Chapter 1686: South Xia Governor | Red Heart Survey [Translation]
Red Heart Survey [Translation] - Updated on April 30, 2025
Zhang Cuihua, ever strong-willed by nature, could never abide idleness.
After a thorough discussion, taking into full account Zhang Cuihua’s own inclinations, Jiang Wang arranged for her to join the Desheng Trading Company. She would begin as a common clerk, gaining practical experience.
His initial plan was for Zhang Cuihua to gather some experience and develop her skills within the trading company. Then, she would return to the Marquisate and serve as the second steward. Following this arrangement, Xie Ping would be responsible for welcoming guests, social interactions, and external affairs of the Marquisate, while Zhang Cuihua would oversee the internal matters. Generally, even in large households, there were several stewards. The Marquisate of Wu An now numbered among the prominent households of Linzi City. If not for Jiang Wang’s limited social circle, Xie Ping would have long since been overwhelmed.
Naturally, if Zhang Cuihua found contentment and happiness within the trading company, her continued development there would be of no consequence. Her own will held paramount importance.
As for his recently accepted disciple, Chu Yao, Jiang Wang had given the matter serious consideration. Since he had brought Zhang Cuihua and Chu Yao to Linzi, he intended to genuinely care for them, not merely seek psychological solace for himself. With his current identity and standing, he could readily bestow upon them ten thousand pieces of gold, provide opulent mansions, or with a single command, elevate Chu Yao to the status of a cherished gem in Tiannan City, ensuring his and his mother’s well-being for a lifetime. These acts were not difficult, and none would dare to gossip.
Yet, he chose the path demanding the greatest effort. Chu Mi had, until his dying breath, held onto the hope that he would encounter a fearless young master, one who could casually reveal his powerful connections, summoning two or three contemporary True Persons to clear a path through adversity and escape with him to safety. Alas, at that time, he had met only a young man much like himself, who could only fight with his life on the line.
But perhaps Chu Yao could realize his father’s wish. The extraordinary path could not be achieved in a single bound. Even with a Pulse Opening Pill, success was not guaranteed. It required both a certain degree of talent and meticulous tempering of the body. For instance, Zhang Cuihua had also once taken a Pulse Opening Pill but failed to attain the extraordinary. Chu Yao was nine years old this year, and beginning his cultivation journey was not too late.
Jiang An’an had opened her pulse early and was promptly sent to the Lingxiao Pavilion, receiving the most professional training under the personal guidance of the contemporary True Person Ye Lingxiao. Yet, even she had not yet established her Small Zhou Tian. Concepts like Conception and Imagery were not born of nothing; they required significant insight. Thus, Jiang An’an’s primary focus remained on reading and practicing calligraphy, building a solid foundation. Chu Yao, of course, would also first delve into books and temper his martial arts, strengthening his physique.
The matter of reading was easily resolved. Within Linzi, all schools, save for the Ji Xia Academy, were open to him for selection. But before that, Jiang Wang decided to first take Chu Yao on a long journey, allowing him to broaden his horizons. This way, the child could decide for himself what he liked and what he wished to study. The destination, naturally, was the land of Xia.
Lian Que and Du Gu Xiao arrived in Linzi around noon and in the afternoon, respectively. And as early as morning, Zhong Xuanzun had elegantly crossed the threshold of the residence and departed with Zhong Xuansheng.
Later, Jiang Wang explained to Fourteen that he had been unconscious and had not intentionally failed to help Ah Pang. Then, he conveniently led an ox cart and left Linzi with his companions. The ox was a divine beast gifted by Helian Yunyun, and the cart was Zhong Xuansheng’s specially crafted favorite. It was spacious enough to comfortably seat ten people without issue.
On this journey to Chi Tan, there were only three companions: Lian Que, Du Gu Xiao, and Chu Yao.
The War of Qi and Xia had completely overturned the state and altars of Xia, and the ten-thousand-li road from Qi to Xia was now fully opened. Along the way, the various countries, though not annexed, had all *fēnfēn* (in rapid succession) offered tribute and declared submission. Thereafter, they all addressed their country lords as “none but Qi dare call themselves Emperor.” Of course, they still retained their state altars and temples, as well as… beast nests.
The State of Qi did not actually demand declarations of submission. The various states of the Eastern Domain, apart from the State of Zhao which was compelled to submit dead or alive, such as Chang, Yi, Xu, Rong, and others, maintained a high degree of autonomy. Especially the State of Shen, with the support of the East King Valley, could even be said to be independent within the Eastern Domain’s hegemonic system, and was not subject to conscription during Qi’s wartime.
However, having taken down such a vast territory as the State of Xia, maintaining stable rule required smooth roads. The Qi Emperor merely accepted the tribute from the various countries along the way and did not overly interfere in their affairs. This, instead, was the most cost-effective way to maintain hegemonic influence, requiring only the guarantee of the existing Pulse Opening Pill system.
The “Conquest Path” forged during the War of Qi and Xia was now expanded. This road, stretching from the land of Qi through the land of Xia, was now lined with conquest flags and was renamed the “Qi Straight Road.” From a legal perspective, regardless of which country it traversed or which forces it passed through, this road itself belonged to the State of Qi and could be considered Qi land. For this, the various countries along the way publicly acknowledged it in their submission documents. Thus, the full territory of the present State of Qi was actually connected by this single Qi Straight Road, running through the lands of Qi and Xia. It was like a carrying pole, diagonally spanning the southeastern domains.
This ox cart had no driver. Jiang Wang simply instructed it to keep following the Qi Straight Road beneath its hooves, and it understood, pulling the cart steadily.
Within the vast carriage compartment, Du Gu Xiao sat with her eyes closed, cultivating intently. After Jiang Wang achieved Divine Manifestation, the powerful feedback brought by the Divine Seal Method significantly boosted her cultivation speed. Although still not comparable to true geniuses, it far surpassed her previous arduous progress. More than anyone, she understood Jiang Wang’s efforts, and her demands on herself were exceptionally strict, never allowing herself to relax. In the past, when progress was almost nonexistent, she still cultivated diligently, let alone now, with rapid progress, her Small and Large Zhou Tian, and the Divine Seal continuously providing support. She deeply cherished the feeling of controlling her own destiny and found joy in cultivation. And being able to cultivate beside Jiang Wang, simply sitting so close to him, was like being in a realm of ultimate bliss.
Lian Que, meanwhile, doted on his Chang Xiangsi, taking out a pile of bottles and jars, extracting various secret medicines, and meticulously washing and nurturing the sword. The cultivation of a forging master was to a great extent influenced by the weapons they forged. The more renowned the forged weapons, the greater the benefit to the forging master’s cultivation. This aspect was quite similar to the official path. The official path encompassed various schools of thought and perhaps originally drew inspiration from the path of weapon forging. Among Lian Que’s forged weapons, the most famous was undoubtedly the Chang Xiangsi. For this renowned sword, his care and affection were no less than Jiang Wang’s. The Killing Nail was also his creation, but it lacked fame. The world only knew Buzhou Feng, not the Killing Nail. When the Chang Xiangsi could replace Fu Junsha Jiang in the ranking of renowned weapons in the State of Qi, he, Lian Que, the Great Forging Master, would undoubtedly make leaps and bounds in his own cultivation.
In short, everyone was engrossed in their own pursuits.
Except for Chu Yao, who ran back and forth in the carriage compartment dozens of times. Perhaps running around was his way of “concentrating.” He had only left his hometown once when he was very young, carried by his father on a distant journey. But he was too young at the time and had completely forgotten what that scene was like. He also didn’t remember his father’s appearance. His naive and limited memories were confined to Wa Yao Town. The gray, hazy sky, the small mountains of bricks and tiles piled up, the bare-bottomed little friends running around, and the mother who loved and cared for him.
This time, he was not only leaving the prefecture but also leaving the country, even the Eastern Domain, and heading to the Southern Domain! He looked at everything outside the cart window, feeling utterly novel. Sometimes he talked to the ox, sometimes to the sky, and from time to time, he would run back and ask Jiang Wang some peculiar questions. Jiang Wang, while cultivating, responded casually.
After just one day, the dark and thin Chu Yao was no longer shy at all and possessed quite a bit of his father’s cleverness. Of course, with a belly full of questions, he only dared to ask Jiang Wang. That sister named “Xiao Xiao,” although seemingly friendly, he subconsciously didn’t dare to get too close to. And Uncle Lian… looked truly terrifying, very much like the kind of person who ate children. If not for Master by his side, he would have run far away long ago.
“Master, Master, this white ox is so obedient, did you give it a name?” Chu Yao’s slender eyes held a hint of eagerness to try. He considered himself a genius at naming things. Unfortunately, he had arrived too late.
Jiang Wang didn’t even lift his eyelids: “Yes.”
“What is it called?” Chu Yao asked curiously.
Jiang Wang said: “Called ‘White Ox’.”
Chu Yao: ……
The one who defeated the State of Xia was Cao Ji, accompanied by Li Zhengyan, Zhong Xuan Chuliang, Chen Fu, and Xie Huai’an, who jointly led the army. But after the war, all were granted rest. Stationed in the land of Xia was the Dongji Army that had retreated from the Ten Thousand Demon Gate to recuperate.
The person in charge of military affairs in the land of Xia was naturally the Commander of the Nine Commanders, Shi Mingpeng. Xiu Yuan, who had failed to secure the opportunity for the Xia conquest, after being sidelined by the Emperor for nearly two years, finally led his Prison Lightning Army and was transferred to the Ten Thousand Demon Gate. However, although Shi Mingpeng was in the land of Xia, the position temporarily holding the highest will of the Great Qi Emperor in the land of Xia, nominally leading all affairs, was not him. It was the Court Discussing Doctor, Su Guanying.
Su Guanying was the only woman in the Politics Hall, and in the land of Qi, she was always mentioned alongside Qi Xiao. The saying went, “In martial arts, there is Qi Xiao; in civil affairs, there is Su Guanying.” She wrote a good essay and used a good knife. Jiang Wang was not overly familiar with either Shi Mingpeng or Su Guanying. By calculation, Shi Mingpeng had once, on the Emperor’s orders, searched for him in the Wumengdu Mountain Range along with Wen Yanyu and others, so they could be said to have a superficial connection. As for Su Guanying, there had been no intersection at all before. Before Jiang Wang was enfeoffed as a Marquis, they were not on the same level. Even though both were in Linzi, their worlds were different. His interactions with other Court Discussing Doctors and Nine Commanders were all by chance, and basically through their juniors.
Only after the War of Qi and Xia ended and he was enfeoffed as a Marquis in a single battle could he participate in the Politics Hall meetings, often being summoned by the Emperor to stand in punishment. It was then that he had the opportunity to sit and discuss matters with the high-level officials of the Empire. However, Su Guanying was already frequently stationed in the land of Xia at that time.
The entire army stationed in the land of Xia was now primarily composed of one hundred thousand Dongji Army soldiers, supplemented by two hundred thousand prefecture soldiers transferred from the land of Qi, plus a five hundred thousand mixed new army of Xia people. Each prefecture only retained its security forces, while the remaining Xia army was disbanded and returned to farming. The resulting massive reduction in military expenses was entirely used for construction. The entire land of Xia formally entered a phase of recuperation.
During the entire War of Qi and Xia, the Xia court first abandoned Feng Jie, then the entire eastern front. Finally, Anle Bo Si Cheng even made a move that led to the extermination of the world (nominally, the main culprit was Wu Wang Si Jiao), causing the public sentiment of the State of Xia, cultivated for thousands of years, to almost completely dissipate overnight. The Xia people, who truly loved their country and supported their monarch, had responded to the call during the war against the State of Wei, yet they were deeply hurt by the Xia court. “The common people barely think of the Si clan anymore; if they do, it’s with gnashing teeth.”
And the various national pillar Dukes and Marquises of the State of Xia were almost all dead. The two great powerful armies, Shenwu and Zhenguo, were both beaten to remnants. One million prefecture armies in the land of Xia were chased and killed, abandoned and scattered… Furthermore, the former King of the Great Xia, now the upper minister of the State of Qi, Yu Liyang, resided in the middle to mediate.
Qi’s post-war rule of the land of Xia was actually relatively easy. All difficulties had been cleared in advance during the war. Cao Ji had fought a war of thorough extermination. The Qi Emperor ordered the extensive repair of the Xia Xiang Emperor’s tomb, personally wrote a sacrificial text, calling him a “thousand ancient emperor.” He enfeoffed Anle Hou, making it hereditary to Si Cheng. A decree sealed his divine name as “Southern Xiang Jun,” honoring him as the guardian deity of the land of Xia, granting him incense, and encouraging the people of the land of Xia to offer sacrifices. He again pardoned the sins of all civil and military officials on the Xia side, stating, “those who guard the land are without sin.” He also exempted the land of Xia from ten years of taxes, allowing the land to rest and the people to recuperate. Such lenient policies, while not fully winning the hearts of the people, greatly dissolved the resistance of the people of the land of Xia.
“Intimidate it with might, suppress it with force, aid it with leniency,” Su Guanying proposed this twelve-character strategy for the Southern Frontier, which has resulted in almost no major civil unrest in the land of Xia since the end of the war. Of course, small-scale resistances would always rise and fall, but these were considered common occurrences. And in Su Guanying’s governing concept, “like a pool of spring water, a few ripples show vitality.” This was something she tacitly approved of, even indulged in. In these small-scale, non-threatening uprisings and suppressions, she examined the entire Southern Frontier. And in the process of quelling each ripple, she strengthened the identification of the people of the land of Xia and divided “enemies” and “us.”
Compared to the governance of the land of Xia, the relationship with the State of Chu was more difficult to handle. Upon entering the Southern Domain, they had become neighbors with a hegemonic state. However, the State of Qi had only sent two True Persons to guard the land of Xia, which in itself was a posture of no intention to compete. The State of Qi did not plan to make waves in the Southern Domain, much less challenge the State of Chu’s hegemony there. Thus, the present situation remained peaceful.
Chi Tan, located two hundred li west of Guiyi City, was a place both ancient and mysterious. The Qi Emperor had enfeoffed Wu An Hou with Chi Tan specifically because of Wu An Hou’s merit in suppressing the disaster water. And the disaster water, in the years of the former Great Yan, was the place guarded by the Lian clan. Now, thousands of years had passed, the glory of the Great Yan Lian clan was no more, and Chi Tan was only a desolate ancient pond.
Since Jiang Wang’s enfeoffment as a Marquis, although he had not come to the land of Xia in person, the construction of his residence here had begun early. It is worth mentioning that the labor for the construction was not conscripted. All reconstruction work in the southern Xia border region was paid for by the Southern Xia Governor’s Office. This was intended as “workfare” to replace relief. Construction activities, including city walls and water conservancy, were in themselves acts of mending the wounds of war. If the common people had work and food and clothing, they would be less likely to cause chaos. The unified scheduling of large-scale projects could also quickly accustom the people of the land of Xia to the rule of the Qi court.
Only half a year had passed, and when Jiang Wang returned to the land of Xia, the scenes of everywhere being ravaged by war and the mountains and rivers being broken seemed distant, as if they had happened many years ago. The ox cart arriving from Linzi swaggered through the market. Wherever he looked, there were bustling scenes. The people he encountered on the road did not necessarily line up to welcome him, but he rarely saw any hostility. Su Guanying’s governing ability was evident. Great Qi had an abundance of talents; those who could be listed in the Politics Hall and Military Affairs Hall were truly capable individuals.
After the war ended, this was Jiang Wang’s first time returning to his enfeoffed land. He felt it was inappropriate not to pay his respects to the Southern Xia Governor. Thus, he let Lian Que and the others go to Chi Tan first, while he alone rode the ox cart and entered Guiyi, heading directly to the Southern Xia Governor’s Office.
Facing such a real enfeoffed Marquis with three thousand households, the Governor’s Office would naturally not be negligent. Su Guanying even directly set aside a governor’s department meeting and personally came to receive Jiang Wang. Seeing the crimson purple governor’s robe from afar, Jiang Wang hastily stepped forward: “How dare I trouble Governor Su to welcome me?” In terms of actual power, Su Guanying, who now governed ten thousand li of the Xia border, could almost be said to be the most powerful frontier official of the State of Qi.
Before meeting, Jiang Wang had imagined Su Guanying to be a heroic and valiant figure, like Jiang Wuyou, capable of overlooking winds and clouds. But upon meeting her, he discovered that she appeared quite gentle. Fine eyebrows and soft eyes, slender and delicate. She did not appear to be in a position of high authority and power; instead, she seemed quite like a frail willow swaying in the wind. However, the moment she opened her mouth, that sense of gentleness was instantly wiped away. It was still soft, yet like wandering clouds floating in the high sky, requiring the world to look up.
“Marquis Wu An was enfeoffed in the Southern Frontier, yet has not returned for months. This Governor prepared fine tea early on, but it has been steeped several times in vain, leaving only a lingering fragrance in the cup, which is truly regrettable!” She smiled faintly, standing in the courtyard as if she were outside of this world.
“This Jiang is humbled,” Jiang Wang’s posture was even lower. “My body was not my own, twisted and turned everywhere. I have long heard of Governor Su’s name and am fortunate to see you today!”
Su Guanying smiled lightly and simply gestured sideways, saying: “Please!”
------Additional Notes------
Thanks to book friend “Mountains and Rivers Ten Thousand Blossoms” for becoming the Alliance Leader of this book! This is the 347th Alliance Leader for Red Heart Patrolling Heaven!