Ying Prefecture, Hou Mansion
A full moon shone down on the ground, dyeing it a pale yellow.
It was getting late, and the lake within the mansion reflected the moon. There were many osmanthus flowers planted around the lake. At this time of the year, the fragrance of the flowers could be smelled everywhere. Many maids were sneakily plucking the flowers and placing them in their pouches.
The patrolling soldiers turned a blind eye to this, not minding it at all.
The study room of Hou Mansion was hidden in the depths of the forest. The entire courtyard was filled with bamboo. When the wind blew on it, the entire place was quiet and peaceful. Every five steps along the corridor, there would be a bodyguard. The light from the lamp shone brightly, illuminating the surroundings.
Inside the study room
Wei Ang was dressed in green robes and wore an eye mask. His remaining eyes were filled with malice. It was impossible to tell that he was a young master. He sat quietly by the side, holding onto an account book as he spoke to Ji Bei Hou.
He was talking about the profits earned by the fleet. Only by working for Hou Mansion did Wei Ang feel that his life was worth living. Ji Bei Hou smiled as he listened. He was very satisfied with Wei Ang, but he felt that it was a pity.
'My third son has finally matured. It's a pity that he has to pay such a heavy price. He's blind, and can no longer be an official.'
His hatred towards Pei Zi Yun increased by another thirty percent. His most beloved son, if not for Pei Zi Yun, would he have become like this?
Just as he was thinking about this, Wei Ang handed over the account book and added, "Father, I've already made contact with the Moon Vassal of Japan. The Moon Vassal is rather respectful."
He then continued, "Japan is really interesting. They have an imperial court, but it's just a puppet. Some time ago, there was a vassal who managed to unify Japan. He called himself the Conquering Barbarians General and established his own government."
"However, this unification is very different from ours. The vassals have their own territories and armies." As he spoke up to this point, Wei Ang was filled with envy, "It's similar to the time when we were divided."
"The Moon Vassal is located on a small island. Their land is only ten thousand stones. With trade, they can earn thirty thousand stones or even a hundred thousand stones. If they were to lose trade with the mainland, they would be in decline. Hence, they were able to help us out."
"Some of the people and resources that cannot be placed on land can be sent to the Moon Vassal. However, this is not a long term solution."
"After leaving the army for a year, some of the old soldiers find it hard to maintain their original status." At this point, Wei Ang shook his head and sighed. "Not to mention the next generation, it's hard to say how many years our generation can last."
"This is indeed a big problem." Ji Bei Hou muttered to himself. The so-called breaking up of the whole into parts could be maintained for a while. However, if they were to lose their structure, it would not last for long.
At this point, there was a knock on the door. Shen Zhi said softly, "Marquis, Young Master, I have something to report."
"Come in." Ji Bei Hou said.
Shen Zhi rushed in and approached Ji Bei Hou, whispering a few words to him.
As soon as Shen Zhi finished his sentence, Ji Bei Hou flew into a rage and slammed the thick stack of accounts onto the table.
"Peng!" The account book bounced off the table, and the teacup toppled over. The tea in the teacup spilled out onto the floor. The two of them looked at Ji Bei Hou and roared.
"I've braved through fire and water, sustained eleven wounds, and fought for sixteen years. The Imperial Court wanted to reduce my military power, but I swallowed my anger and handed over my military power. Now, I only have five thousand men under my command, and you still don't want to let me go? You want to kill every last one of us?"
"Going back on your word is the biggest joke in the world. What a heartless and despicable man." Ji Bei Hou roared, his face was flushed red, and the veins on his neck were bulging out.
"Could it be that I've fought for my entire life, just for this one thousand two hundred stones?"
"My boat's annual income is more than this amount!"
According to the system of the dynasty, a hundred households would be given the title of a Prince, three hundred households would be given the title of Prince, six hundred households would be given the title of Count, one thousand households would be given the title of Marquis, and two thousand households would be given the title of Duke. However, these were all empty titles. In reality, the title of Marquis would be given one thousand to one thousand five hundred stones a year.
Ji Bei Hou's title was one thousand two hundred stones, which was equivalent to seven to eight hundred mu of land.
Hearing Ji Bei Hou scolding him, Shen Zhi's body trembled and said, "Marquis, be careful. The walls have ears."
Hearing this, Ji Bei Hou's anger had yet to dissipate. After a long time, he sat down and leaned against the chair. His eyes were filled with malice as he stared ahead without saying a word.
Wei Ang understood what had happened, and his face darkened as well, "Father, the removal of the town will destroy our foundation. Don't think that we can speak to the Japanese, and that the soldiers in the fleet will listen to our orders. But this is all because father is still in power."
"Once father loses his military power, he will be nothing more than an empty title. He won't be able to speak to the officials, and it will be difficult to control the Japanese and the fleet. When that happens, our lives will no longer be in the hands of others. Our source of income will be cut off as well."
"And once our source of income is cut off, we will no longer be able to support our people. Everyone who depends on us, be it the generals, the soldiers, or the merchants, will scatter when the tree falls."
"If this goes on, in less than ten years, my family won't even be as powerful as a county magistrate."
"The Imperial Court is so ruthless, it's despicable." Wei Ang gritted his teeth, as though he wanted to bite off a piece of meat from the Imperial Court.
The moon hung high in the sky, casting a shadow over it. An owl flew across the night sky, leaving behind a strange cry. Within the room, the atmosphere was extremely tense. After some time, Ji Bei Hou turned around and smiled, "Mister Shen, what do you think?"
Shen Zhi thought for some time before bowing, "Your Highness, there's been news from the capital recently. It's been said that the Emperor wants the Crown Prince to remove the thorns, but the Crown Prince doesn't dare to do so. The Emperor sighed and said that since you don't dare to do so, although he's old, he can only remove the thorns for the Crown Prince."
"Thorns!" When Ji Bei Hou heard this, his heart cleared up. He wanted to speak, but suddenly felt dizzy. He could hear a dragon's roar.
"Boom!" The sky was filled with dark clouds. A low rumble of thunder shook Ji Bei Hou awake. Ji Bei Hou stood up to take a look. At this point, there was a flash of light from the window, illuminating the entire study room. The bamboo forest in the courtyard swayed gently. Following that, a terrifying sound of thunder shook the entire study room, causing Ji Bei Hou's entire body to tremble.
A gust of wind blew against his face, causing Ji Bei Hou to look up at the dark skies. Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed. Just as he was about to say something, he felt dizzy. He reached out for the table and sat down, "Let me think, let me think."
Beads of perspiration rolled down his forehead, as he felt his heart palpitate. He didn't know why, but some thoughts that he had never dared to think about appeared in his mind.
"Boom!" The sound of thunder rang out in the sky. It was only a few hundred meters away from Ji Bei Hou's Mansion. It was an elegantly decorated guest room, and the walls were decorated with paper. The old Daoist woke up in shock.
When he woke up, the old Daoist felt his heart palpitate. He opened his eyes, "Is this Imperial Qi?"
The old Daoist from Holy Jail Sect walked to the window and pushed it open. When night fell, the sky was clear and bright, and the moon shone brightly. But now, the sky was filled with dark clouds, blocking out the stars.
When he looked up at the sky, his hair stood on end, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
"Eh?"
The old Daoist furrowed his brows, and his face changed. He thought for a moment, then turned around and left. This place was too close to Ji Bei Hou's Mansion, and there would be interference. He ran in the middle of the night, and saw that it was quiet. The doors of the houses were closed, and the lights were dim. Some of the lights were even extinguished.
Occasionally, he would see a night watchman carrying a lantern, and banging on a gong. The old Daoist walked along the narrow streets and alleys, until he reached a remote bridge. Seeing that there was no one around, he retrieved his communication talisman. He pointed at it, and the talisman lit up.
Before long, the sect leader of Holy Jail Sect appeared. He looked at the old Daoist and asked, "Sending a message in the middle of the night, did something big happen?"
The old Daoist bowed his head, "The sect has instructed us to increase our contact with Ji Bei Hou. I went there during the day, and stayed at an inn not far from Ji Bei Hou's Mansion. It's only a few meters away."
"In the middle of the night, I felt a change in the Imperial Qi. It seemed like an Earth Dragon had appeared. In a flash, it disappeared."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!"
"That's strange. When the true dragon appears, the Earth Dragon hides. When the true dragon declines, the Earth Dragon rises. Although it's not 100% accurate, it's close."
"Now that the dynasty has been in power for ten years, the situation is getting more and more peaceful. Why would the Earth Dragon appear now?" The Sect Leader was extremely puzzled. After some time, he said, "Pay close attention."
As the Sect Leader spoke, he suddenly thought of something. He stared at the old Daoist and asked, "Were there any signs?"
"Sect Leader, I was just about to report. It was a clear night, but I felt a change in the Imperial Qi. When I opened the window, I saw dark clouds gathering in the sky, and thunder roared."
"Could this be a change in the heavens?" The Sect Leader mumbled to himself before realizing, "This is an important matter. We have to gather all the Sect Elders to discuss this. Continue to follow up. This concerns the life and death of our sect. We have to be careful."
As he spoke, the Sect Leader pointed at the talisman and closed it.
The old Daoist shuddered. He stood there for some time before walking back to the inn.
Capital City, Crown Prince's Mansion
The interior of the palace was brightly lit. The Crown Prince walked in from outside and took off his shoes. A eunuch walked up to him and served him tea.
The green porcelain cup was warm. The Crown Prince picked it up and took a sip. He then saw the eunuch enter and whispered, "Your Highness, Dao Master Pei is here."
Hearing this, the Crown Prince stood up happily and hurriedly said, "Quick, quick, invite the Dao Master in."
When Pei Zi Yun entered, the Crown Prince wanted to welcome him, but stopped in his tracks. He then smiled and said, "Dao Master, it's been a long time."
Pei Zi Yun bowed as the Crown Prince hurriedly replied, "You may dispense with the formalities. You're not in the capital city, and it's been hard on me. For the past ten days, the Emperor has been forcing me to read documents and learn about the affairs of the country. I haven't been able to rest for a single day."
He then invited Pei Zi Yun to sit by the side, "Serve the Dao Master some tea."
A serving maid served the tea. Pei Zi Yun took a sip before placing the cup down. He then looked at the Crown Prince and noticed that he looked the same as before. The only difference was that his face was pale and his eyes were dark. He then smiled, "This is the Emperor's painstaking efforts to nurture your Highness."
This was something that everyone knew. Although the Crown Prince kept saying that it was hard on him, and that he couldn't even rest for a single day, if the Emperor didn't want him anymore, the Crown Prince would be extremely sad and depressed.
He then changed the topic and asked, "Your Highness, there are rumors in the capital city that the Emperor intends to remove the vassal states?"
"Yes, the world is at peace. Removing the vassal states is the right thing to do for the country."
"Even if it's for those who have done so much, it's a way to protect them. It's the Emperor's grace." The Crown Prince spoke casually as he took a sip of tea. It was obvious that he didn't realize the severity of this matter.
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