Chapter 1041: This Name Isn't Bad

Chapter 1041: This Name Isn't Bad

Chen Ping'an walked out of the ancestral home on Clay Vase Alley and Locust Yellow County, bringing Xiao Mo along as they set off on foot toward the tallest mountain to the west, the Northern Sacred Mountain, Piyun Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, pilgrims came in an endless stream, a bustling flow of carriages and horses. There was also a mountain market here that specialized in selling local mountain products and medicinal herbs. The goods were naturally genuine—how could mountain products be fake? But the prices were hardly fair. Local pilgrims from Chuzhou wouldn't stop here; they would go straight up the mountain to offer incense, praying for wealth, marriage, or safety, each heading to different spots within the mountain. Outsiders, both devout men and women, ended up spending a lot of money here without getting their money's worth. They couldn't be blamed, really. The mountain peddlers squatting on the ground here were all glib-tongued. One would claim they dug up poria cocos from the back of Piyun Mountain, or that they chopped down thunderstruck wood from Aotou Peak—just keeping it at home would ward off ghosts and evil spirits. Another would say they had lingzhi mushrooms from the Immortal Herb Mountain. Immortal Herb Mountain, you've heard of it, right? One of the minor peaks under the administration of Fallen Mountain. If you ask why others dare not go there, but I can go dig up lingzhi there? Good question! Coincidentally, I'm a distant relative of that mountain master named Chen Ping'an—we used to visit each other for New Year's every year. Our relationship is no ordinary thing. If he saw me on the road in the county seat, he'd have to call me Uncle. Every New Year's Eve at the reunion dinner, that kid would toast me plenty at the table. Don't believe me? I can confront Chen Ping'an face-to-face. As long as you pay for the travel expenses, once we get to Fallen Mountain, you'll see if he dares not show up, if he doesn't have to call me Uncle, if he acknowledges this kinship...

Chen Ping'an, hands tucked into his sleeves, squatted beside the stall, listening with great interest and nodding frequently. Seeing someone appreciating his act, the man grinned at Chen Ping'an.

Xiao Mo, in his yellow hat and green shoes, used Little Rice's catchphrase: it gave him a headache just listening.

Wei Bo, who had cast a disguise spell, appeared beside the two of them, asking with a smile, "You two have this much leisure time?"

Chen Ping'an stood up and transmitted with his mind, "I just found a fragment of my destiny porcelain inside the neighboring house of Song Jixin. Going by the size of this fragment, I'm only missing the last piece. For now, I have no leads."

Wei Bo cupped his hands and smiled, "Congratulations are in order."

Chen Ping'an said with a headache, "I'm still missing one piece."

Wei Bo asked, "Since it's just the last piece of porcelain, don't you have any kind of connection to it?"

Chen Ping'an shook his head, "That's what's strange. There was once a slight connection, but now it's become completely unclear."

Earlier, when he had temporarily borrowed a set of Dao techniques from Lu Chen, it seemed he had gotten close. After returning the Fourteen Realm cultivation, that subtle, innate pull vanished entirely.

Could the last piece of porcelain be in the Qingming Realm?

The problem was that Lu Chen had indeed not done anything like that, and Chen Ping'an believed that Headmaster Lu wouldn't do something so against his conscience. Then who brought it to the Qingming Realm?

Chen Ping'an smiled. "Let's not talk about that. As for the divine title, have you thought it through, Mountain Lord Wei?"

"Let's talk about it over drinks."

Wei Bo didn't lead them up the mountain but instead took them to a tavern in the "small town" at the foot of the mountain. It was run by Huang Erniang. She had hired someone to mind the shop; this was a branch location. Her son, named Bai Shang, was a renowned child prodigy, a true seed of learning. He had studied for a few years at the Longwei Creek Chen clan's school and now had an official rank. He had gone to study abroad, and his future would be bright. In a few years, he might even go to the capital for the imperial examinations and become an official himself. Huang Erniang, who had solid family assets, could finally be considered as having made it. However, over the years, she hadn't thought about finding a man. In the local dialect, a man who married a widow would be called a "shoehorn." Earlier, the drinkers all thought that Zheng Dafeng, the gatekeeper at the eastern entrance, had a chance with her. Who didn't know that every time Zheng Dafeng bought drinks on credit, despite Huang Erniang's sharp tongue at the time, there was a gleam in her eyes? But after dragging things out for so many years without any sign of a wedding feast, it was a waste of time for both, a lone man and a single woman.

Today, Huang Erniang was personally overseeing the business at this tavern. Wei Bo picked a table and asked the middle-aged, still-attractive woman for three catties of the best wine. He said softly, "Ever since she found out Zheng Dafeng had returned to his hometown, she's been coming here often, indirectly helping the Ritual Department of the Mountain Lord's Mansion save quite a bit of mountain wine. For public and private reasons, based on sentiment and logic, I have to support her business here. Mr. Xiao Mo, I'll trouble you to settle the bill later. I'm afraid Mountain Lord Chen might use the excuse of going to the latrine and disappear in the time it takes to piss."

Xiao Mo first nodded in agreement, then explained, "That's a misunderstanding, Brother Wei. My master is generous when drinking, and even more so when paying the bill."

Wei Bo laughed, "Oh? Then why have I only heard that the Second Manager at the Sword Qi Great Wall is a top-notch liquor persuader at the table? And that he never allows credit?"

Chen Ping'an smiled, helping himself to half a bowl of wine, smacking his lips, his expression calm, and said softly, "It's not that I never allowed credit. I secretly made two exceptions."

Only two exceptions. After that, no one in that tavern ever had the chance to get credit again.

The tables, wine bowls, and wine in that small tavern were still there.

Chen Ping'an actively changed the subject and asked, "The divine title isn't 'Night Wandering'?"

Wei Bo said, "Not Night Wandering. I plan to use the divine title 'Spiritual Marsh.' As for that booklet, I added over thirty thousand words. I don't need my name on it. But today at the table, you have to promise me this, and then I'll return the booklet to you. Otherwise, we can't be friends anymore. Chen Ping'an, don't think I'm joking. I'm very serious about this."

Chen Ping'an nodded, "Since Mountain Lord Wei is the bigger official, I dare not disobey."

Wei Bo glared, "Are you not taking me seriously?"

Chen Ping'an quickly raised his wine bowl, "Piyun Mountain hasn't even been officially enshrined by the Confucian Temple yet, nor granted a divine title by Mountain Lord Wei, and your temper is already growing. What will it be like in the future? Will this poor relative still be welcome to visit?"

Xiao Mo nodded, raised his wine bowl, and without a word of nonsense, drained it. Then he said, "Don't forget your friends when you come into money. Mountain Lord Wei shouldn't act like this."

Wei Bo picked up his bowl, clinked it against Chen Ping'an's, then turned to Xiao Mo, looking helpless. "Xiao Mo, don't learn from this guy. He's got a good tolerance for liquor, but his drinking manners are terrible."

At the table, if no one urges you to drink, it means they don't see you as a friend—the bond hasn't reached that level; drinking is like water. If you don't toast me, it means you don't see me as a brother... Listen, is that something a person should say?

Chen Ping'an acted as if he hadn't heard, just silently repeating the words "Spiritual Marsh."

According to the dictionary, "spiritual marsh" signifies heaven's enriching moisture, a metaphor for a nation's benevolent governance.

Before becoming the Earth God of Qidun Mountain, Wei Bo had been the Great Yue Mountain Lord of the Divine Water Kingdom, an ancient dynasty in the Shu region.

The divine title "Spiritual Marsh" carried a nostalgic tone, reminiscent of his homeland. Not that there was anything taboo about this in the landscape of officialdom, but for Wei Bo, it had both advantages and disadvantages. Honestly, it wasn't as purely beneficial as "Night Wandering." As a Northern Sacred Mountain Lord of an entire continent, having a divine title related to sweet rain and dew, especially once he chose this title, would tie him irrevocably to the Great Li Song clan. After all, half the continent's territory was Great Li land. The so-called benevolent governance meant that if the Great Li dynasty enjoyed a long period of peace and prosperity with clear politics, Wei Bo would benefit. But if the Great Li Song clan encountered a time when the emperor was muddled and the court was corrupt, Mountain Lord Wei's pure golden body would naturally be affected to some extent.

So Chen Ping'an asked again, "Are you sure you've thought it through?"

Wei Bo said, "As a mountain lord, having a divine title related to water—isn't that a perfect match?"

Chen Ping'an smiled, "If Mountain Lord Wei explains it that way, it does make some sense."

Since Wei Bo had made up his mind, Chen Ping'an didn't interfere. They clinked bowls and finished their wine.

Chen Ping'an said, "His Majesty the Emperor will be very surprised— pleasantly surprised, I mean. He'll feel that all the trust and support he's given Piyun Mountain over the years hasn't been wasted."

Wei Bo laughed, "To put it bluntly, His Majesty will be relieved that he didn't raise a wolf that bites the hand that feeds him, right?"

Chen Ping'an complained, "That's a bit too harsh. You don't have to belittle yourself like that. Come on, punish yourself with a bowl. Fill it up."

Wei Bo looked at Xiao Mo, "How are your master's liquor-persuading skills? Did I misjudge him?"

Xiao Mo, without a word, drank a bowl himself. "My master's toast was a toast, and it was also reasonable."

Wei Bo clicked his tongue, "Mountain Lord Chen, can you find me a retainer like this?"

Chen Ping'an took a sip of wine, slurping, "Unique, no copy."

Xiao Mo was pleased to hear that and wanted to propose a toast like Zheng Dafeng, but was immediately stopped by Chen Ping'an's glare, signaling no internal strife. So Xiao Mo silently shifted his wine bowl toward Wei Bo. "I'll propose one first. Whether Mountain Lord Wei proposes one, and how much he's willing to drink, and whether he'll drain the bowl completely, all depends on the depth of our friendship."

Wei Bo fumed, "You two are in cahoots to cause trouble here. Forgetting whose territory this is?"

Chen Ping'an shook his hand, signaling Wei Bo to stop dawdling. Drinking was just drinking; you talk too much.

Wei Bo laughed angrily, "Xiao Mo, I'm not being formal with you. Let me lay it out now: every time you urge me to drink, I'll drink it. But each time, our friendship will be shallower by a notch."

Xiao Mo suddenly felt a bit constrained.

Chen Ping'an laughed, "Afraid of what? Your friendship is deep as the sea. To drain the cups, you'd have to drink several taverns dry. Mountain Lord Wei is using reverse psychology on you."

Wei Bo was speechless for a moment and could only raise his hands in surrender.

Chen Ping'an transmitted mentally, "Now, about the Changchun Marquis Yang Hua at Qi Ferry—is she similar to you in origin? A reincarnated spirit from the old Divine Water Kingdom?"

Wei Bo smiled without saying a word.

Chen Ping'an didn't press further.

Wei Bo clicked his tongue, "That Mr. Chen of yours is quite something. Not satisfied drinking at home, he brought those friends of his to wander around the foot of the mountain and had an early drink here. He almost shouted for me to come out and play host."

The little green-clad boy swaggered around with three friends: a Fourteen Realm dragon-slayer, a Flying Ascension Realm cultivator from Liuxia Prefecture, and a Jade Pure Realm sword immortal. He was clearly showing off in front of Wei Bo.

Chen Ping'an laughed, "Who told you to give him the cold shoulder a few times? He's still holding a grudge. But I must clarify this with you, whether you believe it or not: Jingqing has never said a bad word about you to me, not a single complaint. On the contrary, he's only said good things. You wouldn't know the scene—with a heart full of grievances, he still had to twist his nature and hold his nose to say nice things about you. It was tough on him."

Wei Bo was a bit surprised. He thought that little bastard Chen Lingjun would only gripe to his master about him, pouring out a basketful of grievances.

Xiao Mo nodded, "Jingqing has never spoken ill of Mountain Lord Wei to me either. He only said that you two have been friends for years, like long-lost brothers reunited. The bond is deep."

Wei Bo rubbed his chin, feeling a twinge of guilt.

Wei Bo suddenly said, "His Majesty, who left the capital early to go south, has changed his planned route. Instead of returning to the capital, he's continuing south. He's already entered Yunzhou territory. Judging by the momentum, he's heading for Sui'an County in Yanzhou Prefecture, obviously looking for you."

Chen Ping'an hesitated for a moment, then said, "In the future, just pretend you don't know about things like this."

Once, he was just a boy drinking alone in secret. Later, at the Second Manager's tavern table and by the roadside, it was probably like the green-clad boy's jianghu—each drinking their own, with a hundred different flavors, but never a mouthful that would "put a friend in a difficult position."

Wei Bo laughed, "That old coachman left behind in Yuzhang Commandery is like a firefly in the courtyard that won't move. He's unique—I can't not see him even if I want to."

Chen Ping'an said, "Is that a reason? Can you find a lamer excuse?"

Wei Bo raised his wine bowl, looking valiant. "Laozi wants to drink. Do I need an excuse?"

Chen Ping'an let out an "aiyowei," quickly lifted his rear, held the bowl with both hands, and said flatteringly, "Well said! On the drinking table, reason is paramount! Xiao Mo, don't just stand there; we must toast Mountain Lord Wei."

---

Sui'an County, Yanzhou Prefecture, Yunzhou.

Green mountains connected in ridges, clear waters flowed long, fields stretched out, mountain flowers blazed like fire.

The sun was just right. At the drying ground outside the village paste mill, the white paste blocks lay scattered like gleaming silver. Donkeys turned the millstones as people chatted idly. The gazes of strong young men followed the plump chests and curvaceous hips of nearby young married women and maidens. The men swallowed their saliva, their voices unconsciously growing louder. Old people sat in the shade under the eaves, smoking dry tobacco, mentally calculating the rainfall since spring, thinking about the year's harvest. On the doors were pasted blessings and spring couplets written by grandchildren—the brushwork was childish, but it exuded a sense of vitality. On the road, someone carried two flat round bamboo baskets on a shoulder pole, crowded with fluffy little chicks that chirped incessantly.

Two carriages slowly passed by the boundary marker between the two counties. A Wenchang Pagoda was visible in the distance.

By a tributary of the Xinmei River, there was a rest pavilion with black tiles and white walls by the roadside. Someone was already waiting there.

Beside the pavilion stood a several-hundred-year-old ginkgo tree, as wide as an armspan, like a huge umbrella that perfectly shaded the small pavilion meant for travelers to rest. The cool shade was thick and lush, like being submerged in spring water.

Inside the pavilion were two high-ranking officials of Great Li: Pei Tong and Chu Liang, respectively the governor and general of Yunzhou, the top military and civil leaders of a prefecture. On this trip, they had left the heavily guarded government office, each bringing only one attendant. According to Great Li law, the court would assign a varying number of accompanying military cultivators to these regional governors and generals. In addition to their regular posts, these cultivators were temporarily granted the titular office of "Secretary Lang," allowing them to draw two salaries for a flexible term, usually three to five years. This was no mere show. Since the end of the war in Treasure Bottle Continent, there had been over a hundred assassination attempts, overt and covert, on important ministers of Great Li's southern provinces. Among the assassins were remnants of the barbarian yao that hadn't managed to flee Treasure Bottle Continent, as well as cultivators from various nations filled with hatred for the Great Li Song clan. Regarding the latter, Great Li's court, under the guidance of National Master Cui Chan, had long decided that their families should not be implicated, nor should the wrath fall on vassal courts.

The two cultivator attendants sat upright at the entrance of the pavilion. They were both young, one from Zhenwu Mountain's Tongtian River, the other from Wind Snow Temple's Daniu Gully.

Pei Tong and Chu Liang, both civil and military officials who had risen from poverty, had recently received a secret edict to choose a place at the Sui'an county border to greet the emperor today.

The two carriages stopped by the roadside. Emperor Song He lifted the carriage curtain, waved his hand, and gestured for Governor Pei and General Chu to dispense with formalities.

Since he wasn't in the front halls or back palaces of the capital, Emperor Song He was quite casual. He reached behind, rubbed his backside, and joked, "This carriage ride has been so bumpy, I feel like my backside is about to bloom."

Pei Tong immediately understood that the official road under his jurisdiction in Yanzhou Prefecture needed a good repair.

Song He didn't mind if Governor Pei thought too much about it. He walked straight into the pavilion. The two Secretaries Lang saluted the emperor. Song He smiled and called out their names, chatting casually for a bit.

Lifting his robe, Song He casually sat on the long stone bench inside the pavilion. The wall next to the river had a big hole, letting in a gentle breeze that brought some coolness. On the wall were charcoal graffiti by village children. Song He glanced at it a few times, pressed his hand down in a gesture, and smilingly invited everyone to sit and chat. Empress Song Mian sat beside the emperor, with Yu Yu, the Earth Branch Xu character cultivator, next to her.

Vice Minister of Punishments Zhao Yao and Yuzhou Textile Commissioner Li Baozhen sat together.

The old Dragon Prefecture of Great Li, now the new Chuzhou, did not have a prefectural general. So Chu Liang, as the general of Yunzhou, also oversaw the military affairs of Hongzhou, just as Yuzhou General Cao Wu concurrently managed Hongzhou's military, and was also responsible for commanding the garrison and several key passes and military towns in Chuzhou territory.

Song He smiled, "On the way here, I flipped through a few county annals of Sui'an and found that there have been many private academies opened in the past century. There are over sixty, large and small."

Within a single county, academies were everywhere, the sound of reading loud and clear. They might not be high-ranking noble clans, not even local prefectural notables, but just families that valued farming and study, passing down scholarly traditions. So the literary fortune of Yanzhou Prefecture wasn't too intense, but it was well ordered. In the eyes of qi-watchers, the large commanderies were like various qi numbers concentrated in different households, like colorful pearls of all sizes, dazzling but with great differences. Then Sui'an County was like a white jade plate, carrying literary fortune pearls of varying sizes.

Pei Tong immediately said, "Replying to Your Majesty, Sui'an County has been a land of literary culture since ancient times. Although its produce is meager, the local people place great importance on passing down farming and study. Among the dozens of counties in the entire Yunzhou region, it's considered one of the best in terms of civilizing influence through education. However, half of the academies were actually built in the last twenty years. For instance, the largest current one, Shixia Academy, was just established. Besides that, there are Yunlin Academy in Zitong and Jiao Pond Academy in Hengtang, both of considerable size. Some were funded by local worthies, others by officials who retired after many years in the capital and used their personal connections to invite literary luminaries and Confucian scholars to give lectures. Over time, the number of academies became the highest in Yanzhou Prefecture. Moreover, the academies in Sui'an have a characteristic—once established, they can almost always continue for many years, with teachers lecturing and students reading inside. It's not like elsewhere, where they might be abandoned halfway for various reasons."

Although they served in the same prefecture, Chu Liang, who considered himself a rough and uneducated military man, had few opportunities to interact with Pei Tong, a product of the imperial examinations. But today, listening to Governor Pei's words, General Chu began to admire Pei Tong's speaking skills. Sure enough, a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations knew how to speak with layers of meaning. Since many academies in Sui'an had been established in recent years, wasn't that the civilizing accomplishment of the emperor's emphasis on governance? As for His Majesty's "military achievements," the entire Hao Ran world knew. Even after giving up half of Treasure Bottle Continent, Great Li was still one of the top ten dynasties of Hao Ran.

Song He nodded, "I remember a county annals recorded that an itinerant teacher once taught here and left a motto for the academy: 'Teach first to be human, teach to be a true human.'"

Pei Tong immediately picked up, "If I'm not mistaken, it comes from the first headmaster of Wufeng Academy. That sentence is engraved on a stone stele."

Song He smiled. It seemed that Governor Pei's receiving an uncommon "excellent" rating twice in a row in the Ministry of Personnel's triennial evaluation was not without reason.

Cui Chan was not only Great Li's national master but also Emperor Song He's teacher. When Song He was still a prince, Cui Chan had taught him a "heart mantra" for officialdom: the children of generals in Great Li's capital seek fame, not money, because they feel that the entire realm was conquered by their fathers' generation, and they were born with a grand ambition to defend it. But this could lead to a fondness for grandiose projects, unfamiliarity with local customs, waste of resources in governance, and mere empty ambitions. The difficulty lay in knowing their shortcomings, so the court needed to guard them against arrogance and impatience.

As for officials from humble beginnings, they rose from the lowest ranks of markets and villages. Having been poor all their lives, they found the test of money more difficult. On their official career path, as they climbed step by step, they tended to covet wealth. Even if they themselves weren't greedy, they couldn't stop their relatives and clan from suddenly getting rich, losing their heads. The human heart is hard to satisfy. They would throw their weight around locally, acting recklessly—in fact, squandering the court's reputation among the people. Therefore, the court needed to guard them against corruption and honesty.

At this moment, the emperor looked at Governor Pei, who had risen to the rank of prefect, and said, "Before leaving the capital, I specifically asked Old Master Zhao of the Ministry of Revenue for two pieces of calligraphy. They are the family precepts of his Tianshui Zhao clan. They are on the carriage, and I will send them to you later."

Pei Tong and Chu Liang quickly rose to thank the emperor.

Song He said, "General Chu is a martial artist by merit. Now you govern the military affairs of two prefectures. Aside from military books, don't neglect to read more sage texts in your spare time."

Chu Liang had just sat down but immediately rose again, cupping his fist to accept the order. As a military general, his voice was full of vitality.

Song He continued, "As I traveled through Yunzhou territory, I find it worthy of the saying 'The atmosphere should be clear and elevated' from the family precepts. As for Governor Pei's depth in scholarship and upright conduct, there is no problem. I hope Governor Pei will not slack off and will persevere."

Pei Tong's expression remained calm as he immediately rose to thank His Majesty for his recognition.

But inside, this regional governor, not yet fifty, was stirred by huge waves. His Majesty had used the word "own"? Then what about Pei Tong's family? Furthermore, Minister Zhao of the Ministry of Revenue was the founder of the Pavilion Style calligraphy. As for the Tianshui Zhao clan's family precepts, Pei Tong had long memorized them. He recalled that after the phrase "Stand upright and be sincere," came "Wear a gentle and dignified expression." Pei Tong immediately made a decision. Upon returning to the governor's office, he would send a letter home, ordering a self-inspection within the family. Once any younger generation was found to be doing evil, competing with the people for profit, or involved in lawsuits, they should be handed over to the local authorities according to law. There would be no "minor punishment as a warning" nonsense. In the clan hall, they would be immediately expelled from the genealogy.

Song He smiled, "The reason I called you here is to accompany me to meet someone."

General Chu Liang was baffled, but civil official Pei Tong understood immediately. After a moment's thought, he guessed the other party's identity.

Who else could make His Majesty go to such trouble except that person?

Could it be that the ownership of the Dragon Palace ruins on Xinmei River had caused a dispute between Fallen Mountain and the court, requiring His Majesty to personally mediate?

Afterward, Emperor Song He said he wanted to take a walk for a stretch and told them to ride ahead in their carriages and wait a few miles away.

Leaving the pavilion with only Vice Minister Zhao Yao and Textile Commissioner Li Baozhen, Song He took a small booklet from his sleeve. It contained the secret report from the Yuzhou Textile Bureau.

General Cao Wu of Yuzhou went to the Northern Sacred Mountain Piyun Mountain, and then Mountain Lord Wei Bo went to Fallen Mountain to inform Chen Ping'an. Finally, the two met at the Ritual Department within the Mountain Lord's Mansion for tea. This was the main content of the secret report. The supplementary volume contained more details, serving as a supplement to the main points. This was standard procedure for the secret reports of Great Li's various prefecture kiln supervision offices, textile bureaus, and logging yards. To this day, only the Hongzhou Logging Yard had not submitted any memorial to the emperor.

Earlier, at the Logging Yard director Lin Zhengcheng's place, the emperor had only chatted idly with this final gatekeeper of Li Zhu Cave Heaven, talking about small town customs, without touching on any official matters.

Chen Ping'an, under the alias Chen Ji, had opened a school in the village at the source of Xinmei River, the Wuxi, living in seclusion in the countryside as a teacher. According to the latest intelligence, the Xinmei River God Gao Niang and the female cultivator Yu Huiting from Wind Snow Temple had long known about this secret, but neither had reported it to Great Li's Ministry of Rites or Ministry of Punishments; they deliberately concealed it. The reason the Great Li court found out was thanks to the trail of a Jade Pure Realm cultivator from Qinggong Mountain in Liuxia Prefecture, which the Ministry of Punishments followed and stumbled upon by accident. After that, the number one cultivator in Liuxia Prefecture, the Flying Ascension Realm old hermit Jing Hao, personally rushed to Yunzhou. Of course, Jing Hao had contacted and informed the simulation of the Jade Capital above the auxiliary capital Luojing. The old hermit's reason was that he came to Treasure Bottle Continent to visit a mountain friend in Chuzhou.

In general, the court had been slow to catch on.

Upon learning of this secret report halfway, His Majesty, while in Yuzhang Commandery of Hongzhou, only visited the Logging Yard and met Lin Zhengcheng. Then, on a whim, he headed straight for Yanzhou Prefecture in Yunzhou. The Empress Dowager remained in her ancestral hometown. This "homecoming" of Nan Zan had not been publicized at all, so the entire Hongzhou officialdom still didn't know that the Empress Dowager was now in the Nan clan of Yuzhang Commandery, and that His Majesty had come and gone.

Song He smiled, "The law is not beyond human feelings. Vice Minister Zhao, on this matter, there's no need for your Ministry of Punishments to blame Gao Niang and Yu Huiting. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn't have voluntarily disclosed it to the court either. Actually, I wouldn't dare."

Regarding Gao Niang, the first River God of Xinmei River, the Piyun Mountain Lord's Mansion, which managed all the mountain and water spirits of the Northern Sacred Mountain, and the Ritual Department of Great Li's Ministry of Rites had long given similar assessments.

From this, it was clear that Gao Niang was a seasoned bureaucratic sycophant.

As for Yu Huiting, after descending the mountain, she had served as a military cultivator for Great Li for nearly twenty years, accumulating considerable military merit. This time, she and a stable old Great Li native Nascent Soul cultivator were jointly responsible for the unlocking and excavation of the Dragon Palace ruins. The Great Li court clearly intended to give her a more impressive resume. Whether she later intended to serve in the Great Li court or return to Wind Snow Temple for cultivation, there would be justification at both the court and the mountain ancestral hall. Moreover, the early unlocking of the Dragon Palace's forbidden formations, saving the capital's Imperial Observatory from spending precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures on excavation, was thanks to the two "dragon eyes" she voluntarily handed over, an unexpected bonus. Afterward, Great Li's Ministry of Punishments would compensate her, selecting items of equal rank from the Yi-category secret treasury to give to Yu Huiting. The Ministry of Punishments was currently discussing whether the "Peace Talisman" to be issued to her would be third-grade or directly second-grade.

Song He said, "I've seen Yu Huiting's battlefield resume. Let the Ministry of Punishments give her a second-grade Peace Talisman. She deserves it. A woman of such heroism is a blessing for Great Li."

Zhao Yao smiled, "Your Majesty, back then, when the Ministry of Punishments wanted to issue a lowest-grade Peace Talisman, she refused, saying that her military merits had already been distributed to others early on and that she didn't deserve it without merit."

Song He knew about this too and couldn't help but laugh. "As expected of a military cultivator from Wind Snow Temple. Why is it harder for your Ministry of Punishments to give gifts than to receive them?"

Zhao Yao suggested, "Actually, making her accept a gift isn't difficult. But it might require Your Majesty and the Minister to allow Yu Huiting to transfer the Peace Talisman. Then she would definitely accept it."

Song He said, "Isn't this kind of thing rare? I recall Great Li only made an exception once, with Zeng Ye of the Five Island Faction."

In Shujian Lake, Gu Can had once transferred his Peace Talisman to Zeng Ye.

Zhao Yao nodded, "Then let's add an additional condition: transfer is allowed, but the second-grade Peace Talisman must be downgraded to third-grade. Given Yu Huiting's character, she would still be willing."

Song He turned to look at Li Baozhen beside him, smiling, "Textile Commissioner Li, what do you think?"

Li Baozhen smiled slightly, "Your Majesty is wise. You have already made a decision. You are testing Vice Minister Zhao and me."

Song He patted Li Baozhen's shoulder and teased, "People outside say that you guys who came out of Li Zhu Cave Heaven are masters of flattery—words flow easily. And when you curse, it's even more ruthless, no draft needed."

Zhao Yao said, "On this matter, we from Fulu Street and Taoye Alley are far inferior to other parts of the small town. And it seems that the women in our hometown are always better than the men. Horse Grandma of Xinghua Alley, Widow Gu of Niping Alley, Li Huai's mother at the westernmost part of town, and Huang Erniang who sells wine—those few are recognized as first-class masters with profound skills. When they argue, they are invincible."

Li Baozhen nodded with a smile.

Song He asked curiously, "What if they were to spar? Who would win?"

Zhao Yao said, "Top experts don't easily duel."

Li Baozhen added, "Each has their own turf. If they meet, a sideways glance is probably the spar. Ordinary people can't understand this depth of study."

After a moment of silence, the three almost simultaneously uttered two words: no wonder.

No wonder that guy from Clay Vase Alley was so outstanding, famous far and wide.

The simple folk customs of that small town have now become as famous worldwide as Mountain Lord Wei's Night Wandering Banquet.

Inside the carriage, while His Majesty was not present, Yu Yu sneaked out a flask of Changchun Palace's immortal brew and started drinking.

Empress Yu Mian didn't stop her. Yu Yu wiped her mouth, "Empress, I'm about to meet the Hidden Officer, and I'm extremely nervous. I need a couple of drinks to calm down, ha."

According to the family tree, the girl was actually Empress Yu Mian's elder relative; Yu Mian had to call Yu Yu "Little Aunt."

Yu Mian smiled softly, "Are you that afraid of Mr. Chen?"

Last time, when she accompanied His Majesty to the wedding feast in the capital, Yu Mian had met Chen Ping'an. Her impression was that he was a very principled scholar. He didn't seem much like a mountain cultivator with an immortal aura.

Yu Yu leaned against the carriage wall, let out a hearty burp, and mischievously blew a breath towards the Empress. "You forgot an 'us.' It's not just me who's afraid of him. All of us are. Since we all embarrass ourselves together, no one is embarrassed alone."

Yu Mian waved her hand to dissipate the smell of alcohol, then lifted the carriage curtain for ventilation to avoid the whole carriage smelling of wine when His Majesty boarded. "No proper deportment. How will you marry someone in the future?"

Yu Yu mimicked the young Hidden Officer's tone, sighing, "Urging marriage like this isn't endearing. Besides, I'm the elder. Empress, you're being disrespectful."

Yu Mian couldn't help but laugh. She patted the girl's head. Yu Yu yelled, "Outrageous, outrageous!" Then she turned around, grumbling "ha ha," and threw a few punches at the Empress.

Song He smiled, "Baozhen, when you return home this time, remember to find time to meet with Jian Feng. He's been a fourth-rank kiln supervisor in Locust Yellow County for quite a while now, and it's not good for him to remain so ineffective. Alright, you can stop here. Zhao Yao and I will continue on."

Jian Feng was a scion of a capital family, replacing Cao Gengxin as the fourth-rank supervisor. But upon arriving in the small town, he encountered obstacles everywhere, stepping on many soft nails. His situation wasn't much better than that of the town's first county magistrate, Wu Yuan. Jian Feng was still proud, secretly looking down on the idle drunkard Cao. In fact, in the eyes of discerning observers in Great Li's central court, he was far from Cao Gengxin's ability to "handle heavy matters with ease." Emperor Song He was not very satisfied with Jian Feng's performance over the years at the Supervisory Office, but he couldn't personally teach Jian Feng how to be an official. Since Li Baozhen was returning home, he might as well let these two trusted aides of the Son of Heaven have a heart-to-heart talk. If Jian Feng still didn't improve, Song He could then directly approach Li Baozhen.

Li Baozhen bowed with cupped fists, stopped in his tracks, and silently took his leave.

When Li Baozhen quietly flew away on the wind, Zhao Yao withdrew his gaze and said softly, "Zhu Lu, the assistant officer at the Textile Bureau, disappeared halfway under suspicious circumstances."

Song He rubbed his brow, "If even the old coachman is evasive about something, it's useless to dig deeper. Since the other party is very likely a Fourteen Realm cultivator, the Confucian Temple wouldn't do things so secretively. After thinking it over, there's only that one person."

Zhao Yao nodded, "If it is him, it makes sense."

Zhu Lu was from the Li clan of Fulu Street. It would be plausible if Lu Chen took her away.

Song He walked slowly, the scenery lovely. He smiled and recited, "Peach, plum, and apricot blossoms together, fall flake by flake on the rustic's yard."

Zhao Yao smiled, "What does the rustic in the mountain have? A jar of newly brewed spring wine."

Song He suddenly asked, "News of my coming here won't escape Piyun Mountain. Zhao Yao, do you think Mountain Lord Wei will inform Mr. Chen?"

Zhao Yao said, "It's hard to say."

It was indeed hard to say.

It wasn't a matter of yes or no. The difficulty arose from Zhao Yao's position, making it hard for him to answer this question.

The emperor smiled and didn't press Vice Minister Zhao.

An old village man leading a piglet came around from the village entrance. Seeing Song He and Zhao Yao walking in the middle of the road, the piglets squealed and started running everywhere. Song He rolled up his sleeves, bent down, and tried to help block the piglets running wild on the road. Zhao Yao imitated him, spreading his arms to follow the emperor in blocking the road. But the old man, feeling they were more of a hindrance, endured for a while but couldn't hold back. If they kept blocking like this, the piglets would run into the river. Would they then pay compensation? The old man was anxious and quickly told the two to stop meddling. He himself busied about, finally managing to gather the piglets. Song He and Zhao Yao then got a scolding.

Song He quickly cupped his hands and shook them, apologizing to the old farmer in Great Li's refined language. The old man's expression improved, muttering something. The emperor turned to look at the Vice Minister of Punishments.

In this Yanzhou Prefecture, mountains and hills crisscrossed, making it a typical place where customs differed every ten li and speech differed every hundred li. Fortunately, the old pig herder and the young vice minister: one could understand but not speak the official language; the other knew the local dialect but couldn't speak it. Nonetheless, communication wasn't hindered. Back and forth, the three fell into conversation, with a group of smelly piglets at their feet. By the time the emperor caught up with the carriage and entered, Yu Yu had already tactfully made room. Yu Mian was a little surprised. Song He explained to her and then laughed heartily, in a good mood.

---

The prefectural city of Muzhou Prefecture was also the seat of Yunzhou's administration.

At a temple called Fengming Temple, which also bore the signboard of Yunzhou's Daoist Rectification Institute, three important guests of noble status arrived today. They were all from the capital.

With two plaques hanging simultaneously, it meant that this was not only a local Daoist temple but also a Daoist government office under Great Li's Chongxu Bureau.

An old Daoist holding a horsetail whisk looked up at the couplet outside the temple gate, stroking his beard and laughing. "The temple's frontage has doubled, but the couplet's content loses to ours by more than a notch."

A handsome young Daoist teased, "Daoist Hong, since they are both Rectification Institutes, this kind of parochialism is not good."

The old Daoist addressed as "Daoist" shook his head. "We Daoists cultivate scholarship with antiquity and seek truth from facts. Where is the parochialism? Don't you raise the bar, young man, and put dirty tricks on me in front of Director Wu."

The middle-aged Daoist standing in the center narrowed his eyes and nodded. "The couplet's content is indeed not as punchy as your temple's."

The three uninvited visitors—the old Daoist with the surname Hong—was the head of the Capital Rectification Institute.

The young Daoist was a Daoist registrar named Ge Ling, who also had a secret identity as one of Great Li's Earth Branch cultivators.

The couplet at their Capital Rectification Institute's entrance was indeed quite ambitious, full of ancient charm: "Pine and cypress golden courtyard, a blessed land for nurturing the truth; cherishing ten thousand ages, a Daoist lair for cultivating the spirit."

At the entrance of that office, beside the steps, stood a stele. The person who erected the stele was the leading Daoist official of Great Li's Chongxu Bureau. He had a string of titles: "Disciple of the Three Caverns, Leading Great Daoist of the Capital, Director of the Chongxu Institute, of She Commandery, Wu Lingjing."

This middle-aged Daoist, nominally in charge of all Daoist affairs in the Great Li nation, Wu Lingjing, held the title of "Great Daoist," comparable in standing to a Tripitaka master in Buddhism.

Wu Lingjing was not a "native" Daoist of Great Li. His ancestral home was in the southeastern part of Treasure Bottle Continent, once part of the Great Li vassal state Qingluan Kingdom. He had once presided over an obscure small Daoist temple.

Now, this middle-aged Daoist was the leader of Great Li's Chongxu Bureau. In a sense, among the hundreds of thousands of ordained Daoists in the Great Li dynasty, he was the highest-ranking official, without equal.

Wu Lingjing and the monk who had obtained the title of Tripitaka master a few years ago and presided over Great Li's Translation Bureau were fellow townsmen, both from the Qingluan Kingdom. One Daoist, one monk—both were strongly recommended by Liu Qingfeng, the former Minister of Rites in Great Li's auxiliary capital, Luojing. The Daoist came from Baiyun Temple in Qingluan, and the monk came from Baishui Temple.

Soon, a Daoist appeared to inquire. Upon learning the identities of the three, he was greatly surprised and quickly led them into the temple, informing the local chief Daoist.

In the blink of an eye, apart from the Yunzhou Daoist, two Daoist registrars who happened to be on duty and discussing matters in the temple, along with a large group of registered local Daoist officials, all held their breath, walked lightly, and hurried over to pay respects to Wu Lingjing and his party.

This Yunzhou Rectification Institute was organized in the same manner as the Capital Rectification Institute, with six departments under it: Genealogy, Litigation, Green Verse, Affairs of the Seal, Geography, and Rules. The Daoist officials in these departments all held court rank as Daoist registrars.

However, the seven officials who drew wages from the court—one chief Daoist and six registrars—in each prefecture's Rectification Institute were one rank lower than those in the capital. Additionally, the six registrars often managed the affairs of some major Daoist temple within an important prefecture or commandery. The Capital Rectification Institute was a very small Daoist temple, the kind the capital's commoners would pass by without noticing. The Yunzhou Rectification Institute, one rank lower, was housed in this magnificent, fairyland-like temple. The current chief Daoist of Yunzhou, who managed all Daoists in the prefecture, was a Golden Core stage cultivator. The dozens of prefectural Rectification Institutes in Great Li were mostly like this: attached to a historic Daoist temple, with the local temple master concurrently serving as the chief director.

The first impression these Daoists had of the Chongxu Bureau leader was that their Dao hearts tensed up a bit. In officialdom, they didn't fear the sanctimonious types who put on airs; they feared the smiling, seemingly approachable superiors.

Wu Lingjing didn't mind. When the Yunzhou chief Daoist invited them to first tour the temple, he followed along. When they said to have tea, he agreed.

He was so easygoing that the chief Daoist and the two registrars felt more uneasy inside, wondering what this Great Daoist official, who oversaw the promotions of all Daoists in the nation, had come for without notice.

This middle-aged Daoist, who habitually squinted when looking at people and things, had started cultivating very late, with only a few years of "Dao age." It was a true stroke of fortune—"midlife cultivation."

When he was still a mortal, Wu Lingjing was a true bookworm who loved reading by lamplight. Having read so many books over the years, he accidentally strained his eyes, causing blurred vision. Hence his habit of squinting. After cultivating, he never managed to break this habit. Over time, rumors proliferated, and Director Wu of the Chongxu Bureau earned the nickname "Smiling Tiger" in the capital. It was said to have first come from the small alley of Yunyi Yunlou, or perhaps from the old Minister Zhao of the Tianshui Zhao clan's Ministry of Revenue. Wu Lingjing found this quite helpless. He had only gone to that alley out of curiosity and longing but was stopped at the entrance and never even entered. He chatted a bit with the old Nascent Soul cultivator Liu Jia and gave some kind advice on cultivation to a young man who often got struck by lightning when he went out. And for that, he ended up with this nickname.

As for why Wu Lingjing had left the capital this time, it was because he had been invited by Mr. Yuan of the Imperial Observatory, who wanted to introduce a friend to him. The friend's identity was special and not suitable for appearing in Great Li's capital.

Wu Lingjing had agreed to meet Mr. Yuan in Yunzhou territory.

Liu Zijun?

Wu Lingjing's mood was complicated.

The name change from Dragon Prefecture to Chuzhou was based on the theory of constellations and territories, a suggestion from the capital's Imperial Observatory. In fact, it was the work of Yuan Tianfeng, the Imperial Observatory's "guest official." Besides that, the new names for a series of commanderies and prefectures in Chuzhou—such as Xiandu, Jinyun, Wuyi, Wencheng—were also chosen by Mr. Yuan.

At this moment, Yuan Tianfeng was in a certain place in Yanzhou Prefecture, suggesting that a certain old Confucian scholar without any official rank should donate money to build a Kuixing Pavilion at the southeast corner of the county's Confucian Temple to gather purple qi.

Beside Yuan Tianfeng was a young scholar who neither agreed nor disagreed, as if saying this was a good move but still not the best.

At a village school at the foot of a mountain, a teacher was giving a lecture. He explained some principles from the book, then explained them in simpler, more colloquial language for the children.

"Boasting of achievements, flaunting essays—all rely on external things to establish one's character. No matter how arrogant and reckless you are, there will be times when you have to bow your head. With a kind heart and doing good to others, even if you have no merits and cannot read a single character, you will still not fear ghosts knocking at your door at midnight, being upright and honorable in your conduct."

Outside the school, a group of unfamiliar faces had arrived. They stood under the eaves outside the window, not disturbing the teacher's lecture.

In addition, there were two old scholars who taught at the Wuxi village school. Having heard the commotion in the village—news that three carriages had arrived, quite imposing—they were curious about the strangers' identities and agreed to come and investigate together. One was a teacher at the Wuxi village school, an old licentiate named Feng Yuanting. The other was called Han Wo, styled Yun Cheng, who worked as a private tutor for the wealthiest family in a village. The old man had no official rank, but he had taught several students who passed the imperial examinations at the county level. After all, in the Great Li dynasty these days, especially in the north, even a provincial graduate was not at all common.

These two old scholars, while sneaking glances at the group in the distance, whispered to each other.

The old licentiate said in a low voice, "Brother Han, it's obvious they're officials, isn't it?"

Han Wo, who had seen big sights, nodded, "High-ranking ones."

The old scholar added a professional note, "Most likely from a noble family, gaining experience in officialdom. In a few years, they might get a position in one of the six ministries in the capital or serve in a major capital-prefecture or county, concurrently holding some refined post like 'Trial Secretary' or 'Proofreader of the Palace Library.'"

Feng Yuanting was shocked. In the future, wouldn't he be at least a county magistrate?

The Great Li dynasty had drawn a line, with Chuzhou as the boundary. North of Chuzhou was "Old Great Li"; south of Chuzhou to the north of the Great River was "New Great Li."

So holding office in Yunzhou and the north was considered higher than serving in the south, especially around the auxiliary capital Luojing and its vassal states.

The class was on a break, but not yet dismissed.

Chen Ping'an walked out of the school and smiled, cupping his hands.

Song He bowed, "Song He pays respects to Mr. Chen."

Song He?

The two old scholars were stunned for a moment, then exchanged glances and found it amusing. Not bad, not bad—a young man taking such a name. It was a bit bold.