Chapter 24 – War Begins

Zhan Changfeng did not go to the Hall; she only listened as Zero-Three reported the situation to her.

Clear Wind did indeed possess some skill, and had temporarily suppressed the erosion of the Yin-Evil Spirits, but to truly eradicate them would take more time.

“Whatever he needs, do your best to provide it.” Zhan Changfeng paused. “Also, the people you recruited have all arrived. Take them into the tomb tomorrow — make sure to bring back that item from within.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The tomb she spoke of was in Yaozhou, built by the founding Emperor, and it contained the Governance Scroll of the Dragon Scale Divine Scripture.

Zhan Changfeng had only found that address in the founding Emperor’s personal notes; she did not know how deep the tomb ran, but she suspected it would not be simple.

And so she sought out people who had long walked in the underground world, or those versed in the occult arts, to go and retrieve the item.

With everything arranged, Zhan Changfeng found a room and focused on recuperating.

Having lost most of her flesh and blood, with her meridians destroyed, her inner energy was completely gone. Moreover, because the Pure Yin breath had seeped from her bone marrow into her flesh, her surface temperature was gradually dropping toward freezing point.

Before the Nine-Cycle Rebirth Art reached perfection, her physical body remained the foundation of her life. For now, she could only cultivate the Pure Yin Bones as quickly as possible, mastering them at will, and then seek a way to restore her physical body.

Heaven and earth divide into Yin and Yang; Yin and Yang transform into the Five Elements. The Qi of the Five Elements is easy to obtain, but the supreme Yin and Yang Qi belong to heaven and earth themselves — far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals.

And so Zhan Changfeng refined the Yin energy of the Hundred Ghosts into her bones, first cultivating Pure Yin Qi, then using Pure Yin Qi to commune with heaven and earth, drawing a sliver of Supreme Yin Qi to transform her Pure Yin Bones into Supreme Yin Bones.

Yet Supreme Yin Qi was not so easily obtained. Even after a full day and night of meditation, she gained nothing, only managing to slightly refine the Pure Yin Bones.

After another day, she completely mastered the Pure Yin Bones. All the Pure Yin Qi that had seeped into her flesh was drawn back into her bones, and her crimson blood-red eyes gradually returned to their normal color.

As long as she did not recklessly use Yin power, her physical body would not crumble, and her eyes would not turn blood-red.

Zhan Changfeng opened the door to her room and immediately saw the Female Ghost staring fixedly at her. Her heart gave a small start. “Is this also one of your children’s rooms?”

“What are you talking about? I only have one precious child.” The Female Ghost shot her an annoyed glance. “Come with me — I have something to show you.”

The Female Ghost led her back to the original side chamber. On the desk lay two stacks of paper: one was her outline, and the other was—

“You polished and refined it for me?” Zhan Changfeng picked it up and read through it. The literary quality was quite good, and more importantly, the central message was crystal clear, perfectly aligned with her own views.

“This time, it is I who must thank you.” The Female Ghost smiled. “Writing about the joys and sorrows of life, my heart has grown clearer and clearer. Whether it be a nation or a family — in this world, aside from life and death, everything else is a trivial matter.”

“Some things you can be deeply immersed in, yet must not be confined by. Heaven and earth are still vast.” Zhan Changfeng felt something stir within her. “Are you leaving?”

“Ghosts have places where they ought to go.” The Female Ghost said with a smile: “We have known each other for several days now, yet I never told you my name.”

“Now listen well — my name is Ghost Nine. In life, things could not all go as I wished; in death, I shall be fierce and unyielding.” An icy wind blew up from the crack of pitch-black space, and the Female Ghost’s robes billowed wildly. “The next time we meet, I shall stand supreme among ghosts!”

“I will certainly… take that beast’s head!”

Having some obsession even as a ghost — perhaps that is not so bad. So Zhan Changfeng thought.

But before she had finished the thought, the door was kicked open again.

“Audacious demon, where do you think you’re running!” Clear Wind charged in, brandishing the Peachwood Sword. He opened his eyes wide, but saw only the young lord staring coldly back at him.

Clear Wind scratched his head with an embarrassed grin. This young lord, now that the cloth strip had been removed, seemed a few degrees sharper.

“Young lord, please don’t take offense. I just sensed a demon stirring nearby — did you notice anything unusual?”

Zhan Changfeng said icily, “The demon said you were quite useless.”

Clear Wind’s face fell, and he scrambled out through the window in a rush. “I’ll definitely catch her and bring her back!!”

Behind him, Jiang Wei came running with a group of people. “Your Highness, Your Highness, what happened? Has an evil spirit caused trouble again?”

Zhan Changfeng had no patience to speak and dismissed them all.

“Zero-Five,”

“Your subordinate is here.”

Zero-Five had led the palace women and children to another province to settle them in, and had only returned the day before.

Zhan Changfeng handed him the stack of manuscripts. “Take the orphans I raised earlier and spread these stories and the deeds of Daoist Clear Void far and wide. Remember — this is a long-term undertaking. Whether it is adapted into plays or songs, it must be made known to everyone.”

“Your Highness, were they not meant to become your loyal soldiers who would die for you?”

“There is no need for that now. Even if they are to die, let them die for the cause of change.”

“Yes!”

The days grew warmer one by one; cotton robes and heavy clothes were shed, and it was the season when grass grew tall and orioles sang.

“Yuan Chengjin’s ambitions have been roused. He will march on the Imperial City under the banner of purging the Emperor’s side of treacherous ministers.” The strategist of the Marquis of Donglin’s manor tied the letter to the foot of a Messenger Falcon. The realm was no longer at peace.

“Sun Yao intends to annex the northeastern counties and declare himself king.”

“Han Wang has gathered his troops and intends to march alongside Yuan Chengjin when he moves north.”

“Wang Zhi adopts a wait-and-see attitude and dares not act rashly. I will persuade him to submit to the Imperial Princess.”

By this time, Zhan Changfeng had already left the Old Manor and was in Yaozhou.

She read through each letter and burned them. She sent no further replies. What needed to be arranged had already been arranged — there was nothing more to say.

It was true that the old Emperor had been wary of the feudal lords and his ministers, and so he had planted informants near every person of threat, keeping constant track of their movements.

Li Mao had been an anomaly. No one had expected him to feign incompetence for over a decade, secretly laying so many schemes, such that the old Emperor had never even placed him on his list of primary targets to watch.

That single oversight had directly led to the change of hands in the Imperial City on that fateful day.

But Zhan Changfeng was not left with nothing. Because she was to be the next Emperor, the imperial family’s intelligence network had been handed over to her two years prior.

The old Emperor had been resolute. Since only two members of the Yi Family remained, he had set the rules of that network to recognize only the person, not the Emperor.

And so the intelligence network had not collapsed with the change of the throne, and to this day still obeyed Zhan Changfeng’s commands.

Zhan Changfeng wanted war, but she would not allow the war to spiral out of control.

Who struck first, who aligned with whom, who sought to carve out their own territory — all of this was being managed and guided.

War itself was simple; what was difficult was what needed to be accomplished within the war.

War conscripted men.

And men were the primary pillars of every industry.

When nine out of ten households were emptied, how was she to guide women into the countinghouses, shops, workshops, and even the government offices and military camps?

The key was still the permission and advocacy of those in power.

And that in turn was tied to the dominant values that people had held for a thousand years.

No one would permit women to show their faces in public — unless their interests demanded it, unless they had no choice.

“And that is precisely why war is necessary, isn’t it.” Zhan Changfeng was accustomed to viewing things from the perspective of those in power.

When the war reached a certain point and the consumption of men grew too great, her informants would suggest to the various feudal lords the idea of using women as labor.

But this might only be a temporary measure. Those in power had always been cold-blooded and calculating; once the war ended, they might well drive women back to their half-acre plots, just as the old Emperor had ordered Yi Shang to return and marry after she pacified the three provinces.

The best path was still for a woman to become Emperess Regnant — to steadily push forward policies favorable to women over a long period of time. She did not wish for women to surpass men; it was simply that only a pain this deep, one that cut to the very marrow, could pull people from the mire and unearth the value of every individual, ushering in a relatively enlightened new era.

“Imperial Aunt, Xifeng City is too calm. Let me give you another push.” Zhan Changfeng’s eyes darkened, as if gazing into an abyss.

In the third month of the first year of the young Xiandi Emperor’s reign, Yuan Chengjin, Han Wang, and Bai Yuanren marched north to support the Emperor.

In the fourth month of the first year of the young Xiandi Emperor’s reign, Li Mao ordered General Weiwu Hou Cheng to march out and engage the alliance of the three kings in battle at Shenlu Commandery.

That same month, a traitor within Xifeng City opened the city gates and allowed the foreign tribes to enter. The General Who Conquered the South, Yi Shang, was forced to retreat and seek reinforcements from Jinzhou.

(End of Chapter)