Yan Liqiang walked on the deserted road outside the Imperial Capital with his head lowered and he held a jar of wine. Amidst the bone-chilling cold wind, the snowflakes falling from the sky landed on his hair, eyebrows, and slid inside his collar. Despite the bone-piercing coldness, Yan Liqiang didn’t feel anything. He continued walking with his head down, swigging the wine as he trudged through the snow…
At this moment, Yan Liqiang’s heart was colder than the weather in the Imperial Capital. Even if he were to drink the strongest wine in the capital that would burn him up as soon as it entered his mouth, his heart and body would remain cold.
It was completely pitch black on the road. If one splashed some water on the road right now, the water would freeze up in just the blink of an eye. It was so cold that even the dogs were silently hiding in their own shelters, so the road was mostly deserted. Even the restaurants and inns lining the road had pretty much closed up by now, leaving only the lanterns underneath their signboards swaying in the wind. From afar, they looked no different than ghost lights in the darkness.
“People are like weeds; they will grow back again after they are cut. The officials, however, are pillars of the country. Without them, the country will surely collapse…”
Sun Bingchen’s words echoed in Yan Liqiang’s ears. The statement was like a bloody moat that instantly divided Yan Liqiang and Sun Bingchen’s world. It was only at that moment did he realize that he never belonged in the same world as Sun Bingchen and the others in the first place.
Yan Liqiang had done everything he could to improve the chances of survival for the people living in the capital region before the Heavenly Tribulation stuck. Just when he thought he was going to succeed, all his efforts were destroyed in just the blink of an eye, like sandcastles being crushed by violent tidal waves.
‘The Great Han Times’ had turned into a complete joke. It started off as a plan to warn people of the Heavenly Tribulation, but it ultimately became a tool for the imperial court to deceive the people. It was serving the opposite of his original intention.
Although Yan Liqiang normally hated to admit defeat, he had no choice but to do so this time. He had lost in his fight against the impending Heavenly Tribulation; he was utterly defeated. He knew everything that was going to happen so he racked his brains and came up with the idea of ‘The Great Han Times’. He established the publishing company, forced Lin Qingtian out of the picture, and meticulously orchestrated the birth of the Stone Turtle. Yet in the end, his efforts were destroyed by the food smuggling activities led by the corrupt officials in the areas surrounding the capital region.
Between protecting the imperial court and the lives of millions of people living in the capital region, both the Emperor and Sun Bingchen had chosen the former without any hesitation.
Anger, self-blame, and remorse gnawed at Yan Liqiang’s heart. He blamed himself for being too naive. To think that someone like him who had lived two lives, read countless history books and received modern education would choose to place his trust in a rotten, feudalistic system known as the imperial court. He chose to believe a system that relied on the reputation of its officials to prove its worth and would ignore a catastrophe that could possibly cost millions of lives as they were nothing more than weeds in their eyes. All they cared about were themselves and the system which would guarantee their lifelong glory, wealth, and ranks.
If the people living in the capital regions migrated, it would definitely cause the entire country to descend into chaos and this in turn would impact their authority the most. They feared millions of these people would turn into violent beasts that would crush the dams of their authority.
Therefore, they must prevent the citizens in the capital regions from migrating in big numbers at all costs. They had to make them believe that the impending Heaven Tribulation was only a rumor and that the Great Han Empire would remain safe. Only by doing so would they be able to plan their escape route, then secretly move their own properties and family members to a safer place.
This was the most unforgivable betrayal and the most shameless form of deception.
Sun Bingchen wasn’t a corrupt official. He was a moral and decisive man who placed high expectations on himself as well as the people around him. He was a capable and important minister who aimed to leave a legacy of his own behind and bring back glory to his country.
Yet someone like this made the same decision as those corrupt officials that had emptied out the food reserves and destroyed the chances of survival of the people in the capital regions at the most crucial moment. They chose to sacrifice the people to hide their wrongdoings and protect the imperial court. Of course, Sun Bingchen had his own reasons, but Yan Liqiang couldn’t accept them. He would never forgive them for their reasons and excuses!
This was also the reason behind Yan Liqiang blaming himself. He let his guard down because the imperial court had a good official like Sun Bingchen. He chose to believe and rely on the imperial court because the Emperor treated him well. Looking back at it now made him realize just how much of a naive fool he was!
He had seen the trump card of the Heavenly Tribulation. Just when it was about to arrive, he found himself out of options. Millions of people were still stuck in the capital region, unable to leave. As time elapsed, the chances of survival grew slimmer. Many people would perish in the Heavenly Tribulation. At a time like this, what could he do in the Imperial Capital when he was all alone…?
The Emperor would leave the Imperial Capital to patrol the southern region along with his ministers next spring, after the second lunar month. His trip this time would take as long as eleven months. If the Heavenly Tribulation struck during this period, the Emperor and his ministers would successfully escape from it. If the Heavenly Tribulation didn’t happen, then the Emperor and his ministers would return after a round trip. This was a flawless plan.
The fact that the Emperor had summoned Yan Liqiang from Gan Province this time, as conveyed by Sun Bingchen, was an indication of the trust His Majesty had for him. He wished for Yan Liqiang to accompany him to the southern region, but in reality, Yan Liqiang was nothing more than a good luck charm to him. He wished for Yan Liqiang to protect him if they encountered any dangerous situation, because he was well aware that Lin Qingtian wasn’t dead yet…
Sun Bingchen didn’t say much, but Yan Liqiang knew everything because of his Psychic Serpent. It was only at this moment he knew why Sun Bingchen had picked him as his attendent back when he was patrolling Gan Province as the imperial envoy, then brought him to the Imperial Capital, and why the Emperor had treated him so favorably…
“The youth of the Northwest daringly boasts to devour the heavens in two mouthfuls. I see, I see now…” Yan Liqiang mumbled to himself as he chugged the wine down.
An emotionless smile appeared on his face before he laughed maniacally with tears streaming down his face. He pointed to the dark sky as he continued laughing maniacally in the desolated part of the city. “HAHA… HAHAHA… AHAHAHA…! God, I figured it out now! I’m such a f*cking idiot! They played me like a damn fiddle! To think that I can be a f*cking good luck charm to avert disasters…! Are you satisfied now…?! Glug… glug… glug… HAHAHA… I’ll kill you all… ! One day, I will kill all these bastards…! I refuse to believe that karma doesn’t exist! I refuse to believe that we are weeds… If karma doesn’t exist, then I swear to the Heavens that I will be their karma until my very last breath. I will lead their so-called weeds against them and kill them all…! I shall bring down judgment upon them! The evil one shall fall and we shall live! I shall weed out the officials and make the people the pillars of this country! Glug… glug… glug… Hahaha…!”
…..
On this snowy night, lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the entire Imperial Capital…
