These nobles posed a threat to the future unified Dayan. She did not want Dayan to become another Great Qin.
How could she win the hearts of the six kingdoms…? The methods from her homeland were not entirely suited to this world, where productivity was low and the people’s thinking was comparatively rigid. More importantly, the kingdoms were already divided, and their people had not yet suffered enough. Rapid integration would be difficult—extremely difficult.
[He was ultimately ambushed and killed by men left behind by Gan Sheng when Gan City fell.]
[At the time, Emperor Mingxi’s reach had not yet extended to certain areas of Gan City. A force from Panshan still operated there, though it had originally been suppressed by the people behind Gan Sheng.
Who could have expected Dayan to begin clearing out Panshan’s strongholds along the border between the two countries, allowing some surviving fugitives to slip into Gan City and reinforce the faction supporting Gan Sheng?
When the Dayan army arrived, they did not think of defending the city. Instead, they killed the emperor first!]
“So that indirectly helped Xu Shu and the others? At least it saved quite a few soldiers on both sides.”
“Are the people supporting Gan Sheng’s faction in league with Zhao Quan’an?” Yue Fuguang suddenly thought of a question. “Then are they currently supporting Gan Minghao’s succession, or do they want Gan Mingyu on the throne?”
Although they were both sons of Gan Sheng, the difference between them was considerable.
[Host, neither Gan Minghao nor Gan Mingyu will be able to take the throne.]
Yue Fuguang’s fingers, which were holding a grape, paused. “Why? Did the empress still make a move against Gan Minghao?
“And what about Consort Liang’s son? Didn’t you say that Emperor Chenghe, Gan Chengyuan, ultimately refrained from killing Gan Mingyu because of their agreement, even after Gan Mingyu lost the protection of his birth mother?”
[Host, refraining from killing him and not making a move against him are two different things. By my calculations, neither of them has many days left to live.
“Although it feels somewhat cruel, their survival truly is detrimental to Dayan’s unification.”]
The system’s merit data shifted again, but was quickly overwritten by the gossip system’s data.
Even the system now understood that, for the sake of lasting peace and stability for the vast majority of people, this was no time for mercy.
Upon hearing the news, Yue Fuguang did not discuss the matter further. Whether Panshan wanted to put one of them on the throne or the other, both would ultimately perish.
“System, spread the news that Gan Chengyuan was killed by Panshan’s people, along with everything Panshan has done over the years—how they manipulated the governments of Southern Yue and the other kingdoms and exploited the common people.
“The more they try to hide it, the more determined I am to put them before the eyes of the entire world.”
[Host, you want to ruin their reputation and turn Panshan into a despised target that everyone wants to stamp out?]
“Would that be a bad thing? The common people will hate them, while the imperial court and the nobility will be wary of them. Let’s see how they survive after that.
“System, from now on, any newly emerging organization with ties to the criminal underworld is to be labeled a Panshan offshoot.”
[Wouldn’t that be rather arbitrary?]
“So what? Organizations involved in the criminal underworld aren’t exactly good things to begin with. Dayan must ban Panshan just as my homeland banned drugs. Anything that changes its name but not its nature deserves to be destroyed!~”
[If you really manage to accomplish that, Panshan will unquestionably become an evil organization—feared by the people and viewed with suspicion by those in power.]
“Have you heard? The emperor of Southern Yue was actually killed by an organization called Panshan!”
“Panshan? What kind of organization is that? It can even kill an emperor?”
“Exactly! Is it true? I heard the emperor of Southern Yue was executed by the Dayan army after they stormed the imperial city.”
In a teahouse in the capital of Southern Zhao, groups of three or five Southern Zhao citizens gathered around tables, drinking tea and chatting.
Ever since Southern Zhao had suffered drought, followed by floods and an epidemic that had nearly spread on a massive scale, how long had it been since these moderately wealthy merchants had been able to gather for tea and idle conversation?
Today, the Restful Tea House had finally reopened, drawing in a large number of its old customers. As soon as they opened their mouths, they began discussing the latest rumors from their neighbor’s household.
After all, discussing current affairs in their own country carried risks. There was no such concern when discussing sensational news from the neighboring kingdom.
“That could hardly be false!” A well-fed, comfortably dressed man in his forties waved his folding fan and spoke with certainty. “The news has spread throughout Southern Yue. We’re simply farther away, so quite a few people haven’t heard it yet.”
Seeing everyone around him prick up their ears, he immediately became even more eager to tell the story. “I heard this came straight from the Southern Yue imperial palace. There were quite a few people beside His Majesty when he died.”
He pointed his folding fan toward Southern Yue. “They’ve already confirmed that the ones who carried out the attack were people left behind by the late emperor. Those two—uncle and nephew—paid for one life with another. You could say they’ve settled the score.”
He shook his head. “But these people from Panshan have reached far too deep. They even dare interfere in imperial affairs. We ordinary folk had better stay well away from people like that.”
The gray-robed man seated across from him nodded in agreement. “Brother Liao is right. Panshan’s people are truly despicable.”
He placed his teacup heavily on the table with a crisp clack, drawing everyone’s attention toward him. “I also heard that the death of Southern Yue’s Crown Prince Xuanhe was connected to Panshan. And it seems that even some people from our…”
He pointed upward. “Our own side may have been involved as well. Her Majesty the Empress… Ah, what a pity!” His voice grew quieter and quieter, but everyone at the table could still hear him.
The claim was undeniably bold. As expected, the people nearby drew sharp breaths.
Hiss!
Those who were old enough still remembered the Crown Prince Xuanhe. He had been a benevolent and gentle heir, and even the people of Southern Zhao had heard of his good reputation.
What a pity that he had died of illness at such a young age, before he could ascend the throne. Everyone had said that Heaven was jealous of his talent.
Now they were learning that the prince’s death was connected to an organization called Panshan—and even to their own empress… The others discreetly glanced at the unfamiliar-looking gray-robed man. Just as he had said, what a pity.
“Brother Xu, is this really true? Did Panshan interfere in imperial affairs all those years ago?” Someone could not resist asking, despite the taboo surrounding the subject.
“Of course it’s true. Everyone here has heard of Panshan before.” He paused deliberately, teasing them with a little suspense before continuing to enlighten them. “The Longevity Sect in Southern Yue is a branch of the Panshan organization.”
“The Longevity Sect? Wasn’t it said that the late emperor of Southern Yue, Gan Chengjiang, died because he took their pills? Was that Panshan’s doing as well?”
Everyone’s eyes widened. The gray-robed man continued piling on the revelations.
“And that’s not all. The Phantom Assassination Hall in Southern Zhao, the Pingliang Sect in Dayan, the Blood Blade Hall in Northern Li, and the Iron Hand Gang in Western Qiang—all of these organizations, whether they still exist or have already been wiped out by their respective emperors, are branches of Panshan.”
