Inside the Golden Hall, Emperor Jingxing heard the loud noise and asked in astonishment, "What happened outside?"
Amidst the dust covering the sky, a palace servant rushed into the hall, saying that the Heavenly Sacrifice Platform was struck by Celestial Thunder and collapsed, destroying the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.
"How is the Crown Prince's safety?" a minister inquired anxiously.
Soon, another palace servant reported back, "The Crown Prince is not in the palace..."
Feng Dehai, who was serving beside him, sensed the strange atmosphere in the court and quickly said, "This is Heaven's protection, showing that the Crown Prince is also blessed with divine fortune, truly a good omen."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingxing's expression eased slightly, yet the ministers remained silent.
Some of the ministers loyal to Dayong already wore expressions as if all hope was lost.
The Eastern Palace is the foundation of the nation. Today, the Heavenly Sacrifice Platform's collapse and the destruction of the heir's palace seem like a divine revelation, destined to end Dayong's reign.
"Celestial Thunder destroying the platform is beyond human control, perhaps indicating that Dayong's heavenly fortune will end, and descendants will struggle to inherit the imperial endeavor!"
As feared, rumors of the nation's impending fall were spread by those with intent, utilizing the event of the collapsed Eastern Palace the very next day.
Initially, people only treated it as a joke, but within half a month, news spread of the Northern Frontier Army's rebellion and the complete loss of the northern territories.
In an instant, the entire Capital City became filled with panic and alarm.
The government strictly investigated those spreading rumors and claimed that only bandit chaos occurred in the north, denying any rebellion by the Northern Frontier Army.
...
Jinmen Prefecture, Linjiang County.
Xu Qing had heard rumors of the Capital City's affairs, but these matters did not impact him.
Since he took over the Monkey Immortal Hall two years ago, Xu Qing had been busy training those inherently mischievous monkeys as employees.
Whenever encountering unruly monkeys, Xu Qing would wield the Sacred Speech Ruler, and with one strike, the average monkey's eyes would immediately clear up.
Monkeys, being intelligent creatures of the mountains, learn things much faster than ordinary immortals. In two years, the monkeys of Monkey Mountain had developed comprehensively in morality, intelligence, physical prowess, and aesthetics, even renewing the mountain's entire scenery.
With the northern territories in turmoil and more places affected by warfare, Xu Qing distributed rice and grain to various halls to relieve the refugees.
The rice and grain for these halls were guarded all the way by the immortals of the halls.
The nimble Monkey Immortals could substitute when other hall immortals were inadequate, and in just two years, the incense offerings of Xu Qing's Cat Immortal Hall had exceeded a million once more.
This was still excluding the incense distributed to other halls, leaving the remaining amount.
The Red-Tailed Monkey, having been scared of poverty, followed Xu Qing for two years, doing all kinds of work. Sometimes, when assisting with a funeral where the host family lacked manpower, the monkey would even don mourning attire to help Xu Qing carry the coffin and watch over the spirit.
When a woman in a household was giving birth and urgently needed a midwife's assistance, the little white snake from Bao Sheng Temple and the Galloping Immortal Disciple would enlist the help of a monkey nearby to carry the midwife to the house.
The Red-Tailed Monkey did not understand the relationship between Bao Sheng Temple and Xu Qing, only knowing that Bao Sheng Temple's incense offerings were second only to Cat Immortal Hall, being one of the top temples in Jinmen Prefecture.
The monkey only knew that Xu Qing had a close personal relationship with Bao Sheng Temple's deity, speculating that the Goddess of Life might even be Xu Qing's old flame.
The Red-Tailed Monkey held Xu Qing in awe and did not dare to act rashly but was not as restrained toward Bao Sheng Temple.
Since the monkey often helped Bao Sheng Temple, it thought of registering its name there to get a share of the incense offerings.
The Red-Tailed Monkey secretly carried out these actions without letting Xu Qing know, but when it burned incense to meet with the Goddess of Life, Xu Qing became aware of everything.
That night, as the Red-Tailed Monkey returned to Monkey Mountain, it saw Xu Da, the Grand Sect Leader, holding the Sacred Speech Ruler and looking stern.
The Sacred Speech Ruler struck thrice heavily, and the eyes of the once mighty Monkey King Demon became as clear as a newborn monkey's.
Since then, the Red-Tailed Monkey no longer dared to cause trouble at Bao Sheng Temple.
Xu Qing made it clear that the incense offerings distributed to the halls were sufficient in quantity, even including a share for helping Bao Sheng Temple. If the Red-Tailed Monkey continued to be greedy and unrepentant, it would eventually suffer for its greed.
The Red-Tailed Monkey had never been educated before, but this time Xu Qing seized the opportunity. Now, in the entire Cat Immortal Hall, only Gu Zixu, Guan Dazhuang, and the cat fondling the Sword Pill at the counter hadn't been struck by the Sacred Speech Ruler.
Xuan Yu vaguely sensed an evil aura locking onto it in the shop, but when it turned its head, it merely saw someone standing at the shop entrance, with Xu Qing blocking their way.
"Brother Xu, let me in!"
"Shang Shaoyang, why are you not in Qianzhou and running here to me?"
Shang Shaoyang, carrying a familiar Master's Chair on his shoulder, stood outside the shop door and said, "A man's ambitions are vast; how can a small place like Qianzhou contain me? It's unbearably hot; let me in quickly!"
"No way! Two years ago, County Magistrate Ren personally came with the government officials to take this Master's Chair back. Now you've stolen it again. If the magistrate finds out, he'll think I had you steal it."
"Oh! I see. Brother Xu, rest assured, I've just bought a new chair for my brother-in-law, so this old chair is mine to take. Don't worry."
It was the humid summer season. Shang Shaoyang entered the shop, put down the Master's Chair, reclined comfortably, and hummed contentedly.
"It's so cool in here; you have no idea how hot it is outside."
Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and asked, "Where's your wife? Did you elope by leaving her behind again?"
"Am I that kind of person?" Shang Shaoyang opened his eyes and said, "She got restless with pregnancy a few days ago and was taken by my mother-in-law to the Gu family for rest; they won't let me see her."
"I'm worried but can't take her place, so I came to Jinmen to pray to the Goddess of Life."
"..."
Bao Sheng Temple was funded by Linjiang County's Magistrate Chen Guangrui. Over the past two years, many incense offerings have been donated, and the temple was expanded earlier this year.
The Shang family and Chen Guangrui have familial ties, so it's not surprising that Shang Shaoyang knows about Bao Sheng Temple.
Xu Qing didn't pay it much mind. Who Shang Shaoyang wanted to pray to had nothing to do with Xu Qing.
"Given the current national chaos and conflicts in the north, it's best for you, Master Shang, not to wander around. As for praying for peace, setting up a shrine for the Goddess of Life at home is just the same."
Shang Shaoyang laughed and said, "Brother Xu, you're wrong. The more chaotic the times, the more the great families need to move around. I came to Jinmen following my elders."
Xu Qing smirked and said, "So, it seems the news of the Northern Frontier Army's rebellion is true."
Shang Shaoyang blinked and curiously asked, "The news of the Northern Frontier Army's rebellion only spread in the past two days. How does Brother Xu know whether it's true or not?"
Xu Qing chuckled lightly and said, "If the Northern Frontier Army hadn't rebelled, would you and your elders take the risk to come to Jinmen?"
Shang Shaoyang shook his head helplessly, "You can't put all your eggs in one basket; this isn't what I wanted."
The Northern Frontier Army is crucial for Dayong to resist the forces of the northern frontier vassal lords. However, Emperor Jingxing, lost in decadence, did not restrain himself even when the frontier was in danger. Let's not even mention the money for the hundred-zhang high Heavenly Sacrifice Platform, which used not only the people's wealth but also the funds intended for the Northern Frontier Army.
The Imperial Court's reduced military spending, and the Ministry of Revenue's failure to pay the military salaries, inevitably destabilized the army's morale.
When Xu Qing went to Qianzhou to attend Shang Shaoyang's wedding, he noticed many fresh faces from the northern frontier regions. Besides these new faces, Xu Qing also saw Yin Chengshan, Crown Prince Zhu Huai'an's uncle.
The Shang family, being an ancient family, never lacks money and resources.
If the Northern Frontier Army dared to side with the northern frontier vassals, it was definitely because the latter had enough military pay to offer them.
Where did this money and grain come from?
Xu Qing, seeing the subtle signs, already understood the situation in the northern frontier.
Yin Chengshan's willingness to rush to the Shangs could only mean one thing: Crown Prince Zhu had firmly established himself in the northern frontier and already had ambitions of conquering the world.
Xu Qing wasn't too concerned, but he was instead more interested in the movements of the Ancient Yin River Dao.
Over the past two years, aside from the turmoil in the world, various hidden demons and monsters in the Ancient Yin River Dao also seemed restless.