Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 332, Section 341: Commander of the Palace Guard
"Think of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, who wielded their three-foot swords, pacified the world, and established their foundations."

“It has been passed down through generations for six hundred years.”

"Although I am incompetent and have made no mistakes, how can I bear to abandon the great cause of our ancestors so easily!"

"Li Qing, you are a True Man bestowed by the State Religion, a loyal and virtuous official of the Great Qin."

"Your Majesty, the turmoil in the Great Qin Dynasty is not something that will happen overnight."

"The Prince of Jin turned the tide and his prestige extended throughout the land. He is respected by all and his achievements are great. How could I possibly have a say in this?"

"If Your Majesty abdicates early and yields to a more worthy successor, you will still retain the title of Duke of Anle."

The conversations in the Liangyi Hall were intermittent, sometimes loud and indignant, sometimes low and dejected.

The vermilion gate creaked open, and Li Cunxiao, wearing a turban, a purple robe, and goldfish ornaments, bowed and withdrew.

Before the gate closed, the autumn sunlight slanted into the room, making Emperor Li Min of Qin, sitting on the dragon throne, appear even more desolate and lonely.

The riders outside the gate bowed respectfully to Li Cunxiao, who nodded and strode out of the imperial city.

Only after boarding the ornate carriage with its vermilion lacquer and gold decorations did his expression finally relax, and he let out a sigh.

Li Yisheng wanted to become emperor, but he did not intend to kill the emperor. This would not only ruin his own reputation, but also alienate the old officials in the court.

Since it was an abdication, some people urged the new emperor to take over, while others wanted to be the villains who pressured the former ruler.

Unfortunately, the cushy jobs at the beginning were naturally snapped up by Li Yisheng's bodyguards, while the tough jobs at the end fell directly on Li Cunxiao's shoulders.

Li Yisheng didn't want to make things too ugly, so before returning to the capital, he specifically sent Li Cunxiao to do some ideological work with the young emperor.

He had actually hinted at it several times before, but the young emperor still held onto a glimmer of hope.

Today's confrontation stung Li Min with reality, and her pleading made Li Cunxiao seem like the bad guy.

To be honest, he didn't have that kind of blind loyalty to the Qin emperor, and when he advised the emperor to abdicate, he was telling the truth.

The Qin Dynasty had already reached its end. Li Yisheng was now an uncrowned king in Xijing, and becoming emperor was just a matter of course for him.

If Li Min is sensible enough to abdicate, he can still be the Duke of Anle; if he resists stubbornly, he will become the Hidden Emperor or the Ailing Emperor.

“I’m always the one who does the bad and dirty work. Li Yisheng really doesn’t treat me like an outsider.”

"If things continue like this, even if a new dynasty is established, I will only be a lonely minister."

"The Prince of Jin is not a wise ruler."

I felt a pang of emotion, but I couldn't bring myself to say it aloud.

The carriage returned to the Duke of Yue's mansion, only to find the front gate blocked by other carriages and horses.

Only after asking did they learn that it was the Duke of Tianshui and the Duke of Chen, these old nobles with keen senses, who came to their door to inquire about information.

As the earliest opportunists to switch sides, how could they not sense the changing atmosphere in the capital?
Li Cunxiao was, after all, one of the Thirteen Protectors, and was a figurehead promoted by Li Yisheng to win over the old forces.

Every emperor has his own court; for these people to establish themselves, they need a spokesperson.

It's not that you can't join the "Grandpa Party" and "Third Grandpa Party," but firstly, they haven't been in Beijing for long, and secondly, the Taibao (secret police) are arrogant and domineering, treating them only as their money bags and granaries.

As a stopgap measure, it's best to first curry favor with the Thirteen Protectors; at worst, they can just jump ship later!

The exchange of witty remarks lasted half an hour before Li Cunxiao finally saw the group off.

"Brother, you've worked hard," Li Guangyi said, his body radiating a powerful aura that, in the late autumn and early winter, resembled the smoke of war, clearly indicating that he had just finished practicing his martial arts.

The Heart-Wish Stick in his hand was completely black. At first glance, it was not obvious that it was a divine weapon, but upon closer inspection, one could see that the words "13,500 Heart-Wishes" flickered with light as the boy breathed.

"That's how officialdom is. It's full of cliques and backstabbing, not a place to get things done."

Li Cunxiao's desire to be transferred to a post outside the capital grew stronger. While pondering his next move, he asked:
"How's your skill level? Demonstrate it."

"Okay," Li Guangyi said, and immediately began to practice.

The shadows of the staff surged like a great river, while the liver and lungs within the body emitted verdant and platinum light, respectively.

Li Cunxiao inherited his Taoist skills from Taiyi, and he passed on the true skills of the Azure Dragon lineage to his younger brother.

At present, Li Guangyi's internal organs have reached the level of control over the two demonic beings, Jiao Mu Jiao and Kang Jin Long.

Wood element emphasizes health preservation, while metal element emphasizes killing and warfare. The combination of the two is sufficient to deal with ordinary martial artists.

Li Cunxiao watched his younger brother practice, and while he was satisfied, he couldn't help but let his thoughts wander.

Because the path of demonic martial arts requires controlling demons for one's own use, it is extremely difficult from the very beginning, and afterwards it is like walking a tightrope over a cliff, requiring utmost caution.

Even with his own support and no shortage of elixirs, Li Guangyi's aptitude would likely take him one or two years to achieve perfect internal organs, and another two or three years to achieve perfect Yellow Court, by which time he would be almost twenty years old.

This progress is roughly on par with the elite offspring of prominent families like the Zheng family of Xingyang, but there is still a gap compared to true prodigies.

Wei He and Ye Chengxiao were probably a step behind Li Guangyi, and ordinary soldiers were even further behind.

If you try to build your own team entirely from scratch, it will take more than a decade to achieve anything significant.

This is why military governors preferred to recruit prisoners of war, as it was a convenient and quick process.

Even if the soldiers are tyrannical and violent, as long as they are capable and willing to fight, they will be ignored.

Li Cunxiao did not consider himself to love his people like his own children, but he also did not want his subordinates to be a group of murderous maniacs in the future.

While pondering, he pointed out several oversights in Li Guangyi's work, and then personally sparred with him for a while before returning to his cultivation chamber and entering the Dragon Palace Secret Realm in the blink of an eye.

Compared to six months ago, the Dragon Palace is now completely different.

Li Cunxiao held an important position and used all the money he gained from embezzling from his superiors and subordinates to fund his schemes.

Now, looking out from the Qianyang Palace, one sees the spiritual energy in the air swirling like auspicious clouds and flowing like a galaxy. With each breath, spiritual energy fills the lungs and the body forms its own cycle, making it truly a blessed land.

With the full support of this small world and the malevolent energy from the Maitreya Buddha, Li Cunxiao had already achieved perfect enlightenment.

From their eyes, a beam of blue light and a beam of red light shot out, transforming into the Savior from Suffering and the King of Wide Vision.

The latter resides in the City of Silver, where countless wooden dragons transformed from the Bodhi tree entwine Mount Sumeru;
The former treads upon hell, while the Ten Directions Scroll encircles the void:

The Eastern Wind and Thunder Hell, the Southern Fire Hell, the Western Vajra Hell, the Northern Dark Cold Hell, the Northeast and Northwest Train Hell, the Upper Hell of the Fallen, and the Lower Palace of Luo Feng.

The ten directions of hell, the ten directions of celestial beings, the five elements and the eight trigrams are all contained within.

The two spiritual forms form a triangle with the main body, absorbing and releasing a massive amount of spiritual energy.

Within this cycle, Li Cunxiao could feel his body and spirit becoming increasingly refined and pure, without a trace of impurity.

The great principles of heaven and earth are only separated from oneself by a thin layer of paper.

What seems like a simple challenge has caused countless heroes to waste their lives.

"Now that my two spiritual forms are both perfected and I have no shortage of divine skills, I am only one opportunity away from the Xuan Guan to the Grandmaster level."

"The Daoist military tactics of Louguandao are already quite good, but if the difficulty can be further reduced, the number of martial artists under its command can be further expanded."

"The deduction of evil aura still requires having one's own base, and it is best to be in a place where demons and bandits roam."

Cultivating both the main body and the avatar together, and with the spiritual energy of an entire secret realm bestowed upon them, half a day of cultivation is equivalent to a month's worth of effort outside.

As evening approached, Li Cunxiao ceased his cultivation and returned to his study to handle state affairs. He was busy until the first watch of the night before finally going to his room to rest with Ye Shuyi. In truth, at their level of cultivation, sleep was no longer a necessity; the couple merely used this opportunity to be intimate and exchange affections.

Before they could even finish their dual cultivation, at dawn, Li Cunxiao had to get up again to go to the Hall of State Affairs for his shift.

Whenever officials went on duty, the first thing they saw was the young man in purple robes sitting upright in the main hall, so no one dared to slack off.

Secondly, the most eye-catching feature is the sand table filled with flags of various colors. At a glance, it can be roughly divided into eastern and western halves, with Xuzhou, Huazhou, and Zhengzhou as the boundaries.

The five circuits to the west—Guannei, Longyou, Jiannan, Hedong, Shannan West Circuit, and Qianzhong Circuit—all belong to the Hedong region.

Meanwhile, the southern parts of Henan Circuit, Shannan East Circuit, and Hebei Circuit to the east were under the banner of Zhu Liang.

Among these, Jiannan Road, surrounded by mountains, was actually controlled by Wang Jian, while Qianzhong Road was mostly inhabited by uncivilized barbarians, and had always been governed by a loose control.

In terms of strength, Jin has a slight advantage over Liang.

The remaining ones are Qida from the Northern Border, Yang Huayuan from Huainan Circuit, and Qian Jumei from Jiangnan Circuit.

These three companies were basically just there to take advantage of the situation and offer empty encouragement; they didn't really participate.

It can be said that the basic power structure of the world has been formed.

After this major battle, little will change in the short term.

Therefore, Li Yisheng wanted to ascend the throne, seize power, and distribute titles to his subordinates in order to consolidate the territory he had just acquired and prepare for the next major battle.

Li Min may have realized that he was now in the eye of the storm, so a few days later, when Li Yisheng returned to the vicinity of Huayin, he issued his first abdication edict:
"Prime Minister and Prince Jin, entrusted with a mandate from heaven, have rescued the distressed and saved the drowning, advancing from north to south, conquering the east and resentment in the west. He has united the feudal lords nine times and won a hundred victories from afar. He has greatly sheltered the common people, protected my body, and the king relies on him. His virtue is comparable to the workings of nature, his achievements are worthy of heaven's favor, and the people are devoted to him. His destiny is sealed, yet I am forced to serve as a subject, defying the mandate of heaven."

"Following precedent, I now humbly submit to the former residence. It is fitting to follow past precedents and bestow upon you the title of Emperor, so that you may feel relieved of a heavy burden and filled with gratitude. I entrust this to a wise and capable official to eliminate the rebellious and wicked, and to ensure that all officials understand my intentions. Furthermore, I hereby order the relevant officials that all memorials and reports must not be submitted to me."

The content roughly says that the Prince of Jin has made great contributions in his eastern and western campaigns, and the Emperor and the common people rely on his kindness.

It would be too unfair to continue making you my subject. Now that I am abdicating the throne to you, I am relieved of this heavy burden and feel much lighter.

You ministers, you know what I mean, so you are not allowed to submit memorials to persuade me.

When Li Yisheng received the imperial edict, he was naturally pleased that the young emperor was sensible, and the eunuchs around him all knelt down to urge him to ascend the throne.

In front of everyone, agreeing immediately would seem too hasty, so while he sped up his return to the capital, he also simply declined:

"The most important instruments of the world and the great rule of the king are bestowed upon him through virtue, not through force."

The sacred instruments of state and the supreme position belong to those of virtue, not to be acquired through military might. Your Majesty's actions are surely intended to bring me shame and infamy.

It was extremely embarrassing to beg someone else to become emperor, but what could Li Min do?

Just as Li Yisheng entered the city, a second edict was issued:
"To Your Majesty the King of Jin: Heaven's mandate is not constant, but only returns to the virtuous. The world has lost its order, and it has descended upon me, causing great chaos and darkness. The wicked run rampant, and the world is in turmoil. Thanks to Your Majesty's divine martial prowess, you have rescued us from this calamity and protected our ancestral temples. I alone have been able to achieve peace, and all the people of the nine regions have truly received your blessings."

"Now Your Majesty inherits the legacy of your predecessors, glorifies your virtues, expands the great achievements of literature and martial arts, and illuminates the illustrious deeds of your forefathers. The imperial spirit bestows auspicious omens, and the gods and men proclaim the signs. Your radiant birth is blessed, and I, the Master, bestow upon you my mandate. I respectfully humbly submit to your position. The mandate of Heaven rests upon you. Hold fast to the middle way, and Heaven's blessings will last forever. Ruler, follow the great rites, enjoy the feasts of all nations, and solemnly receive Heaven's mandate."

The eunuch's shrill voice echoed across the drill ground, and Li Min, sitting on the dragon throne, felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles.

As far as the eye could see, there were menacing soldiers and generals, each one fierce and menacing, numbering in the thousands, which terrified him and made his mind waver.

Human hearts are like water; what happened before was merely a final act of stubbornness. Once the decision to abdicate was made, Li Min's mood veered to the other extreme.

Even though they knew the three refusals weren't over yet, they couldn't help but hope that Li Yisheng would agree and quickly hand over the hot throne to him so that he could have peace of mind.

"Please, Your Majesty, rescind your order," Li Yisheng declined again, and turned to leave, showing that he had no regrets.

However, new news emerged at the celebration banquet that evening.

"The Emperor examined the family genealogy and found that Emperor Shizu had fourteen sons. Li Guochang, the father of the Prince of Jin, was a descendant of Li Gun, the Protector-General of Beiting."

"When the emperor arranged the genealogy, he found that Li Yisheng was the emperor's uncle. The emperor was overjoyed and invited him to a side hall to renew the rites between uncle and nephew, entrusting him with the responsibility of regent. The king gladly accepted."

Emperor Taizong of Qin's father was Emperor Gaozu. After becoming emperor himself, he posthumously honored his grandfather as Emperor Shizu.

Li Min, while flipping through the family genealogy, "coincidentally" discovered that Li Yisheng's ancestor was actually a brother of the Qin Dynasty's founding emperor. According to seniority, he should call Li Yisheng "uncle."

It's hard to say how this kinship came about, but the next day when Prince Jin ascended the throne at Taiji Palace, everyone was already calling him Imperial Uncle, and Li Min simply didn't show up.

Li Yisheng's throne was placed below the empty dragon throne steps, his domineering aura no longer concealed:
"Although the campaign against the Zhu bandits was not entirely successful, the soldiers fought bravely and risked their lives, and many loyal and virtuous people from various places surrendered to us. We should reward them to comfort their hearts."

"An imperial edict was issued, bestowing upon Yelü Yi the title of King of Liao, Liu Shouguang the title of King of Yan, Wang Jian the title of King of Shu, Li Zhengchen the title of King of Qi, Yang Huayuan the title of King of Wu, and Qian Jumei the title of King of Yue, and granting the titles of Protector of the Nation True Man of Maoshan and Magushan."

"Li Si'en, Li Si'ben, Li Sizhao, Li Cunxin, Li Cunjin, Kang Junli, Li Cunzhang, Li Cunshen, Li Cunxian, and Shi Jingsi are each granted the title of County Marquis."

"Li Cunxu and Li Siyuan have made outstanding contributions and are hereby awarded the title of County Duke."

The first round of bestowals was aimed at local separatist forces, the intention of which was clearly to form alliances and surround Zhu Liang. There was nothing more than official titles.

The second round of rewards was for military generals, who were promoted and given rare and precious treasures, with the Twelve Protectors being the most prominent among them.

The Qin Dynasty had nine ranks of nobility, with county dukes and county marquises being the fifth and sixth ranks, respectively.

After all, once a first-rank prince is bestowed, it will be difficult to reward those who have made great contributions in the future. As someone who is about to ascend the throne, he must consider this issue.

However, it was clear that Li Siyuan and Li Cunxu were somewhat disappointed at not being granted the title of prince.

With Li Yisheng about to become emperor, the two successors were still unable to distinguish who was superior and who was more important, causing great anxiety.

"However, we all got a share, so why was the thirteenth prince left out?"

"Needless to say? His contributions in risking his life are incomparable to those who live a leisurely life."

"My godfather values ​​the thirteenth prince highly; perhaps he has other plans in mind?"

Several bodyguards whispered among themselves, some with doubt, some with sneer, and the officials below also murmured amongst themselves.

Li Yisheng sat on the throne, with a clear view of everything below.

From the very first day he entered the capital, he fell in love with the feeling of being in control of everything.

Li Cunxiao was a capable and talented man. But such outstanding individuals often harbored even greater ambitions.

Even though he had not received any reward at this time, he still could not find much disappointment on Li Cunxiao's face.

He has made his decision.

"For this expedition, Li Cunxiao, the Vice Minister of War, made overall plans and oversaw operations in the capital. He has made great contributions and is hereby awarded the title of Grand Commandant."

"Furthermore, Zhu is a vicious and stubborn traitor, and only with elite troops can we wipe him out."

"I intend to establish the Palace Guard Commandery, the Imperial Cavalry Commandery, and the Infantry Commandery, combining them into the Three Imperial Guards."

"Li Cunxiao was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards. He was strictly ordered to inspect the soldiers of each garrison upon entering the capital and select those with exceptional martial arts skills to serve as members of the Palace Guards."

"Gentlemen, do you have any objections?"

Before he finished speaking, Li Cunxiao's expression suddenly changed, and his mood became extremely bad.

He originally intended to be transferred to a prefecture or county to become a powerful regional official, but unexpectedly, Li Yisheng wanted him to be the commander of the Imperial Guards.

The sensitivity of this position is self-evident, and it will inevitably be drawn into the struggle between the two masters, Li Siyuan and Li Cunxu.

Not to mention the random inspections of soldiers in various regions, it was practically a deliberate attempt to make him offend those military governors.

Being a loyal subject is one thing, and even serving in the Imperial Guard doesn't guarantee a lack of battles. The key is to keep him under the constant watchful eye of a Grandmaster.
"I have objections!"

(End of this chapter)