Damn it! Let’s smash the darkness together!
Chapter 221 - 30 This Glorious and Wild Tang Dynasty, As You Wish (Requesting Monthly Votes)

Chapter 221: Chapter 30 This Glorious and Wild Tang Dynasty, As You Wish (Requesting Monthly Votes)

From the time Emperor Qing retreated to pursue the path of Dao and the Grandmaster began to govern, peace was restored out of chaos, the Tang Dynasty flourished, blessed by heaven and envied by all nations, the people lived and worked in contentment, and taverns and teahouses were rife with free speech.

"You know, the wife of the former Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zuo Bojun, was once a prostitute. They say her forebears were upstart pearl merchants from the shores of the East Sea. After the Lu family was wiped out by bandits, she disguised herself as a man and begged her way back to the capital. It was all to garner our sympathy."

"What you all don’t know is that her story has been beautified. Don’t be fooled by her current arrogant and unapproachable demeanor... According to what my ancestors handed down to me, her real identity is that of a wild hen!"

"When she passed through the seven provinces of Jiangnan, she sold herself in every place she went, wearing a white mask each time."

"My grandpa’s from Hui Zhou, a bonafide farmer. He claimed he’s been with Mrs. Luo."

"No way? Mrs. Luo is barely under 38 this year if we do the math, and your grandpa is that famous old scholar from the capital who’s 98 now, right? Your whole family’s been officials for generations, and you come out here claiming to be a peasant. Even if your grandpa could still ’get it on’ at 70, how old was Mrs. Luo then? Wasn’t he afraid of being convicted?"

"Hey, you don’t get it, do you? Do you know when the son of Mrs. Luo, the eldest son of the Zuo family, was born? In the first year of Qingli, right? That was when the previous Emperor had just passed away and the new Emperor hadn’t yet ascended the throne. There were continuous cold disasters everywhere, a year of poor harvests and people struggling to survive!"

"It wasn’t to the point of people eating each other, but the whole country was in disarray with everything in need of revival; and with constant harassment from Japanese pirates, life was tough for everyone."

"Now, Mrs. Luo, with her delicate skin and tender flesh, unable to carry on her shoulders or lift with her hands, and with more than a few pounds on her peachy cheeks but not two ounces of meat on her arms, knew no martial arts and had no real skills. How could she possibly have begged her way back from the shores of the East Sea?"

"In those chaotic times, food was more expensive than gold. Ah, just because she looked pitiable, we were supposed to feed her? Surely she must have given something in exchange, right? What is this world’s free lunch if not selling oneself!"

"When she sold herself, there was no way she could keep her male disguise. Just when my grandpa was in his prime, all fired up and raring to go... heh, right?"

"Zip it before the Ministry of Justice hauls you off and you’re bawling."

"What do I have to fear? As I said, the old Emperor’s been besotted with beauty and allowed a former streetwalker to become a First-rank Official, ruling in his stead, turning the natural order on its head, causing turmoil and disorder. This damn world is screwed!"

...

Ah?

When did I ever sneak this kind of gutter literature into the Tai Chu Scroll? It’s made it into my legend, damn it!

But, you got most of it pretty damn right!

Xu Shu reclined on the couch, looking over a dialogue that was unfolding in a lively tavern and teahouse, bustling with people coming and going.

It was now the 18th year of Qingli.

In the legend, Xu·Zuo Chang’an·Shu was now just 18, blessed with both brains and beauty.

Xu Shu looked ahead, reflecting on the past 18 years of his legendary life, feeling deeply moved. Life really isn’t easy, this world’s dramatic rises and falls can be utterly dizzying.

The Tai Chu Scroll described it this way:

In the final years of Emperor Yongli’s reign, the Tang Dynasty was in turmoil, power was contested by five dragons; that was the world outside.

While you, still in your mother’s belly, had just gone through the battle of the Forbidden City, taking over the main city.

In the days that followed, you were occasionally besieged by bandits from all over, each skilled in the martial arts, masters of various weapons and strategies, indicating that their leader was undoubtedly a martial arts legend.

True to your mother’s nature, even while fleeing, her stunning beauty attracted heroes, each harboring ultimate skills.

You naturally remember that one among the three "Opening Heavens", speculating that your life essence probably came from the eldest, but you had no proof.

It didn’t matter, because inside the Luo Muwa Palace, you’d planted your own Xu Shu flag; it was your territory, impregnable, and you grew up fearless.

Finally, your mother, after countless hardships, made it back to Chang’an City and successfully reunited with her husband, Zuo Bojun.

Speaking of Zuo Bojun, he too has his own story. In fact, shortly after he married your mother, Luoning, he went to the capital to take the examination and became an Advanced Scholar. Now, with his mentor’s help, he became the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice, taking as his wife someone almost two decades his junior.

He had superiors to cover for him, handling cases, simply requiring his signature to complete them. He could come home and play with the consorts from the brothel he had redeemed, while his wife had to wait until they grew up for some "heh heh heh heh." His days were truly delightful; earthly pleasures couldn’t get any better.

Then one day, when he opened his eyes, there was your mother, Luoning, pregnant with you, whom she had yet to realize, at his door.

She was the rightful wife, engaged through a formal proposal and betrothal gifts; your cheap green dad didn’t dare to make a fuss. Plus, Luoning’s recent nourishment made her so moist she appeared to drip with it, and Zuo Bojun, his soul captivated by beauty, let your mother, Luoning, into his home.

By the end of the same year, you were born with a healthy cry, Zuo Bojun rejoiced, you were his eldest son, and you resembled him somewhat — because you were both very handsome.

Your mother, looking at you, reflected on her journey to the capital, the numerous hardships she’d faced along the way, and couldn’t help but feel a surge of sorrow.

No one knew the humiliation she suffered, the loss of family and home; on the run, as a woman, she had to beg pathetically to survive.

Those times she traded her body for a chance to live didn’t break her; instead, they made her inner self stronger.

The various heroes and odd characters of Jianghu she’d encountered taught her tons of knowledge she couldn’t have imagined before, and her mind was thoroughly opened, her wisdom enhanced!

She vowed to rise step by step, one after the other until reaching the pinnacle. She would change everything in this hard-fought Chang’an City; she would change the world and bring about everlasting peace and stability!

And so, she named you: —— Zuo Chang’an.

"Your mother was a woman who defied the heavens. She was extremely resourceful and, with you as her ’eldest son,’ who was deeply favored by Zuo Bojun, she forcefully established herself as the matriarch of the household despite being a merchant’s daughter whose family had been annihilated by bandits. She trod upon the daughters of several high officials, managing them with utmost compliance—they were too young, not yet adept in scheming and intrigue, and they encountered your mother, the Hundred Star King."

"The rules of the inner courtyard were strict and austere, and who was to share a bed and on what days were all arranged by your mother."

"However, this did not include herself. She substituted studying for the marital relations she should have had. It’s not her fault, really—Zuo Bojun’s little ’asset’ was simply too weak in the experienced eyes of Luoning."

"She began to study feverishly, initially assisting with reviewing case files at home to bolster her knowledge."

"In less than two years, she kicked your father into a life of leisure and frivolity, taking over all his cases, brought home for her to deal with alone."

"Times had changed. Zuo Bojun no longer dared to resist Luoning. Your mother could be called a strong woman among strong women, and your nominal father, Zuo Bojun, relied on her heavily, managed with absolute obedience, and thus he found joy in his circumstances."

"With you as his son, he had fulfilled his filial duties; with his wife managing his work, he had no worries; his days were spent visiting brothels, wandering through pleasure quarters, and indulging in gambling—totally letting loose, yet his ’fine reputation’ spread far and wide."

"Throughout the Ministry of Justice, who didn’t give him a thumbs up, praising ’Great Detective Zuo Bojun’?"

"Sitting in the brothel while cases were solved in the heavens, various strange, complex, and long-standing cases built up Zuo Bojun’s great renown. He was even more affectionate towards you because you were the sole link between him and Luoning."

"As long as you were there, he could continue to rely on Luoning, maintaining his facade as a great detective, while secretly indulging as a hunter of beauties, enjoying the company of ten different courtesans from the brothels each month."

"These were the happiest two years of Zuo Bojun’s life."

"However, all this came to an abrupt end."

"Your mother’s judgments were too incisive and precise, which of course required factual foundations, so she often continued to disguise herself as a man, constantly frequenting the archives of the Ministry of Justice."

"You can’t wrap fire in paper. Her false identity was discovered, but instead of exposing her, the discoverer became an admirer after learning the full story."

"Thus, your mother was appointed to the position of Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice, all due to a mere word from that man—the reigning Emperor Qing!"

"The following story is somewhat fantastical. After your mother’s talents were recognized by Emperor Qing and she obtained her own official title, she became even more diligent. Occasionally, she was even seen carrying case files in and out of the imperial palace."

"Each time she entered the palace, a treacherous official was rooted out, both minor and major, with some receiving the punishment of extermination of their entire families, young and old, and others having their properties confiscated, both in large and small amounts."

"Your mother, Luoning, became more and more valued, and finally, an argument erupted between your nominal father and her because soon after Luoning became an official, Zuo Bojun’s identity as a ’great detective’ was uncovered by others."

"Who wouldn’t realize that it was Luoning who was the true master sleuth, and Zuo Bojun was nothing but a flower-pillow, a sack of straw?"

"Therefore, for the first time in front of Luoning, Zuo Bojun made a firm request: ’My Lady, from now on, you could also solve some of my cases.’"

"Your mother replied, ’Sure, why just some? Let’s make it all of them.’

"In the Spring of the fourth year of Qingli, the former Junior Minister of Justice Zuo Bojun was demoted to a post in Lantian County. The following year, peace and order were restored under his governance; all projects were revived, including the major refurbishment of Ziyang Building."

"Lantian County, being a rich county adjacent to Chang’an, was so close that most affairs were directly reported to the nine ministries, rendering the position of County Magistrate almost ceremonial."

"Your nominal father was completely sidelined, now able to fully indulge without any need for concealment, spending his days listening to music in brothels, lost in a world of charm and tenderness."

"His former young wives and concubines, those who were of age, he took with him, while several scholar’s daughters who had not yet formally married, were left behind in the original residence in Chang’an, as your mother wanted to keep them to take care and raise young you. They were fourteen or fifteen years old, just right to look after you in the cradle with the help of the servants."

"She herself simply had no time."

"Your mother became the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, in charge of all cases."

"Your mother, busy with endless tasks, gradually received mixed opinions among the people."

"Those who adored her called her the reincarnation of Di Gong, saving the people from fire and water, even considering her a rebirth of the Guanyin Bodhisattva who rescues the distressed."

"Those who hated her said that a woman in power was to the detriment and misery of the country, like a cloud that covers stars at night, heralding unrest for the state."

"But no matter the volume of curses or the loudness of dissent, they were all suppressed by the Emperor. In fact, there were far more praises than criticisms, all earned by her meticulous efforts."

"Luoning, a woman, had gained the trust of the Emperor. Over more than ten years, she had presided over more than twenty thousand cases without a single case of injustice, surpassing the achievements of predecessors."

"In the 15th year of Qingli, the Emperor proclaimed to all under heaven that he would become the Supreme Emperor, delve deeply into Buddhist teachings, and appointed the former Minister of Justice Luoning as Grandmaster to assist with state affairs and act as regent. She became the Tang Dynasty’s first First-rank Female Official, ranked among the three Excellencies."

"The Tang Master Luoning, having ascended to her position only three years prior, promoted new ideas, advocated civilization, established new customs, enlightened the populace, and everyone prospered as dragons, ushering in the glorious era of a prosperous Tang."

"Thus, the world was transformed."

"Shit, this is peak Tang!"

Staring at the scroll depicting scenes where everyone had books to read and enough food to eat, Xu Shu was momentarily dumbstruck.

This script has some serious issues.

The problem lies in the fact that this legend doesn’t seem to have much to do with me at all?!

Then why is it called Capital City Night Boiling!

Just call it ’The Legend of My Mother!’