Xuanxia

Chapter 547: Eight Swords of the Kingly Way
Fu Qingzhou had heard the name of the Eight Kingly Swords several times.

However, he didn't know what this thing was or what it did.

He was still pondering when Li Jingzhe, who was standing beside him, lost his temper and said in a surprised voice: "Sir, how can this be possible?!"

Ning Wuwang also frowned: "Father, even if we want to appease them, this is a bit..."

"Haha, the eight swords of the kingly way are held by those with virtue."

Ning Baimei smiled and said, "Even if they hold the magic sword, they can't exert its power. Those swords are just decorations in their hands. What's there to be afraid of?"

"But……"

Li Jingzhe still said in a hoarse voice: "After all, they are the Eight Swords of the Kingly Way! No matter what, if they are given by the Mingjian Pavilion, it means giving them a share of the country's luck. If there are really people with dark thoughts among them, wouldn't it be..."

"Um, interrupt me." Fu Qingzhou raised his hand weakly: "Can you explain it to me? I don't quite understand."

Li Jingzhe gave him a dissatisfied look.

Ning Baimei smiled and said, "You are now the Lord of the Virtuous Sword, so you should know this, and... this matter is also related to you."

After that, he turned to his son and said, "Wuwang, you go ahead and speak."

"Yes, father."

Ning Wuwang bowed, looked at Fu Qingzhou, and said with a smile: "Young man, how much do you know about the Eight Swords of the Kingly Way?"

"Uh... I don't know."

Fu Qingzhou scratched his head: "In the battle at Sangmen Village, Huo Yaer revealed the origin of the German sword in Jiang Baichuan's hand. I heard it, that's all."

"Then, I will start from the beginning." Ning Wuwang said softly.

He considered his words and said leisurely, "When Dayan was first established, due to its vast territory and difficult governance, major turmoil broke out every few years. Although our Great Yan Saint Ancestor was full of martial virtues and had countless famous generals under his command, it was ultimately difficult for him to take care of everything... Over the past decade, countless civilians have lost their families and homes due to the turmoil, and neighboring countries are eyeing them covetously. The mountains and rivers of Dayan have been shattered, which is heartbreaking."

“So, the Holy Ancestor personally joined hands with eight of his wise generals and ministers to travel all over the country, using their supreme magical powers to seize the destiny of the country. It took more than twenty years, and in the later years of the Holy Ancestor... they finally forged the Eight Swords of the Kingly Way.”

"These eight swords are named Benevolence, Righteousness, Courtesy, Wisdom, Virtue, Virtue, Military, and Punishment. Each sword represents the destiny of a region. When held by eight good generals and ministers with corresponding virtues, all eight swords can be used to suppress chaos."

"With these eight swords, the Holy Ancestor finally suppressed all the troubles inside and outside Dayan. With the eight sword holders guarding the country, there was no more unrest. From then on, Dayan was peaceful and tranquil, with singing and dancing."

"Of course, the Holy Ancestor has foresight and knows that sword bearers will grow old and die, and their descendants may not possess the virtue and ability to wield swords, so..."

Ning Wuwang smiled slightly: "Yes, I have it, Mingjian Pavilion."

The following story is not complicated.

When Mingjian Pavilion was first established, it did not have the power and authority to patrol the country on behalf of the emperor and supervise all officials like it does today. At that time, Mingjian Pavilion was only responsible for selecting and examining those who were qualified to wield swords throughout the world and bestowing the Eight Kingly Swords upon them.

The name of sword master also comes from this.

Sword appraisal is said to be to judge the quality of a sword, but in fact it is to test the virtue of the sword holder.

Fu Qingzhou nodded slightly, but soon became confused again: "Speaking of this, when we were dealing with Huijue in Jinchan Temple, Zhao... uh, the emperor lent me the scabbard of the King Sword. This King Sword, it sounds like it's a set with the Eight Swords of the Kingly Dao? Is that the case?"

Hearing this, Li Jingzhe and Ning Wuwang's expressions became strange again.

Ning Baimei chuckled and said, "You are a disciple of the True Immortal Palace. It's not surprising that you can control the scabbard of the King Sword."

"The history of the King Sword is even longer and more ancient than that of Dayan. It was first forged by the predecessor of the True Immortal Palace - the Infinite Taiji Dao. The Saint Ancestor of Dayan forged the Eight Swords of the King Dao, which was actually borrowed from the power of the King Sword."

"The secret here has nothing to do with what you and I are talking about today, so I won't say much. If you are interested, you can go to Mingjian Pavilion and read the classics in the future, and you will know it."

Fu Qingzhou nodded, and didn't ask any more questions. He just changed the topic: "So now, who has the Eight Swords of the Kingly Way?"

"...half of the eight swords today have yet to choose a master."

Ning Wuwang said softly: "In fact, since the Holy Ancestor, the Eight Swords have never been able to choose their masters. In the world, there have never been eight people who can make them recognize their masters at the same time."

Fu Qingzhou was startled: "Are they so picky?"

"Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, virtue, morality, military force, and punishment."

Ning Wuwang repeated the names of the eight swords and said leisurely, "These eight words sound simple, but how can it be simple to be single-minded and consistent in your actions?"

Fu Qingzhou smiled, stretched out his hand to grasp the hilt of the German sword, and gently stroked it: "So, I am quite honored?"

"of course."

Ning Wuwang nodded and said, "Virtue means following the right path. Only those who are upright can be recognized by him... Young Master Fu is recognized by De Jian, so he is a true Virtuous Knight. This is an honor for you and for De Jian."

Li Jingzhe was clearly a little dissatisfied, and snorted secretly at the side.

Ning Baimei smiled and said, "Now, three and a half of the Eight Swords of the Kingly Way have already chosen their masters."

"Three and a half?" Fu Qingzhou was startled: "There's still half a sword?"

"Ah."

Ning Wuwang took over his father's words and said, "The first sword belongs to the dean of the Sword Academy, Uncle Dong Qianran."

"A wise man is talented and well-known. Uncle Dong is the dean of the Sword Academy at a young age. His reputation is known to the world. Many years ago, the Sword Academy recognized him as its master."

"The second sword belongs to the Northern Frontier Army Commander, Marshal Hong Ruohai." "The Hong family has guarded the border for generations, and sacrificed their lives for the country. When Marshal Hong was a teenager, he led 800 light cavalry and drove away 30,000 Northern Barbarians for a hundred miles. After that, he guarded the border for decades and never let the barbarians advance even a single step. He is a well-deserved master of the sword."

Ning Wuwang smiled slightly: "The third sword of virtue... hehe, it once belonged to Jiang Baichuan, but now it belongs to you, Young Master Fu."

"Oh, I'm so embarrassed." Fu Qingzhou smiled and continued to ask: "What about the remaining half?"

"That half is the sword of punishment."

Ning Wuwang said, "The sword of punishment has always been held by the four judicial officials, namely the Dali Temple, the Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Mingjian Pavilion. It has no real owner. But a few years ago, the emperor was curious and took the sword to inspect it. He actually felt a resonance with the sword. Although he could not get it to recognize him as his master, he could be considered half the sword's owner."

Fu Qingzhou exclaimed, "Ah?" "Is there such a thing?"

"That's not surprising." Ning Baimei smiled and said, "The emperor is the ruler of the world, and he has the power to punish the people. Although the sword of punishment is still enshrined in the Ministry of Justice, according to the records of my Mingjian Pavilion, the emperor is half the master of the sword."

Fu Qingzhou suddenly realized.

makes sense.

In this kind of feudal imperial society, the emperor was the person with the most power, even above the law. If he really wanted to "punish" someone, it would be a matter of a word.

Then he counted silently: "So there are still four swords, namely benevolence, courtesy, wisdom and justice, that have not yet recognized their master."

"good."

Ning Baimei said slowly: "For the noble families and the royal family, if they can possess one of the Eight Swords of the Kingly Way, they will possess a part of the destiny of the country. This is the supreme honor. No matter what they thought of the emperor before, they should at least be polite and restrained on the surface after being given one of the Eight Swords."

Li Jingzhe, who had been silent for a long time, finally couldn't help but said, "Sir, what if they get one of the eight swords and become self-righteous and unrestrained?"

Ning Baimei turned her head and smiled at him: "Isn't that better?"

Li Jingzhe was stunned for a moment, then he understood and nodded.

Fu Qingzhou also understood - if it was just a sword, it would be better to blow up the mastermind and reveal his identity.

According to Ning Baimei, although the sword was given to these people, it is impossible for them to get the sword to recognize its master, nor is it possible for them to bring out its true power. The act of giving the sword as a gift is more of a formality.

On the one hand, this is a comfort, and on the other hand, of course, it is also a test.

Ning Wuwang thought for a moment and asked, "Father, how would you like to give me these four swords?"

"The sword of benevolence should be given to the Yuan family."

Ning Baimei said softly, "Yuan Keng has an eldest son named Yuan Zizhen, who is the governor of Fuhe Province. He has always been well-known for his benevolence, so I will give it to him."

"The Sword of Wisdom...will be given to the Lan family."

"The current owner of the Qianfang Baixiao Tower is a descendant of the Lan family's side branch. The Qianfang Baixiao Tower has access to intelligence from all over the world, so it deserves the word 'wise'."

Hearing this, Fu Qingzhou was slightly surprised.

The owner of Qianfang Baixiao Tower is actually from the Lan family?

Ning Baimei pondered for a moment, and then said: "The ceremonial sword will be presented to King Xishuo. The prince has always respected ancient ceremonies, and giving him this sword is worthy of the name."

"As for the Sword of Righteousness... let's give it to the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, Lord Yan. Righteousness means justice and righteousness. Lord Yan is the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, the head of the civil servants in the world, and also the representative of justice in Dayan. If he holds this divine sword, no one will dare to say anything."

The more Li Jingzhe listened, the more he felt something was wrong: "Sir, this is not right, is it? If it is really like what you said, they all meet the criteria of a sword holder, why is it impossible for these swords to recognize them as their masters?"

Before Ning Baimei could say anything, Fu Qingzhou started laughing.

"I understand."

He said: "If they are really the mastermind behind this, then these so-called 'virtues' are all fake, and the Sword of God will never recognize them as its master."

"If the Sword of God really recognizes them, even if it only recognizes part of them, it means that they are not pretending. They are really good people. On the contrary, this gift of the sword can bring them to our side."

"Giving four swords will not only help you identify your enemies, but also give you a chance to gain friends... Great, great!"

After listening to him, Li Jingzhe looked suddenly enlightened.

Ning Baimei also smiled at Li Jingzhe and said, "Junior Brother Li, your ability in investigating cases and conducting interrogations is the best in the world, but your ability in forming alliances and making alliances is not as good as Young Master Fu's."

Li Jingzhe's old face turned red.

Fu Qingzhou waved his hands repeatedly: "Hey, the idea was all yours, Lord Ning. I was just flattering you."

Ning Baimei looked at him with a smile: "So, Young Master Fu thinks this plan is feasible?"

"feasible."

Fu Qingzhou responded seriously: "It is quite feasible."

"Okay." Ning Baimei smiled again: "Then, this sword... will be presented to you by Young Master Fu."

"what?"

Fu Qingzhou widened his eyes and pointed at himself: "Me?"

"It's you." Ning Baimei smiled gently: "However, there are still many details in this matter. Let's discuss it later. What's more important right now is... Young Master Fu, did the matter of Jiang Baichuan make you think of something?"

(End of this chapter)