Longzang

Chapter 312 Meeting the Saint
Wei Yuan had just settled into the post station when Zhao Tong arrived.

Wei Yuan welcomed Zhao Tong into the courtyard and seated him in the main hall. Zhao Tong looked around and said, "The Holy King values ​​Lord Wei very much. This Yixin Courtyard used to be reserved for princes and dukes when they returned to the capital for an audience. Ordinary people couldn't stay here."

Wei Yuan immediately looked terrified: "Then I'd better change courtyards. Overstepping the bounds of propriety is no small matter!"

Zhao Tong laughed and said, "His Majesty has already granted you half the honors for entering the court, so naturally you should be treated a rank higher normally. You are already a second-rank official, so it's only right that you be treated with the honors of a first-rank official. Just stay here and relax!"

Wei Yuan rose and bowed respectfully towards the direction of the palace before sitting down, expressing his deepest fear and trepidation.

Zhao Tong nodded slightly and said, "I came here to discuss the arrangements for this trip with Lord Wei, so that we won't be caught off guard and unable to respond properly."

Please make a public announcement.

Zhao Tong then said, "The most important thing is to meet the Emperor. His Majesty was very pleased to hear that you have arrived in the capital and has set a date for your audience at the morning court tomorrow. Haha, Your Majesty is quite eager!"

What will be the content of this audience with the emperor, and what preparations are needed?

"The most important thing to do during this audience with the Emperor is to define your jurisdiction."

Wei Yuan said, "Wasn't this matter already decided long ago? I have no say in it."

Zhao Tong laughed and said, "Lord Wei is indeed clever! However, that is the ancestral rule and convention. Lord Wei is an exception, so naturally it is different. Let me give you a heads-up: this time, the territory will only be divided in the southeast, not the northwest. The east and south have already been decided, and the west and north can be chosen by the traveler."

This result was within Wei Yuan's expectations, but he still had some questions, so he said, "Boundary expansion doesn't distinguish between east, west, south, and north. It will gradually spread, and crossing the boundary is inevitable. What should we do about this?"

Zhao Tong chuckled and said, "Is Lord Wei testing me? A governing territory and a domain are not the same thing. The eastern domain may have expanded, but the governing territory may not necessarily be yours. As for the west, even if the domain hasn't been reached, it doesn't prevent it from becoming your jurisdiction. Take the east, for example. As the domain lord, Lord Wei, whether the domain is prosperous and peaceful is entirely up to you. Those officials serving in your domain will have to be mindful of your feelings in the future, won't they?"

Wei Yuan was taken aback: "Is that possible? Aren't they here... to check and balance me?"

Zhao Tong said, "Normally, that should be the case, but since Lord Wei is currently enjoying the Emperor's favor and has powerful backers, the Western Regions are barren and the King doesn't think much of them. If Lord Wei makes meritorious contributions in the future, then those counties in the east could be brought under your control."

"Thank you for your guidance, Father-in-law!"

"The second major event is the autumn hunt. This is the most important thing in His Majesty's mind right now. It is said that a wise man has divined the future and said that those who perform well in this autumn hunt will be able to stimulate the national fortune of the Great Jin and make the national strength of the Great Jin reach new heights. Therefore, for both public and private reasons, Lord Wei must do his best. This is just my private talk."

Has the Prince of Jin started to believe in this kind of thing too?
Wei Yuan inwardly complained, but aloud he lamented, "You don't know, Father-in-law, I become weak after leaving the realm. Right now, I only have two or three tenths of my Dao power left. How can I compete?"

Zhao Tong said, "I have heard about Lord Wei's affairs, so I brought this treasure with me."

He took a small bottle from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and said, "This is the Jade False Body Pill, a treasure that we stole from the inner treasury. This pill uses falsehood to cultivate truth, allowing one to borrow one's own Dao power from the past and instantly restore one to peak strength. Lord Wei might find it useful."

This was an unexpected surprise. The Jade False Body Pill was a renowned battle healing elixir, capable of instant recovery, but at the cost of prolonged weakness afterward. For Wei Yuan in his current state, this medicine was quite suitable; he would recover to peak condition within thirty breaths after taking it.

After accepting the pill, Wei Yuan immediately ordered someone to bring a box of immortal silver and present it to Zhao Tong. Zhao Tong calmly put the silver into his sleeve and took his leave.

After Zhao Tong left, Wei Yuan began to carefully analyze the information in his words. The fact that he could deliver the Jade False Body Pill indicated that he was quite knowledgeable about his own situation. It seemed the traitor within the realm knew a great deal.

In addition, Zhao Tong specifically mentioned the autumn hunt, so Wei Yuan knew that this autumn hunt must be quite important to the King of Jin, but he didn't know if it was the meaning revealed on the surface.

At this time, visiting cards began to arrive one after another. They were all from officials of varying ranks in the Western Jin Dynasty. Wei Yuan read them one by one. They were all officials of mediocre rank, some of whom had some connection with him, and some who were idle and unsuccessful and wanted to curry favor with the newly rich.

Those truly important figures, either because they were arrogant or because they were unaware of the Prince of Jin's true attitude towards them, naturally wouldn't step forward to befriend them at this time.

Wei Yuan instructed his attendants to put away the visiting card, and then went to his meditation room to cultivate. Since Qingming established his foundation, this was the first time he had left Qingming so far, far exceeding the theoretical limit. At this moment, the vast land was deathly silent, with no spiritual energy emanating from the ground, and the entire Dao Foundation appeared somewhat illusory.

Wei Yuan tested himself and found that the Dao power he could currently use was roughly one-tenth of what it was in the realm, and this portion of Dao power was stored in his physical body. His physical strength was normal and unaffected. In addition, the three immortal plants were still full of vitality, and the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword was still shining brightly.

Wei Yuan tested the various ornaments in the Dao Foundation again. All the faceless warriors were in a semi-illusory state and could not be activated. However, the girl's Yin and Yang remained unchanged. Wei Yuan believed that if he had enough extraterrestrial luck, he could still command her to act. However, Wei Yuan currently had no extraterrestrial luck at all, and it was very likely that he was in debt to her.

Surprisingly, the newly formed Dharma Warriors could actually move!
Although it was extremely heavy to move, like a rusty iron man, it could indeed move! Presumably because it possessed a Dharma form, it could draw some vital energy from heaven and earth, which was why it could move with difficulty.

After checking his physical condition, Wei Yuan held the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword and began to examine it, instantly losing himself in the moment. This time, his chance to meet the Emperor depended entirely on the Eternal Sword.

The next morning, Wei Yuan finished washing up, changed into his brand-new second-rank court robes, and boarded the carriage that was already waiting at the entrance of the post station. When he stepped out of the courtyard, it was still dark, and the surroundings were quiet; the entire city was still asleep.

The carriage traveled through the streets and alleys before stopping in front of the palace.

The palace gates were already open, and carriages arrived one after another. Officials of all ranks alighted and filed into the palace. When Wei Yuan alighted, he was immediately met with many stares, but no one spoke to him. Wei Yuan was naturally perceptive and noticed that many of the gazes were unfriendly.

Wei Yuan kept his eyes straight ahead, stepped into the palace gate, crossed the square, and walked towards the main hall.

As dawn approached and the first rays of sunlight appeared, the palace was already filled with officials, who stood silently in solemn silence.

At this moment, numerous palace lanterns above the throne in the hall were lit simultaneously, casting beams of light that transformed into a white jade bridge to the side. Then, led by several eunuchs, Prince Jin entered the hall from the side, stepped onto the white jade bridge formed by the lights, walked step by step to the throne, flicked his sleeves, and slowly sat down.

The lights on the palace roof changed again, and beams of light shone around the throne, making it darker. The face of the Prince of Jin was hidden in the shadows. If one only caught a glimpse, it would be difficult to see the Prince of Jin's expression, let alone know his joys and sorrows.

The morning court session began, and all the officials bowed in greeting.

Wei Yuan was not yet qualified to participate in the council, so he was arranged to stand in a corner below the hall. If all the officials knelt in worship, it would not seem out of place for him to kneel on one knee.

After the ceremony, the Left Chancellor stepped forward and announced, "Wei Yuan, the Military Governor of Dingxi, has come to the capital to meet the Emperor and express his gratitude for the Emperor's favor."

Where is Wei Yuan?

The eunuch beside Wei Yuan gave a gesture, and Wei Yuan stepped out from under the throne and steadily entered the hall. In an instant, all the eyes of the civil and military officials fell on him, some scrutinizing, some curious, but mostly suspicious and disgusted.

But these gazes were so real that Wei Yuan felt as if a mountain was on his back, and his legs went weak!
Most of the court officials possessed cultivation, and many were Dharma Aspect cultivators. Even the two minor eunuchs standing before the throne in the hall were at the late Foundation Establishment stage. In the shadows on either side of the hall, two extremely profound auras were faintly visible, like rippling, illusory seas. Wei Yuan had only ever seen such auras on Ancestor Xuan Yue.

Clearly, there was more than one Imperial Realm cultivator outside the hall, constantly monitoring the situation inside.

In the entire hall, only Wei Yuan had the lowest cultivation level and was in a weakened state, his Dao power had regressed to the level of an ordinary Earth-rank cultivator.

These courtiers, each with piercing gazes, had long since seen through Wei Yuan's true nature. Moreover, some of their gazes were clearly malevolent, adding immense pressure to Wei Yuan when they fell upon him. As a high-level cultivator of the Dharma Aspect realm, he could, to a limited extent, transform illusion into reality, and could exert immense force with just a glance.

In an instant, Wei Yuan gained over ten thousand jin of weight!
Wei Yuan immediately understood that someone wanted him to kneel down or even collapse to the ground and embarrass himself in front of the palace!

These people acted discreetly, and it is very likely that the Left and Right Chancellors of the Imperial Realm were completely unaware, while the high and mighty Prince Jin remained unmoved.

Wei Yuan suddenly felt a surge of heat rush to the top of his head!

Heaven, Earth, the Ruler, Parents, and Teacher—all can and should be worshipped. Having received the titles and emoluments of Jin, worshipping the King of Jin is also a matter of course. But to force him to kneel is something Wei Yuan cannot tolerate! That person, or those people, even wanted him to collapse to the ground, becoming a laughingstock.

Wei Yuan knew that his trip to the capital to meet the emperor would inevitably cause a lot of trouble, but he never expected that someone would secretly cause trouble in the palace.

Wei Yuan's mind raced, and in the blink of an eye, he had made his decision. In an instant, his joints cracked and popped, and his body suddenly gained immense strength. His already bent knees actually withstood the pressure of the Dharma Image and slowly straightened up!

The person behind the scenes seemed shocked and tried to exert force three more times, but could only make Wei Yuan sway slightly and could not overpower him at all.

Seeing that some officials were already slightly moved, the invisible pressure slowly dissipated, leaving him feeling quite unwilling.

The morning audience with the emperor was just a formality. The Prince of Jin would offer a few words of encouragement, and after Wei Yuan expressed his gratitude, he would be led out of the main hall by an official. Only then would the court officials discuss state affairs, which was a secret that Wei Yuan was not allowed to hear.

As he left the palace, Wei Yuan turned back with a cold smile on his face.

These people only dare to do things in secret. If they really dislike me, why don't they send tens of thousands of cavalry to test my mettle? This behavior made Wei Yuan see through their bluster. Wei Yuan already had a general idea of ​​who they were.

Since they wanted Wei Yuan to embarrass himself in front of the emperor and become a laughing stock, Wei Yuan didn't intend to be polite.

(End of this chapter)