Tome of Troubled Times-Chapter 759 (2): Spring of the Northern Lands

Zhao Changhe let out an awkward “Uh...” and instinctively glanced around, half-expecting to see the blind woman lurking nearby. Before he could say anything, someone else in the crowd spoke up. “King Zhao really ascended to the Night Emperor’s throne? We weren’t sure before. It didn’t seem quite right.”

More Four Idols Cult followers chimed in excitedly, “Who else but King Zhao should be the Night Emperor? That night, the river of stars high in the sky shone brightly, the constellations of the Four Idols resonated with him, and the sun and moon shared the sky! Not even the venerables could achieve such a feat!”

Zhao Changhe: “......”

Fine, fine, I’ll be the Night Emperor. But could you guys stop using the word ‘ascended’...? Do you not feel the gaze of a demon god already looming over you?

At first, the crowd had noticed Yue Hongling before him, but the moment they recognized Zhao Changhe, it immediately became his show. Yue Hongling tilted her head and watched, finding it quite amusing.

The strangest thing? No one seemed afraid of Zhao Changhe.

They did not fear his reputation as the Bloodthirsty Asura, nor did they cower before his status as King Zhao, a man who wielded immense power. Even the Four Idols Cult followers openly gossipped about their supposed “divine being” right to his face.

This kind of atmosphere... How did this even come to be?

In all her years roaming the jianghu, Yue Hongling had never seen anything like it.

And with everyone acting so naturally around him, even Zhao Changhe found himself unable to stay annoyed about his interrupted time with Yue Hongling. He could only sigh and explain, “The divide between ancient knowledge and the present has now been bridged. There is no longer a separation. What you call divine abilities are merely the revelations of new realms that were once hidden. Every person has the potential to cultivate them. I... will devise a system where those who meet the conditions can obtain the cultivation methods to reach the Profound Control Realm. Perhaps through military merits, for example. In the end, whether you can fly with me will depend on your own efforts.”

For a moment, the crowd stood in stunned silence. Then, a deafening cheer erupted, “Long live King Zhao!”

People even began sprinting off, eager to bring the news back to their families.

Looks like my earlier thoughts were correct... Giving people a clear path to advancement is just as important as education, perhaps even more so in some ways.

If implemented properly, it wouldn’t just affect the Great Han Empire; even people from other regions might flock here to seize the opportunity. This... This is how you truly gather all the heroes under heaven into your net...

I’ll need to discuss the details with Chichi and Wanzhuang later.

“Alright, alright.” Zhao Changhe raised a hand, motioning for the crowd to settle down. He laughed as he reached for Yue Hongling’s hand.

“Listen, everyone, can we at least finish our stroll in peace? Haven’t you heard the rumors? I’m the Bloodthirsty Asura who slaughters without blinking!”

The crowd chuckled but respectfully parted to clear a path for them.

Someone in the crowd suddenly asked, “Is Heroine Yue officially your consort now, King Zhao?”

Yue Hongling’s gaze flicked toward Zhao Changhe, her lips curling in an amused, unreadable smile. Her eyes shimmered with mischief, but she did not deny it.

“Then...” At that moment, several people in the crowd opened their mouths as if wanting to say something only to abruptly shut them again.

Everyone in the crowd wanted to ask “what about Her Majesty” and “what about First Seat Tang,” but no one dared to voice the questions aloud. Worse still, they were afraid they would phrase it differently from one another, leading to an awkward silence as they hesitated in unison.

The festive atmosphere somehow turned strangely muted because of this ridiculous situation. Zhao Changhe, fully aware of the reason, felt his face burn with embarrassment. Without a word, he tightened his grip on Yue Hongling’s hand and hastily led her away.

Yet, Yue Hongling remained as composed as ever, a soft smile playing on her lips. She showed no trace of displeasure. Only after they had distanced themselves from the crowd did she finally chuckle and sigh. “The spirit of the capital is much better than many places I’ve seen before. The people are confident, unafraid of authority.”

Zhao Changhe nodded and said, “Chichi is dead set on accomplishing what her father couldn’t, while Wanzhuang has always had this vision. When ruler and ministers share the same goal, the results naturally show.”

Yue Hongling glanced at him.

Zhao Changhe blinked. “What?”

She smiled and said, “And you don’t think you have anything to do with it?”

Zhao Changhe scratched his head. “I just fight. I haven’t done anything for this...”

Unless you count making the Tang Clan’s spring water overflow while making Chichi linger outside?

Yue Hongling’s voice was quiet but firm. “Because you do not use power to oppress others, those beneath you follow suit. The officials of the court behave accordingly. That’s why the city has this atmosphere.”

“Mm... I think it might just be because I’ve killed too many of those in power. The ones who still have authority are keeping their heads down, which is what led to this.”

“Perhaps.” Yue Hongling did not argue, merely pointing toward a government building in the distance. “Why are guards coming and going over there? It’s the first day of the new year. Shouldn’t the yamen be on break?”

Zhao Changhe glanced over and sighed. “I wonder if she even gives them overtime pay. Always pushing herself to the limit and dragging others along with her...”

Yue Hongling immediately understood. “The Demon Suppression Bureau...”

Zhao Changhe hesitated briefly. “Shall we take a look?”

Yue Hongling smiled. “Why not? I’ve already seen all I wanted on this stroll.”

By the time the two of them entered the inner hall of the Demon Suppression Bureau, Tang Wanzhuang had already finished her morning tasks and was leisurely reading a book.

Baoqin, carrying a guqin in her arms, was hurrying in from outside. It seemed Tang Wanzhuang had asked her to fetch the instrument.

As she reached the entrance, she nearly bumped headfirst into Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling.

Baoqin skidded to a stop, her gaze sweeping up and down Yue Hongling with the intensity of a stern teacher scrutinizing her disciple’s propriety. After a long moment, she finally remarked, “Quite the festive outfit for the new year, huh?”

Yue Hongling: “...”

How has this maid survived this long without getting strangled to death by Vermillion Bird?

From inside the room, Tang Wanzhuang’s languid voice drifted over, “Baoqin, mind your manners. Bring me the guqin.”

Baoqin tossed her little head with a huff and strutted into the room, only to catch her foot on the threshold. “Ah—!” With a yelp, she nearly face-planted, the guqin flying straight out of her hands.

Zhao Changhe reacted instantly, grabbing her by the collar and lifting her off the ground like a struggling kitten. At the same moment, Tang Wanzhuang made a casual motion with her free hand, and the guqin landed smoothly on the table. She did not even lift her head from her book.

Still holding Baoqin, Zhao Changhe stepped through the doorway. Only then did Tang Wanzhuang finally look up at him, her smile as dazzling as ever. “You’re already here, no need to bring gifts. Just leave it there.”

Baoqin: “¿”

Zhao Changhe chuckled and unceremoniously deposited Baoqin onto a nearby chair before turning to Tang Wanzhuang. “I thought you’d be busy... but from the looks of it, you’re reading a novel instead of government papers? That’s new. What are you reading?”

Tang Wanzhuang lifted the book slightly, her expression amused. “Romance of the Western Chamber[1]. Baoqin went out of her way to find it for me.”

Zhao Changhe: “...”

Tang Wanzhuang finally set the book down and explained, “I wasn’t occupied with work this morning. The people you saw coming and going weren’t handling court affairs, they were delivering gifts to military camps on behalf of the imperial court, extending New Year’s greetings to the soldiers. These are the kinds of things that have to be done today. I can’t just hide at home and leave it all to others... And even earlier, at dawn, I had to attend court ceremonies. In ways most people never see, the so-called imperial hounds work quite hard. My efforts are hardly an exception.”

As she spoke, her gaze flicked toward Yue Hongling, a subtle but pointed glance. It was hard to tell whether she was deliberately addressing the jianghu heroine who had spent her life opposing these so-called “imperial hounds.”

Zhao Changhe suddenly recalled something Tang Buqi had once told him long ago—What is a hero? In the eyes of the court, even heroes are nothing more than outlaws or bandits.

He had once thought that Hongling and Wanzhuang would get along exceptionally well. But looking at them now, he was not so sure. It was odd—jianghu and imperial authority, two opposing forces, often found unexpected understanding in one another. Yet here, with Wanzhuang... is there an actual disconnect?

But before that thought could settle, Tang Wanzhuang shattered his speculation with her next words. “So... how does it feel, walking down the street hand-in-hand with a woman, being publicly declared as King Zhao’s consort? Was it fun?”

Oh. So that’s where the taste of vinegar is coming from. Zhao Changhe did not know whether to laugh or cry. “You could’ve made your own announcement, you know.” ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

Tang Wanzhuang huffed lightly, then, with a deliberate air, rose from her chair and performed a formal bow toward Yue Hongling. “Tang Wanzhuang of the Demon Suppression Bureau greets Heroine Yue.”

Yue Hongling returned the gesture with a formal jianghu salute, but then, with just a few words, she effortlessly dispelled Tang Wanzhuang’s faint hostility: “Big Sister, thank you for your hard work.”

In an instant, Tang Wanzhuang’s demeanor blossomed into warmth. “Baoqin, serve our honored guest some tea.”

Baoqin, who had been squatting on a chair watching the exchange, grumbled under her breath as she reluctantly jumped down to boil the water. If one listened closely, her muttering could barely be deciphered, “And she calls herself the impartial guardian of the jianghu... Two words, and she’s completely won over... If the jianghu knew she was this easy to sway, the Great Xia would have collapsed ten years ago...”

Tang Wanzhuang pretended not to hear a thing, still smiling as she turned to Yue Hongling. “Hongling, stay at my place tonight. We’ve long admired each other from afar, I’d love to have a good chat with you.”

Yue Hongling started to reply, “That would be my pleasure...” but then suddenly paused.

The two women exchanged a glance. Then, in perfect unison, they both said, “You’re going to the palace tonight. Don't bother us.”

...I wasn’t planning to bother you tonight. Zhao Changhe was utterly exasperated. “Wanzhuang, weren’t we supposed to be discussing military affairs? What are we even doing?”

Tang Wanzhuang looked at him with amused surprise. “Are you suddenly more devoted to state affairs than I am?”

“I just think the situation is rather tense.”

“You know, Huangfu Qing is still stabilizing Jinzhong. The grain shipments bound for the capital are still en route. Buqi arranged for grain purchases overseas, and they’re still being transported up the Grand Canal. With the heavy snow and ice, logistics are incredibly difficult. You might be able to zip across the skies, but for ordinary people, most of their time is still spent struggling along the road...” She shook her head with a soft laugh, then continued, “No matter how anxious you are, the pace of real-world logistics won’t speed up just to match yours.”

Zhao Changhe grumbled, “It’s too damn slow...”

“Well, of course! Do you think transporting grain is as easy as tossing it into a storage ring and taking off?”

Zhao Changhe muttered offhandedly, “Then what if we had a group of people who could use storage rings? Each person could carry a few rings filled with grains and silver, wouldn’t that speed things up?”

Tang Wanzhuang froze.

Then, in a sudden realization, she shot to her feet so abruptly that she nearly knocked over the tea cups on the table.

It did not even take a group of people who could use storage rings. They just needed enough storage rings. A few quick individuals could carry packs of rings to the destination, where a single dedicated person could unseal them.

Zhao Changhe’s casual remark could revolutionize warfare!

1. Romance of the Western Chamber, also translated as The Story of the Western Wing, The West Chamber, Romance of the Western Bower and similar titles, is one of the most famous Chinese dramatic works. It was written by the Yuan dynasty playwright Wang Shifu, and set during the Tang dynasty. -Wikipedia ☜