Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 487 Mingyi Yufei
On the eighth day of the first lunar month, all the matters delayed due to the year-end were finally settled.

Firstly, with the strengthening of border trade, maritime trade, and exchanges with the Tian Shuang Kingdom, insightful people knew that the functions of the mere Main and Guest Office were no longer sufficient, and the establishment of the Foreign Trade Office was imminent.

With the consensus of the court and the public, the Foreign Trade Department was established. Qi Tuizhi, the former head of the Foreign Trade Department, was recommended by Marquis Dingyuan Lu Xingzhou to be the Director of the Foreign Trade Department, achieving the same efficiency as his former superior Lu Xingzhou in his official career.

The reason given was merit. Everyone knew that Qi Tuizhi's minor achievements, such as inspecting the border markets, were insignificant. His real great achievement was the altar battle in which his father, Qi Zijiu, participated.

Qi Zijiu only besieged Huo Liancheng, but anyone who stood against Gu Zhanting in this battle was obviously credited with supporting the new emperor.

However, Qi Tuizhi was indeed the most knowledgeable and suitable person to be in charge of the Foreign Trade Department, and there was no objection from the court or the public.

Lu Xingzhou himself was no longer in charge of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and his successor as the Physician was Zhang Xingguo, the old clerk who had previously familiarized him with the affairs. Although Zhang Xingguo was mediocre and his name didn't even leave an impression on Lu Xingzhou, he was skilled in the affairs and a seasoned official, making him suitable for handling external liaison matters. Now, he was considered Lu Xingzhou's former subordinate and had been promoted to the position by his own hand.

The position left for Lu Xingzhou was naturally the Vice Minister of Revenue, a post vacated by the deceased Huo Qi, the eldest son of the Huo family. Gu Zhanting had once promised him this position. However, Lu Xingzhou did not want the Ministry of Revenue, so Gu Yiheng transferred the former Left Vice Minister of Rites to the Ministry of Revenue and gave the position of Left Vice Minister of Rites to Lu Xingzhou, in charge of all foreign affairs.

The position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites truly put him in the ranks of high-ranking officials in the court. Holding a second-rank position and wielding real power, he finally had the capital to become a "treacherous minister." Otherwise, his previous position as a minor official would have been laughable.

His immediate superior, the Minister of Rites, was one of the key figures in the former Grand Tutor's faction. That's why Lu Xingzhou, who had served as the Director of the Bureau of Receptions for so long, had never even met the Minister twice, and couldn't bring himself to ask for his help in arranging a marriage. Now, to avoid being purged, the Minister had instead clung tightly to Lu Xingzhou's coattails, willingly becoming his lackey.

The Vice Minister was the Minister's boss; it could almost be said that the entire Ministry of Rites was under the Lu family's control.

The Ministry of Rites didn't seem to hold much real power, at least not on the same level as the Ministry of Personnel. Lu Xingzhou wanted to control the Ministry of Rites not only because it was necessary for the framework of external collusion, but more importantly, because he wanted the Ministry of Rites to be in charge of the "sacrificial rites".

What both Gu Zhanting and Gu Yiheng wanted to do was closely related to the Sacrifice of Mountains and Rivers. By controlling the Ministry of Rites, they could at least grasp the pulse of the nation's destiny.

Even key figures like the Minister of Rites, a member of the Grand Tutor's faction, weren't purged. Therefore, the actual number of people targeted in this purge wasn't large; those who were punished were simply those who had committed heinous acts with the Huo family. Compared to the bloodshed of other coups, this can be considered a relatively smooth transition.

Even if it's not much, it will still create a number of personnel vacancies. Including the officials who died from demonization in various places, there are quite a few vacant positions.

Pei Qingyan and Lu Xingzhou, father-in-law and son-in-law, divided the spoils, placing their own people in all the available positions. The new emperor, however, had no seats left, seemingly confirming his reputation as a puppet ruler.

Lu Xingzhou rarely promoted or placed people from the former Grand Tutor's faction in positions of power, as they were already doing well to avoid being purged. He primarily promoted figures like Xiao Ting, a former censor from the Princess's faction, and Xiang An and Zhao Jiayong, who had good relations with him during the Northern Frontier campaign. He also appointed his wife, Pei Chuyun, as a censor and Sheng Yuanyao as General Zhenxi.

There is also a new group of people: his classmates from the Dan Academy and their elders and relatives.

Although these classmates are only acquaintances, they are still classmates, and there is a natural connection based on their status. This is evident in the fact that if Lu Xingzhou falls from power and is purged, his classmates will likely not fare well either. Others may not know the extent of your personal relationship with Lu Xingzhou, and you could expect to be sidelined for life. Therefore, they are naturally suited to form cliques.

This was a plan that had been made long ago when he asked Meng Li for the list of classmates' families. At first, he wanted to build connections and enhance his own reputation, but now it has become about gathering followers and building a faction.

Coupled with the kinship ties between various parties, overnight, Marquis Dingyuan, Lu Xingzhou, gained immense power in the court, and the new emperor's situation became uncertain and unclear.

However, Lu Xingzhou did not plan to go to work for a single day. He left the affairs of the Ministry of Rites to the old Minister, proposed a court discussion, and volunteered for a temporary post.

The Demon Inspector is tasked with investigating previous cases of officials being transformed into demons.

All armies and the Demon Suppression Bureau are at your command, and all major sects have an obligation to cooperate.

…………

"Isn't Xingzhou's move a bit too big this time?"

At the Pei residence, Pei Qingyan received Lu Xingzhou, who had brought Pei Chuyun with him on his return visit. He personally brewed tea for Lu Xingzhou: "I have served as prime minister for over a decade, and my influence is deep and widespread. However, fearing the slander of the world, I have only dared to take a few key positions. You, on the other hand, make people think you are the emperor. Being too sharp is not a good thing. You usually understand this principle, so why are you so flamboyant this time?"

Old Pei was genuinely frightened by Lu Xingzhou. If something truly serious were to happen, he would definitely be part of Lu Xingzhou's wife's family.

Fortunately, according to the law of the wife's family, at most it would only implicate Pei Qingyan's own family; the entire Pei family of Hedong wouldn't be affected. This is one of the reasons why powerful families dare to invest so heavily. When he arranged the marriage with Lu Xingzhou in front of Gu Zhanting, Pei Qingyan had already risked his own life.

Which family is the "second" in "wife's family"? It's the Xuan Nu family. Go find them, and chat with Feng Zi Liu while you're at it.

"Didn't we discuss this list with my father-in-law?"

"But I advised you to keep a low profile back then, and you said you knew. I trusted you, but who knew you'd leave it exactly as it was?" Pei Qingyan looked at her honest daughter sitting to the side: "Is this how your husband deceived you with sweet words?"

Pei Chuyun said, "Under normal circumstances, I'm the one who lies to him."

"Go away, your skills might fool others, but you'll only get fooled when you meet him."

"That's because I was willing to be fooled by him, otherwise why would I choose him?"

Pei Qingyan was momentarily speechless, but seeing Lu Xingzhou's cheerful expression, she could tell the young couple had a good relationship and hadn't had any unpleasantness about marrying three women at the same time. And his radiant appearance... well... "Alright, alright," Pei Qingyan waved her hand, "Let's not talk about these family matters. Tell me your specific thoughts?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "His Majesty wants to establish the persona of a puppet being bullied, so I'm just helping him out."

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with the new emperor again?" Pei Qingyan said irritably. "If Princess Chaohuang wanted to ascend the throne back then, she would have done so directly. Why go through all this trouble and oppose the new emperor?"

“But my father-in-law also knows that what seemed like a suitable opportunity for Tangtang to ascend the throne actually had a pitfall. He would probably carry the stigma of regicide and usurpation for the rest of his life.” Lu Xingzhou paused and then laughed, “Moreover, it would mean that we were in the open while the Prince of Qi was in the dark. With a Qian Yuan hiding behind and hindering us, we wouldn’t be able to do anything well.”

Pei Qingyan's hand trembled slightly as he poured the tea: "Qian Yuan?"

"Yes, Qian Yuan. We couldn't find out the details back then, but we discovered it later. Besides, his regicide is undeniable."

Pei Qingyan took a deep breath: "Do you have evidence?"

"Have."

Pei Qingyan frowned and remained silent for a moment.

Although Gu Zhanting's actions were also shady, there were still clues to be found; this guy was the one who hid himself very well.

“Actually, he probably wanted Tangtang to take the position more, but we didn’t take the bait. Now that he’s in the position himself, we’re going out to do things, so he’s in the open while we’ve gone into the shadows.” Lu Xingzhou laughed. “It’s said that he’s promoting the hexagram ‘Earth Fire Ming Yi’. Who’s the host and who’s the guest in this hexagram is quite interesting.”

Pei Qingyan finally nodded: "So you wanted to finish everything before you left, and you didn't have time to take it one step at a time."

"Yes, this trip away from Beijing may take quite a while."

"Very well, let's take Chuyun away from this place of trouble."

Lu Xingzhou said, "The main reason I came to see my father-in-law this time is that I hope you two can cooperate with the Imperial Advisor to keep an eye on the new emperor."

These two fathers-in-law, why do they sound so grating... If you talk like that in front of Sheng Qingfeng, won't that guy chop you up?
Pei Qingyan hesitated for a moment, then decided to get down to business: "If he were Qian Yuan, the difference in our strength would be too great, and there would be other problems. For example, the Imperial Preceptor couldn't protect me all the time, and it was foreseeable that I could die suddenly at any time."

"Don't worry, he's not too afraid to reveal his Qian Yuan strength. Like the Grand Preceptor, he'll only use it when it's absolutely necessary." Lu Xingzhou handed over a jade bottle: "Here are two Super Grade Breakthrough Pills. I hope they'll help your father-in-law's breakthrough. That way, at least when he's only using Hui Yang strength, he won't be able to easily harm your father-in-law."

Pei Qingyan's eyes widened: "What pills? Two of them?"

"Father-in-law should know that we obtained the alchemy furnace hidden by the Huo family and used it to refine pills. Old Sheng also has two, and he even has an extra bottle for his first-grade cultivation."

Pei Qingyan was tugging at his beard, his hands trembling.

Even though the Pei family of Hedong was wealthy and powerful, they couldn't produce a top-grade breakthrough pill.

Because the strongest alchemists known in the world are only at the first rank, and even Ye Tinglan is only at the first rank, at most close to the super-rank. After all, she has many affairs and a wide range of interests, so she has not focused her main attention on alchemy.

A first-grade alchemist can indeed refine super-grade pills, but the success rate is pitiful. Super-grade materials are also extremely valuable and rare, and cannot withstand a large number of failures. Therefore, any super-grade pill that appears is priceless.

Furthermore, among the super-grade pills, the Breakthrough Pill is obviously the most expensive and difficult to obtain. It might take several years to produce just one, otherwise Huo Liancheng wouldn't have needed to endure so many years.

Lu Xingzhou pulled out two pills for each of his two fathers-in-law, looking like he wouldn't stop until he'd made them both into top-grade pills. They both have the surname Huo, and both have alchemy furnaces, so how come you're so awesome?
However, Lu Xingzhou's meaning was very clear: this thing required risking one's life, and it was another situation of confronting the emperor, which was never a good thing.

Pei Qingyan didn't need to ask any more questions, and nodded in acceptance: "Then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Lu Xingzhou smiled apologetically: "It was meant to be a gift to my father-in-law."

"If you dare to let Yun'er suffer even the slightest grievance, I won't acknowledge you as my 'Dan'. Get out of here, you never bring good things into this world."

Pei Chuyun said, "I think Father is angry because he thought he could become a powerful minister with absolute authority, but he found out that the seemingly easy-to-bully emperor was actually a tyrant, and he became a fool. He's probably just embarrassed and angry..."

"You get out too."

On the tenth day of the first lunar month, a large number of newly appointed local officials took office. King Shen Tang of Xia also left the capital to assume his fiefdom on this day, and General Sheng Yuanyao, the General Who Guards the West, rushed to the western frontier. Pei Chuyun, as the Imperial Envoy for the Western Route Inspection, accompanied them, traveling in a grand procession and inspecting matters related to demons along the way.

Lu Xingzhou, the imperial envoy in charge of inspecting all demons, left the capital on the same day, but he did not travel with them. He was accompanied by Anuo on the left and Bai Mao on the right, traveling alone and disappearing without a trace.

Gu Yiheng, unusually, rubbed his forehead in the palace, feeling a bit of a headache: "No wonder Father Emperor couldn't handle... Lu Xingzhou's actions are truly unpredictable. He just gained immense power, and in the blink of an eye, his whole family has disappeared, while I'm stuck in the capital."

(End of this chapter)