The former Song Qingyue would have almost cursed Ao Shuyi out loud—you old fossil, you don't have much time for me? You've lived for so many years, haven't you wasted them all? Year after year, lying around in the Dragon Palace for thousands of years, utterly useless! And now you suddenly start putting on airs and cherishing time in front of me?
Or even if he didn't curse him to his face, this dragon palace servant who lorded over others based on his master's authority would surely have received a beating. Who did he think he was to act so arrogantly toward him?
But those times were gone, and Song Qingyue was no longer that young water tribe member who could hide behind his father's towering presence.
He no longer had his gentle aunt, nor his stern father.
He had to bear the responsibilities of the Clear River Water Estate, even though his authority had been repeatedly stripped away.
He had once had such childish thoughts. He believed the world was no bigger than the Zhuang Kingdom. How could the Clear River be inferior to the great river?
He had once been full of ambition, wanting to break free from his father's protection and try his hand at laying out strategies.
And these past few years, he had finally seen how this world truly operated.
He finally understood that being able to make moves on this small patch of ground was already thanks to his father's protection.
The Zhuang Emperor had taken away his right to play chess, casually placing him on the board as a piece. What could he do about it?
In terms of political scheming, he was practically a child in front of Du Ruhui.
In terms of strength, today's Zhuang Kingdom could already suppress the Clear River Water Estate with ease. Either the Jiujiang Profound Armor or the Xin'an White Feather Army, any one of them could be dispatched to conquer the river and destroy the estate. Zhuang Gaoxian could crush him to death with a single finger.
He could only repeatedly tell himself—Song Qingyue, you must endure, you must wait.
He had already seen the water duckweed flowers blooming across the Clear River, had seen the eight hundred li of red. In the ancient legends of the water tribe, this meant that the long journey of wandering was reaching its end. The eternal homeland in his dreams was not far away.
The Long River Dragon Palace was so luxurious—gold bricks paving the floor, white jade forming the steps, crystal beads as large as millstones, blood coral that three men could barely wrap their arms around... Compared to the Zhuang Royal Palace, that place was practically an outhouse.
From this perspective, Zhuang Gaoxian was truly terrifying. What the Zhuang Royal Palace looked like two generations ago was still what it looked like now. He could exercise restraint during his period of low-key endurance, and after bringing the Zhuang Kingdom back to its zenith, he could still exercise restraint.
This meant he had even grander ambitions, ambitions that were far from being satisfied.
Song Qingyue sometimes felt despair!
In the resplendent grand hall, the Water Lord of Clear River saw for the first time the legendary sovereign of all water tribes—a figure in golden robes seated upon the Dragon Lord's throne. His features were indistinct, only a gaze that held little warmth fell silently downward.
Only then did Song Qingyue realize how quiet and desolate the hall was, as if for hundreds or thousands of years, no sound had ever emanated from within.
The dragon palace servant who had led him here had also vanished silently at some unknown point.
How much time had passed? Had his mind been captivated?
These vague thoughts flitted through his mind when he heard the Dragon Lord's voice: "The Clear River water tribe... this branch originally belonged to the Shenchi water tribe. Since Song Xingqian migrated to the Clear River and established the Water Estate, we took into account the difficulty of this branch's long migration and granted the Jade Writ, conferring upon them an honored name. But ever since then, none of the Song family has set foot in the Long River again. You are Song Xingqian's grandson? How do you still remember us?"
Song Qingyue knew that his branch of water tribe had been migrated from elsewhere by his grandfather Song Xingqian's generation, gradually establishing a foothold in the Clear River and building the Water Estate. But he didn't know where they had migrated from, nor did he know anything about the Shenchi water tribe.
When his father Song Hengjiang was alive, he had been deeply secretive about this matter, and Song Qingyue hadn't paid much attention either. He was born in the Clear River, grew up in the Clear River, and only wanted to protect the Clear River. He didn't care about any ancestral homeland. The Clear River was his home.
With his intelligence, it wasn't hard to detect the resentment in the Long River Dragon Lord's words.
But this resentment was truly amusing. The Dragon Lord spoke as if the establishment of the Clear River Water Estate had been entirely due to his imperial decree. That would have to go all the way back to the ancient period, when the Lieshan Renhuang was still around, for the Long River Dragon Palace to have such authority!
For a long time, the Jade Writ and name conferment of the Long River Dragon Palace had merely been a formality. After a Water Estate was established, offering some tributes would suffice to receive the name, without even requiring the Dragon Lord to appear personally. And even this formality was not exclusive to the Long River Dragon Palace. Any sufficiently powerful kingdom was qualified to confer titles upon water lords and could also issue Jade Writs.
To put it bluntly, his grandfather Song Xingqian's visit to the Long River Dragon Palace back then had been about giving face to this nominal sovereign of the water tribes and finding ways to offer him some tributes. Who truly owed whom a favor was really hard to say.
This old Dragon Lord—was he seeing that Song Qingyue was young and thinking he could be easily fooled?
These thoughts made him increasingly unhappy, but his face betrayed nothing. He merely asked in a daze: "The Shenchi water tribe?"
"Heh." The Long River Dragon Lord let out a faint laugh, one that carried an indescribable sense of melancholy. Then he said: "In just these few short thousand years, the name of Shenchi has been forgotten. The humans don't know, the water tribes don't know. Truly, I don't know what to say."
Song Qingyue bowed respectfully: "Qingyue has no elders and knows nothing of history. I implore Your Eminence to kindly instruct me."
"The Shenchi water tribe has a long and distinguished history. Back when we divided and enfeoffed all the water tribes and established the Water Estates, this branch was among them. After the New Dao Calendar began, they produced a truly brilliant water tribe prodigy who inherited Shenchi, ascended to the Yan Dao realm, and took the title 'Heavenly King of Shenchi.' Even we recognized this title." The Long River Dragon Lord spoke slowly: "From the 3,922nd year of the New Dao Calendar onward, we have never seen another water tribe talent who could match him."
This was truly the highest praise!
It made Song Qingyue feel wondrous, wanting to know what kind of prodigy this was who dared to take the title of Heavenly King in an era when humans flourished and even the Dragon Lords practiced concealment.
The Long River Dragon Lord continued: "Unfortunately, the Shenchi water tribe reached its peak through him, and also perished because of him. He lost his life-and-death struggle against Tang Yu, and lost the entire Shenchi as well."
The name Tang Yu—Song Qingyue did know it... The founding emperor of the Jing Kingdom, who wouldn't know him?
The Heavenly King of Shenchi had actually died at the hands of Jing Taizu?
This matter was not recorded in the history books.
No—why was the Long River Dragon Lord suddenly bringing up this piece of history? What was his intention?
Although Song Qingyue dared to secretly criticize the Dragon Lord in his thoughts, he didn't dare to truly underestimate this ancient dragon's wisdom.
To be able to maintain the Dragon Lord's position through all these years as humans grew ever more dominant—was that something that could be achieved with just the word "endure"?
He sighed: "So our Clear River water tribe is actually descended from the Shenchi water tribe. We once had such a glorious past. Where is Shenchi now? Is it still within the borders of the current Jing Kingdom? Under which prefecture?"
The Long River Dragon Lord said: "Later, Shenchi was filled in by Tang Yu, who built the city of 'Jidu,' marking the beginning of the Jing Kingdom. The Shenchi water tribe then scattered and branched out to all corners of the land."
The capital of the Jing Kingdom—Jidu City!
Jidu was also the name of a malevolent star. The Great Jing was a military imperial dynasty, and naming their capital thus was meant to be "the Emperor suppressing the malevolent star." Later generations hearing of this could perhaps glimpse the spirit of the Jing Kingdom's founding ancestor.
Perhaps it was precisely such a fierce capital that could nurture such an intense and fierce imperial family.
Song Qingyue sighed with emotion: "It is all in the past!"
He should have discussed his relationship with the Shenchi water tribe, his blood connection to the Heavenly King of Shenchi. He should have discussed why, after thousands of years, the water tribe had never produced another Heavenly King of Shenchi, why the water tribe had so few prodigies.
Did the current water tribe have that much fewer members than the Canghai sea tribes? Were the current water tribe's living conditions truly more harsh than the Canghai's? Was the current water tribe's aptitude really inferior to the sea tribes'?
He should have discussed some of history's secrets and pains, discussed the clues and hooks in the Dragon Lord's story.
But he only said, it is all in the past.
The Long River Dragon Lord sat high upon his throne, looking down upon this Clear River Water Lord who had held his post for only a few years, recognizing that Song Qingyue was completely different from Song Hengjiang.
Like him, Ao Shuyi naturally wouldn't show any urgency, and merely said lightly: "The past indeed has little worth discussing. Why has the Clear River Water Lord come to visit today? What is the purpose of this visit?"
Song Qingyue said: "Qingyue has come not for himself. I am here by order of the Great Zhuang Emperor to pay my respects to the Dragon Lord!"
"Where does this 'respect' come from?" the Long River Dragon Lord asked.
This "paying respects" referred to etiquette, not gifts.
If one insisted on interpreting it that way, perhaps the local specialties brought along during a national diplomatic mission could also count—hadn't those already been presented to the Dragon Palace? Why ask for more?
This old fellow was insatiably greedy—no wonder the Long River Dragon Palace was so magnificent!
Song Qingyue's expression remained unchanged as he produced a rolled yellow silk scroll from his robes: "We respectfully present a piece of the Great Zhuang Emperor's calligraphy."
The Long River Dragon Lord's eyelid twitched slightly.
I have been stationed in the Dragon Palace for countless millennia, witnessed countless heroes and champions. Do I lack a piece of your Zhuang Gaoxian's calligraphy?
How stingy!
Of course, in reality this was just a letter, and might not even be in Zhuang Gaoxian's own hand. It barely even counted as the Zhuang Emperor's calligraphy.
He casually waved his hand, taking the yellow silk scroll into his grasp. But he didn't look at it. He simply raised it slightly and looked at Song Qingyue: "What does the letter say?"
Song Qingyue said: "This is a private letter from the Great Zhuang Emperor to the Dragon Lord. How would a little flood dragon like me be qualified to peek at it?"
"Then you, the esteemed Clear River Water Lord, have come all this way just to be a messenger?" the Long River Dragon Lord said leisurely. "Any ordinary mortal could do this."
"Your Eminence is far too noble—how could any mortal hope for an audience?" Song Qingyue held himself with utmost courtesy. "This little flood dragon has come to be a messenger, but not merely a messenger."
The Long River Dragon Lord appeared nonchalant: "What else is there? You might as well say it."
Song Qingyue declared loudly: "Since ancient times, Clear River and Lan River have been one family, sharing the same source of living water, with their tribes migrating between each other. Since the rise of the national system, human heroes have carved up the land, dividing mountains and rivers by borders. Thus Clear and Lan were also split apart. Now, as times shift and stars move, the Clear River runs clear while the Lan River grows turbid... Often, Lan River water tribes, ragged and destitute, come seeking refuge, only to be blocked by so-called human national borders, weeping as they gaze across the river. The decline of the Lan River has always caused this little flood dragon great sorrow!"
As for the claim that Lan River water tribes came ragged to seek refuge in Clear River, the Long River Dragon Lord didn't believe a single word. The current Emperor of Yong, Han Xu, had brought in Mohist school support—his treasury must be overflowing. The Yong court had been managing the river for who knew how many years. With Han Xu's capabilities, could he have failed to win the hearts of the Lan River water tribes? Your Clear River water tribe's life was probably not any more comfortable than the Lan River water tribe's.
Of course, the decline of the Lan River Water Estate was also a fact... but wasn't that precisely because your Clear River water tribe had beaten them down?
But some things, the point wasn't whether you believed them, but whether you were willing to believe them.
Song Qingyue—or rather, the intentions represented by Song Qingyue on behalf of Zhuang Gaoxian—were already perfectly clear.
The Zhuang-Yong war hadn't even been over for a few years, yet Zhuang Gaoxian was already making moves, wanting the authority of the Lan River Water Estate!
In Ao Shuyi's eyes, the Zhuang-Yong war was fundamentally different from what ordinary citizens had witnessed. That grand and furious war was essentially a transaction where both Zhuang Gaoxian and Han Xu took what they needed—the former expanded his territory, while the latter made a strategic retreat.
Both monarchs possessed absolute confidence in themselves, and with Dragon-Lock Pass as the boundary, they each developed in peace. One might have expected at least ten or eight years before any follow-up story would unfold. Who would have thought Zhuang Gaoxian was so impatient?
The Yong Kingdom now had the support of the Mohist school. That Zhuang Gaoxian still dared to reach for the Lan River must mean that the Yujing Mountain behind him had given some form of support.
Starting with the Lan River was a relatively gentle choice. Especially since the Long River Dragon Palace could indeed validate the claim that "Clear River and Lan River were originally one family."
Although the Long River Dragon Palace possessed only symbolic significance, this symbolic significance could still serve a purpose—so long as the Long River Dragon Lord acknowledged that Clear and Lan were one, the Clear River Water Estate could rightfully accept Lan River water tribes.
As for how to accept them, how to draw the Lan River water tribes over—that was Zhuang Gaoxian's own business.
The Long River Dragon Lord gave a faint smile but said nothing.
Acknowledging that Clear River and Lan River were one family was merely a matter of nodding his head. But why should he nod?
Song Qingyue immediately added: "If I can govern the Lan River and allow the Clear and Lan water tribes to enjoy peace, we will present annual tributes to the Dragon Palace, never ceasing!"
The Long River Dragon Lord laughed: "All the rulers of the world divide water authority among themselves, yet the Zhuang Emperor is the one offering authority to me. Has he figured that I might not necessarily want it?"
Song Qingyue said respectfully: "It is merely my Emperor's respect for the sovereign of all water tribes."
The Long River Dragon Lord waved his hand: "In this life, I have only upheld the dying command of the Lieshan Renhuang, wishing only for peace in this world, harmony and longevity between humans and water tribes. I seek nothing for myself. I have long since relinquished even this Long River water authority. What benefit is Clear River water authority to me?"
"Your Eminence may not care, but we cannot fail to acknowledge it," Song Qingyue said. "My Emperor says that Your Eminence is the sovereign of all water tribes—this is the sacred command of the ancient Renhuang. How could we not respect it? He wishes to share the governance of mountains and waters with you!"
The Long River Dragon Lord smiled faintly: "Little one, be honest with me. How loyal are you to the Zhuang Emperor, and how much does he trust you?"
"I am utterly loyal to the Great Zhuang Emperor!" Song Qingyue first declared this, before slightly opening his heart: "However, my Emperor possesses great talent and grand vision. He cares not for loyalty or disloyalty, only for whether things can be accomplished. So Qingyue will be a Clear River Water Lord who can get things done."
The Long River Dragon Lord gently rubbed the yellow silk scroll in his hand. Through the long ages, what words had he not heard? What kind of person had he not seen?
"You saying this makes me understand," he said leisurely. "That servant who just guided you here—were there any discourtesies?"
Song Qingyue said: "The servant I met today was gentle and accommodating, with no discourtesy."
The Long River Dragon Lord nodded and said: "The other day, this ignorant servant brought back some little girl from who knows where, crying and wailing in this palace for days on end. I asked the little girl why she was crying. She said her whole family had been locked in cages, and only she had managed to slip away... Eh? What kind of place is the Luo Kingdom? Are there actually people there who dare to kidnap and trade our water tribe citizens?"
Song Qingyue didn't know how to respond for a moment.
The Long River Dragon Lord continued: "I have been deeply ensconced in the Dragon Palace all these years and had no knowledge of this. Clear River Water Lord, how would you instruct me?"
He needed to use the result of eliminating the Luo Kingdom's trafficking of water tribes to win the Long River Dragon Lord's nod. Could Zhuang Gaoxian make this deal? Whether it was good or evil was never a consideration for Zhuang Gaoxian—only profit could make Zhuang Gaoxian waver. But one had to remember that during the last Zhuang-Yong war, the Luo Kingdom had been considered an ally of the Zhuang Kingdom!
Song Qingyue bowed deeply: "Qingyue is ignorant and dares not speak rashly. I wish to convey my Emperor's intentions before presenting them to Your Eminence."
The Long River Dragon Lord raised his hand: "Go then. We have plenty of time. There is no rush."