Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 446 The World is All New

A large group of people quickly poured into the cell.

Cheng Xin was incredibly astute; he immediately recognized that many of them were from the Inner City Military Command, and even some were Yang Zhenyi's personal retainers.

These people acted as if they were seeing their own ancestors; as soon as they entered, they didn't even wait for the jailer to unlock the iron locks.

One of the servants reached out and tore the iron chains to pieces.

The crowd filed in, surrounding the married couple, showering them with concern, admitting their mistakes, and trying to please them with smiles.

The little girl was too young to understand what they were saying, but she found it funny and made them giggle.

Her brother, however, was cautious. He moved closer to their mother and put his arm around his sister.

Cheng Xin clearly sensed it as the family was ushered out.

A soldier from the Inner City Garrison placed a hand on his shoulder, and a warm vibration dispelled all the filth and stench from his prison uniform.

At the same time, someone touched the sachet on his belt and actually applied perfume powder to his clothes.

Cheng Xin frowned, then saw his grandson. Although he was very vigilant in protecting his sister, his skills were still too shallow to notice that several elderly men in official robes were already exerting their strength with the flick of their sleeves and the pressing of their palms.

It was like giving the little girl a medicinal bath and acupuncture, and a careful massage, which actually made the little girl, whose face was sallow, have a rosy complexion.

They did this as if they were afraid that the children might have some strange smell or look too miserable.

There were originally elite soldiers guarding the prison, but now there are even more.

But everyone moved away, leaving a large open space where a large flatbed cart was placed.

Yang Zhenyi, who was about 1.5 feet tall, was sitting in the carriage, holding a wooden basin in his arms, looking weak and powerless. Suddenly, a large amount of blood spurted into the basin.

His giant physique is astonishing.

Anyone who gets even slightly close can feel the heat emanating from the giant.

Cheng Xin knew that this was a sign of being seriously injured and unable to even control his body temperature.

A young man stood beside the cart, smiling, with a long sword hanging at his waist.

Cheng Xin felt he recognized the person as soon as he saw him, but he was poisoned and his mind was affected, so he couldn't remember him for a moment.

“I heard you talking to your family in the cell just now.”

The young man laughed and said, "Although you are old and poisoned, your mind is still very clear, and you know the art of speaking. In this respect, you are much better than your grandfather."

A flash of lightning seemed to strike Cheng Xin's mind, instantly connecting certain memories.

"You are...Chu..."

The old man uttered a sound in a daze, then suddenly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Chengxin, pays respects to my great-uncle."

"Uncle, I am indeed a little younger than your grandparents."

Chu Tianshu raised his hand to help him up, and a surge of internal energy flowed into his body.

Cheng Xin felt that his blood and energy, as well as his mind, were suddenly catalyzed and strengthened.

The two worked together to break through the barrier created by the rare poison of the Qingtang Mountain.

The comfort of regaining his power made him let out a soft hum.

The stone bricks on the ground were all pressed into evenly distributed spiderweb-like cracks by the slight vibration of his feet.

It cracks, but doesn't sink.

Because after just one hum, Cheng Xin had already grasped his own power in time.

"Grand Uncle, we haven't heard anything about you for so many years. Back then, Grandmother and the others all thought..."

Cheng Xin quickly asked, "Grand Uncle, did you come from the Tang Dynasty this time?"

Chu Tianshu shook his head: "Over the years, I've been wandering around overseas, and sometimes I think of my old friends here."

"When I said goodbye, I never expected that I would return after so many years."

As he spoke, he glanced in the direction of the royal palace.

"Back then, this place was called Nanzhao. Although Yi Mouxun was a bit hesitant about his stance, in truth, he did a better job than Zheng Tianchang."

Cheng Xin sighed, "If my uncle can release me, then Zheng Tianchang must either be dead or defeated?"

"Totally dead."

Chu Tianshu said, "He certainly deserves to die, but the affairs of this country cannot be left unattended. Whether others deserve to die and what their sentences should be are all matters that need careful consideration."

"I see that you are clear-headed, have good skills, and are respected. It's decided that you will be the leader."

After much deliberation, Cheng Xin said, "Grand Uncle, I have not yet attained the status of a King of the Undying. At this age, I am already quite old. Moreover, I do not have many relatives, and I am not a person of great talent. If I were to ascend the throne, it would certainly not be a good thing."

Chu Tianshu glanced at Cheng Xin's family. They had knelt down earlier, but now they stood up again, all overjoyed at being released from prison.

Hearing the old man say that they had no great talent, the group didn't seem to react strangely, suggesting that they were well-educated and quite content.

But from this perspective, they certainly lack the energy and courage to shoulder great responsibilities.

Chu Tianshu said, "It's alright if you don't ascend the throne. You can continue in your current position for now and create a new set of civil and military officials."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xin suddenly realized, "So, our great-uncle wants us to learn the system of nobles from the Tang Dynasty." Chu Tianshu asked in confusion, "The system of nobles?"

"Exactly."

Cheng Xin explained, "Sixty-seven years ago, there was a mutiny in three towns of the Tang Dynasty, and various places were restless, with war raging everywhere."

"It was said that Donglai Bozu was trapped in the snowy plains. After he returned, he joined forces with loyal ministers and generals from all over the country, but it still took more than a year to completely quell the rebellion. This turmoil almost rebuilt the Tang Dynasty."

"After that, some ministers proposed that the most important thing is to be impartial, and mentioned that there was a proverb in the pre-Qin period that said the world does not belong to one person, but to all people."

"After much discussion, it was decided that the emperor shall no longer dismiss ministers of the third rank or above in the court for personal reasons, nor shall he act on rumors or promote them easily. Promotions shall be based on actual performance."

Cheng Xin was very excited when he said this.

“Back then, we also wanted to implement this method in Nanzhao, but Zheng Tianchang cited a counterexample and refuted me. Now that I think about it, he already harbored evil intentions at that time.”

Chu Tianshu asked curiously, "What example did he give back then?"

"If you want to implement benevolent governance, it is always faster for a wise ruler to make decisions alone than for ministers to discuss matters."

Cheng Xin recalled the past, "Moreover, in the present Tang Dynasty, among the ministers in charge of state affairs, there are not only people from humble backgrounds, but also sons of commoners who, through layers of selection by the Imperial Academy and the Military Academy, rely on their merits to rise to the ranks..."

These ministers each had their own biases, and infighting became increasingly frequent.

The emperor himself still retained some authority over personnel appointments below the third rank, and also had his own decrees to implement.

If it weren't for Hai Donglai's deterrence, allowing them only to discuss the matter but forbidding them from taking any major action, the Tang Dynasty would likely have been in turmoil again.

When Zheng Tianchang cited this example, he jokingly said, "What's the difference between Hai Donglai's actions and a real emperor controlling his ministers?"

Cheng Xin was thus persuaded by him and helped him ascend the throne.

"You have made great strides in the last hundred years."

Chu Tianshu's expression was somewhat subtle.

The template of a supremely wise ruler and virtuous ministers is indeed the most efficient way to govern, but it is also the most prone to problems.

The Tang Dynasty had a lot to say about this.

In the first half of Li Longji's life, everyone said he was a wise ruler, and although Li Linfu had a bad reputation, he was also a well-known political expert.

Looking ahead to the second half of my life... I'll get my tongue dirty if I say too much.

I've been caught up in this kind of thing before, and most importantly, I also encountered a revolution in martial arts.

It's not too surprising that the Tang Dynasty has become what it is today.

"Many of the countries that are now very large are actually using this method."

Cheng Xin added, "Because the strongest expert in a country may not be good at governing, and may not be willing to be a king."

“If the sole ruler is not strong enough, and is suddenly killed by someone, it is easy to cause turmoil. It is better to have the ministers share power from the beginning.”

"If one or two people die suddenly, it's not a big problem. Everyone will have plenty of time to react."

Chu Tianshu hadn't thought of that just now.

However, it is surprising that such a reason would drive changes in the system.

In the past hundred years, how many kings have been killed by masters in this world?

No wonder.

Chu Tianshu thought to himself: No wonder the palace guards, when they saw the king being killed by a suddenly appearing expert, had the blindly loyal ones block the way, set fires everywhere, and escape with the prince. The whole process was so practiced.

It turns out that there have been many precedents in other countries.

"Since you have someone to learn from, then go for it."

Chu Tianshu patted Cheng Xin on the shoulder and said again.

"Do you know where the Zheng family's martial arts manual is hidden? I want to go and see it."

Cheng Xin shook his head.

Yang Zhenyi suddenly said, "I know."

Chu Tianshu turned his head to look at him: "You would be so proactive?"

"Not all members of my Yang family deserve to die. I hope that when you settle accounts, you can spare a few bloodlines."

Yang Zhenyi was panting, and the blood in the wooden basin in front of him churned and surged with his breath.

"If that's the case, then I'm willing to cooperate with everything. I can even take the initiative to find evidence of crimes committed by many people in the court."

Chu Tianshu sized him up for a few moments, but did not agree. He just chuckled and said, "If he really shouldn't have died, then once the investigation is complete, he naturally won't die."

Yang Zhenyi fell silent for a moment, whether he was choked up or relieved.

"The Zheng family had an old tree that died in the same year as Zheng Hui, but his family has never been willing to get rid of it."

Yang Zhenyi said, "Two years ago, Zheng Tianchang remembered this matter and felt that the tree was quite mysterious, so he moved it into the palace and carved it into a set of small figures of boxing manuals to study the meaning of boxing."

"These miniature statues are even more lifelike when they are in water, so they are placed at the bottom of the West Bright Pond in the Imperial Garden."

(End of this chapter)