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Chapter 278: Wind! Wind! Strong wind!

Ji Zichang smiled and pulled Li Guanyi over, took out a wine jug, then took out a wrapped silk bag and placed it under the tree. After opening the package, he found a handful of salt-baked peanuts, some boiled eggs, and some dried meat inside.

Eight hundred years ago, the Red Emperor planted this tree and founded the academy.

Eight hundred years later, when the Imperial Academy came to power, Ji Zichang and Li Guanyi drank wine and ate meat under this tree.

Ji Zichang pointed at the egg and said with some self-mockery, "I just realized that this egg is so cheap that you don't even need money to buy it. But even such eggs are gradually becoming unaffordable for the people of the world."

"Here, I'll give you one."

He threw a boiled egg over and Li Guanyi took a look. It was burnt black.

Li Guanyi felt that this color was very familiar. He considered his words and said strangely, "...When you boiled the eggs, were you not paying attention and boiled all the water away?"

Ji Zichang's expression froze, and he said, "This, I, ahem."

He pretended to laugh loudly and waved his right hand vigorously:
"Eat!"

Li Guanyi said, "That's true." He peeled off the eggshell, took a bite out of it, then took two salt-baked peanuts, leaned against a big tree to enjoy the coolness, the autumn breeze blew, and took a sip of wine, as if he could forget the current situation.

"What did Brother Changwen talk about?"

Ji Zichang smiled and said, "Something that can help you."

"That day I was on the high platform, watching Master Wang Tong discuss the various schools of thought, including the theories of Masters Cheng and Zhu. Dozens of schools, big and small, were disbanded, but these many students were not restrained and instead scattered."

"The Chen Kingdom has money, the Ying Kingdom has land, and you, Pharmacist Li, if you remove the smell of poverty, what do you have left?"

Li Guan was furious and kicked him over.

"Why do you bother to insult others and expose their shortcomings?"

"Eat your eggs that cost ten taels of silver each!"

Ji Zichang laughed.

He said, "You are new here, but I have been here for quite some time, so I know the tendencies of various schools of thought. Even if the various schools of thought are gone, students still have aspirations among the various countries."

Ji Zichang held the wine pot in his hand and said leisurely: "Most of the military strategists will go to Ying State. There are millions of soldiers there, the world's number one general, and three of the world's top five generals."

"For any disciple of a military strategist, that is the place they desire, while the famous strategists and diplomats will prefer the State of Chen. The State of Chen is a good place, full of wealthy families. The disciples of the strategists and famous strategists can bring in gold, silver and fame with just their mouths."

"Your Jiangnan..."

"Mohism, and some ancient Confucianism."

"Buddhism and Taoism will not be able to enter the world for a while, but, Pharmacist Li, you know that everything the Mohist School wants to do is a waste of money. I don't think your subordinates can buy food, but you have to fight back against the aristocratic families."

"You are still running a porridge shop to give out porridge. How much money do you have left?"

Li Guanyi’s forehead twitched.

When they first met, Ji Zichang was still gentle and elegant, but after they stole things and climbed over walls together, the relationship between the two suddenly became much more familiar. Ji Zichang picked up a salt-baked peanut and threw it into his mouth, crunching it.

He shook the wine jug in his hand, pointed at Li Guanyi, and grinned:
"Jiangnan has good people relations, but there are hidden dangers from the aristocratic families."

"Besides, we are short of money. This problem is obvious to everyone in the world."

Li Guanyi: "Do you have money?"

Ji Zichang was silent for a moment, then said, "I have the Zhongzhou treasury."

Li Guanyi asked: "Is there money in the treasury?"

Ji Zichang laughed at himself and said, "They are all controlled by the clan. A large part of my expenses were used by these people before. When I came back this time, I secretly investigated and found that the so-called royal items were no longer used by them."

"I am the contemporary Red Emperor, but in their eyes I am just a facade. Ji Daochun doesn't take me seriously either. To be honest, I felt great when you slapped him in the face with a sword on the Imperial Road that day."

"If it weren't for this identity and face, I would have wanted to push you away."

"I come!"

This son of the Red Emperor finally stopped sitting there as he did when they first met. Even though he was wearing casual clothes and had an untidy beard, he would still sit with his back straight. At this moment, he stretched his legs apart, tilted his head back and gulped down the wine, pointed two fingers at the distance, and cursed:

"Fuck that old bastard!"

Li Guanyi was dumbfounded.

"No, isn't he related to you?"

Ji Zichang remained silent and deep in thought.

Then he cursed: "You old pig selling hooks!"

Li Guanyi grinned, watching the majestic and polite emperor pointing to the sky and cursing the earth. It was only because there were no students at the moment, otherwise both of them would have to cover their faces and run away. Ji Zichang took a sip of wine and said, "Speaking of which, that old thing is in a hurry to be buried. Pharmacist, come with me!"

"Let's go for the big one!"

Li Guanyi found that this guy looked a bit like a gangster.

Ji Zichang wiped the corner of his mouth, picked up the salt-baked peanuts wrapped in silk, tilted his neck back and poured the remaining peanuts into his mouth, slamming them, shaking his hands, and all the remaining flavorful crumbs went into his mouth.

So Li Guanyi didn't continue to ask what the gift was.

The two guys strolled directly to the place where Ji Daochun was buried. Due to the changes in the situation in the world, Li Guanyi felt that the royal family and the aristocratic families were difficult and troublesome. However, the Zhongzhou aristocratic families, who had long been strong on the outside but weak on the inside, saw Li Guanyi as a mature tiger.

Ji Daochun's death brought the aristocratic families and Li Guanyi into conflict. The aristocratic families were worried that if they gave him a grand funeral at this time, it would arouse public opinion among students. Those young people were still at an age where they could be easily led by the aristocratic families, but it was also at this age that they had a fierce temper and no one could stop them when they got angry.

Ji Zichang and Li Guanyi are both good at martial arts.

After sneaking in, Ji Zichang pointed at the tombstone and started cursing.

Li Guanyi also put a handful of snacks in his pocket and ate while watching Ji Zichang drunk and cursing. Judging from this kid's performance, on the imperial road that day, Ji Zichang really wanted to roll up his sleeves and beat Ji Daochun in the face.

After scolding, Ji Zichang was still not satisfied. After thinking about it, he unbuckled his belt.

There was a bubble on Ji Daochun's tombstone.

Li Guanyi was dumbfounded.

Li Guanyi laughed out loud.

Li Guanyi joined them.

It seemed that the noise here alarmed the guards, and someone shouted over. Li Guanyi and Ji Zichang ran quickly into the grove, avoiding the person who came. They looked at each other and laughed out loud.

"Happy, happy!"

Ji Zichang put his arm on Li Guanyi's shoulder and said, "Good brother, let's play with each other today. I will give you a good gift later. I will not let you down!"

Li Guanyi took a sip of Qianrizui and said leisurely, "Okay!"

He was also feeling a little depressed in his heart. In this era shrouded in layers of rules and order, he had been unhappy these days with his temper. The two of them hit it off immediately, one was an emperor with a bit of a gangster nature, and the other was a prince who grew up wandering.

But in the final analysis, they just went to the casino to see what it looked like, strolled into the ghost market, and took a look at the business there. Ji Zichang had a great interest in the brothel and wanted to take Li Guanyi with him.

Li Guanyi picked him up with his backhand.

Ji Zichang drunkenly asked: "You are not interested?"

"Ah, at your age, with such martial arts skills, could it be that you are Yuan Yang..."

Bang!
Ji Zichang was thrown to the ground from behind.

Ji Zichang lay in the pavilion with his arms outstretched, laughing: "What a pity, what a pity, I am not much older than you. I do have a daughter, but she is only five years old. If she was twelve or thirteen years old, I would have let you get engaged to her."

Li Guanyi replied: "You are quite open-minded."

Ji Zichang raised his finger and said, "After all, at your age, you have this ability, and how should I put it..." He looked at Li Guanyi and smiled, "After the incident with Master Wang Tong, your temperament has changed a little."

"Before that, you still have a fierce and chivalrous spirit."

"Seeing you today, you seem much more solemn."

Li Guanyi said: "People will change."

Ji Zichang said: "Yes, if someone like me can do this, how can you do this?"

Ji Zichang's smile became weak, he lay there holding his stomach, and murmured, "I have several daughters, and sons, too."

Li Guanyi asked: "How old are you?"

Ji Zichang gestured and said softly:

"There was one, but he was dead. He was very small, poisoned. His face was blue and purple, and his fingers were curled up. He was very cute. When I last saw his body, his little hands were clenched around a piece of rope."

"The longevity lock on it is the one I gave him."

"I hope he can be in good health and grow up healthy. I asked the Taoist school for help. The longevity lock was broken."

Li Guanyi looked at Ji Zichang.

Ji Zichang spoke in a calm tone as he described his son's death.

There is no sign of sadness.

Finally, he was silent, and added: "If he is still alive now."

"He must be seven years and one hundred and thirty-two days old."

"It's time to hold a sword and study."

Ji Zichang said, "That was Concubine Wen's son. I know who killed him. It was the Queen who did it, but she said it was a maid who did it. She knelt there in tears, saying that she was not good at managing the harem and asked me to punish her."

"How can I punish her?"

"My queen is the daughter of Qinghe Cui, and Concubine Wen is from the Wen family. This is not a personal struggle, but a competition for power in the world, which has affected the harem."

"The imperial concubine, the talented lady, each of them is a disciple of an aristocratic family. Pharmacist, guess why the emperor can't have only one wife? If there is only one wife, wouldn't there be no such annoying, bloody, and pathetic fights?"

When Li Guan saw him, Ji Zichang pointed his finger and said drunkenly:

"No way."

"If I only have one queen, and she is the daughter of the Cui family, which has branches in various countries, then before you know it, the court will be filled with Cui family members, or people with old ties to the Cui family."

"The general will be my brother-in-law, and the young master of the Cui family will manage the finances."

"Within ten years, there will be no one left in the court."

"Officials from all departments must please them, because I am the only queen, and the son born to Cui and I will be the crown prince. Haha, it's ridiculous. Therefore, women from different families need to become concubines to confront the aristocratic families with aristocratic families."

"And the very good and innocent talent I employed would be attacked by the officials of the aristocratic families, and I would have to demote him to protect him. But when I want to use him again, something will happen to him." "Either he will be sent to the aristocratic family, or he will die suddenly."

"In the past, I just felt that it was fate. It was God who didn't give me the time, so that everything I did could not go as I wished. I lost my father when I was young, and lost my beloved when I was old. When I became emperor, the students and capable ministers I valued either fell or died."

"You have enlightened me. Now looking back at the past, I realize that all my regrets are the result of struggles. The so-called destiny is nothing but human will. Yes, in the eyes of the royal family, I, the emperor, am just a puppet."

Ji Zichang laughed loudly, and then remained silent for a long time before saying:

"The emperor suffers, and all living beings suffer."

"But I am still much better than the common people."

"I feel waves of pain and suffering, and I can drink to relieve my sorrow and talk to you about it, but ordinary people can only lower their heads and struggle to survive. In this way, my so-called pain is just a complaint without any reason."

"But when I look back on those thirty years, I feel that every step was dull and everything seemed to be directed by someone. The more I think about it, the more uncomfortable I feel. I can't sleep all night. When I think about the discomfort, I can't help but cry."

"But you say that children from noble families are bad? But Concubine Wen is a really good person. She is truly devoted to me. But I cannot respond, because if I respond, her brothers will become rampant and she will be in danger of death."

Ji Zichang drank with big gulps. He had martial arts skills at the fourth level and with the help of his family's magic weapon, he could display the form of a red dragon, but at the moment he was drunk.

If the wine is not intoxicating, everyone will get drunk.

"Brother, what do you think if I were just a poor ranger?"

"I had a wooden sword and couldn't even afford shoes. Then I met my childhood sweetheart who died of illness. She had a shy look on her face. I had a heroic spirit in my heart and the world in my eyes. Would our story be different?"

"I deserve a beating for saying that, don't I?"

Ji Zichang looked at the sky and said calmly:

"In my next life, I hope I won't be born into a royal family."

Li Guan nodded and said seriously, "He really deserves a beating."

Ji Zichang was speechless.

Li Guanyi said, "However, according to what you just said, if you were a poor knight-errant, the story might not develop in this way..." He stretched his body, pointed at himself, and said casually, "I have been in the martial arts world. When I was a child, I was hiding outside and saw some things."

"The beautiful girl was discovered by a small aristocratic family. They had lackeys who specifically helped to keep an eye on the pretty girls in the villages and towns. For three taels of silver and five dou of grain, her parents sold her to the landlord in this village."

"You are a knight-errant. You refused to accept the injustice and went to seek justice. You were beaten half to death and thrown out. You went to report to the authorities, but the officials and this noble family are actually a den of wolves. You were imprisoned for a random crime."

"Your childhood sweetheart took the initiative to agree to the landlord's request for your sake."

"You were banished. When you walked out of the village with tattoos on your face, festering on your back from being beaten with a stick, and chains on your legs, that girl was getting married. She would be the seventeenth concubine."

"So, even though you are poor, you will enjoy happiness if you marry into my family."

"Then you encountered bandits and managed to escape. You wanted to become their apprentice, but the rules of the underworld were numerous and complicated. In the end, you had to humble yourself and learn martial arts with great difficulty, and you made some money and returned."

"But I found out that the girl had already been beaten to death by the first wife."

"You held the sword, your eyes were red with killing intent, but the sword would be dull, and one person was no match for the yamen runners and soldiers. You made a scene, trying to kill the young man from a noble family, but in the end you were shot to death by a volley of gunfire from the officials who came after hearing the news."

"After you're shot, you're thrown into a mass grave and wild dogs eat your bones."

"Your childhood sweetheart, that girl is deeper in this mass grave."

"You are buried together."

"At this very moment, that noble family is taking a new concubine."

“Speaking of this…”

Li Guanyi paused and said calmly:

"Although you are poor, you will enjoy happiness if you marry into my family."

For some reason, these words seemed to carry a chill.

Ji Zichang was quiet for a long time.

Li Guanyi shook the wine pot and said, "The future you imagined is too good, and the future I talked about is too bad. But the reality is a mixture of good and bad. The emperor suffers, and the people suffer. The emperor suffers because he has no choice."

“The suffering of the people is because they have no control over their fate.”

"Of course, this story doesn't exist... But I have seen people at every stage, buying and selling people, beating and killing concubines, the intrigues of the underworld, and the evil bandits that run rampant in the countryside."

The boy's voice was so quiet that it made no ripples.

The human trafficking on the black market, the palace maiden who was beaten to death, the letter from the deserter; the Kirin Hunting Conference, Liufeng Huixue Tower, the martial arts world of the Yin-Yang Rotating Sect, the local bully encountered when going to pick up Yuan Zhi's mother, the gift of one million taels of silver from the noble family, and the people who could not survive and asked the Kirin Army to open a porridge shop.

Qin Wuhou tilted his head back to drink, his eyes calm, his black hair slightly raised at the temples.

The falling sleeves moved slightly like clouds.

I've seen them all.

These five words say it all.

You see from the top down, and see the tyranny of the aristocratic families, the cruelty of the trade-offs, and the bloody struggles. I see from the bottom up, and see the suffering of the people, know the arbitrariness of the aristocratic families, and understand the murderousness of the underworld.

Ji Zichang suddenly burst into laughter, then sighed, "Well said."

"Well said!"

The young man Qin Wuhou held out his wine glass and said, "Although this is such an absurd world, there is nothing we can do about it. Let's just consider it as a reluctant effort, and it can also be regarded as a tribute to the people in this chaotic world, you and me."

Ji Zichang raised his eyebrows: "Toast to the troubled times?"

Li Guanyi said: "First courtesy, then force. He is still a student after all."

"Then, in this chaotic world——"

He raised his glass and said cheerfully to the sky, the earth, and the world:
"I will drink from the golden cup with you, and I will not spare you the sword!"

Ji Zichang burst into laughter and said, "Okay!"

"Let's go, I'll go get the gift with you."

He stood up staggeringly. Li Guanyi raised his eyebrows and walked along casually. He no longer cared about what this descendant of the Red Emperor could give. After wandering around for a while, Ji Zichang actually took Li Guanyi with him and bypassed the increasingly tight guards.

Finally we arrived at a solemn garden complex with a majestic inscription in front.

Li Guanyi looked solemn. He knew what this was. He stared at the staggering drunk king and said, "Sacrificial text? This is the mausoleum of the thirty-three kings of the Red Emperor's eight hundred years of reign."

The imperial mausoleum is divided into two levels, the lower level is the tomb and the upper level has buildings.

This is the upper place. Ji Zichang tilted his head back and took a sip of wine, then took out a white jade talisman from his arms. He opened the sealed part of the palace above the ground of the mausoleum complex and walked forward step by step.

As he walked, he whispered:

"Under here, the ancestors of our Zhongzhou are buried."

"And the place above is used for worship and offerings to them. Over the years, they have come here to worship with great fanfare every year. Even when the ancestors of Chen and Ying rebelled and came to Zhongzhou, they came here respectfully."

"Gold and silver objects are the least valuable here, and they are all piled up here."

Ji Zichang stopped in front of the statue of Red Emperor. His drunkenness dissipated. He thought about the courage of Chen Dingye and Jiang Wanxiang that he saw that day. Compared with such heroes and overlords, Ji Zichang felt that he was indeed not a hero.

He was just a weak guy, in all aspects, neither good at literature nor martial arts. If it were not for chance, he would have been blinded by the bubble woven by the aristocratic families and would not be able to see the truth of the world.

Ancestor Chidi, your unfilial descendants are here.

During this period, when Ji Zichang recalled the past and felt extremely uncomfortable, he felt an indescribable blazing fire burning in his heart, and he wanted to completely overturn everything. Finally, he reconciled with himself.

He turned around and looked at Li Guanyi. His voice was gentle and calm, and he spoke word by word:

"The gold and silver artifacts here have been accumulated over the generations."

"Even if it's once a year, it's not a small amount. If it's sold, it should be more than 30 million taels. They are all clean. You can take them. This way, Jiangnan can rise completely."

! ! ! !
Li Guanyi looked at Ji Zichang and his pupils contracted violently.

Even he was shocked by the emperor's actions.

The wind blew violently, and large flags were waving violently outside the palace above the mausoleum. Ji Zichang's black hair was flying, his sword was against the ground, his left hand was pressing on the hilt, and his right hand was stretched out towards Li Guanyi.

Ji Zichang said calmly: "What are you looking at?"

"I will be the king of a fallen nation, the last king. In history, the historians will definitely scold me. If they don't scold me, they won't be able to show their ability or loyalty. People in the future will definitely scold me until pus oozes out."

"But since he is the king of a fallen country!"

"How can we not thoroughly expose the numerous crimes of the king who lost his country?!"

"I will bear the infamy. You can take the wealth from this place and recruit students from the academy, so Jiangnan can be established. You are a person who rose from obscurity just like our ancestors. I believe you can do better than Jiang Wanxiang and Chen Dingye."

Ji Zichang raised his hand, and the white jade talisman fell into Li Guanyi's palm.

"I will be scolded by my ancestors, but please allow me, the last sinner of the generation, to do such a thing. General Tiance, take these and pacify the world like the Red Emperor did."

"But I have only one request."

Ji Zichang said softly:

“Don’t hurt my people.”

The last king narrowed his eyes, and the strong wind behind him blew the eternal lamp. Until now, he has not yet aroused the red dragon Dharma image of the Red Emperor. According to the royal family's theory of royal power, he does not have the courage to become a king.

According to the royal family, he had never received the approval of the previous kings, Emperor Chi.

He is not worthy of being the son of the Red Emperor.

Ji Zichang no longer cared about these. He just whispered: "I want to be a ranger, but then I think that a ranger can't protect many people. Now this action may save two more people. Maybe future generations will laugh at me for being stupid, but——"

"Let the remaining light of the Red Emperors of all generations protect the people of this era one last time!"

He walked down step by step, the sword in his hand gently knocking against the ground, making a crisp sound, and Ji Zichang chanted in a low voice:
"The wind blows, and the clouds fly."

"With great power throughout the country, I return to my hometown."

"How can I find brave warriors to guard the four directions?"

He raised the sword in his hand, just like the original Red Emperor, like a fool, a fool, with tears streaming down his face, alone, shouting loudly: "Wind!"

"wind!"

"Strong wind!!!"

(End of this chapter)