Chapter 570: Mr.'s Face

Hongwu Emperor Yang Hao wasn't entirely ignorant of the meaning of "Heaven's Mandate." With his background in historical studies, and considering that the successive directors of the Directorate of Astronomy were not mere ornaments, he understood that "Heaven's Mandate" could be colloquially referred to as "Heaven's Will." Even literally, the weight of these words was clear. There was an old saying, "as difficult as ascending to heaven," and if ascending to heaven represented the ultimate challenge, then defying Heaven's Will required no further elaboration.

If Du Changsheng had left saying he would pay a heavy price, or that he should be able to handle it, the impact on Hongwu Emperor Yang Hao wouldn't have been so strong. However, the simple phrase, "Your humble servant does not know," deeply moved Yang Hao.

Based on previous understanding and his conduct at the Directorate of Astronomy, Celestial Master Du had always shown respect for imperial authority. Compared to the old beggar who years ago calmly offered to take his imperial father as a disciple in the Golden Hall, Celestial Master Du was vastly different. Yet, such a man had just left a message and departed without delay. Was he no longer afraid of imperial power, or perhaps he felt there was no longer a need to fear it?

Yang Hao stood before his throne for a while, then gestured to one side. The old eunuch nearby quickly approached.

"What are Your Majesty's orders?"

"Pass down my command: provide full cooperation for anything Celestial Master Du requires."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

After receiving the order, the old eunuch quickly walked to the door of the imperial study. He relayed the command to the eunuchs outside before returning to find Yang Hao already seated, rubbing his temples.

If Yin Zhaoxian could truly recover, it would certainly be more beneficial than detrimental. Yang Hao felt that as long as Yin Zhaoxian was in office, he could maintain the balance within the court. However, if he were to retire, the situation would be uncertain, as Yang Sheng, though a capable crown prince, was still too young.

Yang Hao was well aware that the underlying, irreconcilable tension within the court over the past few years, ostensibly initiated by the old guard officials, had in fact reached a point where they had no choice but to act.

Over the years, the Yin family had advanced step by step, gradually dismantling some deeply entrenched old clans. They reformed the imperial examination system, raised the threshold for recommendations, widely established schools to increase opportunities for those from humble backgrounds, and promoted talented officials without influential connections. Simultaneously, they reformed the official evaluation and promotion system. Bit by bit, imperceptibly, like boiling a frog slowly, they had reached the current situation.

After some factions of old officials suddenly became aware and realized the seriousness of the problem, they faced a choice: either admit that some of their inherent interests would be completely relinquished in the future, becoming public interests or private interests of the Yin family, or contend with the Yin family.

As emperor, he supported the Yin family to a certain extent. However, when everything caused drastic changes, especially when some rumors made Yang Hao somewhat concerned, he chose to observe. This was interpreted as a signal by officials from other factions. At the height of the clash, Yin Zhaoxian's serious illness was like a splash of cold water. The fires on both sides were extinguished; one side grieved, while the other dared not make rash moves. As Yin Zhaoxian's condition worsened, this feeling became even more pronounced. If Yin Zhaoxian were to pass away, victory would naturally follow.

Everyone could see this clearly, including Yang Sheng, the Crown Prince of Dazhen. For him, there was even a painful feeling that his teacher had been abandoned by his imperial father.

Yang Hao sat on his chair, pondering all that had happened over the years. Dazhen's national power was visibly growing day by day, and his reputation as an enlightened ruler was closely linked to this. Looking back at history, many dynasties flourished only to decline. After hearing Du Changsheng's words, he suddenly feared that he was at such a critical juncture.

Yang Hao, who had been full of confidence his entire life, now murmured to himself, feeling a sense of trepidation and indecision.

"My esteemed Minister Yin has often said that Dazhen's prosperity has just begun," he murmured. "If Minister Yin were well, this path should still be viable, shouldn't it?"

With the speed of the Azure Vine Sword's flight, traversing several prefectures by harnessing the fierce wind was as simple as eating and drinking for an ordinary person. Soon, it reached Chunhui Prefecture in Jizhou, where the Chunmu River below flowed mightily.

As night fell, the Azure Vine Sword's light flashed, breaking through the clouds. Upon arrival, the little paper crane loosened its wings, detached from the Azure Vine Sword's hilt, and flew down from above, heading straight for the Chunmu River.

Although the weather hadn't completely warmed up yet, the Chunmu River was already bustling with pleasure boats. Boats of varying sizes, colors, and designs came and went, with laughter and romantic sentiments filling the air everywhere. After circling a few times, the little paper crane, holding the rolled paper strip, felt a natural pull. This prompted the paper crane, momentarily distracted by observing the boats, to immediately perk up and dive into the river in one direction.

The sword intent of the Azure Vine Sword's innate spirit and the sword energy of its body were both too powerful. Transmitting divine messages wasn't suitable for everyone; while it worked for the old dragon in Hengzhou of the Northern Territory back then, it wasn't quite suitable for the old turtle this time, as it might inadvertently overwhelm him with the sword intent. The little paper crane was the most suitable messenger.

Beneath the river's waves, the little paper crane, enveloped in a tightly adhering air membrane, flapped its wings, moving swifter than any fish underwater.

A large fish swam over, seeing this strange white "fish" darting through the water. It accelerated, attempting to bite the little paper crane. But with a flap of the paper crane's small wings, the fish tumbled over several times with a "splash," then simply fainted, floating to the surface belly-up.

A small boat happened to pass by, and the people aboard were delighted to see a fish floating.

"Oh, such a big fish?"

"Hey, it really is! So big! Is it freshly dead?"

"Scoop it up, scoop it up! We can add a dish tonight!"

The boatman slowed the boat, rolled up his sleeves, and reached to scoop it up. Just as his hands grabbed the fish, it came to and began to struggle, splashing wildly.

"Oh, it's alive! Quick, lend a hand, lend a hand!"

"Hahahaha... Such a big, living Chunmu River bighead carp! It's worth a lot at the market. We'll have a feast tonight!"

The little paper crane looked back from underwater toward the surface. Through the shimmering, blurred water, it could vaguely discern the joy of the people on the small boat above. After a quick glance, it shot straight towards a certain spot in the middle of the river.

In the section of the Chunmu River near Chunhui Prefecture city, there was a peculiar large black stone at the bottom of the river. The little paper crane paddled through the water, swimming all the way to this large black stone. It lightly pecked the stone surface a few times with its beak, seemingly gentle but producing a "thud, thud, thud..." sound.

The next moment, the riverbed stirred, and a giant serpent-like dark shadow rose from beneath the black stone. It slowly turned its head to look behind, seeing a small paper bird perched there. It turned out that this large black stone was actually the back of a giant turtle.

'A bird? A paper bird?'

Wu Chong had never seen the little paper crane before, and was very surprised to see a paper bird appear on the riverbed, especially on his own back. However, this paper bird gave him a faint feeling of closeness. In the old turtle's view, the paper bird swam a few times and landed on his head. Then, with another gentle peck, Ji Yuan's divine message was conveyed. It took the old turtle a long time to digest the information.

"So, it's a message from Mr. Ji Yuan! I, this old turtle, shall depart at once!"

As the words, rising with bubbles, just settled, a paper strip slid from the little paper crane and landed before the old turtle. If common people on land needed a travel permit for long journeys, then a demon like the old turtle, who had cultivated for many years, would need either to hide himself well or possess something similar to a travel permit to pass through to the Capital Prefecture. The paper strip left by Ji Yuan served a similar purpose.

Hearing the old turtle's words, the little paper crane immediately flapped its wings and departed. It swam towards the river surface, burst out, and flew directly into the high sky. By the time the old turtle slowly surfaced and looked up at the sky with his eyes just above the water, he could only see a flash of light high above, unable to discern where the paper crane had gone.

Since Mr. Ji Yuan had asked him to go to the Capital Prefecture, and although no specific time was given, Wu Chong naturally wanted to arrive as quickly as possible. Without further delay, he returned to the middle of the river, picked up the "Thousand-Day Spring" which was held down by an altar at the riverbed. Then he quickly swam along the Chunmu River, controlling the water. On the way, he met the large green fish that roamed everywhere, just as he expected. After Wu Chong asked it to convey a message to the River God, he directly swam into a tributary of the Chunmu River, heading southwest.

He would swim during the day and perhaps travel rapidly on land at night. Whenever a water god or a ghost deity stopped him for inspection, the old turtle would produce the decree. Just as the eight characters on the paper strip stated: "By Ji Yuan's Imperial Decree, pass with this." Upon a brief calculation, the deities could naturally sense Ji Yuan's divine will and discern the authenticity of the decree.

Ji Yuan's name, perhaps not universally known elsewhere, resonated profoundly within Dazhen, whether in water or on land, among spirits and earthly deities. He was considered a true legendary master, and everyone would show him some deference. Holding this decree, the old turtle traveled smoothly without hindrance; in most cases, he was even escorted by ghost deities, which gave him an even clearer understanding of Mr. Ji Yuan's influence.

On the night of the third day, at the border of Chensu Prefecture in Youzhou, which was separated from the Capital Prefecture by a river, an old turtle was rapidly crawling on the ground. A stream of water accompanied his feet, making his speed as swift as a galloping horse. Ahead of him were two ghostly figures, the two Night Roaming Deities of Chensu Prefecture.

Nearing the riverbank, the Night Roaming Deities stopped, bowing to the old turtle from left and right.

"Sir Wu, ahead is the Tongtian River, Dazhen's largest river and the residence of the Dragon Lord. We cannot escort you further. Please take care on your journey, Sir Wu!"

The old turtle stood upright and respectfully returned the bow, saying,

"Thank you, two Night Patrolling Envoys, for the escort. I shall proceed on my own. Please convey my regards to Lord City God and the deities of the various ministries."

"Understood. And please, Sir Wu, convey our regards to Mr. Ji Yuan as well."

"Certainly!" "Certainly!"

With that, the two parties parted ways, and the old turtle, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension, slid into the Tongtian River. Although the divine message conveyed by the little paper crane indicated that Mr. Ji Yuan's message was to travel via the main routes of each prefecture, ensuring unhindered passage, and that the final destination wasn't truly inside the Capital Prefecture city but rather to wait in the Tongtian River first.

However, since a true dragon resided in the Tongtian River, Wu Chong, who was unaware of Ji Yuan's relationship with the old dragon, was concerned whether deference would be shown to Mr. Ji Yuan there.

Indeed, the old turtle's concern was not unfounded. He had barely swum for a moment after entering the water when he was discovered by patrolling yakshas. Two yakshas rapidly approached, extending their steel tridents to block the old turtle.

"What kind of water creatures are you? Why have you come to our Tongtian River?"

The old turtle quickly bowed.

"My name is Wu Chong, an old turtle who cultivates in the Chunmu River. I have come to the Tongtian River on Mr. Ji Yuan's command. I have his decree here."

As he spoke, the old turtle carefully spat out the paper strip and then unfolded it.

"By Ji Yuan's Imperial Decree, pass with this..."

One yaksha reached out to touch the decree, and the characters on the paper strip shimmered with light.

"It truly is Mr. Ji Yuan!"

The two yakshas quickly stepped back, holding their steel tridents, and bowed to the old turtle.

"We apologize for our offense, and hope you will forgive us. Where in the river do you, Fellow Daoist Wu, intend to go? We can escort you to a suitable section."

"Um, Mr. Ji Yuan said to wait in the river outside the capital city."

The yaksha nodded. One led the old turtle to a suitable section of the river, while the other quickly swam back to the water mansion.