A full contingent of eighty thousand iron cavalry, maintaining a perfectly synchronized formation, escorted the carriage drawn by twelve Dragon Horses into the broad thoroughfare.
The entire Qiantian Mountain City erupted into clamor. Countless flower petals rained down from the streetsides, plunging almost everyone into a state of exhilaration.
The city-wide murmur of discussion instantly subsided, replaced instead by an endless wave of cheering.
“Is that truly the Sovereign?”
“The Lord has finally returned!”
“With the Lord absent these past few years, I always felt a deep unease—”
“With the Sovereign’s return, our Great Qian is certain to sweep across the Six Directions and unify the Cloud Realm!”
“Unify your big head! With the Sovereign back, those troublesome elements will finally behave.”
Zong Shou’s eyes flickered with a strange light; he felt somewhat undeserving of the praise. In ten years, he had actually done very little for his own people, yet here, outside the carriage, the reverence these citizens of Great Qian held for him was genuine.
Then again, the more he personally managed state affairs, the less prosperous Great Qian might have been compared to this current flourishing state.
Recalling the recent events, Zong Shou instantly gritted his teeth and crushed the armrest beside him into powder!
It was utterly outrageous!
Xuanyuan Yiren, standing beside him, covered her lips with her hand, struggling to suppress her laughter.
When Zong Shou had projected his voice with his soul sense, he had not concealed anything from her, so she was fully aware of the situation.
At that time, Xuanyuan Yiren had laughed so hard she nearly cramped, her regal demeanor as the Empress utterly shattered.
Immediately, Zong Shou let out a dry chuckle, shooting her a look that was chillingly sinister.
Xuanyuan Yiren’s breath hitched, remembering that both Ruo Shui and Kong Yao were currently absent from Qiantian.
If this fellow decided to act wildly with her, she wouldn't be able to withstand it alone.
The celestial fox's abilities could induce an ecstasy that bordered on death, leaving her unable to stop and instead driving her to actively crave it until she was utterly exhausted and incapable of continuing. She quickly composed herself, putting on a very apologetic expression: “My lord, I suddenly recall I have a batch of pills that need refining when we return. It will be some days before I can properly attend to you, my husband.”
She then glanced sideways at the nearby Chu Xue, a subtle smile dancing in her beautiful eyes: “If my lord feels lonely and restless, perhaps you could take Xue’er in? It would also silence the endless chatter of my Great Qian subjects.”
“Eh?” Chu Xue gasped in surprise, having been unexpectedly dragged into this. Even Chi Chun understood the implication of Xuanyuan Yiren’s word ‘take in,’ and hurriedly shook her head like a rattle drum, her pretty face flushing crimson.
Zong Shou snorted coldly, offering no comment. But within his heart, he had already made up his mind: upon returning to the palace this time, he would thoroughly discipline this impudent girl and reassert his authority as husband. The excuse of pill refining would not work on him this time.
Just then, Zong Shou suddenly felt a premonition, his expression growing solemn as he looked toward the semi-transparent curtain.
A dozen figures clad in scholarly robes abruptly blocked the path ahead, halting the procession squarely in the middle of the avenue.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of rotten vegetables and bamboo slips rained down upon them.
“Zong Shou, you tyrant and enemy of the literati, may you never have a good end!”
“Demonic heretic, ruler of the Demon Race—how can you possibly be the sovereign of a nation!”
“Didn’t you claim you would burn scholars alive? Do it if you dare!”
“Kill this tyrannical, clueless ruler!”
“The Central Great Shang Heavenly Dynasty’s punitive expedition is imminent; how long do you think you can remain triumphant? Qiantian Mountain will surely fall within this generation!”
“This man is a vile fiend! Any person in the world has the right to execute him and take his throne!”
“Zong Weiran was considered a wise ruler; having a son like you, he must be seething in the Nine Springs!?”
The torrent of curses was unrestrained and almost indiscriminate, though most were drowned out by the surrounding cheers. The rotten vegetables and bamboo slips were pulverized into dust long before they reached a hundred yards from the carriage.
The dozen or so scholars leading the disruption were swiftly subdued and dragged off the Imperial Path.
It was a minor ripple, quelled in an instant.
Zong Shou sat silently upon his throne within the carriage, saying nothing. Yet the murderous intent in his eyes grew colder and more piercing.
This time, he was genuinely enraged. An inexplicable, silent fire burned in his chest.
“All those involved are to be detained by the Ministry of Punishments. No torture, and no mistreatment. A decision will be rendered one month from now!”
His instinct was to have these men executed on the spot, but he knew that giving in to impulse now would only delight those scholars further, giving them more justification.
In that case, Zong Shou would firmly cement the reputation of a tyrant, and these scholars who dared block his path and curse him would surely be hailed as heroes.
Zong Shou was by no means a magnanimous man, but even if he desired their deaths, it would only be after they had been utterly discredited, allowing him to execute them justly.
May you never have a good end? Ruler of the Demon Race? He had to admit, these men had truly provoked him. Zong Lan, one of the Five Army Reviewers, responsible for all Imperial Guards aside from the Blood Cloud Cavalry and Black Fox Iron Cavalry, was accompanying the carriage on horseback. Hearing the curses, he paused, somewhat surprised, then spurred his horse away bitterly to relay Zong Shou’s orders.
As for Ren Bo, a relieved smile touched his lips upon hearing the command. The Sovereign, after all, had grown up.
He was not swayed by external factors, nor disheartened by internal struggles; his composure remained, his judgment unclouded by anger, leading him to make the wisest decision.
After circling the entire Qiantian Mountain range, the carriage, protected by twenty thousand Blood Cloud Cavalry, finally entered the inner precincts of Qiantian Mountain, four hours later.
Returning to Hanyan Palace, Zong Shou temporarily suppressed the desires that had been building within him and summoned all his principal ministers to the Council Hall.
However, the first item of discussion was not a matter of state importance. It was the formal investiture of Zong Ruo Shui as an Imperial Consort, to be announced to the people of Great Qian.
Who said Zong Shou had only maintained one Empress and one Consort these past few years?
The ministers had no objection to this matter; they were rather pleased to see it. The lineage of Zong Weiran, dating back to before the Five Dynasties, had always followed a single-line succession.
Should any accident occur, finding a suitable heir would be difficult.
Relatives outside the five generations were too distant. It was excellent news that the Sovereign was finally opening up and willing to scatter branches and leaves.
But why did the Sovereign look so utterly wronged and resentful during what should have been a joyous occasion like bestowing a title upon a concubine?
Still, it seemed Zong Shou was not overly affected by the incident of being blocked and cursed on the road, which brought a collective sigh of relief to those present.
The second item discussed was Zong Shou’s proposed decree forbidding Great Qian subjects from carelessly criticizing the Sovereign. Ren Bo was slightly taken aback, wondering internally if his Sovereign had truly been angered by those scholars.
However, this matter required no deep consideration to know that it would meet with firm opposition.
“This cannot be done! The ancients said: restraining the mouths of the people is more difficult than damming a river! It can only be guided, not blocked—”
Several military officers took a neutral stance, but the civil officials unanimously objected.
Xu Shu, already the Right Consultative Envoy of the Hall of Deliberation—the Deputy Chief Consultative Officer—bowed and advised: “The Sovereign once declared that within Great Qian, no one should be condemned merely for their words. How can he go back on his word now? If the Sovereign is merely vexed by those scholars, there is no need for this. Great Qian has its own laws to punish them. Disturbing the Imperial Procession, attempting assassination, and insulting the Sovereign—these crimes warrant death by slow slicing!”
Zong Shou was speechless. He could hardly explain to them that his true fury stemmed from the discussion about how many consorts he had, and whether he was ‘ineffective.’
Seeing these civil officials stand firm, and realizing he was slightly in the wrong himself, Zong Shou reluctantly conceded after a brief argument.
The third matter concerned the charge laid upon him by the Confucian Sage Zhu Zi, declaring him an enemy of Confucianism.
“Zhu Zi’s intentions are malicious. Announcing this to the entire world through his supreme technique is a clear attempt to incite internal strife within Great Qian, encouraging the various Vassal States and Garrisons to breed ambition and attempt to usurp Great Qian.”
When Great Qian first unified the Eastern Frontier, many loose threads remained; many city lords still maintained autonomy, merely being subordinate vassals.
Fortunately, over the last few years, a steady stream of towns had voluntarily become cities under the direct jurisdiction of Great Qian.
Furthermore, the private armies controlled by those city lords had been largely diminished through Qiu Wei’s subtle attrition tactics. Even if they now harbored rebellious thoughts, they could not mobilize immediately.
To expand the army and prepare for war would require time. “The city lords of the Eastern Frontier Cloud Land need not concern us. The true worry lies with the Demon Cult Sects. Their disciples will inevitably sow chaos everywhere. Just in the last half-day, there have been four homicides near Qiantian Mountain involving demonic cultivators using venomous secret arts, resulting in casualties reaching into the hundreds. If this trend is not curbed, panic will surely grip the populace long-term!”
Hu Qianqiu expressed deep concern. His Tiger Clan lineage had lost over twenty disciples to these demonic sects. Although they were not of the Iron Tiger faction, the population of the Demon Race was precious, and the loss was painful.
These Tiger Clan youths had died not on the battlefield, but due to the schemes of the demonic sects.
Zong Shou frowned, understanding that this chaos stirred up by the demonic sects could not be completely suppressed by Great Qian’s few affiliated sects and scattered rogue cultivators.
“I will inform the Cang Sheng Dao and the Sword Sect about this matter and request their assistance.”
There was no hesitation. This was one of the conditions agreed upon for jointly exploring the Outer Domain: allowing the Cang Sheng Dao and the Sword Sect to establish academies and martial halls within Great Qian. Afterward, there was no need to feel indebted to these two sects; this was the time for them to exert effort.
“With this, the Eastern Frontier and Huizhou should remain stable. Only the Southern Wind Cloud Land, recently pacified, is likely to erupt into unrest following this upheaval. Heavy military force will be required for suppression.”
The speaker was Qiu Wei, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, still calm and composed, possessing the bearing of a great general.
“At least three hundred thousand Third-Tier elite soldiers will be needed to guarantee stability in the Southern Wind Cloud Land. However, this force can only maintain the situation for three months at most!”
Zong Shou’s expression grew grave. Three hundred thousand Third-Tier elite troops was already a substantial force.
In the current Cloud Realm, it was not overwhelming, but before the Spiritual Tide, such a force could sweep across an entire Cloud Land. “Furthermore, one of the keys to this conflict lies with the Fleet Master. I wonder if the Sovereign can spare some Sky Ships to return? Gu Lie Kong alone may struggle to hold the line!”
Great Qian’s foundation in the Central Cloud Land was shallow.
All supplies and provisions had to be transported from Huizhou via Cloud Vessels.
Although it seemed cumbersome, their logistics were actually far more convenient than those of Great Shang. Within Great Qian, roads connected everywhere, allowing Cloud-Flipping Carts to travel thousands of miles in a day. Cloud Vessels were even faster.
But the entire basis for this relied upon the Fleet Master.