Chapter 1 Ma Zhifu's Ordeal

Ma Zhifu was stripped naked
and hung on the city wall.

Because of the cold weather,
and with He Chunlai's culinary skills came a meticulous mind, he lit a large brazier below to warm Ma Zhifu.

Furthermore, although his clothes were taken off, he considerately draped Ma Zhifu in straw.

Regardless,
the Marquis hadn’t said to kill him,
and if he really died,
it would only reflect poorly on his subordinates.

However, the large brazier was quite conspicuous at night, attracting many displaced people from outside the city. They gathered there, silently admiring the Yu Pan City governor's…
aloof posture.

No one dared to sing or dance, no one dared to cheer, and no one even dared to point and whisper.
Everyone's expression was numb.

The figure of Marquis Zheng appeared at the other end of the city wall, with Gou Moli standing beside him.

Behind them stood the Sword Saint and the Great Hero Chen.

A gleam of mockery flickered in Gou Moli's eyes. He enjoyed seeing this scene and reveled in it.

Great Hero Chen was a bit more compassionate. He was looking at the dense crowd of displaced people below the city.

As for the Sword Saint, who was somewhat immune to the plight of refugees,
he sighed
at the state of the Three Jin lands.

Once, when Gou Moli was still imprisoned in the Xue Hai Pass dungeon, the Sword Saint would occasionally ask the Blind Man to bring him out to chat.

Back then, the Sword Saint
had just experienced the battle before Xue Hai Pass.
He had been glorious,
he had been high-spirited,
but he hadn't yet had time to settle down.

So, the Sword Saint asked Gou Moli: Was it really necessary to go through all this?

Gou Moli's reply was: You only ask that because you see that I've lost.

A disaster of wildlings invading the pass
stirred up most of the Jin lands,
leaving the people homeless, with countless dead and wounded.

As for the wildlings themselves, tens of thousands of their prime men never returned to the snow plains. Most were wiped out, and the rest were worked to death as laborers on construction sites.

But,
what if they had won?

The wildlings would have left the snow plains and embraced the warmth of the Jin lands once more.

The Sword Saint asked again: Looking at things now, was it worth it?

Gou Moli replied: To do nothing is to be a dog. Right now, we're still dogs. Since we're all dogs anyway, why not make some noise?

Because Gou Moli didn't just flatter but would speak some truths, the Sword Saint would seek him out for conversation while recuperating, and Gou Moli would get a precious chance to see the sunlight;

The Sword Saint asked one last question that day: Did it have to be this way?

In fact, perhaps even the Sword Saint himself didn't know what "this way" referred to.

But Gou Moli had a lot to say in response.

He said,
"Look at that Emperor of Yan. What kind of man is he?
For thousands of years, he's been the foundation of a wise and heroic ruler.

Doesn't he know how to win fame?
Doesn't he know that his posthumous title will be compromised after his warmongering?
Doesn't he know that rivers of blood will flow after he tramples the aristocratic clans?
Doesn't he know that millions of laborers support the advancing army, doesn't he know that his own country will suffer hardship?

The truth is,
no matter how much the people suffer, it's just a matter of some people fainting from hunger, some people starving to death. As long as the country is still there, as long as the court is still there, the disaster year will pass.

The scariest thing
is when the country is conquered by foreign enemies. Then, human life is truly worthless.

If there's no grain to eat, you can eat tree leaves, gnaw on tree bark, eat grass, and if worst comes to worst, swallow some Guanyin clay to half-fill your stomach!

But when a knife comes at you, can you move your head to keep breathing?

His Yan, if he doesn't take advantage of his position, if he doesn't take advantage of this excellent situation, to do his best to fight outwards and subdue all directions… haha;
the people might curse him, history books might smear him,

but for all time,
the destruction of a nation is the real devastation, the real misery!"

It's like,
you Jin people!

…

So, when looking at the refugees under Yu Pan City, the Sword Saint didn't feel too much pity in his heart;

Firstly, it was because too many people had used the people of Jin to question him, blackmail him, and accuse him. He was tired of it.

Secondly, it was because he had seen the refugees inside and outside Fengxin City who were able to eat potato paste, and he lived in an ordinary home where he could see hope for the future in the expressions of his family members.

Everything,
will get better.

Sometimes, the Sword Saint himself realized that he seemed willing to be deceived by Zheng Fan;

Because from Shengle City to Xue Hai Pass, and then to Li Tian City,
the Sword Saint understood a principle:
learning the sword can't save the people of Jin.

Rather than letting his Long Yuan continue to be lofty, rather than letting his white robes remain spotless,
that only benefits himself, what good is it to the country and the people?

The man before him,
he,
and his subordinates, whose abilities were so strong that even the Sword Saint couldn't help but marvel,
could truly allow the people to live settled lives.

The sword
must be grounded.

This grounding is true grounding;

Combining it with the result of his near-death experience from opening the Second Rank last time,
perhaps,
he could use the earth's energy to draw down the power of the Second Rank as support, so that his body would endure less pressure and consumption.

And where
is the earth's energy?

The Sword Saint's gaze couldn't help but fall on the back of the man before him again.

Half a lifetime, wandering the martial world;
fighting, killing,
martial heroes, he had slain;
rulers of countries, he had killed;

But from what he had seen and heard, the one who lived the most grounded life was the man before him.

Marquis Zheng didn't know
that he was standing here,
without saying a word,
and had already become the Sword Saint's "object of enlightenment."

It was a good thing he didn't know,
otherwise, it would have been a truly depressing blow to Marquis Zheng, who was still worried about not being able to break through his realm.

As for Marquis Zheng,
his mind was actually blank right now.
He had just come up to get some air and feel the breeze, that was all.

At this time, Great Hero Chen couldn't help but want to speak:
"How can this governor be so stupid?"

For someone to be called "stupid" by Great Hero Chen, that was really…

Gou Moli laughed:
"Do you think everyone in Yan is extremely smart? At any time, when there are more people in a place, the majority are often fools.

Yan is also full of fools, like that one, do you think he doesn't know that sending women so obviously is too blatant?
Do you think he doesn't know that doing so will damage his own reputation the most?

He knows, but he still did it because he thought that this way, he could get closer and directly become a running dog under our Marquis.

But his stupidity lies in misjudging one thing."

As he said this, Gou Moli paused.

Great Hero Chen immediately asked: "What thing?"

Gou Moli nodded in satisfaction and said:
"He can be shameless, but our Marquis values face.

He should have thought about it,
if he had blatantly sent women to Li Liangting, to Prince Jingnan, what would the outcome be?"

"Mm." Great Hero Chen seemed to understand something. "I think I understand a little."

Gou Moli lowered his head again and looked at the governor hanging there.
He snorted coldly
and said disdainfully:
"Really, don't think that the Great Yan is invincible now, conquering and destroying countries, but it doesn't mean that everyone in Yan is smart. It's just that the top few are leading the way well, including our Marquis."

Zheng Fan glanced at Gou Moli, and Gou Moli immediately shut up.

"Go back and rest."
…

Ma Zhifu was untied at dawn. Because he had some martial arts foundation, he didn't freeze to death, but he was cold enough.
Most importantly, his reputation was trampled into the mud.

Moreover, after this incident, he probably wouldn't be able to keep his position as the governor of Yu Pan City for long. If he wasn't ashamed, the court would be ashamed.

The Pingxi Marquis's team also left Yu Pan City at dawn and crossed the Wangjiang River.

After much anticipation,
the Pingxi Marquis was finally about to arrive in Yingdu. For the nobles of Yingdu, who had been panicking for quite some time, it was incredibly exciting.

In the end,
Marquis Zheng was slowly living up to the image of Prince Jingnan.
Wherever he was,
there was peace of mind.

He hadn't felt it before because he had only focused on climbing up. Only when he had climbed to the high platform and looked around and below did he realize that there was good scenery everywhere.

However,
the Pingxi Marquis's team, after crossing the Wangjiang River, did not head straight for Yingdu but turned north.
…

"What, the Pingxi Marquis went to Shishan?"
In less than half a day, many nobles in Yingdu expressed similar surprise and doubt after learning the news.

Clearly, there was still a prince in Yingdu who hadn't awakened;
clearly, the governor of Yingdu was still bedridden;
clearly, everyone in Yingdu was panicking,

Since the Pingxi Marquis had already crossed the Wangjiang River, why didn't he come to preside over the overall situation?

Shishan,
Yingdu people were naturally no strangers to this place.

In fact, geographically speaking, the Three Jin lands were more like a large basin, with the Tianduan Mountains to the north, the Matishan Mountains to the west, and the Mengshan Qishan Mountains to the south.

There weren't many truly large mountains within its borders.

Shishan, about a hundred li from Yingdu, wasn't a high mountain, but it was the resting place of the successive patriarchs of the Situ family.

In the earliest days, when the Situ family was still a vassal under the Yu clan's imperial family, their old territory was in the Shishan area. Later, as the Situ family grew stronger, their base camp also moved from Shishan to Yingdu. Then, with the establishment of the division of Jin among the three families, finally, Situ Lei proclaimed himself emperor.

Regardless of how the Situ family developed, grew, or changed, Shishan was still the location of the Situ family's "ancestral tomb," and Situ Lei's "imperial tomb" was also in Shishan.

So,
the Pingxi Marquis's team was heading to Shishan,
and its purpose
was what?

While most were hesitant,
someone finally reacted first.

The carriage of Prince Cheng's mansion left the mansion. After all the guards of the mansion and a group of flags and banners were properly arranged, it left the city gate of Yingdu and headed straight for Shishan.

Although they were deliberately maintaining a sense of composure, the sense of urgency was truly impossible to hide.

In an instant,
the nobles of Yingdu basically woke up.

Large and small carriages, large and small teams, came out of the south gate one after another. The Wangfu team was in the front, followed closely by the teams from each family. Everyone was not exactly in a grand procession, but it was quite noisy as they rushed to Shishan.

Among them,
there were Yan people and Jin people,
but now, they had a unified name… frightened people.

They urgently needed comfort and protection.

To some extent, Gou Moli's words that night were not entirely self-serving.

The Yan people who had once fought on horseback would also become corrupt after becoming officials;

As for the old people of Yingdu, the Situ family, who had once resisted the snow plains to the north and the Chu to the south, they had actually been castrated long ago.

The Yan people's rule over this place had not been fully implemented, but they had already raised their backsides early on.

If Sun Youdao hadn't been for the trouble caused by his eldest son, he really wouldn't have wanted to come out of retirement, because the Yingdu where Situ Lei used to be was long gone;

Although the city walls of Yingdu still stood here, the people of Yingdu, the upper class of Yingdu, had long revealed a rotten aura that made Sun Youdao sick.

Of course, the old Grand Tutor disdained it, but he still took his second son, Sun Liang, with him in his own carriage, under his own banner, and followed the main force.

Everyone was coming; not coming would be a political mistake.

Last time, during a case of exam fraud, that Marquis had stirred up such a bloodbath in Yingdu. This time, such a big thing had happened, and heaven knows how many heads would fall in the end!

Even without distinguishing whose responsibility it was, who was wrong, who was guilty, and who was innocent, the nature of the matter had already changed from wanting results to wanting an attitude.

If you didn't come, you weren't giving the Pingxi Marquis face;
if you didn't give the Pingxi Marquis face, the Pingxi Marquis's knife might fall on your neck. What did it matter whom he chopped?

Although everyone left the city one after another,
the team of Prince Cheng's mansion was not moving too fast, at least not in a way that made them look like little quails rushing frantically into their mother hen's arms.

This also gave the people behind them a chance to catch up. After catching up, everyone tacitly fell behind Prince Cheng's mansion, which, to some extent, was considered orderly.

Finally,
they arrived at the Shishan territory;

According to the news from the people in front,
the Pingxi Marquis's team had gone up the north side of Shishan, where Situ Lei's mausoleum was located.

In fact, before Situ Lei, when the Situ family was almost a local emperor, the family tomb had long been over the top and was no different from an imperial tomb.

Situ Lei had just become the head of the family and hadn't even proclaimed himself emperor yet, but he had already started building his mausoleum as soon as he ascended the throne, following the traditions of normal national dynasties.

Therefore, even though Situ Lei died at a time when there were rebels and wildlings outside, and the situation was very chaotic, followed by the Yan people's eastern expedition and Prince Jingnan's coming out of retirement to take command, one thing after another, Situ Lei could be safely buried, because the mausoleum had already been built to about 70-80% complete and could be used directly.

At the entrance of the mausoleum,
there were some old eunuchs from the former Da Cheng palace managing it, as well as a guarding force. They had been Situ Lei's personal guards and were unwilling to find work with the Yan people, so they simply came here to guard the mausoleum for the late emperor.

However, when the Pingxi Marquis's men arrived and showed the Pingxi Marquis's token, these guards didn't dare to stop them and obediently handed over all the defenses;

The Marquis's mansion also showed respect and didn't disarm them but sent them down the mountain.

As for those eunuchs in charge, they were gathered together.

The Pingxi Marquis wanted to personally pay homage to the Grand Ancestor Emperor of Da Cheng and wanted to be quiet.

All these honors, such as the Grand Ancestor Emperor of Da Cheng, were retained at the behest of the Yan Emperor. After all, to some extent, the Yan Emperor regarded Situ Lei as a confidant, and a "confidant" in the emperor's order.

Just because when the Great Yan iron cavalry trampled on the Wenren family and the Helian family and their forces pointed directly at the Situ family,
Situ Lei dared to mobilize the country's elite to fight the wildlings in the snow plains, leaving his rear completely open to the Yan people, he deserved this respect.

Not to mention that Situ Lei, before his death, made a desperate blow and repelled the rebellious army and the wildling coalition, which was on the rise, and protected Yingdu, laying the foundation for the Yan army to enter later; this was also a very heroic achievement.

Before the altar, Marquis Zheng earnestly burned incense;
The Sword Saint also burned incense;
Great Hero Chen heard that Situ Lei was a hero, so he also burned incense.

Gou Moli hesitated for a long time,
and finally,
muttered:
"Damn it, I still have to worship you."

He stepped forward and burned incense last.

After burning incense,
the former wildling king was somewhat saddened.
His old opponent was now lying underground.

Would he laugh at himself for having fallen to become someone else's hound?

No,
he was dead,
but I was still alive.

You dead thing, how dare you laugh at me?

So, Gou Moli stood there, his expression constantly changing.

If he had taken Yingdu back then, the Yan people would have lost an orderly and well-organized logistics transfer station, and his alliance with the Chu people would not have fallen into the predicament of lacking food and manpower.

The war situation would have been completely different.

"Marquis, Prince Cheng and his party have arrived." He Chunlai came up to report.

"Let them come up."

"Yes, Marquis."

Marquis Zheng walked to the steps in front of the altar
and sat down.

The Crow Cliff Saber was placed beside him.
Today, he was wearing the set of black armor bestowed upon him on the day he was ennobled as Marquis;

He just sat there,
looking ahead, at the group of people constantly climbing up the steps.
…

"Heh, even during the late emperor's death anniversary, people wouldn't come so completely."

Queen Mother Wang was helped up by Situ Yu, looked back at the dense crowd behind her, and couldn't help but said indignantly.

This was her husband's resting place;
Here, she inevitably became more sentimental and sensitive.

Situ Yu, who had grown up a bit and looked somewhat like a young man, didn't say anything but continued to help his mother up the mountain.

On both sides of the mausoleum imperial path, stood the Marquis's personal guards, wearing flying fish robes and carrying embroidered spring knives, bringing a strong sense of oppression to the people going up the mountain.

These guards were originally elite soldiers who had followed Marquis Zheng through battles, and with the addition of the uniforms, it was difficult not to be intimidating.

Most importantly,
all the people going up the mountain didn't really know what the new military meritorious marquis was planning, so they were naturally a little uneasy.

Finally,
when Situ Yu raised his head, he saw the Pingxi Marquis sitting there.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen Zheng Fan before; he had seen him a long time ago.

But this time,
he was vaguely in a daze,
as if the person sitting there was not the Pingxi Marquis but the Jingnan Marquis who had kicked over the eldest prince in front of him in the past.

He wasn't the only one who felt this way. His mother, who was considered a very sensible woman in the Wangfu who knew how to advance and retreat, was trembling slightly at this time.

Situ Yu, who was holding her hand, sensed it.

And the Yingdu nobles behind him, who were arranged in order of official rank and status, almost simultaneously slowed down their pace at this time.

What was a military meritorious marquis?

This
was the aura of the Great Yan military meritorious marquis!

It was a status earned in the mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

Situ Yu let go of his mother's hand.
He was the current Prince Cheng,
he was Situ Lei's direct son,
here
was his father's mausoleum;

Some things, some people,
he had to face.

So,
he walked to the front,
walked up,
walked up,
walked up.
When the distance closed, he could clearly see the face of the Pingxi Marquis sitting there. Just as he was hesitating whether to greet the Pingxi Marquis with a more official etiquette or with a slightly more intimate gesture,
the Pingxi Marquis sitting there
only slightly raised his eyelids,
glanced at him faintly,
and then,
spat out two words.

These two words
not only surprised Situ Yu but also made the Queen Mother and the nobles who had traveled from Yingdu feel terrified.

"Kneel."