Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 260 A Storm is Brewing, Another Report (Seeking Votes)

Soon the two of them joined hands to break free from the dregs of history and returned to Tianbao Mountain.

Just then, I saw someone fly away in the sky, flying away as a shooting star on a divine sword. I didn't need to guess to know that it was a senior expert who was only at the Lesser Friend Realm who had come by.

Unlike the Rejuvenating Immortal, Master Miaojing and Gao Ren were not so reckless as to dare to attack Madam Wang. After killing a section of her torso, they had long since disappeared with their spoils, the Blood Soul Banner.

Madam Wang did not pursue them.

After sending away her husband, who was confused by his concern, she instructed her maid to gather everyone at the ceremony and tell them part of the truth that could be told, thus calming them down:

"Nowadays, Japanese pirates are rampant, evil spirits are in power, and all sorts of strange things are happening one after another."

Fortunately, we have slain this great evil, and although everyone is slightly unwell, it has not caused any major disaster.

I have a talisman here, obtained from the Grandma Temple on Mount Tai in my hometown. It can be transformed into a bowl of talismanic water for each person, which can restore your vitality and replenish your foundation.

There has long been a saying in China: "The Northern Yuanjun and the Southern Tianfei".

This refers to the Goddess of Mount Tai and the Heavenly Princess. Although they are from different regions, and are mountain gods and sea gods, they are both known for their compassion and selflessness, and have become world-renowned guardian goddesses.

The History of Mount Tai states: "Mount Tai is located in the east and embodies the virtue of wood, while the Jade Maiden, whose nature is water, assists in the creation of life." Therefore, one of the most important powers of the Goddess of Mount Tai is to give birth to children.

Qi Yuanjing and Wang Yuejiao, a couple from Dengzhou, happened to have a talisman that they had treasured for many years. They used it here, and it was just right for these pregnant women who were physically weak.

"Thank you, Madam Wang!"

Upon learning the truth, everyone was both terrified and deeply grateful.

Lady Wang waved her hand, ordered her maid to boil water to burn the talisman, and then stepped aside, her face gloomy and sad.

She comforted the other women, but she herself was still unable to let go of the matter.

Thinking of the plan they had just discussed, Wang Cheng told A-Xiao to go back first, and then went up to comfort her:
"Madam Wang, the Taishan Goddess and the Heavenly Princess are righteous deities with the power to help with childbirth, so why place your hopes on those wicked and evil spirits?"

In my humble opinion, good people will be rewarded, and you and General Qi will surely have your wishes fulfilled and your family line continued.”

Madam Wang's expression was inscrutable. She looked at him and said softly:

"We've already paid our respects. The Goddess of Mount Tai in our hometown, grateful for my husband's achievements, granted him three sons. We've also paid our respects to the Heavenly Princess, who granted him two more sons."

The Qi family is destined to have five sons, which is not a small number.

"Uh, that's quite a lot."

Wang Cheng, however, also understood the implied meaning in the words.

The goddesses, with their boundless compassion, blessed the descendants of the hero Qi family with prosperity.

The crux of the problem is clearly that Madam Wang can't get over her own hurdle; she wants to bear children for her husband herself, instead of relying on her three concubines.

Having figured out where the problem lay, he looked at Madam Wang's slightly dark face and laughed heartily:
"What's so difficult about that? Madam Wang, you are also a fourth-rank official. Haven't you noticed that after killing that scum of the immortal, your fate has changed from what it used to be?"

This is a great calamity of heaven and earth, completely different from ordinary evil spirits.

"I assure you, when you return and capture General Qi, feed him some leeks, goji berries, sea cucumbers, and oysters, and he will be just as he always has been. This time, something will surely happen!"

As he spoke, he handed her a piece of the finest "Imperial Concubine's Tent Incense" and winked at her.

Wang Cheng, observing Madam Wang in his capacity as the "Official of the Imperial Court," had already noticed the radiant light emanating from her. Clearly, as one of the main forces responsible for slaying the Rejuvenating Immortal today, she had also received considerable favor from the Heavenly Dao.

In the near future, it is highly likely that your wishes will come true and you will achieve your heart's desires.

Lady Wang silently examined herself using the clay sculpted deity, and indeed noticed subtle changes; her eyes gradually brightened.

“Brother Fugui, if it weren’t for your reminder, I wouldn’t have been able to see through this scum’s conspiracy. I might have even fallen for his tricks and harmed Master and the Qi family, and regretted it too late.”

If I ever get what I want, you will be my great benefactor, Wang Yuejiao.

"It just so happens that we are from the same clan; from now on, you will be my younger brother!"

Wang Cheng, naturally, wouldn't refuse the opportunity to claim kinship with Qi Hu, and immediately seized the opportunity to climb the social ladder:
"I happen to have something to ask of you."

Please ask your wife to arrange a meeting between your younger brother and General Qi. This must be kept secret.

"I have just discovered a great secret from the Rejuvenating Immortal, and I have important matters to discuss with General Qi."

Wuzhou Prefecture was located in the Governor-General's Office, east of Tongjiang Bridge, within Yuminfang, Qiantang.

In the study, a dignified and imposing high-ranking official sat upright in his official hat chair, silently examining a purple lacquered gold box inlaid with mother-of-pearl and fish and algae patterns on the table.

He wore the scarlet robe embroidered with pheasants, befitting a second-rank official of the court, his imposing aura almost tangible. Civil officials wore embroidered birds, military officials wore embroidered beasts; the patterns on the insignia of officials corresponded to their ranks, truly making the court a collection of "wolves in sheep's clothing."

With the corruption of the Shaozhi court, this term has gradually shifted from a positive to a negative connotation, and it is only a matter of time before the entire court of officials becomes villains.

Among the seven surrounding prefectures, only one person possesses such honor and prestige: Hu Ruzhen, the governor-general who controls the military affairs of the seven prefectures!
In the thirty-third year of the Shaozhi reign, Hu Ruzhen, at the age of 42, was appointed as the Imperial Inspector of Wuzhou, a position of the seventh rank. The following year, he was promoted to the fourth rank and appointed as the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and the Governor of Wuzhou.

In the thirty-fifth year of the Shaozhi reign, Hu Ruzhen was 44 years old. He was promoted to Governor-General of Wuzhi, in charge of military affairs in seven prefectures, and was awarded the title of Minister of War, ranking as a second-rank official.

At the same time, he was also a third-rank official (a scholar) in the imperial court!
Officials say that Hu Ruzhen is indifferent to life and death, values ​​his promises, and has the spirit of a chivalrous hero, but he is also unrestrained and indulges in pleasure with prostitutes, making him an extraordinary person.

All of the above stemmed from his confidence in acting in this way.

However, judging from his current expression, he no longer possessed the high spirits of the governor of seven states; instead, he was filled with deep exhaustion and a hint of deeply hidden fear.

With the situation in the Central Plains turbulent and a crisis looming, how could this powerful figure in the southeast not be aware of it?

"The emperor in the central government was almost supernaturally intelligent, and the cabinet ministers were good at infighting, some seizing land and others making money."

If lower- and middle-ranking officials align themselves with the Qingliu faction, they will be persecuted by the Yan faction; if they remain neutral, they will not be promoted.
If they sided with Yan's faction, they would be relentlessly attacked by the Qingliu faction, making it difficult for them to achieve anything in the local area, and many died from false accusations.

Furthermore, the endless infighting among various factions was even more difficult to prevent. Unlike the Song Dynasty, the Zhao Dynasty did not have the principle of stopping short of punishment and did not punish high-ranking officials. Even after retirement, officials were still hunted down and killed!
The cause of resisting Japanese pirates is now an even greater dead end.

Among the anti-Japanese generals before me, Zhang Jing, Li Tianchong, Zhu Wan, and others died tragically one after another.

The gentry and powerful families were practically shouting: 'If you dare kill a Japanese soldier, I'll kill you first!'

How could I not know that cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents?
Even a powerful ruler who blocks someone else's path is nothing more than a clay idol who can't even save himself. The ways in which emperors of all dynasties died—drowned, burned, poisoned, or strangled—were more varied than those of the current dynasty.

The waters within the Great Zhao court are unfathomably deep.

Hu Ruzhen sighed deeply when she thought of this:
"Being an official during the Shaozhi reign was truly difficult! Difficult! Difficult!"

He was well aware that the reason he was still able to sit there was twofold: first, because Chief Minister Yan had not yet fallen from power, and second, because of the Japanese pirate raids in the southeast and the resulting instability in the region, which required his presence to maintain order.

But it still seems like a small boat in a storm, which could tragically capsize at any moment.

His gaze fell once again on the mother-of-pearl box on the table, which he was unconsciously stroking. He raised his hand and opened the lid, and the room was immediately filled with fragrance.

Hu Ruzhen's eyes shone brightly:
"My survival depends entirely on them."

Hu Ruzhen had his own way of protecting himself. After becoming governor by relying on Yan Jiexi, he often presented the emperor with "auspicious omens" and "secret recipes".

Since the emperor was fond of alchemy and the art of immortality, his ministers would naturally rush to take care of their own private affairs while handling official business, and Hu Ruzhen was no exception.

Inside this box were two flowers from the Five Temples Divine Treasury, one a lung flower and the other a spleen flower, precisely the two kinds that Emperor Shaozhi, the sovereign of the state, was ultimately lacking!

"Among them, the spleen flower fell into the hands of Prince Zhu Yaozhai of Wu. When he learned that I intended to present the treasure to the emperor, he took the initiative to contact me, but the conditions he offered were too harsh."

Now the Zhao family is surnamed Han, not Zhu. How dare these treacherous officials try to turn me against my own people?

Does this mean that once the Han family's destiny ends, the throne will automatically return to the Zhu family?
joke!

Only blood, fire, and swords can seize the throne of the "Lord of the State," and there has never been an exception in thousands of years.

I would rather be a treacherous minister than a petty person; I do not seek high office or wealth; a posthumous reputation as a "pillar of the nation" is enough.

That was his obsession.

Even when caught in the vortex of power struggles, one must maintain principles and not compromise one's bottom line for the sake of interests.

Therefore, he opposed the corruption of the Yan faction, but also refused to join the Qingliu faction, always prioritizing the maintenance of stability in Jiangnan and the overall situation of resisting Japanese pirates.

Naturally, he had no desire to get involved in the two-hundred-year-long feud between the Zhu and Han families; he only wanted to preserve the fruits of his life's work and his life.

"Fortunately, I have been in charge of the Jiangnan region for many years and have connections with the East Bharata Company of the Netherlands."

The last lung flower fell into their hands.

Through their transaction with the Old Port Pacification Commissioner, they obtained these two Five Temples Divine Treasure Flowers, thus helping the emperor gather the main ingredients for the elixir of immortality!
In addition, I spent seven years managing the southeast, and I believe I have made some contributions.

As long as this invasion of the Daizhao Kingdom by the Japanese pirates doesn't cause any serious problems, even if Grand Secretary Yan falls, I should be able to land safely and not leave any harm to my descendants.

Anyone in the Great Zhao Dynasty could collapse in the vortex. Even a powerful regional official like Hu Ruzhen was not safe and was already planning his future.

He sealed the box with his own seal and ordered a team of imperial guards, who were serving as "Gold Medal Couriers," to secretly enter the capital and present the treasure to the emperor. Preserving his base of support was the most important thing.

He summoned his two beautiful concubines, and was about to go to rest when the steward rushed in to report:
"Master, Deputy Commander Qi has come to visit, and he has brought two people with him, the infamous Ghost God Jealousy and Ghost God Shock!"

(End of this chapter)