Imperial Palace
Along the corridors, eunuchs and palace maids stood guard in front of every door. Occasionally, there would be attendants walking by as well. They were all wearing soft shoes and their footsteps were light. This was to prevent them from startling the Emperor.
Eight eunuchs stood in front of the door with their hands by their sides. In front of the screen, there were also eunuchs who bowed in front of it.
Recently, the Emperor was getting weaker and weaker. The Crown Prince had been serving the Emperor in a small hall beside the palace. The Crown Prince's eyes were starting to turn green. This was a sign that he was tired from accompanying the Emperor and reading memorials.
Beside the throne, a red robed eunuch stood respectfully, serving the Emperor.
At this point, a young eunuch rushed in and stood beside the red robed eunuch. He then whispered, "Eunuch Huang, there's news from the Daoist Records Department. Supervisor Feng is waiting outside."
"Oh, Feng Min is here."
The red robed eunuch Huang muttered to himself, his face was gloomy, "Follow me out."
Outside the palace, Feng Min was waiting for Eunuch Huang. When he saw Eunuch Huang walk out, he hurriedly greeted him and handed him a report, "Eunuch Huang, we've received news that Pei Zi Yun managed to escape from King Lu's army of ten thousand men. He even ordered someone to deliver this report to you."
The red robed eunuch took the report and looked at it. His face was expressionless as he spoke calmly, "News of True Sovereign Pei's return, I will report it to the Emperor."
"But why do you think True Sovereign Pei wrote this report? What's the reason behind it?"
"Eunuch, True Sovereign Pei is a Daoist. The Imperial Court has already given him the highest rank of nobility. Besides, True Sovereign Pei has done many meritorious deeds in the past, yet he didn't mention anything about it." Feng Min thought for sometime before speaking, "This report, to most people, would be worth mentioning. He killed a You Ji General and hundreds of soldiers."
"To True Lord Pei, it doesn't mean much. We've investigated the people of Jianghu whom you've conferred titles on. They're friends, but not too deep. True Lord Pei once saved Shen Zhen and his sister."
Feng Min spoke in a fair and objective manner, "Besides, this report is only for the sake of these people. These people are all martial artists, and are of low birth. Even if they had meritorious deeds, they would only be of the ninth rank. Why would True Sovereign Pei mobilize so many people just for this?"
"Subordinate, take a look. Or perhaps … a demonstration of force."
These words struck a chord in the red-robed eunuch's heart. The red-robed eunuch gritted his teeth and couldn't help but nod, "Yes, this is a demonstration. To be able to take the head of a general amidst thousands of soldiers, and to be able to escape unscathed despite being surrounded by tens of thousands of soldiers, this is a naked demonstration against the Imperial Court, a provocation!"
As he spoke, his voice became shrill.
When Feng Min heard this, she couldn't help but feel a little sad. The Imperial Court, or at least this red robed eunuch, was suspicious of Pei Zi Yun to such an extent.
If you render meritorious service, you will be demonstrating your strength to the imperial court. If you don't render meritorious service, you will be filled with resentment towards the imperial court.
The imperial court often said that talent could be obtained through experience. If the word 'heart' was spoiled, then there would be no cure. Actually, from another perspective, if the imperial court became suspicious of a certain family or organization, then there would be no cure. No matter how hard you worked, the imperial court would only grit their teeth and hate you even more.
However, considering Feng Min's position and status, he didn't dare to speak any further. At this point, a young eunuch walked over and spoke. The red-robed eunuch nodded his head, "There is no need to trouble the Emperor with such a small reward. I shall report this to the Crown Prince. Your Records Department has suffered heavy losses. The Emperor and the Crown Prince will reward you accordingly. You will not be spared."
Feng Min was moved to tears, "Thank you for the imperial court, thank you eunuch."
The red-robed eunuch ignored him and walked into the side hall. The Crown Prince saw this and waved his hands, ordering the officials who came to report to him to leave. He then laughed, "What's the matter?"
The red-robed eunuch looked at the Crown Prince's tired face. His handsome face was pale and his eyes were dark. He held a pen in his hand and sighed, "The Emperor is feeling uneasy. The Crown Prince has been taking care of him for so many days. It must have been hard on him."
In his heart, he knew that even though he was taking care of the Emperor, it was also because the Crown Prince had met with a mishap at the last moment. Naturally, he couldn't say this out loud.
The Crown Prince looked at it and coughed lightly. He then thought for some time before writing, "Shen Zhen shall be promoted to a ninth ranked official. The other five shall be promoted to a ninth ranked official. The deceased shall be compensated with a hundred taels of silver."
As the Crown Prince finished speaking, he thought for some time before adding, "Hand them over to the local officials."
After he finished, he asked, "What do you think?"
The red-robed eunuch took a look and placed it in his sleeves. He then bowed and said, "The Crown Prince is benevolent, this servant is convinced."
"Oh?" When the Crown Prince heard the red-robed eunuch praising the Emperor, he smiled and thought for a moment, "You seem to have something else to say?"
Just as he was about to continue, an eunuch walked in, "The Emperor is awake."
The both of them couldn't be bothered with this small matter anymore as they stood up and entered the hall. When they saw the Emperor, they were shocked. The Emperor's cheekbones were protruding, and his eyes were bloodshot. He opened his eyes, "Pei Zi Yun isn't dead, is he?"
The Crown Prince and the red-robed eunuch were startled as they replied, "Yes!"
Seeing the Crown Prince and the red-robed eunuch looking at each other, the Emperor leaned back on his pillow and smiled, "I just had a dream. I dreamt of the diligent Emperor. The diligent Emperor held my hand and said, 'I've turned my family into an empire, and became the Emperor. You've done well …"
These words sounded normal, but the Crown Prince and the red-robed eunuch felt their heads swell. The Crown Prince started tearing up, "Father, your body is priceless. With the blessings of the heavens and earth, you will definitely get better."
The red-robed eunuch started tearing up as well. This world really had deities and Dao Arts. Since that's the case, they could still maintain some form of order, and the laws were even stricter.
If not, the Great Ancestor was wise and powerful, and didn't even need to possess a body. All he had to do was to instruct them, and they would be able to suppress any uprisings or dragons.
Hence, a commoner might be able to communicate with a deity, but it was even more difficult for an official to do so. In the end, the smaller the fate energy involved, the easier it was to communicate. The more fate energy involved, the harder it was to communicate.
The Emperor was a person who was connected to billions of people, and was unable to communicate with his ancestors. Now that he was connected to the netherworld, it meant that he was nearing the end of his lifespan.
"Don't act like a girl. Life and death are common. I wish to make arrangements while my heart is clear." The Emperor looked at the Crown Prince and said, "Since Pei Zi Yun is back, send him to the capital to see me."
"Yes, your majesty." The red-robed eunuch wiped his tears and nodded his head.
Qi Abyss Monastery, Study
The sunlight shone through the window. Ren Wei saw Pei Zi Yun writing a letter to his family. His hands were as smooth as flowing water. After a few moments, he finished writing and blew on the ink. He then instructed, "Send the letter home."
"Yes, your majesty." Ren Wei acknowledged. Pei Zi Yun placed his brush down and was about to speak when someone knocked on the door, "True Sovereign, the report has been sent."
"Bring it here quickly." Pei Zi Yun was energized as he instructed, "Call brother Shen and the rest over."
The door opened and a Daoist official handed him a piece of paper. Pei Zi Yun looked at it and turned around to face Shen Zhen and the other martial artists, "You've all been given official titles. You're of the ninth rank and lower ninth rank. However, you're not allowed to join the army."
As he finished, he handed the paper over.
This was actually an unofficial record. There were only names and ranks. Shen Zhen took a look and saw that the first one was himself. It was clearly written that he was a Primary Ninth Rank Martial Cultivation Commandant. The other five were Secondary Ninth Rank Martial Assistant Commandant. After looking, he passed the document to the next Jianghu visitor. After one round, the two Jianghu visitors who originally wanted to join the army were immediately dissatisfied.
One of them spoke out in an aggrieved tone, "Damn it, why is the Emperor so petty? I wanted to join the army but he refused."
When Ren Wei, who was considered a scholar, heard this, he laughed out and clasped his hands in salute, "Brave warrior, the treatment of the dynasty isn't bad. You're all born in the martial world, and are no longer the same as when the dynasty was founded. You've even been rewarded with official titles. Even if you die in battle, you'll be rewarded with silver. This is already a huge favor from the Emperor."
"In other dynasties, such as the Great Yue Dynasty, there were similar situations. The leader of the Climbing Dragon Sect led three hundred highly skilled martial artists and formed an army to fight against the pirates. When he returned from the battle, the local general held a banquet. During the banquet, he threw a cup of wine as a signal for the soldiers to kill all of them."
"That's not all. With the Governor leading the way, the Governor and the general working together, they defeated the Climbing Dragon Sect in one fell swoop. Recorded in the annals of the county, they killed five hundred bandits for the sake of the people."
"This was a lesson learned, and was even praised by the scholars."
When the martial artist heard this, his body trembled as he retracted his head like a tortoise. He then touched his neck and realized that his head was still there. He then said, "Damn it, luckily we're not in the Great Yue Dynasty."
"Haha!" Everyone burst out laughing. After everyone had finished laughing, their hearts sank.
Pei Zi Yun sighed to himself. Although in this world, there were martial arts and Dao Arts, and it was difficult for the underworld to wipe them out, it was still alright for the sects to do some illegal business. They even organized themselves to fight against the pirates. If they could fight against the pirates, why couldn't they rebel?
To the Imperial Court, killing them all was a matter of course.
Hence, one had to read books and read them thoroughly. Only then would one understand the bloody lessons of history.
After Pei Zi Yun was done sighing, he took the banknote from Ren Wei and passed it to Shen Zhen, "This is the money I'm giving to Brother Shen and the rest of you, as well as our brothers who died in battle. I'll have to trouble everyone to distribute this sum of money."
Seeing that Shen Zhen was about to decline, Pei Zi Yun kept his smile and said, "You guys were originally hiding in the martial world, fighting and killing to collect protection fees. You were the targets of the Imperial Court. It's just a matter of whether or not the Imperial Court had their eyes on you."
"The history of the martial world is much longer than that of my Dao Sect. After all, to develop Dao Arts, there are many more requirements. But have you seen any martial arts families in the martial world that could last for so long?"
"I've read the records of the county. Lian Yun Camp, Little Blue Lake, Spirit Spear Sect, Peace Sect, Thousand Leaves Villa, etc. Which one of them isn't a powerful sect? Even the Four Young Masters of the martial world were all extremely talented. In the end, their sects only lasted for three generations, and their experts were only famous for ten years."
"It's already difficult to survive in the martial world. It's even more different if you follow me. All of you will have my mark on you. When that time comes, the Imperial Court will be more strict and take note of you."
"I'm very grateful that you've helped me. But what I've brought to you is not good fortune. Take this money, buy some land, and wash your hands of the martial world. For at least ten years, don't participate in the affairs of the martial world. You might be able to enjoy the rest of your life, and no one will interfere."
"If you're not careful, and someone catches hold of your weakness, you'll be in big trouble. Not only will you be beheaded, your entire family will be implicated."
"Take it. This is the largest banknote worth a hundred taels of silver. Redeem it on sight. Use it to buy land for your brothers. Add to that the Imperial Court's pension and your official position. Consider it a good karma."
"After we part ways today, everyone hopes that our brothers will meet again. I only hope that we won't meet again, and that we can forget about each other in the martial world."
These words were filled with emotions, and had an ominous tone to them. Shen Zhen's body trembled, and he sighed as he received the thick stack of banknotes. The entire room quietened down. Pei Zi Yun suddenly raised his voice and recited.
The winds and clouds of the world originate from my generation. Once I enter the martial world, time flies.
Imperial hegemony, amidst laughter, it's a drunken life.
Carrying a sword and riding a horse, the ghost rain falls. White bones fly like a startled bird.
Worldly affairs flow like a tide, and people flow like water. How many people return to the martial world?
Comparing this poem to Pei Zi Yun's previous works, it was like comparing heaven and earth. But at this moment, Shen Zhen felt a sense of heroism, passion, and desolation. At that moment, he suddenly thought of his eleven brothers. It was as if their faces and voices were still fresh in his mind.
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