Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 252 Kaihuang (Part 1)
Do not underestimate the profound heritage of the Sui Dynasty. The Sui Dynasty during the Kaihuang period and the Sui Dynasty after the Kaihuang period cannot be regarded as equal.

It should be understood that the reign title Kaihuang itself carries great significance. Taoism speaks of five tribulations, and Kaihuang is one of them. Yang Jian's choice of Kaihuang as his reign title signifies the opening and manifestation of the imperial way, aligning with the will of Heaven.

During this period, the Sui Dynasty was indeed destined by Heaven. Under the prevailing trend, those who followed it prospered, and those who resisted it perished. Even gods and demons had to give way.

That is why Lü Shang agreed to the one-month agreement. After all, he had the imperial court backing him up. As long as he reported to the central government, and then from there to the emperor, the Jade Emperor would send a divine spirit to the mortal realm to subdue the demon.

No matter how powerful that demon is, how could he compare to a monkey? Even a monkey, a born saint, cannot escape the capture of the upper realm, let alone this arrogant and ignorant demon.

"Walk,"

Upon realizing this, Lü Shang turned around and transformed into a golden light, fleeing towards Qin Prefecture.

A golden light flashed across the ground, and in an instant, it arrived at the gate of the governor's office. Lü Shang withdrew his supernatural powers and slowly stepped inside.

"Brother Wei,"

Upon entering the main hall, one sees Wei Ji pacing by the window, his face full of sorrow.

Wei Ji turned around upon hearing the voice, saw it was Lü Shang, and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "Lord Lu,"

"The water has receded,"

Lu Shang sat down and said, "The Dragon King caused the flood because his beloved daughter was kidnapped. I have made an agreement with him to find the Dragon Princess within a month."

Wei Ji was initially delighted, but then frowned and said, "You want to find the Dragon Princess within a month? Lord Lu, that demon dared to abduct the Dragon Princess, his supernatural powers must be extraordinary. How can we possibly find her?"

As a member of the Wei clan of Jingzhao, Wei Ji, though not a Taoist, knew just how fierce and domineering a demon who dared to forcibly abduct the Dragon King's princess in front of the Dragon King's house on the Wei River was.

These kinds of powerful demons are beyond the ability of human cultivators to subdue.

Lü Shang chuckled and said, "Brother Wei, don't worry. Even if we can't find the Dragon Girl, we still have the central government, don't we?"

"Brother Wei, you can simultaneously mobilize government officials and laborers to search all thirteen prefectures under your jurisdiction, and at the same time compose a memorial detailing the entire matter and send it to Daxing,"

At this point, Lü Shang's gaze turned serious, and he said, "Your Majesty is wise and will make the decision."

Wei Ji nodded, the worry in his eyes lessening slightly, and said, "Lord Lu's insight is profound."

Lu Shang thought for a moment and said, "In addition, we can send proclamations to the Taoist temples and monasteries in various prefectures, ordering the monks and nuns to assist the government in investigating the whereabouts of demons."

"These Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries have some connection to the celestial realm. If we could persuade their founders to descend to earth, it would be a great help,"

Wei Ji wholeheartedly agreed and immediately said, "Lord Lu is absolutely right. I will immediately send men to various prefectures to issue proclamations to Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries, ordering these monks and nuns to cooperate with the government in investigating the whereabouts of the demons."

"With the help of these spiritual practitioners, the burden on the government and its officials should be somewhat reduced,"

Wei Ji was not worried that these Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries would not put in any effort. They could run away, but they could not hide. As long as these temples and monasteries were still within the territory of Qinzhou, they would not offend him, the official in charge of Qinzhou.

Once the two had reached an agreement, Wei Ji immediately summoned his trusted advisors and said, "Quickly draft a proclamation and distribute it to each prefecture, ordering officials to lead their laborers to thoroughly search the mountains, marshes, forests, and ravines within their jurisdictions. Any unusual activity must be reported, and nothing should be overlooked."

"Furthermore, I will revise another memorial, detailing the events at the Wei River, and send it urgently to Daxing to present to His Majesty, earnestly requesting His Majesty's decision."

"promise,"

The staff member received the order and immediately began writing furiously.

A moment later, the proclamation and memorial were all written. Wei Ji read them over again, and after confirming that there were no errors, he affixed the official seal of the Prefect of Qin Prefecture.

Seeing Wei Ji stamp the seal, Lü Shang said softly, "Brother Wei, we've done all we can now. The rest is up to fate."

"Whether we can save these millions of people does not depend on you or me, but on the central government,"

Wei Ji remained silent, then sighed deeply and said, "At this juncture, all we can do is wait for the Emperor's will to be fulfilled." Afterward, the two chatted for a while, mostly about trivial matters of government affairs.

Seeing that everything was settled, Lü Shang stood up and said, "Brother Wei, I'll return to the northern camp first and await news from Daxing. If there's any unusual activity along the Wei River, please send someone to inform me immediately."

Seeing that Lü Shang was about to leave, Wei Ji quickly stood up to persuade him to stay, saying, "Lord Lu, please wait. I have already prepared lodgings at the government office. Please allow me to fulfill my duty as a host."

Lu Shang hesitated for a moment, then said, "I appreciate Brother Wei's kindness, but my soldiers also need to be appeased, so it would be inconvenient for me to be here."

Wei Ji did not press the matter, saying, "In that case, I will not insist that you stay, Lord Lu. There are many matters to attend to in the camp, so you may go back to take care of them first. However, the matter of the Wei River will require your continued attention."

Lü Shang nodded and said, "Brother Wei, rest assured, I will take care of it. Farewell."

After saying this, Lü Shang turned around and strode out of the main hall. When he left the government office, he looked up at the direction of the Wei River and could still see the clouds gathering on the horizon.

"This matter is not over yet,"

With a flick of his sleeve, golden light reappeared, and his figure blurred for a moment.

In less than a quarter of an hour, a flash of golden light appeared in front of the North Camp gate, and Lü Shang appeared.

When the soldiers saw Lü Shang return, they all stood at attention and saluted, their armor clanging.

Lü Shang nodded in acknowledgment and went straight into the central command tent. The generals inside were already waiting; upon his entry, they all bowed and said, "My lord,"

"Please, everyone, no need for formalities,"

Lu Shang took his seat in the main position, his gaze sweeping over the assembled generals, and said in a deep voice.
"I have already agreed with Governor Wei that I will stay in Qin Prefecture for a month,"

"During this period, you must strictly adhere to military discipline and refrain from harassing civilians. Violators will be dealt with according to military law!"

"promise,"

The generals responded.

Lü Shang raised his hand and said, "Go down."

“Yes,” the generals looked at each other and could only bow and retreat.

After the generals withdrew, Lü Shang sighed softly and said, "I don't know if what I've done can truly save the people on both sides of the river."

"One month!"

Despite his confident demeanor in front of the Dragon King of the Wei River, only he knew that he was also gambling.

The gamble was that the Dragon King of the Wei River had something to consider and didn't want to cause a great disaster by making a big fuss, violating the heavenly rules, and thus destroying his ten thousand years of cultivation in an instant.

This is because the incident with Liu Yi had not yet occurred. If Liu Yi had delivered the letter beforehand, Lü Shang might not have been able to win the gamble.

The story of Liu Yi delivering a letter has been passed down through the ages. Most people see it as a tale of talented men and beautiful women, but Lü Shang saw it as a tale of unpredictable fate.

It should be noted that after Liu Yi delivered the letter, the Dragon Princess's maternal family, the Dragon Lord of Dongting, was furious. The Dragon Lord of Dongting's younger brother, the Dragon Lord of Qiantang, even flew directly to the Dragon Princess's husband's family and swallowed them whole.

This resulted in flooding for 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) and the deaths and injuries of 600,000 people.

Logically speaking, the crime committed by the Dragon King of Qiantang has already angered Heaven and violated Heavenly Laws. Even with a thousand reasons, he will surely be punished.

However, the Dragon King of Qiantang was not punished in the slightest. Instead, because of his fierce nature, he was granted an important position in the Water Palace by the Jade Emperor.

Therefore, if the Dragon King of the Wei River really caused the Wei River to overflow and flood both banks, he might not necessarily be punished by the Heavenly Court.

(End of this chapter)