Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It was midday and the sun was up high. The army was marching slowly on the official roads, spanning a few kilometers long. There were tens of thousands of people. Seeing the army come over, those carriages and pedestrians all moved aside quickly to let the army pass. Quite some people looked at the army while whispering amongst themselves.
“What is this? They fight for a while and then they don’t fight. They’re moving the army here and there. Aren’t they just wasting time?” In a tea tent, a few merchants had a discussion while resting.
“You know nothing. The Black Ram people on the Gulang Plains are in a heated battle with the Shatu Seven Tribes — we’ll let the dogs bite each other. Why should our Great Han Empire army charge into the Gulang Plains and help the Shatu Seven Tribes? We’ll be spilling our blood fighting the Black Ram people and when they’re gone, the Gulang Plains will still be occupied by those Shatu traitors. This deal isn’t worth it. We can’t do it. It’s good that the army retreated since no one in the army wanted to fight for the Shatu Seven Tribes. There were complaints everywhere. Look at those soldiers, they don’t seem unhappy at all. They’re almost about to sing!”
“Since they’re retreating now, why did they say they were going to fight before?”
“Haha, there was an evil Grand Chancellor starting trouble. It’s that Lin Qingtian who dictated to mobilize the army there. Now that the evil Grand Chancellor is dead, the imperial court is clear and upright. Of course they can’t do such a dumb thing anymore. Didn’t you hear? Anxi General Wei Wuji was captured by an agent of the imperial court a few days ago. The army sent to Pingxi Prefecture was ordered to retreat. Like this army here, they’re from Lan Province so they’re going back there…”
The group of merchants sitting at the tea place didn’t notice that not far from there was a youth sitting at a table drinking cool tea and eating watermelon. He listened to their conversation with quite some interest and studied the army once in a while.
This youth was Yan Liqiang. He had returned to his original look, but because he wore ordinary grey clothes and didn’t have any servants, he didn’t catch any eyes.
It was the 18th day of the sixth lunar month now. After knowing that Wei Wuji was apprehended a few days ago and the change in the situation in the northwest and Gan Province, Yan Liqiang who left for ‘recovery’ at Mount Azure Dragon naturally ‘recovered’. He left Cui Lichen and went back to Pingxi Prefecture alone. This tea place was on the official road to Pingxi Prefecture. It was only forty kilometers from Pingxi City.
When a tree collapses, the monkeys disperse. Lin Qingtian was the core of the Grand Chancellor faction and now that he was assassinated, the Emperor regained power. Those ministers circulating around Lin Qingtian naturally dispersed. They either changed sides or were punished by the Emperor, especially the core members of Lin Qingtian’s faction. They were either captured, killed, or they ran off on their own.
In the fifth lunar month, Gu Chunyi was decapitated due to having committed many crimes. The Minister of War ‘died of sickness’ in prison. There was a large bunch of people who committed suicide in prison. By the sixth lunar month, the clearance reached Wei Wuji who was showered in glory a few months ago and planned to attack Yan Liqiang. Other than him, the northwest transportation governor, Jiang Tianhua, was also apprehended.
With these two gone, the attack on the Gulang Plains stopped of course.
Even if Lin Qingtian was fine, the attack would probably have to stop too because at this time, the capital was under great pressure and anxiety due to the stone turtle’s predictions. The entire imperial court was thinking about moving the capital. Other than that, settling the millions of citizens was a true challenge. Under such situations, the ministers couldn’t even protect themselves. How could they have the time, money, and effort to help the Shatu tribes? As for the battle between the Shatu and the Black Ram people, the imperial court probably wouldn’t even care until the battle ended.
Lin Qingtian was indeed the tumor of the Great Han Empire. With his death, Yan Liqiang found that the entire situation of the Great Han Empire, especially in the northwest, brightened up. Many problems were solved and his confinements were gone.
It seems that regardless of the times, taking care of the core person of the problem was the fastest way to deal with an issue. Yan Liqiang drank as he thought about this.
But the great situation at hand only made Yan Liqiang breathe a little. There was this constant shadow lurking in his heart as he knew that Lin Qingtian wasn’t really dead. He wasn’t even human and was still hiding somewhere licking his wounds. Who knows how many more demons like him were out there…
“Boss, serve me a kettle of tea. Oh, and how much do your watermelons cost?”
A voice suddenly appeared in Yan Liqiang’s ears. Hearing this, Yan Liqiang’s body shook and he turned around immediately. He saw at the counter a sweaty and chubby youth who was gulping down saliva as he looked at the pile of watermelons.
Many years had gone by and this young person’s voice became more coarse but it still felt familiar and close to Yan Liqiang.
Yan Liqiang got up and called, “Su Chang…”
Hearing his name, the youth turned around and immediately saw Yan Liqiang. That instant, the youth’s jaws dropped and his eyes bulged out. He even rubbed his eyes in disbelief. After realizing it was true, he called out in joy, “Liqiang…”