Chapter 312: Overture

After the court session ended, the King of Jin retreated to the royal study, where several others had also gathered. They bowed in greeting and took their seats.

“You’ve all met Wei Yuan today. What are your impressions?”

Seated to the King of Jin’s left was a refined man of indeterminate age who exuded an air of effortless ease. It seemed as though neither standing in the court or sleeping in the wild could disturb his composure. He was King Cheng. He had ascended to the rank of True Lord a century ago.

Seated opposite King Cheng was a slightly younger man with eyes as sharp as lightning. His entire presence resembled a drawn sword, sharp and piercing. However, this sword seemed to have become one with the world itself. Despite being right before one’s eyes, its threat was imperceptible until the very moment it struck.

This was King Ying, also a member of the Western Jin royal family and a World Ruler True Lord. He had recently played a pivotal role in turning the tide.

Seated below them were the Left and Right Counselors,, while Liu Quangong stood in attendance beside the King of Jin.

King Cheng replied, “He is innately defiant and cannot stand being humiliated, but it’s natural considering his age. Besides, it is precisely this spirit that has allowed him to accomplish the military feats he had.”

King Ying echoed in agreement, “With him guarding our borders in the western regions, our burden will be significantly lighter. I believe we can recall Yue Jinshan to the northern frontier. We have no troops left in the north and urgently need reinforcements.”

However, the Right Counselor cautioned, “This youth is rebellious by nature; we must not let our guard down! Should he rise to power in the future, it may become nearly impossible to restrain him.”

King Ying’s expression darkened immediately, but the Right Counselor acted as if he hadn’t noticed.

The King of Jin maintained his composure and continued, “Several officials have presented me memorials claiming that Wei Yuan maintains close ties with the State of Zhao and harbors disloyal intentions. What are your thoughts on this?”

The Left Counselor replied, “Qingming is a newly established realm with virtually no resources, not to mention that the Xu Clan has blocked the trade routes to the east. Him seeking help in the south and trading with Zhao is a matter of necessity, not luxury. The memorials submitted by those oversight advisors are biased.”

The King of Jin looked surprised. “I didn’t expect you to speak up for him. Then tell me, what measures should be taken against him?”

The Left Counselor replied, “The court’s criticism of Wei Yuan stems largely from two factors: first, he is not from a noble clan and comes from humble roots. Second, he is still very young—many in the palace are old enough to be his grandfather, so they naturally look down on him. Furthermore, there is the saying that commoners should not rise above the seventh rank, yet Wei Yuan had joined the officialdom at the second rank. It is inevitable that this would arouse jealousy and resentment.”

The King of Jin nodded slightly.

The Left Counselor continued, “This minister believes we should pin Wei Yuan down in the vicinity of Ningxi. However, this restraint is merely for show and to quell the court’s dissent. It is not truly intended to truly limit Wei Yuan. ‘Trust the person you choose, or don't choose them.’ Our nation’s focus currently lies in the north, so we might as well entrust the west to Wei Yuan. The Shamans have suddenly eased their offensive for some reason, but sooner or later they will attack again. If even the Xu Clan could not hold the western regions, how could Wei Yuan possibly succeed?”

The King of Jin gave a low chuckle and declared, “So be it.”

Inside the Crown Prince’s residence, the current Crown Prince was sitting behind a writing desk. He was flanked on either side by rows of civil and military officials like he was holding a miniature court assembly.

The Crown Prince’s mansion was not far from the royal palace. It was significantly larger than the typical kindred king’s residence and only slightly smaller than the royal palace itself. According to the custom of the Jin state, the Crown Prince was supposed to reside within the Chengqian Hall within the palace. However, in recent years, as the Crown Prince had begun to share the burden of the state affairs, he was granted permission to establish his own residence. With the number of civil and military officials in his residence growing daily, it became extremely inconvenient for him to travel back and forth to the palace, so he moved out[1].

At that moment, a scholar in his thirties spoke up from below: “Wei Yuan is untamed, unruly, and naturally unwilling to serve under others. I see no need to recruit such a man. He is a sword without a hilt—to grasp it is to invite injury!”

A scholar from across him sneered. “Surely you’re not saying this because you haven’t managed to subdue him, Attendant Gentleman Zhang?”

Attendant Gentleman Zhang flew into a rage at once. “If you can subdue him, then I’ll host a banquet immediately as an apology, Liu Hanlin[2]!”

An elderly minister stepped in to smooth things over. Then, he said, “First, Wei Yuan comes from no distinguished lineage, nor is he a disciple of a sage. To suddenly elevate him to such a high position would surely dishearten the land-owning class under heaven. Second, his personal cultivation is mediocre, and he clearly lacks refinement. His current standing is entirely due to the support of the Palace of Absolute Beginning, not his own merit. It is utterly preposterous that such a greenhorn could hold a second-rank official post! His Majesty’s judgment on this matter is truly ill-advised[3].”

Another elderly minister echoed in agreement, “Whoever recruits Wei Yuan will be making enemies of the land-owning class and scholars under heaven!”

The Crown Prince remained silent, deep in thought.

The room was packed to capacity at the moment. There was barely enough room for another seat[4].

By the time Wei Yuan returned to the posthouse, the sky had just begun to brighten in earnest. His attendants then stepped forward and served him breakfast.

The morning court session began early and ended early. The breakfast in the posthouse was divided into two sittings as well—one before attending court and another upon returning. Lunch was served as a separate meal.

On the large table before Wei Yuan lay a total of 12 main dishes, along with 8 small side dishes, 6 staple foods, and 4 soups—that was 30 courses in all.

This was the breakfast of a high-ranking official of the first rank.

For a moment, Wei Yuan simply stared at the tableful of food with a somewhat dazed expression. Then, he summoned Cui Yu, Hsu Yi, and the other scions to polish off the entire breakfast spread.

For those hailing from major clans, such a breakfast was normally nothing out of the ordinary. However, these particular scions had basically spent the past few months in the realm of Qingming without any proper food. Thus, the young nobles threw all sense of decorum out of the window and ate like ravenous wolves.

Before noon, Wei Yuan’s reputation as a crude, uncouth man with no sense of etiquette had spread once again.

After having breakfast, Wei Yuan went to the posthouse’s study and spread a map out on the table. This was a newly drawn map of the western regions’ administrative divisions. Although the four commanderies still remained, their borders had shifted. The three southeastern commanderies had all been pushed deeper into Western Jin territory, while Ningxi had been reduced to a crescent shape. After all, the land just 10 li outside Willow Ash Town fell under the jurisdiction of the new Military Commissioner of Western Pacification.

Although Ningxi Commandery was merely a narrow strip—no more than a dozen li at its narrowest point—it still encircled the realm of Qingming like a thin membrane. In theory, the commandery administrator of Ningxi could set up checkpoints and completely blockade it. In fact, Yuan Qingyan had previously done just that, but all the checkpoints he established had been dismantled by the men Wei Yuan had sent, disguised as horse bandits.

At the moment, the King of Jin sought to win Wei Yuan over. That was why he had turned a blind eye to his transgression. But if there came a day when Wei Yuan was no longer needed, then all these crimes would be dug up and used to convict him anew.

Wei Yuan’s gaze fell upon Anzhao Commandery next. Western Jin had erected a realm stone here, though he had no idea how far its domain extended, nor what it would look like when the two domains met.

Moments later, Wei Yuan put the map away and returned to contemplating his sword.

When he was ambushed in the middle of the court this morning, it was all thanks to his physical body that he was able to withstand the assault. Since establishing his Dao Foundation, Wei Yuan had rarely needed to draw upon his physical strength. It was to the point where he had almost forgotten that he possessed such a supreme physique.

This was especially true after he entered the middle stage, and his reserve of Dao energy had become as vast as the sea. For example, Rushing Water Blade was a spell that relied purely on unleashing a massive torrent of Dao energy to overwhelm opponents with sheer force. Lately, Wei Yuan had become so convinced that brute force could overcome all skills and simplicity could defeat complexity that he had nearly forgotten that he possessed countless other means besides Dao energy.

Take the three immortal plants, for example. The only thing he had properly put to any practical use was the Bay Laurel Immortal Tree’s sword qi. The other two immortal plant’s potential were basically untapped.

The Avatar-stage soldier also boasted immeasurable potential if applied properly.

The Dao Foundation Yin Yang was still unusable to him, but even a single wisp of her aura could serve as the core of many arrays. It could also be used to elevate the concept of any Dao technique, transforming otherwise ordinary Dao spells into one of profound depth[5].

The Myriad Vicissitudes Sword was another prime example of untapped potential. It was a true art that pointed directly to the Great Dao; mastering just three moves of its true intent was enough to attain Ultimate Unity. However, Wei Yuan had not even scratched the surface of it.

Even his now meager Dao energy offered countless possibilities. For example, although Wei Yuan currently possessed less than one-tenth of his original Dao energy, it was still greater than that of an ordinary Heaven-tier Dao Foundation stage cultivator. At the moment, it looked like the Dao energy of an ordinary Earth-tier Dao Foundation because he had deliberately suppressed it further. It would be quite amusing if anyone were to treat Wei Yuan as a mere Earth-tier cultivator.

Furthermore, he had spoken candidly with Zhao Tong and revealed that he had retained only two or three-tenths of his Dao energy. If the eunuch actually believed him, he would inevitably grossly underestimate the true upper limit of Wei Yuan’s Dao energy.

His inability to manifest the Great Realm at all was a truly unprecedented experience. It was as if a new world had opened before Wei Yuan’s eyes, offering him a glimpse into infinite possibilities.

There were so many things he could do, but Wei Yuan was in no hurry. He continued contemplating the sword with a calm and composed mind, gradually improving his control over his Dao energy and his own body as a result of it.

At noon, almost as soon as Wei Yuan finished his sword contemplation, his attendants brought him two calling cards.

One was from King Wei, who was also the fifth son of the current King of Jin. The other was from King Ying.

Both of these letters were major developments.

Although King Wei was the fifth son, he was over twenty years younger than the Crown Prince. It was said that in his early years, the King of Jin had devoted himself entirely to the path to immortality and rarely visited the harem, resulting in few heirs. It was not until several decades after his accession, following the death of his first queen, that he changed his ways, and his offspring gradually increased.

King Wei’s mother was posthumously honored as the Splendid Queen. She was also the King of Jin’s second queen. However, her fate was fraught with misfortune, and she passed away from illness just one year after her coronation as queen, leaving behind only King Wei as her only son[6].

King Wei had been intelligent since childhood. He picked up anything he learned instantly. Moreover, he was born with innate fortune—the same amount as the Crown Prince, if the rumors were to be believed. With both excellent innate foundation and fortune, King Wei’s cultivation naturally progressed by leaps and bounds. He wasn’t yet thirty, but he was already close to the threshold of Avatar. However, he was determined to emulate the sages of the old and deliberately suppressed his cultivation. It was to refine his Avatar and skyrocket to the heavens in one fell swoop.

The King of Jin clearly favored King Wei. As King Wei neared the completion of his Avatar, rumors that he would depose the current Crown Prince and elect a new one had already begun to circulate.

On the other hand, King Ying was one of the two True Lords within the royal family. He currently served as the Grand General, overseeing all military affairs in the north and commanding all border garrisons. The Snow-Treading Army, which he had trained in his early years, was once the finest force under heaven and was ranked among the Nine Armies of Great Tang.

However, King Ying later fell from grace and was imprisoned. Many of the Snow-Treading Army’s generals were implicated, and the 100,000-strong army was disbanded and dispersed among other units. Since then, the Snow-Treading Army was removed from the list.

King Ying had spent a full decade in prison before being released. Even then, he remained under house arrest. It was only recently, as the war situation deteriorated, that the King of Jin finally reinstated King Yin to oversee the military affairs in the north. After months of bitter fighting, they just barely managed to halt the rout.

King Wei had a reputation for treating talented and capable individuals with respect and humility. Since it was a foregone conclusion that he would be officially appointed as a military commissioner after his audience with the King of Jin, this banquet hosted by King Wei came as no surprise to Wei Yuan. Regardless of what Prince Wei might actually think of him, he had to extend an invitation if only to protect his reputation.

However, the invitation from King Ying left Wei Yuan scratching his head. This was a true heavyweight who back in the day, had single-handedly built an army worthy of the title Nine Armies of Great Tang from scratch! To call him formidable would be an understatement!

His conviction and imprisonment after his fall from grace were also shrouded in mystery. When Wei Yuan was researching the key figures of the court, he could find not a single record of this period of history.

King Wei’s banquet was tonight, while King Ying’s was tomorrow. The two did not conflict with each other.

So Wei Yuan kept his composure and spent the entire afternoon contemplating the sword. Barring any surprises, tonight would be the night of upheaval. The grand drama in the capital was only beginning to unfold.

1. I mean, surely you Game of Thrones have taught you guys what all this really means, right? ☜

2. Coincidentally, he’s a member of the Hanlin Academy, which is stated like 500 or 600 chapters later. Lol. ☜

3. Another reminder that everything someone says has an ulterior motive. ☜

4. Get it? ☜

5. Basic Slash+Yin Yang = Yin Yang Slash = a zillion damage, get it? ☜

6. Who wants to bet that not a single one of these deaths are natural? You do not want to live in these times, man. ☜