The Hidden Immortal

Chapter 60 The Bitter Cold of Winter

A month later, Stone sent a second letter.

Because of his effective fighting against the Ma tribe, in which he beheaded several enemy soldiers, he was promoted to the rank of general.

A military officer of the eighth rank, commanding fifty soldiers.

Before running out of supplies, Marquis Anping successfully located the main force of the horse tribe.

However, they failed to annihilate them in one fell swoop, and the remaining few thousand soldiers fled in all directions.

Considering the logistical issues related to supplies and the repeated military orders issued by the Ministry of War to withdraw troops immediately, they had no choice but to return to the capital.

The army is resting and recuperating along the way, and their progress is slow. It may take them some more days to return.

At the latest, I will definitely be home around the time of the autumn harvest.

This letter made Qiaohua so happy that she cried.

My man is finally coming home!

Although I may leave again in the future, I will at least be able to see you once more.

Time passed day by day.

During the autumn harvest, Qiaohua would cut a few stalks of rice in the field and then look up to take a look.

Stone said he would return before the autumn harvest, but he still hasn't come back.

Until the Lunar New Year, heavy snow fell.

Chu Xun and Zhang Anxiu arrived in town to wish Zhang Sanchun and Lin Qiaoxi's family a Happy New Year, and then stopped by the Bai family's old shop to buy some wine.

Upon entering the store, a man in his early twenties, wearing a thick gray coat, hurriedly came forward to greet us.

"Master Chu, the usual?"

Chu Xun nodded. The Yu Nian Niang wine here tastes very good, with the most mellow aroma for miles around.

He's been buying wine from Baijia Old Shop for over twenty years; he's known the place like the back of his hand.

The man hurriedly grabbed a wine jar to fetch wine. A little girl of about five or six years old, with pigtails and wearing a bright red jacket, curiously looked at Chu Xun.

Chu Xun met her gaze, and the little girl suddenly said, "I know who you are. Grandpa said there's a man with very bright eyes who looks very intelligent; that's Master Chu."

Chu Xun and Zhang Anxiu both laughed when they heard this. Zhang Anxiu took out two coins from her pocket and stuffed them into the little girl's hand.

He patted her head and said, "This child is so well-behaved."

The man chuckled, "This is my daughter, Shuyu. We don't take her out much. It's her good fortune to meet Master Chu and Madam today. Hurry up and kowtow to Master Chu and Madam."

Without saying a word, the little girl knelt down and kowtowed.

Zhang Anxiu quickly helped the maid up. Chu Xun glanced into the room and asked with some confusion, "Why isn't your father here?"

In the past, the shopkeeper would have come out to speak to Chu Xun as soon as he heard his voice.

Upon hearing Chu Xun's question, the man paused, then his eyes dimmed slightly as he said, "My father caught a cold last month, and it didn't get better."

Chu Xun was taken aback. When he first came to Bai Family Old Shop to buy wine, it was Old Man Bai who took care of it.

A few years later, the old man fell and hit his head, dying instantly.

Then there was the man's father, Bai Tieshan, who took over the position.

He was a very strong, towering man.

Chu Xun was about the same age as him, and he never expected that a minor cold would take someone's life.

A young man named Bai Min'an walked over carrying a wine jar.

Chu Xun took the wine jar and sighed, "Please accept my condolences. If I had known Manager Bai was gone, I would have come."

"I thank you for your kindness, Master Chu, on behalf of my father." Bai Min'an smiled broadly. "You've been buying wine from our family since my grandfather's time; I'm the third generation to do so."

"Master Chu and Madam, you must take good care of your health. In the future, my son and grandson will still have to serve you wine."

Chu Xun nodded, patted his shoulder, and turned to leave with Zhang Anxiu.

Clutching the silver Zhang Anxiu had given her, the little girl suddenly looked up and asked, "Father, can't I buy wine for Master Chu?"

Bai Min'an laughed when asked, "Of course, when you grow up."

On the way, Zhang Anxiu sighed, "I never thought Manager Bai would die so young."

Chu Xun, holding the wine jar, turned to look at Zhang Anxiu. Her hair was covered in snow, and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes were becoming more pronounced.

His heart was heavy as he said, "So you must take good care of yourself and live many more years."

That sounded a bit strange. Zhang Anxiu looked at him and pouted as before, saying, "It's not like you don't need to. We both have to try to live to be a hundred!"

As the two walked, they suddenly overheard people talking: "Have you heard? The Marquis of Anping's property has been confiscated!"

"Marquis Anping? Really? Wasn't it said that he repelled the enemy in the northern desert and made a great contribution?"

"Of course it's true! My great-uncle's second cousin's nephew's neighbor has a brother-in-law who works as a prison guard in the Ministry of Justice. It's absolutely true!"

Chu Xun and Zhang Anxiu were stunned. They exchanged a glance and felt that this winter was unusually cold.

The year-end has just passed.

The thirty-sixth year of the Jing Kingdom.

The news is being spread all over the streets.

Marquis Anping, who had achieved great military exploits by defeating the Ma tribe, was arrested by the Imperial Guards with an imperial edict and his home was confiscated the day after his triumphant return to the capital.

At the same time, two dukes and more than a dozen marquises were also arrested.

As for those of noble rank such as earl, viscount, and baron, there are even more.

It is said that these high-ranking officials were arrested because bandits were causing trouble everywhere, which angered the emperor.

After a thorough investigation, it was discovered that these nobles intended to rebel, and were also involved in corruption and bribery, which undermined the foundation of the nation.

The land owned by Marquis Anping alone amounted to a thousand hectares!

Gold, silver, and countless other treasures.

He owned hundreds of residences in and around Kyoto, and kept more than a hundred concubines.

Less than five days later, this marquis, who had just made a great contribution, had his entire family executed by the emperor.

Many of the military generals who returned from the northern deserts were also involved in this affair.

Chu Xun wrote a letter to Tang Shijun to inquire about the situation, and only then did he learn that the reason Shi Tou was unable to return was because the camp he was in was sealed off, and anyone who made any unusual moves would be executed for treason.

Chu Xun had already foreseen that the emperor was getting old and it was time to kill him.

But I never expected it to come so quickly and so ruthlessly.

Dukes and Marquises are figures whose names are heard but whose faces are never seen; they are important figures who stand at the deepest part of the imperial court.

Lin Xianzong, who implicated the Lin family and led to the extermination of his entire clan, was only a third-rank official.

But before the might of Heaven, they are no different from ants.

Those founding heroes all wielded immense power.

Military officers, in particular, often enjoyed extremely high prestige within the army, and there was even a saying that they obeyed the general's orders but not the emperor's.

If they weren't killed, the next emperor might not be able to control the situation.

Throughout history, very few of the first batch of civil and military officials established at the beginning of a new dynasty have met a good end.

The higher you sit, the easier it is to die.

When Qiaohua heard the news, she cried terribly.

But there's nothing anyone can do; all we can do now is wait.

Year after year passed, and the stone seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Only news occasionally came back from outside: who the emperor had arrested today, and who he had arrested tomorrow.

One after another, civil and military officials were arrested and beheaded for various crimes.

In just three years, four dukes, more than twenty marquises, and countless other nobles died.

In the imperial court, people were filled with unease.

In the countryside, however, the story was quite enjoyable to listen to.

So even high-ranking officials can die. Didn't the emperor grant them a pardon?

How come he's still dead?

Chu Xun was astonished. He had expected the emperor to be ruthless, but he hadn't expected him to be this ruthless.

The good news is that, because these cases involved too many people, the prefect of Mingxiu Prefecture, one of the upper prefectures, was also beheaded.

Tang Shijun, who brought Fenggu City from the lower prefecture to the middle prefecture, was transferred to Mingxiu Prefecture before the new year and rose to the rank of third grade.

Zheng Xiuwen was then transferred to Fenggu City to serve as a fifth-rank Assistant Magistrate, and County Magistrate Li Zhaoming rightfully succeeded him as County Magistrate.

That year, Huan'er went to the examination hall in Mingxiu Prefecture to participate in the autumn examination.

After a month or so, news came back.

Zhang Jingheng, from Zhangnan County, is the top scholar in this year's autumn imperial examination!

At the same time, Chu Xun stood in the courtyard, looking at the young man kneeling before him outside the courtyard.

After bowing three times, the young man stood up and respectfully said to Chu Xun, "Although I learned from the public school by auditing classes, it was Master Chu who enlightened me first. Please allow me to address you as such."

"teacher!"

This boy, who had just passed the preliminary examination, was named A-Qiao.

His father was Chu Xun's tenant farmer.