Loan Wusheng

The spring thunder begins to sound and all things come back to life.

Hibernating snakes and insects awaken from the soil, tender shoots push through the frozen earth, and mountain streams break free from their icy shells.

Raindrops, carrying the fragrance of peaches and plums, fell and dampened the firewood on the woodcutter's shoulder. An old farmer in the field straightened up, looked at the paths in the fields illuminated by lightning, and a smile spread across his wrinkles.

And within these clouds, the silhouette of a dragon can be vaguely seen.

In this field of fields, Zheng Jun, wearing a straw hat and holding a bamboo cane, strolled through the countryside, much like the wanderers Xu Xiake and Li Daoyuan who once surveyed the heavens and the earth.

This place was once a land of severe drought, with little to no rain and scarce rainfall.

Since the Han Dynasty unified the world, not only did the Venerable Shennong sow seeds in the world, but the dragon clans of the four seas also brought rain and clouds. In just over ten years, the ecology of this place has been restored, and it has become a Jiangnan-like place praised by everyone.

This time, Zheng Jun chose the most barren place he had seen in his memorial to the throne years ago, to see if he could ignite the 'Endurance of All Beings'.

But upon arriving at this place, Zheng Juncai realized how much had changed.

"In my opinion, contacting the Venerable Shennong and subduing the dragon clans of the four seas were simple matters, not worth mentioning at all. But I never expected that the situation would be so serious when it came to the specific counties and prefectures."

Zheng Jun couldn't help but sigh, feeling the passage of time.

This place is Kanghua County, Wuping Prefecture, Suzhou.

This wasn't the first time Zheng Jun had passed through this place.

Last time, Zheng Jun personally led 200,000 elite troops northward, thus crossing the border to attack the Western Di, beheading the Western Di Chanyu in one fell swoop, and causing the Western Di to submit.

At that time, the county had been ravaged by Murong Lang, who claimed to be the "Emperor of Yan," and was depopulated, with fewer than 10,000 people in the entire county.

Looking back now, a century has passed, and Kanghua County is now bustling with people, with a population exceeding 300,000.

A century has passed; it truly feels like a lifetime ago.

Upon realizing this, Zheng Jun felt relieved. He then thought to himself with a relaxed and cheerful attitude, "In that case, I'll relax and travel around the beautiful mountains and rivers of my territory."

Although the Dharma image of 'All Beings Endure' contains the word 'endure', Zheng Ke will not make a judgment based on the name of this Dharma image.

Since the 'Great Dao Martial Arts Manual' only requires one to be down-to-earth and travel 100,000 miles, then so be it.

Traveling alone was quite interesting.

After all, Zheng Jun had spent many years in seclusion cultivating and rarely set foot on the earth. Now that he had time, he was naturally filled with curiosity about this scene of birdsong and fragrant flowers.

Unfortunately, the closer you get to the county town, the fewer trees there are.

For ordinary people, firewood is also a necessity of life.

Therefore, although Zheng Jun felt it was a bit of a pity, he also felt it was quite normal.

After all, people need to make a living.

Zheng Jun quickly passed through the county town and found the location of Wuping County City. He stepped inside, where the sun was hanging obliquely on the western city tower.

The bluestone pavement gleamed from the rain, and the banners hanging from the teahouses and restaurants on both sides fluttered in the breeze.

This main road does have a certain bustling atmosphere.

It's a place that rivals even the most glorious.

Zheng Jun nodded in satisfaction, turned around a mud wall where dried mustard greens were drying, and suddenly heard a burst of laughter and playful noise.

As far as the eye could see, five or six children, barely out of childhood, were chasing after a wicker ball. Their patched-up clothes looked like colorful flags, and their bare feet, covered in mud, splashed through the rain.

Amid the children's laughter, Zheng Jun also noticed a blind old woman huddled in the shadows by the wall. Her withered fingers gripped a worn-out jujube wood cane tightly, and her cloudy eyes turned slightly toward the source of the sound.

Whenever a child ran close to the street corner, the jujube wood cane would tap the ground three times urgently, and the hoarse voice would say, "Kid, watch out for the carriage! Don't step in those puddles!"

Upon seeing this, Zheng Jun immediately leaned on his bamboo cane and walked towards the old woman.

The crisp sound of the bamboo cane tapping on the stone slab naturally caught the old woman's attention, drawing her notice of the newcomer.

As Zheng Jun approached, he also smelled the strong scent of mugwort from the old woman's sleeves, a method used by poor families to repel insects.

"Grandpa, it must be hard taking care of these children."

With a flick of his sleeve, Zheng Jun pulled out two silver ingots and placed them in the old woman's earthenware bowl.

The clanging of metal startled the children, who had been playing, into a sudden silence. The old woman, equally surprised, quickly and shakily pulled the children to kneel down, her withered hands clutching the hem of her clothes tightly. Her voice was hoarse, but filled with emotion: "Your Excellency is a noble person, your kindness is immeasurable! I, this old woman, will repay your kindness even in my next life, by serving you like a cow or a horse..."

Zheng Jun raised his hand in a gesture of support and said gently, "There's no need for the old man to do that."

After saying that, Zheng Jun's gaze swept over the children. The oldest was only twelve or thirteen years old, and the youngest was only seven or eight. They were all thin and sallow, but they all stared at Zheng Jun timidly with their bright black eyes.

"These children..."

Zheng Jun paused, glanced at them, and immediately understood their origins: "Are they all orphans of fallen soldiers?"

Upon hearing this, the old woman's eyes immediately reddened, and she wiped her eyes with her filthy sleeve: "Yes... they are all unfortunate children. A few years ago, the Khan of the Northern Rong rebelled, and the Western Di people followed suit and plundered southward. My son was the commander of the Suzhou army and died in battle."

At this point, the old woman's voice choked with emotion, and her rough hands unconsciously patted the head of a little boy beside her: "This child's father went beyond the Great Wall with my son, and these others too, their fathers were all soldiers from Suzhou who died in battle back then..."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun remained silent for a moment before suddenly asking, "What about the imperial court's compensation?"

Upon hearing Zheng Jun's words, the old woman immediately cowered in the corner of the earthen wall like a frightened deer, stammering in fear: "You...you..."

Upon seeing this, Zheng Jun immediately squatted down and said to her, "Grandma, don't be afraid. I also served in the military back then. Seeing you and these children, I felt sorry for you."

Seeing that the old woman was still afraid, Zheng Jun had no choice but to reveal his identity.

With this thought in mind, Zheng Jun casually took out a silver ingot, and in the blink of an eye, he had it engraved into an exquisite seal. He then handed it to the other party and said, "Rest assured, sir. I am a member of the same clan as the Prince of Yunshuo. I am Cai Mao, the Grand Secretary of the current court, and he is my elder!"

Prince Yunshuo, also known as Zheng Jun's angel investor and his close brother Cai Xun.

Using the Cai family's name is quite prestigious.

After all, if he were to reveal his true identity, no one would believe that the reigning emperor would come to this place.

Zheng Jun introduced himself in this way, and his obviously generous spending finally calmed the old woman down.

Even so, the old woman remained fearful, like an old horse branded with a hot iron, her muscles twitching at the sound of a whip.

Such vigilance is by no means ordinary.

Zheng Jun understood.

This woman must have been humiliated by nobles, and may even have been pushed into a pit of fire by the very officials who were supposed to protect the people.

In her eyes, all those who wore brocade robes and official seals were man-eating wolves.

A dark glint flashed in Zheng Jun's eyes, but a gentle smile remained on his lips. He bent down to support the old woman's trembling arm, his voice softer than a spring stream in March: "People don't need to worry anymore. With me here, no one will dare to bully you and these children again."

"Thank you so much, thank you so much!"

The old woman seemed to have believed Zheng Jun's words; tears welled in her eyes, and she began to weep.

Upon seeing the old woman weeping, the children immediately rushed forward to hug their grandmother, and they embraced and cried together.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Jun asked, "Old man, do you have any grievances or grievances? You may tell me about them."

At this point, Zheng Jun's eyes turned icy cold.

Upon hearing this, the old woman trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes.

The old woman's withered fingers gripped Zheng Jun's sleeve tightly, as if she were grasping at the last straw, and she let out a hoarse sob.

The crying was initially suppressed, but gradually it burst forth like water from a burst dam, mingling with more than ten years of blood and tears.

She spoke haltingly, sometimes pounding her chest and stamping her feet, sometimes looking up to the sky and wailing. The grievances that had been building up for so long finally found an outlet.

Zheng Jun's expression gradually turned cold.

Of course, there will be compensation.

However, after layers of exploitation, what ended up in the hands of the old woman and the children's families was only a few taels of silver.

The old woman's son had been a military commander in Suzhou who distinguished himself in battle before his death. With the approval of the cabinet, the old woman's grandson was granted special permission to study at the Suzhou Military Academy. A military academy was no ordinary institution.

When Zheng Jun was repaying the debts of the 'Virtue Sect', he established schools in various prefectures and counties throughout the land. Ordinary schools were not worth mentioning, but these military schools were of paramount importance. Outstanding students from the military schools in each prefecture could enter the Imperial Guard of the Capital, while ordinary students could also join the army.

Besides the sons of military families, a large number of commoners also enrolled in this military academy.

However, most of these civilians were children of war heroes who had earned merit in battle, which allowed their descendants to attend school.

This can be considered a benefit provided by the imperial court to the army.

And this old woman's misfortune came from this place.

In Wuping County, there was a wealthy family who coveted this spot. They bribed the county commandant, the Five Classics scholar, and the literary clerk to have their child impersonate the old woman's grandson and enroll in the school.

They also sent men to threaten the old woman, telling her not to speak out of turn, or they would kill her grandson.

After that, there were several instances of entrapment, where officials disguised themselves as local officials to look for the old woman. At first, the old woman couldn't help but tell the truth, but she was severely beaten, and several of her grandson's fingers were cut off. From then on, the old woman was filled with distrust of the government and the imperial court.

Until Zheng Jun arrived.

This old woman had already given up on herself.

She couldn't confirm Zheng Jun's identity, but what if it was true?

Then she told Zheng Jun everything again.

Zheng Jun's face, however, was already covered in frost.

"What are the Pacification Commissioner of Suzhou good for? And what are the Military Commissioner good for?!"

Zheng Jun's face was extremely ugly, and his expression was gloomy.

If something like this can happen here, how many cases are there all over the world?

If I hadn't come here myself, how would I have known that such filth existed beneath this lush and beautiful landscape?
However, Zheng Jun is currently at a critical moment in repaying the debt of 'All Beings' and cannot go directly to Suzhou.

But that didn't stop him from taking action.

However, just as Zheng Jun was about to summon them, four or five constables with unfriendly expressions walked over from the roadside.

The leader seemed to intend to berate Zheng Jun.

Zheng Jun's gaze was icy, and with just a wave of his hand, the four or five constables were immediately overwhelmed by the powerful pressure and could hardly breathe.

"Please spare my life, please spare my life! It's all a misunderstanding!"

The constable, with a mournful face, begged loudly for mercy.

Zheng Jun glanced at the constable and immediately saw through everything. He then sternly rebuked him, "Tian Gaoyi, the Pacification Commissioner of Suzhou, and Shan Xi, the Military Commissioner, come to see me immediately!"

He was too lazy to even summon the Wuping County Commandant, the Five Classics Scholar, and the Literary Clerk.

The level is too low.

Only those positions such as Pacification Commissioner of Suzhou and Military Commissioner of Suzhou are worthy of Zheng Jun's summons.

These two official positions were newly added after the Han Dynasty unified the world. The former was the highest civil official, and the latter was the highest military official.

These two official positions determined all matters, large and small, in the state.

Of course, the main role was that of appeasement envoys.

Unless there is a military deployment, the military commissioner will not participate in the administration of a state.

But now, Zheng Jun wants to ask the military commissioner if he was aware of such an incident in his army.

This military commissioner, Shan Xi, is the third son of Shan Xiong Yi. He is also a brave and skilled warrior. Now serving as the military commissioner of a prefecture, he can be considered a descendant of a military family.

Upon hearing this, the head constable was also very surprised and immediately said, "My esteemed sir, even if you are of noble status, a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. This matter concerns our county, and the interests of countless people are intertwined. Even if the Pacification Commissioner and the Military Commissioner were to come in person, it would be of no use. There are more than a thousand people involved."

"The law does not punish the masses. Does the Pacification Commissioner and the Military Commissioner dare to kill all the officials in my prefecture?"

The head constable thought Zheng Jun was just a naive young nobleman, so he prepared to teach him a lesson about life: "Besides, the Holy Emperor is on the throne now, the country is peaceful and prosperous, where are there any wrongful convictions? Why would a nobleman offend the Prefect for the sake of this old woman and peasant? My master comes from a prominent family, and his cousin is the Chief Secretary of the Prince of Liao's Palace!"

After saying this, the constable even seemed secretly pleased with himself.

He was certain that the young master wouldn't dare to touch him here!
Upon hearing this, Zheng Jun ignored the constable.

He wanted to keep this constable position so that Tian Gaoyi and Shan Xi could see it!
And the number of people living in the surrounding area is also increasing.

……

In Suzhou, a thousand miles away, Tian Gaoyi, the Pacification Commissioner of Suzhou, was reviewing official documents in his government office when he suddenly heard a thunderous roar: "Tian Gaoyi, Pacification Commissioner of Suzhou, and Shan Xi, Military Commissioner, come to see me immediately!"

The sound was like a thunderclap from the heavens, making Tian Gaoyi tremble all over. The brush in his hand fell to the table with a 'clatter,' and ink splattered all over him.

He suddenly stood up, his face ashen, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"His Majesty's...His Majesty's voice?!"

Tian Gaoyi's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his chest.

He could naturally recognize Zheng Jun's voice. After all, Tian Gaoyi had been a member of Zheng Jun's Dragon Guard more than a hundred years ago and had made military achievements. Now he had the cultivation of the fourth level of the Qi Opening Realm and was appointed as the Pacification Envoy, governing the people of the region for the emperor.

Without bothering to wipe the ink stains off his body, Tian Gaoyi rushed out of the government office and, without hesitation, took to the clouds.

Meanwhile, Shan Xi, the military commissioner of Suzhou, was inspecting troops at the drill ground when he suddenly heard Zheng Jun's telepathic message, and his expression changed drastically.

He suddenly looked up towards Wuping County, his eyes filled with horror.

"His Majesty has arrived in person?! Something has happened in Wuping County?!"

Dan Xi dared not delay and immediately leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of light as he sped toward Wuping County.

Tian Gaoyi and Shan Xi set off almost simultaneously. The two met in mid-air, exchanged a glance, and saw deep fear in each other's eyes.

"Lord Tian, ​​why did His Majesty suddenly summon you?" Shan Xi's voice trembled.

“I don’t know either, but His Majesty’s tone was furious, I’m afraid…” Tian Gaoyi swallowed hard, not daring to continue.

The two dared not delay any longer and used all their magical power to speed towards Wuping County.

Along the way, their hearts sank to the bottom, their minds constantly pondering the reasons they might have angered the emperor.

"Could it be that there's a problem with the military affairs in Wuping County?" Shan Xi asked through gritted teeth.

"No, His Majesty summoned the two of us. I'm afraid there are problems in both the military and the political situation!" Tian Gaoyi's face turned ashen.

The two flew faster and faster, their unease growing stronger.

They knew that, given Zheng Jun's personality, he would never personally summon someone unless it was a major matter.

What shocked them even more was that their escape speed had exceeded the limit of a Qi Opening Martial Artist, and was even faster than a Yuan Dan Martial Saint.

They knew that this was His Majesty the Emperor's divine power.

The Emperor really wants to see them!
Finally, the city of Wuping came into view in the distance.

From afar, the two felt an extremely cold pressure enveloping the entire city, as if even the air itself had frozen.

Tian Gaoyi and Shan Xi felt a chill run down their spines. They quickly concealed their presence, landed respectfully in front of the city gate, and walked into the city.

The streets were bustling with people, and the constable and several yamen runners knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

Not far away, a martial artist at the initial stage of the Qi Refining Realm, dressed in an official robe, was walking towards Zheng Jun with a gloomy expression.

In the middle of the street, Zheng Jun stood with his hands behind his back, his face ashen.

Upon seeing this, Tian Gaoyi and Shan Xi immediately stepped forward. Before they could even bow, they suddenly heard the martial artist at the initial stage of the Qi Refining Realm shout angrily at Zheng Jun: "Where did this junior come from? I am Han Ding, the Prefect of Wuping County of the Great Han Dynasty. Why don't you bow at once?!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Gaoyi and Shan Xi felt a wave of dizziness.

Without the slightest hesitation, Tian Gaoyi and Shan Xi immediately squeezed into the crowd, knelt down with a thud, foreheads pressed to the ground, and said in trembling voices, "Your subjects, Tian Gaoyi and Shan Xi, pay their respects to Your Majesty and inquire about Your Majesty's well-being!" (End of this chapter)