Within the Imperial Capital, inside the solemn and quiet Imperial Study.
Emperor Zhu Youjian sat once again behind his desk, buried in a mountain of morials. In the eyes of many, he seed to do nothing else—day after day, year after year—except read docunts and issue decrees. Yet it was precisely this unrelenting diligence that had carved such deep exhaustion into his body.
His shoulders were perpetually hunched. Wrinkles furrowed his face like dry riverbeds, and anxiety lingered in his eyes, never quite fading. All of it bore silent witness to how desperately he struggled to hold together this vast, crumbling empire.
He picked up another morial.
It was submitted by Lian Guoshi, the newly appointed Governor of Shaanxi.
Zhu Youjian's expression tightened as he read.
Bandits were raging through Shangzhou.
The Prefect had been killed.
The commander of Wuguan Pass had fled in panic.
Only at the very end did the situation turn.
Forr Brigadier-General Luo Xi, leading his personal guards along with locally recruited militia, had managed to seize Wuguan Pass and block the bandits from entering Shaanxi.
"Hm?"
A faint sound of surprise escaped Zhu Youjian's throat. He leaned closer and reread the morial carefully.
Lian Guoshi's report was written with unusual precision. He detailed how Luo Xi, commanding barely two thousand militia, had stood firm at Wuguan Pass. The n fought with crudely made Three-Eyed Arquebuses, hunting bows hastily strung together, and whatever weapons they could scrape up.
When the bandits charged the pass, logs and massive stones were hurled down from above. Militia soldiers stabbed downward with bamboo spears, fighting at arm's length. Casualties were severe on both sides, but Wuguan Pass itself was naturally treacherous terrain—easy to defend, hard to assault.
In the end, despite suffering heavy losses, the defenders held.
A rare surge of joy rose in Zhu Youjian's chest.
He lightly flicked the morial with his fingers and said slowly, "Lian Guoshi truly lives up to his family's reputation. Eight generations of service, loyal to the throne and devoted to the nation. His morials are always solid—no exaggeration, no nonsense."
Cao Huachun nodded quickly. "Indeed, Your Majesty. Among all provincial officials, Lian Guoshi's reports are the most reliable. He is a man who truly gets things done."
Zhu Youjian tapped the desk. "This Luo Xi—why is he called a forr Brigadier-General?"
Cao Huachun smiled awkwardly. "Your Majesty… you stripped him of his rank previously. He was punished for falsifying military achievents."
Zhu Youjian paused, then rembered. "Ah. That fellow who padded his battle reports."
He snorted softly. "Still, this ti he seems to have perford real service. According to Lian Guoshi, without Luo Xi, Wuguan Pass would already have fallen."
Cao Huachun carefully tested the waters. "Then Your Majesty intends…?"
Zhu Youjian thought for a mont, then spoke decisively. "Since he has redeed himself through rit, he can still be used. Restore part of his status. Appoint him Commander of Shangzhou."
Thus, Luo Xi was reinstated—though only partially.
Zhu Youjian moved on to the next morial.
This one bore the na Chen Dajin.
The emperor straightened slightly. Chen Dajin was soone he trusted deeply—an eunuch who had grown up alongside him since childhood, loyal and dependable.
Zhu Youjian opened the morial at once.
As he read, his expression darkened rapidly.
Chen Dajin reported that while supervising Zuo Liangyu's army in pursuit of the bandits, they had chased them to Yunyang. Beneath the city walls, Vice-Commissioner Xu Jinglin—an officer under the Prefect-Governor Jiang Yunyi—had suddenly opened fire with heavy cannons.
n and horses were torn apart.
Chen Dajin himself had narrowly avoided being killed by a cannonball, barely escaping with his life—and the chance to ever see His Majesty again. The morial pleaded for justice.
Because of the shelling, Zuo Liangyu's army suffered significant losses and erupted into a fierce conflict with the Yunyang authorities. The army was now completely unable to continue pursuing the bandits.
anwhile, the bandits seized the opportunity. They slipped through hidden mountain paths, rushed into Neixiang, passed through Dengzhou and Xishui, and fled south into Xiangyang of Huguang…
Once again evading imperial suppression.
Zhu Youjian erupted.
"Outrageous!" he roared. "How dare Jiang Yunyi allow his subordinates to bombard my envoy! How dare he sabotage the entire strategy to suppress the bandits!"
Cao Huachun imdiately lowered his head, not daring to make a sound.
Zhu Youjian slamd the table. "Strip Jiang Yunyi and Xu Jinglin of their posts! Throw them both into prison! I will deal with these scoundrels personally!"
Cao Huachun hesitated, then asked cautiously, "Then… who will govern Yunyang?"
Zhu Youjian fell silent.
After a mont, a na surfaced in his mind.
This man had achieved great rit suppressing bandits in Hebei—a rare and capable talent.
He nodded to himself. "He would be suitable."
Then Zhu Youjian spoke loudly, "Lu Xiangheng. Appoint Lu Xiangheng as the new Prefect-Governor of Yunyang!"
"Congratulations, General Luo!"
"Our congratulations, General Luo!"
Inside the county yan of Shangnan County, Luo Xi sat beaming as Zheng Gouzi and the others offered their congratulations.
The official order had just arrived.
Luo Xi, having redeed himself through ritorious service, was reinstated and appointed Commander of Shangzhou.
Though the position was only fifth rank—far below his forr third-rank Brigadier-General post—it was still an official appointnt. As long as he had a foothold, he could accumulate rit and climb again.
At last, he could face his elderly father without sha.
At last, he could et his ancestors in the afterlife without lowering his head.
Luo Xi laughed heartily. "Brother Zheng, Mr. Li—this ti, it was entirely thanks to you two! I, Luo Xi, hardly did anything. You fought the bandits, yet handed all the credit to . Such kindness—I will never forget it! From this day forward, if you need anything, just say the word. I'll go through fire and water for you. If I hesitate even once, I'm not a man!"
Zheng Gouzi laughed. "Then we'll have to rely on General Luo to help revive Shangnan County and the surrounding villages. They've all been devastated by bandits."
Luo Xi's eyes lit up imdiately.
He had personally seen Gao Family Village's thods—how ten thousand surrendered bandits were fed with grain and then obediently built their own prison on Tianzhu Mountain, locking themselves inside.
Reviving Shangnan and its countryside…
He understood instantly.
"Mr. Li is going to spend another enormous sum of silver and grain to help the common people, isn't he?" Luo Xi exclaid. "Ah, Mr. Li—you are truly the most benevolent person I have ever t!"
Li Daoxuan rely smiled, saying nothing.
Zheng Gouzi muttered softly, "He's a deity, not a man."
"What was that?" Luo Xi asked. "Brother Zheng, I didn't quite catch it."
Zheng Gouzi raised his voice at once. "Nothing! I didn't say anything!"
Luo Xi rubbed his hands together, excitent tempered by hesitation. "I truly want to help with this… but I'm only a military official. Everything Mr. Li plans falls under civil administration. If I interfere without authorization, won't the court dismiss again?"
Zheng Gouzi burst out laughing. "If you get dismissed, then you get dismissed! Worst case, you earn another rit and get reinstated again!"
Luo Xi's face instantly stiffened. "How can you say that so casually?!"
Just then, a guard hurried in. "General Luo, the newly appointed Prefect-Governor of Yunyang has taken office. He is about to arrive in Shangnan County for an inspection."
"Oh?" Luo Xi raised an eyebrow. "Soone actually dares to take office in a place this chaotic? Quite bold."
The guard lowered his voice. "His na is Lu Xiangheng. They say he was extrely fierce suppressing bandits in Hebei. He commands three thousand personal guards, calling themselves the Tianxiong Army. Their combat power is said to be exceptional."
"Three thousand personal guards?" Luo Xi gasped. "That's impressive! This man must be incredibly wealthy!"
At the ntion of the na Lu Xiangheng, Li Daoxuan's eyes brightened.
"Oh?" he said softly. "A valuable asset is arriving?"
He chuckled and stepped forward. "If I rember correctly, Lu Xiangheng's Tianxiong Army was ford in the second year of Chongzhen, when the Manchus invaded the passes. He raised them to defend the capital."
He looked at Luo Xi calmly. "General Luo, there's no need to fear him. With us backing you, you also command over two thousand personal guards. Compared to his three thousand… it's not that far apart, is it?"
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