Demon Emperor

Chapter 43 Changpo: Xu Bei Calligraphy
"I heard the dead person was a high-ranking official. I never expected that even the emperor would come, and there would still be evil spirits."

"I heard the official who died was a good one; it's a real shame."

"Why are there so many evil spirits lately?"

"I heard that the feng shui of the imperial tomb has been broken, and these evil spirits have all come out. So we still have to abide by the rules left by our ancestors. Without the rules..."

In the countryside, rumors began to circulate.

The tenant farmers knew to be cautious and dared not speak carelessly, but some children spoke without restraint, and who knows, they might even turn it into nursery rhymes and sing it in a while.

As for why the feng shui of the late emperor's mausoleum was broken, and what the so-called ancestral rules have to do with feng shui, these people did not go into details, but those who understand will understand.

Ruan Hu heard these rumors and let out a cold snort.

"Your Majesty, I immediately sent men to take away these nonsensical things."

Zhou Kaigu knelt on the ground, his eyes cold.

Ruan Hu glanced at him sideways and then said.

What are we going to do with these people?

"Can you silence the voices of the common people and children?"

Zhou Kaigu solemnly declared: "Anyone or anything that dares to slander Your Majesty, even if it costs me my life, I will certainly stand up for you."

Ruan Hu shook his head: "Some things can't be treated by just addressing the symptoms; you have to get to the root of the problem."

Ruan Hu walked down and left the villa surrounded by people.

In the distance, the emperor's ceremonial guards were ready, the imperial guards were in formation, and the civil and military officials were waiting in front.

Before departure.

Nguyen Ho stood on the carriage frame, looking down at the group of ministers bowing in greeting.

He began by recounting what happened last night, which served as a summary.

"The person who appeared last night was not some evil spirit, but a Fang Xiangshi from ancient times, a loyal and upright minister who is recorded in history and was buried here after his death."

"He woke up because someone disturbed him."

“Last night I saw through his true nature and called out his background and origins. Only then did this Fang Xiangshi finally remember his past and leave.”

The crowd discussed it animatedly; some suddenly realized what was going on, while others seemed to have already guessed it.

Unlike Ruan Hu, who was empty-headed, most of the civil and military officials present were well-read and knew what Fang Xiangshi was.

"It's actually Fang Xiangshi."

"The Fangxiangshi was an official official in ancient times, which existed as early as the pre-Qin period. I don't know which dynasty the Fangxiangshi here refers to."

"No wonder……"

The officials immediately changed their tune, no longer calling Fang Xiangshi an evil spirit, and began to praise him.

What happened last night has become a beautiful story and legend left by the emperor, and a testament to the mandate of heaven.

Seeing that everyone accepted this explanation, Ruan Hu began to sing praises.

Then he went on to talk about something else.

He had Zhou Kaigu step forward and open a box, inside which was the head of the pale-faced, round, and fat man.

Ruan Hu asked, "Last night, Fang Xiangshi appeared to me in a dream, asking me to forgive his sins, and then he sent this head back."

"I heard this morning that this man is a loyal subject. What do you all think we should do?"

This immediately aroused Huang Hui's faction, and they all stepped forward.

Some lamented the passing of Lianlian, while others were moved to tears.

Some people say that he died protecting the emperor from disaster and should be given a posthumous title and an official rank.

Some say his loyalty moved heaven and earth, others say his good name will be remembered for eternity.

Ruan Hu laughed and then asked them a question.

"If he was a loyal minister, why was he killed by Fang Xiangshi, who could distinguish between treacherous and evil spirits?"

They looked at each other blankly, and for a long time no one answered.

Before they could come up with an excuse, Ruan Hu had already finalized the matter.

"Last night, Fang Xiangshi appeared to me in a dream and said this when he returned the head."

“Last night he spoke out of arrogance and insulted me, saying some outrageous and disrespectful things. Fang Xiangshi, as a loyal minister, was filled with righteous indignation and beheaded him.”

Ruan Hu looked at the officials of Huang Hui's faction and then asked.

"I wonder if any of you ministers have heard these outrageous words? I'd like to hear whether he has been wronged."

Upon hearing this, the people all lowered their heads, not daring to look Ruan Hu in the eye; some of the more timid ones even swayed their shoulders slightly.

He was clearly feeling guilty.

They not only heard it, but some people even said it last night.

Ruan Hu didn't delve into it further; he looked at Huang Hui.

Huang Hui felt a chill run down his spine and even wanted to hide in the back like the others.

If this matter gets involved, he will be the first to be implicated.

However, he was the leader of this faction, and everyone knew that the head in the box belonged to his man.

Others could hide, but he could only stand at the very front.

Ruan Hu asked Huang Hui, "Huang Qing, what do you think should be done?" Huang Hui's face hardened before he replied, "This kind of despicable person who abandons his sovereign and father and is so arrogant and immoral should be ground to dust and his entire family wiped out."

After Huang Hui finished speaking, Lian Ruanhu was stunned for a moment.

When it comes to real ruthlessness, you still have to look to these scholars!
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the others looking at Huang Hui changed.

As a leader of a faction, he not only failed to stand up for his cause at a critical moment, but also betrayed his subordinates and their entire families in order to protect himself.

Even though many people had previously disliked the pale-faced, round-faced man, at this moment, many in the crowd immediately felt a sense of shared sorrow.

However, these people were not resentful of the emperor, but rather of Huang Hui, who was standing in front of him.

After listening, Ruan Hu shook his head and then said.

"Exterminating nine generations of their family is still a bit too much!"

Ruan Hu took the box and threw it into the still-burning campfire, signifying the end of the matter.

The campfire exploded, and Ruan Hu seemed to vaguely hear screams.

This pale-faced, round-faced man is unimportant. From the very beginning, Ruan Hu was after Huang Hui, or more precisely, the local powerful clans that Huang Hui represented.

Although he could have taken advantage of the situation to capture Huang Hui, for example, some people who were pleased with themselves at the meeting last night, he could have easily used some means to make them turn against him and identify Huang Hui.

However, killing Huang Hui wouldn't be of much significance, as the Huang family behind Huang Hui wouldn't be seriously harmed; they could simply push someone else into power.

Instead, it will cause the local powerful forces in Xicheng to unite, and the Huang family behind Huang Hui will even be forced to stand completely against Ruan Hu.

The key is to use this incident to dismantle the local powerful clans represented by Huang Hui.

This will prevent these people from uniting together, prevent them from becoming hostile towards Ruan Hu, and ultimately allow the entire force to be used by Ruan Hu.

but.

This is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

What we've done here is just the beginning.

As he set off, Ruan Hu looked at the bamboo forest that had been burned to ashes.

"Such a beautiful scene has been ruined because of the machinations of petty people."

"The divine warning was indeed true."

I don’t know if it’s an illusion.

Huang Hui stood before the officials, listening to these words, especially the word "petty person".

He felt that the emperor was watching him, and everyone else was watching him too.
-
Another day of slow, leisurely travel.

When he settled into his lodging that night, Ruan Hu discovered that the tiger inside his body had gone out for a while and then returned.

It didn't go to eat Fang Xiangshi, but rather it ate the soul of that fair-skinned, round, and plump man.

The tiger coiled happily at Ruan Hu's feet, and then added another wisp of spirit to him.

"Changpo·Xu Bei Calligraphy"

Ruan Hu's eyes flickered slightly when he saw the ball of light.

"A calligraphic type of 'Changpo' (伥魄)."

This was exactly what he needed. Because he wasn't good at calligraphy, Ruan Hu had been using various excuses of being tired to review memorials lately, or he would just put a checkmark or an X on them.

Although I practiced secretly in private, it's not something that can be done in a short time.

However, Ruan Hu's body was already full of changpo (a type of spirit), and there was no more room for it.

but.

Ruan Hu has been searching for a way to replace Changpo and Changhun, and has made some progress. Now, this Changpo Xubei calligraphy is exactly what he needs.

Ruan Hu immediately followed the method and forcibly squeezed the wisp of spirit into his consciousness.

"go with!"

The ball of light was squeezed in forcefully, and then another ball of light flew out from Ruan Hu's head.

Ruan Hu found a way to replace Changpo.

In turn, Ruan Hu replaced one of the two duplicate Changpo Bow and Horse Skills.

At this moment, the seven spirits of elegant speech, physiognomy, archery with unerring accuracy, swordsmanship, horsemanship, poison, and calligraphy of Xu Bei flowed through his consciousness.

Above them, two spirits, one calling back the soul and the other using form to supplement form, floated.

Light the lamp.

Ruan Hu unfurled the long scroll by the light, then picked up his brush, flicked it across the inkstone, and skillfully put it down.

"It doesn't quite look like it."

Ruan Hu compared the characters with his predecessor's. Xu Bei calligraphy was a type of stele calligraphy practiced by most people in Xicheng, and his predecessor had also learned this type of calligraphy.

However, the words he wrote at this moment were neither like those of the fair-skinned, round, and chubby man, nor like those of his predecessor; rather, they seemed to be a combination of the two.

After practicing the characters from his predecessor's writing several times, Ruan Hu gradually got the hang of it and could at least write them about 80-90% similar.

Ruan Hu picked up the pen, held the lamp in his left hand, and examined it carefully.

"It looks like it."

later.

He can also display his calligraphy and show off his refined taste.

(End of this chapter)