls short of Chen State; even its transport of goods cannot match the entire eighteen states of Jiangnan of similar size."

"Then why are there so many imperial relatives and clan elders?"

Ji Zichang said: "Because of tributes from the other states."

Li Guanyi replied: "In the past, tributes came from the other states—if a vassal failed to deliver gold or taxes on time, his title could be stripped. But today, who in Chen State or Ying State still sends up the majority of their state's taxes?"

"Three hundred years ago, the Central Region fell from power; the blood of imperial relatives stained the imperial road."

"Chen State and Ying State broke away from the Central Region, offering only a fraction of former tribute—so little as to be negligible. Yet even now, the great clans, ancestral lineages, and imperial relatives of the Central Region have not reduced their extravagance or pomp in the slightest."

"On the contrary, when Chen and Ying defy them, they double down—spend more, waste more, flaunt their power more fiercely. They know full well the two states no longer care, yet they cling to the illusion. Everywhere under heaven, there are people like this."

Ji Zichang's face turned ashen.

He clenched his fists. Though he had long known of these corruptions, he had been confined within the palace and never realized how brutal they had become. He raised his head, staring at Li Guanyi before him—the man holding a cup of wine, calm and indifferent as he gazed outside.

Then he looked away and said: "Tell me, Brother Changwen."

"The tributes from the two states have dwindled; the great clans' desires are boundless."

"Where, then, does this money come from?"

Ji Zichang slowly unclenched his fist and whispered: "... The people."

Li Guanyi replied: "Wrong."

"I once thought it came from the people. But later I realized—it's not just that. These are ancient, enduring aristocratic families who witnessed the rise of Emperor Wu of Chen after he won the people's hearts three hundred years ago."

"It comes from the Emperor."

Li Guanyi said: "Only after coming here did I realize: they extort under the Emperor's name, fabricate records of tax expenditures, and maintain false ledgers."

"Perhaps the Emperor is virtuous, the ministers capable, the people diligent in farming—but no one's life turns out as it should."

"Along the channel between Emperor and people, they peel away layer upon layer, like worms devouring from within."

"When the people's rage reaches its peak—"

Li Guanyi's chopsticks, like a sword, slashed downward. He spoke calmly:

"It's merely a matter of replacing the Emperor."

These words struck Ji Zichang's ears like thunder.

He stared at the Qin Wu Hou before him, chopsticks held like a sword.

The black hair at Qin Wu Hou's temples stirred slightly in the wind; his expression remained serene.

At that moment, Ji Zichang realized: this was no longer the student who had drunk with him, or even carried him over walls. His gaze still rested upon the realm.

This was Qin Wu Hou—his aura as imposing as that of the founding emperors.

Li Guanyi poured wine for Ji Zichang and said casually:

"Replace the Emperor to quell popular anger, yet the elder nobles of the imperial clan still hold real power and authority. A puppet? No."

"The Emperor is merely a massive shield protecting their own interests. The lingering glory of the Red Emperor is just a slogan for extracting wealth. From this, it's clear the imperial clan must harbor brilliant strategists—men who see the situation as clearly as daylight."

"If my guess is correct—"

"Among the great emperors of the Central Region, there must have been many who died young, still strong and vigorous, with at least Triple Heaven-level internal energy, yet suddenly began coughing blood, falling ill, and dying mysteriously in their prime."

Clatter!

Ji Zichang slammed his palm on the table, making the dishes and chopsticks rattle. His expression shifted violently, yet he could not deny the truth in Li Guanyi's words.

Li Guanyi's face showed regret. "I'm sorry."

"I'm just like this—I forgot your position."

Ji Zichang opened his mouth.

The grand ambition he had felt moments ago suddenly died. It wasn't that he refused to act—it was that, with his vision and judgment, he now understood: the Emperor had become the shared sacrifice of the eight-hundred-year-old Chi family.

These eight centuries of accumulated royal and noble privileges had woven themselves into countless threads—each seemingly light, yet together, they bound the Emperor like ropes, fastened to the imperial clan.

They also severed the palace from the common people.

These problems were tangled like roots—like a war chariot pulled by eight mad steeds, racing uncontrollably forward. He could no longer control it. There was no turning back. Only pure, external force might shatter this situation.

How could both internal and external crises be resolved?

He looked at Li Guanyi before him, his expression calm.

Suddenly, he sighed and laughed: "I envy you, Master Pharmacist."

Li Guanyi raised an eyebrow.

Ji Zichang suddenly seized the wine pot and poured himself a drink.

Then he tilted his head back. The Emperor, who had never liked sharing utensils since childhood, now drank sip by sip. Soon, he was slightly drunk. Li Guanyi comforted him: "You don't need to do this."

Ji Zichang said: "You don't understand. You don't understand."

Li Guanyi said nothing more. He simply drank with this strange student. The two of them finished dish after dish, pot after pot of wine. Ji Zichang did not use his Four Heaven-level Divine Art of Crimson Dragon Shaking the Nine Provinces to dispel the alcohol—he was already drunk in spirit.

When Li Guanyi helped the drunken student out of the restaurant, the sky was utterly dark. Ji Zichang staggered, slapped Li Guanyi's shoulder, and said: "Master Pharmacist, you said your jade pendant was given to you by someone."

"Heh. Is she the girl in your heart?"

Li Guanyi paused.

Ji Zichang pushed him away, stumbling forward, whispering: "I, I've had that too—back then, I wasn't the head of the family, just an ordinary girl who loved playing the qin and playing go."

"Then, then at seventeen, I fell ill and died."

Li Guanyi said: "You married a woman from a noble clan, didn't you?"

Ji Zichang whispered: "Yes."

"I needed their strength to stand firm."

"But…"

He suddenly laughed bitterly: "Forget it. It's pointless. Never mind. Come, come, drink! Drink!" He shouted, tipped his head back to drink, then frowned—there was no wine left.

This rare moment of freedom, this emperor, caught sight of the wine flask at Li Guanyi's waist.

"Ha! You still have my wine."

He didn't care about anything else—just reached out and grabbed the flask. Li Guanyi had ignored the flask until Ji Zichang unsealed it—then the Yao Guang Qi Shu was broken, and Li Guanyi realized it was terrible.

It wasn't fruit wine—it was Qian Ri Zui!

Ji Zichang tilted his head back and swallowed a large gulp. His mood seemed terribly sour—he kept gulping down the wine, unaware that the Fishing Whale Guest had altered its contents with an array, allowing it to hold three dou and three sheng of strong liquor.

Ji Zichang drank so much his body swayed unsteadily.

When he realized something was wrong, he pulled the flask away: "My wine… is it this strong?"

Li Guanyi stared, dumbfounded.

Not?

Are all scholars from Zhongzhou this terrifying?

Wen He could avoid Qian Ri Zui, fine—but a random, drunken, bearded man by the roadside could down this much without falling? Ji Zichang tossed his belongings over; Li Guanyi caught them.

Under Ji Zichang's gaze—"Your turn!"—Li Guanyi smiled carefree, tipped his head back, and drank deeply. Ji Zichang's approval rose; he roared with laughter: "Good! Good!"

Ji Zichang burped, then said: "Let's go! Let's go!"

He reached out, leaning on Li Guanyi, stumbling: "Go!"

The two stumbled along, but after so much wine, they suddenly grew thirsty. Ji Zichang glanced around and spotted a courtyard: "Master Shi, Master Shi, look!"

"There are vegetables—those red ones, brought from Xiyu or Beiyu—they quench thirst."

Li Guanyi had also drunk plenty: "That's someone else's."

Ji Zichang patted his chest, belched, and slurred: "Whose? Mine—I mean… I…" He stuck out his thumb, pointing at his own chest, triumphant: "It's mine! All mine!"

Slightly tipsy, Li Guanyi said: "Then let's take some?"

"Good!"

The two scaled the wall with practiced ease.

Then they plucked the red Xiyu vegetables in the courtyard.

"I picked more!"

"Ha! Joke! I—the Emperor—I mean, if we're talking properly, isn't appearance more important?!"

"More?"

Ji Zichang sneered: "Mine is the biggest."

As the two rolled up their sleeves and crouched there, frantically trampling things, an odd atmosphere slowly arose. Qin Wu Hou, the great emperor of Zhongzhou, slowly raised his head. The two saw green eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Then they saw clearly.

It was a dog.

It stared coldly at them. Li Guanyi put a finger to his lips. Ji Zichang's scalp prickled: "Good dog, good dog, don't bark, don't bark…"

A string of barks shattered the night's silence.

Then came a hoarse old man's voice: "Damn it!!!"

"Who are these thieves, daring to steal my vegetables? Wang Cai, bite!"

"Bite them to death!"

Damn!!!

Li Guanyi exploded in anger: Isn't this your own?

He turned his head.

The man named Brother Changwen had already scaled halfway up the wall—faster than him.

Li Guanyi flew into a rage, then raged again. Under the fury of a commoner without Wu Gong, the mighty Qin Wu Hou could only flee in disgrace, finally scrambling over the wall with the fruit, tossing a handful of copper coins onto the table.

"We bought them!"

"Bought them!"

The old man kept cursing. Li Guanyi and Ji Zichang sat astride the great wall—one side, the vegetable garden; the other, a silent road. Above them, the Milky Way blazed splendidly. Suddenly, they felt a quiet peace, glanced at each other, and burst into laughter.

They climbed down and ran off quickly. The dog chased them for two li before giving up. Li Guanyi glared at Ji Zichang: "You said this was yours?!"

Ji Zichang said: "I misremembered."

Under heaven, all land belongs to the emperor—it's mine!

He gazed at the sky, ate the fruit with Li Guanyi, then rose: "My family's discipline is strict. We'll meet again, Master Li."

Li Guanyi said: "Aren't you the head of the family?"

Ji Zichang smiled: "Even the head of a family has countless things beyond his control. I wish you could always be like this. Today's affair—we're even."

"I rarely get to be so free."

"Ah, when I was young, I wanted to be a wandering knight, unrestrained, roaming the rivers and lakes—but I can't anymore. So many rules!"

He waved his hand over his shoulder, then stumbled away.

Li Guanyi tilted his head back, gazing at the sky, leaning against a tree, drinking deeply. The stream of liquor fell into the boy's throat—calm, carefree.

Ji Zichang walked with steady steps, his spine slowly straightening, bearing the aura of the Emperor of Zhongzhou—a force akin to arcane arts yet far more vast, known as destiny, called the Dragon Vein; in this state, Ji Zichang possessed strong resistance against all forms of negativity.

He returned to the imperial palace, to the side hall's study.

He thought the aged Minister Yan Taibao should have already left.

He pushed open the side hall's door; the white-haired old man still stood quietly there, calmly clasping his hands and saying, "Your Majesty, you've returned."

Ji Zichang looked at him, his heart warming considerably.

There are corrupt ministers in the world, people and deeds driven by selfish desires; there are also those like this old man. Ji Zichang said, "Teacher, why did you never speak to me of the people's affairs?"

Minister Yan Taibao exclaimed in shock, "Your servant submits monthly memorials, does he not?"

Ji Zichang fell silent; suddenly, he understood everything. The Emperor was trapped in a cage. Ji Zichang smiled lightly, changed into a new set of imperial daily robes, tidied his messy beard and hair, then calmly came here.

"I've kept you waiting long."

Minister Yan Taibao said, "Your Majesty, have you made your decision?"

Ji Zichang said, "Yes…"

"Teacher, please sit."

After Minister Yan Taibao sat, Ji Zichang took his seat before the imperial desk; the eternal lamp, forged from the bones of a giant sea whale, illuminated the surroundings with clear, bright light. Ji Zichang thought of what he had seen today—Li Guanyi's Mu Zi Yi's words—like a sharp blade slicing through the层层 locks binding the Emperor and the people.

But this was not the reason for his decision.

Minister Yan Taibao watched this quiet emperor, reeking of wine, reach out and pick up the first imperial decree—a safe, foolproof choice—yet Yan Taibao's expression held complex emotion.

Then he saw the emperor caress the decree, extend his hand—and the decree was thrust into the steady flame of the eternal lamp. The fire surged violently upward. Minister Yan Taibao's face darkened with shock; he leapt to his feet and cried, "Your Majesty!!!"

Ji Zichang's gaze fixed on the first imperial decree burning away.

The glow of the flames reflected in his pupils. He thought of Qin Wu Hou's three answers today, then smiled faintly and whispered, "The third answer—rallying the last strength—that is what you would do, young man, full of vigor and spirit, admirable."

"But I am no longer the same."

"For eight hundred years, this realm of the Red Emperor has been magnificent, tyrannical—but behind it all lay rot, cold, tangled roots."

"I will no longer rally."

"I cannot. And I will not."

The first imperial decree burned to ash, leaving only golden-red cinders that slowly turned black; the hidden flame settled in Ji Zichang's eyes.

He lowered his gaze, as if sensing the countless invisible threads entangling him as Emperor.

These threads came from the noble clans, from history, from the imperial house and ancestors.

Ji Zichang no longer resisted.

He said calmly, "My birth, upbringing, growth, ascension—all have been bathed in the glory of the Red Emperor; I have received his grace. Yet now, to sever ties with them, pretending I am pure and innocent—"

"That is merely deceiving myself."

"Misfortune does not spare kin; blessings do not spare kin."

"I, too, am one end of the shadow that blankets the world, as you describe it."

Ji Zichang reached out, grasped the Red Emperor's seal, and slowly lifted it. At that moment, Minister Yan Taibao finally sensed the latent grandeur within this disciple—the eternal lamp shook violently. Ji Zichang spoke calmly to himself:

"I have received its glory."

"Then I must bear its filth."

"Together with the Red Emperor's glory, together with the Red Emperor's filth—I bear them both."

"This is the duty of a sovereign."

"I will seize this so-called Huangshi Sect, and carry with me all eight hundred years of tangled rot into the fire—to burn away this eight-hundred-year darkness. This is my right, and you, too, must walk your own path."

"The hero you speak of—I cannot become."

"What a pity."

"We all have our own fate."

He reached out, pressed the seal firmly down upon the imperial decree.

【Edict: Appoint Li Guanyi Commander-in-Chief of All Imperial Troops】.

?? Sleep deadline controlled, at peace