The prince is more stable

Chapter 969: Going through thick and thin
In ancient times, most peasant uprisings were temporary and impulsive, representing the bloodlust of the most impoverished people who had no other choice but to endure the situation.

Impulsive decisions often lead to extremely dire consequences.

When you act, you act impulsively, your blood rushes to your head, and you do it without thinking. But once you start, there's no turning back. Whether you immediately kneel down and confess or go down a dark path, the outcome is the same.

Throughout history, "rebellion" has a certain chance of success, but "popular uprising" almost never succeeds and always ends in failure.

This is the difference between planning ahead and acting impulsively. Doing anything without a plan greatly increases the probability of failure.

Liu Zening and dozens of imperial guards were surrounded by landlords and young men, and a conflict broke out. At first, the imperial guards were able to resist and protect Liu Zening as they fought back.

However, the enemy numbered at least four or five hundred, while the Imperial Guards numbered only a few dozen, making it almost a one-against-ten situation. No matter how strong the Imperial Guards were, they were no match for the overwhelming number of soldiers. Soon, the Imperial Guards were at a disadvantage, and many of them were even killed on the spot by the young and strong tenant farmers wielding farm tools.

With the death of the Imperial Guard, things spiraled out of control, fueling the madness of the landowners and young tenants. Since there was no turning back, they decided to go all the way.

So, under the landlord's frenzied incitement and instigation, the able-bodied men charged forward recklessly, breaking through the defensive circle formed by the Imperial Guards. Liu Zening was protected in the middle and was almost killed several times.

The loyalty of the Imperial Guards to the Emperor and the court is beyond question. Even in this desperate situation, they did not give up protecting Liu Zening, because it was their mission, and they would not rest until their dying breath.

The Imperial Guards protected Liu Zening as they fought and retreated. With each scream, fewer and fewer Imperial Guards remained around Liu Zening. The road from the village to the village entrance was almost paved with blood.

Liu Zening couldn't remember how many Imperial Guards or villagers had died. Both sides were bloodthirsty, and he was the target of their desperate struggle.

In the end, only five imperial guards remained alive, their bodies covered in wounds. With their last ounce of strength, they pushed Liu Zening onto the country road at the village entrance.

"Run! Run!" A soldier covered in blood roared at him with bloodshot eyes.

Then the five imperial guards turned around and charged forward without hesitation, like five moths drawn to a flame, rushing towards the hundreds of villagers who were swarming forward.

Liu Zening trembled all over, clenching his teeth tightly, a trickle of sweet-smelling blood flowing from his lips.

As the last five Imperial Guards rushed towards the villagers, risking their lives to create the last chance for him to escape, Liu Zening abandoned the idea of ​​living and dying with them. He knew very well that he had a more important mission to fulfill.

This is a long-planned conspiracy. Liu Zening must uncover it, expose all those behind it, and wipe away the stain on this ravaged world.

With tears of blood streaming down his face, Liu Zening fled without uttering a sound. The final screams of the five imperial guards behind him reached his ears, but Liu Zening did not turn back. He faced the wind and snow, plunged into a dense forest ahead, randomly chose a direction in the forest where visibility was limited, and desperately escaped.

In just three days, even Liu Zening hadn't anticipated that the uprising would spread so drastically. The rioters, disregarding the consequences, occupied two county towns, and the scale of the uprising grew larger and larger. In Xiayi County alone, there were more than 20,000 rioters.

For three days, Liu Zening hid and did not eat a single grain of rice. When he was extremely hungry, he could only grab a handful of snow from the ground and stuff it into his mouth.

He dared not approach crowds or villages. The entire Xiayi County was in chaos. He could not distinguish friend from foe. Theoretically, everyone he encountered in this territory was his enemy.

To this day, Liu Zening has taken refuge in a long-abandoned mountain god temple.

The incense in the mountain god temple had long since died out. In the center of the temple, the mountain god statue with a ferocious face stared coldly at him, at the world, silently observing the myriad aspects of life and the fickleness of human nature.

Liu Zening was dying; he clearly sensed that his life was nearing its end.

Having not eaten for three days, and having caught a chill in the cold weather, he was running a high fever. He was all alone and helpless in this desolate mountain temple, surrounded by enemies of unknown good and evil.

He couldn't hold on any longer.

With a struggle to open his eyes, Liu Zening propped himself up and, using the last bit of strength, stood before the altar of the mountain god statue with a face full of resentment. The altar was covered with a thick layer of dust, and Liu Zening used his fingers as a pen to write furiously in the dust.

He knew that what he was doing was meaningless; the dust could be blown away by a gust of wind at any moment, and the last note he left in the dust would also disappear without a trace.

But he still has to do it.

He wanted to write down the situation in Yingtian Prefecture: corrupt officials, domineering local tyrants, landlords encroaching on land, and the people living in misery.

The names of officials, the names of landlords, the truth behind the outbreak of the popular uprising...

The small offering table could not possibly contain the last bit of loyalty he left to the court before his death.

The altar couldn't hold all the writing, so Liu Zening struggled to lift the incense burner, sprinkled the ashes evenly on the ground, and then continued writing with his finger as a pen.

As he wrote with his head bowed, tears welled up in his eyes and fell to the ground, mingling with the incense ash, as if his unwavering loyalty was poured into every word.

A gust of cold wind blew in, scattering several of the words written on the ground, making them blurry. Liu Zening instinctively shielded his entire body with the words he had just written.

This seemingly meaningless act appeared so earnest and stubborn, like a fool going against the flow in the firelight, foolish in a way that was both endearing and admirable. Finally, Liu Zening ran out of strength, his body burning with a high fever that grew higher and higher. He couldn't finish writing his will before collapsing helplessly to the ground, looking up at the towering mountain god statue before him.

The mountain god remained silent, and the joys and sorrows, good and evil of humankind seemed to be nothing more than a wisp of dust.

Liu Zening stared into the eyes of the mountain god statue for a long time, and after a long while, Liu Zening revealed a mocking smile.

The common people are like straw dogs; the gods cannot determine good and evil.

Since we can't rely on the gods, then let me, a mortal, be the one to uphold justice in this world.

As his consciousness gradually faded and his loyal soul was about to fall into eternal silence, Liu Zening vaguely heard several voices coming from outside the mountain god temple.

"This dilapidated temple has been abandoned for who knows how long. Who would be hiding here?" The voice was rough, and without even seeing the face, one could tell it belonged to a burly, rough man.

Another cold and indifferent female voice came: "Search first. If we don't find him, we'll move on to the next place."

“Xiayi County is in chaos. He couldn’t possibly escape on his own. He must be somewhere nearby, unless he really dies at the hands of the rioters.”

The burly man's voice continued, "We went to the village where the incident occurred. There were at least two or three hundred corpses of imperial guards and villagers scattered all over the ground. This shows how fierce the fighting was. How could he survive such a brutal battle and escape?"

"This... seems a bit unreasonable, doesn't it?"

The woman's voice was getting impatient: "Why don't we give up searching for him and turn back to Bianjing to report?"

The man hurriedly smiled ingratiatingly, "No, no, I can't accept that. I'm just a chatterbox and like to make small talk. Please don't mind me, Zhao Gou."

“Watch your mouth, or you’ll get into trouble sooner or later. We are now members of the court, loyal only to the emperor. We are no longer the shadowy assassins we used to be. There are many people and eyes in the officialdom. If you can’t control your foul mouth, I can sew it shut for you, so you won’t die an unexplained death in the future.”

"Yes, yes, I'll shut up and not say another word," the man said sheepishly.

The sound of footsteps grew closer, and the people had entered the mountain god temple.

The door to the main hall of the mountain god temple was already rotten and dilapidated. As soon as everyone stepped in, the first thing they saw was Liu Zening lying on the ground.

Everyone gasped in surprise, and after exchanging bewildered glances, a hint of delight appeared on their faces.

"This...this...we really found it? Is it him?"

The woman at the head of the group was Zhao Xi, the first female official personally appointed by Emperor Zhao Xiaoqian, and a stunningly beautiful woman in charge of the secret service of the Imperial City Guard.

Zhao Xi, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, looked indifferent. When he saw Liu Zening lying on the ground, he calmly took out a portrait from his pocket. He looked at the portrait and Liu Zening for a long time before finally nodding affirmatively.

"That's right, it's him, Liu Zening, the Inspector of the Eastern Circuit of the Capital Region."

As she spoke, she squatted down, touched his nose with her slender finger, and then stroked his forehead. Zhao Xi frowned and said, "It's a bit dangerous. He has a high fever and is almost dead. Get the medicine!"

After mixing a dose of medicine powder with water, Zhao Xi ordered the man next to him to pry open Liu Zening's mouth and pour the medicine into his mouth.

While waiting for Liu Zening to wake up, everyone saw the offering table and the ground inside the mountain god temple again, covered with densely written words. Many of the words had been blown away by the cold wind and were blurred, but Zhao Xi and the others could still make out the whole content.

After reading it, everyone's expressions changed immediately. When they looked at the unconscious Liu Zening, their eyes were filled with solemn respect.

Even on his deathbed, a person persists in fulfilling his mission, and even if this act of writing on the dust seems foolish, no one has the right to mock his loyalty.

The man next to him nodded emphatically and said in a hoarse voice, "He looks like a frail scholar, but... he's definitely a tough guy. I admire him!"

As he spoke, the man bowed and clasped his hands in a salute to Liu Zening.

The others followed suit, including Zhao Xi, who bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.

"A loyal minister is hard to find. I offer my congratulations to Your Majesty!" Zhao Xi murmured.

Then Zhao Xi looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "The rest is up to us."

"The Emperor has decreed that Liu Zening must be found, alive or dead. Now that he has been found, immediately arrange for men to take him away from this dangerous place, Xiayi County, and secretly send him to Bianjing."

Zhao Xi paused for a moment, then said, "There's one more person, Zhao Xin, the clerk of the Imperial City Guard. We need to find him too."

(End of this chapter)