I'm only one year old, what the hell is the counterattack system?

Chapter 225 They all deserve to die! (Seeking monthly votes)
The main hall returned to silence.

The silvery moonlight poured down from under the mahogany door eaves, casting a trapezoidal light.

Chen Yuan stood outside the moonlight. The candlesticks that had gone out at some point in time cast a dim shadow over the main hall, shrouding him in it. Even his long, flying silver hair looked grey.

He looked at the empty courtyard outside the door, his eyes vaguely cold.

Ever since the riot at the banquet that day, when Chen Yuan was able to join "Ji Jing Tian", he has been staying in Jingye Marquis Mansion.

But he did not practice swordsmanship like he did in Wuliang Mountain. He spent more time reading various classics every day.

The most important ones are "Annals of the Wei Dynasty", "Annals of the Kyoto Prefecture" and "Chronicles of the Tianyuan Continent", most of which are about understanding the situations of the court, military marquises, civil officials and clan families.

From this, he also found some clues.

It’s just that some of the classics are missing key parts. If he wants to investigate the secrets contained therein, he needs to find an opportunity to contact Lord Zuo Xiang again.

In addition, Chen Yuan also read several military books to prepare for the subsequent training of the Jingye Army.

In his spare time, he would sit next to the Chunyu Sword, looking through the window at the towering sword pillar above the Wu'an Marquis Mansion, and spread his sword intent to investigate the situation in Kyoto Prefecture.

From this, he also learned what the young Taoist Lu Fang had done in recent days.

"Lu Fang... will fight with the geniuses of various sects, improve his ranking on the "Genius List", and make friends with the Jianghu people and the children of the aristocratic families..."

"What exactly is your purpose?"

Chen Yuan had no idea, just like what Lu Fang had just explained.

——Join forces with the censors to petition the emperor to order Wang Yang to be thrown into prison!

"Wang Yang, promiscuous and weird!"

Chen Yuan frowned slightly, and the scene at the banquet that day emerged in his mind.

That day, the disciple of the great master stood up to stop Chen Yi after he made his move, but was suppressed on the spot by the second brother.

It seems that this university scholar from Kyoto University is too upright and not as tactful as Xie Dong'an.

Although Chen Yuan himself is not a person who is well versed in worldly affairs and human nature, he at least knows who not to offend.

Just like Chen Yi that day, no ordinary person would have spoken at that time, and the fact that he didn't die on the spot was already a sign of mercy from my second brother.

Think for a moment.

Chen Yuan thought again of what Lu Fang said - Wang Yang was promiscuous in Kyoto Academy, and his brows couldn't help but frown.

How could such a pedantic and inflexible university scholar suddenly fall to this point?

Moreover, Wang Yang is the master's last disciple. Regardless of his character, his Confucian and Taoist cultivation and knowledge are not bad.

How could he do something so lewd as to defile the Kyoto Academy?

"It's him!"

Chen Yuan could only blame Lu Fang for this incident, but he had no idea how he did it.

Could it be that Wang Yang is also a person from "Extremely Pure Heaven"?
No, probably not!

After thinking it over, Chen Yuan still had no clue. He returned to the table and sat down, looking at the Chunyu Sword on the ground.

If it were my second brother, he should be able to deduce something from this...

When he was very young, Chen Yuan knew that Chen Yi was extremely intelligent and was adept at both martial arts and studying.

But he himself is a blockhead. Apart from his brute strength and tenacity, he is not proficient in either martial arts or Confucianism.

He never thought that he would actually read and study after returning to Kyoto Prefecture.

I have to say that human destiny is amazing.

Chen Yuan looked at the Spring Rain Sword, and his face couldn't help but look a little gloomy.

He thought of Chen Yi and Ling Yinrong. If those two could stand beside him, perhaps...

Just at this moment, a coughing sound came from outside, slowly approaching from far away.

Zhou Tiance's hunched figure appeared outside the door, with one hand on the door frame and looking at him.

"Yuan'er, it's so late and you haven't rested yet?"

Chen Yuan paused, stood up and saluted, saying, "Grandfather, I am thinking about tomorrow's court meeting."

Zhou Tiance's old face showed a hint of realization and a smile. He walked slowly towards him and said comfortingly:

"The emperor will hand over the tiger talisman to you tomorrow, and he may have other arrangements for our Jingye Army. You just need to agree to them one by one."

As he spoke, Zhou Tiance coughed and sat stiffly beside him, as if his body was seriously injured.

"You have just succeeded to the position of Marquis Jingye, so you still need some time to get familiar with the situation. Your Majesty will not be too demanding, so just relax."

Chen Yuan nodded, looked him over, and asked with some doubt: "Is Grandpa feeling better?"

Zhou Tiance paused for a moment, and said hoarsely as if there was thick phlegm in his throat:

"I am relieved to see that the Zhou family has a successor. My health has improved a little bit."

"Ah... I have to say that I am very grateful to you. If you hadn't agreed to succeed me as the Marquis, I would have died with regrets."

Chen Yuan pursed his lips and said nothing. Instead, he poured two glasses of wine and handed them to Zhou Tiance.

"Grandpa, drink less."

Zhou Tiance took the wine glass, smiled and said, "My body can still hold on for a while, so it doesn't hurt to drink a few more glasses."

As he spoke, he took a sip and then drank it all in one gulp.

Chen Yuan also finished the drink in his glass and thought: "Grandpa, I have a few questions to ask you about the Jingye Army...I wonder if it's convenient for you?"

"We are one family, so let's not talk behind each other's backs. Let's just say it straight."

"Two days ago, I looked at the military personnel of the current Jingye Army. It seems that more soldiers were recruited this time than in the past few times?"

"Well, 30% more," Zhou Tiance coughed a few times, lowered his cloudy eyes and looked at the corner of the table.
"The previous few times, the court allocated military funds. Money is limited, and the soldiers are short of armor and weapons. I can only recruit 50,000 new soldiers."

"This time, our Jingye Army has received funding from some aristocratic families in various states, so we have sufficient military funds, food, and equipment, and thus we have recruited 70,000 new soldiers."

Chen Yuan nodded, thinking silently in his mind.

There are 70,000 new soldiers and 30,000 veterans, which adds up to 100,000 soldiers, plus a group of sect disciples who cooperate with the Jingye Army...

If trained properly, the Jingye Army should be able to restore some of its power.

Not to mention being comparable to the Taishan Army and the Wuan Army, but it can also form a certain combat capability, and should have no problem guarding Beixiong Pass.

"Chou Long, the deputy general of the Jingye Army, can Grandpa trust him?"

Zhou Tiance smiled and said, "Yuan'er cares so much about the Jingye Army. I am very pleased."

"As for Qiu Long... just rest assured, he is not only your deputy general, but also one of the golden faces of 'Qianlong'."

Hidden Dragon...

Chen Yuan's eyes narrowed, a smile appeared on his face, and he nodded and said, "Grandson has made a note of it."

Zhou Tiance glanced at him and said with a smile:

"I have already told him about my serious illness today. I asked him to compile a book about the current situation of Hidden Dragon and give it to you for your review later."

Having said this, Zhou Tiance paused and said thoughtfully:
"Yuan'er, don't worry. Now that you have taken over the title of Marquis, Grandpa will never interfere in military affairs, let alone the affairs of 'Qianlong'. Besides, cough..."

"It is impossible for me to have any connection with the north anymore. You just need to concentrate on training the troops and rectifying military affairs. Perhaps the emperor will arrange for you to go north to guard the border soon."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan looked at him calmly, without a trace of fluctuation in his mind.

He had long been extremely disappointed with Zhou Tiance, and did not expect that he would be able to stay in the marquis' mansion and enjoy his remaining years.

All the previous events have shown that Zhou Tiance has done too many secret things behind the scenes.

There are some things that he still doesn't know to this day.

Thinking of this, Chen Yuan looked straight at the old marquis and asked:
"Grandpa, can you tell me how you got in touch with the Shiwan Mountains?"

Chen Yuan had wanted to ask this for a long time, but he had never found a suitable opportunity to ask.

After reading various books in the past few days, he suddenly discovered that there was an obvious barrier between the Wei Dynasty and the Demon Court.

The court has special people to monitor the military marquises and soldiers guarding the border. Even after they return to Kyoto Prefecture, the Black Armor Guards and the Night Watch will also conduct certain monitoring.

Under such strict precautions, if the old marquis wants to get in touch with the Demon Court, he must have a more covert method.

"Well," Zhou Tiance's face changed slightly, and his cloudy eyes looked at Chen Yuan with a serious look and asked:

"Why are you asking this? Could it be that some evil spirit from the north came to Kyoto Prefecture to contact you?"

Chen Yuan's heart moved, and he shook his head and said, "No one is coming. I just want to take precautions."

Someone comes from the Demon Court... "Black Impermanence" Liao Wei?
The scene of Chen Yi beheading Liao Wei was still vivid in his mind, but Chen Yuan did not connect it with the old marquis at that time.

Now, hearing what the old marquis said about "the evil spirits coming", Chen Yuan suddenly thought that the Black Bone Demon King seemed to have the means to bypass Wei Chao's surveillance.

If this is the case, it can be used as a way for the old marquis to communicate with the Demon Court.

Zhou Tiance seemed to be relieved after hearing this, and said vaguely: "In the past, after I put on my armor again, I went north to guard the border for the first time."

"The demon court did not come to contact me directly, but met with me through the evil demons planted in the Jingye Army."

"The God Worship Sect?"

Chen Yuan suddenly realized that the Baishen Sect had always been the Yao Ting's minion in the Wei Dynasty, and it was most appropriate for them to come forward.

As far as he knew, Emperor Baishenzong was still active in the Wei Dynasty recently.

However, they did not wreak havoc like in the past, but instead united with a group of evil demons in the territory, waiting for an opportunity to encircle and kill the proud hero of the Wei Dynasty.

Some succeeded, like a genius from the Yushan School, who was surrounded and killed by a leader of the Baishen Sect and four evil demons.

There were also some failures, like the time when Chen Yi failed outside Jeju Prefecture, where a group of evil demons suffered heavy casualties.

Thinking of this.

Chen Yuan suddenly asked, "Grandpa, the Black Impermanence Liao Wei showed up in Kyoto a few days ago. Did he come to see you?"

Zhou Tiance was stunned when he heard this, and nodded with a slightly ugly expression, "You guessed right, it did show up to meet me."

"What did it say? Or is there anything it needs you to do?" Chen Yuan continued to ask.

Zhou Tiance lowered his head slightly, and the words spoken by Liao Wei and the leader of the Baishen Sect emerged in his mind, causing his heart to inevitably fluctuate slightly.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Tiance seemed to have made up his mind and slowly said, "Liao Wei is the pillar of the Demon Court in charge of the Wei Dynasty's spies."

"It came to the Marquis' Mansion to meet me the other day. In addition to telling me about the disappointing results of its previous two plans, it also specifically mentioned you."

Chen Yuan was startled: "Me?"

Zhou Tiance nodded, sighed and said, "The demon court in the north doesn't believe you. They suspect that you agreed to succeed the marquisate for other purposes."

"Liao Wei showed up at the Marquis' Mansion to persuade me to pay attention to your actions and prevent you from affecting the subsequent plans of the Demon Court."

"..."

Chen Yuan looked at him deeply, knowing that he would succeed the position of Jingye Marquis. It should not only be the Demon Court that suspected him, but perhaps the old Marquis...

"Grandfather, please don't forget that it is thanks to you that I succeeded the Zhou family's title!"

"Even if my grandson changed his surname, it was you who facilitated it!"

Zhou Tiance showed bitterness on his face. He was naturally aware of the details, but who would listen to his words if they were passed on to the Demon Court?
And Guan Wu... Guan Wu is also wary of Yuan Er...

"Yuan'er, the reason why Grandpa told you the truth is that I hope you can be on guard."

"The Demon Court has great ambitions against our Wei Dynasty. It has been preparing for a thousand years, hoping to destroy the territory of the Wei Dynasty in one fell swoop."

"I agreed to serve as the demon court's accomplice at the time. I was not unaware of their purpose, and I was also worried that the Wei Dynasty would be destroyed as a result."

"So I have made some backup plans to prepare for any eventuality."

"What back-up plan?" Chen Yuan's eyes were slightly cold, staring at him straight and asked:
"Your backup plan is not to sell your grandson to the demon court as well, right?"

Zhou Tiance shook his head and said with a wry smile: "My backup plan is all the arrangements made by the Demon Court in the Wei Dynasty."

“Among them are not only people who have been won over by the God Worshiping Sect, but also a group of court officials that the Demon Court has been luring and controlling for many years, as well as people related to the aristocratic families and sects.”

"I originally thought that if my affair with the Demon Court was exposed, I would use this as a bargaining chip in exchange for His Majesty's forgiveness..."

Chen Yuan twitched his lips, and said hesitantly: "Grandpa, are you really...really..."

For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Since Zhou Tiance knew that associating with the Demon Court was like "seeking the skin of a tiger", he tried to use the power of the Demon Court to achieve his goal of "revenge", and even imagined that the emperor and the court would be lenient towards the Jingye Marquis Mansion...

It's really nonsense and unreasonable!

Zhou Tiance's smile became even more bitter. He lowered his head slightly, staring at the wine glass on the table with unfocused eyes.
"The battle at Beixiong Pass ended the inheritance of the Zhou family, and this also made me lose my spirit."

"If I hadn't wanted to find out who had framed Guan Wu in the court, I might have fought to the death and slaughtered those damn bastards."

"After talking with Xie Jing, I made a decision - to seek inheritance for the Zhou family and to avenge the Zhou family!"

"But," Chen Yuan raised his voice a little, and said:
"Grandpa, it's understandable that you want to inherit the Zhou family. It's also understandable that you want to investigate the original cause. It's also understandable that you want to make those who framed my uncle pay the price."

"But why did you collude with the Demon Court? How many innocent people have been killed or injured in vain by doing so?"

Hearing his question, which was almost a reprimand, Zhou Tiance's eyes flashed with a bit of sorrow, and he nodded:
"Yuan'er, you are right. I have done something wrong, but if I want those people to pay the price, there are some things I have to do!"

"Do you know who were the people who framed Guan Wu? The former left prime minister, the former ministers of the military, rites, and personnel, and a group of ministers!"

"Those people achieved their goal but disappeared suddenly!"

Zhou Tiance said with a painful expression: "At that time, I thought they were colluding with the Demon Court, so they attacked Guan Wu."

“So when the people from the God Worship Sect came to me for the first time, I wanted to investigate the whole matter through the Demon Court.”

"only……"

Chen Yuan took over the conversation and said in a cold voice: "It's just that you didn't expect that the incident was not planned by the Demon Court, but by someone else. Am I right?!"

Zhou Tiance was startled, and suddenly looked up at him: "You know?"

Chen Yuan pursed his lips and did not answer, just looked at him with cold eyes.

"Yuan'er, you know who did it, right?"

Zhou Tiance looked a bit expectant, a bit flustered, nervous, and hateful. He pulled his hand and asked:
"Yuan'er, you, you tell me, who did this, and who is behind this, instructing them to frame my Zhou family?!"

"You tell me, tell me now!!"

Chen Yuan remained silent for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "I don't know either. Some things have not been investigated clearly yet."

"But what I can tell you is that the secrets of the Battle of Beixiongguan not only involved the Zhou family, but also the situation in the court and the changes in the demon court."

This was not something he found out through investigation, but was told to him by the Left Prime Minister Xie Jing that day.

In addition to telling him about some clues discovered in the court, he also talked about the balance between civil officials and military generals, as well as the events before and after the Demon Emperor Fengyue ascended the throne and led his troops south.

Especially after the battle of Beixiong Pass ended, the Demon Emperor Fengyue unexpectedly gave birth to a half-demon child, and until now no one knows who she was born to.

On the other hand, in the Wei Dynasty, the direct consequence of the decline of the Zhou family was that a group of civil officials gained the upper hand.

Xie Jing also discovered something very interesting: most of the civil officials who rose to power later were from aristocratic families.

Although they all studied Confucian classics, none of them came from various holy institutions of learning, but mostly inherited it from their families.

Just like Xie Jing himself, before he entered the court as an official, he studied and learned to read in the family school and was not qualified to go to an academy.

At first, Chen Yuan didn't understand any of this. It was only until Xie Jing broke it down and presented it to him one by one that he realized the Battle of Beixiong Pass had such a connection.

Therefore, when the old marquis returned to Kyoto and wanted to take revenge on the court officials, Xie Jing came to persuade him.

However, Xie Jing didn't expect that the old marquis was so obsessed, and he made one mistake after another.

"Is this so..."

Zhou Tiance sat back dejectedly, his face extremely gloomy and ugly, and he laughed miserably and said:

"Yuan'er, if possible, I hope to find out the whole story of that battle before I die! Who framed my Zhou family members?"

"If I don't figure this out, I won't be able to rest in peace until I die!!"

Seeing his distressed look, Chen Yuan sighed secretly and nodded:
"My grandson also wants to investigate that old matter. If he finds anything, he will tell Grandpa."

Zhou Tiance burst into tears and nodded, saying, "Good grandson, dear grandson, I'll leave this matter to you..."

As he spoke, he wiped the corners of his eyes and staggered out of the main hall and returned to the backyard, obviously feeling a little shaken.

Only when the coughing and whimpering stopped did Chen Yuan sigh.

Although he had some clues, further confirmation was needed.

"Five days later, 'Jijingtian', 'Jiangjun'... I hope they can help me solve this puzzle!"

After sitting quietly for a long time, Chen Yuan looked around the main hall, then stood up and returned to his room to rest.

Regardless of other things, we should be able to find some clues at tomorrow's court meeting.

At the very least, he would find out the identity of the court official who had submitted the memorial and made the remonstrance mentioned by Lu Fang!
When the main hall returned to calm, the figure of the young Taoist appeared outside the door.

He looked at the Chunyu Sword in the main hall, and a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

"Grandpa, it's been so long, and you haven't given up yet."

"They all deserve to die!"

The voice was barely audible, yet as cold and ferocious as that of a demon!

……

After midnight, the entire Kyoto Prefecture became much quieter.

After the court lifted the curfew in Kyoto Prefecture during this period, it was bustling almost every night, and each neighborhood would not close its doors until after midnight.

Only the taverns, inns and some romantic places along the street were still open, and from time to time a few drunken wanderers and young men from wealthy families came in and out.

"Drink, Brother Liu, let's not go home until we are drunk tonight!"

"Old Wang, stop drinking. Tomorrow morning, the genius Lu Fang from Yuhua Xianmen will challenge Li Fei, the 'Fast Sword' from Cangjian Villa. We have to go and watch the fight."

"Oh? A fight?"

"Why is Lu Fang so active lately?"

"Who knows? But his strength cannot be underestimated among all the geniuses. He is now ranked 28th in the "Genius Ranking - Earth Ranking"."

"If he wins tomorrow's match, he should be able to rank 25th, and it is not impossible for him to squeeze into the top 20."

"Top 20? Haha, no, he can't be!"

"Brother, don't you see who are in the top 20 of the Earth Ranking? They are either from Kyoto Academy, Wuliang Mountain, Dakong Temple, Taixu Dao Sect and others."

"If he wants to enter the top 20, the first person he has to challenge is Fairy Xuanzhen of Taixu Dao Sect. She is the legitimate daughter of Sect Master Xiao. Can Lu Fang win?"

A group of martial artists were drunk, but they were still discussing the duel between geniuses and wanted to go and watch the duel between Lu Fang and "Kuai Jian".

In a corner of the tavern, Wen Renying listened to the conversation between several people and curled her lips secretly.

No matter who Lu Fang is, in her eyes, he is far inferior to the "Little Sword Fairy".

"However, with your current cultivation level, you can't help but look down on these geniuses. I... uh, why would I think about these things~"

Wenren Ying frowned slightly. After her face and figure had changed, she looked much more ordinary and was wearing ordinary clothes.

Staying alone in the corner of the tavern, he did not attract the attention of other wanderers.

While drinking, she looked at the several young men from noble families in the other wing and silently calculated the time.

Among the young Confucian scholars in that room were two from the Wu family, who were from noble families on the list that Chen Yi had given her.

In the past few days, Wen Renying has controlled the three aristocratic families of Tong, Sun, and Zheng, just like she controlled the Zhao family, the Minister of Rites.

According to Chen Yi's explanation, ever since the three families knelt outside the Chen Mansion, they began to deliberately make friends with Buddhist monks. They went to Dakong Temple from time to time, wanting to investigate the reasons why those monks gathered in Kyoto Prefecture.

However, after two days, these people could not even enter some important Buddhist halls in Dakong Temple, let alone conduct investigations, which really made Wenren Ying anxious.

Therefore, she had to speed up and try to control some Confucian scholars to go to Dakong Temple to find out what was going on.

Just as Wen Renying was spying on several young Confucian scholars in the side room, a figure suddenly appeared at the table in front of her, looking at her with a smile.

Wen Renying was stunned for a moment, looking at the person who came, and pretended to be surprised and asked: "You, are you the genius of Yuhua Xianmen?"

The young Taoist looked at her with a smile: "'Witch', even I can't recognize you?"

Wen Renying's eyes suddenly changed, and cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.

"Zong, lord of the sect?!"

(End of this chapter)