Hearing the Old Dragon describe him as a “bald spy,” Ji Yuan couldn’t help but laugh.

“Although I spoke seriously, Master Huitong does have real skill. He had profound knowledge of Buddhism, and is protected by his merit. He will be able to turn misfortune into fortune.”

Luck was something that sometimes went up and sometimes went down, and was sometimes inscrutably mysterious. Even those who cultivated immortality could never fully grasp it. However, there was a saying that one’s merit could help one’s luck, and the purer the merit and the fewer desired mixed in, the more this was true. Ji Yuan was quite willing to believe this.

Monk Huitong had an aura of merit and virtue, and it was relatively pure. Most of it was the result of his sincere participation in various Assemblies to pray for blessings and ward off disaster. He also had the merits of liberating some souls of wronged and evil spirits, either through Buddhist scriptures or some spiritual techniques of the Mingwang Buddha to subdue demons. Either way, he still eliminated evil and liberated the souls of the wronged.

Therefore, Ji Yuan felt that the monk’s fortune would not be too bad, so long as his mental quality was up to par, and he was not too out of touch with the world. It was reassuring.

As Ji Yuan’s thoughts seemed to drift on the wind over Tingqiu Mountain, the Old Dragon beside him also looked at the mountain, and then at his friend by his side.

“Mr. Ji, I heard that you have an immortal sword technique called the ‘Heaven-Rending Sword.’ It is rumored that once this sword technique is released, it has the power to collapse the sky and sink the earth. If one doesn’t have a strong enough mentality to fight against the heavens, one would be powerless in the face of this swordsmanship…”

The Old Dragon paused before continuing.

“Today, I have returned to Tingqiu Mountain; I wonder if Mr. Ji would be willing to show the technique to this old man?”

Ji Yuan’s eyebrows twitched twice. Was this Old Dragon trying to compete with him? This was not some kind of joke!

“It’s nothing fancy, it’s just a trick to scare people. Mr. Ying, don’t take it seriously. It’s just a rumor to scare outsiders from casually entering Dazhen. Oh, by the way, there is a kind of local wine in Tingshui County, in Jin Province, called ‘Blade Roast.’ It tastes pretty good. I slept for more than half a year after drinking it last time, and now I still feel unsatisfied. Now is a good time to go buy some.”

Ji Yuan said a few words with a self-deprecating smile, then turned around and rode away on a cloud, directly rejecting the Old Dragon’s request to see the swordsmanship.

Seeing that Ji Yuan had already left, the Old Dragon had no choice but to follow him. He couldn’t force others to do such things. In his impression, although Ji Yuan was free and casual, he was also a serious person. Thus, he temporarily gave up the idea.

This swordsmanship sounded very mysterious, and the Old Dragon was already very interested in it. Particularly after meeting the Mountain God of Tingqiu Mountain today, he knew that this Mountain God was by no means an ordinary being. He became even more curious about how powerful the so-called “Heaven-Rending Swordsmanship” was, and whether he could withstand it.

It was a pity that just when he opened his mouth to ask to see it, Ji Yuan tried to change the subject by belittling himself. The Old Dragon felt regretful, and couldn’t help but imagine that the sword technique was too powerful, and that it was not convenient to use it in Jin Province at this moment.¹

. . .

On the other side, in the time it took to drink a cup of tea, at the foot of the mountain to the north of Tingqiu Mountain, the earth moved and a cloud of dust rose.

When the smoke cleared, Monk Huitong and the Mountain God of Tingqiu Mountain appeared.

The latter pointed to the mountain stream in the distance, and the mountain village road with smoke rising from the side.

“Master, we have already set foot in the Tingliang Country. This is Nanyue Prefecture. If we continue north, we will enter the heartland, the central plains of Tingliang Country.”

“Praise be to the Great Mingwang Buddha. Thank you, Mountain God, for seeing me off. I shall now take my leave!”

Monk Huitong performed a Buddhist bow to the mountain god, then walked forward, staff in hand, without looking back.

“Master, wait!”

Hearing the Mountain God calling him, Monk Huitong turned his head to look back in confusion. He saw that the latter had stretched out his right hand and opened his palm, revealing a small orange-yellow stone.

“Master, can you lend me your beaded chain?”

Was this a gift for him?

Monk Huitong thought for a moment, then took off the japamala² from his neck and handed it over.

The Mountain God took the beaded string in his left hand, clenched his right palm, then opened it again: the small yellow stone in his hand had become round. Then, he pressed one of the beads on the japamala with his thumb.

“Clack…”

The bead fell from the japamala, bounced on the ground, and was caught by the Mountain God, who then returned it to Monk Huitong, together with the string of beads, one of which had been replaced.

“Master, this is an Earth Movement Stone, also known as a Mountain God Stone, or a Land God Stone. It will be helpful when holding it and wielding a Hidden Earth Escape spiritual talisman. If you crush it, it will give off a strong land spirit aura, which can easily attract a local land or mountain god. If you give it to them as a gift, they may even help you.”

“A Mountain God Stone? Thank you, Mountain God of Tingqiu Mountain, for the gift!”

Monk Huitong gave a sincere bow once more before taking the japamala and putting it back around his neck. At the same time, he carefully put away the bead that had fallen.

“Okay, Master please take care. I will now take my leave!”

Seeing that the monk was ready, the Mountain God bowed with cupped hands, and sank directly into the ground, disappearing.

Looking at the direction where the Mountain God disappeared, the monk sighed.

“Ah… even the Mountain God feels the need to give me a treasure. I hope I can turn this danger into fortune!”

“Ding ding ding…”

The copper ring on the Khakkhara staff rattled. The monk straightened his hat and walked out of the mountain, heading first to the mountain village.

. . .

On the tenth day of the ninth lunar month, just one day after the Longevity Festival, when Emperor Yuan De was still discussing alchemy with the Heavenly Masters in the court, something happened that had a significant impact on the imperial court.

Chen Yuhe, the newly appointed Right Assistant Head of the Department of State Affairs, angered the emperor out of arrogance, and was thrown directly into the Heavenly Prison of the Ministry of Justice.

Almost overnight, Chen Yuhe, who had only recently promoted from the position of governor of Wan Province, and was originally expected to be promoted to prime minister in the future, became a criminal. Although the emperor did not deprive him o his official position for the time being, everyone in the court and the country knew that the emperor was growing increasingly suspicious and moody, which was very dangerous. Several officials had been beheaded over the years.

Later, there were rumors that Chen Yuhe had confessed some of the secrets of Wan Province out of fear in the prison. As a result, not only did he fail to avoid punishment, but he also infuriated the emperor so much that he was directly dismissed from all his official positions and removed from the Department of State Affairs.

Not only did this engender endless discussions and speculations throughout the public and the imperial court, but when the news spread back to Wan Province, countless officials in Wan Province grew uneasy, unable to sleep at night. Chen Yuhe had no idea how many times he had been sworn at in private, or how many times he had been stabbed by straw men.³

On the twelfth day of the tenth lunar month, at night, in the backyard of Lishun Prefecture in Wan Province.

Yin Zhaoxian was walking around and playing with the baby while his wife sat on the bed, looking at her husband and child tenderly.

“Knock knock knock…”

“Lord, the prefect of Yunbo Prefecture is here to visit, would you like to meet him?”

After the knock on the door, the voice of one of Yin Zhaoxian’s confidants sounded.

Yin Zhaoxian handed his child to his wife.

“Wife, take good care of our child, I’m going to see Lord Zhao.”

“Mhm!”

Yin Zhaoxian nodded, turned around, and walked over to open the door. The expression he showed to his confidant was the confident smile of a lord.

“Let’s go and meet Lord Zhao.”

The news of Chen Yuhe getting into trouble in the capital was extremely sensitive, so immediately the officials in Wan Province, especially those who were corrupt, became so nervous they were unable to eat. After much deliberation, many of them sent out their own confidants with secret letters to the imperial court to find connections and inquire about the situation.

When most of the secret letters they had sent to the court fell into oblivion, and the few replies they did receive were unclear, many people thought of going to Yin Zhaoxian, who was deeply favored by the emperor.

He had won the top spot three times in the imperial examinations, and consecutively at that. He was highly regarded by the emperor, and expected to become prime minister in the future. During this period of time, he had also received many benefits from Wan Province.⁴ The officials of Wan Province believed that they had become familiar with Prefect Yin.

However, Yin Zhaoxian had been avoiding them before; but this time the prefect of Wan Province’s capital came secretly, so it was almost time.

In fact, not only was the prefect of Yunbo Prefecture in the reception room, but so were several other officials who had “coincidentally” come to visit. In addition to the county magistrates from Lishun Prefecture, there were also several officials from Yunbo Prefecture.

The sound of Yin Zhaoxian’s quick footsteps reverberated in the corridor, boosting the spirits of everyone in the reception room. They all remarked to themselves, ‘Lord Zhao indeed is given a lot of respect.’

“Lord Zhao, I am sorry to have kept you waiting. I was just looking after my wife and child… Uh, you are all here too?”

Yin Zhaoxian’s voice sounded as he came into the room with the crowd, as if he had only just realized that there were so many people after entering the hall.

“Hello Lord Yin!”

“Lord Yin, you are finally here!”

All the officials stood up and greeted him.

Yin Zhaoxian frowned and looked troubled. To anyone with a discerning eye, it seemed as though he had originally only wanted to see Lord Zhao alone, but in the end he sighed and sat down.

“Yiqiu, bring people to guard the hall and the surroundings. Do not allow any of the servants in the mansion to approach!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Seeing that Yin Zhaoxian’s men went out of the room at his command, everyone except Prefect Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, and felt a certain anticipation.

Several covered oil lamps brightly illuminated the hall. Yin Zhaoxian and Prefect Zhao sat at the head of the table.

Yin Zhaoxian stared at the group of people that seemed either anxious or expectant.

“I have some connections in the imperial court. Lord Chen’s situation in the court… is very bad. Although it can be argued that these were just his one-sided statements, he mentioned a lot of things that should not be brought to light…”

“Chen Yuhe, that heartless beast!”

“Damn him, he profited the most, but he sold us out in the end!”

“How hateful!”

……

“Everyone, please be patient. As I said, this was just a one-sided statement from Lord Chen.”

“Oh, at this time, Lord Yin, do you still call that beast Chen Yuhe a lord?”

“Yes, Lord Yin values friendship, but friendship cannot be extended to the wrong dog!”⁵

The officials nearby, and even Prefect Zhao, couldn’t help but shout.

Yin Zhaoxian sighed outwardly, but sneered in his heart. His friendship was really not given easily.

“My Lords, in the past, when inspectors came to Wan Province, they could not find anything aside from some benefits. Even if they had suspicions, they had no evidence. In addition, there were people in the court who helped by speaking up, so most of the time, nothing would happen. But this time… …”

Yin Zhaoxian spoke with great sadness.

“This time, it was Lord Chen, from Chen Yuhe’s very mouth. This is really… Even if there is no evidence, the emperor has begun to believe it. Even if we are innocent, we cannot let this go without dragging people down with us.”

Seeing the fear on several people’s faces, Yin Zhaoxian continued to intensify his words.

“To be honest, the emperor still trusts me. Yesterday, I received a secret letter from the emperor, asking me which officials in Wan Province were corrupt, and ordering me to collect evidence. He will send an inspector to investigate later.”

At this point, Yin Zhaoxian took out the yellow silk scroll with the imperial seal printed on it from his sleeves, and the officials beside him bowed with cupped hands as if in conditioned reflex.

Yin Zhaoxian hurriedly stretched out his hand to stop them.

“Chen Yuhe is actually quite conscientious. He only said that 20% of the officials of Wan Province are corrupt. This time, the emperor was furious, so he asked me to find the people who made up that 20%…”

The more Yin Zhaoxian spoke, the quieter his voice became, and his eyes narrowed.

“There is a saying that goes, ‘strike first,’ and another that goes, ‘add insult to injury’! Ladies and gentlemen, I, Yin Zhaoxian, do not want to be a part of that 20%!”

The group of officials looked at the imperial seal on the yellow scroll, and then at each other with uncertain expressions.

Instead of trying to fight alone, it was better to divide them to fight amongst themselves.⁶ This was a strategy that Yin Qing had discussed privately with his father before leaving Wan Province.

In fact, Chen Yuhe only confessed about a few people in the prison of the Ministry of Justice, including Yin Zhaoxian himself. This was naturally not a large enough number. Even 20% was far too low of an estimate…

For the next two months, the entirety of Wan Province was shrouded in a cloud of darkness. Yin Zhaoxian used various overt and covert means to turn the initially united officials of Wan Province against each other in small groups, where everyone was insecure and hated each other.

As the year drew to a close, a large team of imperial inspectors arrived in Wan Province. At the same time, a group of experts dispatched from the imperial city secretly arrived at Lishun Prefecture to report to Yin Zhaoxian.

All parties launched their attacks at the beginning of the Chinese New Year, catching the officials, who thought they could escape the catastrophe and relax during the New Year, by surprise. Before the end of the first month, six out of ten officials in Wan Province were gone, and each county even needed to use deputy officials like their head secretary to step in for those roles. This incident went down in history as the “Bloody Silk Incident.”⁷

T/n: Yin Zhaoxian shows us the difference between book smarts and street smarts, and why he’s a fantastic politician with both. Man this guy is badass. JY has some great friends

JY: You know, Wan Province is not in the greatest state…

YZX: *frantically scribbling* Mhm

JY: It’s kinda corrupt. Maybe.

YZX: *scribbling intensifies*

JY: You gonna… You gonna do something about that?

YZX: Can I interest you in my five-step-plan to overthrowing the government?

1. T/n: JY! This is how misunderstandings are formed!
2. A japamala, jaap maala, or simply Japay mala (Sanskrit: माला; mālā, meaning ‘garland’) is a loop of prayer beads commonly used in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.
3. Think voodoo. Basically they’re taking out their anger on him in private
4. T/n: Remember how he was telling JY that he was accepting all the bribes and carefully keeping the receipts of each one? 😀
5. Calling someone a dog is an offensive insult
6. Lit. “drive the tigers and wolves to fight each other”
7. If officials were found guilty of treason or corrupt, one of the capital punishments was forced suicide, which was either done by drinking poison or by giving them a length of white silk to hang themselves, hence the “Silk.” “Bloody” also refers to the fact that it’s the Chinese New Year, with decorations emphasizing the color red, so not only is it bloody from death but also from the celebrations.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read