The Earl of Anyuan's Residence, a Home Torn Apart

The carriage slowly entered the city, and an exceptionally broad avenue came into view.

According to the memories in Li Dao's mind, this avenue was called Dragon Road. Ten kilometers long, it extended all the way to the palace complex and measured a full two hundred and twenty-two meters across. Vast in both length and breadth, it divided the entire Imperial Capital into eastern and western halves.

Every emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty had traveled this road upon ascending the throne.

Although he already possessed images of it from before his memories awakened, seeing this magnificent sight with his own eyes still left Li Dao awestruck.

It reminded him of Chang'an City during the prosperous Great Tang era in his previous world's history, which likewise had a historically renowned thoroughfare-Vermilion Bird Avenue.

Yet that had been only five kilometers long and one hundred and fifty meters wide.

The Imperial Capital of Great Qian was even grander and more prosperous than the Chang'an City in his memories.

He recalled the information about Great Qian in his mind.

Li Dao discovered that the Great Qian Dynasty resembled a combination of several famous dynasties from his previous world's history.

The Qin's fierce armies, the Han's martial might, the Tang's glorious renown, the Song's wealth, and the Ming's unyielding strength.

If a nation could be compared to a person, Great Qian was unquestionably the protagonist, equipped with a perfect protagonist's status panel.

The only pity was that, had this been an ordinary ancient world, the Great Qian Dynasty's strength would have allowed it to take on all the surrounding nations single-handedly and achieve a unification unprecedented in this world's history.

Unfortunately, martial heroes used their strength to flout the law.

This world had cultivators known as martial artists.

That would have been manageable in a world with weak martial arts, but the problem was that this world's power system was far from weak.

A Houtian Martial Artist could defeat a hundred armored soldiers alone without losing their life.

A Xiantian Martial Artist could live to a hundred and fifty and break through a thousand soldiers without dying.

A Grandmaster Martial Artist gained another century of life, stood beyond the ability of ordinary men to defeat, and could come and go freely amid an army of ten thousand.

And the Great Grandmaster Martial Artists, the strongest known to the public, could live as long as five hundred years. They could ride the wind through the air and cross rivers and seas, possessing strength ordinary people could never hope to reach in their lifetimes.

Great Qian was a powerful nation, and not one of its successive monarchs had been a wastrel. Even the worst had been a competent ruler capable of preserving what they inherited, but so what?

No matter how great one's authority, how many years did one have to live?

Once a corrupt ruler appeared in some future generation, how long would it take to ruin such a vast dynasty?

"What a pity."

With his powerful eyesight, Li Dao could easily see the magnificent palace complex at the far end of Dragon Road.

Judging by the historical experience of his previous world, Great Qian was likely at its most prosperous moment, having reached its peak.

Following the principle that decline inevitably followed the height of prosperity, unless an exceptional monarch appeared in the next generation, the Great Qian Dynasty would likely begin going downhill.

From his earlier memories, he knew that the current emperor of Great Qian had many sons, but very few showed the makings of a wise ruler. Most were much like his former self-spoiled wastrels, though those merely pretending were another matter.

At that thought, the image of a breathtaking beauty suddenly surfaced in Li Dao's mind-Princess Mingyue.

If she could inherit the throne, she should be able to sustain the Great Qian Dynasty as it was now, and perhaps even take it a step further.

Unfortunately, not every woman was Wu Zetian.

Especially in the Great Qian Dynasty, becoming another Wu Zetian was virtually impossible.

After admiring the sights along Dragon Road, Li Dao prepared to leave the Iron Family's caravan.

Now that he had reached the Imperial Capital, it was time to go back and take a look.

He glanced toward Tie Sanniang's carriage, jumped down from the wagon carrying the goods under the guards' curious gazes, then turned and quickly slipped into the crowds on either side.

The moment Li Dao left, Tie Sanniang seemed to sense something inside her carriage.

Has he left?

Tie Sanniang murmured inwardly, feeling a little disappointed as well. They had at least become acquainted, yet he had left without even saying goodbye.

Especially when she thought about his attitude toward her, she could not help feeling an itch inside.

For a merchant, few things were more unbearable than having a treasure right before one's eyes, only for it to sprout legs and run away.

Fine, I'll let you run for now. Once I've finished dealing with the business at hand, I'll show you what I'm capable of.

Setting aside her tangled thoughts, Tie Sanniang ordered the caravan to pick up speed.

Bi You'er sat there with a guileless smile, still planning to make the bad man finish telling her the remaining stories once they got home.

In ancient times, the Azure Dragon of the East stood foremost among the Four Symbols.

Thus, the powerful and wealthy of the Imperial Capital mostly lived in its eastern district.

The closer they lived to the palace complex, the higher their status.

Li Dao's ancestor had been a founding hero of Great Qian and had once been granted the rank of first-class marquis, just one step short of becoming a duke. His status had been quite distinguished, so the family's residence was also in the eastern district, relatively close to the palace complex.

Previously, this excellent location had helped the Earl of Anyuan's Residence cultivate its connections.

But after Li Dao's incident and the news that Princess Mingyue's chastity had been violated spread, that favorable location had come back to bite them. The Earl of Anyuan's Residence became a disgrace among the nobility, and passersby could rarely resist cursing and spitting at it.

One devoted admirer of Princess Mingyue had even pulled down his trousers in a fit of anger and urinated before the stone lions outside the Earl of Anyuan's Residence.

Yet rather than being condemned for it, he had gained fame, even becoming an honored guest of several families.

Once word spread, the entire Imperial Capital was swept up in the trend.

For a time, everyone took pride in insulting and degrading the Earl of Anyuan's Residence.

Many scholars even composed poems insulting the Earl of Anyuan's Residence to attract attention, and, unexpectedly, some actually used this to climb onto higher branches.

That stirred up the scholars' nest even further. Within the Imperial Capital's scholarly circles, someone composed a poem insulting the Earl of Anyuan's Residence almost every day.

More than three months had now passed. Although the fervor had gradually faded considerably, a few insulting poems still surfaced here and there each day.

Meanwhile.

Outside the Earl of Anyuan's Residence.

It no longer possessed any of its former splendor.

The walls on both sides were covered in insults, while the corners were blackened with accumulated filth. Even daily cleaning did no good.

The two imposing stone lions at the entrance had suffered as well, giving off a sickening odor.

At that moment, the vermilion gates beneath the plaque of the Earl of Anyuan's Residence stood open.

"Hurry, hurry! We're running out of time."

"Grab things quickly. I can't stay in this place another moment."

"Isn't this going a little too far?"

"Too far? This household's about to fall apart. We'd be fools not to take anything."

People dressed as servants streamed out through the gates, each with their arms bulging with unknown belongings.

Suddenly, a young girl in blue ran out through the gates and blocked their way.

"Stop taking things! You're not allowed to take them! These belong to the household. They all belong to the young master!"

The girl stared stubbornly at the group, her eyes reddened and tears clinging to their corners, looking as though she might burst into sobs at any moment.

Seeing her like this, the others showed some guilt, but mostly helplessness.

Then someone in the group spoke up. "Miss Jiu'er, please stop trying to stop us. We have no choice either."

"That's right. If we don't take them now, after today they'll all belong to someone else."

"I'd advise you to pack a few things and leave too, Miss Jiu'er. The Earl of Anyuan's Residence is almost a thing of the past."

Once one person spoke, the rest chimed in, one after another.

The girl called Jiu'er shook her head and stubbornly said through her tears, "But... but what you're doing is wrong."

"Ah."

A long sigh sounded, and an elderly man with a head full of white hair emerged through the gates.

The moment they saw him, the people who had been speaking loudly shut their mouths, a trace of apprehension appearing in their eyes.

"Grandpa Li, look at them."

Seeing the old man, Jiu'er seemed to have found her pillar of support. She hurried over and held his arm.

The old man looked at Jiu'er beside him with clouded eyes and a faint smile, but when he turned toward the others, his gaze became as still as a lifeless lake.

Under those eyes, the servants hardly dared breathe. The old man's authority had weighed on them for so long that every one of them bore its shadow in their hearts.

After a moment, the old man finally relented and shook his head. "Go. All of you, go. Go far away, and never come back."

At those words, everyone present, including Jiu'er, jolted and stared at him in disbelief.

Thud!

Someone suddenly dropped to their knees and kowtowed heavily to the old man three times. "Thank you, Grandpa Steward. Thank you, Grandpa Steward."

After kowtowing, that person stood, turned, and ran off.

The others immediately came to their senses, fell to their knees together, and began kowtowing.

"Thank you, old steward."

"Thank you, Grandpa Steward!"

"Thank you..."

Afterward, they all hurried away. Soon, not a single one of them remained outside the Earl of Anyuan's Residence.

Only after everyone had left did Jiu'er recover her wits. "Grandpa Li, why?"

The old man gazed into the distance with clouded eyes and sighed deeply, sorrow crossing his face. "Our home is almost gone. Let them leave. At least it will earn some virtue for the young master in the world below and make things a little easier for him there."

Tears streamed down Jiu'er's face. "Is there really nothing we can do? The master is gone, the mistress is gone, and who knows when the young lady will return? Now the young master is gone too. This was the only home he had left. If even this disappears, who will still remember him?"

"There's nothing we can do. His Majesty has already stripped the household of its title. Now all we have left is this property, and the Chancellor's Residence intends to erase every trace of the Earl of Anyuan's Residence, claiming that land must be reclaimed when a title is revoked. We simply can't stop them."

The old man glanced at Jiu'er beside him and sighed. "You should leave too, Jiu'er. By tomorrow, this will no longer be our home. You're still young and pretty. Once you leave, you can find someone to marry and live a peaceful life."

"No!"

Jiu'er shook her head without hesitation, her eyes blurred with tears. "In life, I belong to the young master. In death, I'll be his ghost. I'm not leaving."

The old man froze. "You gave yourself to the young master?"

Jiu'er's pretty face immediately flushed, and she quickly shook her head. "No. That's just how I feel."

The old man smiled faintly. "It seems our Jiu'er had her sights set on becoming his concubine from the start."

Jiu'er blushed even harder, feeling embarrassed.

"Ah."

The old man sighed deeply again. "You're a good girl, Jiu'er. If the young master were still alive, I'd do everything I could to have him take you as his concubine. Unfortunately..."

Jiu'er's face paled, then her gaze suddenly hardened with resolve. "Even if the young master's dead, I can still marry him."

The old man stared. "You..."

He instantly understood the young girl's intentions and inwardly sighed at the fickleness of the world. To think that in the vast Earl of Anyuan's Residence, this little girl was the strongest of them all. The young master truly had brought home a good girl back then.

The old man stroked Jiu'er's head. "All right, go inside and get some sleep. Until tomorrow comes, this is still our home."

"Mm."

After they entered the residence.

Only the old man and Jiu'er remained in the household.

"Grandpa Li, it's mealtime. I'll go make something to eat."

"Go ahead."

After Jiu'er left, the old man looked around the courtyard, then slowly walked toward one of the rooms.

Soon, an hour had passed.

Jiu'er glanced at the dishes she had prepared, then ran out with her apron still on.

"Grandpa Li, it's time to eat."

As she reached the main hall, puzzlement appeared on Jiu'er's face. They always ate here, so why was Grandpa Li nowhere to be seen?

She began searching everywhere.

As time passed, the longer Jiu'er searched, the more anxious she became, and an ominous premonition crept over her.

An incense stick's worth of time later.

As she passed the Li Family Ancestral Hall, she instinctively glanced inside.

"Grandpa Li!"

Joy lit Jiu'er's face, and she breathed a sigh of relief. The old man was kneeling on a cushion inside the ancestral hall. She immediately walked toward him. "Grandpa Li, what are you doing here..."

Looking at the old man, she instinctively reached out to touch him. But just before her hand reached him, it suddenly stopped in midair, and the smile slowly faded from her face.

"Grandpa Li?"

Jiu'er called softly, her voice slightly dazed, but the old man did not respond.

She cautiously walked around in front of him and saw that his eyes were tightly shut. An envelope lay on the floor before him.

"Grandpa Li!"

Jiu'er held a finger beneath the old man's nose.

The next instant, her entire body froze.

He wasn't breathing!

Suddenly, her gaze fell on the envelope, and she picked it up to look.

On the front were the words, "For Jiu'er to open personally."

She slowly opened the envelope, took out the letter, and glanced at it. It was a letter the old man had written before his death.

"Jiu'er, by the time you read this letter, I will have followed the young master."

"You needn't grieve. I have long known that my days were numbered. My allotted years have simply reached their end. Among ordinary folk, this would be considered a blessed passing."

Reading this, Jiu'er felt considerably better, but she still could not stop her tears.

She continued reading and found that the rest was Grandpa Li's account of his life.

He had entered the Li Family at four, and the family head had bestowed upon him the name Li Cheng. Now ninety-four, he had spent ninety years with the Li Family and served four generations of its heads.

Further on, he explained why he had knelt in the Li Family Ancestral Hall.

He felt guilty for failing to guide the young master onto the right path in the master's stead, so he knelt in the Li Family Ancestral Hall to express his remorse to the Li Family's ancestors.

He knew it was selfish to depart so suddenly and leave a girl like Jiu'er all alone, but life had its limits, and he was powerless to change that.

At the end of the letter, he also wrote down one final wish.

He hoped that after his death, someone would bury him in the Li Family's rear courtyard.

That was where he had first entered the Li Family, and he hoped to rest there forever after his death.