Who in the world wouldn’t recognize you if you desired fame across the land? It’s simple—criticize the Butcher of Men. To become renowned overnight in the capital? Even simpler—insult the King of Beiliang. Jin Lanting, who had risen to the heart of the imperial court, was undoubtedly the best example.
Outside the imperial city gates, two archways stood at Zhaojia Jar. After court adjourned, martial officials entered Zhenwu while civil officials entered Fuwen, each proceeding in orderly fashion to their respective offices to handle state affairs. But soon, many returned, having abandoned their posts. Except for a few senior officials who remained calm and unmoved, ignoring the disturbances along the central imperial avenue, even numerous privileged offspring turned their horses around, drawn by the prospect of witnessing a grand spectacle.
First, dozens of students from the Imperial Academy blocked the path of the white-haired man with a saber at his hip. Then the number swelled to hundreds, then thousands, surging like a tide of fish crossing a river. Jin Lanting, who would officially take charge of the Imperial Academy the next day, remained as steady as a mountain, sitting quietly inside a horse-drawn carriage by the roadside. Huan Wen, who had recently resigned as Left Sacrificial Libationer, stood smiling at the roadside, making no effort to stop the tide of scholarly fervor. He merely muttered a few words like a senior advising juniors—gentle reminders such as “Gentlemen use words, not fists.”
The buildings of the Imperial Academy stretched endlessly, its scale second to none within the inner city and imperial palace complex. Even the Six Ministries couldn’t rival its grandeur. Whenever the students grew passionate, it always became a major headache for the court. After all, these were the court’s own children—scolding them was useless. Among the students were many eloquent scholars, masters of rhetoric and poetry. To punish them harshly was unthinkable and, frankly, Can’t bear to. The Imperial Academy had already begun to surpass even the scholarly factions of Jiangnan, becoming the most influential breeding ground for future officials in Liyang.
Never before had such an amusing standoff occurred—not just in the capital, but throughout the entire imperial court of Liyang.
Thousands of students gathered along the imperial avenue, all future pillars of the nation. Many among them were destined to become the backbone of Liyang. And yet, their numbers only grew, their formation becoming stronger and more imposing, occupying the entire avenue, their momentum surging like a dragon ascending to the heavens. Within the Academy, many Tiance Libationers couldn’t even begin to dissuade these students, whether from noble or humble backgrounds. In truth, most were secretly delighted to see the spectacle unfold. Only their duties as educators compelled them to offer half-hearted Dissuade. Some even joked about sending someone to buy snacks from a certain street in the capital while the excitement lasted. The inaction of the Academy officials only further emboldened the students, whose collective scholarly fervor shook both court and country. Some old exiles from the former Chu dynasty, living near Zhaojia Jar, could not help but feel a bittersweet joy. They murmured to themselves: “Now the great righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Annals has entered Zhao’s Jar. It is only fitting that Liyang should rule the world.”
On one side stood this mighty force; on the other, a solitary and unwelcome figure.
Xu Fengnian, the heir of Beiliang, stood upon the axis of the world, removing the Beiliang saber passed down from Xu Xiao. The blade remained sheathed, his hands resting atop the hilt as he leaned upon it, standing alone.
Once, he had guarded Dunhuang with just one sword and one man. Today, he stood alone on the imperial avenue, facing down ten thousand.
Half the Imperial Academy flooded the avenue, packed so densely that not a single gap remained. They had assumed this young nobleman would flee in terror at the sight of their grand display. But instead, he had stubbornly held his ground, even with his face swollen from their verbal blows. Perfect—otherwise, they wouldn’t have had the chance to show off their talents. They had heard from returning Academy officials that this young man had dared to enter the palace with a saber at his hip—an absurdity beyond belief. If they couldn’t provoke the “Second Emperor” Xu Quezi, or the widely admired general Chen Zhibao—who had risen to prominence after leaving Beiliang for Shu and then the capital—then surely they could teach this shameless heir a lesson today. If not drowning him in their words, they would at least force him to surrender that infamous saber, stained with countless murders.
A Confucian scholar stepped forward, his face filled with righteous anger, and demanded, “I have heard rumors that Beiliang claims you killed the Northern Court Grand King Xu Huainan at the Ruoshui River, and the warlord Di Bao of Rouran Mountain. Dare you swear upon the heavens that these tales are true?!”
Xu Fengnian remained silent.
The scholar advanced three steps, seizing the advantage like a dog chasing a drowning man, and pressed further: “Forget killing those two—when did you even go to the Northern Desert? Care to tell us?”
Most of those present were seeing the heir of Beiliang for the first time. If not for knowing he was the eldest son of the Butcher, and having heard countless stories from scholars fleeing Beiliang about his outrageous deeds, they might have envied or secretly praised him for being a charming and handsome young man. Especially dressed in the imperial-bestowed five-clawed, nine-dragon robe of a prince-heir, he truly seemed to possess a rare and noble bearing. But this man was a scoundrel beyond redemption. When the late Emperor passed away, the entire Qingliang Mountain was lit with lanterns and filled with music and dancing—an open scandal. During his travels in Jiangnan, he had dragged a scholar to death behind his horse, a man known for his refined learning. On the Guangling Road, he had ordered his retinue to massacre dozens, leaving the streets drenched in blood. Even after coming of age, he showed no signs of restraint. He possessed none of the virtues of humility, respect, or frugality. Rumors spread that every day in the Wutong Courtyard of the Beiliang Mansion, a virtuous woman would throw herself into a well. Worse still, before even inheriting his father’s title, he had already begun selling official posts by weight, squandering the proceeds in pleasure houses with lavish feasts and music. How could such a wastrel be allowed to carry a saber into the imperial court? What place is there for scholars of the realm when wolves and tigers roam the land?
The scholar, renowned in the Imperial Academy for his unbeatable debating skills, was not the least bit intimidated by the white-haired man’s ostentatious stance. He found it ridiculous. This was the emperor’s domain, the heart of the empire. How could a clueless outsider dare strut here with false bravado? He took another three heavy steps forward. His fearless demeanor as a scholar stirred admiration. Behind him, the thick formation advanced three steps in unison, their footsteps heavy and resolute. “In the Spring and Autumn era, warriors only sought power and brought ruin to the land. We scholars must restore the glory of the realm and lift its mountains anew!” The scholar felt his righteous spirit rising to the heavens. He raised his arm and pointed at the silent white-clothed man, shouting: “Even the great Qin Emperor, at the height of his power, was constrained by a commoner. How can Liyang follow in his footsteps? The court grants Beiliang a full ten feet of space, yet Beiliang has never returned even an inch! Heaven brings calamity upon the wicked, allowing them to rise in arrogance!”
The Beiliang saber sank silently into the earth by an inch. Xu Fengnian smiled faintly and said, “To speak so bitterly—this is not the way of a gentleman.”
Though spoken softly, his words carried clearly along the imperial avenue. A few discerning individuals immediately regarded him with new respect.
The scholar laughed mockingly: “To hear you utter the word ‘gentleman’ is the greatest joke in the world. Xu Fengnian, since you refuse to answer my first two questions, I shall ask you another: Do you even know the countless crimes you’ve committed in Beiliang over the years?”
As expected, the ten thousand students of the Imperial Academy saw him fall silent, unable to respond, too cowardly to refute.
Jin Lanting, holding the curtain of his carriage, sneered. “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. You, Xu Fengnian, have finally met your match. Back in Beiliang, you humiliated me so thoroughly—this is your just reward, despised by ten thousand eyes! Once I enter the Imperial Academy, I shall ensure that both you and your father Xu Xiao are forever recorded in history as villains, stinking for a thousand years! And when I, Jin Sanlang, have disciples spread across the court like Chancellor Zhang, I shall rewrite the history books, casting you both as traitors and villains!”
The old man Huan Wen, not tall in stature, had climbed onto a stone block to stretch his neck and watch. No one thought he was gloating. They merely saw Huan Libationer as always—witty and wise. Even the newest students of the Imperial Academy looked down upon the heir of Beiliang with a sense of superiority. Why should the old Old Man Tan Tan Huan Wen care? Yet, as he laughed and joked, no one could guess the true thoughts of this seasoned official, whose mind remained sharp despite his age.
The Beiliang saber had already sunk three inches into the earth. Xu Fengnian’s hands merely rested lightly on the hilt.
The scholar, feeling as if heaven itself had granted him strength, continued advancing despite his lack of official rank. He was now less than a hundred paces from the heir of Beiliang. Just as he was about to quote the sages and moral teachings, the white-haired heir—who had seemed deaf and dumb—struck first: “Drive the nail deep, and pull it out with force.”
Among the students, many were clever and skilled in veiled speech. They immediately understood this as a mockery of the court’s betrayal of Beiliang after it had served its purpose. Xu Fengnian continued calmly: “I know only this: during the Spring and Autumn era, thirty thousand soldiers under Xu Xiao died on the battlefield. During the Jiaye era’s campaigns against the Northern Desert, another ten thousand were buried in horsehide. In the following decade, eight thousand more fell. You may call me talentless, virtueless, characterless, and ambitionless—it matters not. But have you ever remembered where these fifty thousand souls were buried? Tens of thousands of scholars in the Imperial Academy, year after year, write fine essays praising peace. Have you ever composed a single elegy for these fifty thousand?”
The scholar’s face flushed red with anger: “Fifty thousand died for the nation, their deaths were justified. What has that to do with you, Xu Fengnian?”
Xu Fengnian spoke calmly: “I will guard the northwest for the Central Plains, ensuring that not a single hoof of the Northern Desert’s hundred thousand cavalry sets foot beyond Beiliang’s three provinces.”
As the scholar prepared to retort, Xu Fengnian slowly drew the Beiliang saber.
Drawing upon the fury of ten thousand, he channeled it into a single strike.
The imperial avenue split asunder for two hundred zhang.
In the center of the avenue, people and horses were thrown into chaos, many students scrambling out of the newly formed trench, cursing loudly.
Xu Fengnian sheathed his saber and slowly walked along the edge of the great rift he had carved.
As he passed the trembling scholar, Xu Fengnian did not even glance sideways, merely murmuring: “If you wish to know whether I killed Di Bao, ask him yourself when you die.”
The scholar’s lips turned blue with rage, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Inside his carriage, Jin Lanting felt as if the heir of Beiliang had cast a cold glance his way. His hand trembled, and the curtain slipped from his grasp.
Jin Lanting, the Right Sacrificial Libationer of the Imperial Academy, his face pale, shouted with hollow bravado: “Xu Fengnian, my achievements today have nothing to do with you! Do not think you can act recklessly with brute force!”
Standing atop the stone block, Huan Wen rubbed his cheeks and murmured to himself: “Though a thousand men oppose him, he still advances. Though not a scholar, he surpasses all scholars. What a man—to guard the nation’s borders for the people!”
Unimpeded, he passed through the ten thousand students of the Imperial Academy. The white-haired, white-clothed man stepped into his carriage—the same heir of Beiliang who had once bowed deeply to six hundred aging soldiers of Beiliang and refused to rise. Before the eyes of ten thousand, he turned and spat forcefully toward the once proud and fiery crowd of scholars.
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