Martial Cultivator

Even the slowest of news from the Northern Frontier would eventually reach the Divine Capital, especially now that His Majesty the Emperor had already returned, so that news naturally transmitted back as well.

First came the names of the many dead, youngsters from the Heavenly Imperial Institution, from the warden faction, but most were from prominent great families. Of course, no one really cared about the deaths of the cultivators from the foreign lands. But even so, the imperial court quickly issued many announcements, and the Ministry of Rites had been busy for quite some time, preparing many things to send to the great families of the Divine Capital. This was to reflect His Majesty's goodwill, to honor their contributions to the Great Liang. Naturally, aside from hanging white lanterns at their doors, these families also drafted memorials to send to the Emperor in the Imperial Study, expressing their gratitude for His Majesty's rewards.

But in reality, neither the things His Majesty sent nor the memorials the families delivered to the palace were given much attention.

Li Heng was squatting in the Imperial Study, currently burning those memorials.

These great families were wealthy, so the paper they used was of the highest quality. As it burned, a faint fragrance of ink rose into the air, giving Li Heng a feeling of calm contentment.

The Great Liang Emperor sat behind his desk, watching the wisps of black smoke swirl in the breeze, and said softly, "Another year has passed in the blink of an eye."

Li Heng said, "Your Majesty has already been to the desolate north twice. You cannot go again."

The Great Liang Emperor ignored him and simply said, "Spring has arrived, let's fly some kites."

Hearing this, Li Heng paused and looked at His Majesty in confusion. The latter paid him no mind, rising on his own and leaving the Imperial Study.

Li Heng said no more. As he exited the Imperial Study, he ordered someone to fetch a kite.

Spring in the Divine Capital was still quite cold, with only the first green buds just starting to sprout on the trees.

There was not much sense of spring yet.

But in reality, it was much better than the Northern Frontier.

The Great Liang Emperor walked ahead and soon arrived at a vast square. A young eunuch came running from a distance, panting as he carried a simple kite in his hand. Li Heng took the kite and was about to hand it to the Great Liang Emperor, but the emperor merely took the kite and stood still, smiling as he said, "You fly it."

Li Heng nodded, and soon the kite was soaring, swaying in the sky.

The Great Liang Emperor looked up at the kite, some memories surfacing in his mind.

"Li Heng, We remember many years ago, it was always you accompanying Yuan'er to fly kites," the Great Liang Emperor suddenly said, making Li Heng sink into his memories.

After a moment, Li Heng sighed as well, "Yes, back then, Her Highness the Princess loved flying kites every spring. Her Majesty wasn't in good health, and Your Majesty was always preoccupied, so it was only this servant who kept her company. But even then, Her Highness the Princess always longed for Your Majesty to be there with her."

The Great Liang Emperor said calmly, "At that time, Our nephew was pressuring hard. Every day, We had to think about how to handle him, We didn't have the mood for anything else. Then there were the wars for a few years, which left Us no time at all. And later, after becoming this so-called Emperor, the whole of Great Liang rested on Our shoulders... Oh, right, even if We had wanted to spend time with her, by then, she had already grown up and no longer wished to speak to Us."

"Sometimes, We think the easiest thing to overlook in this world is time. You always feel like there's more of it, that you can wait a little longer, but before you know it, the time is gone."

The Great Liang Emperor looked at the kite in the sky and smiled, "Being born into the imperial family isn't a good thing."

Li Heng thought for a moment but did not respond.

The Great Liang Emperor said self-deprecatingly, "But it seems We put myself on the throne. If We hadn't wanted to be Emperor, We could have just let him kill Us back then?"

Li Heng did not answer, he just said softly, "Your Majesty, there have been many rumors circulating in the Divine Capital lately."

The Great Liang Emperor said nonchalantly, "Is it that group of civil officials stirring things up again?"

Li Heng replied, "I'm not entirely sure, we haven't traced the source."

Hearing this, the Great Liang Emperor glanced at Li Heng. There should not be anything that the Great Liang Emperor did not know about.

The Great Liang was his, and the Divine Capital even more so. Anything that happened here, he should know about clearly.

If it could not be traced, that actually revealed a lot.

The Great Liang Emperor asked, "What kind of rumor?"

Li Heng said softly, "Some are saying that the late Crown Prince still has living descendants."

The Great Liang Emperor fell silent, not talking.

It did not seem like a secret, many had speculated about Chen Chao's identity, but it was all just conjecture without solid evidence. Even if they knew, they had to pretend not to, and they certainly would not dare to speak of it openly. But now that rumors were spreading, it signified something different.

Clearly, someone wanted to reveal Chen Chao's identity to the public.

Li Heng added softly, "Perhaps they weren't referring to him."

The Great Liang emperor did not speak.

No matter who the rumors referred to, it essentially signified one thing - someone intended to use this matter to further their own agenda.

Perhaps it was to borrow this opportunity to send the Great Liang into chaos, or maybe it was a direct attempt to... remove the Great Liang Emperor from his throne.

Many ministers in the court had been promoted by the late Crown Prince years ago, and quite a few had remained loyal to the deposed emperor too.

Of course, the most radical among them had long since returned to the dirt. But there were still plenty of people who, while outwardly compliant, harbored ulterior motives.

However, that was not the most important issue.

The most important thing was how the great families would choose to act.

They held the greatest power, and their voice carried significant weight.

In the past, they remained silent because all of the late Crown Prince's descendants were thought to have died. Even if they wanted to support a new emperor, there was no suitable candidate.

But now things were different. If the late Crown Prince's lineage still had living descendants, then supporting one of them as the new ruler would be a legitimate course of action. There would not be much opposition to it.

At the very least, it would have a claim of legitimacy.

The Great Liang Emperor's throne had been snatched from someone else. So would it not be natural to return it?

The Great Liang Emperor chuckled, "So, they're finally afraid."

Li Heng remained silent.

Over the years, the Great Liang Emperor had done many things that those great families did not want to see.

Yet, at times, even if they did not want to see it, they could only watch.

But their patience had its limits.

As the Great Liang Emperor took more action, they became increasingly fearful.

They were uncertain about what the Great Liang Emperor might ultimately do.

Thus, rumors began to spread.

It was both a threat and also a declaration.

The Great Liang Emperor said calmly, "We would like to see just how far they're willing to go."

The paper kite continued to fly in the sky.

……

……

"Spring has arrived, and another year begins. It's always the same dull thing. There should be some fresh sights."

A young man walked along the streets of the Divine Capital, glancing at the paper kites floating in the sky.