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Chapter 241 - 242: Establishing a Mandate for the People’s Livelihood

Liaowang asked, somewhat unwilling to let it go.

“Of course, I’ve been traveling all over the world these years. I’ve almost been to every inch of this land. Even when my City Lord’s Mansion was put to the sword, I haven’t shown my face, because I still had unfinished business in my heart,”

the old traveler said.

“So, have you emerged now because you’ve fulfilled your wishes?”

“Indeed, I’ve walked every path I needed to, did what I had to do. If there’s any regret, it’s that I still owe the Emperor an apology,”

the old traveler said slowly, “Had I not swapped places with the Emperor that day, everything might have been different. Therefore, I have returned.”

“Have you seen Su Mei’er?”

“I have.”

“Then please, sir, tell me where she is!”

Liaowang’s demeanor suddenly turned sharp, and although he was nearing the end of his life, the aura of an emperor and the murderous intent that clung to him were not something most could withstand.

Unexpectedly, the old traveler’s reaction was very calm, his complexion just turned slightly paler, and he shook his head and said, “Your Majesty, you’re being impatient again. I’ve said, the moment you understand your true heart, you’ll find Su Mei’er. If I tell you, you’ll never again have a moment to live for yourself in this lifetime.”

The old traveler left, and Liaowang stood silently on the spot for a long time.

For a moment, he wanted to kill the man, to force out Su Mei’er’s whereabouts, just like how he’d killed his own sons years ago.

But he held back, the words of the man acting as a wake-up call, kindling a faint hope in his heart. He had another chance to live for himself, the only one, and the last.

Liaowang collapsed onto the grave, his mind replaying past experiences.

He had been searching for Su Mei’er, pursuing power relentlessly so as to mobilize people to find her. Now, he was a sovereign above thousands, yet he still hadn’t found her.

The man had said that he was always following the words of others, which was why he strayed further from the right path. But what if he stopped believing in others’ words?

What if, from the beginning at the brothel matron’s, he had started living for himself?

Back then, he wanted to storm the brothel and rescue Su Mei’er, but the matron told him she had been sold to a noble in the Capital City, so he turned and left.

Liaowang stood up, feeling it was necessary to take a look at the brothel. It was where everything had begun.

The brothel was still there; the old matron had aged so much she was barely recognizable. When she saw Liaowang, she was so agitated she almost passed away.

“Emperor… Majesty!”

She naturally recognized the man in the tiger-striped boots as the present Emperor and was all the more grateful for her past cunning and intelligence. But she had never thought that she’d be sought out when she was one step away from the coffin.

“I need to ask you about Su Mei’er from back then, where exactly is she?”

Liaowang stared at the old matron and asked, word by word.

“I… I can’t remember…”

The old matron was terrified, the feeling of being confronted by the Emperor himself was too dreadful.

“If you don’t speak, I shall have everyone in this brothel executed, whether guests or courtesans, not a single one will survive. And moreover, your entire clan will be executed, your graves dug up, ensuring that none of your ancestors or kin will rest in peace ever again!”

Liaowang’s face was cold, his tone chilling, and the old matron was completely terrified. She couldn’t understand why, after so many years, the man had finally come to his senses.

“I’ll tell, I’ll tell. Su Mei’er died decades ago,”

the old matron said.

On the day Liaowang first came to the brothel, Su Mei’er had already hung herself, unable to bear the humiliation.

But the old madam was a sly one and recognized Liaowang’s extraordinary nature at a glance. Knowing he was not someone to be trifled with, she shifted the blame to a noble of the Capital City to avoid disaster.

After Liaowang left, she immediately set about finding the most beautiful woman in the brothel, renamed her Su Mei’er, and sold her to an eighth-rank official in the Capital City.

From then on, as Liaowang followed this clue and investigated, her brothel was undisturbed.

“Where is she now?”

Liaowang appeared very calm and asked indifferently.

“Buried in the common grave, without a tombstone.”

The old madam’s voice grew fainter, her confidence severely lacking.

The common grave was where the corpses of dead slaves were discarded; dying there meant only becoming a lonely, wandering ghost, with no right to reincarnation or a chance to be reborn.

Liaowang turned and left, and after departing the brothel, he ran wildly until he reached the common grave, his face streaked with old tears.

Looking at the desolate earth and exposed limbs before him, he started digging frantically, unearthing one corpse after another.

Men and women, old and young, pigs and horses, cattle and sheep, all were here.

In truth, he knew that, buried for decades, she must have turned to white bones with no chance of seeing her again, but he just wanted to dig, only by doing so could he numb himself and find a moment’s peace.

His hands were bloody from digging, but he dared not stop.

“So this is what the saying means; indeed, the words of people are to be feared, haha!”

Liaowang was deranged, kneeling among the corpses, laughing wildly.

“My prince, I understand now, I understand it all. I have not lived for myself, but I have never seriously considered it. In my life, I’ve made decisive kills, but almost all my actions were based on what others said. If I hadn’t believed the old madam’s words that year and stormed into the brothel, might it have been a different outcome?”

“In this world, I am the one who is lost. I thought I was living true to myself, but in reality, I was the puppet being manipulated. The old madam was the puppeteer, so was the eighth-rank official, the Prime Minister, my princes, and the people of the world.”

“Only I have always been arranged for!”

“You were right, my prince, for decades, I should live for myself at least once!”

The sky was overcast, and the rain poured down in torrents.

Liaowang got up, shed his robe, and calmly accepted the cleansing of the rain.

His name was Liaowang, not a prince, not an Emperor, just an Attendant Student. His old flame Su Mei’er was driven to death by the brothel, and more women faced wretched deaths in unseen corners. He needed to do something.

A few days later, the Empire was shaken.

The Emperor issued a sacred edict, all brothels throughout the Empire were to be abolished, the women of the brothels were to reform, assigned work, and all citizens, protected by the law, were to be treated equally, without being arbitrarily violated or harmed.

Those who disobeyed would be subject to the penal code.

With the announcement of this decree, the powerful shuddered, and the common people cheered. This edict resolved the tension between the upper and lower classes.

Even if the nobles held great power, they could no longer oppress the common people.

Seated upon the throne, Liaowang was at peace. Being born into this world, for whom one lives is not important, but living with thoughts, with one’s own considerations, not as a walking corpse, is.

Looking at the full court of civil and military officials, he smiled and said, “Starting today, I shall hold a purpose for the heaven and earth, establish a life for the populace, usher in peace for all ages, and live for the people!”

“Agreed!”