Chapter 351: All the Same (Bonus Update)

Pan Yun rubbed her head and pouted, "I didn't go break into the imperial palace—I just went to find evidence to overturn the case, and happened to meet the Emperor…"

"Can you stop gnashing your teeth whenever you mention the Emperor?" Wang Feiyin said. "It makes you look anything but loyal and patriotic."

Pan Yun forced a smile. "I'm going to be friends with the Emperor, to win his favor."

Wang Feiyin: "Put away that murderous aura before you say that."

Pan Yun's smile collapsed with a clang. "If a ruler ignores law and justice, governing by personal whim—can't such an Emperor be replaced?"

Wang Feiyin turned away. "I don't know if he can be replaced, but I know this: once you start acting, many innocent people will die. If you can't reconcile it in your heart, cultivate. Train harder. Perhaps when your cultivation reaches a certain level, you'll draw closer to the Dao—and it will tell you."

"Isn't Master also a god? Doesn't He know?"

Wang Feiyin paused slightly, turning his head. "He's just a mountain god."

Pan Yun watched Wang Feiyin leave, then turned to Wang Cong and the other four. "What do you think?"

Wang Cong: "If you want to overturn the case, I can go ahead to Jingcheng and find people for you. Since Lord Pan fears the Embroidered Uniform Guard will move against the descendants of those families, we should hide and protect them first."

Seeing Miao Zhen said: "Next year I'll take the imperial examination for the civil service list; the year after, I'll take the ordination exam. Once I pass, I'll be allowed into the palace—I'll gather intelligence on the Emperor and find a way to connect you with him."

She added: "If he's a foolish ruler, whose foolish ruler is he, really? With your sharp tongue, I'm sure you won't be worse than Wang Zhen."

Pan Yun: "... Thanks."

But speaking of the ordination exam—she could go herself.

Pan Yun made up her mind, then opened the letters from her two brothers.

Pan Yue and Pan Yu wrote only about their military duties—mostly good news, little complaint. At most, they grumbled that their father, Pan Hong, had piled on them heavy studies, forcing them to read even after training, leaving them exhausted.

Pan Yun read them with delight, her heart calming somewhat. They were managing well at the border. Once she graduated from the Academy, she'd go to Jingcheng to find the descendants of the Yang and Zhang families.

The matriarchs of the Zhang and Yang families, He Shi and Yue Shi, had already been executed—but their children had not been punished, though it was unknown whether they still remained in Jingcheng.

Thinking this, Pan Yun copied the addresses of the two families from Pan Hong's letter and handed them to Wang Cong. "When you go to Jingcheng, find out what happened to these two families."

Wang Cong tucked the note away, eager as a pup, wishing he could leave for Jingcheng tomorrow.

But barely had he formed the thought when Wang Feiyin appeared like a shadow at the door, murmuring: "What are you still doing? Are you even going to eat dinner tonight?"

Everyone scattered at once, rushing to the kitchen.

Wang Feiyin grunted. Seeing Pan Yun clutching firewood, nearly tripping over the black cat winding around her feet, he grunted again. Still, she wants to replace the Emperor?

Because of the gathering and the crowd, the Daoist monastery's dinner was served unusually early.

Just past the hour of Shen, the dishes were already on the table—especially lavish.

Wang Feiyin finally smiled, picking up his chopsticks. "Except for the second son and Yin Qingjun, all of us from the Three Pure Ones Monastery are gathered. It's a reunion. Come, drink a toast of unity."

Actually, it was sweet wine brewed by Tao Ji from leftover rice—good for raising Yang energy and blood.

Sweet and mild, anyone could drink it.

Once warmed, the sweet wine became even sweeter.

Pan Yun took a big gulp, found it delicious, then used her spoon to eat every grain of rice inside before taking another big gulp.

Seeing Miao He was eating so eagerly she couldn't lift her head.

After finishing, Pan Yun slammed her bowl down with a bang and declared grandly: "Another bowl!"

Tao Ji: "There's none left."

Pan Yun: "You made too little. Miao He, next time cook more rice—use the leftovers to make sweet wine."

Miao He agreed at once.

Wang Feiyin grunted. "With your lazy, pampered luck, you still want to replace Heaven? If you really take the throne, you'll be crushed by the burden."

Pan Yun stubbornly retorted: "I'm doing it for the people!"

Pan Yun chewed on rich meat and fish, glancing out toward the kitchen. "I wonder if my father and brothers even have meat to eat."

Wang Feiyin: "Mutton's cheap in Datong. They eat better than we do."

"Speaking of which, I suddenly crave mutton," Wang Cong said. "Tomorrow I'll buy some at the market to offer to the Stove God."

Wang Feiyin: "Buy it. Buy it…"

In truth, the Pan family's life wasn't as good as the letters suggested.

No matter how much things improved, they were still exiled convicts.

Even if Pan Hong became a village head, as long as he wasn't like the previous one, his life wouldn't be easy.

As village head, he only had the authority to assign tasks handed down from above.

The previous village head had shifted his own family's duties onto others—but Pan Hong was upright and refused to do such things.

He even volunteered for heavier labor.

When the village failed to complete an assigned task, he either stepped forward to take responsibility himself, or found someone else to take the blame.

The first option might cost him his position; the second might send the scapegoat to the front lines as cannon fodder.

So Pan Hong never neglected any task assigned from above.

The entire village worked together. Even Pan Yue and Pan Yu, who were allowed to return home on days off, joined in pushing carts to transport silage, trudging through snow with heavy bundles of green fodder strapped to their backs.

When the last batch of silage was stored, others bid farewell to the Pan men, hunching their shoulders, dragging ropes as they left. Pan Hong had to wait until the warehouse was fully counted and signed off before departing.

The three of them pushed the cart through wind and snow toward home.

This year's snow in Datong was especially heavy and deep—now the snow reached their calves, and the cart moved with great difficulty.

Pan Yu: "If I'd known this, I'd have just carried it on my back instead of dragging the cart."

Pan Hong smiled. "Don't complain. Without this cart, we might not have finished the whole haul."

Pan Yue asked: "Father, what else will you do after this?"

Pan Hong: "Feed the horses, clean the stables—just scattered chores."

Pan Yue murmured: "Another year's over. I wonder if our little sister has grown taller."

Pan Yu: "I wonder if her hair's improved at all—still thin, dry, and brittle like before?"

Pan Hong: "Don't mock your sister."

Pan Yu muttered, "I didn't mock her—I was just worried for her..."

!. Read

The road was empty; the father and sons spoke softly, so they weren't afraid of being overheard.

Only now, at this moment, did they dare whisper about their sister.

As they spoke, a low, mournful military horn sounded. Pan Yue and Pan Yu jumped, immediately abandoning the cart and sprinting toward the camp.

They were already near the camp; soon, a messenger ran out to deliver orders: "Second and Third Battalions, return to camp and assemble immediately—enemy attack!"

Pan Yue and Pan Yu ran faster. Pan Yue sprinted ahead, glancing back and shouting to Pan Hong, "Father, hurry back—"

Pan Hong took two steps after them and called out loudly, "Be careful!"

A squad of soldiers ran out toward the exile village. Seeing Pan Hong, they barked, "Are you the exiled official?"

Pan Yue, halfway there, stopped and shouted back at them, "Brothers, that's my father—we both are going to the battlefield!"

Pan Hong knew what they wanted to do. He nodded vigorously. "Yes, my family has three men—two already on the battlefield."

The soldiers let him go and headed toward the exile village.

They needed to select some people to go with them—some to serve as bait, others to walk ahead as cannon fodder.

Pan Hong clenched his teeth, dropped the cart, and ran after the soldiers.

He had to keep the people of his ba under control—if his ba was selected, he must choose those with the best chance of survival to go out, to save as many lives as possible.

Pan Yue and Pan Yu returned to the camp; the soldiers had just arrived.

They donned armor, pulled on their caps, grabbed their spears, and followed the squad leader out.

Pan Yue ran beside the squad leader and asked quietly, "Squad Leader, what's happened? Are the bandits raiding the border?"

The squad leader's face darkened. "Not border raiders—those Tartars who came to pay tribute. They hadn't gone far before they sacked a town, carrying off more than thirty women. The Thousand-House Commander is furious—he ordered us to retrieve them."

Pan Yue's face darkened too. "Aren't they envoys? How could they plunder?"

The squad leader sneered. "Envoys? They're nothing but beggars using tribute as an excuse to beg for food. This isn't the first time."

"This year, their tribute delegation was large—nearly a thousand men. Your Majesty issued two edicts to stop them, allowing only twenty-some to enter the capital; the rest were held in Datong to wait."

"Yet no sooner did their envoys arrive than the rest of them took off and began plundering," the squad leader said. "Today is the twenty-third of the twelfth month—Little New Year. The town was full of people at the market."

Pan Yue murmured, "Our family celebrates Little New Year on the twenty-fourth..."

Thinking of Little New Year being shattered by plunder, of families torn apart, Pan Yue's face grew grim. "Were there casualties?"

The squad leader's face darkened further. "Not yet counted, but according to scouts, they didn't kill many—probably seven or eight. They feared provoking us."

Pan Yue: "But to the families of the dead, it's the same as total ruin."

The squad leader's expression turned grim. He bellowed, "Move! Keep moving! Are you all starved?"

Captain Qin was already mounted, waiting. He had selected a group of men with better horsemanship—Pan Yu was among them.

Captain Qin rode past once more and pointed at Pan Yue. "You've got a sharp mind—come with us to chase them."

Pan Yue agreed and immediately stepped forward to take a pack of dried rations before mounting his horse.

Their mission differed from the others'.

They would ride hard to pursue the Tartars—once caught, they would not fight, but hinder their progress until reinforcements arrived.

So they had to pinpoint the direction.

Pan Yue asked, "Where did these Tartars come from?"

Captain Qin: "Wala."

Pan Yue: "... Aren't Wala and Tatar enemies? Why call them Tartars too?"

The squad leader: "Who cares? They all look the same. Anyone from the north who fights us—we call them Tartars."

Pan Yue: That made sense.

Good night

(End of Chapter)