Chapter 270: I’m Here To Take Charge
“Without their own territory, no matter how powerful the Tiger Guards are, they are just a band of roving bandits. Fortunately, the Tiger Guards people have no brains and are obedient. No matter how bad the situation gets, they don’t run. If they had brains, they would have run away long ago.”
Feng An’s words apply to Great Han Territory, but absolutely do not apply to the ancestral land. Right there in the ancestral land, there is such an army that fought ten thousand li without being crushed or worn down; instead, it grew stronger with every battle.
No one stuck a needle in their brains, nor did that dragon come out to use Dragon Might to extinguish their minds. They are all living, breathing people who, with the strongest will, overcame every setback, hardship, and difficulty an army could encounter, ultimately becoming the sharpest military knife in the world.
Precisely because he knew of such an army, Yun Ce looked down on the Great Han armies. He even refused to select soldiers from them, preferring to train his own.
The people of the Great Han lack the spiritual foundation to produce such an army.
Yun Ce had seen armies composed of slaves, armies composed of free men, and even armies composed of artisan groups.
As a result, he saw many essences of armies in these forces, but unfortunately, he never saw the uplifting spirit he wanted. Without that spirit, Yun Ce did not want the army.
With the whole family gone to Chang’an, Yun Ce found staying at the mountain villa boring. Plus, with Feng An’s urging, Yun Ce left the mountain villa and set off on the journey to Xinping Prefecture.
Xinping Prefecture is right on the edge of Yongzhou. Xinping and Yongzhou have been closely interdependent since ancient times.
Since the Yellow Emperor divided the Nine Prefectures, Yongzhou was one of them, and Xinping Prefecture was the first prefecture pacified when Yongzhou expanded outward.
1 It’s hard to say that lending He Tian a city in Xinping Prefecture has nothing to do with Yongzhou.
1 This time, Yun Ce was going to Liang City, that is, to see if there was any cheap opportunity to exploit from He Tian. If not, he planned to pass through Xinping Prefecture and Yongzhou to Chang’an to take a look. After all, at present, the most important people to him were all in Chang’an.
1 The He Clan was able to keep the secret of controlling the Tiger Guards for three generations, which must mean there are some thresholds that ordinary people find hard to surpass. Otherwise, in the past century or so, it wouldn’t be that only the He Clan has Tiger Guards while others do not.
1 This time, Yun Ce traveled along the Great Wall, heading west all the way. When he reached the western end of the Great Wall, Xinping Prefecture was there.
1 The Great Wall today is very different from the Great Wall under Zhao Shu’s rule. The passes along the way are full of vitality, especially with commerce being the most developed. No matter what, in that autumn past, the output from the vast region north of the Great Wall was still very astonishing.
1 As long as slaves were sent out during the day and gathered back at night, not only the slaves returned, but also the large amounts of food and materials they gathered.
1 Now it was already the end of the year, with snow covering everything north of the Great Wall, while south of the Great Wall it was already warm and sunny. The Great Wall precisely divided the world into two parts.
1 Such precise division of weather could only be achieved by Shehuo.
1 One man and one horse did not take the warm and sunny south of the Great Wall, but galloped north of the Great Wall in the ice and snow. Mainly, the red date horse disliked walking on good roads. Ever since it clashed with that black feathered eagle, it now ran with jumps, who knows what was up with it.
1 When the red date horse once again leaped over a mountain gully, Yun Ce finally pulled the reins and patted the red date horse’s long face, saying: “Can we walk properly now? That black feathered eagle can fly high but just doesn’t want to fly up high. Can’t you see it’s just teasing you?”
2 The red date horse naturally did not answer, but stubbornly snorted and continued bouncing forward. After running a hundred or so li, Yun Ce finally figured it out: the red date horse thought it was a bird and could fly.
2 Compared to Yun Ce’s arduous journey, E Ji and Zhang Min’s journey was downright luxurious.
2 They thought riding an albatross would mean being blown by the wind, so not only did E Ji and Zhang Min dress thickly, they also kept the child tucked in their bosoms, close to the skin to sense the child’s condition at any time.
2 After boarding the albatross, they discovered it carried a small house on its back. The house was not big, able to seat at most two people, firmly strapped to the albatross’s back. Once inside, it was warm as spring.
2 From Yun Clan Villa to Chang’an was over three thousand four hundred li. The albatross departed in the morning and landed in Chang’an before evening.
2 When getting off the albatross, E Ji held the child and looked at the giant bird for a long time.
2 “Lei Ming, did you see? Get a few for home in the future.”
2 Lei Ming supported E Ji as they both looked at the massive albatross. He firmly said: “I will find a way.”
2 E Ji freed one hand and pinched Lei Ming’s cheek, saying: “That’s right. Yun Clan men should be like this. Back in the day, your lord and I had nothing. Your lord even had to peel tree bark to make money. Later, he realized that no matter how diligent he was, it wouldn’t give me a good life, so he changed his approach. As a result, our family soon became prosperous.
2 Let me tell you, for us Yun Clan, making money isn’t even a skill. Making money without capital is the real skill.”
3 Wu Tong, walking at the front, heard E Ji’s profound words and couldn’t help pausing his steps. Then he heard Lei Ming affirmatively say: “Naturally. The lord says that all things in heaven and earth exist to serve man. Since we are men, taking the natural resources is only right. Rest assured, madam, I will get you some albatrosses for transport.”
3 Wu Tong looked at Lei Ming and seriously said: “Not these ones here; they all have owners.”
3 Lei Ming grinned and said: “I’ll find ownerless albatrosses.”
3 Wu Tong shook his head and continued leading them to a row of horse carriages. He boarded the first one, and once everyone was on the carriages, they headed straight to the Great Han Imperial Palace.
3 Zhang Min, sharing the carriage with E Ji, said to her: “You did that on purpose, right?”
3 E Ji nodded and said: “Naughty children get more attention from parents. Quiet, obedient children get much less. I think Lei Ming this child needs the High Priest to pay more attention.”
3 Zhang Min puzzledly said: “I don’t know what you’re thinking, actually encouraging Lei Ming to cause trouble here?”
3 E Ji said: “The High Priest will handle it. All these years, the High Priest has lived a quiet life. Now that he wants us here, he needs to know that descendants aren’t easy to get; they require a lot of time and care.
3 Zhang Min, let me tell you, when we meet the High Priest in a bit, don’t act like you’re worthless. Our husband is the legitimate heir of the King of Changsha, not some mud doll picked up from the dirt.”
3 Zhang Min finished changing Yun Tui’s diaper, rewrapped him, and tucked him back in her bosom, saying: “We can’t act too barbaric either, right?”
4 E Ji said grandly: “Follow my lead in a bit.”
4 The horse carriage arrived at the foot of Imperial Palace Mountain. From here, there were countless steps to climb. Just as Lei Ming and the group of children were figuring out how to carry E Ji and Zhang Min up, a group of women in palace attire and two handsome young men came down from the high steps.
4 Walking in the very middle was a tall woman veiled in a face covering. E Ji kept staring at the woman, and after a while, she directly called out: “Heng Ji?”
4 The woman stopped and looked at E Ji and Zhang Min below the steps without speaking. A palace-attired woman quickly whispered something in her ear, and she removed her veil, saying to E Ji: “Wife of the Heir of the King of Changsha?”
4 E Ji stepped forward and said: “That’s right. I think you should return the two Taoist attendants Ming Yue and Qing Feng to the High Priest. Leaving without notice makes one a thief. You should know that saying, right.”
4 Heng Ji said expressionlessly: “This shouldn’t concern you, should it?”
4 E Ji angrily said: “The High Priest has no family. I am now the mistress of Changsha King’s Mansion. You take my family’s things, and I can’t even ask about it?”
4 After speaking, she shouted at the ethereal Qing Feng and Ming Yue: “I’m giving you one opportunity now: immediately, at once, return to the king’s mansion. Otherwise, there will be no chance later.”
4 Qing Feng and Ming Yue showed no reaction to E Ji’s words, still standing behind the group of palace-attired women, like two wooden statues.
4 E Ji was not angry that they ignored her, but looked at Qing Feng and Ming Yue with regretful gaze and said: “My husband should have killed both of you last time.
5 It was just a moment of mercy that left you with no way back.
5 Forget it. Since you like being Gui Fang people, I have no choice. From today, you two are expelled from Changsha King’s Mansion, never to return.”
5 Heng Ji calmly watched E Ji put on her solo performance. When she finished, just as Heng Ji was about to speak, a sharp shout came from the sky—Scram!
5 This one word sounded ordinary to E Ji, but to Heng Ji and the others, it was like thunder. Their bodies shook, and they actually rolled down from the high steps.
5 E Ji, holding Yun Shuo, looked down at Heng Ji who had rolled to her feet and said: “Don’t let me see you again.”
5 After speaking, she stepped over Heng Ji’s body, then she and Zhang Min each naturally sat on chairs formed by the arms of four young girls, quickly ascending the steps, soon running far away.
5 Heng Ji climbed up from the ground and asked Wu Tong, who was ignoring everyone else.
5 “Is the child in E Ji’s arms Yun Ce’s son?”
5 “That is the son of the Heir of the King of Changsha, Liu Chang’an.”
5 Heng Ji said: “Because of them, the High Priest gave up my two children?”
6 Wu Tong said expressionlessly: “Your two children: one died from assassination, and you yourself gave others the opportunity for that assassination. The other child was smashed to death by you alive.
6 The High Priest values relationships most in life, yet you used those two children as tools to achieve your lust for power. Since you are no longer human, why should the High Priest care about you?”
6 “King Huo will come out.”
6 Wu Tong laughed: “Even if King Huo’s Tomb reopens, what does it have to do with you, a Gui Fang person?”
6 Heng Ji said: “King Huo will come out. He has a day to see the light again.”
6 Wu Tong said no more, flicked his robe sleeves, and ascended the steps at extreme speed.
6 “How come this Imperial Palace has no guards nowadays?” E Ji was carried by her four young girl warriors onto the first platform. After looking around and seeing no one, she asked Wu Tong who had caught up.
6 “There used to be, but they were all killed. The Emperor never added more.”
