It’s another windy and snowy night, and another group of people never return.
Dayun went to the capital.
The trip to the tomb of the First Emperor failed, and Wang Zhixin led a group of commanders of the Imperial City Division back. He was in high spirits when he left, but was in such an embarrassed state when he came back. If he had not brought back the Peach and Plum Staff, one of the legendary objects in the martial arts world, which was somewhat of a gain, I'm afraid that memorials impeaching Wang Zhixin would have been flying all over the place.
since then.
Wang Zhixin has been recuperating in the Imperial City Bureau's headquarters in Shangjing, and the emperor has not summoned him, which seems to be sending a signal to the outside world.
But even so.
Wang Zhixin seemed extremely relaxed. Even though some of his close associates were worried about him, he himself did not show any sign of panic. After recuperating, he even changed his clothes while people around him were not paying attention and sneaked out of the headquarters of the Imperial City Bureau.
"Huh... It's been a while since I went out for a walk alone."
"Heavy snow in Shangjing."
“It’s such a beautiful sight.”
If it were twenty years ago, Wang Zhixin would probably die before saying such words, but twenty years have passed and everything is no longer the same as it was at the beginning.
Strolling in Shangjing City, Wang Zhixin walked through the streets and alleys, through the crowds of people, as if he was looking for something, but when the sun set, he still didn't find what he was looking for. However, after realizing this, a smile appeared on Wang Zhixin's face.
"... As expected, there isn't one."
"good!"
What Wang Zhixin was looking for was actually very simple: he was looking for the poor.
Because they had no food, no coats, and no ability to survive when the heavy snow came, the poor refugees could only lie on the street with their eyes closed and wait to die.
Twenty years ago, such a place could be easily found even in Shangjing, the most prosperous capital of Dayun.
But twenty years later.
It would be nonsense to say that there are no poor people in the world, but at least in Shangjing, under the feet of the emperor, no one will die from snowy days.
Everyone has food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to live... .
"Very good."
“That’s great.”
Wang Zhixin took a deep breath, relaxed, and wandered aimlessly around the capital city. He even bought a candied haws for fun.
Perhaps the world today is still far away from the original dream.
But myself and His Majesty are indeed moving towards that dream step by step.
One day.
The prosperity of Shangjing City will not only be limited to Shangjing City, but will expand to the whole world. Everyone will have food to eat, clothes to wear, and houses to live in. At that time, all the people in the world will be nothing but chickens and dogs. The imperial court is destined to be the destiny of heaven, and no one can stop it.
only... ..
Thinking of this, Wang Zhixin's heart was filled with some unnatural shadows, which were left by his recent visit to the Mausoleum of the First Emperor.
Xiao Rumo, the sword master of Jianghu.
"The Academy of Arts can teach, so why can't the Academy of Martial Arts teach martial arts?"
"That being said."
“But that’s easier said than done.”
Wang Zhixin came from the imperial court, and Xiao Rumo was not a man of extraordinary wisdom. What he could think of, could Wang Zhixin, the civil and military officials of the imperial court, not think of
But why hasn’t the court done it yet
The answer is actually the same as why the imperial court banned special weapons such as the Broken Arrow from being circulated in the world. It’s not that it’s not allowed, but once it’s done...
... .The foundation of the imperial court is no longer stable.
If you want to open a martial arts academy to teach martial arts, you must first meet a prerequisite, that is, the power of the court itself is enough to surpass those who have learned martial arts, but how easy is that? If the six major factions of the martial arts world are not eliminated, the court will never be able to suppress the martial arts world in the field of martial arts.
Unless the army is used.
But the army is used to defend the country. Dayun is not without external enemies. Would he rather ignore the external enemies and mobilize a large number of troops to suppress domestic forces
No one would do such a thing.
So it is easier said than done.
and... .
"Xiao Rumo seems to have discovered it, too."
"The Tomb of the First Emperor itself... was actually aimed at him."
Ever since Xiaoyao Sect's Chen Changzhuan came to the court with the news about the First Emperor's tomb, this plot had already been set up. Killing the masters of the six major sects was just a side job. The number one swordsman in the world, the openly enlightened grandmaster, the Jianghu Sword Master Xiao Rumo was the one who had to be killed in this plot.
And this is still a game within a game.
The news that Chen Changzhuan was corrupted by the blood demon... Doesn't the court know about it
The court knew.
Chen Changzhuan's secret was exposed when the emperor met him for the first time. Wang Zhixin actually knew the existence of the Blood Demon very well.
The plot in the tomb of the first emperor had three layers from beginning to end. The first layer was to strangle the masters of the six major sects, the second layer was to kill the Jianghu sword master Xiao Rumo, and the third layer was to suppress the blood demon in the emperor's tomb. Among them, Xiao Rumo claimed to be chivalrous and was the best choice to suppress the blood demon... .
And to the end.
"Everything happened as the emperor had planned. Xiao Rumo died, the Jianghu Sword was buried forever in the imperial mausoleum, the Xiaoyao Sect lost its arm and was no longer a threat. At the same time, the Blood Demon was suppressed, and the people were spared a great disaster. It can be said that he killed two birds with one stone, and the court itself paid almost no price..."
This is really a good calculation.
only... .
"In the end, Xiao Rumo should have seen through it, but even though he saw through the truth, he still chose to sacrifice himself to suppress the blood demon forever..."
"good."
"Because I knew a long time ago that Jianghu Sword Master Xiao Rumo is indeed a chivalrous hero. In fact, as long as he enters the Imperial Mausoleum, everything is doomed."
"!!!"
Turning back suddenly, Wang Zhixin looked behind him in astonishment. There, a young man in a coat, who looked and dressed exactly the same as he did twenty years ago, was looking at him with a smile.
"Emperor..."
Before he could finish his words, the young man raised his eyebrows: "Hmm?"
Wang Zhixin grinned when he saw this, and then changed his words: "... .Benefactor."
"That's more like it."
The young man nodded when he saw this. "Why? It's snowing heavily. Instead of staying at home and resting, you came out. It seems you have nothing to do."
"How could it be... I'm just taking a break from my busy schedule."
"snort."
The young man strode to Wang Zhixin's side and said with a half-smile: "You looked confused just now. Tell me... Let me hear it."
"You are joking, benefactor." Wang Zhixin smiled bitterly: "It's just some random thoughts."
"So what if you have distracting thoughts? Tell me about it."
"... .Benefactor, please forgive me. Zhixin just thinks that a chivalrous man like Xiao Rumo can actually be won over. Why would we need to plot to get rid of him..."
"That's it?"
"... That's it."
After the young man looked at Wang Zhixin for a moment, he shook his head and patted his shoulder: "You, you, I know what you mean. You probably think that Jianghu people are also a useful force. If we can divide and win them over and bring them under our command, it would be a good thing."
"Right?"
"... Yes, as expected, nothing can be hidden from the benefactor."
Wang Zhixin was silent for a while, then said: "Most people in the martial arts world admire the use of force. With your cultivation, as long as you operate properly, you can pacify the martial arts world within ten years without losing a single soldier. But why don't you do this? You have to use this method. Zhixin just thinks that this is meaningless..."
"You don't understand."
The young man did not answer Wang Zhixin's question, but just shook his head.
"To pacify the Jianghu?"
"Using pure force to make the martial arts world obey, is that pacifying the martial arts world? No, that is only temporary, just like the Dayun Dynasty. As time passes, when I grow old and when I am buried, the sects will revive and the world will fall into conflict again."
"What's the use of this?"
"The so-called Jianghu is nothing more than the connections between people. In the court, the intrigues among officials are also Jianghu, isn't it?"
"So what I want is not to pacify the martial arts world."
"... no?"
Wang Zhixin was unusually confused: "Then, benefactor... what do you want?"
"What do you want?"
The young man was slightly stunned when he heard this. After thinking seriously for a moment, he smiled and said, "I don't know either."
"Huh?"
"Don't disbelieve me. At first, I hoped that everyone in the world would be like a dragon. After I ascended the throne, I hoped that my power would be supreme and that Dayun's foundation would continue forever. When I got older, I hoped that I could improve my martial arts skills and not die of old age so soon..."
"After all, I'm not as noble as I think I am."
"I have both selfishness and justice. Sometimes selfishness outweighs justice, sometimes justice outweighs selfishness, and sometimes justice is equal."
"... The same is true for this calculation. For me, Xiao Rumo must be eliminated, because as long as he is alive, my plan cannot be implemented, so he must die. This is private. For the court, a great master like Xiao Rumo is an unstable factor in itself, and it is best to eliminate him. This is public. Comparing the two, which one is more important? It must be me, so in this layout, private is more important than public."
"The Jianghu Sword must stay in the Imperial Mausoleum. If it were to be released into the Jianghu, it would only cause large-scale fighting and chaos, disrupting local security. The Blood Demon must also be suppressed, because it would cause disaster if it were to be born. These two things are for the sake of our Li family's kingdom and the people of the world. They are half public and half private."
"As for me, from a selfish point of view, I actually admire Xiao Rumo very much. It's not like I haven't had a discussion with him in the past, but I still set up a plan to kill him. There's nothing I can do about it. After all, sitting in my position, I can't care too much about personal feelings. If I care too much, it will only cause trouble."
"Otherwise, why do people say that the emperor is a lonely man?"
"You know, recently even my crown prince has learned to bribe the ministers secretly behind my back."
"... I am terrified."
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"It's okay, it's okay. Now that I've told you, I'm not worried about you telling others."
The young man smiled, fiddled with his clothes, then took out a long sword from his waist and handed it to him: "Take it, Xiao Rumo is dead, and then proceed according to the plan."
"This is... ."
Wang Zhixin looked at the long sword in his hand. The tip of the sword was put into the scabbard, and there was no sharpness at all. However, just holding it in his hand was enough to make people feel a strong sword intent coming at him. The sword energy in the scabbard was so strong that he even had the illusion of seeing Jianghu Sword again.
And on the scabbard, there are two huge seal characters.
Common people.