Chapter 42

Prison Tower.

Watchtower.

Whenever Zhou Yi felt troubled, he would come here to gaze at a distance, with half the Imperial City laid out before him.

He realized the infiniteness of heaven and earth, and discerned the definite numbers in abundance and scarcity.

Climbing high to look far, broadening his mind.

“Oh? Warden Liu is also here!”

As Zhou Yi ascended to the tower’s peak, he saw Warden Liu, dressed in a teal official robe, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, his face shaded with worry.

Warden Liu sighed, “These days, the situation in the Capital has been turbulent, unpredictable as the wind and clouds; troubled in mind, I came up here to enjoy the view.”

“In a place like Divine Capital, which gathers the essence of Fengyang Country, there has never been peace.”

Gazing towards the Imperial City East Gate in the setting sun, which cast a golden glow on the vermilion walls and green tiles, Zhou Yi reminisced, “Back then, I was right here with the then warden, Lord Lei… no, it was the warden before that one, and watched with my own eyes as the Duke of the Nation defeated Long Ni.”

Warden Liu suddenly realized, “Lord Lei? So the young man with the surname Lei the other day was a descendant of the Lei family?”

“Thank you very much for consenting to that affair.”

Zhou Yi shrugged, “Having spent so much time in the Prison Tower, I’ve met many people, and there are all sorts of relationships to consider.”

“Old Zhou, you truly are a treasure of the Prison Tower!”

Warden Liu envied Zhou Yi deeply. Recently, many distinguished individuals regarded Zhou Yi as an honored guest. Compared to himself, he had studied hard for ten years, only to be an insignificantly ranked official, even in the face of death.

Zhou Yi chuckled, “You flatter me, Warden Liu. You are the calming needle of the Prison Tower.”

These words were not meant to flatter; Warden Liu rarely managed affairs, merely drinking tea and chatting when he was on duty, and it was always the two colonels bustling about, seemingly disinterested in power.

However, Warden Liu hadn’t missed a single penny of the benefits inside the Prison Tower, something even the lower-ranked jailers knew all too well.

Such management wisdom made Zhou Yi realize even more that he had underestimated the ancients!

Warden Liu asked, “Old Zhou, did you come here because you also have worries on your mind?”

Zhou Yi nodded, “I’ve suddenly realized there are too many smart people in this world, and I’ve taken quite a hit.”

After advancing to an Innate Grandmaster, his strength had greatly increased, and he was often praised and envied by his peers, which inevitably led to a bit of arrogance and indiscretion in his actions.

Chancellor Zhang’s plans were as resounding as morning bells and evening drums, awakening the senses, a reminder to earnestly reflect on oneself.

Curious, Warden Liu asked, “Just how clever are they to make an old fox like you feel so disheartened?”

“Seemingly incidental inflation suddenly affecting the fate of our country!”

Zhou Yi sighed, “Troubles start from the smallest ripples; these are the true grandmasters. Now that I’ve learned from this, one day I will also use the same tactics.”

“Realizing early on that one is a commoner isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”

Warden Liu’s gaze sharpened momentarily, casually glancing at the palace with a hint of resignation, “The tide belongs to them; we’re just spectators. What else can we do?”

“Deep affection doesn’t last, extreme wisdom brings hurt!”

Zhou Yi said carefreely, “If we can’t beat them in wisdom, schemes, or cunning… then let’s remain unchanged against a myriad of changes, ignore them, and if we outlast them, we win!”

“Haha, no wonder they say behind your back that you’re an old turtle.”

Clapping his hands in admiration, Warden Liu changed his tone, “Old Zhou, do you truly not have the slightest desire for power?”

“Of course! Who doesn’t want to wield authority and embrace beauties?”

Zhou Yi said with a laugh, “I almost forgot, I’ve already achieved the latter half.”

With an admiring expression, Warden Liu bowed, “A regular of thirty years at Spring Breeze Building, I’ve long heard of it, much respect!”

“Just average, the future still holds much!”

Zhou Yi replied, “Therefore, having obtained wealth and rank, why bother risking my life now? In such chaos, who can see who will emerge victorious in the end?”

“Actually, it’s quite clear. Tend to the neglected matters, win or lose, it won’t be too bad in the end!”

Murmuring to himself, Warden Liu seemed to be speaking to Zhou Yi and yet also to himself.

Zhou Yi said, “Better not to bother with it. Manor houses have already been annihilated; I will take some time off, leave, and return to my duty later.”

“Go ahead.”

Warden Liu nodded in consent, then after a short pause, added,

“Should the descendants of the Liu family ever fall on hard times and come to the Prison Tower, I hope Old Zhou can find them a position too.”

“It should be so!”

“`

…

December 27th, in the twelfth lunar month.

It was supposed to be a national celebration, joyfully welcoming the New Year.

Due to Minister of War Liang Dong’s harsh treatment of the soldiers and withholding their pay, the Capital Garrison mutinied.

“Purge the emperor’s side!”

Former Capital Garrison Governor Sun Xiangming took to the heights and called to his former troops, leading an army through the Divine Capital’s North Gate.

The gatekeeper of the Divine Capital’s North Gate had once been a roaming officer of the Capital Garrison. During Liang Dong’s harsh crackdown on Capital Garrison officers, he, having given less Silver, was demoted to guard the gates.

That night.

Sun Xiangming led the Capital Garrison’s army to siege the Imperial City, while the various government offices and mansions in the Divine Capital looked on from afar, neither aiding the rebels nor going to relieve Emperor Yongxing.

The Imperial Guards were less than one eleventh the number of the Capital Garrison, and with the enemy possessing siege equipment, they quickly suffered heavy casualties.

Emperor Yongxing ordered the Jinyiwei and palace eunuchs to man the city walls and resist the enemy, insisting they withstand the assault of the rebels.

The initial vigor wanes at the second drumbeat and exhausts entirely by the third, only needing to resist until daybreak. If the Imperial City still stands, the rebels would naturally collapse and retreat.

…

The Ancestral Temple, a witness to the rise and fall of dynasties.

With the temple standing, the dynasty endures; with the temple fallen, the dynasty is lost.

At midnight.

The Ancestral Temple of Fengyang Country was eerily empty, silent.

The officials who were supposed to be on duty, upon hearing that the Capital Garrison’s army had encircled the Imperial City, had all run back to their homes to lock doors and shutter windows.

Regardless of whether the Capital Garrison could breach the Imperial City or not, there would surely be thieves taking advantage of the chaos in Divine Capital to murder, set fires, and loot; all of which could be blamed on the rebels the next day.

A shadow, utilizing the cover of night, moved swiftly through the air, finally landing in the central hall of the Ancestral Temple.

Outside the central hall stood a bronze cauldron nearly as tall as a person, with three legs and two handles. The mountains and rivers engraved on the cauldron corresponded one-to-one with the map of the prefectures of Fengyang Country.

The Mountain and River Cauldron, cast by the founder of Fengyang after the establishment of the nation.

During national sacrificial ceremonies, officials would kneel before the cauldron while the reigning emperor offered incense.

The shadow circled the Mountain and River Cauldron, attempting various detection methods, and confirmed it was a solid bronze cauldron with no warning or anti-theft mechanisms in place.

Weighing several tons, the Mountain and River Cauldron was extremely difficult to steal, not to mention the impossibility of passing through officials’ inspections while exiting the city.

Furthermore, although the Mountain and River Cauldron was one of the three treasures of Fengyang Country, its symbolic significance outweighed its practical value.

A thief who exhausted a great deal of energy stealing the cauldron could at most disgrace the Zhao Imperial Family; the most they could do was melt it down to sell the bronze, barely making the money one would from selling cabbages, all while risking the punishment of exterminating their Nine Clans.

For this reason, the officials of the Ancestral Temple could never imagine that someone would steal the cauldron; not even if it meant scraping off the gold paint from the cauldrons of the past emperors!

“I had thought I would have to wait for the fall of Fengyang Country when this Ancestral Temple was half-abandoned to come here. Who would have expected such a heaven-sent opportunity? The North City Gate wide open, the Ancestral Temple unguarded, and everyone’s eyes on the Imperial Palace.”

“This treasure must be fated to be mine!”

Zhou Yi dissipated his Shadow Talisman and revealed his appearance as an elderly man with white hair, unrecognizable even if he encountered an acquaintance.

He stooped low, crawled under the cauldron, and embraced its feet.

“Rise!”

With a low shout from Zhou Yi, rumbling sounds filled the air as the Mountain and River Cauldron, which hadn’t moved for over three hundred years, lifted from the ground.

Channeling his Mana, he cast the Shadow Talisman again, enveloping the Mountain and River Cauldron in a cloud of black mist.

Making use of the night’s darkness, Zhou Yi dashed toward the North City Gate.

The sheer weight of the bronze cauldron meant that not only was flying with Qinggong out of the question, but even running made a resounding thump with each step.

Fortuitously, chaos reigned along the way; some thieves were robbing homes, while some patrolling soldiers took the opportunity to wreak havoc. With Gold and Silver and precious gems at hand, no one paid attention to such a noise.

At that moment, the North City Gate was wide open with only a handful of soldiers standing guard.

Thump, thump, thump!

A large dark mist charged forward, exploding with force like a maddened wild ox.

“Ghosts!”

The soldiers on guard didn’t think to block the way, but instead, threw down their weapons in a panic and scattered in all directions.

Zhou Yi carried the Mountain and River Cauldron out of Divine Capital City, placed it on a prepared cart, and headed north, whipping the horses along the way.