Becoming a God from a Water Monkey

Chapter 1178 Earthworms Emerge (Part 2)

The soldiers were arrayed all around, scattered like stars in the sky.

The wind lifted the black cloaks, and the yellow dust on the official road swirled low. The emperor's personal guards stood in formation, and Chishan trotted the horses. Liang Qu looked at the army formation and could clearly see the muscles of the warhorses pulsating, the wisps of white steam rising from their breath, and the rise and fall of the armor plates of the soldiers.

An invisible pressure, like a towering mountain, rose from the ground and collapsed upon them, leaving the people silent.

With a flick of his whisk, Eunuch Li walked slowly in front, followed by Commander Meng Qiang of Tianyu; Tianyu soldiers held up the large banner with the character "Shun" (meaning "obedience") and walked respectfully behind.

"Wang Chao, Chai Shen."

"To!"

The crimson dragon horse leaped out, its two riders clad in gleaming iron armor, which shimmered with a cool, silvery light.

"Holding the flag."

"Yes!"

The commander of the Imperial Guards presented the Great Shun Yellow Flag, which Tianyu bent down to receive. He gripped the large pole with one hand and wrapped the flag with the other, holding it upright against his shoulder, his eyes fixed on the east.

"Li Bingzhong, Zhang Shaofan."

"arrive."

"Holding the flag."

"Yes!"

"Shi Yao, Miao Kun."

"To!"

"Holding the flag."

"Yes!"

At the Meridian Gate of the Imperial City, the people eagerly awaited the arrival of the emperor.

Thirty-eight Heavenly Feather Guards, thirty-eight Great Shun Dragon Blood Horses, and thirty-eight Great Shun Banners marched out of the ranks in perfect unison, forming two rows and nineteen columns, onto the central official road.

The stitches are neat and resonant, and the straight seams are square.

Eunuch Li turned around, stepped down from Liang Qu's horse, and bowed: "Reporting to Marquis Xingyi, the ranks have been formed."

Liang Qu nodded and looked around: "Thank you all for your trouble!"

Thirty-eight riders shouted in unison:

"For the sake of the Great Sage! For the sake of His Majesty! For the sake of the King! I will spare no effort!"

Eunuch Li then sang: "Gentlemen, what brings you here?"

Thirty-eight riders drank again:

"Congratulations to the Great Shun! Congratulations to His Majesty! Congratulations to the Marquis of Xingyi! May his name be known throughout the land!"

The sound shook the roof tiles.

Chishan stomped back, clearing the way for the official road, and Liangqu shouted, "Beat the drums! Send them off!"

Boom!Boom!Boom!
The music master beat the drums with great force, the drumbeats as dense as rain, and the faces of the people turned red as they held their breath in anticipation.

Eunuch Li stood to the side of the official road and announced, "Let's proceed to Southern Zhili!"

Wow.

Banners fluttered in the breeze.

Two of the thirty-eight riders went.

"Send word to Kansai, let's go!"

The banners waved again, fluttering in the wind.

In the blink of an eye, thirty-eight riders, renowned throughout the capital and eighteen provinces, vanished without a trace, rushing across the land like water released from a dam. Twenty-four more joined the central government, filling the vacancies, taking the commander's flag, mounting their horses, and the people looked on with anticipation. At Meng Qiang's command, they spurred their horses and galloped through the streets and alleys of the capital.

Amidst the spotlight.

The leader of the Heavenly Feather Guards, his neck flushed red and veins throbbing, roared:
"Good news! Good news! Marquis Xingyi has attained enlightenment and become a saint! How magnificent is our Great Shun Dynasty! The whole world rejoices! By His Majesty's decree, a grand feast will be held for seven days! This will take effect immediately upon receipt of the news!"

"Good news! Good news! Marquis Xingyi has attained enlightenment and become a saint! How magnificent is our Great Shun Dynasty! The whole world rejoices! By His Majesty's decree, a grand feast will be held for seven days! This will take effect immediately upon receipt of the news!"

boom!
The silent air began to flow, and the held breaths were released and relaxed.

Palace maids lined the path, scattering flowers onto the official road and onto their shoulders. By the pool, a giant elephant drew water, its four hooves like pillars, raising its head to spew water spray. A rainbow stretched across the pool.

The people shouted and rushed into the inns and restaurants along the way, drinking heartily.

Pingyang, Huangzhou, Xihe, Heyuan, Datong, Hantai, Nanjiang, Beiting... Tianyu rushed through, and the imperial guards scattered.

In April, the mountains rise abruptly from the ground, their majestic grandeur known to all.

In the fifth month, Tian Yu spreads his name and everyone in the world knows it.

Xu Zishuai rushed into the street, grabbed a handful of lotus petals, and scattered them into the air. The petals fell, soaking his hair. On the street, doors and windows opened, and the imperial guards, waving flags, galloped past.

Chishan's hooves pounded in turn, accompanied by joyful music, his mane flowing freely.

The vast capital city was filled with joy for a time.

"The plums are ripe."

"What?" Eunuch Li turned around.

Liang Qu grabbed the horsewhip and pointed at the imperial guards who had run away from the rendezvous point: "Back then, I had just passed through the four passes, registered and on the list, and didn't have to pay taxes. My senior brother coaxed me into going to Langyunlou, the best restaurant in Pingyang County, to treat me to a meal."

It was early summer, and crickets were chirping and earthworms were emerging. Halfway through our meal, some of the senior brothers said they wanted to drink plum wine from Master's garden. It was at that moment that a member of the Imperial Guard ran into the street and shouted.

"call?"

"Yes, he shouted very loudly, 'Good news! Good news! Marquis Weining has attained enlightenment and become a saint! The whole world rejoices! By His Majesty's decree, a grand feast will be held for five days! Effective immediately upon receipt of the news!' Haha, I was seven days!"

Eunuch Li was stunned. He wanted to flatter Liang Qu by saying that Liang Qu was the number one young martial saint of the Great Shun Dynasty.

"Lord Li, is this the end of it?"

Swallowing the words that were about to come out, Eunuch Li bowed and replied, "Reporting to Marquis Xingyi, His Majesty has arranged a banquet for dinner tonight. Before the banquet, Marquis Xingyi may take a detour along Jishuitan and go home to settle down, rest, wash, and bathe. I will come to inform you after an hour or two."

"throat!"

The elephants bellowed loudly and sprayed water onto the official road, suppressing the yellow dust.

Liang Qu laughed loudly and couldn't help but take out his own money to spend ten days' worth of money. However, since it was the capital, there was no reason for him to reward himself. He turned to his master, Xu Yuelong, and others to ask for some silver, crushed it into small pieces, and threw it high into the air.

"Go buy wine! Go buy wine! Everyone go buy wine!"

"Roar!"

The cheers continued.

"Marquis Xingyi! Marquis Xingyi! Marquis Xingyi!"

……

"Mom! I'm back!"

The servants lined the street to welcome him, sweeping away the dust. Xiang Fangsu, beaming, strode into the house.

"Oh, my dear son, you've finally decided to come back! You've been gone from Pingyang for eight or nine years!" The woman walked out of the corridor, feigning tears and complaining.

"Huh? Didn't you come back for the annual leave the year before last? You must come back at least once every two or three years. Tea, is there any tea? I'm dying of thirst, Lao Zhao, hurry up and hurry up."

The woman gestured to the servants to bring tea: "I heard the fleet docked early this morning, just as dawn was breaking. Why are they only returning now? It's almost dinnertime."

Xiang Fangsu put down the teapot and wiped his mouth: "How could I have time to come back? The ship stopped outside the capital, and then all the officials greeted us, drank wine, announced names, and read out the imperial edict. It took more than an hour."

With the rebellion quelled in the southern borderlands, the Ghost Mother Cult was gone, and Liang Qu became a martial saint. We from the River and Lake Bureau all benefited from this and were welcomed together. We slowly walked to the Meridian Gate and went through the process again. By then, it was noon.

The afternoon was filled with the "Martial Saint Name Transmission" ceremony. I only managed to come back after it was over. There wasn't anything to eat at home; I hadn't even had lunch. I'll just have something to eat for now. Mom, you didn't see it! It was a sea of ​​people, with drums and gongs everywhere. If you ask me, you shouldn't just stay home all the time; you should go out and get some exercise.”

"The Marquis of Xingyi has passed away far too quickly. The day of his ascension to the throne seems like just yesterday," the steward lamented.

“Great people can come from small places,” the woman sighed. “When I was inside, I would think to myself, ‘If only it were my son’s name being called.’”

"Pfft!" Xiang Fangsu spat out a mouthful of tea and coughed repeatedly. "You should be burning incense for your son being able to meet such a person. I'm so lucky that I don't have such dreams."

"Hey, you can't do it, and you won't even let your mother think about it? Of course, we have to burn incense. Back then, when your father sent you to Pingyang, I thought it was so-so. The Ghost Mother Sect had been hiding in Jianghuai for decades, how could it be so easy to earn merit? It would be better to go to Heyuan Prefecture. But in the blink of an eye, it was completely wiped out. As soon as the news spread, all the restaurants in our family were 40% off to celebrate the Marquis of Xingyi becoming a Martial Saint. How could your mother be so generous? We even had to pay out of our own pockets."

Xiang Fangsu gave a thumbs up: "My father is lucky to have met such a great catch."

"Of course! Are you free for the next few days?"

"There's definitely something going on. When will it all be over? Today is the day our names are known throughout the land, and afterwards there's the investiture ceremony for kings, and the merit-making ceremonies in the Southern Frontier and the Jianghuai region. It'll probably take a month. What's going on?"

"I'll introduce you to a woman!"

"Well……"

Joy is not limited to one place.

Ke Wenbin, Ran Zhongshi, Bai Yinbin, Xu Yuelong... all returned to Beijing today.

My love is endless, and I am happy to come home.

Dumplings for getting on the horse, noodles for getting off—Xu Yuelong rolled up his sleeves, ate a big mouthful of egg noodles, and mumbled, "Father, you said the investiture ceremony is only a month away? Is it really that fast? Back then, there was almost a year between the Marquis of Weining being named and being made a king, wasn't there?"

"That's because the circumstances are different. Firstly, no one knows whether Marquis Weining can be promoted, so there's no preparation. Liangqu is different; it's estimated that the cabinet discussed it when the time came. Secondly, Ningjiang Prefecture is too close to Southern Zhili, so there are always considerations and disputes."

"Father, you're well-informed. Do you think the Marquis of Xingyi will be enfeoffed here this time?" "I really don't know." Xu Wenzhu shook his head. "If he's not enfeoffed in the two capitals, it certainly won't be Southern Zhili. Pingyang and Yixing are impossible, and his hometown is also rare. In terms of conditions, the area near Huangsha River in the north is more suitable for the Marquis of Xingyi, but strategically it's not necessary. Perhaps it will be somewhere in the south."

Even as dusk fell, cheers and clamor could still be heard in the streets, and soldiers could be seen patrolling everywhere.

The emperor granted a grand feast to the entire country, allowing people to gather and drink alcohol. Food taxes were waived, and meat and alcohol prices were significantly reduced, with the capital city seeing a 50% discount. In addition, the imperial court bestowed banquets and various entertainments, making the event ten times more lively than in other places.

This is a unique kind of prosperity belonging to the capital city, and everyone is eager to get here.

After cleaning the mansion, the long-silent Second Liang Mansion welcomed its owners. Everyone chose their rooms, and the mansion came back to life with joy.

The otter ran to the Longjin Bridge, laid out its copper coins, tossed down half a silver coin, and pointed with its paws, asking for fifty portions of brain meat. A two-foot-tall, fat catfish, "Can't Move," with a round head and fists like four little chubby guys, stood behind it, drooling.

creak.

The setting sun streamed through the crack in the door, widening from narrow to wide.

"Ah!" Long Li closed her eyes, retreating in terror. "What is that? I have a sty! I have a sty!"

"Who told you not to knock? You deserve it!" Liang Qu put his arm around E Ying's shoulder, pulled his wife into his arms, and didn't blush or skip a beat.

"Who would be kissing their wife in broad daylight in the main hall? And making cheesy noises, ugh..." Long Li turned the tables, hugging her own shoulders and trembling.

"Let the fart go."

Long Li crossed her arms, her cheeks puffed out, and remained silent.

"Alright, speak now, what is it?" Long Eying chuckled and interrupted the two.

"Eunuch Li has arrived!"

Liang Qu felt a push on his chest and had no choice but to release E Ying.

"Alright, let's go eat!"

……

"Where is His Majesty?" Liang Qu looked around. "Is he eating in the Imperial Garden?"

"The banquet has not yet begun," Eunuch Li bowed. "His Majesty will arrive shortly."

"Meet sir."

Upon hearing the sound, Liang Qu looked down and saw a young man respectfully bowing to him in the courtyard. He was about one or two years older than Wen Shiyun, around fourteen or fifteen years old, but he appeared much more serious and earnest.

Outsiders mostly call him Marquis of Xingyi or Lord Liang. "Sir" is a less common title, usually used by teachers in academies. Liang Qu has never been called that before.

"you are?"

"My father sent me to pay my respects to you, sir, and to present you with a scroll." The young man respectfully presented the scroll.

"Marquis Xingyi, this is His Highness the Sixth Prince," Eunuch Li hurriedly introduced.

Six princes?
Liang Qu didn't pay much attention. Due to military reasons, the selection of the emperor in the Great Shun Dynasty was not necessarily from among the princes, but only had a higher probability. There was no great taboo against contact. He took the scroll and asked curiously, "Why do you call me 'sir'?"

"When I was young, learning to read, pronunciation, and correcting pronunciation was extremely difficult. Fortunately, my teacher invented the pinyin method, which saved me from the sea of ​​suffering. I mastered it in half a year. After thinking it over, I think that Marquis Xingyi should be considered half of my mentor. So I dare to call him 'Master' and hope to share in his glory."

Liang Qu suddenly realized what was happening and unfolded the booklet that the Holy Emperor had sent, delivered by a prince.

It was a large map, marked in a very fancy way, with red, yellow, blue, and green colors.

Basically, the middle is a large blue, the two sides are large green, the outer edges are small yellow, and then the outer edges are large red.

The upper and lower reaches of the Huai River, the Five Lakes, and the prefectural governments around the Huai River, such as Xihe Prefecture and Pingyang Prefecture, are blue. This circle of blue extends outwards, and most of it is green. When the green reaches the border provinces, it turns yellow. Beyond the yellow, it turns red, bright red. The southern border, the northern court, and the Great Snow Mountain are all red.

easy to understand.

"You can't run around like that anymore," Liang Qu said helplessly.

“Sir, you are a top figure in this world, and every move you make is under scrutiny. Such restrictions are a last resort to prevent you from becoming a frightened bird and causing chaos. If chaos ensues, it could result in the deaths of hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of people.” The Sixth Prince bowed deeply. “Please understand, sir.”

"It's alright. With great power comes great responsibility." Liang Qu sat down on the stone bench. He estimated that every Martial Saint who knocked on the Heavenly Gate would receive a similar map along with congratulations.

Ordinary people need to register and have someone act as guarantor when they go out, and in Yaolong, it's almost the same.

"Tell me, what are the differences between these colors? What does green mean?"

"Blue represents the area where you can go at will. You can freely enter and exit the Huai River, its banks, and even places like Huangzhou, without any time limit."

Green indicates that registration is required. According to the procedure, a visiting card must be submitted three days in advance, and then one can enter and exit freely. If time is tight, one can also enter and exit directly after obtaining a stamp from the Ministry of Revenue. This applies to Southern Zhili, the capital, and most of the provinces.

The yellow areas indicate places where permission or consent from the imperial court is required to travel. Traveling without permission is strictly prohibited and will result in accountability.

Finally, red signifies strict prohibition of entry or exit; serious offenses are considered treason, punishable by stripping of titles and positions.

Liang Qu nodded.

Looking at the map again, there was actually no major impact. Apart from Lingnan and Heyuan, all the places he had been to before were in blue, including Hantai.

Although Hantai is located on the border, it is actually situated on both banks of the Huai River.

It's not that it's incomprehensible. When the Martial Saint makes a move, the whole world knows. Without orders, he goes to the frontier for no reason. The Great Shun is not nervous, but the Southern Frontier and the Northern Court are. It's tantamount to escalating the conflict. If a fight breaks out, whose fault will it be?
What do these circles mean?

The Sixth Prince bowed: "After discussions among the cabinet members, your candidate fiefdom has been decided."

Liang Qu was taken aback, immediately looked at the circle, and then frowned.

There are a total of seven candidate fiefdoms.

There are two locations in the upper reaches of the Huai River. One is located near Jianshui, and is of moderate size, slightly larger than Pingyang. It is located in the Central Plains and is very close to Huangzhou. The other is located next to Guanzhong.

There are two on both sides of the Huangsha River, both upstream. The first one can hardly be called barren, with many mountains and dense forests and a low level of development. The second one is directly desert and can be considered a border area.

Whether it's the Huai River or the Huangsha River, the advantage of being close to the border is significant; the fiefdoms are extremely large, some as big as seven or eight Pingyang Prefectures, or even ten.

Of the remaining three, two are near the sea, mostly located between Southern Zhili and Lingnan, evenly distributed and in a conventional manner.

The last one is located between the upper reaches of the Huai River and Lingnan, also within the Ten Thousand Mountains, where there is a land-based demon king.

"Which one does Liang Qing prefer?"

"His Majesty!"

"Father!"

The Holy Emperor arrived in plain clothes and asked Liang Qu with a smile.

Liang Qu scratched his head, staring at the map in thought for a long time: "I don't know, Your Majesty, would you allow me to take it back and think about it carefully?"

"I don't know, so I'm not satisfied with any of them," the Holy Emperor said.

Liangqu was greatly afflicted.

"Is it because the border region is too poor?" The Holy Emperor pointed. "Jianshui is rich, populous, and has smooth trade routes. I can arrange for a special railway line to be built there."

The Lingnan region is also quite nice. Although it borders a demon king, it doesn't directly face the Southern Frontier Great Shaman, so there's no pressure to guard the pass. Moreover, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is abundant. Although the population is small, the abundance of spiritual creatures makes it a rich land. The Yuanji Martial Saint, who cultivated the Withering and Flourishing Technique, once secluded himself here.

Liang Qu repeatedly praised, "What a wonderful place, what a wonderful place."

"Hahaha!" The Holy Emperor laughed, shaking his head slightly. "Wealth and honor are all available, both big and small, north and south. Are you reluctant to leave home, or the Jianghuai region?"

Liang Qu was a little embarrassed.

He even regretted that he had initially stayed in Yixing. If he had stayed in Jianshui, it would have been much better. His master was from Jianshui, and Uncle Chen was also from Jianshui. If he had opened a martial arts school in Jianshui, things wouldn't have been so complicated, and everyone would have been there.

Unfortunately, Pingyang was located in Southern Zhili, making it impossible to enfeoff outsiders.

The two sat facing each other, while Eunuch Li and the Sixth Prince stood.

"Liang Qing is not cut out to be an official," the Emperor said suddenly as he poured tea for himself.

Liang Qu was taken aback.

"Although you have a smooth and successful career, you understand human relationships and everyone treats you well, Liang Qing, you have never truly experienced what it is like to be an official, or rather, you do not understand the patience required to be an official."

"For example, when you went to the southern border and uncovered Gong Qianqing's affair, I dismissed him from his post and imprisoned him, simply because you were the one who discovered it, nothing more."

Liang Qu remained silent, then bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Holy Emperor shook his head: "Why thank me? If you want to thank someone, thank yourself. I already said it's because of you."

You can move freely because you can benefit everyone, and you know how to 'share'.

"In dealing with the Ghost Mother Cult, you gave all the credit to the high-ranking officials and disciples of the River and Lake Bureau, while you yourself didn't touch a single thing from the Ghost Mother Cult's possessions, and even paid full taxes on the top-grade bloodstone from Xiangyi County."

Liang Qu was shocked: "Your Majesty, this..."

The Holy Emperor smiled slightly: "No need to be surprised. It's true that the mines in Xiangyi County have dried up. Do you remember who was in charge of supervising the area?"

"It seems to be... an old man who has returned to his roots?"

The Holy Emperor nodded: "That old man was enjoying his retirement in Xiangyi when he found two top-grade bloodstones in an abandoned mine. He found you interesting and, upon learning that you had been praised by me, he reported it to the capital all the way there."

I knew then that you had a mining beast with a few top-grade bloodstones, and you were willing to hand over half of them. It was clearly an abandoned mine that no one cared about, and no one would know if you took them.

You can bring benefits to others, so much so that they are willing to do things your way. This applies to both Chien Chung-Yi and Kung Chien-Ching.

If it were anyone else, Gong Qianqing would at most be demoted, but wouldn't go to jail. It would just make you uncomfortable. But I think the value of Gong Qianqing's relationship with the Prince of Nanhai isn't as great as making you feel good. That's what being an official is all about.

An official may be morally corrupt and bully men and women, but as long as he is capable of getting things done and handling problems, he can still thrive, so I can turn a blind eye to it.

If you are not twenty-seven years old this year, but sixty-seven, seventy-seven, or eighty-seven, the benefits are not so great, and all kinds of conflicts will come rushing towards you. Even if you join the Heavenly Dragon, it will still be the same, because you are a Heavenly Dragon, and the King of the South Sea is also a Heavenly Dragon.

"The three realms are in turmoil, like a burning house, filled with all kinds of suffering, which is truly terrifying."

So I think, you wouldn't be able to stand being an ordinary official, and you wouldn't be satisfied with being an ordinary prince either.

(End of this chapter)