Chapter 147: Physiognomy of Heaven, Earth, and Sovereigns

Flowers bloom in full splendor, clear waters murmur with affection, and lush fragrance permeates the air—truly, nothing in the mortal world compares to the beauty of an April day.

Amidst this most exquisite April, a piece of news drifted back to Chang'an from the northern frontier, dealing a heavy blow to the Prime Minister Li Linfu, who was struggling single-handedly to manage state affairs. It left him utterly drained and incapable of attending court. Yet this resilient old man, dragging his ailing body, continued to handle government affairs from his own residence. Officials of both civil and military ranks flocked to the Prime Minister’s Manor in the Pingkang Ward to submit their reports, making the estate look almost like a miniature imperial court.

Li Linfu showed contempt for the Holy Emperor and clung obsessively to power, sparking widespread uproar and condemnation across the entire court.

In just over ten days, upon seeing his martial uncle Li Linfu once again, Lu Liaoliao found that his hair and beard had turned completely white, his back hunched like a flickering candle in the wind, as if he were about to burn away the very last of his radiance.

"This March, An Lushan dispatched two hundred thousand barbarian and Han infantry and cavalry to conquer the Khitans, seeking to wash away the shame of last year's disastrous defeat. As his army advanced to Pinglu, he suddenly halted his steps. He petitioned the Holy Emperor to let the surrendered Turkic general and Deputy Commander of the Shuofang Circuit, Abusi, lead tens of thousands of Tongluo troops to assist him in jointly attacking the Khitans.

That Abusi had led his tribe to surrender to our Great Tang in his early years, cooperating with General Pugu Huai'en to attack the Tuyuhun, and rendered distinguished service. The Holy Emperor was greatly pleased, bestowing upon him the name Li Xianzhong and the title of Prince Fengxin.

This Abusi is clever and resourceful, serving as a powerful chess piece to keep An Lushan in check. An Lushan's demand that he advance together this time clearly harbors ill intentions. Fearing that he might be secretly murdered by An Lushan, Abusi petitioned the Holy Emperor to be allowed to stay behind. The Emperor refused. Left with no other choice, Abusi led his subordinates to plunder the storehouses, rebelled against the Tang, and fled northward.

It seems the Holy Emperor is sparing no effort to overthrow me, the Prime Minister who holds the reins of government, to the extent that he is utterly reckless of the border disasters this might provoke. However, how did anyone discover that Abusi was my secret pawn planted to keep An Lushan in check?"

Li Linfu rubbed his temples hard, looking thoroughly distressed.

"With An Lushan going to such lengths, could it be that he also harbors the ambition to rule the realm one day?" Lu Liaoliao suddenly realized.

"Drunk, lying on the lap of a beauty; awaking, holding the power of the world. To be a general or a prime minister, ruling the entire realm—who can remain immune to such allure? It appears our Holy Emperor has already cast a baited hook for that military commissioner of the Three Hebei Circuits, An Lushan."

Li Linfu gave a cold smile.

Lu Liaoliao looked at Li Linfu with deep concern: "Uncle! At such a critical juncture, you must take good care of your health."

"The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease. As long as I, Li Linfu, stand tall and unfallen, let us see what they can possibly do to me!" Li Linfu forced his body to straighten; by now, he could not afford to retreat even half a step.

Lu Liaoliao had originally intended to tell Li Linfu about the farcical martial arts world's decree to execute traitors, but seeing him struggling to support his ailing body amidst such difficult political turmoil, he opened his mouth and swallowed the words back down. Such trivial matters were better handled by himself.

On the fourteenth day of April, the sun shone brightly and the breeze was gentle.

Lu Liaoliao arranged the affairs within the camp and specifically requested a day off. Disguised as a disciple of the Beggar Sect, he accompanied Guo Yan to Mount Zhongnan to attend the martial arts heroes' assembly aimed at executing traitorous ministers.

Among the myriad mountains and rivers of Guanzhong, Zhongnan is the most magnificent. Of all the emerald depths of Mount Zhongnan, Louguan is the finest. The Yangtian Pool, located east of the Louguan Terrace, is rumored to be the place where Laozi, the ancestor of Taoism, once forged and tempered his artifacts. At this moment, the shores of the Yangtian Pool were dotted with groups of three to five raggedly dressed, long-sword-wearing knight-errants, brimming with high spirits.

"I really don't understand what these fellows are thinking. Stirred up by a few words, are they truly willing to shed their blood and lay down their lives for that aloof Holy Emperor? Are they all overfed and bored to death? Look at their clothes and attire; they hardly look the part.

What grand Holy Emperor? When I was nearly freezing to death in the snow, where was he? When I was close to starving, where was he? The only time I saw that incense money put to any use, he actually popped up to snatch food from the mouths of us poor beggars. Expecting such a Holy Emperor to make me die for him? Not a chance in hell!"

Guo Yan glanced sideways at the so-called righteous martial artists and knight-errants with a look of disdain, muttering softly to Lu Liaoliao.

"You think everyone else is a fool and only you are smart? Sure, among these martial arts hoodlums, there are hot-headed, impulsive idiots, but many of those getting involved are simply looking for a chance to stir up trouble, smash things, and engage in looting."

Lu Liaoliao cast a sideways glance at Guo Yan and scolded him.

"Damn it, I was wondering why these fellows, who can't even afford two full meals a day, are suddenly so enthusiastic over matters that have nothing to do with them. So this is what they have in mind. And they called it a hero assembly to execute corrupt ministers—it makes my face burn with shame just looking at it."

Guo Yan suddenly understood, feeling a deep wave of admiration for Lu Liaoliao in his heart.

Finding a boulder to sit on, Lu Liaoliao began to survey the heroes gathered for the anti-traitor assembly. Numerous awned pavilions had been erected in the central area of the Yangtian Pool, reserved exclusively for prominent martial arts sects of status and standing.

Glancing over, he spotted Fang Gege and his senior martial brother Su Lichen and his wife standing respectfully beside a majestic-looking young girl of around thirteen or fourteen years of age. Though the girl appeared young, her demeanor bore not a shred of youthful awkwardness; instead, she carried the air of someone accustomed to a position of high authority for a long time.

Lu Liaoliao frantically searched his memory, vaguely recalling having met this maiden-like female once before. Could she possibly be none other than the leader of the Five Poisons Cult, the Jade Rakshasa? Her disciple A Youduo simply lacked any sign of aging, remaining seemingly forever young. But could this woman herself be even more miraculous, growing younger the older she got? Truly bizarre.

Fang Gege seemed to sense something, turned her head to meet Lu Liaoliao's gaze, offered a charming smile, and quickly turned away.

"Brother Lu! Brother Lu! That pretty young matron just turned around and smiled at you." Guo Yan tugged at Lu Liaoliao's lapel, looking quite excited.

"Smack!" Lu Liaoliao stealthily slapped Guo Yan on the head: "Go on, go on! You don't look at what you're supposed to, but you've got a sharp eye for what you shouldn't!"

"Hmph! That matron definitely smiled at you. There's definitely a shady affair here, a shady affair!" Guo Yan protested with a disgruntled hum.

A jolt ran through Lu Liaoliao's heart. He turned his head and glared fiercely at Guo Yan: "If you can't keep that stinking mouth of yours shut, I won't mind tearing it in half."

"My mouth is naturally split in two halves anyway," Guo Yan muttered softly, but he dared not bring the matter up again.

A short while later, a middle-aged Daoist priest with an extraordinary bearing and a celestial, otherworldly aura walked into the arena, escorted by a group of martial arts knights. This man appeared to have extremely wide social circles within the Jianghu; as he walked along, people continuously stepped forward to bow and exchange greetings with him.

"Who is this man?" Lu Liaoliao asked Guo Yan, eyeing the smiling, mild-mannered middle-aged Daoist.

"You don't even know him?" Guo Yan stared at Lu Liaoliao in astonishment, finding it hard to believe the latter could be so ignorant of the world.

"Is he some kind of big shot? Must I know him just because?" Lu Liaoliao glared back at Guo Yan irritably.

"Since Brother Lu doesn't move in Jianghu circles, it's forgivable that you don't know him. The Commoner Physiognomist Ren Haichuan—he reads the heavens, reads the earth, and reads monarchs. Who in the Jianghu doesn't know of him, who hasn't heard his name?" Guo Yan looked regretful, somewhat disappointed by Lu Liaoliao's unfamiliarity with the man.

"Reads the heavens, reads the earth, and reads monarchs? That man boasts quite an ego. Could he be the convener of this Jianghu anti-traitor assembly?" Lu Liaoliao asked with an amused smile.

"Aside from this renowned Commoner Physiognomist, who else could possibly have the prestige to summon so many Jianghu comrades?" Guo Yan looked at the Commoner Physiognomist Ren Haichuan with undisguised envy, imagining when he might someday command such impressive authority.

"Stop envying him and let's listen to what this Commoner Physiognomist who reads heavens and monarchs has to say." Lu Liaoliao smiled faintly.

The Commoner Physiognomist Ren Haichuan walked gracefully toward a boulder beside the Yangtian Pool. With a forceful wave of both hands, he instantly silenced the buzzing murmurs echoing across the entire grounds.

"Friends and brothers from the four seas and all directions! Today, I, Ren Haichuan, have summoned you Jianghu comrades here not over any personal grievances within our circles, but for the sake of the Great Tang's realm.

Think of our Great Tang, an empire of Tianbao, abundant in culture and might, commanding respect across the four seas. Yet now, it is on the verge of being ruined at the hands of a few corrupt ministers in the imperial court. How can we not feel deep sorrow, how can we not rise in indignation and resolve to eradicate these treacherous officials entirely!"

"Our Great Tang's state foundation is rock-solid, the people live and work in peace, and the empire enjoys a prosperous golden age. How can Brother Ren utter such earth-shattering claims that the realm of Great Tang is being destroyed by a few corrupt officials?"

An extraordinary-looking middle-aged martial arts knight stood up and asked Ren Haichuan in bewilderment.

Guo Yan also looked perplexed and muttered blankly, "Yeah, exactly!"

Lu Liaoliao couldn't help tapping him on the head again: "This person was specially arranged by him. He was just waiting for someone to ask so he could continue his speech."

Guo Yan dawned on the truth and slapped his own head: "So there was such an arrangement! I, Guo Yan, have learned something new today."

"Think of our Great Tang's boundless territories, commanding the four seas and historically undefeated. Yet within the single span of the tenth year of Tianbao, we suffered consecutive defeats in two major battles in the Western Regions and the northern frontier—why is that?

I, Ren Haichuan, felt puzzled and observed the celestial phenomena at night, discovering that dark qi was swirling around the Purple Star of the Emperor, dimming its light. This is precisely a sign that corrupt ministers have emerged within the court to hoodwink the Holy Emperor, plunging the government into chaos and the people into misery!

To restore clarity to the Holy Emperor so he might personally return to court and handle state affairs; to secure the foundations of the Great Tang; and for the sake of countless ordinary people, we righteous men of the Jianghu should stand forth bravely, draw our long swords, and execute the traitors. Only then will we not have lived upright and dashing lives in this mortal world!"

Ren Haichuan first smiled slightly at the middle-aged man who had questioned him, then turned toward the gathered martial men, shouting passionately with raised arms.

"Execute the traitors, purge the ruler's side, and restore the bright skies of our Great Tang!"

A pale-faced, neatly dressed young man standing beside Ren Haichuan was the first to shout aloud.

"Execute the traitors, purge the ruler's side, kill, kill, kill!"

The crowd of hot-headed martial arts knight-errants began to roar in unison, their voices shaking the firmament.

A jolt of alarm ran through Lu Liaoliao. It seemed he had still underestimated this Jianghu occultist, Ren Haichuan. The fellow truly possessed a knack for bewitching people's hearts. However, could these ordinary folk clad in cloth robes truly stand against armored guards armed with powerful crossbows?

"Who is that young man beside the Commoner Physiognomist?" Lu Liaoliao asked Guo Yan once more.

Guo Yan shook his head in blank ignorance.

"Send your men to keep a close eye on him and find out his origins. The mere Commoner Physiognomist Ren Haichuan doesn't have the clout to stir up such a massive storm. There must be influential figures within the imperial court supporting this fellow from behind the scenes."

At this moment, Lu Liaoliao felt the gravity of the situation. This matter was far from being a simple Jianghu farce.