Wuxia: Drinking with Spring Breeze

In his calculations, if Duan Yu and Liu Changfeng were true masters under Prince Ning, then Dong Ping must be one as well.

Duan Yu, Liu Changfeng, Dong Ping, plus one from the Tianhe Sword Sect, Yu Cangshan, wouldn’t that make four great true masters?

Yang Ge thought for a moment, then replied, "If you count Dong Ping, Liu Changfeng, and Yu Cangshan all on my head, then it should be six!"

Wei Heng furrowed his brows, "Where do these six come from?"

Yang Ge responded, "On the second day after I arrived in Yangzhou, I killed a half-crippled true master sent by Yangzhou Magistrate Yang Yuting, and if you add the mad monk Liao Chen, doesn’t that make six?"

Wei Heng, "Does the monk Liao Chen count too?"

Yang Ge, "Regardless of whether the mad monk is an assassin from Lou Wai Lou, since Prince Ning could engage him, naturally he counts!"

"Six, huh!"

Wei Heng clicked his tongue in amazement, "Prince Ning scrimped and saved for over twenty years, and you, lad, cleaned him out in just three months!"

He wasn’t just talking about these six grandmasters of true power, but also the more than three hundred corrupt officials executed by Yang Ge.

Prince Ning’s influence over both the officialdom and the martial arts circles of the Jianghuai region had been broken by Yang Ge!

"Toppling Prince Ning’s mansion doesn’t help, killing more henchmen will only solve the problem temporarily," he said.

Yang Ge wasn’t as optimistic, "Today’s events have shown that Prince Ning’s foundation in the Jianghuai region is far deeper than we had anticipated!"

Wei Heng didn’t reply.

But he thought to himself that only a reckless young man like Yang Ge could have handled this matter to such an extent!

That was Prince Ning!

The late emperor’s own brother, the current emperor’s own uncle!

When the late emperor inspected the Jiangnan Textile Bureau, even the imperial envoy died in Jiangnan, and yet Prince Ning didn’t lose a single hair, did he?

As the group walked, they soon approached the city gates.

Wei Heng exclaimed in surprise, "Since you’ve already come this far, aren’t you going to take a look at the Jiangzhe Sansi?"

Yang Ge wondered, "Haven’t you always opposed my going to the Jiangzhe Sansi? Why the sudden enthusiasm? Are you not afraid that I’ll really mess things up and drag out the chief officials of the Jiangzhe Sansi and behead them all? I’m not lacking evidence of their crimes!"

Wei Heng scoffed, "I misjudged. You, boy, are as cunning as a monkey. I bet even the hairs on your body are hollow!"

Yang Ge always felt that this bearded eunuch was projecting his own deceitfulness onto others, "What do you mean?"

Wei Heng looked around, then leaned in close and lowered his voice, "Are you claiming you won’t touch Prince Ning’s mansion because you’re leaving yourself an out?"

Yang Ge was stunned, then quickly realized, this bearded eunuch thought he was "fostering the enemy to reinforce oneself."

He rubbed his forehead speechlessly, "It really is case of a vile person suspecting others of vile deeds. If I could have touched Prince Ning’s mansion, I would have targeted it when I supported you coming to Hangzhou. That lord has dark tactics. Wherever I investigated, he would kill, and my actions in Jiangzhe were never a secret from him!"

He paused, then added, "Of course, if it really comes down to a fight, I’m not afraid of him, but given the current situation in Jiangzhe, we can’t afford and dare not delay. The longer we drag it out, the greater his advantage becomes, and in the end, it’s the common folk who suffer!"

Wei Heng stared at him intently, "Really?"

Yang Ge reined in his horse, "Don’t believe me? Fine, hand over the secret edict you’re carrying, and I’ll take you to raid Prince Ning’s mansion right now. We’ll arrest the people first and gather evidence later. Whatever the consequences, I’ll bear them. Do you dare?"

Instantly, Wei Heng shook his head like a wind-up drum, "Dare not, dare not, dare not..."

Yang Ge: "If you don’t dare, then why are you grinding your teeth at me?"

Wei Heng persisted, "What about the Jiangzhe Tax Bureau? You’ve come all this way and yet not even bother to take a look... This doesn’t seem like your style!"

Yang Ge glanced at the bearded eunuch from the corner of his eye.

He too felt that this fellow’s thirst for knowledge today was a bit too strong, not quite like his usual style of feigning confusion despite being aware.

Could it be...

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "You’re a senior in the martial arts, let me ask you a question... When is a knife most intimidating?"

Without thinking, Wei Heng answered, "When the knife is concealed, naturally it is most intimidating when it’s in the sheath!"

Yang Ge nodded, "By the same principle, I’ve chopped off the heads of three hundred and twenty-seven corrupt officials in Yangzhou. I don’t believe those corrupt officials at the Jiangzhe Tax Bureau aren’t afraid of me. If I don’t show myself to them, they’ll always be afraid, and even if I leave Jiangzhe, they’ll still be cautious!"

"If I meet with them but can’t do anything to them, it’s like those cowards who brandish their knives to scare people but don’t dare to actually cut. Once they reveal their bluff, they’ll no longer fear me, and they’ll start to consider what rules to use to deal with me..."

"I intend to keep this knife suspended over their heads!"

"To make them live forever in my shadow!"

"That way, when they exploit the common people, they might restrain themselves a bit and not be so reckless..."

Gazing at the passersby in Hangzhou, he murmured softly, "If I never return, this is the last thing I can do for them."

After listening to his words, Wei Heng was silent for a long, long time before he replied softly, "Duan Yu didn’t die unjustly under your knife."

Yang Ge just smiled, without replying... That swordsman didn’t lose because his vision wasn’t grand enough, but because he wanted too much.

"Rest assured!"

Wei Heng slapped Yang Ge’s left shoulder firmly, "A man like you shouldn’t die in a cesspit, I will do everything in my power to save your life!"

Yang Ge’s face twisted as he hissed in cold air, "I’m truly grateful to you!"

Wei Heng laughed heartily, "Let’s go, back to the capital, don’t be afraid; there are still sensible people in the palace."

Yang Ge: "I’m not afraid, fear won’t solve the problem anyway."

Wei Heng: "But you must heed my advice; stay away from those fools of the Ming Sect who have grand aspirations but little talent. They’ll dull your mind."

Yang Ge: "To tell the truth, although they’re not very bright, at least they aren’t ill-intentioned, unlike you, with eight hundred schemes hidden behind a single sentence..."