For Yong'an to have so many displaced disaster victims and fight against the army of the Imperial City of Xianle is like hitting a rock with an egg or trying to stop a chariot with a mantis arm.
However, those with nowhere to retreat possess the courage to fight against stone with an egg and to try to stop a chariot with a mantis arm. After a commotion, tens of thousands of Yong'an residents finally left the city gates, retreating some distance and setting up camp elsewhere.
They simply refused to leave. Walking on the road might kill them, and staying here would likely mean death, too. What difference did it make? Relying on the food and water the king had previously distributed, along with the bark, weeds, vegetable roots, insects, snakes, rats, and ants they'd found in the wilds, and days of pent-up resentment and unwillingness, these people persevered with unimaginable tenacity. A few days later, a hastily assembled group of over a thousand men, armed with hoes, rakes, stones, and branches, returned to fight.
Although the battle was chaotic and the loss was crushing, with over half of the over a thousand men killed or wounded, it wasn't a complete loss. Lang Ying single-handedly stormed the city wall, carrying back several large sacks of rice and several bundles of weapons. Though severely wounded, he actually galvanized the desperate men to fight.
At this point, their nature was closer to bandits. Once, twice, three times. Xianle's soldiers discovered that this group of "bandits" was making rapid progress.
The initially inexperienced, scattered attackers gradually figured out their route. Each time they arrived, they proved more formidable, and each time they returned, they were in greater numbers. A steady stream of refugees, hearing the news, joined them, swelled their ranks. Xianle was a land of turmoil over how to deal with these "bandits." After five or six such absurd battles, Xie Lian could no longer stand by and watch.
He hadn't reported to the Heavenly Court for many days, so upon returning to the Immortal Capital, he quietly headed straight for the Divine Martial Hall. When he entered, Jun Wu sat at the head of the table, his attendants bowing their heads in obedience, seemingly engaged in a crucial discussion. In the past, Xie Lian would have chosen another day to visit, but now, unable to wait, he spoke directly, "Emperor, I am returning to the human world."
The priests were all startled, then covered their mouths and remained silent, not wanting to reveal too much emotion. Jun Wu pondered for a moment, then stood up from his throne and said gently, "Xianle, I roughly know what happened, but please calm down first."
Xie Lian said, "Emperor, I have not come here to ask questions, but to inform you. My people are in dire straits. Please forgive my inability to remain calm."
Jun Wu said, "Everything in the world has its own destiny. You know, if you go down, you will be breaking the rules."
Xie Lian said, “If it’s against the law, then it’s against the law!”
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the priests suddenly changed. Truly, no priest had ever dared to speak so confidently and resoundingly. Even if Jun Wu favored the young and ascended Prince Xianle, he was still too bold.
Xie Lian then bowed his head and said, "Please show some mercy and give me a little time. Now that the war has begun, casualties are inevitable. But if I can quell this conflict, causing the fewest casualties and keeping things under control, then after the war is over, I will return voluntarily to apologize and leave you to do as you please. Whether you have me pinned beneath the mountain for a hundred years, a thousand years, or even ten thousand years—I will never regret it."
After saying this, he maintained his bowed posture and retreated out of the hall. Jun Wu said, "Immortal music!"
Xie Lian paused. Jun Wu looked at him and sighed, "You can't save everyone."
Xie Lian slowly straightened up and said, "Whether I can save everyone, I won't know until I try. Even if the heavens say I must die, and that sword doesn't pierce my heart and nail me to the ground, I'm still alive. I will still fight to the bitter end!"
This return to the human world was different from all the previous ones. Xie Lian felt like he had left something behind. He felt both relieved and weighed down. His first step was to return to the palace.
The King and Queen were in the Imperial Study, their expressions solemn and weary, speaking in low voices. Xie Lian approached the door, feeling a moment of nervousness before calming himself, lifting the curtain, and stepping inside, saying, "Father."
The King and Queen both turned around, both stunned. After a moment, the Queen stood up first and exclaimed joyfully, "My son!"
She stretched out her hands and came to greet him, and Xie Lian supported her. But before her smile faded, the king's face suddenly darkened and he said, "Why did you come down here?"
Xie Lian’s smile froze.
Overhearing his parents' conversation behind their backs in the palace, Xie Lian had felt that his father still missed him and wasn't as critical of him as he let on. He'd assumed the king would be somewhat pleased with his return, and that he'd certainly soften his stance. But the king's reaction was so unpleasant, and Xie Lian, furious, said solemnly, "Why am I here? Isn't it all because of you? With the chaos in Yong'an today, ask yourself if you share some responsibility."
The King's expression changed drastically, and he said sternly, "My responsibility? Is that something you should say to me?!"
He was so angry that he didn't even notice his own words. The Queen shed tears and said, "It's already like this, why are you still arguing?"
Xie Lian said, "I'm not arguing, I'm being reasonable. Even if you're the ruler, my father, if you have a responsibility, why can't I say anything? Why aren't you doing your best to provide disaster relief? Even if the relief funds are being embezzled, why aren't you punishing corrupt officials? If you were swift and decisive, arresting and punishing every corrupt official, who would dare to commit corruption? Wouldn't the situation be better than it is now?"
The king's forehead veins bulged, and he slammed the table and shouted, "Shut up! Do you think the national treasury is a bottomless pit, to be filled as many times as possible? And you're still catching and punishing everyone who comes after you? If it were that easy, and I could issue a single order and have it happen immediately and with swift resolution, why have corrupt officials never been eradicated throughout the dynasties? What do you know, you ignorant child? Come to me and talk about governing a country!"
Xie Lian said, “Okay, I don’t understand. Even if there’s no place for the victims in the Imperial City, evacuation is inevitable. But why don’t you give them some extra money? Why don’t you comfort them and send troops to escort them eastward?”
The king's eyes widened in anger, and he pointed to the sky and shouted, "Get out! Get out now! Go back to your heaven! I'm annoying just by looking at you! Don't show up again!"
Xie Lian came down full of enthusiasm to see his parents for the first time, only to hear his father tell him to go back to heaven. Without a word, he bowed to him and left. The Queen chased out and grabbed him, saying, "My son!"
Xie Lian said gently, "Mother, don't worry. I'm just going to the capital to take a look at the current situation."
The Queen shook her head and said, "My son, I don't understand these state affairs, but I do understand your father. I have seen how he has governed over the years. You may feel in your heart that he is not doing well, and sometimes I feel so too, I just don't say it. But don't say it to his face. He is your father after all. If you say to his face that he is not sincere, it will really hurt his heart."
Xie Lian hesitated to speak. The Queen continued, "Although you are a crown prince, you have never been a ruler. Ruling a country is different from practicing Taoism. When you first entered the Imperial Monastery, the Imperial Master said that practicing Taoism is all about one's heart. Is that right?"
Xie Lian nodded slowly. The Queen held his hand and said, "But, as with many things in this world, having intention alone is useless. You also need ability. Not only do you need ability, but your subordinates must also be capable. Not only must they be capable, but they must also be of the same mind as you."
Xie Lian remained silent. After a long pause, he said, "Is the treasury seriously depleted? I don't need temples. Tell him not to build so many temples for me, and demolish all those golden statues."
The Queen said helplessly, "You child... your father certainly had selfish motives in building the temple. He wanted to give you the best and see you flourish in heaven. But do you know how many of the eight thousand palaces and temples were actually built by your father? You don't know, do you?"
Xie Lian honestly didn't know. He thought for a moment and said, "...half?"
The Empress said, "If your father had used the treasury to build over four thousand palaces for the crown princes, the people of Yong'an would have been in turmoil before the people of the imperial city would have been in turmoil. Since the treasury was empty, where would the money come from to build so many? Your father only built over twenty, and others followed his lead, building too, hoping to please him and you. Should all this be blamed on him?"
Xie Lian said, “I…”
The Queen whispered, "Your father didn't do well enough, but he...he tried his best. However, in this world, trying your best isn't enough."
After a pause, she continued, "You are now blaming your father because you feel sorry for the people of Yong'an. But they are all his people. Are we the ones bullying them? Actually..."
Halfway through his speech, the King shouted angrily from his study: "Why are you talking so much nonsense to him? Tell him to go back to heaven!"
The Queen turned around and sighed, "My son, you...don't come down. You should go back."
After leaving the palace, Xie Lian was walking down a small alley off Shenwu Avenue when Feng Xin and Mu Qing arrived. Mu Qing asked incredulously, "Your Highness! You asked to come down to earth? Did you go to Shenwu Palace and tell the Emperor?"
Xie Lian said, “Yeah.”
Mu Qing said: "Why didn't you tell me first?"
Feng Xin was puzzled. "What do you mean? Does Your Highness need to tell others before doing anything?"
Mu Qing lost his composure and said, "Why not? We are his people. We are now tied to him. His every move is closely related to our situation. I want to know what he plans to do. What's wrong?"
Feng Xin said, "Don't we have to follow His Highness in everything he does? He has his own ideas about what he wants to do, whether it's heaven or earth. What are you afraid of?"
"You!" Mu Qing said, "I'm not afraid! I'm just..."
Xie Lian waved his hand, "That's enough. Stop arguing!"
Feng Xin and Mu Qing immediately shut up. At this moment, a parade passed through the streets, and hundreds of thousands of people shouted, "Until Yong'an is eliminated, there will be no peace in the country!"
"This is a cancer that is causing chaos in the country and is going too far!"
The Xianle people had never been so aggressive towards anything, and yet they held such a grand parade. Xie Lian couldn't help but feel strange. Feng Xin frowned and asked, "Why is there a woman here?"
Sure enough, a young girl rushed to the front of the parade. She had a slender figure, a fair complexion, bright black eyes, and a blush on her cheeks, not of shame but anger, which was very eye-catching. Mu Qing had calmed down by now and said coldly, "Your Highness, don't you know her?"
Xie Lian said, “I don’t know him.”
Feng Xin frowned and said, "Looks a little familiar?"
Mu Qing said: "That is one of the sources."
Xie Lian asked, “What’s the source?”
Mu Qing said, "The source of the irreconcilable conflict. Previously, because the number of Yong'an people in the imperial city increased, some of them refused to stay together and wandered around causing trouble. The court was discussing expelling them, and the news had spread a long time ago. One Yong'an person wanted to stay and didn't want to leave, so he took a risk. One night, he sneaked into a wealthy family and kidnapped their daughter."
Xie Lian was still unaware of what he was saying, "Why would you kidnap a rich family's daughter if you didn't want to leave?"
Mu Qing glanced at him and said, "I want to marry her. But if I don't resort to forced abduction, no daughter from the imperial city will be willing to marry someone from Yong'an."
He didn't say it explicitly, but Xie Lian understood.
He had never imagined that this could happen. There were people like this in the world, and that this could happen. He suddenly felt an urge to vomit. Feng Xin cursed on the spot, "Disgusting!"
At this moment, a group of aunts and old women came up and tried to pull the girl down. It seemed that she had escaped while her family was not paying attention. But the girl refused to give in and said, "What am I afraid of? What should I be ashamed of? It's not my fault!"
Feng Xinqi said: "This girl has a very fierce temper."
Mu Qing said, "Yes. But her family is not an ordinary family. Her father is an important official in the court, and her mother's family is a wealthy merchant in the imperial city. She refused to suffer such a loss, and it was even more impossible for her to marry just for the sake of face. She beat the Yong'an man to death first. Soon, all the wealthy merchants and celebrities in the city jointly wrote a letter, listing the numerous crimes committed by the Yong'an man since entering the city, and begged His Majesty to imprison them all and punish them severely. It goes without saying what the ministers' stance was."
After a pause, he continued lightly, "I heard that this girl's father once wanted to send her to the palace to compete for the position of Crown Princess. Your Highness must have seen her several times a long time ago, but surprisingly didn't recognize her."
Xie Lian finally realized that everything was much more complicated than he had imagined.
The situation inside and outside the city had long been irreconcilable. The subjects were furious, wishing they could wipe them out completely. If the king still sided with the Yongan people, wouldn't that be a slap in the face of his own people? Ultimately, the decision was to allocate a sum from the depleted treasury to provide them with travel expenses. Although it seemed shabby, it was likely to cause widespread dissatisfaction.
What's more terrifying than the dissatisfaction of your enemies is the dissatisfaction of your subjects. Although they were all Xianle's subjects originally, now, I'm afraid few people think so.
He was high above, oblivious to the affairs of the world, while his father was still among them. As ruler of a nation, he needed money and personnel, his position, the pressures he faced, the people and matters he needed to consider and reconcile—how could they be the same as his? Just as the Yong'an outsiders occupying land, making noise, and stealing within the imperial city—for a martial deity residing in a temple, these were likely minor incidents, nothing to get angry about, something to simply tolerate. But for the common people of the imperial city, they were a real, daily, unbearable torment, a crisis that could erupt at any moment. They felt simple or insignificant simply because he wasn't in that position.
Xie Lian couldn't help but recall that the King's temples were even more gray than the last time he saw them. Last time he'd said he wanted to dye his hair, he probably didn't have the energy to do it anymore.
When he was young, he firmly believed his father was the greatest king in the world. But as he grew older, he realized that wasn't the case. His father, though the ruler, wasn't truly wise. He was sometimes a bit pedantic and often made mistakes. Beyond his unparalleled status, he was just an ordinary man.
The more he understood, the more disappointed he became. The king noticed his disappointment, so he became more and more intolerant of his every disapproving look, every word of disapproval, and, what he could not tolerate most, being seen in his failure by him.
No father in the world wants his son to see him fail. Every father wants to always be the boss in front of his son. And when he shows up at this moment and berates his father, "You've done such a terrible job! So bad that I had to come down here to help you out"—whether as a king or a father, how could he feel good hearing that?
The young girl was eventually dragged back by her servants, while the rest of the people continued their march, waving flags and shouting, their slogans all being the same: Kill! Start a war! Let the people of Yong'an outside the city suffer!
After a while, Mu Qing said, "Your Highness, you should apologize to the Emperor and go back. Things have come to this point. The time, the place, and the people are all wrong."
Just as Jun Wu said to Xie Lian in the Shenwu Hall: "Everything in the world has its own destiny." This sentence is telling him: Your Xianle Kingdom's fate has run out, so let it go.
Even the Empress, his mother, longed day and night to see him. But when she finally saw him, she tearfully told him to go back and leave him alone. Xie Lian knew, of course, that they didn't want him to face this hardship, preferring him to just sit on the sidelines and watch, content with his own life.
But how is this possible?
“…”
Xie Lian said in a deep voice, “No!”
After saying that, he strode out.
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