732. Peace Talks

【SEVEN: I’ve heard about it too. It is simply laughable. Within the Great Feng, not even the Heavenly Venerable is a match for the Jianzheng. How could the Jianzheng possibly have died?】

Li Lingsu expressed his view.

【FOUR: I have not heard any rumours for the time being, but given the Jianzheng’s status, unless a Beyond-rank makes a move, he is unrivalled within the Great Feng.】

Even though Zhuangyuan Chu had resigned from office for ten years, he still cared about the court and the affairs of the mortal world. In the Earth Book chat group, whenever such topics were discussed, he was always present.

【NINE: Hard to say. The Great Feng is in turmoil and already at its last gasp. The Jianzheng can only draw limited fortune from the state now. And without the blessing of a nation’s fortune, the strength of a first-rank Arcanist is not all that great.】

Daoist Jinlian’s assessment was relatively objective.

【NINE: By the way, it has been confirmed that Eight is about to leave seclusion. He is safe and sound, which is excellent. He may head to the capital soon. Would you all like to meet up in the capital?】

【SEVEN: We can talk about it if we have time…】

Li Lingsu replied thus.

No one else spoke, waiting for Xu Qi’an or Huaiqing to respond.

After quite a while, they finally received Huaiqing’s definitive answer:

【ONE: Qingzhou has fallen. It is highly likely that the Jianzheng has perished.】

A simple sentence, yet it exploded in the ears of the Heaven and Earth Society members like a thunderbolt, leaving their minds buzzing and instantly bereft of the ability to think.

For the length of an entire cup of tea, no one spoke.

Li Miaozhen sent a message like one speaking in a dream:

【TWO: How could this happen…】

A bolt from the blue!

For all the members, it was simply an unbearable piece of bad news.

【SEVEN: The Jianzheng is dead, then…then what will happen to the Great Feng? No, no, how did the Jianzheng die? It’s impossible…】

His question was the same one in every Heaven and Earth Society member’s heart.

【ONE: The details are not yet clear. According to Song Qing, of the beyond-mortal experts who acted that day, there were Xu Pingfeng, Agaruka Bodhisattva, Baidi, and Heilian.】

【TWO: Baidi? The Baidi of Yunzhou?】

Li Miaozhen, who had once stayed in Yunzhou for a long time, questioned in disbelief.

The other members thought for a few seconds before making their own guesses.

【ONE: That’s right, it is that one. Sun Xuanji said so. Moreover, regarding the strength of this descendant of gods and demons, Sun Xuanji speculated that it was first rank. Were it not first rank, it could not possibly have killed the Jianzheng.】

Among the beyond-mortal experts present in that battle, Heilian was second rank. If Baidi were also second rank, there was no way the Jianzheng could have been killed.

Everyone in the Heaven and Earth Society drew in a sharp breath, chilled to the core.

They all knew the legends of Yunzhou, and had some understanding of Baidi, but never expected that this legendary being would actually ally with Xu Pingfeng to attack the Jianzheng.

【NINE: Strange. Why would this descendant of gods and demons meddle in the matters of the Central Plains for no reason? There must be something odd about it.】

Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen and the others were also extremely curious.

【TWO: Xu Qi’an, you must know, right?】

Li Miaozhen was already used to summoning Xu Qi’an whenever faced with uncertainty.

If anyone, he would definitely know… This thought flashed through the mind of every Society member, except for Daoist Jinlian.

They had learned the truth about the fall of the gods and demons from Xu Qi’an, as well as the secret of Heavenly Venerable driving away the descendants of gods and demons from Jiuzhou, and secrets of the Buddha.

If it were Xu Qi’an, even if he did not know the exact truth, he would know something of the inside story.

【THREE: Baidi came specifically for the Jianzheng. This matter is related to some secret from ancient times. I don’t think I’ve told you before about the gatekeeper.】

Gatekeeper?

The Heaven and Earth Society members were completely unfamiliar with this title.

【THREE: I don’t actually know the exact meaning of “gatekeeper.” I’ll tell you after I find out. As for the course of the battle, I have some idea, and can tell you about it.】

The members all braced themselves and focused on their Earth Book fragments.

Xu Qi’an repeated what he had previously told Zhao Shu, about the Chai family and the first Jianzheng.

【NINE: What a convoluted tale. The first Jianzheng died five hundred years ago, and is still influencing the current situation, truly worthy of being the founder of the arcanist system.】

Daoist Jinlian sighed with emotion.

No wonder the Jianzheng lost. What truly restrained him was not Xu Pingfeng, but the move left behind by the first generation… Huaiqing had no doubt left, and had to accept the fact that the Jianzheng had been sealed.

The only good news is that the Jianzheng isn’t dead, but there’s little difference between being sealed and being killed. Given the Great Feng’s current state, destruction is inevitable. By then, the Jianzheng will die anyway… Chu Yuanzhen sighed inwardly.

【SEVEN: It’s hopeless now. We’ve lost the Jianzheng, and the enemy has gained a first-rank…】

The Great Feng was doomed.

The Holy Son did not voice this thought. At this moment, even as someone who had no sense of belonging to the Great Feng, as a Heaven Sect disciple, he felt despair and heaviness.

【SIX: This humble monk remembers, Sir Xu, that you said you bear the fortune of the nation and are already inseparably linked with the Great Feng. If the Great Feng were destroyed, Sir Xu would also perish with the country.】

The usually silent Hengyuan suddenly interjected, ruthlessly exposing the cruel reality to the group.

Li Miaozhen sent a slightly irritated message:

【TWO: Damned monk, why did you have to mention this, so tactless.】

Xu Qi’an thought for a moment and replied:

【To be honest, I haven’t thought of a way to break the deadlock. As things stand, it is indeed certain death for both me and the Great Feng. Apart from Her Highness Huaiqing, there is not much linking you lot to the Great Feng.】

But we are linked to you… This sentence, Lady Flying Swallow only dared to mutter silently in her heart.

Hengyuan sent another message:

【SIX: This humble monk owes his life to Sir Xu, and I once said that I would repay his kindness one day. Amitabha. For a monk, to have the chance to settle karma is truly a blessed thing.】

Master Hengyuan, you’re setting yourself up again… Xu Qi’an felt a warmth in his heart and quickly used lampooning to cover his moved feelings.

【SEVEN: Master has great insight. I for one am not going to risk my life for him, but since we’ve travelled the world together, I might as well continue walking with that bastard.】

The words were unpleasant, but the attitude was clear, they were not giving up.

【FOUR: Troops are raised for a thousand days to be sent into battle for one moment. After training for so long, it is time to put them to use.】

Huaiqing and Li Miaozhen did not speak. Neither needed to state their position.

The former was royalty herself, it was her duty. The latter was the Lady Flying Swallow, who delighted in fighting and sacrificing for the greater good.

【FIVE: My dad has told me to go north to fight.】

At that moment, Lina sent a message.

Mosang is already in the Central Plains, is Longtu planning to have both his children die at once?… The Heaven and Earth Society is my most reliable group of supporters. Even Sea King Li Lingsu can be counted on at a crucial moment… Xu Qi’an held his Earth Book fragment, faced the gentle sunlight, and slowly let out a long breath.

…

At the border between Jianzhou and Xiangzhou.

In a certain mountain stronghold, Li Lingsu put away the Earth Book fragment, sat in a daze for a moment, sighed lightly, and left the house.

He walked out of the fenced courtyard towards the training ground.

The so-called training ground was actually just a patch of land cleared and compacted by the rank-and-file soldiers, used for martial practice, drilling formations, group meals, and for the women to gossip.

“Greetings, Boss!”

Subordinates he met along the way respectfully greeted him.

Li Lingsu walked on with a blank expression, soon arriving at the training ground, where he saw Yang Qianhuan, his face covered by a veil, loudly berating the rabble within.

“If you don’t put effort into training now, when battle comes, the whole stronghold will be waiting at your door for a feast.”

Listening to Yang Qianhuan’s scolding, Li Lingsu glanced over the refugee ranks and, to his amazement, found even six or seven-year-old children among them.

“Soldiers must be trained from childhood. If you wait till you’re older, it will be too late, and the whole stronghold will be wanting to dine at your house.”

Yang Qianhuan’s admonishments kept coming.

Even as your brother, brother Yang, sometimes I think you really have something wrong with your head… Li Lingsu took a deep breath and called out loudly:

“Brother Yang!”

Yang Qianhuan had already noticed Li Lingsu, for he was facing in Li Lingsu’s direction, his back to the crowd.

“Brother Li!”

Yang Qianhuan stopped his scolding, strode over, turned so his back was to Li Lingsu and asked,

“What is it?”

Li Lingsu did not answer at once, weighing and pondering for a long while before bracing himself and saying,

“Word has come from Qingzhou. Qingzhou has fallen.”

Yang Qianhuan was startled, but rather than panicking, he perked up and said,

“Only when things are desperate can the importance of Yang be highlighted. Once I’ve finished drilling the troops, I’ll turn the tide. Let’s see those rebel scum from Yunzhou come begging for mercy.”

Li Lingsu said gravely,

“The Jianzheng has been sealed…”

Yang Qianhuan snorted,

“That’s truly wonderful news. The ba… teacher Jianzheng has held me back for years. Without his suppression, now I, Yang, can truly stand out.”

Li Lingsu shook his head slightly.

“Brother Yang, I’m not joking with you.”

He immediately relayed the intelligence he had learned from Xu Qi’an to Yang Qianhuan.

When he’d finished, Yang Qianhuan stood there silently, like a lifeless statue.

After an extremely long time, Li Lingsu heard a deep voice from ahead:

“I see…”

This voice was one Li Lingsu had never heard before, stripped of all flamboyance and triviality, so unfamiliar it scarcely seemed to be Yang Qianhuan’s. Or perhaps, this was his real voice.

“Don’t tell Caiwei.”

Yang Qianhuan spoke again.

…

Qingzhou.

Ji Xuan pressed his left hand on his sabre hilt and carried a wine flask in his right as he pushed open the door to Ge Wenxuan’s lodgings.

Ge Wenxuan, wearing the standard white garb of an Arcanist, was reading military treatises at his desk.

“Young Lord Ji Xuan, with so much on your plate, recruiting and organising supplies, what brings you to see me?”

Ge Wenxuan smiled.

“The peace envoy is my second brother. I heard that you were the one who recommended him, so I’ve come to seek an explanation from General Ge.”

Ji Xuan slapped both wine and sabre onto the table, narrowed his eyes, and gave a grin that didn’t reach his eyes.

“Depending on your answer, I’ll decide whether to stay for a drink or draw my sabre.”

As two of the most influential young powerhouses in the Yunzhou military, Ge Wenxuan and Ji Xuan always had a delicate relationship.

They were both friends and rivals.

They could sit and drink together, but could just as easily argue fiercely over resources.

Qi Guangbo was strict in command with clear rewards and punishments, never showing favouritism for Ji Xuan’s status.

“Young Master Ji Yuan is talented, eloquent, sharp-tongued, and a son of the City Lord. Sending him as envoy to discuss peace with the Great Feng could not be more appropriate.”

Said Ge Wenxuan.

Ji Yuan was Ji Xuan’s younger blood brother, though both born to a secondary wife.

Of all the brothers, he was the ninth.

Unlike the masculine and composed Ji Xuan, this Ninth Young Master disliked cultivation and loved books, making him the most learned amongst all of Qianlong City Lord’s offspring.

Even more rare, he was able to put his learning to practical use, with sharp insight, not a dull bookworm.

“When it comes to leading troops, Young Master Ji Yuan won’t do, but in court debates and matching wits, he’s far stronger than big brother,” Ge Wenxuan laughed. “Even I can’t out-argue him, nor have I read as many books. Frustrating, isn’t it?”

Ji Xuan ignored his banter, keeping a serious face.

“You never contacted Xu Qi’an about this. You don’t understand, that Xu is a madman.”

Ge Wenxuan remained calm, and said,

“What if I told you that Miss Yuanshuang and Young Master Yuanhuai are in the entourage?”

Ji Xuan was stunned.

Ge Wenxuan went on,

“It was the National Teacher’s idea. He knows Xu Qi’an better than any of us. The peace talk will resolve the court and the little emperor, but with Miss Yuanshuang and Young Master Yuanhuai there, Xu Qi’an will be forced to hesitate.”

Ji Xuan frowned.

The room fell silent.

Ji Xuan recalled, back in Yongzhou City, how Xu Qi’an had severed Xu Yuanhuai’s tendons, yet had indeed spared his life.

This man would not let sentiment impair his actions, but neither was he cold and heartless, his siblings did still affect him.

Ge Wenxuan, for his part, remembered what Xu Pingfeng had said some days ago:

Didn’t he mock me for being cold-blooded? Then I’ll place his brother and sister right in front of him.

Ge Wenxuan murmured to himself,

“Teacher is truly one of the most heartless in the world…”

…

Morning court, Jinluan Hall.

Emperor Yongxing had begun to fear attending court sessions, to fear the memorials piling up on his desk, as their contents left him increasingly restless and anxious.

Refugee disasters, an empty treasury, the fall of Qingzhou, widespread panic among the capital officials, and to top it off, a surge in rumours, reports from the regional administration offices in every province claimed that rumours abounded among the people that “the Jianzheng is dead and the Great Feng is doomed”.

These rumours unsettled the masses, who were now convinced the dynasty was about to collapse.

Throughout history, such deliberate disturbance of order and the spreading of rumours was always harshly punished, typically by exile or public beheading to deter the population.

But in times of chaos, rumours spread like wildfire and were impossible to stamp out. No doubt even local officials felt the same.

And in any case, Qingzhou had truly fallen, and refugees fleeing the fighting had already spread the news far and wide.

All the court’s efforts were bound to achieve little.

Now it felt as if the whole world were roaring in Emperor Yongxing’s ears, telling him the Great Feng was finished, and he was to be its last emperor.

As a monarch born in an era of peace and prosperity, Emperor Yongxing had never seen such turmoil.

Yet today, attending the Morning court, Emperor Yongxing’s mood was different, as if, amid despair, he had glimpsed a ray of hope.

Yesterday, the regional administrator of Yongzhou, Yao Hong, had submitted a memorial, the Yunzhou rebels were seeking peace talks.

Yao Hong had also accused Yang Gong in that memorial, as Yang had refused peace talks and attempted to block the matter.

Such a crime was unforgivable!

“Lord Yao is truly our pillar of state,” Emperor Yongxing had exclaimed with delight upon reading it, at least for the moment deciding not to punish Yang Gong, as Yongzhou would still depend upon him for defence.

“Honourable ministers, yesterday Yao Hong, the regional administrator of Yongzhou, submitted a memorial stating that Yunzhou wishes to negotiate peace with our dynasty and cease hostilities.”

Emperor Yongxing looked around at the officials, raising his voice,

“What do you all think?”

732. Peace Talks

Page Comments