Chapter 281: Ji You, the Rumored Figure
There were many ways to respond to a request.
“No” meant refusal, while “yes” meant approval and permission. Regardless of the answer, one’s stance could be clearly expressed.
But that phrase, “Forget it,” when heard amidst the wind and snow, seemed particularly peculiar.
Because although this phrase also represented refusal, it seemed to carry much more helplessness than “no.”
“Want to go eat?” “Forget it, I haven’t finished my work yet.”
“Want to go to the brothel?” “Forget it, I’m already married.”
To put it plainly, this phrase “Forget it” was a kind of reluctant refusal after an initial agreement.
At this moment, many people standing on both sides of the Nishan Sacred Path, observing the changing situation, suddenly turned and left, traveling through the wind and snow towards the distance.
Along the thick snow, a series of footprints began to scatter.
Some headed towards the Prince Chong's Mansion, some towards the Immortal Supervisorate, some towards the Imperial Palace, some towards the capital's Sect, and some towards inns.
At this time, in the Inner Courtyard of Prince Chong's Mansion, a group of servants were carrying ladders, stopping and going, climbing up and down under the eaves, removing icicles from the eaves to prevent them from harming the master.
While they were busy, Chong Wang was sitting in the hall, drinking tea by the stove and reading secret letters delivered by officials close to him.
“Jiang Rong is a meticulous person; he was indeed a good choice.”
“Your Highness, you flatter me. It’s just a pity that those old fellows from the Immortal Supervisorate are truly hateful. They put on a facade of loyal subjects and obstructed us multiple times. Your Majesty, I wonder when you will make a decision.”
“The decision should be soon—
2
Chong Wang held the secret letter in his hand and murmured.
After the Immortal Supervisorate left the capital to aid in disaster relief, the pro-Immortal faction in the imperial court, as instructed by him, continuously pressured his young imperial nephew, the Emperor, in various settings, seizing power on a large scale.
The pro-Emperor New Policy faction, who usually opposed him fiercely in court, now seemed to be enduring their anger in silence.
This suppressed anger from his opponents was entirely due to the successful Snow Appreciation Gathering held a while ago, which attracted countless Immortals to lend their support.
Sour literati are like that; when they speak, they seem eager to tear down heaven and earth, but once something happens, their weakness is exposed without a trace.
Actually, this also benefited from this snow disaster, after all, the Immortal Supervisorate was dispatched for disaster relief, and no one could resist them in this matter.
However, what Chong Wang was most preoccupied with was the matter of tax collection.
It was a pity that every time he brought up this matter, Wang Mingchang, the old minister with a tumor on his leg who had visited the Snow Region, would insist on striking his head against the main hall pillar to show his resolve, making it impossible for the matter to proceed.
So Chong Wang changed his approach and submitted a memorial recommending his confidant Jiang Rong to participate in the army expansion.
Army expansion itself didn't offer much in terms of illicit gains, but the military behind the Zhenbei Army was a huge pie, especially as the army expanded, this pie grew larger and larger.
Qingyun World had a heavy tax of sixty percent; half went to the Immortal Sects, only thirty percent of the remaining half went into the national treasury, and the remaining seventy percent was all used to support the army, which could be described as incredibly lucrative.
And this time, his memorial was met with no opposition.
Why?
Because along with his memorial, some officials close to the Immortal Sect Sect also submitted memorials impeaching the Immortal Supervisorate, saying that they, despite having the name of Immortal Supervisors, audaciously chose to cut off the supply of Spirit Stones, angering the Immortals, and their intentions deserved to be condemned.
The Great Xia imperial power was in decline; for years, it had merely served as a tool for the Immortal Sects to collect taxes and maintain border stability.
Even the Emperor couldn’t withstand the pressure of such matters, and his expression began to turn increasingly grim.
But no one expected that Chong Wang’s expression was also not good.
Because he did not wish to link the matter of intervening in army expansion with the matter of cutting off Spirit Stones from the bottom of his heart.
The matter of army expansion only involved internal struggles within the imperial court, but once it became linked to the cutting off of Spirit Stones, it involved too many things.
Moreover, it also implicated a person he could not fathom the most, a person who was most baffling.
He sat in the Grand Tutor’s chair, repeatedly turning over the first secret letter in his hand, having read it for an entire afternoon.
Next to him sat his daughter, Princess Changle, who was flipping through a sword manual, but she also remained on the first page.
Several young officials who had come to deliver the secret letters were now waiting in the hall, looking at this scene and couldn’t help but exchange glances.
In their view, with such a serious charge as cutting off Spirit Stone supply, the Immortal Supervisorate surely couldn't bear it. They couldn't understand why the Prince and the Princess were so timid and uneasy.
Just then, a young servant returned through the wind and snow: “Your Highness, Peng Elder of Tianshu Academy has appeared on behalf of Elder Fang?”
Chong Wang put down the secret letter: “What did he say?”
“Elder Fang said, ‘Forget it—’
Zhao Yunyue’s eyelashes trembled slightly. After a long pause, she suddenly heard the sound of someone getting up.
She came back to her senses, looked up, and saw Chong Wang getting up and walking towards the side room.
“Where are you going, Father?”
“People will be arriving at the mansion soon, and there will be many questions to ask. Although I said I had a sudden illness, it’s likely no one will believe it,
But I should at least pretend.”
Chong Wang walked out of the doorway and looked at the snowy sky.
Someone has withstood the pressure, so the Emperor naturally doesn’t need to be in a dilemma anymore.
This time, the intervention in the army expansion failed; it will likely be very difficult to bring it up again next time.
He walked along the covered corridor towards the side room, his face complex as he looked at the wind and snow in the courtyard, thinking that the strange atmosphere at Tianshu Academy a while ago was indeed real.
At this moment, he couldn’t help but recall the discussion four years ago, in front of the Nishan Sacred Path, with Wei Li about which Disciple to support that year.
This matter had passed a long time ago, but every time there was a stir in the city, he would be forced to think about it again.
At this moment, amidst the wind and snow on Yong'an Street, many Sect returning from Ni Mountain walked towards Prince Chong's Mansion.
After Ji You won the top spot in the Tong Xuan Realm at the Tiandao Conference, many eyes were on him, so the fact that he couldn't use his sword Dao in the Tiandao Conference preliminary round due to Elder Fang's targeting gradually became known.
They knew that Elder Fang and Ji You had a private grudge, which was why they sought out Elder Fang this time.
In their view, since there was a legitimate reason, the normal process should have been for Elder Fang to approve, then use the influence of the Sect to pressure the Master's Courtyard, revoke Ji You’s Disciple status, and remove the Ji Family from Tianshu Academy’s roster.
Afterward, the Sect would dispatch Disciples to eliminate him, Spirit Stone supply would resume, taxes would return to the Immortal Villa, and everything would proceed smoothly and seamlessly.
But no one expected that the matter would receive such a reply just as it entered its first step.
Everyone knew that Chong Wang, who claimed to be ill and absent today, must have known about this matter.
So they came to Prince Chong's Mansion and saw Chong Wang on his sickbed, unable even to straighten his waist.
By the time everyone left, their brows were even more furrowed than when they arrived.
Because Chong Wang said he didn't know why either, he just recounted various events that had happened at Tianshu Academy recently.
Intelligent people could naturally deduce a thing or two from the news, and they suddenly understood why Elder Fang would say, “Forget it.”
At this moment, everyone returned to the inn where they were staying, brushing off the fallen snow from their clothes.
Lu Xiong’s thoughts were the most complex. When he returned to his room, he saw his wife sitting in the room, her face thoughtful.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just now, Ding Shaojie came.”
Lu Xiong looked at his wife with some confusion: “Why did he come?”
Madam Lu placed her hands on her knees: “He said that he and our Qingqiu have been childhood sweethearts since they were young, and no matter what happens,
He is willing to marry her. I didn’t think highly of him before, but now I think this child is quite good.”
The people gathered here today were either for Spirit Stones or for taxes, but in the heart of a woman like Madam Lu, what she most cared about was actually her daughter’s marriage.
Although her daughter had lost her virginity to a dying man, fortunately, she had not yet married.
If Ding Shaojie was truly so devoted, it would not be a bad outcome for her daughter.
Lu Xiong’s eye twitched slightly when he heard this, thinking to himself that it seemed quite unnecessary now.
Madam Lu didn’t notice her husband’s strange gaze; instead, she looked up with some surprise: “Didn’t you go to Tianshu Academy?
Why are you back so soon?”
Lu Xiong looked at his wife: “It failed.”
“Failed?”
“Today, the Sect of Ling Province suddenly left overnight, Chong Wang claimed illness and didn't come, and Elder Fang didn't even show his face. Now that I think about it, it seems no one dares to get involved in this matter.”
Madam Lu looked at her husband with some surprise: “Why is that?”
Lu Xiong put his hands on his knees: “Tianshu Academy held the Autumn Tournament a few days ago, and finally selected the daughter of a Prefect from Feng Province to enter the Inner Courtyard.”
“Isn’t ‘Prefect’ a Mortal official title? That’s quite strange. When our Han Yan entered the Inner Courtyard, it took us immense effort. We spent huge sums just on bribes and connections. How could a Mortal’s child enter the Inner Courtyard?”
“Chong Wang said that the Disciples of Tianshu Academy all believe that the Feng Province girl entered the Inner Courtyard because many people in the Inner Courtyard were looking at Ji You’s expression.”
Madam Lu seemed dazed for a moment: “Are you joking?”
Lu Xiong got up and walked to the window: “At first, everyone thought so, until Peng Family’s direct descendant and Elder Fang’s grand-Disciple, furious, asked their Sect to trouble him.”
“That Fang Jincheng is indeed vindictive; he even drew his sword on Han Yan in the courtyard before—”
“That’s right, the Fang Family people are all vindictive, but it’s said that after that night, Peng Family’s direct descendant was forcibly withdrawn from the academy and taken away, and Elder Fang’s grand-Disciple was locked in the mountain abyss behind Ni Mountain and never dared to show his face again.”
(My tenosynovitis flared up from the air conditioning.)