Chapter 77: Xian Le in Chaos; Crown Prince Returns to the Mortal Realm
For displaced disaster victims like those from Yong'an, to fight against the imperial army was a losing battle, a gross overestimation of their own strength.
Yet, those who were cornered often possessed the courage to court one's ruin and bite off more than they could chew. After that one riot, the hundreds of thousands of Yong'an refugees finally left the city gates, backing off to some distance away, and changed where they built temporary camps.
However, they just wouldn't leave. They might die on the road if they keep going, and hanging around was also death, so what's the difference? Using the rations and water the king distributed from before, plus munching on bark skins, wild herbs, plant roots, critters and insects, and a build up of resentment and loathing on top of all that, those people possessed an unimaginably persistent will to live, and stubbornly persevered. After a few days, they managed to assemble some thousands of men, all carrying hoes, rakes, rocks, branches, and returned for a bout of fight.
Although this clash was a mess, an utter defeat with over half of that some thousands dead, but it wasn't fruitless. Lang Ying invaded the castle tower and returned hauling a few large bags of grain and weapons. There might have been serious casualties, but it provoked a will to fight to the death amongst the people.
Their nature was akin to that of bandits. They attacked once, twice, thrice. The soldiers of Xian Le soon discovered that those 'bandits' were rapidly improving.
The initial inexperienced rioters had gradually gotten a hang of things, and every time they attacked they were more difficult to deal with than the last, and those who could return to camp alive increased with every attempt. There were also endless waves of new refugees joining, significantly growing the size of the group. How to best deal with those 'bandits' became the hottest topic for debate within the Kingdom of Xian Le, and after five to six such ridiculous guerrilla attacks, Xie Lian could no longer sit still on the sidelines and simply watch.
He hadn't reported in to the Heavens in a long time, but this time when he arrived at the Heavenly Court, he dashed straight for the Great Martial Hall without a word. When he broke in, Jun Wu was seated in his throne, and a number of heavenly officials were bowing to receive a command, seeming to be discussing an important matter. In the past, Xie Lian would've chosen a different day to pay his visit, but now, he couldn't wait, and went in bluntly, opening his mouth to speak without pause, "My lord, I'm returning to the mortal realm."
The heavenly officials were all startled, and immediately covered their mouths, keeping silent, not wanting to show any kind of reaction. Jun Wu looked at him knowingly for a moment, then rose from his throne, speaking in a gentle tone, "Xian Le. I know somewhat of what's happening, but, you must remain calm."
"My lord, I didn't come here to request for permission. I came here to inform." Xie Lian said, "My people are currently sunken in the depths of hell, so please forgive me if I cannot remain calm."
"The universe has its own rhythm." Jun Wu said, "Do you not realize that if you descend to appear before mortals, it will be a violation of heavenly laws?"
"IF IT'S A VIOLATION THEN SO BE IT!" Xie Lian cried.
Hearing this, all the faces of the officials present dropped. There had never been any heavenly officials who dared to speak such words with such gusto and confidence. No matter how highly Jun Wu regarded this young, early ascended Prince of Xian Le, it was still an act of daring arrogance.
Soon after, Xie Lian bent to bow, "Pray my lord let me go this once; just give me a little time. Since the fighting has started, casualties are unavoidable, but if I could stop this and reduce the number of dead, minimize the conflict, then after the fighting ends I will for sure return willingly to repent, and have my lord sentence me as see fit. Whether if I shall be sealed under a mountain for a hundred years, a thousand years, a hundred thousand years! – I WILL NOT REGRET!"
After having had his say, he remained in the bowing posture and stood down, leaving the great hall.
"Xian Le!" Jun Wu called.
Xie Lian's feet paused in his step. Jun Wu watched him then sighed, "You can't save everyone."
Xie Lian slowly straightened up, "Whether if I can I won't know until I've tried. Even if the heavens say I must die, if that sword doesn't pierce my heart and nail me dead on the ground, then I am still alive, and til my last breath I will struggle to the end!"
Returning to the mortal realm for the first time in solid form was unlike all the previous times he descended. Xie Lian felt like something had been thrown away. He was both somewhat light and at the same time, somewhat heavy. His first step was to return to the palace immediately.
The king and the queen were in the chamber behind the royal bureau, whispering between themselves, their expressions solemn and exhausted. Xie Lian came to the door and was anxious at first, but then he calmed his nerves, raised the beaded curtain, and walked in. "Father."
The king and the queen both looked back at the same time and was stunned. A moment later, it was the queen who stood up first, crying joyously, "My son!"
She extended both her hands and came forward to welcome him. Xie Lian caught her arms, accepting the gesture. But before the smiles went away, he suddenly saw the king's growing dark expression, demanding, "Why have you descended?"
Xie Lian's smile froze.
Before when he heard his parents talk behind his back, Xie Lian had felt maybe his father did still miss him, and wasn't as opinionated against him as he made it seem. He had thought that the king would at least show some degree of pleasure in seeing his return, and if that was the case, then surely he would return the affection. But who knew the king would react this way, so full of scorn, and so Xie Lian's own temper flared up. He replied sharply, "Why have I descended? Isn't it all because of you?! That the situation with Yong'an had come to this, shouldn't you ask yourselves whether if you're responsible?"
The king's expression completely changed, and he countered harshly, "My responsibility? Is that something you can say to me?!"
His fury had made him forget to refer to his own title, and the queen teared up, "The situation has already come to this, so why are you two still arguing?"
"We're not arguing," Xie Lian said, "We're talking about sense. Even if you are the king, my father, if you are the responsible, why can I not say anything? Why didn't you work harder to fundraise? If the funds were all swallowed by government checkpoints, why didn't you punish the corrupt officials? If you were tough like thunder and fast like lightning, catch one jail one, then would there still be so many corrupt parasites who'd dare steal? Wouldn't the situation be better than it is now?"
Veins popped on the king's forehead, and he banged on his bureau desk, "QUIET! Do you take the royal treasury for a bottomless well that can fix any hole that leaks?! Catch one jail one, if it was that easy, if by just one order from this king and it'd work fast like lightning, tough as thunder, then why has history never had a dynasty untouched by corruption? WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND? YOU IGNORANT CHILD DARE SPEAK POLITICS WITH ME!"
"Fine." Xie Lian acquiesced, "I don't understand. Then even if the royal capital had no room for the victims to settle and expulsion was inevitable, why not provide more expenses for them? Why not provide more comfort and security and have an army escort their journey eastward?"
The king's eyes bulged with rage and pointed to the sky, "SCRAM. GET OUT OF HERE! GET BACK TO THE HEAVENS! JUST LOOKING AT YOU ANNOYS ME! DON'T EVER APPEAR AGAIN!"
Xie Lian had descended with a heart full of fervor, yet the first encounter with his parents was his father yelling for him to scram back to the heavens. Without a word, Xie Lian bowed to him, and stood down to leave. The queen chased after him out of the bureau and pulled him to a stop. "My son!"
Xie Lian said gently, "Mother, don't worry. I'm just going to go make a round around the royal capital and check on the situation."
The queen shook her head, "My son, I don't understand those political matters, but I understand your father. Throughout the years, I've seen how he is as a king. You can think from the bottom of your heart that he isn't competent, and sometimes I think so too, I just don't say it out loud. But you can't say that to his face. He's your father after all. If you tell him straight on that he's no good, it really kills the heart."
Xie Lian opened and closed his mouth. The queen added, "You might have been the Crown Prince, but you had never been king. Politics isn't like cultivation. When you first entered the Huang Ji Pavilion, the Guoshi had said cultivation only concerns the heart, isn't that right?"
Xie Lian nodded slowly, and the queen clutched his hands, "But, there are many other things in this world that by just having the heart isn't enough. You must be capable too; and not just you, but your subordinates must be capable as well; and not just ability, they must share the same heart as you."
Xie Lian remained silent. A while later he asked, "Is the royal treasury suffering? I don't need temples; tell him to stop building so many temples for me. Those golden statues can go."
The queen replied miserably, "My child... Of course there's some of your father's partialness in building temples, he wanted to give you the best, and have you look impressive in the heavens. But, do you know just how many of those eight thousand temples were actually built by your father? You don't know, do you?"
Xie Lian really didn't know, and he gave it a thought, "...half?"
"If your father really used funds from the royal treasury to build four thousand temples, we needn't wait for the Yong'an refugees to start anything, the royal capital would revolt first." The queen said. "So if the royal treasury is empty, where did all that money come from? Your father built maybe twenty some temples, and others followed suit, masses of them wanting to build too to get on his good side, to get on your good side, so is that counted on your father's head too?"
"I..." Xie Lian was stumped.
The queen said softly, "Your father isn't the greatest king, but... he's done his best. Only, in this world, just doing your best isn't good enough."
After a pause she added, "Right now you feel sympathy for those Yong'an refugees so you blame your father. But they're all his people, do you think we're the ones bullying them? In truth..."
Halfway through her words, the enraged voice of the king rang from within the bureau, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING SAYING SO MUCH USELESS THINGS TO HIM? MAKE HIM LEAVE AND GO BACK TO THE HEAVENS!"
The queen turned her head back and sighed, "My son, don't... don't descend for this. Go back."
After leaving the palace, Xie Lian followed down an alleyway by the Martial Deity Avenue, and as he walked, Feng Xin and Mu Qing appeared in a hurry. The moment Mu Qing approached he questioned in disbelief, "Your Highness! You requested to descend into the mortal realm? You went and spoke to the Heavenly Emperor??"
"Yes." Xie Lian answered.
"Why didn't you tell me first?" Mu Qing demanded.
Feng Xin was puzzled, "What do you mean? Does His Highness have to report to anyone what he wants to do?"
However, Mu Qing appeared to be losing it, "Why not? We're his subordinates, and right now we're all tied together. His every action affects us so is there something wrong in me wanting to know what he plans on doing?"
"We'd have to follow His Highness no matter what he does anyway? Heaven or earth he has his plans, what are you afraid of?" Feng Xin said.
"You!" Mu Qing shouted, "I'm not afraid! I'm only..."
Xie Lian raised his hand, "Enough. Stop arguing!"
Feng Xin and Mu Qing quieted immediately. Just then, a long line of demonstrating crowd paraded down the main street, and thousands of citizens were hollering: "THERE WILL BE NO PEACE IN THE KINGDOM UNTIL YONG'AN IS EXTERMINATED!"
"THEY'VE GONE TOO FAR IN CREATING DISORDER! THEY'RE CANCEROUS!"
The people of Xian Le had never been so aggressive towards anything, and such a roaring protest demonstration too. Xie Lian couldn't help but think something amiss. Feng Xin on the other hand frowned, "How come there's a woman in there?"
Sure enough, in that parading crowd, a young woman was leading the forefront. That young woman was slender, her skin snow white, her eyes bright and black, her cheeks flushed not from shyness but from rage; a catching sight. By then Mu Qing had calmed himself down and said coldly, "His Highness doesn't recognize her?"
"No." Xie Lian replied.
Feng Xin knitted his brows, "Looks familiar?"
"She's one of the catalysts." Mu Qing said.
"What catalyst?" Xie Lian asked.
"The catalyst for the standoff." Mu Qing replied, "Before, because there were more and more Yong'an refugees in the royal capital and some would even go around causing issues, not quietly minding their own business, so the parliament was discussing the matter of expulsion, and words of it were spreading. There was a Yong'an refugee who wanted to stay and not be expelled, so he decided to take a risk. One night, he snuck into the house of a wealthy family, and kidnapped their daughter."
Hearing this, Xie Lian couldn't wrap his head around it, "Why would he kidnap a rich family's daughter if he didn't want to leave?"
Mu Qing gave him a look, "To marry her. It's just that if it wasn't through forcible means, no daughter of a good standing family in the royal capital would marry a person of Yong'an."
He didn't say it plainly but Xie Lian understood.
He had never thought that it was something that could be done – that there were actually people in this world like that. That something like this actually happened, a sudden desire to get sick rolled up from his chest. Feng Xin angrily cursed on the spot, "Despicable!"
Just then, a group of aunties rushed over, grabbing and pulling at that young woman. By the looks of it, she had come out when her family wasn't paying attention. That young woman wouldn't yield, yelling: "I'm not afraid! I've nothing to be embarrassed about, I wasn't in the wrong!"
Feng Xin was amazed, "That chick's pretty spunky."
"Yes." Mu Qing said, "Because she didn't come from a commoner background. Her father is a high ranking official, and her mother came from a family of wealthy merchants in the royal capital. They refused to suffer this shame quietly, and definitely wouldn't marry off their daughter like that for the sake of shame, so they beat that Yong'an man to death. Soon after, all the wealthy merchants and gentleman of renown in the capital signed a petition, listing all the crimes the Yong'an refugees had committed since entering the capital, and bade the king to jail all of them to be punished severely. There's no need to speak on where the government officials all stand on this."
After a pause, he said with a casual air, "I hear that girl's father had once wanted her to enter the harem and fight for the position of the Prince's Consort. Your Highness must've seen her face a few times a long time ago, yet you don't recognize her."
Xie Lian finally realized that everything was much more complicated than he had imagined.
Two sides of a tumultuous standoff had long been formed within and outside the city. All the peoples were enraged, wishing to kill off the other. If the king's decree was partial to Yong'an, wouldn't that be slapping his own people's faces? When at last the decision was made to distribute some travel expenses to the Yong'an refugees from the royal treasury, there were probably also a large number of residents who were displeased.
What's even more frightening than a displeased enemy was the dissatisfaction of a kingdom's own people. Although technically everyone was of Xian Le, but now, there were probably very few who'd think so.
Xie Lian had been standing from high up and had long not known the matters of the mortal realm, but his father was still in the mortal realm. As a king, he needed money, he needed people, and in his position, the stress, the pressure, the compromise he needed to make between people and issues were not of the same caliber as he. Just like how when the Yong'an refugees arrived they took over land, created noise, stole and robbed, etc., to a martial god sitting in a temple, they were all small matters. However, to the residents of the royal capital, they were all very real, unchasable, intolerable tortures; a crisis waiting to erupt. To think this a simple, trivial matter was only because he wasn't the one situated within.
Xie Lian couldn't help but recall that the king's two moustaches were even whiter than the last time he had seen him. Last time the king said he was going to dye it, but he probably didn't have the energy to care anymore.
When Xie Lian was younger, he firmly believed his father was the world's greatest king. But the older he got, the more he realized that wasn't the case. His father, although king, couldn't be said to be wise and competent, and was even a little corrupt, making mistakes often. Taking away his prestigious status, he was no more than a common man.
The more he realized this the more disappointed he became, and the king had also noticed his disappointment. Thus, the more the king couldn't accept every disagreeing look, every disagreeing word from Xie Lian. What he couldn't accept the most however, was have Xie Lian see his failure.
No father in the world wished to have their son see their failures. Every father wished that before their sons, they would always be the greatest. Yet Xie Lian appeared before him at such a time to berate his own father: You're making a mess of things! So much so that I had to descend to help you out – as both a king and a father, how could he have withstood it hearing that?
That young woman was finally taken away by her servant ladies, and the remaining hundreds of demonstrating residents continued their protest, waving signs and hollering. They were only crying for one thing: "KILL THEM! START THE BATTLE! SHOW THOSE YONG'AN REFUGEES OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS!"
A moment later, Mu Qing spoke up, "Your Highness, it's best if you go back and apologize to the Heavenly Emperor. At this point, fortune, time, and place, are all lost. There is no helping."
Just as Jun Wu had told him at the Great Martial Hall: The universe has its own rhythm. It was like telling him: The Kingdom of Xian Le's time has come, let it go.
Even the queen, his mother, who wished day and night if only to have a glimpse of him, who when she finally saw him, asked him to leave with tears in her eyes. How could Xie Lian not know that they simply didn't want him to go through this difficult trial, and would rather he watch from afar, taking a good care of himself instead?
But, how could he possibly?
"..."
Xie Lian said gravely, "No!"
And he strode out.