Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chapter 346 The Murong Clan is planning a rebellion, does the master know?

Chen Zhan raised his hand, and the blood aura on the crimson blood sword receded like a tide, revealing the sword's original clear radiance.

With a flick of his finger, the longsword traced a smooth arc and landed steadily in Zhao Qingtan's hand.

"Regarding the consolidation of the martial arts world, you can send the Dragon God Guards to assist the Twenty-Four Towers."

“The four guards of the Dragon God Guard are responsible for monitoring the martial arts world, so they can act as mediators to prevent unnecessary trouble,” Chen Zhan said slowly.

"Qingtan understands." Zhao Qingtan gripped her longsword and bowed in response.

Inside the hall, Gao Taotao watched as the two men, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, finalized important matters concerning the court and the martial arts world. A surge of resentment and helplessness welled up within her.

She had been in power for over a year, reforming the court and balancing the old and new factions. She considered herself quite successful, but she never imagined that the power she held so tightly would be so easily shaken. All of this was due to a single sentence from the man in front of her.

At this moment, a large number of Imperial Guards and Dragon God Guards had gathered outside the hall. The sounds of footsteps and the rustling of armor were mixed together, indicating that they had heard the commotion inside the hall and wanted to push the door open to come in.

But the palace gate seemed to be held firmly by an invisible force, and no matter how hard the people outside tried, it did not budge.

"Bam—"

With a loud bang, the palace door shattered, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere.

People outside were about to rush in, but they were blocked by the thick, solid air inside the hall. Countless imperial guards were crowded at the door, staggering and unable to take even half a step in.

"Qingtan, you handle things here."

After Chen Zhan finished speaking, his figure swayed slightly and disappeared from the hall without leaving a trace.

As he left, the defensive force inside the hall suddenly dissipated, and the people at the door lost their support and fell in one after another. For a moment, cries of pain and the sound of armor clashing were heard.

Gao Taotao took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She witnessed and heard Chen Zhan and Zhao Qingtan finalize the decision to seize power and return it to the government in public. Although she was angry, she also knew that it was useless to resist at this moment.

Zhao Qingtan had already made up her mind. She turned to the four guards behind her and instructed them, "Clear the area. I have something to discuss with the Empress Dowager."

"Yes!" the four envoys replied in unison, then turned and led their men into action.

The Dragon God Guards used their overwhelming force to control the area around the palace, driving all the Imperial Guards, eunuchs, and palace maids away to within a hundred feet.

It wasn't that the Imperial Guards were short-handed, but rather that Gao Taotao, who was truly in charge, was suppressed by Zhao Qingtan's aura and unable to speak. The Imperial Guards generals dared not act rashly and could only watch helplessly as the Dragon God Guards cleared the area.

Once everyone had retreated, leaving only Zhao Qingtan and Gao Taotao in the hall, a private conversation began.

No one knows what they said; the palace doors were tightly shut, cutting off all sound.

The following morning, Gao Taotao suddenly summoned officials and gentry from both inside and outside the capital, and announced a shocking piece of news in the main hall:

The young Emperor Zhao Xu will officially assume personal rule starting tomorrow.

As the Empress Dowager, she will retire to the inner palace, no longer interfere in politics, and enjoy her family life.

In fact, there is not much to criticize about Kao Tao-tao's administration over the past year.

If there is any controversy, it is that she abolished the new party supported by Emperor Shenzong and reinstated officials of the old party.

The struggle between the old and new parties has a long history and is difficult to determine a winner, so it can't be considered a major mistake.

Immediately afterwards, she announced the list of regents, two civil officials and two military officials, including Wei Wuhai, who was in charge of the Martial Virtue Division, and Zhao Qingtan, who was in charge of the Four Wings of the Dragon God Guard.

The news of the return of power to the young emperor spread like wildfire throughout Kaifeng and even the entire territory of the Song Dynasty.

The news of Gao Shilin's murder was completely overshadowed by this news, and no one mentioned it anymore.

The incident caused a stir both inside and outside the court, with officials and gentry discussing it extensively and offering their own perspectives.

The people remained calm and peaceful, focusing on farming, working, and making a living. For them, a hot meal or a winter coat was more important than who held power or who returned it to the government.

On the very day that the young Emperor Zhao Xu assumed power, he issued several decrees with lightning speed, stirring up the court and the country.

Previously, during the Yuan You era when Gao Taotao ruled from behind the curtain, the old party seized power under the pretext of "the emperor is young and the country is suspicious," and launched the "Yuan You Reform."

Not only were Wang Anshi's New Policies completely abolished, but Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, and other core members of the New Party were all demoted and exiled.

The imperial court was filled with old officials like Sima Guang and Lü Gongzhu criticizing the new laws.

Zhao Xu had been observing the situation from the sidelines since he ascended the throne at the age of ten. He had long harbored resentment towards the old party's monopoly of power and deeply admired his father, Emperor Shenzong's, ambition to reform and strengthen the country. The day he took power was the day he would purge the old party and restart the new laws.

The first decree changed the era name to "Shaosheng," meaning "to continue the policies of Emperor Shenzong," demonstrating to the world the determination to inherit the father's will.

A personnel purge followed: Zhang Dun, Zeng Bu, Cai Bian, and other New Party figures who had been exiled for many years were all recalled to the capital. Zhang Dun was appointed prime minister to preside over the central government, Zeng Bu took charge of the Ministry of Revenue to coordinate finances, and Cai Bian was responsible for revising the "Veritable Records of Emperor Shenzong" in order to legitimize the New Laws.

In contrast, more than 300 members of the old party, including Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Fan Chunren, were listed as members of the "Yuanyou Party" and suffered systematic demotion and exile.

Following the personnel reshuffle, the restoration of the new law was fully launched.

The core provisions of Wang Anshi's original laws, such as the Exemption from Service Law, the Green Sprouts Law, and the Baojia Law, have all been restored, and the New Party's implementation this time is even more radical.

The Exemption from Service Law increased the corvée fees for the wealthy, the Green Sprouts Law expanded the scope of lending to remote prefectures and counties, and the Baojia Law strengthened civilian military training, attempting to quickly reverse the long-standing problems of the Northern Song Dynasty with "drastic measures."

At the same time, economic regulation agencies such as the Market Regulation Bureau and the Equalization and Transportation Bureau were re-established, and the imperial examination questions explicitly required candidates to support the new policies.

This event, later known as the "Shaosheng Shaoshu" (a historical event), was actually brought forward by several years.

According to common sense, Gao Taotao should have held power until the eighth year of the Yuanyou era before returning power to the government. Now, a sudden change has occurred, and although the officials are shocked, none of them dare to investigate further.

The fact that a ten-year-old emperor could have such clear decision-making and insight into governing the country clearly indicates the undeniable strength behind him.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

After the New Party seized control of the government, it quickly adopted a tough stance on foreign policy, abandoning the policy of compromise that had been in place during the reign of Empress Gao Taotao, and spearheaded a probing attack against Western Xia.

With the morale boosted by the new laws and military reforms, the Song army captured several cities in succession and recovered some of the lost territory from the Yuanfeng era. The morale of the northwestern border defenses was greatly improved, and the previous passive and defensive situation was reversed.

On this day, a secret imperial edict was sent out of the palace and delivered directly to the Twenty-Four Towers.

"The Twenty-Four Towers and the Four Guards of the Dragon God jointly receive this decree."

"You are hereby ordered to integrate all martial arts factions and sects within the territory of the Great Song Dynasty, establish the Song Alliance, and assist the court in pacifying the Western Xia in the Northwest and recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."

The secret edict was casually placed on the counter on the second floor of the Twenty-Four Towers. The eunuch who delivered the edict put it down and left, without any of the usual cumbersome etiquette of delivering, listening to, and receiving the edict.

As Hongluan passed by the counter, she caught a glimpse of the bright yellow scroll, leaned closer to examine it for a long time, and finally confirmed that it was an imperial edict.

She screamed, dropping the ledger in her hand to the ground. She turned and ran upstairs, calling out Gu Yu and Bai Lu's names repeatedly.

Gu Yu had already received Chen Zhan's notification and was waiting for the imperial edict to arrive.

Upon hearing the news, he immediately got up and gathered everyone in the building to the second-floor hall.

"Master had already given instructions that once the imperial edict arrived, we should begin making arrangements."

"The primary objective of this mission is to integrate the martial arts world. Subsequently, we will follow the imperial army north to Yanyun and west to the northwest. We will split into three groups: one heading north, one to Dali, and one south to Jiangnan. We need to leave people to guard the building."

Gu Yu pointed to the secret decree on the counter, her tone resolute. As soon as she finished speaking, she told everyone to choose their own way, and those who would stay behind had already been decided.

Shuangjiang spoke first, choosing the direction of Dali: "Dali has many poisonous creatures, which is just what I need for practicing my skills."

She was the oldest among the twenty-four people, the rest being her junior brothers and sisters.

She was going to take Bailu and Xiaohan with her this time, so that the two little girls could see the world.

Accompanying her was her ever-present test subject – Xiao Azi.

Jingzhe, Qingming, and Lidong exchanged glances and all chose to head north: "Although heading north is dangerous, it will allow us to directly face the experts and spies of the Liao Dynasty, which is a good opportunity for training."

The whole world knows that the Liao Dynasty has a strong army and many martial arts masters within its borders. Heading north to unify the martial arts world in the north is undoubtedly the most dangerous path.

Finally, Grain Rain leads Autumn Equinox and Cold Dew southward to the Jiangnan region.

The Four Evils have already gone to Suzhou. The matter that Chen Zhan entrusted to them has not yet been settled. Going south is a good opportunity to deal with it along the way.

If it weren't for this imperial decree, she would have already set off.

Before dawn the next day, several carriages drove out of different gates of Kaifeng, avoiding the eyes and ears of the city.

A familiar figure appeared in the carriage that Gu Yu was riding in.

"Master, aren't you staying in the capital to oversee things?"

Gu Yu was naturally lively, but she was always a bit more reserved in front of Chen Zhan, and at this moment she couldn't help but ask a question.

She was already sixteen years old and had experienced many events, especially the changes in the palace in recent months. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was inseparable from Gao Shilin's death. However, this matter had long been submerged by the torrent of the court and no one mentioned it anymore.

"Hmm, I'm tired of staying in the capital. I'll go south with you for some fun."

Chen Zhan leaned against the carriage wall, speaking in a languid tone, his fingertips lightly tapping his knees, seemingly unconcerned about the surrounding disturbances.

The carriage was spacious, allowing only two people to sit facing each other. During the Autumn Equinox and Cold Dew, people would drive the carriage outside.

Traveling south from Kaifeng, the official road was rugged, and the carriage moved slowly. It took more than ten days before they finally entered the territory of Suzhou.

Beside the official road ahead, an ancient temple is built against the mountain; this is Fengqiao Temple.

This temple was first built during the Tianjian era of Emperor Wu of Liang. It was originally called Fengqiao Temple. During the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Hanshan Temple because the eminent monk Hanshanzi stayed there. After entering the Song Dynasty, it was renamed Fengqiao Temple again.

Zhang Ji's famous line, "Outside Suzhou, at Hanshan Temple, the midnight bell tolls to the passenger boat," made him famous throughout the world.

“Master, it’s not too late to enter the city,” Gu Yu said.

"We won't go into the city; we'll stay overnight at Fengqiao Temple."

Chen Zhan lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at the outline of the ancient temple, then casually gave an order.

Suzhou is already the core of the Murong clan's power. Entering the city would inevitably disturb all sides, so staying at the temple would be much quieter.

Hanlu responded and knocked on the door.

Although Fengqiao Temple is not large in scale, it is very popular with worshippers.

Located in the prosperous Suzhou area, it has many wealthy pilgrims. Moreover, it is far from the border and rarely affected by war. Even the bandits of Taihu Lake are afraid of the power of Buddhism and dare not come to plunder.

The three major Buddhist sects have deep roots in the martial arts world, which has also brought honor to this small local temple, making it highly regarded and treated with great respect.

A moment later, the mountain gate opened, and a young monk poked his head out.

The sky was already darkening, and since Fengqiao Temple was located outside the city, it was common for merchants and travelers to stay there. The monks were not surprised, but they looked troubled: "Esteemed benefactor, our temple is short of rooms. We have had quite a few merchants and travelers staying here these days, I'm afraid..."

Before he could finish speaking, Hanlu took out a twenty-tael silver ingot and handed it over.

The young monk's eyes lit up, his hesitation vanished instantly, and a smile spread across his face: "Distinguished guests, please come in! The horses can be taken to the backyard for boarding."

Chen Zhan followed him inside, his expression indifferent.

It's common for monks to make a living through incense money and lodging fees, so no one thought it was inappropriate.

But after entering the temple, he frowned slightly.

Leading into the backyard, one sees rows of neatly arranged detached houses, many with exquisitely decorated courtyards, some even featuring suites with private courtyards, comparable to the best rooms in city inns.

The twenty taels of silver they paid were only led to the most shabby little courtyard, which contained only three simple rooms.

A murderous glint flashed in Gu Yu's eyes.

The temple's accommodation fees are clearly outrageous and there may be something fishy going on behind the scenes.

Chen Zhan noticed her unusual behavior and gave her a look, signaling her to calm down.

The young monk led them into the courtyard and said solicitously, "If you wish to have vegetarian food, please go to the dining hall in the middle courtyard. There, vegetarian dishes are prepared especially for guests, but you will need to offer incense separately."

"I understand." Chen Zhan nodded lightly, and after the monk left, he led Gu Yu toward the central courtyard.

The two were strolling around casually when they were stopped by a middle-aged monk outside a temple: "Please wait, benefactor. This is the Bodhidharma Hall, the residence of martial monks. You may not enter at will."

Chen Zhan glanced at the plaque above the hall, then looked away, his tone calm: "Master, please forgive me. Where is the abbot? I have a question to ask you."

The middle-aged monk shook his head: "The abbot has already traveled far and wide. If you have any questions, please ask this humble monk."

"May I ask your Dharma name, Master?"

"My Buddhist name is Xiangyun."

"Master Xiangyun".

Chen Zhan nodded and got straight to the point, "Does the master know of the Swallow's Nest Village, located thirty miles west of Suzhou City on Taihu Lake?"

"Nature knows."

Without hesitation, Monk Xiangyun said, "The Murong family of Gusu is a local powerful clan and the leader of the martial arts world in the south. Who in the martial arts world does not know the name 'Southern Murong'?"

"So, does that mean the martial arts world of Suzhou, and even the martial arts world of the South, all revere the Murong family?" Chen Zhan pressed.

"Exactly."

The monk Xiangyun spoke with a hint of pride, after all, the Murong clan's presence in Suzhou was an honor for the local martial arts world.

"The martial arts world in the south is vast, stretching from Jiangnan to Yunnan and Guizhou, from Fujian and Guangdong to Sichuan, with numerous sects and gangs scattered throughout."

"There are renowned sects with profound heritage such as the Emei Sect and the Qingcheng Sect, as well as forces like the Taihu Gang and the Poyang Gang that are entrenched in the waters, and sects like the Five Poisons Sect that are rooted in the Miao region."

"Among the many heroes, only the Murong Clan of Gusu has firmly suppressed the others with their unique skill of 'using their own methods against them,' and few dare to question it."

Gu Yu, who was listening nearby, suddenly chuckled twice and asked:
“Master Xiangyun, we have also heard of the fame of the Southern Murong clan. However, in addition to that, we have also heard that the Murong clan of Gusu is a descendant of the Xianbei people. Recently, they have been secretly proclaiming their ambition to restore their country, seemingly with the intention of overthrowing the Song Dynasty.”

"Is the master aware of this matter?"

(End of this chapter)