Chu Zhiyuan turned and exited the house, left the inn, and walked casually on the street.
The streets of Wanghai City were far less prosperous than Yujing, and not as beautiful as Yujing.
Yet they were extremely lively, with a kind of barbaric prosperity and vigorous vitality.
He walked among the crowd, traversing the alternately light and dark shadows.
The decay of the Eastern Territory involved not only the military but also the government.
The Da Jing Dynasty was at its peak, flourishing like flowers in bloom, but it could not achieve peace across the land.
Though the military was strong and civil society was prosperous, the regional disparities were vast, and the gap between the rich and poor was severe.
This was unavoidable across dynasties; only when productivity reached a certain level could it be rectified.
This world revered Martial Arts and pursued individual bravery, hence there was no concept of science.
Fortunately, the land was vast and sparsely populated, the grain output not low, and the Court’s power was formidable, exerting absolute control over the regions and suppressing the powerful.
Furthermore, everyone was fierce and strong, unlike ancient times in his previous life where people were oppressed like ants.
So, the contradiction between the Court and the populace was not sharp; people were still loyal to the Court.
Even if there were corrupt officials, it would not damage the people’s loyalty to the Court, only causing hatred for individual officials.
Some would even have these officials assassinated and replaced with another batch.
The decay of the Eastern Territory was beyond imagination.
From top to bottom, from the government to the military, everything was filthy.
In such a situation, how could the loyalty of the people be secured?
He suddenly turned his head to look west.
Looking towards the direction of Yujing City.
Did the Emperor send him with the Phoenix Camp merely to quell the rebellion of the Dayu Camp?
Perhaps it was to let him see clearly the situation in the Eastern Territory, to recognize the current state of Da Jing?
Of course, the Emperor certainly didn’t expect him to solve the problems of the Eastern Territory, nor did he have that capability.
After all, he was merely a Princely Heir.
Given the current state of the Eastern Territory, it would not be easy even for the Emperor to resolve it.
Otherwise, with the Emperor’s brilliance, he would have already resolved the Eastern Territory’s problems.
He suddenly stopped walking, a flash of inspiration in his mind.
He suddenly conceived a bold idea.
Was the state of the Eastern Territory the result of the Emperor’s deliberate indulgence?
The more he considered this thought, the more reasonable it seemed.
Everything has a positive and a negative, advantages and disadvantages.
The Western Realm and Northern Territory’s military discipline were strict, but rigidity cannot last long.
The fact that the Western Realm and Northern Territory have maintained such strict discipline for so long must have a price, and that price very likely is the Eastern Territory.
The Eastern Territory is not the Emperor’s oversight but a deliberate indulgence, a deliberate formation.
Just like clean, tidy streets inevitably require drainage ditches.
Is the Eastern Territory the drainage ditch of Da Jing?
Without drainage ditches, how can the cleanliness and tidiness of the streets be maintained?
He walked with his hands behind his back, contemplating the correctness of this notion.
His current experience in state governance was too little to determine the correctness of this thought.
There was much more he needed to learn.
Anyway, he first had to stop the second rebellion in Jihai Town.
It was unknown which camp was behind this second rebellion.
Rebellions were always a result, not a cause, usually a process of dissatisfaction building up and eventually exploding.
Therefore, before a rebellion, there must be signs, and many people could clearly see its inevitability.
He strolled down the street, passed through an alley, and when he emerged, he had already changed his appearance.
From a sickly scholar, he had transformed into a middle-aged merchant.
In luxurious robes, adorned with gold and jade, exuding opulence.
He went to the largest restaurant in Wanghai City—the Tianshui Pavilion.
Tianshui Pavilion was the tallest restaurant in Wanghai City.
Sitting upstairs, leaning against the railing, one could see the sea outside the city tilting this way, with the blue sea seemingly about to drown everything.
Chu Zhiyuan sat on the second floor, the most bustling and noisy second floor, ordered a pot of wine, two dishes and two plates of dim sum, sipping leisurely.
Various kinds of news reached his ears.
He thought that if a rebellion were truly brewing, someone would know, and many would already know.
Listening for a night would be enough to hear it.
All sorts of voices entered his ears, captured and filtered, the useless discarded immediately, while the useful ones were remembered.
After drinking a pot of wine, Chu Zhiyuan ordered another, yet his expression grew increasingly serious.
"Damn it, I can’t hold it anymore, those damn bastards!"
"Old Du, don’t rush."
"Don’t rush, don’t rush, at this point, they’re already sending troops to suppress us, what’s the point of waiting here, what are we waiting for?!"
"Don’t you see this as a good opportunity?"
"What good opportunity?"
"After their people arrive, they will definitely remove that old man’s position, and when the new one takes over, if we make a move, who can stop us?"
"By then, we rush into the General Mansion, grab what we can and run, the world is vast, where can’t we go?"
"True, ... but the brothers truly can’t wait any longer, I may not be able to hold them back."
"Hold them back anyway!" the voice said malevolently: "It’s been three years, what’s another two months?!"
Amidst the chaotic sounds, this particular conversation caught his attention.
He immediately followed the sound and found two men in a corner.
They wore coarse clothes and, despite the cold, dressed thinly, proudly displaying their strong and muscular physiques.
People around them stayed far away as if afraid of the two.
Fortunately, their table was the only one in the corner, and there weren’t many people nearby.
So, they spoke boldly, confident that no one could overhear them.
The surrounding noise was so loud, too distracting.
They couldn’t imagine Chu Zhiyuan’s remarkable ability to capture their conversation amidst thousands of chaotic noises.
When they left, Chu Zhiyuan followed, putting down his wine cup, casually throwing down a piece of silver, and leisurely walked out.
He watched as the two left the restaurant and headed out of the city.
They were actually two young men, one burly, the other lean and tall.
The two left the city directly, started using their Qinggong, moving toward a nearby military camp.
While running through a forest halfway, two small stones suddenly flew out, immobilizing them.
Chu Zhiyuan floated out, grabbed the two, and darted into the forest.
Moonlight was like water.
Chu Zhiyuan placed them properly, placing them in front of a tree.
He patted each of them once, then drifted away.
The two of them trembled like sieves, their eyes flashing with hateful glints.
But Chu Zhiyuan had already disappeared without a trace.
A quarter of an hour later, Chu Zhiyuan reappeared, slapping each of them again.
Their bodies trembled less, and the sweat dripping like rain stopped.
Chu Zhiyuan said, "Whether you want to speak the truth or continue experiencing the Soul Search Hand is entirely up to you."
He slapped open the acupoint of the burly young man and said lightly, "Starting with you, which camp are you from, what big event are you planning, what do you intend to rob from the General Mansion? Speak clearly and you’ll be spared, or else..."
He gently waved his hand, and a stone next to him flew up, turning to powder in his hand.
He lightly clapped his hands, brushing away the powder, and looked at the burly young man: "Start now."
The burly young man glared at him with gritted teeth.
Chu Zhiyuan shook his head: "You don’t know what’s good for you."
Then he lightly patted his shoulder again, making him shake like a sieve once more, sweat pouring as if from rain.
Looking at the lean young man, he slapped open his acupoint and said lightly: "Do you want to speak?"
The lean young man hurriedly yelled: "How dare you..."
Chu Zhiyuan patted him on the shoulder again, making him tremble once more.
An hour later, the two finally spoke.
Even the toughest men could not withstand the Soul Search Hand.
The pain of the Soul Search Hand exceeded the limits of human endurance, unless there was faith in self-sacrifice, otherwise, it couldn’t be sustained for long.