Only at the Mahayana Stage Does the Reversal System Appear - Chapter 166

Chapter 166: Forbidden to Say “Ming”

At this point, Jiang Li was unaware of another restless cultivator harboring restless thoughts. He was conversing with Commander Liu.

Jiang Li was floating above Jiuzhou, while Commander Liu was stationed at the Human Emperor Palace. The two communicated via telecommunicator talismans.

“Here’s the thing. Of the six commanders of our Human Emperor Palace, three are currently imprisoned. I think it’s time for you, Palace Master, to consider replacing them.”

“No, I haven’t realized yet. Please repeat.” Jiang Li couldn’t believe his ears.

“The Great Yong Dynasty experimented with literary inquisition, forbidding anyone to use words containing the character ‘Ming’. Zhang Konghu said, ‘We’ll talk about it tomorrow,’ and was imprisoned by officials, awaiting sentencing. Ma Zhuo and his wife were caught selling pornographic books and were also imprisoned, right next to Zhang Konghu.”

“The Great Yong Dynasty’s prisons don’t distinguish between men and women. That’s not good. Palace Master, can you give them some advice?”

“…Is that the point?” Jiang Li glared. “Can’t Zhang Konghu get out on his own?”

“Of course, the prison can’t hold someone in the Fusion Stage, but Zhang Konghu says he’s upright and has done nothing wrong. Why is he imprisoned? He wants to wait for justice from the Great Yong.”

“Zhang Konghu can even contemplate such profound questions?” Jiang Li marveled.

Profundity is relative. For Zhang Konghu, this way of thinking was rare.

“I recently recommended a few books to him.”

“What about the Ma Zhuo couple? How did they get caught when they were at the Fusion Stage? Aren’t all the officials in the Dayong Dynasty at the

Fusion Stage?” “The Dayong Dynasty’s Minister of Personnel noticed his son’s recent lethargy and discovered it was due to reading, so he personally arrested them. Coincidentally, the Minister of Personnel was at the Fusion Stage, and coincidentally, the Ma Zhuo couple were still selling books in Dayong.”

“Then why didn’t they run away?”

“The Ma Zhuo couple didn’t disguise themselves when they were selling books; they used their real faces. Fortunately, the Ma Zhuo couple often slacked off and didn’t appear in Jiuzhou very often, so the Minister of Personnel didn’t recognize them. If they had escaped, there would have been wanted warrants all over Dayong, and the whole of Dayong would have seen the Ma Zhuo couple.”

“…Are you sure the three of them are at the Fusion Stage?”

“A shame for the Fusion Stage, a shame for the commander of the Human Emperor Palace.” Commander Liu nodded sincerely.

“Should we change the three commanders?” Commander Liu suggested. After hearing this news, he was speechless. Could the three of them be any more shameful?

As a senior commander in the Human Emperor Palace, he was exhausted by his superiors’ daily absences and the unreliability of his subordinates.

He couldn’t replace Jiang Li, his superior, but the younger commanders below him could suggest some changes.

Jiang Li looked up at the sky. Was this karma? He’d just messed with Ji Zhi, and now he was in trouble.

“I’ll go to Dayong,” Jiang Li said helplessly.

“Thank you for your hard work, Palace Master.” Commander Liu bowed. He wasn’t telling Jiang Li about this to actually choose a new commander. Zhang Konghu had been his childhood friend, so how could he abandon him?

He wanted Jiang Li to find a way to get these three people out of this disgrace.

…

A year ago, the Dayong Dynasty had a new emperor.

Luo Zheng’s incompetence was evident at the Nine Provinces Council. He was stingy and incompetent, lacking Ji Zhi’s abilities, and constantly changing the ancestral system, making Dayong’s governance a complete mess.

Luo Zheng had an older brother, Luo Xuan, who was even more skilled in statecraft than Luo Zheng and always believed the throne belonged to him.

However, Luo Zheng, a master of political intrigue, framed Luo Xuan during the succession struggle, accusing him of having an affair with a concubine. The late emperor was enraged, stripped of his Crown Prince status, and banished him to the cold palace.

Ultimately, Luo Zheng achieved his wish and became the new Emperor of Yong.

A year prior, Luo Zheng had died, and the eldest prince, Luo Ming, succeeded him. Luo

Ming was equally incompetent, obsessed with pleasure and neglecting state affairs.

Seeing his nephew’s incompetence, Luo Xuan harbored ambitions to usurp the throne. He contacted the various clans within Yong and conspired to rebel.

Ultimately, Luo Xuan ascended to the throne and became the new Emperor of Yong.

Despite his ability, Luo Xuan was also deeply suspicious. He feared his position as Emperor of Yong was illegitimate, and he constantly suspected those beneath him were slandering him.

Consequently, Emperor Luo Xuan issued a decree banning the use of the word “Ming” in Yong. Violators would be imprisoned, awaiting their fate.

Zhang Konghu was imprisoned, accompanying Ma Zhuo and his wife.

Jiang

Li flew to Dayong and found it completely lifeless. People were walking hurriedly, shopping and heading home, seemingly unwilling to spend even a moment on the street.

“Shopkeeper, how’s business lately?” Jiang Li asked the owner of a roadside pancake stand after landing.

“Are you from out of town?” the snack stand owner scowled. “Look at this scene. Who would still want to eat snacks? If this keeps up, my pancake stand won’t last much longer.”

“Give me two pancakes.”

“Okay,” the pancake stand owner said, pleased. It was a rare day to sell two pancakes. Although the conditions were tough, he still had to survive.

Next to the pancake stand was a fruit stall. Jiang Li, still eating a pancake, walked over and asked, “Boss, how’s business lately?”

The fruit stall owner didn’t dare to speak. He pointed to his mouth and shook his head vigorously, then pointed at bananas, apples, and other fruits, indicating the prices. The pancake

stand owner sighed, “He’s timid. He’s scared and doesn’t dare to speak.”

Jiang Li stood up. The situation in Dayong was completely beyond his expectations. No wonder Zhang Konghu said he was not wrong.

Just as he was about to look elsewhere, he saw a group of officials approaching him aggressively.

“Sir, what’s going on?” the pancake vendor was terrified. The fruit vendor was also terrified, cowering in a corner.

“Are you selling pancakes?”

“Yes.”

“Are you selling fruit?”

the fruit vendor nodded vigorously.

“I’m asking you a question!” The officials glared at him, frightening the fruit vendor into saying yes.

“How many years have you been selling here?”

“Sixteen.” The pancake vendor didn’t dare to hide the truth; he had no idea what these officials were up to.

“Shaobings are round, resembling the sun, and bananas are curved, resembling the moon. The sun is ri, the moon is yue, and together they form ‘Ming’!” the officer shouted sternly. “You two must be discussing His Majesty. Take them away!”

The owner of the shaobing stall stammered, “Sir, t-that’s a bit far-fetched. He and I are just trying to make a living, selling food. How dare we discuss His Majesty?”

The officer sneered, “You dare not discuss His Majesty? You two can clearly sell them separately. Why, after His Majesty has ordered the word ‘Ming’ not to appear on the label, do you still dare to sell shaobings and bananas together? I see that you are not only discussing His Majesty, but also plotting rebellion! You intend to overthrow the Xuan Dynasty and restore the Ming Dynasty. Take them away!”

The shaobing and fruit vendors were both mortals, at the third level of Qi training. How could they dare to contradict the officer? The officer’s rude words left them speechless.

The officer’s gaze fell on Jiang Li again, seeing him frowning as he ate his shaobings, and waved his hand.

“The round pancake was eaten with a hole, like a waning moon, forming the same ‘sun and moon’! And he was frowning, thinking about something! This person must be dissatisfied with the emperor, and is rebelling in this silent way. Take him away!”

(End of this chapter)