The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 235 We Should Do Our Part for the Loyal Souls
Lang Jiuchuan looked at the three people sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of him and fell into deep thought. He was just talking, so how did it turn into sitting on the floor?
Was it because Fu Qi was sitting on the ground that the two 'filial sons and grandsons' dared not sit on the stools and could only sit on the ground as well?
"So, General and the others have truly been circling back to the day they sacrificed themselves for the city at Fenghuo Pass for the past two hundred years?" Grand Tutor Fang asked in a trembling voice.

Lang Jiuchuan looked at Fu Qi, who was hanging his head and looking dejected, and hummed in agreement.

Grand Tutor Fang's face was deathly pale. The burning flames were already an extreme form of torture, and even his soul continued to burn after death. How was this any different from being in a sea of ​​hellfire?
"This is outrageous! Liang Guo's Law Master is utterly inhuman! His soldiers are fighting for his country, and they have been loyal for generations. In the end, he blames his incompetence on them. It's disgusting!" Master Xue slapped his thigh and angrily cursed, "What about the soldiers who risked their lives for Liang Guo? This is not just disheartening, it's like having your heart ripped out with an ice knife. He's truly incompetent."

Soldiers are risking their lives to defend their country on the front lines. If you don't do your best to support them and instead hold them back, that's one thing. But how can you throw mud at them when they die in battle?
No one should do that, right?

"History records say that during Emperor Luzong's reign, the court was corrupt and plagued by constant internal strife. I never imagined it was so corrupt that it couldn't even help orphans and widows, allowing people to commit suicide at the palace gates to prove their loyalty and innocence. It's truly laughable. Such a heartless country deserves to perish, as the people are filled with resentment." As Xue Shi spoke, his eyes reddened again. Looking at Fu Qi, he said, "To die for the city—such a heroic act by our ancestor should be remembered by future generations, not buried and given a bad name, so that even in death his soul is restless. The emperor was indeed wicked..."

"Shiyuan." Grand Tutor Fang called out his courtesy name in a deep voice, his brows furrowed and his head slightly shaken.

Even when speaking outside, one must be careful of eavesdroppers. If someone with ulterior motives overhears what you say, and it reaches the ears of a sage, who knows what it might mean?

Xue Shi's expression changed several times, and he said angrily, "I just feel indignant. The soldiers should not be treated like this, and they should not be trapped in the sea of ​​hellfire."

Who can argue with that? But whoever is in power is the one who makes the decisions.

Grand Tutor Fang said, "When Emperor Lu was young, he favored treacherous officials and was obsessed with alchemy. As he grew older, he became increasingly senile, and the destruction of the country was inevitable. I never expected that the truth would be buried and overturned in such a battle at Fenghuo Pass. It is hateful that at that time, Duke Wei controlled the court and had many followers. Many loyal ministers were harmed by the Wei faction. Otherwise, the Fu family would not have ended up like this."

Master Xue sneered: "Heaven has eyes. Those who harm the loyal and virtuous will only face the destruction of their country."

Lang Jiuchuan asked, "The Fu family has no descendants left?"

Upon hearing this, Fu Qi looked up at the two of them, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Grand Tutor Fang felt a pang of sadness upon seeing the pleading look in those eyes. He said, “General Fu is a loyal and virtuous man who has suffered such a terrible injustice and has been recorded in history. If there are any descendants, they will surely restore your reputation. However, no one has revised the historical records of Liang Kingdom. To this day, I have never seen any notes that have cleared the name of the general.”

What does this mean? It means there's no one behind him.

No one spoke out about that tragic battle.

The light in Fu Qi's eyes dimmed, and he gave a bitter smile, saying, "Two hundred years have passed, and the Fu family should be extinct now."

A moment of silence fell over the private room.

A sense of oppression was spreading.

Xue Shi stammered, “General, no, Ancestor, as the Grand Tutor said, we are both from the Central Plains. You are an ancient person, our ancestor. I will offer sacrifices to you in the future. I will set up a memorial tablet for you and place it next to Xiao Jiu.”

Lang Jiuchuan: "..."

Thank you, I'm still alive!
Master Xue seemed to realize he had made a mistake and quickly corrected himself: "Oh, hers is a longevity tablet, but it's the same, with offerings on both sides."

Grand Tutor Fang looked at them, wondering what the story was behind it.
“The person is long gone, and no amount of sacrifice can console their loneliness.” Fu Qi didn’t care.

Lang Jiuchuan said, “That’s not necessarily true. It’s better to have someone to worship you after you die than to have no one. You are a ghost who eats incense. It’s better to have someone to worship you than to fight with other little ghosts on the roadside.”

The two people and the ghost: "..." They thought of that scene at the same time and exchanged a tacit glance. They decided to make offerings instead. It would be too humiliating for a dignified general to compete with a little ghost for incense!

Jiang Che couldn't take it anymore and jumped out, saying, "Aren't you guys going off-topic?"

Lang Jiuchuan quickly returned to the main topic, saying, "Grand Tutor, you still haven't answered me, what is Fenghuo Pass called now?"

"Dan State's former Fenghuo Pass was named Fenghuo because it was a strategically important military location. It was renamed twice after the burning of Yuan City. Now it is called Chiyang Pass, symbolizing the meaning of blazing fire like the sun."

“That’s right, Yuancheng behind Chiyang Pass has also been transformed into Bagua City because of its internal structure,” Master Xue chimed in.

Lang Jiuchuan narrowed his eyes: "Bagua City?"

"Because it was constantly rebuilt after the fire, the houses and streets in the city were distributed like the lines of a Bagua (Eight Trigrams). When viewed from a high place, it looks like the Taiji Bagua, so it was renamed Bagua City."

Lang Jiuchuan had a plan in mind and asked, "Does any bookstore have the city chronicles of Bagua City and Chiyang Pass? Also, where can I find the historical records of Liang Kingdom?"

Master Xue looked at Grand Tutor Fang and said, "Then you've come to the right person. Grand Tutor Fang's mansion has a vast collection of books, so he should have these items. If not, he can probably go into the palace library to look for them."

Grand Tutor Fang said, “The History of Liang Kingdom is not widely circulated because it is a history of the previous dynasty. It is kept in the library of the palace. I have a map of Bagua City in my mansion. I heard that many foreigners trade in Bagua City, and I longed to go there. It just so happens that one of my students works in Bagua City, so I asked him to send me a map.”

"I would like to borrow it from the Grand Tutor for a reading."

“Of course it is possible.” Grand Tutor Fang looked at Fu Qi and said, “Since the loyal soul has not yet passed away, I will do my best. I do not understand metaphysics, but I can find some information.”

"Me too."

Fu Qi bowed to the two men in gratitude.

The two quickly stepped aside, saying, "You're too kind, ancestor."

Fu Qi looked at the two men, who appeared to be older than him, and touched his nose.

Lang Jiuchuan then said, "Please, two great scholars, do not spread the fact that the general and the three thousand Fu family soldiers have not passed away."

“Of course, we’re not the type to gossip,” Master Xue immediately said. “Even if we did say it, no one would believe us, would they?”

To be honest, if they hadn't actually met Fu Qi face-to-face to understand the Battle of Fenghuo Pass, they might not have believed Lang Jiuchuan just by listening to his words.

It's not unusual for an old ghost not to pass away, but it's unbelievable that they've been repeating the same thing of dying for a day for two hundred years. Who would believe something so bizarre?

Grand Tutor Fang deciphered the implication in Lang Jiuchuan's words and said, "You suspect there's something fishy about this?"

Lang Jiuchuan nodded: "I just hope I'm overthinking it."

Master Xue thought to himself, "You'd better not say anything. If you do, there's a good chance there really is something fishy going on!"