The Fallen Nation System, Turning the Tide - Chapter 78: Xu Zhen

Chapter 78: Xu Zhen

“Why did she come to Youzhou?”

Seeing his interest piqued, the plump old man immediately hatched a plan and said, “You seem so delighted. Now that His Majesty has ascended the throne, bringing a new era, Brother Dengyun, will you return to public service?”

Li Dengyun waved his hand dismissively. “I’ve said I won’t involve myself in court disputes anymore. I’d rather go back to farming my land.”

The plump old man narrowed his eyes and raised his eyebrows, deliberately provoking him: “True enough. Brother Dengyun was dismissed by the late emperor. I suppose His Majesty wouldn’t defy the late emperor’s will by employing someone who was expelled from the court.”

Li Dengyun shot him a cold glance. “Your reverse psychology won’t work on me.”

“How could this be reverse psychology?” The plump old man shook his head. “I’ve heard that the Winter Examination established by His Majesty is truly difficult. Not only does it assess qualifications, but two-thirds of the candidates must come from impoverished families, otherwise the exam won’t proceed. Moreover, the questions are genuinely challenging. After passing the written test, there’s still an interview – each hurdle is hard to overcome. Those who succeed are truly capable.”

“Take last year for example. The top scorer in the written test was a young scholar named Zhang Keqian. His results were excellent, right? But who would have thought he nearly failed during the interview? It was truly nerve-wracking. Such things aren’t for old bones like us to endure!”

The plump old man waved his hand repeatedly: “Forget it, forget it…”

Li Dengyun pondered thoughtfully, “What about that Zhang Keqian now?”

“Ah, you’d never guess – he’s now remarkable! He’s leading troops in battles against the Western Rong. The Western Rong people surrender voluntarily upon hearing his name.”

Li Dengyun’s eyes widened in surprise. After a long moment, he slowly nodded and praised: “His Majesty selects the worthy and appoints the capable. This is a blessing for the people and for our Great Jin.”

The plump old man chuckled twice, “So, are you tempted to try your hand at the Winter Examination? But even if you wanted to, Brother Dengyun, you probably wouldn’t qualify. His Majesty personally reviews the list of applicants. If His Majesty removes unsuitable candidates, the handling officials mostly receive mediocre ratings in their year-end evaluations. That’s why local officials now prefer to recommend candidates from poor backgrounds and humble origins.”

Li Dengyun bristled with indignation: “How am I not from a poor background and humble origin? Both my parents are gone, I have no brothers to rely on, I’m so poor I don’t even have land to stick an awl into, merely depending on a small plot of poor land to scrape by. How can anyone not see that I’m from an impoverished family!”

Since they wouldn’t let him take the exam, he was determined to take it anyway, to see what kind of questions could possibly stump him.

The plump old man secretly smiled, then said seriously: “Brother Dengyun, first disguise yourself to conceal your identity. I’ll take you to the government office to register.”

While scholars were busy preparing for the Winter Examination and common people were occupied with harvesting citrus fruits, Magistrate Huang Tuto of Wuxing County was directing people to uproot citrus trees with their soil intact and place them into prepared large pots. As he directed the work, Huang Tuto said: “Be careful with these! These are fine citrus trees I’m sending to the capital to present to His Majesty for decorating the palace.”

While Huang Tuto was giving orders, the minor officials nearby silently complained: “Citrus trees that don’t bear fruit – isn’t sending them just going to annoy His Majesty?”

Even Huang Tuto’s Chief Secretary was sweating bullets for him – was the magistrate secretly implying that His Majesty had no heir?

The Chief Secretary had already prepared his escape route – he would return to his hometown in a few days to mourn a relative. Otherwise, he truly feared the emperor’s wrath and being exiled to the borderlands because of Huang Tuto.

While Huang Tuto was digging soil and transplanting trees, Zhang Keqian and his party halted their journey, intending to cultivate Red Crabapple Fruit locally. Coincidentally, they hadn’t traveled far before reaching Ji Mo. Zhang Keqian planned to first inquire about the whereabouts of the Women’s Army before discussing the Red Crabapple Fruit matter with the King of Ji Mo.

But when Zhang Keqian met the King of Ji Mo, the monarch displayed unexpectedly overwhelming enthusiasm, familiarly grasping hands and pressing cheeks, startling Zhang Keqian considerably.

The Ji Mo interpreter explained: “We have long awaited the arrival of your esteemed envoy. How fares His Majesty the Emperor?”

Zhang Keqian rubbed his hands, shaking off his goosebumps, and hastily bowed: “Your Majesty, our Emperor is in excellent health. We come to Ji Mo seeking the Great Jin Women’s Army. Merchants informed us they had rested in your noble kingdom, so we came to inquire about their whereabouts. Any information would be immensely appreciated.”

The King of Ji Mo showed astonishment: “Aren’t you sent by the Great Jin Emperor to teach us Wizardry?”

After a moment, Zhang Keqian mirrored the king’s confusion: “What Wizardry?”

Both parties bewildered, the Ji Mo interpreter recounted how the Women’s Army had previously passed through Ji Mo. Zhang Keqian immediately grew flustered: “They never returned to Great Jin.”

Everyone looked shocked. Noting Zhang Keqian’s armored and armed retinue, the King of Ji Mo inwardly panicked – could the Great Jin Emperor suspect the Women’s Army had met misfortune here, hence sending troops?

Trembling with fear, his palms sweating profusely, the king urgently explained: “When they arrived in Ji Mo, we harmed them not! We provided identification documents, travel passes, bestowed spices and provisions, respectfully requesting they petition the Emperor to send great wizards to teach us Wizardry, then honorably saw them off from Ji Mo. Beyond this we know nothing.”

Bu Jia stood arms akimbo, scanning the surroundings while staring intently at the king. Squinting suspiciously, he leaned toward Zhang Keqian whispering: “Observe this king – evasive and guilty-looking before we’ve even accused him. Definitely hiding something.”

Understanding the Women’s Army’s importance, Zhang Keqian cautiously asked: “From where did they depart, and in which direction?”

The King of Ji Mo replied: “…They took the road to Great Jin.”

Seeing Zhang Keqian’s darkening expression and potential distrust, a Ji Mo minister quickly intervened: “The Western deserts are vast and disorienting. If they never reached Great Jin, they might have lost their way and strayed toward Zhilekebai regions.”

“Somewhat plausible,” Zhang Keqian pondered.

The pale-faced king feared military action against Ji Mo. Considering the king’s earlier reaction, Zhang Keqian conceded the Women’s Army might indeed have gotten lost.

Perhaps they’d been lost in Western Rong territory initially, stumbling into Ji Mo by accident, only to mistakenly head wrong again, drifting farther from Great Jin – explaining why all searches proved fruitless.

Choosing to believe the King of Ji Mo, Zhang Keqian instead proposed temporarily staying in Ji Mo to study Red Crabapple Fruit growth patterns.

The King of Ji Mo repeatedly agreed, not daring to refuse anything.

At that moment, the Women’s Army stood in silence gazing at the endless sea. After months of traveling together, they had grown familiar with their guide Bala and could now communicate with him in simple terms.

Niu Pengnan grabbed Bala’s collar, pointing at the blue seawater and demanding, “Where have you brought us!”

Bala straightened his hat, not understanding why he was so angry, and replied slowly, “Limo, going to Limo…”

The wild sea wind tangled Wang Qiu’s hair. She pushed the messy strands aside, revealing her dark yet resilient face, feeling an ominous premonition. Wang Qiu said, “The ‘Ji Mo’ he’s referring to probably isn’t the Ji Mo we intended to reach, is it?”

Niu Pengnan shoved him away dejectedly, saying, “What should we do now? We’ve been out of contact for so long, His Majesty must think we’re already dead…”

Wang Qiu sighed, not even knowing where they had wandered. They had passed through various countries, encountered over a dozen types of fruits and vegetables they’d never seen before, and collected numerous seeds. They didn’t seem like a military expedition anymore, but rather an envoy mission.

“Envoy mission!” Wang Qiu’s eyes suddenly lit up.

That’s right, nearly a year had passed. The Western Rong had likely been repelled by Great Jin long ago. Instead of wandering aimlessly and returning in disgrace, why not act as envoys to enhance Great Jin’s prestige for His Majesty and attract merchants to trade in their kingdom?

Merchants prioritized profit. If they could earn substantial wealth, they would find ways to reach Great Jin on their own, without Wang Qiu having to beg or drive them.

Even if they didn’t know Great Jin’s exact location, based on their understanding of the East and through communication with other regional merchants during their journey, the information they gathered would be more accurate and convenient than their current haphazard attempts.

Moreover, merchants were familiar with these routes and experienced in navigating without getting lost, unlike their own constant wandering. Following merchant caravans would surely lead them back to Great Jin.

Wang Qiu took a deep breath to calm herself and shared her idea with everyone, who unanimously agreed.

Only Niu Pengnan expressed slight concern: “But we don’t have His Majesty’s official decree for this. Would acting as unauthorized envoys be…”

Wang Qiu responded, “This is a necessary measure to return to Great Jin. Besides, we’re bringing back so many seeds that can improve people’s livelihoods. His Majesty is broad-minded and benevolent toward his subjects. I believe he would allow us to atone for taking initiative without orders through our contributions.”

In the end, merchants proved most practical, Niu Pengnan sighed inwardly, raising no further objections.

Xu Ying wondered why Zhang Keqian and the others had grown quiet and was about to send someone to inquire when Xu Lang hurried in with a troubled expression, reporting: “Your Majesty, Princess An Yang Xu Zhen’s husband has passed away from illness. She requests permission to come to Youzhou.”

Previously, childless consorts of the late emperor had been allowed to return home, while those with children remained in Chang’an to guard the old capital. Xu Zhen, ranked second among princesses, was Zhao Lifei’s daughter and had married Zheng Xia, nephew of Empress Zheng. During the capital relocation, Xu Zhen had refused to leave Chang’an and thus didn’t accompany the others to Youzhou.

Xu Lang and Xu Zhen had never gotten along since childhood, and Xu Zhen had never maintained contact with them. No one understood why she wanted to come to Youzhou now.

Xu Ying asked in confusion, “What does she want to do in Youzhou?”

Xu Lang hesitated for a moment, scanning the palace attendants around them. Xu Ying raised her hand to dismiss them. After everyone had left, Xu Lang replied, “Actually, Zheng Xia died on the bed of an Entertainment House courtesan. Xu Zhen forced herself to handle his funeral arrangements, but unexpectedly fainted before the mourning hall. When examined, she was found to be pregnant. The Zheng family stormed in, demanding that Xu Zhen give birth to the child for their family. Unable to withstand the pressure, she fled back here, hoping you could help her decide.”

Xu Ying closed her gaping mouth and asked in confusion, “How am I supposed to decide for her?”

“Xu Zhen says she only wants to survive.”

Xu Ying didn’t quite understand, “What? If the Zheng family can’t get the child, are they going to kill her? Zheng Xia was already a consortXu Zhen’s child should naturally be raised in the Princess Manor. What is wrong with this Zheng family?”