The vastness stretched above.

This place was already far from the Clear River.

Zhuang GaoXian turned around, and Du RuHui stepped forward, arriving right before him.

“Why did the Prime Minister stop me just now?” he asked with a subdued tone.

“The national war is newly won, and the national territory expands. But at the same time, General Duan was deposed, General He died in battle, and Dong A also suffered misfortune. The current Zhuang State still greatly needs Song HengJiang,” Du RuHui said, “In terms of blood ties, since he is His Majesty’s maternal great-uncle, Zhuang State needs him even more. Such a battle prowess should not die by His Majesty’s hand.”

He noticed that Zhuang GaoXian frowned slightly when he mentioned “maternal great-uncle.”

A ruler like Zhuang GaoXian rarely showed his emotions. The reason he allowed Du RuHui to notice this was simply to tell him – be mindful of your words; the ruler does not like to hear such things.

Du RuHui’s wisdom allowed him to clearly understand this, but his expression remained steadfast – whether the ruler likes it or not, he must hear it. Sometimes, the truth is not important, nor is the ruler’s mood; what matters is what benefits the nation of Zhuang.

Of course, Zhuang GaoXian understood this principle.

So he paused slightly and then changed the subject, “But his fostering of demons is ultimately a hidden danger.”

No matter how he treated others, he always maintained respect for Du RuHui. Du RuHui was his teacher when he was still a crown prince. When he was in secluded cultivation to heal his injuries, Du RuHui single-handedly supported the country.

Including his attainment of the True Human realm and his conquest of Yong, Du RuHui played the most important role in this series of major events. This respect was well-deserved.

“If Your Majesty were invincible in the world, even if you fostered demons, who would dare to come and eliminate demons in the name of justice? Any explanation would be revered as truth. Conversely, if Your Majesty were powerless, and someone claimed that you were possessed by a demon, who would prove your innocence? So, in this matter, what ultimately matters is strength.”

Du RuHui countered, “Is it a wise choice to cut off one’s arm and weaken one’s strength in order to avoid future risks?”

Before learning of the secrets today, he would not have agreed to taking risks for Song HengJiang. But after learning that Song HengJiang’s younger sister was Zhuang GaoXian’s grandmother, and Song HengJiang himself was Zhuang GaoXian’s blood-related maternal great-uncle, many past doubts about Song HengJiang’s actions were explained.

Especially Song HengJiang’s willingness to foster demons to keep Song WanXi, even knowing that after entering demonic path, she would no longer be human, he still risked the world’s condemnation to do this. The blood ties between him and Song WanXi were profound and significant.

This blood kinship was very likely to be transferred to Zhuang GaoXian.

For now, Song HengJiang’s reliability had greatly increased. Therefore, the strategy for dealing with the Clear River water folk naturally had to be adjusted accordingly.

He had always taught Zhuang GaoXian that a ruler should have no personal preferences, and that everything should be based on the interests of the nation.

A reliable Song HengJiang was definitely worth taking some risks for.

Moreover, the risk might not be as great as imagined. The underwater demon cave had been hidden for two hundred and eighteen years. With his and Zhuang GaoXian’s cover in the future, it would only become more concealed.

Zhuang GaoXian was silent for a moment, and directly admitted his mistake: “Prime Minister is right, I was somewhat out of line.”

After a pause, he asked again, “What is the origin of that Gu Yi that Song HengJiang mentioned? There are no detailed records. Of humble birth. How dare she harm the Clear River Water Lord’s sister, the Empress of the Great Ancestor?”

He looked down at the mountains and rivers beneath his feet. This was Zhuang’s land, now solely his, “Now that I re-examine the founding story of the Great Ancestor, there seem to be many secrets hidden within.”

Song HengJiang had obviously thought about it for a long time, and immediately bowed and replied, “If this old minister is not mistaken… she should be related to the White Bone Path, or even be the Holy Maiden of the White Bone Path back then!”

“White Bone Path?” Zhuang GaoXian was obviously very surprised by this guess.

How could there be a Holy Maiden of the White Bone Path in the harem of the Great Ancestor Zhuang ChengQian?

“The historical records of that year have some errors and omissions, and many truths have been buried. But this old minister has searched through historical materials and still has some insights. Today, after listening to the Water Lord’s words, they corroborate each other, and I have roughly understood many things.”

Du RuHui glanced at Zhuang GaoXian, almost directly saying that Zhuang ChengQian, the Great Ancestor of Zhuang State, had modified the historical records and obscured the truth of history. From ancient times to the present, the historian’s pen has been unyielding; it is an indelible stain for a ruler to interfere with historical records.

“The Great Ancestor of this dynasty had three great achievements. First, he resisted Han and Yin, establishing the ancestral temple of Zhuang State. Second, he rectified the source and swept away the heretical White Bone Path. Third, he allied with Jing and integrated into the Dao, stabilizing the nation of Zhuang and laying the foundation for long-term stability.”

The so-called alliance with Jing and integration into the Dao was naturally a beautified way of saying it. In reality, it meant becoming a subject of Jing, joining the Dao-affiliated system of states, and obtaining Jing’s political and resource support.

Of course, under the circumstances of that year, this was definitely a brilliant move. Zhuang ChengQian, the Great Ancestor of Zhuang State, had a broad vision and was not trapped in the situation. By breaking away from the interference of Qin, Yong, and other parties, jumping out of the mire of the Western Border, and drawing Jing into the game, he broke free from the predicament in one fell swoop, truly making a wonderful move. For the nation of Zhuang, it could be called a great achievement.

“But after the events of Maple Forest City, this dynasty destroyed the White Bone Path again. In his leisure time, this old minister could not help but think of a question. The White Bone Path of today was started by old devils like Ouyang Lie and Lu Yan after hundreds of years of operation. But when did the White Bone Path that the Great Ancestor swept away back then rise?”

Du RuHui said in a low voice: “History does not record.”

Zhuang GaoXian’s expression remained unchanged, his heart surging with no hint showing on his face.

Du RuHui’s meaning was very clear. How could he not understand it?

The current Prime Minister of Zhuang State suspected that when Zhuang ChengQian founded the nation, the power he relied on included the White Bone Path. Even that the White Bone Path was one of the main forces supporting Zhuang ChengQian’s establishment of the nation!

Zhuang ChengQian became brothers with Song HengJiang, swore an oath of alliance, and named Song HengJiang’s sister Song WanXi as empress, in order to avoid the influence of a ruler marrying a water spirit, Song WanXi was renamed Xi Wan. On the other hand, he also took Gu Yi, the Holy Maiden of the White Bone Path, as a concubine, relying on the strength of the White Bone Path.

With the support of the Clear River water spirits and the White Bone Path, Zhuang ChengQian was able to face the great pressure of Yong and successfully establish the nation.

Gu Yi’s plotting against Song WanXi should not be seen as a simple emotional entanglement, but more likely as a struggle for interests between the White Bone Path and the Clear River water spirits behind the scenes.

And Zhuang ChengQian chose the Clear River water spirits, personally killed Gu Yi, and swept away the White Bone Path within the territory. Later, the White Bone Path within Zhuang fell silent, while Song HengJiang became the master of the eight hundred li Clear River, known as the Water Lord, sitting alongside Zhuang ChengQian, which was the result of this struggle.

Moreover, the matter of sweeping away the White Bone Path created conditions for Zhuang ChengQian to connect with the Daoist sect. The Daoist sect was most wary of heretical sects like the White Bone Path, which claimed to be orthodox!

Including the fact that Zhuang ChengQian, as a True Human of his time, died only a few decades after founding the nation, historical records said that he died of severe injuries, but now it seems that it may be related to the White Bone Path’s revenge…

These thrilling events were hidden in the smoke-like history. As long as one sorted them out a little, it would be a wonderful drama. Unfortunately, the characters on the stage back then had all disappeared. As of today, there was only a demon-possessed Song WanXi, and a surviving Song HengJiang.

This was the cruelty of time, and also the greatness of time!

ps: Please take a leave. My good brother got married last week, and I went to be the best man. I couldn’t write for two days, but I managed to get through it because I had a few chapters of backlog. I’m also going to be a best man during the National Day, something I can’t refuse.

It’s the end of the fourth volume, and I need to carefully consider it, which takes especially a lot of time to write. I can’t get through it, so I have to ask for a leave.

So there will be no updates tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. You don’t have to wait.

Happy National Day.

Resuming updates on October 2nd.