Yinshan Record

Chapter 612 A Hidden Melancholy and Resentment Arise (Part 1)
In fact, once one's cultivation reaches the level of Feng Buxing, even a martial arts practitioner can easily abstain from grains and replenish their true essence with the essence of heaven and earth, no longer needing worldly food.

However, the five flavors and five aromas are desires that have long been instilled in the depths of human beings' minds and bodies. If there is fine wine and delicious food, Feng Buxing will naturally not refuse.

Su Che's Changxin Marquis's mansion was just a makeshift operation that had just been set up. Naturally, it was beyond its capabilities to find good wine and food; it could only make do and was passable.

Feng Buxing was a pampered young master who had been accustomed to a life of luxury. He had tasted all sorts of delicacies, including rare and exquisite dishes, and he didn't care that Su Che's place had neither good wine nor good food.

Being able to get Marquis Changxin of Daliang and Huang Tiandao's Traveling Official to come to my home for a drink is enough to show my appreciation for their hospitality.

After a few drinks, Su Che started talking.

"Back in Shanyin County, if it weren't for Lord Feng looking after me, I probably wouldn't be where I am today."

"What are you saying, Third Young Master? You are a lucky man, blessed by the heavens. With the auspicious Azure Dragon of the Six Directions in your destiny, you are destined to soar through the nine heavens. How could you possibly capsize in a small pond?"

Feng Xingbu shared a drink with Su Che.

"However, Third Young Master, are you truly prepared to investigate Princess Ning'an's case thoroughly?"

"I'll never look into it."

Su Che laughed and said, "To be honest, Father-in-law, I didn't take this seriously at all."

"But what about Princess Ning'an's lightning-struck wood..."

"Who knows if it's true or not. She said someone put it by her pillow. Who would be so bored as to put something like that there? Maybe it's something our princess hugs to sleep with at night."

Su Che naturally knew that this thing was placed there by Kong Kong'er to trick him. But he couldn't tell Feng Buxing this.

It wouldn't sound good if word got out.

After all, there really is an immortal sword cultivator from the East Sea who is just that boring.

"I can also see that His Majesty is pushing out this person to subtly oppose us. Life is full of troubles and worries, it's so boring."

Su Che stood up and poured Feng Xingbu another cup.

"What about the Censorate?"

"Let them investigate. I'll give you a heads-up. Do you know who that Sun Xinggong I saw is?"

"who is it?"

"Wang Jian's wife."

"Her? She's from the Xie family of Chenjun..."

"His demonic powers were incredibly strange. When I slashed at him with my sword, a layer of his human skin peeled off, and he transformed into a monster that was neither dragon nor snake. He immediately fled."

"The fact that the Third Young Master is not with Princess Ning'an proves that this part is correct."

Feng Buxing sighed. Although the powerful clans of Jiankang, led by the Wang and Xie families, were not as powerful as before, they still had a deep foundation. If they were involved, even the simplest things would become complicated and difficult to handle.

"That woman."

Su Che slowly said, "She also has a maidservant by her side, whose true form is the Zhu Yan."

"An ancient, exotic species?"

Feng Buxing's eyes widened: "What about the Imperial Guards here...?"

“If I hadn’t personally experienced it in Cizhou, I wouldn’t have known either. But the Xie family obviously knows. This woman also has an ambiguous relationship with a big merchant in the East China Sea. Have you ever heard of the name Rakshasa Sea, Eunuch Feng?”

"One of the six largest trading companies in the East China Sea, calling itself the 'Born Rakshasa Sea,' it possesses an immense wealth of rare and precious materials, and the amount of treasures it transports to our Central Plains every year is countless. As for business, hmph, they've been trafficking quite a few people to the East China Sea these past two years?"

Human trafficking?

"That's right. Merchants on the East China Sea buy up a large number of people every year. They are led by the Rakshasa Sea and sell at least 100,000 people from various ports every year."

"Is the imperial court taking absolutely no action?"

This surprised Su Che somewhat. The East Sea is a paradise for cultivators, and the reason for this is that the East Sea's resources far surpass those of the Central Plains.

Even in terms of area, the East Sea is several times larger than the Central Plains.

That place actually needs to recruit people from the Central Plains? This reminded Su Che of a past event. The Third Young Master Su had once seen the fleet of the Chang family of Licheng heading to the East Sea, saying that they were sending their disciples to the East Sea Sword Palace.

During the internal strife at home, Su Che also saw a set of account books, which seemed to contain records of the sale of fish of all sizes that were shipped to the East China Sea.

Selling fish to the East China Sea was a business similar to selling sand to the desert. Su Che thought it was just a code word used in the accounts at the time.

Looking back now, it seems that the Chang family of Licheng was probably a supplier who trafficked people to the East China Sea.

They amassed people in the Central Plains and sold them to the East Sea Merchant Guild, led by the Rakshasa Sea, for huge profits.

What's the point of having so many people in the East China Sea?
"What can they do? They're not buying and selling free people registered in the commoners' household, but rather the servants and slaves of local powerful clans. They're all lowly people. Since the collapse of the world, every time these servants and slaves have been promoted to free people, it's always been a major upheaval during a change of dynasty."

Feng Buxing sighed softly: "What's more, which of the court officials would dare to oppose a merchant who has countless immortal immortals within his sect? Even if there are a few upright officials with a heart full of public spirit, their colleagues will seize on their weaknesses and make sure they are ruined so that they can be used as tribute to the Rakshasa Sea."

Upon hearing this, Su Che could only sigh deeply.

The problems within the Great Liang Dynasty were deeply entrenched, and these problems extended beyond the Great Liang itself, encompassing the powerful clans that held sway over the court and the wealthy and powerful who divided the spoils among the local populace. The so-called change of dynasty merely replaced an unfortunate emperor; the fundamental issues remained completely unchanged.

Demolish and rebuild; the previous structure has already been demolished, but the rebuilt structure is no different from the previous one.

"The affairs of the nation are in a difficult situation."

"The north side is the same."

Feng Buxing comforted him, saying, "Every year, in addition to the people being trafficked to the East China Sea, the imperial court itself is responsible for this. Moreover, a large number of refugees are also fleeing to the north and west."

"north?"

Su Che couldn't quite understand.

Running westward is feasible, because there is a vast wasteland between the Central Plains and the Western Kingdom, a chaotic area where demons and mortals live together, and most of the small city-states and kingdoms are Buddhist or Taoist.

Life is tough, but not unbearable. Further north of the Northern Dynasty... that's the Northern Wilderness where the Demonic Sect resides.

The fact that these two entities, one in the south and one in the north, have been locked in a standoff for so long is truly a testament to their talent and shrewdness.

Su Che felt somewhat powerless at the moment.

The Liang Dynasty court today could indeed issue a decree declaring that from now on there would be no more servants or slaves, and everyone would be a registered commoner.

This is merely a change in form; it is far from enough to shake the deeper relationships involved.

Why would ordinary people be reduced to servants and slaves?
There are simply too many reasons.

The imperial court and local officials exploited the people to no end. When ordinary people could not survive, they sought refuge under the names of powerful and wealthy families, which gave them a little more breathing room.

Local monsters and ghosts were rampant, and many villages were wiped out when they encountered monsters. The local authorities were powerless to control them, so the entire clan sought refuge with powerful local magnates who controlled the military.

The reason why powerful clans become powerful is either because they have an advantage in production tools or because there are many strong people in their clans. In local struggles, such as for land and water, the weak always need a strong person to fight for them. Over time, they can only rely on the powerful clans.

Su Che glanced at the table. Among the people present, Lu Bai and Zhu Yi were practically his subordinates, while Feng Xingbu was Old Su's subordinate.

The entire Middle-earth operates under this logic.

The oppressive feeling brought about by this moral law made Su Che slowly exhale a breath of stale air.

Perhaps many of the principles I held in my past life simply don't apply in this world. Or rather, if they were to apply, I would need to do much more.

These are not things I should be thinking about right now.

There are more important things.

(End of this chapter)