CH 104

Chapter 104 The Harsh Reality

Wen Yantong sat in her room, staring dazed at the imperial decree.

This imperial decree came so suddenly, and she was not mentally prepared for it at all. Although the things rewarded from the imperial decree were not rare treasures, a residence in Chaoge and a plaque personally signed by the Emperor brought a lot of honor to the Wen Household.

If her parents in Chang'an knew about it, they would probably be so happy that they would come to Chaoge immediately by carriage.

The imperial decree was not just a simple brocade cloth either. If the Emperor wanted to reward someone, it was usually done verbally. If the reward was delivered through an imperial decree, it was also a great honor.

Not many were given to court officials, let alone Wen Yantong, a commoner.

So after Mu Yang got the news, he rushed to Wen Yantong's room. Like a fool, he slammed opened the door without even knocking. "Where is the imperial decree! Where is the imperial decree?!"

Wen Yantong, who was lost in her thoughts, was startled by his yelling, so she angrily roared, "How rude and obnoxious! If one didn’t know better, they would have thought a wild boar had charged in!"

Mu Yang didn't mind her words, he just stared straight at the bright yellow gold brocade cloth on the table. He rushed over to the table, with his voice softened, he said, "This imperial decree...why isn't it the same as the one from my family?" 

Wen Yantong replied, "How can ordinary people like me compare imperial decrees bestowed to a general?"

Mu Yang said, "Amazing! There were very few precedents in Shao Jing who issued imperial edicts to commoners. You should be the first one since His Majesty took over."

When Wen Yantong heard this, she suddenly became a little proud. She puffed out her chest. "Of course."

Mu Yang said, "This can be regarded as bringing honor to one's ancestors! Your ancestors above must have bribed the God of Fate above!"

"Can you talk like a normal person?" Wen Yantong was disgusted.

Mu Yang stretched out his hand, eager to touch imperial decree.

Wen Yantong slapped his hands mercilessly. "Don't touch it! I'm going to take this home and frame it."

The back of Mu Yang's hand stung with pain. He retracted his  hand and rubbed it. Suddenly his eyes became fierce as he glared at Wen Yantong and exclaimed, "Little Cripple! You are getting more and more courageous! How dare you hit me? Do you know who I am?" 

Wen Yantong rolled her eyes at him. "So what? You want to beat me up?"

Mu Yang snorted. "I'm angry now! Unless you tell me two ways to get closer to Fu Zixian, otherwise I won't forgive you."

Wen Yantong said, "Hurry up and scram."

Mu Yang slapped his thigh. "Wen Yantong, how dare you tell me to scram? Neglect me as you would today, but in the future, I’ll be too much for you to pay!"

Mu Yang had learned this sentence from Wen Yantong. Because the three of them chatted and played in the same lecture hall. Having listened to her constant use of novel vocabulary and sentences, Mu Yang also picked up on a few phrases.

Wen Yantong rolled her eyes again and asked, "What exactly do you want?"

Seeing that she had compromised, Mu Yang smiled triumphantly. "Fu Zixian had been in a bad mood since yesterday. He wouldn't tell me anything even when I ask. Why is that?"

"How do I know? I'm not telepathic." Wen Yantong retorted.

"Then think about it."

Wen Yantong couldn't win against Mu Yang's cajole, so she sighed and began to think about Fu Zixian's matter. After thinking for a while, she suddenly lowered her voice and asked, "What’s hidden in the underground secret room?"

Mu Yang was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect her to directly ask about this matter. He hesitated, "This... Brother Xi told me not to let it get out."

"It’s okay, just tell me." Wen Yantong persuaded.

Mu Yang shook his head. "No way."

Wen Yantong tsk’ed. "You want me to help you figure out why Fu Zixian is unhappy, but you refuse to cooperate with me? Then how am I supposed to help?"

Mu Yang replied, "Anything is fine, but just not that thing. I can't talk about it."

"Is there anything you can't say to me?" She pointed to herself. "I, Wen Yantong, am a commoner who lives in Chang'an. I have no way of getting involved in the affairs of your court officials."

Mu Yang pondered for a moment. He felt that what Wen Yantong said made sense, so he leaned closer to her ear, and said in a quiet voice, "Fire crossbows."

"Fire crossbows?" Wen Yantong was astonished.

"It is a weapon used on the battlefield. The arrowhead is made from special materials. It will ignite when shot. After landing, the flammable oil in the arrow will flow out and burn the target." Mu Yang continued, "It's a newly developed weapon. My father has a sample. I tried it before, it's quite powerful."

Wen Yantong was horrified. Many different speculations came about from the fire crossbows, and she suddenly understood the reason why Fu Zixian was in a bad mood.

From the memories of the protagonists in the original book, one can piece together what happened to Chi Jingxi in Nian'an Temple after he was injured. At first, Nian'an Temple was sealed up for a month, then all the monks in it were put into prison and executed.

Soon after, the Emperor dealt with a group of officials in the court. Led by the Minister of Revenue, Jiang Qi, there were sixteen or seventeen other households. Among them, Jiang Qi received the worst punishment. The entire Jiang Residence was ransacked, and the whole family unto the third generation was executed, leaving no one alive. Others were demoted and exiled, it was chaotic in court during this time.

Jiang Qi belonged to Prime Minister Fu's party, and he was the right hand man of Prime Minister Fu. If the Emperor cut him off, Prime Minister Fu's vitality would be seriously injured. And it was later revealed that Prime Minister Fu would become ill because of it.

This massive purge completely opened the curtain of the bloody storm in the imperial court. Having lost his most advantageous piece, Prime Minister Fu retaliated and eliminated his dissidents. He had indirectly caused the death of Imperial Prince Cheng Yanchuan.

The death of this prince marked the beginning of the original novel. After was the struggle for the throne; the emperor's heirs killed each other. In the midst of this, foreign enemies invaded, and then Fu Zixian and Mu Yang died in battle. Cheng Xin was murdered, the Marquis Anhuai died of illness, the emperor passed away, and Cheng Xiao ascended the throne while Chi Jingxi rebelled.

Nothing happened by accident; they were all victims of the struggle. Even Cheng Xiao lost a lot, after walking on a path of blood of bones, he sat on the throne.

All of this originated from the discovery of the large number of fire crossbows in the secret room underground.

Wen Yantong was still in a daze when Mu Yang pushed her shoulder. "Are you there?"