Chapter 511: Treading the Bones of Nobles and Ministers All over the Streets

Chapter 511: Trampling the Bones of Nobles on the Celestial Street

Zhai Muzhi seemed to have timed it perfectly—no sooner had the camp been set up than he arrived precisely on schedule.

The soldiers began lighting fires to cook meals. Zhai Muzhi, clad in a Confucian scholar's robe, sat in the command tent drinking wine. A bonfire blazed within the tent, where a personal guard was roasting meat. Two maidservants stood by his side, refilling his cup. The surrounding generals laughed and jested, each amusing themselves in their own way.

His chief secretary, Xie Ruhai, attended him closely, while an unfamiliar scholar occupied the seat of honor as the chief guest.

Zhao Changhe stepped into the command tent, his eyes sweeping around, his face expressionless.

A war was on, and they were throwing a bonfire party?

"So, the secret envoy of the Demon Suppression Bureau's jade token turns out to be Zhao Changhe," Zhai Muzhi said with a hearty laugh. "Sit, sit, sit. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Join us for a bite?"

Zhao Changhe sat down calmly in the guest seat of lower rank. "Does Governor Zhai know me?"

"Oh, Bloody Asura Zhao Changhe—your name shakes the world; who doesn't know you? It's no secret that Young Hero Zhao is close with Chief Tang. That you'd be the secret envoy is only natural!" Zhai Muzhi said warmly, pulling the scholar from the guest seat to introduce him. "Allow me to introduce you, Young Hero Zhao—this is Imperial Envoy Lu Shouyi, from Fanyang!"

Lu Shouyi, well aware of Zhao Changhe's sensitive identity, rose with a full-faced smile and clasped his hands in greeting. "Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Zhao. A pleasure, a pleasure."

"A pleasure," Zhao Changhe replied perfunctorily, returning the gesture, thinking to himself, *At least he hasn't recognized me as that Wang Daozhong from before...*

But then Zhai Muzhi actually said, "Do you know, Young Hero Zhao, a few days ago Wang Daozhong came running to me..."

Zhao Changhe was startled. "A few days ago?"

*Wasn't it over a month ago? And why bring up Wang Daozhong out of the blue?*

Zhai Muzhi continued, "Wang Daozhong was wounded somehow, being hunted by Blood God Sect Leader Xue Canghai with his men. He fled into Bashu seeking my help. I heard that during the Xiangyang campaign, the Blood God Sect had already been pardoned and was on the imperial side—thanks to your mediation, wasn't it?"

Zhao Changhe was even more astonished. *Damn, Old Xue actually managed to chase a top-tier expert from the Earth List? Impressive... But how was Wang Daozhong injured?*

"The Blood God Sect has indeed been pardoned. What happened next?"

Zhai Muzhi said, "Since the Blood God Sect has been pardoned, and the Wang family's rebellious intentions are clear—Wang Daozhong even just escaped from prison—this is the imperial court capturing a rebel. How could I possibly help Wang Daozhong? Of course, don't take offense, Young Hero Zhao—I wouldn't directly offend the Wang family either; I just avoided meeting him. With no other choice, and Xue Canghai pressing the pursuit, Wang Daozhong had to flee south, probably heading for the Miao territories. Did you not run into him on your way north?"

"There are too many roads; it's not like we'd just bump into each other," Zhao Changhe replied casually, though a strange feeling stirred within him.

He couldn't tell if Zhai Muzhi had guessed that the "Wang Daozhong" from last time was actually him... but it seemed not to matter anymore.

Connecting it to Shi Wuding's earlier capture of Wang Daozhong, it was highly likely that Zhai Muzhi had ordered it. This showed that Zhai Muzhi's stance had been consistent all along—he seemed genuinely to be on the imperial side, opposing Wang Daozhong. *Looking at it this way, this guy might be the most 'loyal' of all the regional lords I've encountered in the past two years—even Cui Wenjing and Yang Jingsiu probably aren't as 'devoted' as he is.*

*Perhaps the tragedy is that the one who truly sees himself as an official of the Great Xia is a man like this.*

As they spoke, a maidservant came over to refill his wine. Zhao Changhe lowered his gaze, watching her pour, and said flatly, "Forgive my bluntness, Governor, but your conduct here... rather violates military regulations."

"A commander in the field is not bound by the sovereign's orders. I am the commander; military discipline and regulations are mine to decide," Zhai Muzhi said with a hearty laugh. "And Lord Lu has no objections either."

Lu Shouyi stroked his beard and smiled. "The soldiers have endured hardship on the march; it's only right to let them relax when they can."

Zhao Changhe's cheek twitched. *If the soldiers outside, gaunt and eating stale rations, heard that, they'd probably want to shove it down your throat.* He asked expressionlessly, "Strict military discipline isn't just for show... Governor, have you considered what happens if you lose?"

Zhai Muzhi exchanged a glance with Lu Shouyi and asked, "Young Hero Zhao, bearing the jade token, do you have intelligence on the Miao border?"

Zhao Changhe said, "Lei Zhentang has already formed an alliance of all the tribes. Just around Erhai Lake, the combined tribal forces number fifty to sixty thousand; the entire Miao region is uncountable. Add to that the treacherous terrain, pervasive miasma, and bizarre shamanic arts. Deep in enemy territory, we can't even maintain supply lines... I don't think I could lead an army to fight here. I wonder what gives Governor Zhai such confidence."

Zhai Muzhi lowered his voice. "From what you've seen, will they march out?"

Zhao Changhe shook his head. "The chances of them marching out are slim. It's hard for us to enter, and just as hard for them to leave. Besides, once they leave, they lose their geographical advantage."

Zhai Muzhi clapped his hands. "Exactly. According to reports from the Demon Suppression Bureau in the Miao region, they aren't even united—they've set up some kind of five-tribe council, likely with hidden rivalries for supremacy. That makes it even less likely they'll march out."

Zhao Changhe thought, *This must be the intelligence Li Si'an passed along. No matter how much he meddles in Taoyuan Town's affairs, his duty is as a general of the Demon Suppression Bureau, and that's beyond reproach. At least he didn't mention that I facilitated this...*

Zhai Muzhi leaned in slightly, lowering his voice further. "Since they can't march out, why must we march in? This isn't something our Shu commandery's forces alone can accomplish. All we need to do is hold our territory, and that's a great achievement. When the time comes to pacify the Miao rebellion, the imperial court will send its own generals..."

Zhao Changhe's heart skipped a beat. He finally understood this man's logic.

The Miao rebellion could be said to have been provoked by his extortion, but pacification commissioners like Lan Tiankuo were long dead, their bodies gone. The slogans shouted by rebels like Lei Zhentang meant nothing—they could easily be dismissed as mere excuses for rebellion, unable to shake Zhai Muzhi. Even if Li Si'an's report mentioned it, the court would argue endlessly, since the tribal chieftains themselves had extorted no less than Zhai Muzhi. It was hard to pin the blame.

And Zhai Muzhi had connections at court—wasn't Lu from Fanyang sitting right there drinking with him, an imperial envoy at that? He was probably tasked with investigating the whole affair, but the investigation was a farce; they were already in cahoots.

If Xia Longyuan had been in charge, he wouldn't have been fooled, but Xia Longyuan truly didn't care. It was almost certain that Zhai Muzhi would face little censure at court, and any trouble could be easily smoothed over. Even Tang Wanzhuang's impeachment would be useless—the Demon Suppression Bureau's oversight powers weren't meant to be made public; officially, they had no such authority.

In other words, the disaster Zhai Muzhi had caused could be completely covered up. Since the enemy couldn't march out, he could claim "merit in defending the territory" and be promoted and ennobled.

The Miao hadn't even attacked—where would the merit come from? Simple: put a few Miao hairstyles on the heads of the Xia villagers killed outside, and claim the Miao had attacked and been repelled.

Zhai Muzhi truly had no intention of rebelling; he was a "loyal" official of the Great Xia.

But it was officials like him who created countless rebels.

The mystery Zhao Changhe had come to solve was unraveled in just a few words. There was no conspiracy, no collusion with Lei Zhentang. Zhai Muzhi was even quite open about it, as if he thought it was something everyone understood and took for granted.

*I even helped you deal with Wang Daozhong—I'm a loyal minister, my stance is solid.*

But Zhao Changhe's anger only grew. His hand gripping the wine cup showed faint veins.

*I schemed and maneuvered in the Miao region, forged the five-tribe alliance, and sheltered countless Xia people—so you could do this?*

*What if I hadn't been there? Would you have cared if the Xia in the Miao region were all slaughtered?*

Zhai Muzhi, reading his expression, lowered his voice. "This merit naturally belongs to you as well, Young Hero Zhao... Also, I've heard you've been troubled by your meridians. We have some supplements here that might help..."

*I can't turn hostile now. There's still one last question I need answered.*

Zhao Changhe suppressed his fury and spoke slowly, "Then I thank the Governor for his generosity. But there's one more thing I'd like to ask."

Zhai Muzhi seemed relieved and said with a smile, "Please, speak freely."

"What do you know about the Sword Hut of Bashan?"

Zhai Muzhi shook his head. "The Sword Hut has always been a renowned sect in Bashu, with many ties to various families. I don't know why they insisted on moving to the Miao region. Speaking of which, I am curious—how did Sect Master Shi offend you, that you and Miss Yue killed him together? By all accounts, the Sword Hut should be on the righteous side..."

Zhao Changhe watched his eyes closely and said slowly, "Actually, Shi Wuding wasn't killed by us—or rather, we only finished off a severely wounded Shi Wuding. Otherwise, how could Hongling and I have killed the sixth on the Earth List?"

Zhai Muzhi laughed. "That's still impressive... But who wounded Shi Wuding first?"

Zhao Changhe said, word by word, "The sixth on the Heaven List, Snow Owl of the Listening Snow Pavilion. Does the Governor know of him?"

Zhai Muzhi paused, as if incredulous, then waved his hand with a laugh. "The sixth on the Heaven List, Snow Owl of the Listening Snow Pavilion—who doesn't know of him? But I've never had the fortune to meet such a figure..."

Zhao Changhe understood clearly now. *Zhai Muzhi must have met Snow Owl, and he knows Snow Owl couldn't have killed Shi Wuding!*

He was about to say something more when he suddenly felt a tremor like an earthquake in the distance.

Zhai Muzhi noticed it too. He shot to his feet, revealing cultivation on par with Zhao Changhe's—perhaps even slightly stronger.

Sure enough, he was already at the second level of the Secret Treasury.

A soldier immediately rushed in to report: "Governor, it's bad! Several thousand troops are charging toward our camp!"

"Several thousand? We have over forty thousand here. Are they looking for death?" Zhai Muzhi asked in astonishment. "Could it be a Miao attack? But why from the east?"

"It's not the Miao!" Another soldier burst in. "We saw their banner—a big character for 'Li'."

Zhai Muzhi's face changed drastically. "Li Shengtong!"