After the news spread about the Crown Prince retrieving the halberd, the voices that had previously claimed the demise of Great Chu diminished significantly.
Emperor Wu Jia was a deity crafted by the people and the court over hundreds of years, and his influence on the people of Great Chu was not something that mere rumors from diviners could easily erase.
Upon hearing that the Crown Prince would wield the Divine Halberd bestowed by Emperor Wu, the people revered the halberd even more.
Any soul slain by the halberd was said to become a spirit of the halberd, and if wounded by it, one’s soul would be torn asunder, leaving no hope for the afterlife.
Furthermore, some claimed that the Crown Prince’s visit to Emperor Wu’s mausoleum was not merely to retrieve the Divine Halberd but to light incense and pay respects to the ancestors, thus summoning the Yin Soldiers from the imperial tombs of the Chu dynasty, seeking to restore the nation with their aid.
It wasn’t surprising that the people had such vivid imaginations.
Ancient people had always held reverence for ghosts and deities.
During the reign of Emperor Chu Yang, there had been a fervent search for the elixir of immortality, and for a considerable time, the imperial court had been filled with diviners and Taoist priests.
The Taoist priest Zhang Tianshi had even been appointed as the national teacher, enjoying immense prestige.
The status of folk diviners rose accordingly, and many families refused to take their sick children to regular clinics, preferring instead to seek a bowl of talisman water from these diviners.
As the flames of war spread, the people found that prayers and offerings were ineffective, gradually realizing the harsh reality of hunger and disease.
Yet, their reverence for spirits and deities remained ingrained.
In this battle of public opinion, Great Chu finally managed to turn the tide.
However, rumors soon emerged from unknown sources, claiming that the Divine Halberd retrieved by the Crown Prince from Emperor Wu’s tomb was fake.
The real Xuan Iron Divine Halberd weighed over 180 pounds, a weight the Crown Prince could never lift.
Among the tens of thousands of soldiers present that day, many had personally weighed the Divine Halberd and knew its immense weight.
They were indignant at the baseless accusations against their Crown Prince.
In teahouses and taverns, anyone who dared to claim that Chu Chengji’s Divine Halberd was fake would immediately face the wrath of soldiers, who would slam the tables and shout, “Nonsense! I was there that day when His Highness retrieved the weapon. Several generals tried to lift the Divine Halberd themselves and could barely even move it!”
Once upon a time, there were rumors spreading in the streets, trying to clear Chu Chengji’s name, often leading to fights in the taverns.
When these rumors reached Song Heqing’s ears, he couldn’t sleep at night out of worry.
Knowing that Chu Chengji possessed the real Fangtian Ji, he was afraid that if someone saw the fake one, it would cause trouble.
So, he immediately had the counterfeit melted down in an official blacksmith shop.
The soldiers accompanying him were trusted, and salt and iron were monopolized by the government.
The Fangtian Ji was crafted and melted down in official shops, ensuring no leaks.
After pondering all night, he suspected Dong Cheng was the source of the leak.
Initially, he thought Chu Chengji and Dong Cheng were working together, but later learned otherwise.
Dong Cheng’s aggressive behavior from the start seemed suspicious.
The next day, at the court, Song Heqing quickly questioned the soldiers who transported the counterfeit.
They confirmed that Dong Cheng had indeed separated from them during a break.
This revelation startled him.
Dong Cheng had tried to lift the Fangtian Ji, clearly up to something fishy.
So Chu Chengji had the fake one? Could it be that Dong Cheng spread the rumor?
But didn’t he also lift the Fangtian Ji himself later?
Song Heqing couldn’t figure it out and decided to personally ask Dong Cheng.
Having served in the same government as Dong Cheng for many years, despite one being a civil servant and the other a military officer, they were close.
Since Dong Cheng’s father, his old friend, had passed away, Song Heqing felt a sense of care for his friend’s son.
But if Dong Cheng did have ulterior motives, as previously mentioned by Cen Daoxi, as a loyal subject, he couldn’t turn a blind eye.
When Song Heqing went to the government office to find Dong Cheng, he learned that Chu Chengji had taken him to the military camp.
He intended to go to the camp but met Qin Zheng along the way.
He shared his concerns with her directly.
Knowing Chu Chengji well, Qin Zheng knew he wouldn’t take risks without assurance.
If he had noticed something strange about Dong Cheng and still kept him around, he must have had his reasons.
Qin Zheng reassured Song Heqing not to worry too much about this matter.
With the rampant rumors, distinguishing truth from lies had become difficult.
They were striving to clear Chu Chengji’s name.
Those who slandered him were undoubtedly rebels.
At present, arguing over whether the weapon Chu Chengji wielded was real or fake was meaningless.
Those who believed would continue to believe, and no amount of persuasion would change the minds of those who didn’t.
After briefing Song Heqing, Qin Zheng went to supervise the excavation of the underground river.
However, the villagers nearby refused to dig there.
After questioning some locals, she learned that the mountain was once a mass grave and was haunted.
“The rich lady, you haven’t seen it. Around the Ghost Festival, for a few months before and after, the entire mountain is lit up with blue and green ghostly fires at night.
The elders say it’s the Ghost Market, and if living people see it, they must stay far away! Otherwise, they’ll shorten their lifespan!”
An elderly farmer gestured fearfully as she spoke to Qin Zheng.
Lin Zhao, who was with Qin Zheng, immediately interjected, “Stop scaring people with these filthy stories!”
The farmer shrank back in fear, “I wouldn’t dare make up such things, they’re all true.”
Qin Zheng, however, was intrigued and asked the farmer, “Tell me more about these ghostly fires.”
The farmer, clearly frightened, said, “I haven’t been up the mountain, but a few years ago, there was a reckless boy in the village who didn’t believe in superstitions.
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He went up the mountain late at night, and it’s said that as he ran, those ghostly fires chased him all the way.
It was terrifying! When he returned to the village, he fell ill from fright! After recovering, he became dull and foolish.
The village shaman said his soul was taken by something from the Ghost Market.”
After hearing what she wanted, Qin Zheng gave the farmer two copper coins, and the farmer left gratefully.
Lin Zhao said, “Sister Zheng, you don’t really believe her nonsense, do you?”
Qin Zheng replied, “If it were just one person saying this, it might be nonsense, but if the whole village says it, there’s probably something to it.”
Lin Zhao was puzzled, “What do you mean, Sister Zheng?”
Qin Zheng glanced at the sun and sighed, “We’re not prepared enough today. We’ll gather everything we need and go to the mountain tonight.”
Although Lin Zhao wasn’t afraid of ghosts, Qin Zheng’s words still sent a chill down her spine, “Go to the mountain? To catch ghosts?”
Qin Zheng mysteriously winked at her, “Exactly, to catch ‘ghosts.'”
Didn’t the commoners say Chu Chengji summoned a troop of ghosts from the imperial tomb? There, on the mountain...
These ghostly fires could be used to deceive and scare the rebels.
Once the “ghost soldiers” became real, the common people wouldn’t care whether Chu Chengji’s Fangtian Ji was real or fake anymore.
Qin Zheng was eager to discuss with Chu Chengji about fabricating the “ghost soldiers” and needed his help.
The rebel forces from Chen Kingdom had set up camp across the river, but they hesitated to cross due to the swift Yuan River.
Both armies watched each other across the river, searching for an opportunity.
Chu Chengji focused on defense in this battle, with patrols along the river and trenches dug for cover.
If the rebels dared to cross the river, they would be shot like sieves.
To conserve the energy of the soldiers for battle, training sessions were reduced from daily to every three days.
Although Dong Cheng held the title of a general, he seemed more like Chu Chengji’s personal guard.
When Chu Chengji was training troops on the platform, Dong Cheng waited below with a clean handkerchief and a water bottle.
Dong Cheng wasn’t foolish; his aggressive behavior that day, demanding to lift the Fangtian Ji, had exposed enough flaws, but they lacked concrete evidence to convict him.
Now, Chu Chengji not only had him hold the handkerchief but also handed him the water bottle.
It was clearly an opportunity for him to poison the water and get Chu Chengji poisoned.
But Dong Cheng wasn’t falling for it.
He would hold the handkerchief as asked, but he wouldn’t even touch the water bottle.
After finishing the training, when Chu Chengji descended from the platform, Dong Cheng handed him the handkerchief, saying, “Your Highness, wipe your sweat.”
After wiping his sweat, Chu Chengji handed the water bottle to Dong Cheng, saying, “Today’s sun is scorching; Your Highness, have a drink.”
Chu Chengji hesitated for a moment before accepting the water bottle and taking a few sips.
However, he couldn’t shake off the rumors that Dong Cheng, being a scion of a prestigious family, might hold grudges against him.
Letting him do such menial tasks might test the patience of even the proudest scions of noble houses.
But he felt reassured handing the water to Dong Cheng.
Through their previous interactions, he sensed Dong Cheng’s resolute character and the pride of a warrior.
He didn’t believe Dong Cheng would stoop to poisoning.
Originally, he wanted to see how long Dong Cheng could endure such treatment, to gauge the depth of his resentment.
But now, seeing Dong Cheng’s smug yet courteous demeanor, Chu Chengji began to doubt his initial judgment.
What was Dong Cheng up to?
Dong Cheng, seeing Chu Chengji drinking the water without hesitation, realized someone was watching him from the shadows.
Realizing he had seen through their plan and they were now irritated but unable to show it overtly, he felt a sense of satisfaction.
Even though he was doing menial tasks, he didn’t feel humiliated at all.
Instead, he wanted to be even more diligent and attentive to Chu Chengji.
Lin Yao, watching from the side, was astonished.
He had thought scions of noble families were full of pride and arrogance, but now, seeing Dong Cheng’s behavior, he began to wonder if this was how they treated their superiors.
He decided he needed to learn from this example to prevent newcomers from overtaking him in the future.
So, when Chu Chengji tried to hand the water bottle to Dong Cheng, Lin Yao quickly took it, saying, “Your Highness, let me do it!”
Chu Chengji glanced at him and said, “General An has come to surrender; you all will accompany me to receive him.”
But Yunzhou was not a small city and had over twenty thousand troops, equivalent to Qing and Xu provinces combined in strength.
Effectively, without deploying any troops, they gained an extra fifth of the territory.
It was like a gift from heaven.
Lin Yao couldn’t help but say, “Although the former governor of Meng County was despicable in playing both sides, we must thank him for persuading officials from other provinces to join us.
When Li Xin swiftly executed those officials, it forced people like General An to join us.”
As he heard General Lin, Dong Cheng went to see Chu Chengji.
However, he found Chu Chengji’s expression oddly calm, devoid of any joy.
It was hard to tell if Chu Chengji was just suppressing his emotions or genuinely didn’t see the significance of General An’s surrender at this moment.
Dong Cheng furrowed his brows.
The three of them returned to the central military tent.
Chu Chengji, Lin Yao, and a group of strategists sat down, while another soldier led Dong Cheng away to make tea.
Before long, the soldiers outside reported General An’s arrival.
In the past, there were the Five Generals in the imperial court, and both Dong Da and An Yuanqing were among them.
An Yuanqing was the youngest among the Five Generals.
The tent flap was lifted by the tiger guards outside, and a commander strode in with broad shoulders and a sturdy waist.
His armor almost obscured his neck.
With a square face, reddish complexion, short beard, and a commanding presence even when not angry.
After entering the tent, he glanced around and felt that although Chu Chengji’s power had just begun to rise, it seemed that his forces were not lacking in talents and strong generals.
Their strength might be even greater than they had estimated.
Sitting in the main seat was a man dressed in black armor, exuding an imposing aura akin to a king of beasts.
With a jade crown and tied hair, his face was solemn and cold, carrying an air of majesty.
Although An Yuanqing had seen the Crown Prince before, he now felt a ridiculous sense of unfamiliarity with this person.
He composed himself and half-kneeled, saying, “General An Yuanqing pays respects to His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince.”
Chu Chengzhi gestured for him to rise, saying, “General An, please rise quickly.”
He then instructed the attendants, “Bring a seat.”
One soldier brought a chair for An Yuanqing, and the task of pouring tea naturally fell to Dong Cheng.
Dong Cheng’s face turned green.
He used to call An Yuanqing “Uncle Shi” in the past.
After today, would he still have any dignity left?
Thinking that Chu Chengji was still watching him, ready to arrest him as soon as he made any mistakes, Dong Cheng had no choice but to swallow his pride and go forward to pour tea.
..
An Yuanqing’s family, including his wife, children, and elderly mother, were all in the hands of the current Crown Prince.
Under duress, he became an informant for the current Crown Prince.
Naturally, he knew that Dong Cheng was originally arranged by the Crown Prince to be their inside man.
Seeing Dong Cheng finish pouring tea, he stood behind Chu Chengji along with another guard, feeling a chill in his heart.
Could it be that Dong Cheng had become close to the former Crown Prince?
Previously, Dong Cheng had informed the Crown Prince that the former Crown Prince’s faction intended to forge a fake weapon, claiming it was the Fangtian Ji taken from Emperor Wu’s tomb to boost morale.
He was supposed to publicly expose the former Crown Prince’s deception.
However, Dong Cheng not only failed to expose it but also helped testify that the former Crown Prince indeed possessed the Emperor’s weapon.
The Crown Prince’s faction suspected that Dong Cheng had defected to the former Crown Prince.
An Yuanqing’s visit today was partly to ascertain whether Dong Cheng could still be trusted.
Seeing Dong Cheng today, it was clear that he had indeed sided with the former Crown Prince.
An Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief in secret.
Luckily, Dong Cheng was unaware that he too was pretending to surrender. Otherwise, his situation would be perilous!