Chapter 248: Blood Silk

Ji Yuan couldn't help but chuckle when he heard the old dragon's description of a "bald spy."

"Although I spoke gravely, Master Huitong truly has genuine abilities. His Buddhist dharma is profound, and with merit protecting him, he is destined to turn misfortune into good fortune."

Fortune, being inherently unpredictable, fluctuates and can seem quite mysterious. Even cultivators cannot fully grasp it. However, there's a belief that merit can enhance one's luck, especially pure merit untainted by excessive desires. Ji Yuan was very willing to believe this.

Monk Huitong possessed an aura of merit, and it was relatively pure. Most of it came from his sincere participation in various Buddhist ceremonies, praying for blessings and averting disasters. He also performed deeds of salvation for wronged spirits and malevolent ghosts, either through Buddhist scriptures or by employing the techniques of the Wisdom Kings to subdue demons. In any case, they were saved.

Therefore, Ji Yuan believed that the monk's fortune wouldn't be too bad. As long as his mental fortitude was sufficient and he wasn't too impulsive, things would be fine. This point also greatly reassured him.

As Ji Yuan's thoughts seemed to drift with the wind over Mount Tingqiu, the old dragon beside him gazed at the mountain's contours, then at his friend.

"Mr. Ji, I hear you possess a wondrous sword art called 'Heaven's Collapse.' Legend has it that once unleashed, this art wields the power to tilt the heavens and sink the earth. Without the resolve to defy the sky itself, one would be powerless against its might..."

The old dragon paused here before continuing.

"Now that we've returned to Mount Tingqiu today, might this old man have the honor of witnessing it, Mr. Ji?"

Ji Yuan's eyelids twitched twice. Was the old dragon suggesting a spar? This was no laughing matter!

"It's nothing profound, just a trick to scare people," Ji Yuan replied. "Elder Ying shouldn't take rumors too seriously. It's merely meant to deter outsiders from casually entering Dazhen. Oh, speaking of which, there's a local liquor in Tingshui County, Jinzhou, called 'Dao Shao.' It tastes quite good; last time I drank it, I slept for half a year, and I still crave it. We should go buy some."

With a self-deprecating, teasing smile, Ji Yuan said a few more words before turning to step onto a cloud and depart, directly rejecting the old dragon's request to witness the sword art through his actions.

Seeing that Ji Yuan had already left, the old dragon reluctantly followed. Such matters couldn't be forced upon others. In his impression, Ji Yuan was carefree yet also a serious person. He decided to abandon the idea for now.

The sword art was rumored to be incredibly mysterious, and the old dragon was already quite interested. Especially after meeting the mountain god of Mount Tingqiu today and realizing this god was no ordinary being, he became even more curious about the immense power of the so-called "sword that collapses the heavens" and whether he could withstand it.

It was a pity that when he'd just offered to witness it, Ji Yuan had dismissed it with a few self-deprecating remarks and changed the subject. This left the old dragon feeling regretful yet also wondering if the sword art's power was simply too immense to be conveniently displayed in Jinzhou at the moment.

Meanwhile, about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, a cloud of dust rose at the foot of a mountain north of Mount Tingqiu, after some earth had shifted.

When the dust settled, Monk Huitong and the mountain god of Mount Tingqiu were revealed behind it.

The mountain god pointed towards a distant mountain stream and a village with rising smoke.

"Master, we have entered the Kingdom of Tingliang. This is Nanyue Prefecture. Continuing north will bring you to the central heartland of Tingliang."

"Praise be to the Great Buddha of Light! Many thanks to you, Lord Mountain God, for seeing me off. This humble monk shall now depart!"

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

"Master, wait!"

Hearing the mountain god call out from behind, Monk Huitong turned back, looking at the god with confusion. He saw the mountain god extend his right hand, palm open, revealing a small, orange-yellow stone.

"May I examine your rosary beads, Master?"

Is he going to give me something?

Monk Huitong pondered for a moment, then took off the string of prayer beads from his neck and handed them over.

The mountain god took the prayer beads with his left hand. With a quick clench and open of his right palm, the small yellow stone in his hand became perfectly round. Then, he pressed his thumb against one of the beads on the string.

A "clink" sound.

That bead fell from the string, bounced once on the ground, and was caught by the mountain god. He then returned the prayer beads, now with a replaced bead, along with the detached bead, to Monk Huitong.

"Master, this is an Earth-element Stone, also known as a Mountain God Stone or Earth Lord Stone. Holding it can significantly aid in using Earth Evasion Talismans. If you crush it, it will release a rich earth spiritual energy, which can easily attract a local earth deity or mountain god. Offering this earth essence to them might persuade them to help you."

"A Mountain God Stone? Many thanks for this gift, Mount Tingqiu Mountain God!"

Monk Huitong sincerely bowed once more before taking back the prayer beads and placing them around his neck, carefully putting away the detached bead at the same time.

"Very well, Master, please take care. I, Hong, shall take my leave!"

Seeing that the monk was ready, the mountain god cupped his hands in a gesture of farewell and sank directly into the ground, disappearing from sight.

Watching the direction where the mountain god disappeared, the monk sighed.

"Alas... even the mountain god is giving me a treasure. I hope this monk can truly turn misfortune into good fortune!"

"Cling-a-ling-ling..."

The copper rings on his staff jingled as the monk adjusted his bamboo hat and walked out of the mountains, heading first towards the village.

On the tenth day of the ninth month, just one day after the Double Ninth Festival, while Emperor Yuande seemingly continued to discuss alchemy with the imperial Daoist masters, an incident of considerable impact occurred within the court.

Chen Yuhe, the newly appointed Right Vice Minister of the Board of Rites, angered the Emperor due to his arrogance stemming from imperial favor and was directly thrown into the Ministry of Justice's imperial prison.

Suddenly, Chen Yuhe, who had only recently been promoted from the position of Wan Prefecture Governor and was once a rising star in the court with prospects of becoming a prime minister, became a criminal. Although the Emperor had not yet stripped him of his official rank, everyone in the court and beyond knew that the Emperor's suspicions were growing daily and his moods were unpredictable, making him very dangerous. Several admonishing officials had been executed in recent years.

Soon after, rumors circulated that Chen Yuhe, in his fear within the imperial prison, had revealed some secrets concerning Wan Prefecture. Far from reducing his punishment, this only enraged the Emperor further, leading to his direct dismissal from all official posts and removal from the Secretariat.

This not only led to widespread discussion and speculation throughout the court and the public, but when the news reached Wan Prefecture, countless officials there became uneasy and restless, unable to sleep. Chen Yuhe, furthermore, was undoubtedly cursed privately countless times and had effigies stabbed innumerable times.

On the night of the twelfth day of the tenth month, in the backyard of Lishun Prefecture's yamen in Wan Prefecture.

Yin Zhaoxian was walking back and forth, playing with his child in his arms, while his wife sat on the bed, gently watching her husband and child.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"My Lord, the Prefect of Yunbo Prefecture is here to visit. Will you see him?"

After the knock, the voice of one of Yin Zhaoxian's trusted aides was heard.

Yin Zhaoxian handed the child to his wife.

"Wife, please take good care of the child. I'm going to meet Lord Zhao."

"Understood!"

Yin Zhaoxian nodded, then turned and walked directly to open the door, revealing his confident smile to his aide.

"Come, let's go meet Lord Zhao."

As soon as something happened with Chen Yuhe in the capital, the news that followed was highly sensitive. It immediately made officials big and small in Wan Prefecture, especially those habitually corrupt, lose their appetite. After much deliberation, many dispatched trusted confidantes with secret letters to the court to inquire about the situation through their connections.

With most of the secret letters sent to the court sinking like stones, and the few replies being vague, many officials thought of Yin Zhaoxian, who was deeply favored by the Emperor.

As a Triple Laureate who had topped the examinations three times in a row, he was highly regarded by the Emperor and seen as a future prime minister. During this time, he had also received many benefits from Wan Prefecture, and its officials considered themselves familiar with Governor Yin.

However, Yin Zhaoxian had previously avoided meeting them. Now that the Prefect of Wan Prefecture's capital had stealthily arrived, it was almost time.

Inside the reception hall, there was actually more than just the Prefect of Yunbo Prefecture. Several other officials had "coincidentally" come to visit, including some county magistrates from Lishun Prefecture and a few officials from Yunbo Prefecture.

The sound of Yin Zhaoxian's hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor, invigorating those in the reception hall. They all remarked, "Lord Zhao still holds great influence."

"Lord Zhao, I apologize for the wait. I was just attending to my wife and child... Oh, are all of you gentlemen here as well?"

Yin Zhaoxian's words accompanied his entrance, as if he had only just noticed the number of people in the hall.

"Greetings, Lord Yin!" "Lord Yin, you're finally here!"

The officials all rose and bowed.

Yin Zhaoxian appeared to frown in a difficult manner, seemingly only intending to meet Prefect Zhao alone. But finally, he sighed and sat down.

"Yiqiu, have men guard the perimeter of the hall. No servants from the yamen are to approach!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

Seeing Yin Zhaoxian's subordinate leave with such an order, everyone except Prefect Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and felt a sense of anticipation.

Several oil lamps, covered by shades, brightly illuminated the hall. Yin Zhaoxian and Prefect Zhao took the seats of honor.

Yin Zhaoxian looked at the anxious or expectant expressions of the gathered officials and spoke.

"I also have some connections in court. What happened with Lord Chen in the capital... it's quite bad. Although it can be said to be his side of the story, he has revealed a lot, both what he should have and what he shouldn't have..."

"That beast, Chen Yuhe, with a wolf's heart and a dog's guts!" "That damned fellow, he ate the most, and in the end, he sold us out!"

"Despicable!"

"Gentlemen, please calm down. As I said, this is merely Lord Chen's testimony."

"Oh, come on, Lord Yin, at a time like this, you're still calling that beast Chen Yuhe 'Lord'?"

"Indeed, Lord Yin values loyalty and righteousness, but one shouldn't bestow such sentiment upon the wrong dog!"

Several officials on the side couldn't hold back, and neither could Prefect Zhao.

Yin Zhaoxian sighed outwardly, but inwardly, he scoffed. His loyalty was not something he gave lightly.

"Gentlemen, in the past, when imperial inspectors came to Wan Prefecture, apart from receiving benefits, they couldn't actually uncover much. Even if they had suspicions, there was no evidence, and with people in court speaking on our behalf, usually nothing came of it. But this time..."

Yin Zhaoxian said with profound anguish.

"This time, it was Lord Chen—it was Chen Yuhe who spoke out. This is truly... even if there's no solid evidence, we can't stop the Emperor from believing it. Even if we are all completely innocent, if some people aren't dragged down, this won't end well."

Seeing the fear on their faces, Yin Zhaoxian pressed on.

"To be frank, the Emperor still trusts me. Just yesterday, I received a secret letter from His Majesty, asking me to identify which officials in Wan Prefecture are corrupt and ordering me to gather evidence. Imperial inspectors will be dispatched afterward."

As he spoke, Yin Zhaoxian took out a yellow silk scroll bearing the imperial seal from his robe. The officials beside him instinctively bowed in reverence.

Yin Zhaoxian quickly extended a hand to stop them.

"Chen Yuhe actually had some conscience; he only claimed that twenty percent of Wan Prefecture's officials were corrupt. This time, the Emperor is furious and essentially tasked me with finding people to fill those twenty percent of vacancies..."

Yin Zhaoxian's voice grew softer as he spoke, and he narrowed his eyes.

"There's a saying, 'He who strikes first gains the advantage,' and another, 'Kick a man when he's down!' Gentlemen, I, Yin Zhaoxian, do not wish to be among those twenty percent of officials!"

The group of officials looked at the imperial seal impression on the yellow silk, their expressions changing uncertainly as they exchanged glances.

Rather than expending all their effort fighting alone, it would be better to 'drive tigers to devour wolves' and make them fight each other. This was a strategy Yin Qing had discussed privately with his father before leaving Wan Prefecture.

In truth, Chen Yuhe had only implicated a handful of people in the Ministry of Justice's prison, including Yin Zhaoxian himself. This was naturally insufficient; even twenty percent would be far from enough...

For the next two months, the entire Wan Prefecture was shrouded in a dark cloud. The officials of the Wan Prefecture faction, once united, were fragmented by Yin Zhaoxian using various overt and covert methods, forming small groups where everyone feared for themselves and harbored animosity towards each other.

As the year drew to a close, a formidable team of imperial inspectors arrived in Wan Prefecture. Simultaneously, a group of masters dispatched from the imperial city secretly arrived in Lishun Prefecture and reported to Yin Zhaoxian.

All parties launched their offensive during the New Year period, catching off guard the officials who had thought they could breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate the festivities unscathed. Before the end of the first lunar month, six out of ten officials in Wan Prefecture's bureaucracy were dismissed, and in some counties, even the chief clerks and other subordinates had to assume their duties. This event became known in history as the "Case of the Blood-Stained Silk."