Chapter 850: See All the Flowers of Chang'an in a Single Day

The intensity of the Yan-Zhao war began to decline.

At first, the fighting had been extremely fierce. Shang Chaozong and Meng Shanming did not understand Niu Youdao's intentions, so they had carried out his order to fight Zhao to the bitter end.

Deploying troops, arranging formations, and directing killing on a battlefield were not things one could understand simply by reading about them on paper. They required accumulated experience in real warfare. Niu Youdao knew practically nothing about that field and had neither the time nor energy to immerse himself in it, so he left everything entirely to Shang Chaozong and the others.

Once they understood his true intention, Shang Chaozong and Meng Shanming quickly adjusted their battle plan. There was no need to pay an enormous price fighting Zhao head-on. They only had to pin down Zhao's eastern forces. Once the right moment arrived, the troops on Zhao's eastern front would collapse without a battle.

The Yan army relaxed its offensive. Now it was Zhao's turn to grow desperate for a fight, a complete reversal of the situation when Yan had first ignited the war.

Grand Commander-in-Chief Pang Teng was frantic, as though fire were burning his eyebrows. The imperial court kept pressing him without pause, and he too wanted a swift decisive battle so he could free his hands to deal with the Tian and Ma rebels in the west.

He understood that the abrupt change in circumstances now concerned the very survival of the State of Zhao.

Nor was it only the imperial court. Zhao's three great sects were urging him as though their lives depended on it. Quite a few people inside Zhao had already begun to panic.

Back when the war first started, so many people had opposed it. They said soldiers and war were dangerous things and hostilities must never be opened lightly. They pointed to Song's fate as a warning from the cart ahead. Yet the Emperor had refused to listen, while Grand Commander-in-Chief Pang Teng had fanned the flames from the side.

Now that matters had reached this point, people were already calling one a muddleheaded ruler and the other a treacherous minister. The pressure bearing down on sovereign and commander could easily be imagined.

Pang Teng exhausted every possible method trying to resolve the eastern war.

Unfortunately for him, Meng Shanming was no easy opponent. How could he possibly let Pang Teng get what he wanted? Meng Shanming personally directed troop movements and deployments, playing back and forth with Pang Teng across Zhao's territory while refusing outright to meet him head-on. Whenever Pang Teng became desperate enough to overextend, Meng Shanming immediately sent troops surging forward to tear off several vicious bites.

In the larger strategic picture, Meng Shanming held the advantage while Pang Teng stood at a disadvantage. Worse, Pang Teng was desperate for quick results. Several impulsive Zhao advances were savagely punished by Yan.

After suffering heavy losses, Pang Teng had no choice but to behave himself. He no longer dared move recklessly. He knew that if he acted impulsively again, the eastern army might be crushed by Yan before Tian Zhengyang and Ma Chang'an even formally launched their western offensive.

Time was on Meng Shanming's side.

After a full year of preparation, Yan no longer lacked grain and supplies. The Yan army had all the patience in the world to drag matters out slowly.

If Zhao had the ability, then let it try transferring a large force westward.

For Pang Teng, every day felt like a year. The man lived in a state of extreme anxiety.

The eastern front remained deadlocked, while there was nowhere near enough strength available to deal with the western rebels. The small raiding parties Zhao occasionally sent westward were not even enough to fill the teeth of the western armies, much less shake them.

There was no point in sacrificing men for nothing.

In the end, Zhao abandoned even those harassment attacks and could only watch helplessly as the rebel forces slowly completed their reorganization.

The Zhao court argued every day and still could not produce a solution.

Zhao's three great sects went to Misty Pavilion seeking mediation.

Misty Pavilion merely displayed the rules: it did not lightly interfere in disputes among the various states.

...

Early in the morning, not long after the gates of Yanjing opened and the flow of people in and out had begun to thicken, three riders came clip-clopping down the official road outside the city.

Niu Youdao rode in front.

Guan Fangyi and Wu Zhaoxing rode on either side behind him.

Naturally, the three of them had not come entirely alone. Other people had already made certain arrangements both inside and outside the city.

The three riders approached the gate at an unhurried pace and were stopped by the guards.

The state was presently at war. According to regulations, unfamiliar people carrying weapons who appeared suspicious had to dismount and submit to inspection before entering the city.

Niu Youdao showed no intention of dismounting.

He said mildly, "Move aside."

Refusing to dismount was not necessarily impossible, but in that case he had to produce an identity that exempted him from inspection.

A guard asked, "Who goes there? Do you have travel papers?"

Niu Youdao openly gave his own name.

"Niu Youdao."

As he spoke, he infused his voice with a trace of spiritual power. It was not loud, yet it carried with remarkable penetration, enough for everyone above, below, inside, and outside the city gate to hear.

Guan Fangyi and Wu Zhaoxing looked at one another.

Neither knew what trick Niu Youdao was playing.

Showing himself publicly was one thing, but he had actually announced his own name for everyone to hear, as though afraid people might not know who he was. Every state had cultivators stationed at its city gates.

Even so, the two of them had already come to understand Niu Youdao both inside and outside the Secret Realm. If this fellow dared stroll in so brazenly, then naturally he had confidence that he could afford to be brazen.

Sure enough, the cultivator drinking morning tea atop the gate tower heard the three words "Niu Youdao" and immediately set down his cup. In a flash, he reached the battlements and leaned over to look below.

At that exact moment, Niu Youdao casually lifted his head.

Their gazes met.

The cultivator on the wall did not know Niu Youdao, nor did he know Wu Zhaoxing.

He did, however, recognize Hongniang of the Qi capital. Years earlier, after hearing of her reputation, he had once been unable to resist going to take a look.

Recognizing Hongniang removed most of his doubts.

The party did not dismount for inspection. The officer guarding the gate received a word from above and simply let them pass.

A Golden Wing immediately flew from the city wall toward the imperial palace with an urgent report.

...

Niu Youdao?

Yan's three great sects were searching everywhere for the fellow, and now he had openly shown himself in Yanjing?

Was it really him?

The cultivators from the three great sects stationed inside the imperial palace immediately began moving. They sent people who had seen Niu Youdao before to verify his identity.

Morning was the hour when all things woke and busied themselves, when the city's vitality was at its fullest.

Vendors and porters filled the streets. Carriages and horses streamed endlessly back and forth.

Niu Youdao rode through them at an unhurried pace, like any passing traveler among the multitude. Even when he noticed cultivators flying over and landing on rooftops to observe him, he merely glanced at them indifferently.

As the towering imperial palace came into view, the number of pedestrians along the road gradually thinned.

Niu Youdao rode straight toward the palace gates.

Wu Zhaoxing and Guan Fangyi kept glancing at one another.

...

Inside the palace's great audience hall, the civil and military officials were gathered for morning court.

A eunuch quietly appeared from behind the hall, moved over to Chief Steward Tian Yu, and whispered a few words into his ear.

Tian Yu's eyes flashed sharply and his expression changed slightly. He climbed several steps, leaned down beside the imperial throne, and whispered to Shang Jianxiong, "Your Majesty, Niu Youdao has entered the capital."

Shang Jianxiong was startled.

Morning court was still in progress, so he did not make any obvious movement. He remained seated high above, his head straight and his gaze apparently fixed on the officials below while he quietly spoke with Tian Yu.

"What has he come to the capital for?"

"I don't know. The report only just arrived. He entered through the city gate moments ago. The three great sects have already sent people to watch him."

"The three great sects are unreliable. Send our own people to watch as well. Find out what he came here to do before we decide anything."

"Yes!" Tian Yu withdrew.

There were no shortage of old foxes among the officials in court. Quite a few had noticed the unusual reaction from the imperial throne. They all knew that unless something exceptional had occurred, Tian Yu would never hurry up to report something in the middle of court like that.

Tong Mo noticed as well.

More importantly, he clearly saw Shang Jianxiong glance toward him twice.

Tong Mo was familiar with Shang Jianxiong's expressions. One look at the Emperor's eyes told him that something had happened which Shang Jianxiong apparently wanted to discuss with him.

He did not have long to wait.

Tian Yu, who had left only briefly, appeared again. His steps seemed noticeably hurried this time.

Once more, he climbed the steps, bent beside Shang Jianxiong, and whispered, "Niu Youdao is coming straight toward the imperial palace."

Shang Jianxiong could no longer remain entirely composed.

He turned his head directly, nerves tightening. "How many people did he bring?"

"Only three. The Intelligence Directorate reports that they are Niu Youdao, Hongniang of the Qi capital, and Wu Zhaoxing, the expert ranked sixth on the Golden Core Ranking!"

"Notify the palace guards to prepare."

The assembled officials gradually realized that the Emperor's attention was plainly no longer on morning court.

...

Outside the main gate of the imperial palace, the guards had only just stopped Niu Youdao and the others when a message from inside restrained them.

They were allowed straight through.

Beneath the newly risen morning sun, the clip-clop of horse hooves rang clear and pleasant against the stone paving.

Niu Youdao did not dismount.

Holding the reins loosely, he swayed atop the saddle as his horse crossed the arched bridge outside the palace gate at an unhurried pace. With Guan Fangyi and Wu Zhaoxing behind him, he rode directly into the imperial palace.

The guards on either side watched the three with both vigilance and curiosity, wondering exactly who these visitors were.

By rule, this was the imperial palace, the heart of the realm. Other than palace carriages and horses and certain ministers with special permission, everyone approaching the palace gates had to observe the formalities: civil officials left their carriages, military officers dismounted their horses.

Even ordinary cultivators had to follow the rule.

Yet the three before them had ridden arrogantly straight into the palace.

The expressionless man at the front was particularly overbearing, as though no one in the world were worth his notice and the imperial palace itself did not enter his eyes.

Wu Zhaoxing and Guan Fangyi followed on horseback, glancing around as they went.

This too was the first time in their lives they had ridden straight into an imperial palace like this.

They had shared in a moment of arrogance, though the feeling was distinctly strange.

On the palace gate tower, one general asked a man beside him, "Who are they?"

The other man replied, "No idea. The protectors from the three great sects told us to let them through. Once they spoke, how could we refuse?"

The palace gate passage was slightly dim.

On the hard stone paving below, long years of passing carriages had worn visible ruts.

The sound of hooves traveled through the long passageway.

The moment they emerged back into daylight, they found a group of cultivators already waiting for them.

They were people from Yan's three great sects.

The three men at the front were Elders of those sects: Xi Yao of Xiaoyao Palace, Shen Baochun of Zijin Cave, and Luo Mingjian of Lingjian Mountain.

Disciples standing nearby leaned toward the Elders, pointing discreetly at Niu Youdao as they confirmed that the man in front truly was him.

The hoofbeats that had carried the three riders all the way into the palace finally stopped here.

Their path had been blocked.

Niu Youdao remained seated on his horse and slowly examined the crowd from above.

Then a brilliant smile suddenly appeared on his face.

He swung down from the saddle.

Wu Zhaoxing and Guan Fangyi followed suit.

"May I ask whether these are Elders Xi Yao, Shen Baochun, and Luo Mingjian?" Niu Youdao cupped his hands courteously.

He had never met any of the three, but his intelligence network was hardly so poor that he would not know who the three great sects currently had stationed in the imperial palace.

Shen Baochun, Elder of Zijin Cave, gave a slight nod in answer.

Xi Yao of Xiaoyao Palace said in a heavy voice, "Niu Youdao, every place has its rules. This is the heart of the State of Yan. Riding straight into the palace like this is going too far, isn't it?"

Niu Youdao deliberately looked around with open disdain.

"What kind of heart of Yan is this? In my eyes, the true centers of Yan are the sect grounds of Zijin Cave, Xiaoyao Palace, and Lingjian Mountain."

That left Xi Yao with little to say.

Being told that Xiaoyao Palace stood even higher than the imperial palace was hardly an insult.

Luo Mingjian of Lingjian Mountain cut in sharply. "This is your first time entering the capital, isn't it? I heard you always hid away before and never dared come. You've certainly grown bold this time."

The mockery was obvious.

He was plainly ridiculing Niu Youdao for having once been a turtle hiding its head, and for flaunting himself now only because he had gained something to rely on—the taste of a petty man suddenly elevated.

Niu Youdao did not take offense.

He slowly planted both hands atop the sword before him and smiled, then courteously inclined his head.

"The straits of former days are hardly worth recounting;
Today my heart runs free, my thoughts without bounds.
In the spring breeze, flushed with success, my horse's hooves fly;
In a single day, I see all the flowers of Chang'an!"

He had actually started reciting poetry?

Everyone froze.

Guan Fangyi and Wu Zhaoxing looked at one another.

After tasting the lines for a moment, the word "Chang'an," with its sense of lasting peace, made everyone pause a little longer. They guessed he was praising Yanjing as a place where one might dwell long in peace.

Gradually, they all understood the meaning behind his words.

He was saying the humiliations and straits of the past were no longer worth mentioning. Had he not come now in the spring breeze of success?

All the regrets of former days dissolved into the satisfaction of "seeing all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day."

Not fretting over momentary gains and losses—thought about carefully, it was indeed a broadness of spirit.

"'Flushed with success, my horse's hooves fly,' is it?" Luo Mingjian gave a derisive snort.

[End of Chapter 850]