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"Back then, it was you who told me that once a peerless Grandmaster attains the fourth realm, that’s the pinnacle, right?"
Yang Ge asked with a light chuckle, before his smile suddenly turned frosty, "Do you have any idea what I went through on this trip? If I hadn’t seen the danger and retreated immediately, I’d have been sent back to my ancestors the very next day!"
Shen Fa was rendered speechless, "Is that my fault?"
Yang Ge: "So it’s not your fault, and that’s not your fault either, then what on earth is the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guards good for? Just to wipe the asses of the nobles and royal kin?"
Shen Fa had no reply; he questioned his life.
Yang Ge straightened his ragged clothes with an air of brisk efficiency and casually shouted, "Miaomiao, bring me... Fang, bring in a pot of hot tea for me!"
Fang Ke: "Yes, my lord!"
Looking around, Yang Ge turned and sat down on the millstone, saying testily, "Get up, will you? Or do you expect me to help you up?"
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Shen Fa, massaging his chest, grimaced as he clambered up from the ground, vowing to himself... come hell or high water, he would have to get the "Vajra Invincible Divine Skill" by force if necessary and master it!
Before long, Fang Ke brought in two bowls of hot tea and thoughtfully carried in a chair.
Yang Ge waved him off, "Guard the door, and don’t let those fellows out front eavesdrop!"
Fang Ke bowed, "Yes, my lord!"
Yang Ge lifted the tea bowl and took a sip, saying, "Tell me about the recent big events in the court."
Shen Fa held his tea bowl in surprise, "Why do you ask about this?"
Yang Ge didn’t bother to explain, "You don’t have to say!"
Shen Fa pondered for a moment, then let out a sigh, "As far as I know, the only major event that counts in the court recently is Wang Zhongtang’s promotion of the Single Whip Law and Performance Evaluation Skill facing resistance... Oh right, the proposal for unified taxation and grain collection from officials and civilians, wasn’t it your suggestion to Wang Zhongtang?"
Yang Ge frowned, "Performance Evaluation Skill? What’s that?"
Shen Fa took a sip from his tea bowl, exhaling slowly as he spoke, "You’re unfamiliar with government affairs; I can’t explain it clearly in a few words. In short, it’s a noose Wang Zhongtang has added for all the local officials outside The Supervisory Office, to prevent them from shirking their duties and just getting by."
Yang Ge’s brow slowly relaxed as he asked in a deep voice, "Is there a big uproar in the court?"
Shen Fa nodded, "The noose is already around their necks, so of course they’re causing an uproar. But with Wang Zhongtang strategizing from within and you, the ’Manifested True Immortal’, lending your support, it’s barely under control."
Yang Ge steepled his fingers on the teacup as he pondered, "What about the north?"
Shen Fa was puzzled, "What about the north?"
Yang Ge: "What else about the north?"
Shen Fa had an epiphany, "You’re referring to the Tartars? Ever since our imperial forces heavily defeated the Wulangha Tribe of the Tartars, these past two years the various tribes on the steppe have been scrambling to be the overlord, each striving to become Wei’s filial son. We’re keeping things balanced by supporting the weaker and suppressing the strong. We shouldn’t have to worry about border troubles for the time being."
Yang Ge frowned again, "Are you sure? If they were really that docile, would they have come to me offering gifts recently?"
Shen Fa laughed it off, "You must be unaware of how renowned you’ve become outside. It’s normal for them to curry favor with you; it would be abnormal if they didn’t!"
This time, Yang Ge’s brow remained knotted. After a long contemplation, he asked, "What about Dongying? What’s the court’s plan?"
Shen Fa also furrowed his brow, "What are you really asking? Do we still need to hide things from each other?"
Yang Ge, lips twitching thoughtfully, eventually decided he should give this cunning fox a hint of his plans. After all, there was no denying that this fox had one of the sharpest minds he had ever encountered.
The people he had tricked were often so pleased that they would count their money for him even after being sold out.
Hence, Yang Ge decided to be straightforward: "You know I went to Mount Longhu, right?"
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Shen Fa: "I know, I was just about to ask you about that. Who exactly did you suffer a loss at the hands of?"
Yang Ge: "That old guy is named Zhang Xuansu. Look up the specific information yourself when you get back. All I’ll tell you is that the old guy has lived nearly two hundred years, his martial arts skills are extremely, extremely high. I’ve fought him three times, and only in the last fight did I barely manage a draw... I have reason to believe that he is a peerless expert of the fifth realm of martial arts, the level of rainbow transformation and celestial flight!"
"But that’s not the most important thing. What’s most important is that the Former Tang Dynasty probably fell at that old guy’s hand. He told me that, when he did his astrological divinations, he saw signs of great chaos in the world, and he said that the celestial patterns he saw were exactly like the ones he saw a hundred and eighty years ago!"
"That’s also the reason why the Five Poisons Cult has re-emerged on the scene at this particular time, stirring up trouble."
"I don’t believe him, but with this kind of thing, it’s better to believe it exists than not!"
Shen Fa was stunned by the barrage of bombshells he had just dropped, and it took him several seconds of standing there dumbstruck before he suddenly snapped back to his senses and exclaimed, "Holy shit, a terrestrial immortal? The real culprit behind the fall of Tang? An impending world chaos?"
"Terrestrial immortal?"
Upon hearing this designation, Yang Ge couldn’t help but remember the terrible might of Zhang Xuansu’s thunderous sword movements, which were comparable to laser weapons, and nodded, saying, "It’s quite fitting... Keep calm for a moment and listen to me!"
Shen Fa, whose mind was as jumbled as the clutter-filled narrow courtyard he was pacing around in, said, "How am I supposed to stay calm?"
Yang Ge: "Will panicking solve the problem?"
Only then did Shen Fa manage to compose himself, his gaze intent as he looked at Yang Ge: "What are you trying to say?"
Yang Ge spoke thoughtfully, "That old guy is someone who does big things... which means there’s a high chance he won’t personally get involved in everything. So for now, you don’t have to worry about him single-handedly taking down the court. Besides, even if he did have that in mind, there’s still me!"
He settled the most troublesome issue concerning that old guy with one definitive statement.
"Next, concerning the impending chaos in the world, the words come out of my mouth and into your ears only. You absolutely must not tell the Emperor. Every Emperor considers his empire more precious than his life. If he truly believed it and became flustered, forcing those who originally had no intention of rebelling to turn against him, we would become the chief culprits of the world’s chaos! So you must keep this information strictly to yourself, relaxed on the outside but vigilant within!"
"Lastly, I just asked you about several matters, and you hesitated and guessed on each one. What exactly are you doing as the commander of the imperial guards? With the martial world, you’re completely in the dark; regarding court officials, you’re ignorant on every matter; and about the frontier defenses, you’re neglectful. If chaos were to erupt, would you be able to look after the head or the rear?"
Shen Fa’s face turned red, and he didn’t dare utter a sound.
Yang Ge took a sip of tea and caught his breath, relaxing slightly, "Pass a message back to Wang Zhongtang for me: Take care of business, but don’t be too anxious. Haste does not bring success. Handle matters smoothly and methodically, and don’t push them to desperation on the first encounter."
"Make it clear. This is just the suggestion of a mere warrior like me. If he is very confident, he can disregard everything I said."
"As for the frontier, you send someone to inspect it yourself. Repair what needs repairing, reinforce what needs reinforcing. Don’t think that because the enemy is divided, you can rest easy. They’re honing their sorcery on the steppes. If you don’t take advantage of this lull to strengthen the defenses, when they master their poisonous gu, it will be the soldiers on the frontier who suffer."
"Also, we should decide on a policy for Dongying as soon as possible. There are tens of thousands of battle-hardened feudal troops over there, and if it drags on, Zhou Fu and the others won’t be able to control them... If there really are too many to deal with, send more hands to eradicate them together! Don’t leave a lingering threat!"
"One last point, as long as you are willing to work for the people and you still want the common folk to have enough to eat... I’ll support you!"
"If there’s something you can’t handle, I can help you fight it; if there’s someone you can’t kill, I can help you do the deed!"
"But..."
"If I find out that you only want to lord over the people, or if I feel that under someone else’s rule the common people might live better days..."
He lifted the tea cup in his hand, "Then don’t blame me for turning a blind eye or even... drawing my sword against you!"
Shen Fa looked at his earnest eyes and felt a chill in his heart, but still he grumbled softly, "Why do your words sound so unpleasant coming from you? Who are you, and who am I? Even if you say the Emperor is petty or miserly, you can’t say he is incompetent or malevolent, right? Aren’t we all striving for a better Wei?"
Yang Ge simply sneered, offering no response.
He had said all there was to say, and had pledged all he could do.
If the Zhao Family couldn’t hold onto this world...
Then it was time for a change, the sooner, the better for peace!