Chapter 399: Ten Thousand Against Me, A Spit

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"Zongheng" series by Fenghuo Xizhuhou

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To be known throughout the land, it was simple: impeach "The Butcher." To gain fame in the capital overnight, it was even simpler: curse the King of Northern Liang. Jin Lanting, who had ascended to the central government, was undoubtedly the best example. Outside the Imperial City's Zhao Family Urn, there were two archways. After court was dismissed, military officials entered Zhenwu, and civil officials entered Fuwen, all in orderly fashion, heading to their respective yamen to handle state affairs. However, they soon returned. Except for some high-ranking capital officials who remained undisturbed, ignoring the commotion on the central imperial thoroughfare, even large numbers of privileged scions turned their horses around, eager to witness the great spectacle unfolding.

First, dozens of Imperial College students blocked the path of the white-haired man carrying a saber. Then, hundreds, and eventually thousands, surged forward like fish crossing a river. Jin Lanting, who was to officially join the Imperial College only the next day, sat steadily in a carriage by the roadside, watching impassively. Huan Wen, who had already stepped down as Left Libationer, stood by the road, smiling, not intentionally obstructing the will of the scholars and common people. He merely offered a few mild, parental admonitions, like "a gentleman uses words, not force."

The Imperial College's buildings stretched continuously, unrivaled in scale between the Imperial City and the inner city; even the Six Ministries' yamen could not compete. Historically, when Imperial College students became agitated, it posed a severe headache for the court. As the court's own children, scolding them was useless. Many students were highly learned and eloquent, and hitting them hard was not only forbidden but also undesirable. The Imperial College had subtly surpassed the scholar group of Jiangnan Dao, becoming Liyang's foremost breeding ground for court officials.

Not just in the capital, but in the entire Liyang court, such an intriguing standoff had never occurred.

Thousands of Imperial College students gathered on the Imperial Thoroughfare, all future pillars of the nation, with the most outstanding among them destined to become the backbone of Liyang. Their numbers only increased, their formation growing stronger, dominating the field with an imposing aura. Many Libationers within the Imperial College's Tiance division found themselves unable to dissuade these proud students, who hailed from both noble and humble backgrounds. Moreover, their persuasion efforts were far from exhaustive; most were secretly pleased with the situation. Only due to their duty of supervising and teaching did they casually offer a word or two. A few informal Libationers, who enjoyed mingling with the students, even joked about buying snacks from a certain street in the capital when they had free time. The inaction of the Imperial College officials implicitly fueled the students' arrogance. Such a massive surge of scholarly fervor shook both the court and the public. Upon witnessing this, some old Western Chu remnants living near the Zhao Family Urn couldn't help but feel a mix of joy and sorrow, remarking wistfully that with the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn period now in the Zhao Urn, it was only right for Liyang to rule the world.

With one side commanding such power and influence, the other appeared increasingly isolated and unpopular.

Xu Fengnian, the Crown Prince of Northern Liang, stood on the world's central axis, taking the Northern Liang saber he had received from Xu Xiao. The blade remained sheathed, his hands resting on the hilt, as he stood propped by the saber.

He once defended Dunhuang alone with a single sword. Today, he stood alone with a saber on the Imperial Thoroughfare, single-handedly facing ten thousand people.

A small portion of the Imperial College had poured onto the Imperial Thoroughfare, densely packed. They had expected this spoiled scion, upon seeing their magnificent display, to be terrified and flee, but he unexpectedly stood his ground, showing stubborn defiance. Perfect, otherwise, they would have no opportunity to perform. They had heard from the Imperial College Libationers, returning from court, that this youth had dared to wear a saber into the imperial hall—utterly preposterous! They couldn't provoke the "Second Emperor" Xu Cripple, nor could they challenge Chen Zhibao, who had gained immense popularity after returning from Shu to the capital from Liyang. But were they afraid to teach a lesson to this unprincipled crown prince who shamelessly sought advancement? Today, if they couldn't drown him in their spittle, they would at least make him relinquish that notorious, blood-stained Northern Liang Saber!

A scholar stepped forward, his face indignant, and questioned, "I hear Northern Liang is spreading rumors that you killed Xu Huainan, the King of Beiyuan, by the Weak River, and Fifth He of Tibing Mountain in the Rouran Mountains. Do you dare swear to heaven that what's being said is true?!"

Xu Fengnian remained silent.

The scholar took three more steps forward, pressing his advantage, aiming for the critical point, and pressed on, "Never mind killing two people—when did you, Xu Fengnian, even go to Beiman? Can you tell us?"

For most present, it was their first time seeing the Crown Prince of Northern Liang in person. Had they not known his identity as the Butcher's eldest legitimate son, and had countless scholars from Northern Liang not traveled to the capital to denounce his outrageous actions, they might have, if encountering him casually, felt envious or secretly admired him as a dashing, handsome young man—for his appearance was indeed stunning. Especially dressed in the imperial five-clawed, nine-dragon prince's ceremonial robe, he truly possessed an extraordinary air. However, his misdeeds were countless and impossible to enumerate. When the late emperor passed away, Mount Qingliang was reportedly ablaze with lights and filled with revelry, known throughout the city. During his last trip to Jiangnan, he even had a highly learned and respected scholar dragged to death by a horse, and on Guangling Road, he ordered his retinue to slaughter people, causing rivers of blood. After reaching adulthood, he showed no restraint, lacking any warmth, kindness, humility, or frugality. All they heard was that chaste women committed suicide by jumping into wells daily at the Northern Liang Prince's Wutong Courtyard. They also heard that in recent years, even before his hereditary succession was confirmed, he had begun selling official positions and titles, weighing them by the "official hat" and then squandering vast sums in brothels for entertainment. How could such a decadent scion be qualified to wear a saber into the imperial hall? With wolves in power, where would the scholars of the realm stand?

The scholar, known in the Imperial College for his unbeatable prowess in debate, showed no fear at the white-haired man's posturing with his saber. He found it merely comical. "This is the Emperor's domain, the grand capital protected by the entire realm! How can we allow an empty-headed outsider like you to flaunt your authority here!" The scholar took three more heavy steps forward, his fearless intellectual demeanor captivating the crowd. The dense formation behind him advanced three steps in unison, with a dull thud. "Those warriors of the Spring and Autumn period, who only knew how to vie for power, caused the collapse of the Divine Land. We scholars shall restore the Divine Land to its Five Sacred Mountains!" The scholar felt the righteous indignation in his chest soaring to the heavens. He raised his arm, pointing directly at the silent man in white, and declared sternly, "Even the Qin Emperor, with the full might of the empire, was restrained by a common man. How can our Liyang follow in his footsteps?! The court has always shown Northern Liang great deference, but when has Northern Liang ever shown the court an inch of respect? Heaven curses villains by allowing them to succeed!"

The Northern Liang saber silently sank an inch into the ground. Xu Fengnian smiled faintly and said, "Such harsh judgments are not the way of a gentleman."

His voice was not loud, yet it was clearly heard across the entire Imperial Thoroughfare. A few discerning individuals immediately looked at him with new respect.

The scholar laughed scornfully, "For the words 'gentleman' to come from your mouth is truly the greatest joke under heaven! Xu Fengnian, since you refuse to answer my first two questions directly, I will ask you another: Do you wish to know the countless crimes you have committed in Northern Liang over the years?"

As expected, the nearly ten thousand Imperial College students saw him rendered speechless, utterly unwilling to respond, and certainly lacking the courage to refute.

Jin Lanting lifted the carriage curtain, a cold sneer on his lips. "Times have changed, and you, Xu Fengnian, have your day today! You made me suffer such humiliation in Northern Liang back then; you deserve to be reviled and scorned by ten thousand people today! Once I enter the Imperial College, I will ensure that you, Xu Fengnian, and your father, Xu Xiao, both become infamous in historical records, leaving a stench for a thousand years! When I, Jin Sanlang, eventually have disciples throughout the court and countryside like Grand Secretary Zhang, I will then compile history, and you two will certainly be recorded as treacherous villains!"

Old Master Huan Wen, being short, had to pick a stone stool to stand on, craning his neck to look. No one thought the old man was gloating; rather, they found Libationer Huan to be as witty and wise as ever. Even freshmen at the Imperial College held the Crown Prince of Northern Liang in utter contempt, feeling themselves superior. Why should the forthright Elder Huan Wen care? Yet, seeing Old Master Huan chatting and laughing, outsiders couldn't guess the true thoughts of this old man, who remained strong and resilient in officialdom.

The Northern Liang saber had already sunk three inches into the ground, Xu Fengnian's hands merely resting lightly on the hilt.

The scholar, as if divinely aided, though still a mere student without official status, possessed an astonishing presence. He continued forward, now less than a hundred paces from the Crown Prince of Northern Liang. Just as he was about to recite more sagely teachings and moral pronouncements, the white-haired prince, who had been feigning deafness and muteness, unexpectedly spoke first: "Some nails one fears are not driven deep enough; others one fears will never be pulled out."

Many Imperial College students were clever people skilled in subtle language; they instantly understood this was a jab at the court for abandoning Northern Liang after using it, like "slaughtering the donkey after it grinds the mill." Xu Fengnian continued calmly, "All I know is that throughout the years of conflict, over 300,000 soldiers under Xu Xiao died on the battlefield. During the Jiahe era's campaign against Beiman, another 100,000-plus died wrapped in horsehide. In the ten years that followed, over 80,000 more died. You may curse me, Xu Fengnian, as talentless, immoral, unprincipled, and ambitionless—that's fine. But have you ever remembered where these five hundred thousand people are buried? Tens of thousands of scholars in the Imperial College, year-round, write beautiful essays praising peace. Have you ever written a single eulogy for those five hundred thousand people?"

The scholar, his face flushed with anger, retorted, "Five hundred thousand people sacrificed themselves for the nation. Their deaths were fitting. What does that have to do with you, Xu Fengnian?"

Xu Fengnian replied calmly, "I will guard the northwest for the Central Plains, ensuring that the three Northern Liang prefectures and beyond suffer no harm from Beiman's million iron cavalry."

The scholar was about to raise another objection, but Xu Fengnian had already gently drawn the Northern Liang saber.

He gathered power for a single saber strike from the indignation of ten thousand.

In an instant, the Imperial Thoroughfare was ripped open for two hundred zhang.

In the middle of the Imperial Thoroughfare, people and horses were thrown into chaos, creating a boisterous scene. Many Imperial College students struggled awkwardly to climb out of the chasm, their curses erupting.

Xu Fengnian re-sheathed the Northern Liang saber and slowly walked along the edge of the chasm he had just created with his "intent-forged" saber strike.

As he passed the trembling scholar, Xu Fengnian did not avert his gaze, merely smiled faintly and said, "Whether I killed Fifth He or not, you can ask him yourself when you die."

The scholar's lips turned bluish-purple, and he slumped to the ground.

Inside the carriage, Jin Lanting thought he saw the Crown Prince of Northern Liang glance at him with cold eyes. He trembled, his wrist shaking, and the curtain fell.

The Right Libationer of the Imperial College, his face pale, blustered with inner trepidation, "Xu Fengnian, my achievements today have nothing to do with you! Don't you dare act so arrogantly just because of your strength!"

Standing on the stone stool, Huan Wen rubbed his cheeks and murmured, "'Though ten thousand block my way, I shall go forth.' Not a scholar out-scholaring a scholar. What a fine statement—to guard the northwest, purely to defend the nation's gates for the common people."

Effortlessly and unimpeded, the white-robed, white-haired man walked through the ten thousand Imperial College students and approached his carriage. This Crown Prince of Northern Liang, who once bowed deeply and refused to rise for six hundred old Northern Liang soldiers, now, under the gaze of all, turned to face the previously spirited ten thousand Imperial College students and spat forcefully.

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