Chapter 211: Nature Hard to Change Though Mountains May Shift

Dark clouds obscured the sky, turning the towering, million-strong city into a blackish-green hue under the dim light.

The hundred-zhang-wide Zhu Que Street, situated on Jingcheng's central axis, pierced through the inner and outer cities, extending all the way to the palace beyond the city's other end.

Three hundred elite Wu Zu in black armor rode fierce horses across the street; Tie Fengzhang, clad in full armor like an iron tower, carried a large banner at the front, while a luxurious carriage drawn by four horses raced abreast in the center.

On both sides of Tianjie, countless commoners stood watching.

Although Jingcheng was calm with no news spreading, and the Dan Wang was not entering the capital for the first time,

everyone knew that the person seated in the carriage was currently a prince governing several counties, but in a few days would become the Great Qian Emperor, ruling thirty thousand li of Shanhe and deciding the life and death of tens of millions of people!

Xie Jinhuan sat in the four-horse carriage, feeling a bit of pressure under the gaze of Jingcheng's commoners.

After finishing matters at Sanjiangkou, he boarded a boat the next morning to return to Jingcheng; the light, fast boat sped downstream, catching up with the Dan Wang's procession on Luohe.

He was unclear of the reasons until he boarded and asked, learning details such as the Crown Prince's incident and He Tianqi's sabotage.

The Dan Wang's journey was to enter Jingcheng and ascend the throne, yet he showed little joy; upon meeting Xie Jinhuan, he took him along, not letting him off even when docking and boarding the carriage, forcing Bing Tuozi and Sister Hua to follow quietly behind.

Now noticing Zhu Wenyuan and others following outside the carriage, Xie Jinhuan, seated in the imperial carriage, felt it was inappropriate:

"Your Highness, perhaps I should dismount and accompany you on foot; sitting here, if censors and remonstrators see it, I might be accused of 'arrogance due to favor'..."

The Dan Wang wore mourning clothes, his gaze fixed on the palace at the horizon's end; his demeanor was elegant yet dignified, though his eyes were filled with sorrow.

Hearing the words, the Dan Wang came to his senses, did not let Xie Jinhuan leave the carriage, but sighed:

"The world says the Emperor is the Son of Heaven, above all, but in truth it is a bitter task, better than being an idle prince."

Xie Jinhuan understood the Great Qian situation, knowing the Dan Wang was not hard-playing the "You have ruined me, Your Majesty" role.

The Great Qian's national lineage had been in chaos for twenty years.

The Zhao family's rise to power stemmed from the Qian Taizu leading cultivators of all sects, and even billions of people, to quell the Great Calamity of All Beings; though his merit could not compare to the Human Emperor who first unified north and south, he still ranked among the top in history.

The subsequent Taizong spent forty years laying the foundation for the Great Qian's golden age, his achievements in civil governance also ranking among the best.

But unfortunately, the Taizong grew confused in old age and favored his second son.

The result was the "Jian'an Incident": the legitimate Crown Prince was beheaded by the second prince, and the Qian Emperor then beheaded the second prince.

The Qian Emperor's only foothold in court was his father-in-law; he ascended hastily, and a group of old ministers looked down on him, governing as if walking on thin ice, using all his energy to purge internal threats.

The Qian Emperor was a fierce man; despite a disastrous start, he stabilized the situation, waiting for his son to succeed, but at the last moment a huge bomb exploded: his own death was trivial, but the heir he had cultivated for years was gone, replaced by the Dan Wang with no foundation whatsoever.

The Dan Wang might not fear death, but straightening out this mess was truly difficult; after all, when the Qian Emperor ascended, the interior was somewhat chaotic, but Northern Zhou already showed "signs of national ruin" and was too preoccupied to pose external pressure; whereas his succession was directly:

"Me? Oppose Empress Dowager Guo, who has 'the court and country united in heart, awe-inspiring across Mobei, troops stationed in the Western Regions, swords pointing south to the Southern Court'? What do I use to oppose her? Send a handsome man to be a nation-ruining seductress?"

Xie Jinhuan knew that if this emperor failed, he would be a monarch of a fallen nation, but being insignificant and powerless, he could only offer comfort:

"Your Highness trusts without doubting, your virtue is seen by all in court and country; now that the He family demons have been eradicated, and the Zhang Sect leaders of Dao and Buddhism are stationed in Jingcheng, the future will surely be smooth sailing."

The Dan Wang sighed, his eyes like an uncle looking at Kongming:

"Both Dao and Buddhism have faults; the only person I trust now is you. Pity your cultivation is too shallow; otherwise, if you were the Monitor, I would lead the army to personally attack Northern Zhou without fearing chaos in Jingcheng."

"?"

Xie Jinhuan should have been overwhelmed with gratitude, but with the old man in Northern Zhou, his mind held only:

"Why are you attacking Northern Zhou? I am using that place right now..."

Xie Jinhuan hesitated slightly and replied:

"With the political situation unstable, rashly using military force against the north seems inappropriate; in my view, this matter should wait until the heir apparent... until the imperial grandson ascends, then we can plan gradually..."

The Dan Wang, now even wishing to order his rebellious son's death, shook his head:

"How could I think of starting war? But Empress Dowager Guo is no good person; with the sudden changes in court now, my foundation is unstable; if she does not take this opportunity to do something, how can she live up to this heaven-sent chance? Recently, I plan to send envoys to Yanjing to probe the northern court's exact movements..."

Go to Yanjing?

Xie Jinhuan's heart stirred slightly; he sat up straighter:

"Who does Your Highness plan to send?"

The Dan Wang glanced slightly at Xie Jinhuan:

"Do you wish to volunteer?"

How dare I take on such a mission... Xie Jinhuan quickly raised his hand:

"I am merely a martial man, unworthy of such a heavy task; I have never been there, but I wish to follow as a guard and see the world."

The Dan Wang considered briefly and replied:

"Let me discuss this matter; you are injured, so rest well in the Wang Fu these days..."

While chatting idly like this, the procession arrived at Zheng'an Street.

Princess Changning and Linghu Qingmo were already waiting outside the residence, with Steward Hou, Liu Qingzhi, and other Wang Fu personnel beside them.

The heir apparent Zhao De, wearing mourning clothes, stood before the gate, his attire neat and demeanor elegant; when the carriage stopped, he stepped forward first and bowed with clasped hands:

"Your son, Zhao De, greets Father King!"

His voice was clear and calm, neither humble nor arrogant, showing much of the royal family's style.

Xie Jinhuan leaned out of the carriage, intending to lift the curtain for the Dan Wang, but seeing the heir apparent bowing his head, quickly stepped aside, his eyes showing slight surprise.

Princess Changning and Linghu Qingmo, hearing the sound, also paused their steps and looked at Zhao De.

Even Steward Hou at the back, fanning himself, gave a sly-eyed glare:

"Oh?"

The Dan Wang stepped out of the carriage, seeing Zhao De's demeanor unlike that of a rebellious son; a trace of daze appeared in his eyes; he did not let Zhu Wenyuan support him, but jumped down from the carriage directly, raising a hand to hold his arm:

"No need for ceremony. De'er, you..."

Zhao De straightened his posture, shook his head with a bitter smile:

"Serving the ruler is like serving a tiger. Father King's status is special; if there is a successor, suspicion is inevitable. My neglecting proper conduct these years was a helpless measure. Sage Ye once said, 'The world's path is rugged like walking on danger; wait for the clouds to part and see the blue void.' I have finally endured to the end."

"Ho..." Huangfu Qi, Ji Shiqing, and others following behind were amazed beyond words!

Linghu Qingmo, wearing a small white skirt, quietly slipped up to Xie Jinhuan:

"Did Ye Sheng say that?"

Xie Jinhuan recalled slightly: "He did. It's from the fourth chapter of the Cao Tang Shi Ji, the first and fourth lines."

"Is that so?"

Linghu Qingmo found it somewhat incredible.

The Princess of Changning was also a bit unsure, so she went first to catch her mother, who stood there with her mouth agape.

The Medicine King saw his son was truly hiding his strength, and tears streamed down his face. But a dog never changes its habit of eating shit; after a moment's thought, he accompanied him into the Wang Fu:

"You've suffered these past years. Let's talk inside. To hide your strength, you must have owed quite a bit of silver, right?"

Zhao De sighed: "Not much, just over thirty thousand taels."

Thirty...

The Medicine King's breath tightened slightly, and he nodded:

"Oh... all small change. But last time at the Fanyun Temple tournament, you only lost over ten thousand. The remaining twenty thousand..."

"Sigh. Brother Xie went to Sanjiangkou. I got some inside information from Wei Lu, deliberately made Wei Yin win, and lost for the world to see..."

Damn it...

Xie Jinhuan took a breath, feeling that this little Wang Ba was truly well-informed!

If he had told him earlier, he wouldn't have gone to Sanjiangkou and created such a twisty turn!

The corner of the Medicine King's eye twitched too, but he still stroked his beard lightly and said boldly:

"Your status is no longer ordinary. From now on, use your father's name, and no one will dare ask you for this debt."

"Is that so? With Father's word, your son is relieved... Eh?"

Before he finished speaking, he saw the Medicine King, his hair standing on end in rage, take the horse whip from Tie Fengzhang.

Seeing the situation was bad, Zhao De ran for it:

"Father, your son is just used to hiding his strength; it slipped out of my mouth. It was never my intention..."

"You little turtle bastard! You didn't advise your father to 'be unarrogant when above, and unyielding when below,' and you still dare to say 'relieved'?"

"Your son truly didn't mean it. This was just a 'heartless man making vows to a little wife'."

"What does that mean?!"

"Just a momentary joke..."

"You still have a mouth full of rhymes..."

"Ah—"

Seeing the Crown Prince whipped into a spinning top, Xie Jinhuan felt much more comfortable.

However, the Crown Prince was indeed not stupid; just looking at the Crown Prince's rhymes and the endless money-trapping schemes, one could see a glimpse of his character—he simply lacked proper conduct.

Family shame should not be broadcast. Xie Jinhuan did not watch as a bystander. Seeing the landlady pulling the Wang Fei, he didn't want to disturb them, so he took Mo Mo and left the Wang Fu first, heading for the nearby Hou Fu.

Linghu Qingmo was quite speechless, and only spoke after they had walked far away:

"I thought Zhao De had truly changed his ways. Indeed, it is easier to change a river's course than a person's nature..."

Before she finished speaking, she noticed the righteous young hero beside her secretly pinched her...

?!

Linghu Qingmo stopped in her tracks, her eyes turning slightly cold, and caught the thief's hand:

Zzzzt—

Xie Jinhuan, relying on his cultivation, originally didn't take it seriously, but this time the little electric spark was extra powerful!

It not only electrocuted his body but also electro-therapied his soul, clearing his eyes a bit:

"Sss~ Stop, stop, stop..."

After receiving her opportunity, Linghu Qingmo hadn't used her hands; sensing something was wrong, she quickly withdrew her hand and helped Xie Jinhuan up:

"You... why did you pinch me?"

Xie Jinhuan had just done it on a whim; now he carefully sized up the cold, stunning, and moving Big Mo Mo:

"Your thunder technique is a bit off. Did you break through realm?"

Linghu Qingmo had been instructed by her Sect Ancestor not to reveal it casually, so she just blinked her eyes:

"The sect gave me some opportunity; the power of the curse technique is a bit greater. Where is Meiqiu?"

Xie Jinhuan looked back, didn't see Bing Tuozi or Sister Hua, so he pulled Mo Mo toward the manor:

"Maybe they went to Lin Fu. This time at Sanjiangkou, I brought you something along the way; take a look..."

Linghu Qingmo thought it was a martial arts weapon sold at Sanjiangkou, but instead saw Xie Jinhuan pull a wooden carving from his sleeve.

The wooden carving was a cold-faced man, bare from the waist up, with distinct muscle textures on his waist and abdomen, radiating an unparalleled boldness; even a dragon coiled over his shoulder surrounded him.

Little Meiqiu squatted by his feet, a withered vine in her mouth, meaning it was probably Hu Gu Teng...

Although the wooden carving wasn't large, the carving skill was lifelike!

Linghu Qingmo's eyes brightened slightly, and she quickly took it to examine:

"Did you buy this?"

Xie Jinhuan shook his head: "How would a merchant carve so carefully? I carved it myself on the way back; it took about an hour. Do you like it?"

Hearing that Xie Jinhuan had become the 'strongest martial artist below the Super Grade,' the maid Wu Zu talked about it all day; her heart had been thinking of it. Now seeing the small wooden carving that captured both spirit and form, how could she not like it:

"Hmm... not bad. Congratulations on winning first place."

"Just congratulations with your mouth?"

"?"

Linghu Qingmo admired the wood carving, perhaps knowing that refusing to return the gesture meant she wouldn't escape today; glancing left and right, she kissed his cheek with lightning speed, then quickly pulled away:

"Is that enough?"

"Hehe..."

Xie Jinhuan's heart grew warm; walking together along the corridor of the new residence, they held hands as they went, fingers interlaced...

—

I really need to take leave to write a detailed outline; otherwise, I won't know the subsequent plot. I've only written this much in twelve hours, which is quite painful!

(End of this chapter)