Wan Jian returns to his clan!

Chapter 222 Sheng, Dan, Jing, Mo – No More Men
"If you have something to report, do so now; otherwise, the court may adjourn."

Huang Chengzong, with a sharp voice and holding a whisk, stood to one side of the dragon throne in the Qianyang Hall and shouted loudly.

Princess Chang Le, Ji Wenxiu, sat on a high-backed chair below the dragon throne, resting her chin on her hand, idly watching the civil and military officials taking their places as usual.

She was like a decorative object in the Qianyang Palace, attracting no attention.

Now everyone knows that this princess is nominally the regent princess, but she has no soldiers under her command and no loyal ministers in the court. Her words are practically worthless and can be ignored.

The reason he still insisted on attending court to discuss politics was mainly because the situation outside was tense.

The battle reports are alarming every day...

It is said that the 100,000-strong army of the Northern Zhou King Jinyang has begun to search for ships and cut down trees to cross the river.

Once the enemy is ready, cross the river and capture Tianfeng Pass. With the land wide open, you can then advance to the gates of Weijing.

At this critical juncture, even the most oblivious official is finding it hard to sleep these days.

Rather than discussing a strategy to repel the enemy, they were more eager to find a way out.

As soon as everyone stood still, a buzzing sound arose from all directions.

The officials whispered among themselves, sharing the news they had heard, their faces filled with worry, yet not one dared to say that they were ready to spill blood in the court and lead troops into battle.

It's hard to say.

The brothers Chen Tongxi and Chen Tongguang from the Marquis of Changxin's residence were positioned in two rows, one standing in the front of the right row and the other in the back of the left row.

The two brothers' eyes flickered slightly as they forcibly suppressed the turmoil in their hearts. They remained silent and did not look around.

They would occasionally let out a secret sigh of relief, and gradually, a hint of hesitation appeared on their faces.

They promised to impeach the Prefect of Chaotian, but when will they actually do it? My precious nephew hasn't even given me any details.

"I have something to report."

A slightly overweight, dark-skinned middle-aged man strode out from the front of the civil officials. He stood ramrod straight, with sharp eyebrows, piercing eyes, and a loud voice.

"What's the matter?"

Ji Wenxiu was greatly surprised.

She stayed in the princess's residence, never stepping out of the main gate or the inner gate, so her information was not actually very good.

The old Taoist priest Qingyun also said that if they were to go out, they should just wander around the area around the princess's residence; if they went too far, he wouldn't be able to protect them.

The little princess is very obedient; usually, to save herself trouble, she simply doesn't go out.

The day she heard that Lu Wubing had come to the capital to celebrate her maternal grandmother's birthday, it was the first time she had dared to go to Changxin Lane since arriving in the capital, which was quite a risk.

This kind of life, though called regency, is actually not much better than being in prison.

However, since Lu Wubing visited the princess's residence, the situation has taken a dramatic turn for the better. The most obvious difference is that she can now wander around freely.

The old Taoist priest Qingyun wouldn't stay at the princess's residence all day. Instead, he would carry his wine gourd and search for delicious food in the capital, enjoying himself in his own way.

With guards both overt and covert, the little princess finally realized just how comfortable and carefree it would be to be a princess who oversees the country.

Life would be much more comfortable if it weren't for the rumors that we hear all the time.

Within a single day, Lu Wubing became known in the mouths of the people of the capital as a traitor who had instigated border conflicts and brought disaster to the country and its people.

Not only did he kill officials and defy the law, but he also used his beauty to seduce the regent princess, hoping to become her lover and rise to power.

He even overestimated his abilities and challenged Yuwen Ba, the heir apparent of the King of Jinyang, to a duel, which can only be described as lawless.

In teahouses and restaurants everywhere, scholars and ordinary people alike vividly described some taboo scenes.

Some busybodies even made bets, saying that Lu Wubing's penis could spin a wheel...

Where did this rumor originate?

Ji Wenxiu was unaware of this.

It takes only one mouth to spread rumors, but running around like crazy to avoid them.

Nowadays, most opinions are controlled by scholars, officials, and wealthy gentry; their wishes determine the direction of public opinion in the capital.

Lu Wubing was new to the city; how could he possibly outwit all the mouths in the capital?

Even if he uses his connections to try and explain, no one will listen.

The only solution Ji Wenxiu could think of was to send people out to capture him.

However, it's not really worth arresting and executing someone who's just gossiping about it over tea.

Besides, the power to maintain order and make arrests still rests with the Chaotian Prefecture.

You're overthinking it to send the constables from Chaotian Prefecture to arrest people.

It's good enough that they don't fuel the flames.

Just like the third-rank prefect in front of us, Li Zhongli Shouzhuo, he stepped forward and said righteously: "There is a great thief from the Tianxing Sect, Lu Wubing. This man has disturbed the capital, killed people and resisted arrest, and even harmed more than eighty constables and police officers of Chaotian Prefecture."

His bandit followers are numerous and powerful, entrenched in the Changxin Ward area… Your humble servant requests the Imperial Guard to capture this bandit, seize and kill his relatives and friends, and hang their heads on the city gates as a warning to the world.”

That's not entirely wrong. At this critical moment when the two countries are at war, if the big thief who opposes the government is not severely punished and captured as soon as possible, countless other thieves may follow suit.

By then, before the enemy has even been driven away, the world will be in chaos, beyond saving.

They're treating me like a fool and bullying me.

Ji Wenxiu was extremely thirsty and had just finished drinking a cup of tea when he heard this, he almost spat it out.

Alright, fat guy, this time even the King of Heaven can't save you.

"next."

"Your Majesty, I have a report to make. The Northern Zhou army is currently at its most powerful. I request that Your Majesty issue an edict to summon troops from all sides to come to the aid of the King."

Your humble servant recommends General Lin Zhonghu, Marquis of Pingxi. He is loyal to the country and devoted to his country. He has fought bloody battles against the Western Barbarians for many years and has even recovered three cities in the western border, making outstanding contributions.

"Summon this man and send his 80,000 Western Army troops to the capital. He will surely be able to slay the King of Jinyang beneath the city walls and protect our Great Li kingdom."

Liang Hong, the Minister of War and a cabinet advisor, stepped forward first, fearing that if he spoke too slowly, he would be drowned out by a barrage of criticism.

Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, some reprimands rang out.

“Absurd! Zhou’s troops are right in front of us, and the Western Army is too far away to reach them.”

Could Minister Liang guarantee that, before General Lin arrived in the capital, he could ensure the city would not fall, and that the million inhabitants of the capital would not be slaughtered?

Grand Secretary Zhang Zhongchu, the Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Hall, trembled with pain and grief. He said that it was not impossible to mobilize troops to defend the emperor, but they had to get through the immediate hurdle first.

Zhou's army is too powerful; we cannot confront them head-on. It would be better to adopt a delaying tactic for now.

"How can we slow it down?"

Ji Wenxiu asked.

Although she knew that the old man had no kind words and was just a surrenderist, not only Ji Wenxiu, who was sitting on the high platform, was very curious, but Lu Wubing, who was sitting in the warm pavilion in the west wing of the main hall and watching the court session, was also a little surprised.

He wondered if this Grand Scholar might have some other ingenious plan or scheme.
"Mr. Lu, don't be fooled by that Grand Secretary Zhang. He is adept at using clever words and deception, and can make shameless words sound dignified. You'll see for yourself when you hear it."

Wang Quanzhong, the former deputy commander of the Golden Scale Guard and the newly appointed commander of the Golden Scale Guard, bowed his head, his face full of smiles, and explained in a low voice.

"Oh, I'd like to listen carefully. This is the first time I've ever seen an early morning court session. Getting up so early, it seems being an emperor isn't so easy."

Looking at the large tallow candles in the main hall, their dim light flickering, Lu Wubing yawned, picked up a piece of pink rice cake, and put it in his mouth.

Excellent, sweet and soft, it's a top-quality product.

Inside the hall, Grand Secretary Zhang said, "The envoy from Northern Zhou has requested three million taels of gold, thirty million taels of silver, ten thousand head of cattle and horses, and one million bolts of silk."

Furthermore, we demand the three towns of Changshan, Huling, and Heyou… If this is agreed to, we will immediately withdraw our troops and not invade Dali again. I believe this is not entirely impossible.”

"What……"

"This is outrageous! This is simply outrageous!"

"Isn't this tantamount to kneeling and begging for surrender?"

"If that were the case, our Great Li would surely be ridiculed by the world."

A turbulent atmosphere filled the air, with angry shouts echoing all around.

Lu Wubing noticed that most of these shouts came from the right column, which, to put it bluntly, meant that the military officers were very dissatisfied.

Yes, the local troops had indeed suffered several defeats. Therefore, the Northern Zhou army was ordered to advance rapidly for a thousand miles, pressing on to the capital.

But isn't this because they didn't react in time?

The imperial army has not yet set out, but there are still the Western Army and the Southeast Army, all well-organized, well-trained, and well-supplied.

This isn't even the end of the road yet. If we compromise like this, ceding three cities today and thirty tomorrow, what will become of the Great Li Dynasty?

"General Zhang, General Wang, you two have the strongest voices, so why don't we let you two lead the troops to meet the Northern Zhou King Jinyang and fight him to the death?"

"This……"

The two military officers, with their large bellies protruding and faces flushed, retreated again.

"If all else fails, we can mobilize the Western Yi cavalry in Hanoi, pay them money and supplies, and ask them to send troops to fight against the Northern Zhou. Also, the Eastern Yi navy is quite powerful, and we can borrow those Yi soldiers as well."

With the help of 100,000 barbarian soldiers, a pincer attack from both sides would surely put the Northern Zhou army in a dilemma, forcing them to retreat immediately.

The Left Censor-in-Chief and concurrently the Commander of the Capital Garrison stroked his beard and smiled, his tone resolute: "Rather than feeding these wolves of Northern Zhou and getting some uncertain promises, it's better to drive the wolves out and fight the tigers. Our Great Li will sit back and watch the outcome."

"I second that. I think it's feasible to borrow troops."

“Absolutely not, for those who are not of our clan will surely have different intentions.”

How could borrowed troops possibly satisfy their appetites?

"If this continues, we'll be like a tiger at the front door but a wolf at the back. It'll be easy to invite a god but hard to send him away, and the people of Dali will be the ones who suffer." "Your Majesty, I think peace talks are not impossible. A little money and grain is not a big deal."

At most, we'll just increase taxes a bit more, making life harder for the people.

As long as the Northern Zhou is satisfied and a brotherly alliance is formed... the people will live in peace and prosperity, and ultimately, they will be willing to accept it.

A fair-skinned, plump official said with a smile.

That makes a lot of sense.

Lu Wubing's eyebrows twitched as he listened, and he asked, "Who is this fat man? How can he say something like 'making the common people suffer'? Aren't the common people suffering too?"

"It is Minister of Revenue, Lord Wen Zhaojie."

"What a corrupt official."

Lu Wubing muttered a curse under his breath.

Along the way, we have seen the remains and bones of the dead lying everywhere by the roadside in the wild, and the phenomenon of exchanging children for food has already begun to appear.

However, the wealthy merchants and gentry in the city continued to sing and dance, all saying that the world was at peace.

This is a golden age.

Especially after arriving in the capital, the prosperity of the city was so great that even Lu Wubing, who had seen much in his previous life, had to admit that it was rich in resources and had many wealthy people.

Last night, when they attacked and killed the commander of the Golden Scale Guard and captured the heir of the Wing King.

At Qiuyi Tower, Lu Wubing discovered that the two of them had invited eight beauties and prepared thirty-eight elaborate dishes.

Amidst the clinking of glasses and the exchange of toasts, my appetite wasn't particularly strong.

Clearly, in their eyes, this meal was merely not shabby, edible, but they had no interest in eating much of it.

This is precisely why Lu Wubing didn't even have the intention of persuading him to surrender.

These brats are living the high life.

I'm not even living as well as they are.

Therefore, it's better to just switch to another one.

Let the Jinlin Guard Assistant Commander take over.

Not everyone is good at charging into battle, and even devising strategies requires considerable talent.

In every profession, you need some skills to make a living.

But in this world, the only thing that requires nothing else is being an official.

Anyone can sit on it, no, even if they're not a person, and act all high and mighty.

What if you do a good job, or what if you do a bad job?

Nobody cares.

Even if Lu Wubing were to be fed the Seven Insects and Seven Flowers Pill, it wouldn't be given to just anyone. The flowers, the medicine, and the life force used to cultivate it were all expensive.

It would be a shame to feed them to pigs.

Wang Quanzhong was one of the two Assistant Magistrates of the Golden Scale Guard... The reason he was promoted, rather than the other Assistant Magistrate surnamed Zhang, was that he was promoted.

The reason is simple: this man came from a poor family, specifically a peasant's son, and was promoted beyond his rank due to his military achievements. His martial arts skills were even superior to those of Commander Wei Tingwei.

In Lu Wubing's view, this person had begun to touch the threshold of the ultimate innate intent, and the true form of the baleful aura was lifelike.

But this one person, in charge of border intelligence and espionage against enemy countries, required a considerable amount of money and supplies. There were also very few opportunities for him to confiscate their property, exterminate their entire family, or commit other nefarious acts.

The family is short of money, and there's not enough to bribe officials.

For the past twenty years, he has been stuck in an intelligence position...

They seem to have power, but in reality, there's little to gain from it, and they're not promoted.

Lu Wubing didn't really care much about whether someone was honest or not.

He valued this person because he was someone who could get things done, someone he could use, and someone he wouldn't find too repulsive.

It's okay if I don't have money to give myself silver; I'm just short a little bit.

Just do things with care.

Therefore, the position of commander fell to him.

The situation was basically the same for the other guards. Those with bad reputations and bad character, or those who were greedy, were all executed by Lu Wubing and promoted to deputy.

If the deputy isn't good enough, then promote someone from below.

Overnight, he took control of all twelve guards, made them pay homage to the princess, and obeyed her every command.

With 60,000 personal guards, things could proceed.

The princess's position as regent began at this time, and it was truly deserved.

As for the emperor.

Well, Ji Jiufeng is in seclusion, cultivating in seclusion. I heard that every now and then she sends a batch of young girls in. I wonder if she's really cultivating in seclusion, or if she's engaging in dual cultivation?

As long as he doesn't come out, Lu Wubing won't bother with him for the time being.

He clearly understood what the principal contradiction was.

The Northern Zhou troops outside the city had not yet retreated, the barbarian king's envoys inside the city had not yet been eliminated, and he had not yet obtained his own "Form" character seal.

It is really not advisable to make any rash moves with the emperor.

He hadn't forgotten that in the Great Li world, there was supposedly an ancestor named Phoenix King who was still alive.

I don't know where he is in seclusion.

This man is one of the eight kings of the land; he is at least 180 or 190 years old, if not 200.

Seeing that his life is about to come to an end, who knows if this kind of person will come out to find some fun at the last moment?

What is the true nature of Ho-Oh?

According to Ji Wenxiu, this person's passion for Taoist cultivation surpassed his passion for power.

As long as there are enough resources, including rare and precious materials, and the Ji family bloodline is not completely extinct, he simply doesn't bother with trivial matters.

Thirty years ago, the Demonic Sect invaded the capital. The Heavenly Star Sect and the Demonic Sect fought to a standstill, and the Phoenix King did not even show up. One can imagine how indifferent this person is.

Therefore, the current situation is ultimately caused by Ji Wenxiu, a member of the Ji family, secretly causing trouble. There is no need to worry about one of the eight kings of the world taking action.

As for the emperor, perhaps he has some powerful backup plan.

However, as long as you can complete the character "形" yourself, there's basically nothing to worry about.

If one is invincible, one can make a hundred or a thousand mistakes.

The other party cannot make a single mistake.

How do you fight against yourself?

Furthermore, once the [Form] seal is complete, I can also consider pushing the [Primordial Spirit Sword Manual] forward a step, opening up two or three divine meridians, and making my sword intent advance by leaps and bounds.

Then it will be a completely different scene.

"I've basically figured it out. Less than 10% of the officials in the court are truly capable. These hundred-odd people are basically useless. How can the world not descend into chaos if things continue like this?"

I sat and watched for a while.

Lu Wubing's astonishing discovery.

After a heated debate in the imperial court, it turned out that Grand Secretary Zhang Zhongchu had the upper hand.

His proposal for peace talks received the support of more than half of the ministers in the court.

The remaining half, however, remained neutral, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Then, without consulting Ji Wenxiu's opinion, this Grand Scholar took it upon himself to decide on the peace talks.

In my previous life's history books, even the court officials during the Jingkang Incident weren't this weak.
At least during the Jingkang era, the Jin army even managed to enter the capital.

The enemy here hadn't even reached the city walls yet; they were just preparing to cross the river, and they'd already chickened out.

What dynasty is this?
But upon further reflection, Lu Wubing understood somewhat.

Even the emperor went mad and stopped attending court, so a princess was put in charge of overseeing the country.

There is not a single male heir to the royal family.

Several princes, whether in the capital or elsewhere, were all eyeing the opportunity covetously.

People's hearts have long since fallen apart.

Therefore, these civil and military officials stopped even bothering to perform.

If it weren't for the fact that being the first to kneel and surrender would have been embarrassing, at least seventy or eighty people out of more than a hundred in the court would have knelt down much earlier.

"That's it for now."

Lu Wubing stood up and slowly walked into the main hall.

Commander Wang Quanzhong of the Golden Scale Guard had a bitter smile on his face, but he dared not slack off in the slightest and followed closely behind.

Behind them, on one side of the hall, thousands of armored soldiers stood in full armor and solemnity.

……

(End of this chapter)