Slag Shou Cultivating Manual - Chapter 23

With the promise that Teacher would remain by his side, Zhen Puyang felt invincible and fearless, ready to become a beloved and admirable ruler. All the possibilities he had never dared to imagine in his youth, due to his rebellious nature, were now coming to fruition.

He regained his spirits and, feeling triumphant, gestured above their heads and said, “Teacher, I’m taller than you now.”

Years ago, when Zhen Puyang was still a teenager, his wish was to grow taller and stronger than the Tutor so he could hold him firmly in his grasp.

He Lang, smiling, adjusted his robes. The bright yellow dragon robe made him appear especially dignified today. His complexion, like jade, made him look like a mature man admired by many women. After a moment of reflection, he gently patted Zhen Puyang’s shoulder and said, “Hurry up, don’t keep the civil and military officials waiting.”

So, Zhen Puyang turned and left. On the radiant path, his figure grew smaller and smaller. Under the gaze of thousands, he walked with his head held high and a vigorous stride, exuding grandeur and authority.

Surrounded by officials, He Lang, observing from what seemed like a distant high platform, couldn’t help but think of someone else—He Zheng.

After eliminating all his brothers, including He Lang, and ascending the throne in a yellow robe, was He Zheng also so confident and ambitious on that day?

…

After the coronation ceremony, the court began a major reshuffle, and the palace was busy with reorganizing and moving things around. Amidst this bustling scene, He Lang prepared to leave.

He held the melon rabbit and opened the manual, reviewing the words about ruling the world, and wondered why, despite Zhen Puyang ascending the throne, he still hadn’t received any clues or news about returning to his original world.

The melon rabbit kindly helped him flip through the pages and finally discovered the reason.

It turned out that since Zhen Puyang was newly crowned and his foundation was unstable, and his methods of seizing the throne were somewhat underhanded, he couldn’t win the support of the public, especially the stubborn and proud old ministers from both previous dynasties, who were the biggest obstacles.

Relying on their age and years of experience, they considered Zhen Puyang just a young upstart, not to be feared, believing he lacked long-term imperial education and couldn’t manage state affairs. They even attempted to constrain his actions to achieve their own control over the court.

If this was considered an internal concern, He Lang thought it was still manageable. However, after Zhen Puyang became emperor, numerous troubles followed. The most troublesome was the Ker Numo tribe, which controlled the borderlands, posing a significant external threat.

Many problems were dividing Zhen Puyang’s power, making him appear as a novice emperor rather than a ruler of the world.

Meanwhile, upon hearing of a change in the neighboring country’s regime, the ambitious Ker Numo tribe, known for their fierce nature, immediately became more active. Although they were valiant in battle, their numbers were few, and their resources were limited, insufficient to support a protracted war.

Thus, their stance remained ambiguous—neither initiating war nor refraining from creating disturbances.

Recently, they frequently sent envoys, and it was uncertain whether spies were among them. The former emperor had always governed with benevolence, so they had not been turned away. Currently, the two countries still maintained a facade of friendliness.

It was unclear when this stalemate would be broken, so He Lang ultimately couldn’t leave so soon.

“I have to stay a bit longer,” He Lang said, looking down and patting the melon rabbit.

The melon rabbit moved its paw to rest on his shoulder and asked, “Are you happy?”

After spending years in this world, with all his moments with Zhen Puyang, would it not make him feel reluctant and unwilling to leave? If so, how would they complete their future missions? The melon rabbit pouted its three-pronged mouth.

He Lang thought for a moment and finally replied gently, “No sadness, no joy.”

The melon rabbit, satisfied, continued to eat the various fruits presented by the maid. Indeed, the manual’s choice of people was very accurate. Knowing that he had lost his emotional soul and could no longer be stirred by anyone, it naturally wouldn’t evoke any extra reluctance. Such a person was most suitable for helping them complete their tasks.

…

After ascending the throne, Zhen Puyang, much like a new official showing off his authority, became ruthless, especially after listening to He Lang’s advice about dealing with old ministers.

He immediately conducted a comprehensive investigation into corruption and grievances, and anyone found guilty of unjust judgments or favoritism was removed from office without any leniency.

Even though many officials reported that this was a futile effort that would drain manpower and resources, he remained unperturbed, meticulously investigating, which led to the exposure of many offenders.

Following this, he frequently held various kinds of imperial examinations to select promising candidates.

These actions were clearly aimed at overhauling the entire court, but unfortunately, this included Jiang Qiubai.

Jiang Qiubai was demoted to a remote and impoverished region called Guangyi, with fabricated charges against him.

Before leaving, Jiang Qiubai specifically brought two jugs of wine to bid farewell to He Lang. It was then that, through a friend, He Lang learned of this matter and was greatly surprised.

Since Zhen Puyang’s ascension, He Lang had reduced his attendance at court due to his entanglement with Zhen Puyang and his own laxity. He didn’t expect such a major event to have kept him in the dark.

He Lang was well aware of Jiang Qiubai’s character. He was not a person who coveted wealth, women, or pleasure. He was usually modest and wouldn’t be as disgraceful as the fabricated charges suggested.

Moreover, Zhen Puyang knew of their close relationship. Out of respect and reason, he should have been informed of this. Why had Zhen Puyang never mentioned it?

Seeing his friend being kept in the dark, Jiang Qiubai’s eyes were filled with complexity. He had long known that He Lang must be unaware. However, the emperor, the former ninth prince, had always had grievances against him. Now that he held great power, such actions were within his expectations, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The trouble wasn’t limited to him alone. Even Minister Fu, who had worked with him, was demoted a rank. It was said that not long ago, Fu had been boastfully telling colleagues about his “proposal” to the Tutor, only to quickly bring trouble upon himself.

Upon reflection, Jiang Qiubai was deeply troubled by the fact that the new emperor harbored such feelings towards his friend. He couldn’t believe that He Lang was completely unaware of this.

But such matters were beyond the control of a mere small official.

Jiang Qiubai shook his head, the wine cup in his hand suddenly felt heavy. He drank it in one gulp, the spicy taste stimulating his brain.

He swept away his gloomy emotions from the demotion and took out a book on herbal medicine from his chest.

“I’ve been in court for a long time and have grown weary. Now I’m interested in medicine. I’ve visited many famous doctors recently, and they all praise my talent for learning medicine.”

He Lang nodded slightly. Jiang Qiubai’s mother had been ill for a long time. To find a cure, Jiang Qiubai had searched for renowned doctors and studied medicine himself. After frequent exposure to doctors visiting his home, he had developed a strong interest in the field.

Jiang Qiubai smiled. “It seems I might consider resigning from my post and focusing on studying medicine.”

Fortunately, his friend did not resent the situation but accepted it cheerfully and optimistically sought a new path.

Even so, He Lang still felt indignation on behalf of his friend.

He didn’t understand why Zhen Puyang would be so unwise at this crucial moment. Jiang Qiubai was a capable person, and removing him was a loss for the court.

Zhen Puyang, when questioned, remained silent but still listened attentively, showing no remorse.

“Your Majesty, why must you do this?” He Lang sighed in frustration.

“I just dislike him,” Zhen Puyang said bluntly. Anyone he disliked would never be favored, even if it was irrational and childish according to Teacher.

“Why?”

Zhen Puyang didn’t speak, looking at him with a resentful expression, as if all the faults were his fault.

He Lang gritted his teeth, frustrated that even as an emperor, Zhen Puyang still hadn’t changed his petty nature, easily disliking someone and arbitrarily punishing and demoting them based on personal preference, especially when it came to a loyal subordinate. He had to defend his friend.

“Jiang Qiubai is diligent, talented in both literature and martial arts, and impartial…”

“If you say one more word, I’ll exile him to the wilderness,” Zhen Puyang’s face darkened like storm clouds, tired of hearing others’ names and praise from those elegant lips.

He Lang stared in disbelief, unable to understand why Zhen Puyang was becoming increasingly unreasonable.