Chapter 1099: Chapter 612: Journey (Double Chapter) (Part 2)

A stark contrast reveals that the woman, towering and unique, is indeed least favored among his women.

It seems that Chen Yi does not particularly care, merely remembering her.

Yin Weiyin’s mood, somewhat blocked along the journey, improved greatly. Upon further reflection, opposing would seem petty for this First Lady; toleration might not be unwise.

"You ought to see her," Yin Weiyin spoke with a hint of compassion, "You should have visited her long ago, lest she be left stranded."

On usual days, such words would elicit a cold laugh from Chen Yi, with him pinching her sharply, watching her tremble; yet now, his mind wandered suspended.

She was the first in this world to bear his offspring, and the sole woman he hadn’t visited in nearly three years.

Conjugal Palace...the Sun suffused with taboo,

A marriage of pragmatism without real nomenclature.

Chen Yi’s thoughts became momentarily chaotic, considering myriad things. Slowly, he recollected his mind, murmuring, "Southern Border...what kind of place is it?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Weiyin responded, "For ages, to the Central Plains, the Southern Border has been an extraterritorial domain: dense and high, obscuring the sky and blocking the sun, rife with barbarians, reptiles, and beasts, miasma abounding. Compared to the Central Plains, it is undoubtedly a hell on earth. Yet whenever turmoil erupts, as the land of the gods subsides, waves of civilians swarm to the Southern Border, clearing and cultivating, developing lands. Over generations, as households burgeoned, by the Yu dynasty, the Southern Border has grown vast and formidable."

"Oh... it may even be...prosperous."

"The State Mansion might not fall short of the Central Plains," Yin Weiyin remarked.

Hearing this, Chen Yi felt slightly relieved.

Previously, in Wuchang Prefecture, Chen Yi had heard Zhu E summarize the origin of the Qin Family’s nobility, and the tale of entering the Southern Border. Ancestor Qin Xuzhi, alongside the Grand Ancestor Emperor, founded the nation, waging wars north and south, earning the title of Duke Chu. Three years after the Grand Ancestor’s demise, the throne passed to Emperor Xi. Amidst Emperor Xi’s five-year chaos, national upheaval brewed; Duke Chu welcomed Prince Xin to the court, executed Emperor Xi within the palace, and supported Prince Xin’s ascension to Emperor Gaozu. With his notable martial prowess, Qin Xuzhi’s influence soared within the court, but within three years, he drew suspicion from Emperor Gaozu.

At the time, Western Jin invaders entered Sichuan, menacing the border. Emperor Gaozu personally led the campaign, commanding Qin Xuzhi and various generals to dispatch the enemy. The stalemate lasted months, several battles yielded no gains. As Western Jin retreated and unrest settled, Emperor Gaozu suddenly issued urgent orders, greatly rewarding the generals’ achievements, including bestowing Qin Xuzhi the title of Prince of Annan.

From Duke to Prince, nominally a significant award, yet in reality, all troops stationed in Sichuan, adjacent to the Southern Border, Emperor Gaozu’s visible strategy ensured Qin Xuzhi settled in the Southern Border, establishing his domain, refraining from Capital City affairs.

Thus, without bloodshed, court ministers were removed, and power amassed, maintaining lord and subject camaraderie, sharing the golden cup.

Listening to this, if it were him, Chen Yi might not swallow it, perhaps would rise in rebellion. Nonetheless, Qin Xuzhi not only graciously accepted the reward but also disarmed half of his troops, settling in the Southern Border, demonstrating his fidelity. Further, Zhu E narrated, Emperor Gaozu, then Prince Xin, had significant military prestige; this reward solidified generals and soldiers’ allegiance, an uprising would crumble in moments.

Regardless, Qin Xuzhi, along with the Qin clan, rooted deeply in Nanwei, defended the southwestern front, earning fame for his loyalty and righteousness both in official and personal historical records.

However, as such, loyal Qin Xuzhi’s descendants, expanding with Nanwei’s growth, alongside the court’s reach faltering, failed to curtail domains and disarm troops, gradually harbored thoughts of change. Over recent decades, it cultivated generations of Annan princes who visibly exuded rebellion.

These stories, recounted inadvertently by Chen Yi through inquiries posed to Zhu E, absorbed diligently, were astonishing even to himself.

In retrospect, perhaps it is to avoid silence when meeting Qin Qingluo.

...

After a few days in Wuchang, the journey resumed.

Traveling further from the State Mansion, grandeur disappeared, leaving only traces of the earth’s calamity.

Post-White Lotus Sect upheaval, refugees emerged en masse, bandits roamed unchecked, an unspeakable desolation crushed the sky above; intending to knock on village doors for lodging, only to find bones gnawed by rats, stone-sealed wells wafting stench, roadside trees burnt and broken, darkened and soaked in rain...

This is merely a fragment of sect rebellion, not the apocalypse of Heavenly Gate’s rupture, nor the submergence of the gods’ realm.

Chen Yi’s gaze lowered slightly, his heart heavy with complex thoughts, ensuring the four women remained in the carriage, not permitting them out.

Zhou Yitang absent, Yin Tingxue too, leaving only Yin Weiyin half-capable of conversation by his side. He had no chance or inclination to divulge his sentiments.

Driving the horse forward relentlessly, upon reaching the boundary of Guizhou and Hu-Guang, encountered a group of refugees.

The procession stretched along the official road like a slow-bleeding stain, the crowd creeping silently, every step crushing dust heavily.

Clothing long unable to cover, dangling like rags on withered bodies, exposed skin scorched black and cracked, or smeared with dirt and obscure stains. Many walked barefoot, soles ground bloody, leaving dark red marks on the dry earth, erased by indifferent trailing feet. Occasionally repressed, hollow coughing burst within the group, swallowed quickly by silence.

Most of them hunch over, heads hanging low, their eyes clouded and glued to the few inches of ground beneath their feet, as if there lay the last morsel of food or a faint path to survival. Occasionally, a child is clutched tightly in a woman’s arms, little face buried deep, silent without a cry, but beneath the tattered cloth only skin and bones.

Chen Yi’s carriage follows behind the refugee convoy, several times catching eyes seeking to steal, yet even these eyes are gaunt and bony.

A large number of people are ahead, the carriage slows significantly.

Inside the carriage, four women look puzzled, Lin Wanxiao lifts the curtain to glance outside, her face turning slightly pale.

Xiuhe quickly closes the curtain for her. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Miss Lin takes a good breath, softly speaks to Xiuhe, "Offer some water cake."

Xiuhe shakes her head.

"...Are you afraid he won’t agree?" Lin Wanxiao grits her teeth, "What’s there not to agree?"

Xiuhe shakes her head again, speaking out, "Not afraid, just a bit of grain tossed and everyone will swarm over, won’t let us go unless they tear this carriage apart, either whip or knife, madam, you’ve never wandered, don’t understand this..."

Xiuhe spoke lightly, spoke gently, yet even so, Lin Wanxiao’s face turned much worse, she could only lean against the carriage, forgetting even to sigh.

Chen Yi stops his horse by the roadside, waits for the refugee convoy to go a distance before catching up.

A few elderly fall at the very end of the convoy, leaning on withered branches casually picked up, every step trembles, as if at any moment they might topple like scorched logs beside the road, silent again.

Chen Yi quickly walks closer, finds an old man, asks, "Elder, where are you heading?"

The old man’s eyes are cloudy, weakly murmuring, "Where? Zhenning State."

"Zhenning State... are you heading to the Southern Border?"

"...Yes, yes..."

Chen Yi breaks half a cake from his pocket, stuffs it into the old man’s hand, the latter’s eyes light up, just about to speak, Chen Yi motions him to silence.

The old man quickly nods, doesn’t speak, but joy in his eyes is uncontrollable.

Chen Yi continues asking, "What are you going there to do?"

"On the road... someone offers porridge, invites us over, says... there’s food there, land to farm, just no people, very peaceful." With the cake in hand, the old man’s speech becomes much smoother, "Also said that after arrival, just follow to worship Buddha, there’s more land, more food."

"The Buddha you speak of is... Great Ming Venerate Buddha?"

The old man nods emphatically.

Chen Yi recalls, Zhu E once mentioned the Ming’an Divine Sect’s journey, solely to absorb refugees into the Southern Border, for this offering charity and preaching along the way.

No matter if they are deemed as Demon Sect by the Jianghu people, it is undoubtedly an act of goodness.

After asking a few more questions, Chen Yi turns to leave, the old man returns to the convoy.

Chen Yi gazes afar, they walk in silence, toward some vague, perhaps nonexistent "ahead," only the heavy footsteps, rough breaths, and intermittent cough pound a nervous beat in the dead world.

A thick smell of sweat, pus, dust, and despair pervades the convoy, suffocating more than the stench escaping a sealed well.

Chen Yi stands for an uncertain amount of time.

Until...

"Peddlers, peddlers are here! Run quickly!!!"

A fearful shout erupts the crowd, the entire convoy collapses backwards like a landslide, chaotically cascading down the hilltop like a mudslide.

However, the bandits blocking the road were already ambushed everywhere, moving faster than them.