National Division

Chapter 98 Shen Xian, that brat, truly deserves to die! (9,000-word update, please vote!)

Just as Shen Xian entered the cave where the Shangqing Sect was located and came into contact with the immortals, the ancestral home of the Cui family of Boling was located in Chengfufang.

This mansion was built along the Luo River. The houses were magnificent and the buildings were connected. It was home to twelve branches of the Cui family of Boling in the capital. The Cui family had many members, and their fields, houses and buildings were spacious, with carved beams and painted rafters, flying eaves and hooked corners, all hidden in layers.

"The old man is back."

The servants sitting on the long bench outside the door suddenly stood up as they spoke, going to greet them and deliver the message.

After taking the pill from Murong Yue, Cui Yan's face was rosy and his voice was full of energy. He entered the courtyard with the help of his steward.

At this moment, the Cui clan members, led by Cui Yan's eldest son Cui Kun, and including Cui Ang, Cui Sheng, Cui Shang, and Cui An, all gathered at the ceremonial gate to welcome him.

They were dressed either in Confucian robes or official attire, and their gazes toward Cui Yan were all respectful.

"Father." Cui Kun, seemingly having heard the news from the servants who had arrived earlier, stepped forward to support him and asked, "Is it about what happened at court?"

Cui Yan waved his hand and said, "Let's go inside and talk."

As everyone spoke, they escorted Cui Yan into the hall inscribed with the three large golden characters "Dunbentang".

The hall was newly furnished and decorated in a simple and elegant style. The tea tables and chairs were spotless, reflecting clear and bright images. The surrounding area was decorated with calligraphy and paintings by famous figures, all of whom were founding ministers and high-ranking officials.

Cui Yan sat down, and several maids stood behind him, massaging his shoulders.

"Father, an imperial edict from the Secretariat-Chancellery has been issued, stating that you are to be removed from your position as Chancellor." Cui Kun, who served as Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, said with a solemn expression.

Cui Yan almost gritted his teeth as he said, "It's that brat Shen Xian!"

Even with this person mentioned, Cui Yan's aged face still showed signs of anger.

Whenever he thinks about being publicly berated and verbally abused to the point of exhaustion, he feels humiliated and helpless.

Even the late Emperor Hongxi had never treated him like this!

Ordinary people who lose an argument will go back and sulk and reflect on the incident, let alone Cui Yan, who prides himself on his unparalleled eloquence.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got...

"This boy used his silver tongue to bewitch the Empress, and in the court he verbally attacked and slandered my Cui and Lu clans. He is truly hateful!" Cui Yan said, and then slammed his hand on the small table, causing the teacup on it to jump up, which startled everyone in the hall.

What outrageous thing did this brat Shen Xian do to make his usually calm and composed father so furious?

"My lord, the imperial edict from the Secretariat has been issued." Just then, a servant rushed into the hall, carrying a copy of the edict.

Cui Kun quickly stepped forward and took the palace scroll from the servant. It contained a complete record of the conversations at today's court assembly.

In particular, the scene of Cui Yan's initial strong performance followed by his righteous rebuttal, leaving him speechless, felt like a replay of the previous one.

"Shen Xian, you brat! He deserves to die!" When Cui Kun, who was usually very well-mannered, saw Shen Xian's words in the palace scroll condemning the Cui and Lu clans, his elegant and fair face twitched, veins bulged on his forehead, and he gripped the palace scroll tightly with both hands.

"Brother, let me see." Cui Sheng stepped forward, took the palace scroll from Cui Kun's hand, and quickly began to read it. The brothers Cui An and Cui Shang, who were standing nearby, also came forward to take a look.

As time passed, the three men's expressions grew increasingly grim, and anger welled up between their brows.

Traitor Cui Lu!

How dare this person shout such a slogan?
Cui Shang frowned, his gaze unfriendly, and asked, "This person is incredibly arrogant? His surname is Shen? Could he be from the Shen family of Lanxi?"

Apart from Shen Lin, who held the position of Junior Supervisor of the Secretariat, there were indeed no other prominent members of the Shen clan serving as officials in the capital.

Cui Ang pondered for a moment before continuing, "Today at the Ministry of Justice, I heard an interesting story about the Court of Judicial Review. Yesterday, it seems that the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, Suo Yuanli, arrested the wrong person. The Empress Dowager stripped him of all his official positions and exiled him to Lingnan. The person he arrested was the Shen family of Lanxi."

"He is a son of a concubine from the Shen family of Lanxi!" Cui Yan confirmed the two's suspicions and said angrily, "The Shen family of Lanxi is nothing but a small, declining clan. In the vast capital, they have to keep a low profile. Even Shen Lin wouldn't dare to be so arrogant in front of me. This brat Shen Xian is heartless and insane. Today, he openly slandered my Cui family in the Qian Yuan Hall. He deserves to die!"

Just then, a clear voice came from outside the eaves: "Grandfather, who dares to slander the Cui family?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall, handsome young man leading the way, followed by two young disciples and two pretty women.

"You'er, you're back." Cui Kun's face lit up with a broad smile when he saw the young man who had just turned twenty.

The newcomer was none other than Cui You, the eldest son of the Cui family, who was ranked 300th on the Immortal Ranking and the Human Ranking and whose cultivation was at the Danxia Realm.

He was dressed in a moon-white silk robe with dark cloud patterns, his figure was tall and slender, and a black rhinoceros horn belt was tied around his waist. The belt buckle was made of mutton fat white jade. A jade pendant with a coiled dragon hung on his left side, and a purse with tassels hanging down on his right side.

An air of nobility and high status emanated from him.

Not far behind them followed two men and two women, all dressed in fine clothes, adorned with jade and gold ornaments, exquisitely woven and embroidered, dazzling and radiant like gods.

Lu Ziling and the others bowed to the elders of the Cui family and asked, "Uncles and aunts, what's going on here?"

"Yes, Uncle, what has caused such shock and anger?" Zheng Ya's fair and handsome face showed surprise.

Cui You, Lu Ziling, and Zheng Ya, were hailed as the Three Outstanding Figures of the Imperial Academy by busybodies in the capital, or rather, by those who wanted to flatter the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families.

In terms of age and cultivation level, Cui You is the leader, Lu Ziling is the second, and Zheng Ya is the third.

As for the other two women, one was dressed in a well-tailored white samurai outfit, her hair tied in a high ponytail, and a treasured sword with a sharkskin sheath at her waist. This woman had an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, high cheekbones, a tall figure, and a beautiful appearance. However, her eyes, which were somewhat similar to Cui You's, were full of arrogance.

She was Cui You's younger sister, Cui Mei, a disciple of Haoyang Daoist of the Yuqing Sect.

The other woman wore a flowing blue-green dress with wide sleeves, a jade belt around her waist, and a sword hanging from her waist. She had the oval face typical of women from Xingyang, with fair skin, crescent-shaped eyebrows and eyes, a delicate nose and a cherry-like mouth. She moved with an ethereal grace, exuding an air of otherworldly beauty.

She is Zheng Ya's older sister, Zheng Nianxi, who is a disciple of Shaoyang Daoist of the Yuqing Sect.

“Nephew Ziling, take a look. The Shen family of Lanxi has dared to insult the ancestors of my Cui and Lu clans.” Cui Angfang’s beard twitched with anger.

Lu Ziling stepped forward first, took the copy of the document from the palace, and was initially somewhat careless, but soon his face turned red and a murderous intent was visible in his eyes.

"How dare you, thief!"

How dare this man utter the words "traitor Cui Lu"?
They truly deserve to die!

Cui Yan's face was ashen. He picked up the fragrant tea offered by his son Cui Kun, took a sip, and said in a deep voice, "This man is currently a scholar of the Zhaowen Academy, holding the rank of the fifth grade. The Empress is using this man as a weapon, clearly intending to target our aristocratic families!"

Although I had long anticipated that the Empress Dowager would retaliate after the Prince of Qing's rebellion was quelled, I did not expect it to happen so quickly!

Cui You asked, "Grandfather, where is this boy Shen Xian now?"

Cui Yan seemed to have calmed down as well, and said in a cold voice, "He is a scholar of the Zhaowen Pavilion and also holds the position of Commander of the Vermilion Bird Division. He should still be in the palace now."

"One person holding both civil and military positions?" Upon hearing this, Cui You raised his sharp eyebrows, a look of shock appearing in his eyes. He couldn't help but ask, "Why was he appointed as the Vermilion Bird Garrison Commander?"

Cui You had not yet entered officialdom, so of course he still wanted to enter officialdom through the imperial examination and rank among the top three, so that the royal family would grant him the power of the Vermilion Bird, enhance his cultivation, and strive to condense the Dao embryo in one fell swoop.

This was a compromise made by the late Emperor Hongxi with powerful families on the imperial examination system and the Zhuque Envoy system, which did not prohibit powerful families from participating in the imperial examination.

“Yes, Father, the Cui family has pleaded several times for such an important place as the Vermilion Bird Division, but we simply cannot get in.” Cui Sheng’s tone was also dissatisfied, and he frowned and said, “Let alone such an important position as the Commander of the Vermilion Bird Division, what merit or ability does Shen Xian have?”

Cui Kun said indignantly, "You'er also wanted to be a commander in the Vermilion Bird Division, but neither the palace nor the division's commander allowed it. To just casually grant it to an unknown young man like this, the Empress's personnel selection is becoming more and more absurd." "Preferring to give to the poor rather than the powerful, the Empress's prejudice against our aristocratic families has deepened over the past two years." Cui Ang had a fiery temper, and his stern and dignified face was as cold as frost, showing little respect for the Empress.

Suppressing the surge of jealousy and resentment in his heart, Cui You asked, "Grandfather, why did the Empress bestow the title of Vermilion Bird Envoy upon Shen Xian?"

It's not a pleasant feeling to have something you've always dreamed of easily obtained by someone else.

"The Empress Dowager ordered him to oversee the Qilin Pavilion, saying she was going to establish two departments: Demon Slaying and Spirit Pacifying." Cui Yan put down his teacup and said disdainfully, "What can a mere brat who only knows how to talk big possibly do?"

Cui Ang gave a few instructions to a servant, his expression turned solemn, and he cupped his hands and said, "Father, I have already sent someone to investigate Shen Xian's background."

"Qilin Pavilion?" Upon hearing these three words, Lu Ziling murmured, his deep-set eyes revealing a hint of reminiscence.

Lu Ziling was ranked eleventh in the third rank of the Qilin Ranking. Shen Xian had previously instructed the Qilin Pavilion to prepare the Qilin Daily and various preferential measures for those who were on the third, fourth, and fifth ranks, and he had also informed Lu Ziling of this.

Zheng Ya's thick eyebrows, drawn with ink strokes, furrowed slightly as he asked, "Isn't Second Brother currently ranked first in the C rank of the Qilin Ranking?"

Facing the puzzled looks of the crowd, Lu Ziling explained, "Today, I was wondering why, when I was studying at the Imperial Academy, I heard that a minor official from the Qilin Pavilion was recruiting students to work on the Qilin Pavilion newspaper, saying that they would pay them for their writing. All the poor students from impoverished families in the academy eagerly signed up."

Cui Youjun's handsome face was full of realization: "That makes sense! With demons and monsters causing chaos in the world, the Empress must have been desperate and decided to have this Scholar Shen gather martial artists from all over the world to slay the demons and monsters!"

By the end, his tone was full of contempt.

“You’er is right. That brat Shen Xian submitted a memorial to the Empress, entitled ‘Policy for Governance,’ which is to use all the martial artists in the world to suppress demons,” Cui Yan affirmed.

Cui You asked, "Grandfather, may I ask what Shen Xian's cultivation level is?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the Cui family became concerned.

If their cultivation level is high, then it will be tricky.

Cui Yan shook his head and said, "I can't tell from this old man's appearance; perhaps his martial arts cultivation is not high."

At the beginning of the Great Jing Dynasty, it was still in the stage of the struggle between the Taoist sects and the royal family, and the Taoist system of various sects and the Taoist official system of the court had not yet been fully formed.

Cui Yan, born during the Zhenyuan era, entered officialdom early on through his family's classical studies. He was focused on his career and his research on Daoist scriptures was superficial, thus he had no chance to pursue immortality.

In fact, it was only the second and third generations of noble families in the dynasty who immersed themselves in and studied Taoism, and it was only in the third generation that they practiced it more.

The path to immortality depends on one's personal enlightenment and spirituality, while worldly affairs distract one's mind and spirit. Moreover, a person's life is only a hundred years long, and time and energy are limited. If one wants to achieve something in cultivation, it is inevitable to give up worldly official positions.

Therefore, not every second-generation member of aristocratic families achieves significant success in cultivation; most remain stuck in the second, third, or fourth realms of immortality.

Very few people can both have a successful official career and advance to the fifth or sixth realm. Even if they reach this level, they feel that longevity and freedom are the true path, so they only hold a respectable and noble position and give up their official posts.

Because, the further one goes, the more intertwined human destiny and immortal destiny become, the more it affects cultivation.

"Then let Sixth Uncle take a look when he has time." Cui You thought for a moment and turned his gaze to Cui Shang, who was not far away.

Standing to the side, Cui Youliu's uncle, Cui Shang, under the watchful eyes of everyone, slowly said, "If the age is the same, the cultivation level should not be too high. This person's age is what it is, not yet twenty years old. He has cultivated both the immortal and martial arts to the third realm, which is already remarkable. Otherwise, his name would definitely be recorded on the Human Ranking. I have never heard of Shen Xian on the Human Ranking."

The Heavenly Ranking has thirty-six entries, the Earthly Ranking seventy-two entries, and the Human Ranking three hundred and sixty-five entries. There are age and combat power restrictions for those who make it onto the list, which can be said to record all the elite immortals and outstanding talents in the world.

"Then he's not a cultivator of the immortal path. If he comes from the Shen family of Lanxi, what profound martial arts cultivation could he possibly have?" Cui Sheng, who had cultivated martial arts to the fifth realm in the Cui family, had a glint in his eyes beneath his thick eyebrows, and his disdain was undisguised as he said, "Back then, the two brothers from the Shen family of Lanxi, one is now a halberd-wielding gatekeeper at the Left Guard, and the other is now a county magistrate in Guhe County. What cultivation could they possibly have?"

"How dare you, a mere county magistrate, insult my Cui family?" Cui Sheng's face flushed with anger. "Is Guhe County in Anzhou? Have Ninth Brother find a way to remove that Shen family member from his position as county magistrate!"

Cui Xu, the governor of Anzhou, was the ninth son in the Cui clan and was known as Cui Jiu in the capital.

Cui Kun nodded slightly and looked at Cui Sheng, saying, "Fourth brother works in the Ministry of War, so he should know the Shen family very well."

The members of the Cui family chatted amongst themselves, while Cui An remained silent throughout.

"Eighth Brother, what do you think?" Cui Kun looked at Cui An, who was not yet forty years old. He wore a blue scholar's robe, his hair was tied up in a Taoist bun, his face was as dark as water, he was silent, his eyes flickered, and it was unknown what he was thinking.

Cui Yan also put down his teacup and looked at Cui Shi, the resourceful eighth son.

Cui An said, "Father, this person must be extraordinary to gain the trust of the palace at such a young age. I think he should not be underestimated."

Cui Ang scoffed, “What methods could they possibly have? I think Eighth Brother is just being overly cautious. How many sycophants like these have there been in recent years? Before Lai Jing, Hou Sizhi, Suo Yuanli and the like rose to power, they were nothing but petty scoundrels. The palace just mistook these stinking stones from the latrine for gold!”

Cui You cupped his hands and said, "Grandfather, since this Shen Xian has been appointed to the Qilin Pavilion, Brother Lu and I should first assess his worth!"

Cui You, also at the peak of the Grandmaster realm, ranked fifth in the C category of the Qilin Ranking, but did not make it into the top three, and did not take pride in it.

Instead, they use their ranking on the Immortal Daoist Ranking as a source of pride.

These scions of noble families know that martial arts cannot lead to immortality, and with no future path available, their main focus is on supplementing their martial arts training to increase their self-defense capabilities so that they can one day take over military power.

Lu Ziling said coldly, "If all he knows is how to talk big, then he should suffer."

You can't say that someone who was promoted to the Qilin Pavilion is incompetent in martial arts, can you?

Zheng Ya cautioned, "After all, he is an official appointed by the imperial court; it's not appropriate to kill him."

"It's just to teach him a lesson and vent our anger. Otherwise, what will the world think of the Cui and Lu families?" Lu Ziling said indignantly.

Because Shen Xian had not only insulted the Cui family of Boling, but also included the Lu family in his insults.

“Brother, you’re right. They’ve insulted us so badly, we can’t talk back, but we can at least fight back, right?” Cui You’s face turned cold and fierce as he sneered, “Then we can issue them a challenge in the next two days and make them lose face in the capital!”

It is conceivable that once the palace scandal spread throughout the court and the country, countless people would want to see the Cui and Lu families make a fool of themselves. If they did not retaliate severely, wouldn't they truly become a laughing stock?
Cui Kun, always cautious, turned his gaze to Cui Yan, who was slightly narrowing his eyes as if weighing the pros and cons, and asked, "Father, is what You'er is thinking feasible?"

"Let's find out about the child's cultivation level first," Cui Yan said. "I think that although the Shen family of Lanxi is known for its cultivation in both literature and martial arts, they are not good at either. Even if the whole family puts all its efforts into it, what kind of martial artist can they cultivate? The second generation of the family members are not even grandmasters, so there should be no major problem."

In martial arts training, the most important thing is innate talent, followed by resources, and then a famous teacher. How can the Shen family of Lanxi compare with the century-old and prestigious Cui family of Boling?

Cui Kun turned to look at Cui An: "Eighth Brother, what do you think?"

“If he truly cultivates martial arts after joining the Empress’s service, she will surely distribute spiritual medicine to win him over. However, martial arts battles and skill training are a long and arduous process that cannot be rushed. You’er’s suggestion has a 90% chance of success, but…” Cui An nodded in approval as he spoke, estimating that it was pretty much the right approach.

"But what?" Cui Kun asked.

"I'm afraid they won't listen." Cui An smiled wryly and said, "Brother, they use their literary talents to assist the king, not to engage in military affairs. If they don't accept your challenge, what can you do?"

"At that time, it was just a convenient excuse that he was all talk and no action, and that his 'Policy on Governance' was nothing but a bunch of underhanded tricks to send warriors to their deaths," Cui Ang chimed in.

Cui Sheng nodded and said, "In that case, we can ruin his reputation, and the so-called traitorous words at today's court meeting will be proven false."

It depends on who says it. If Shen Xian is truly regarded as a strategist who only knows how to talk big, then the damage to the reputation of the Cui and Lu clans will be greatly reduced.

Conversely, if Shen Xian achieves greater success and reputation in the future, then his words about "traitors Cui and Lu" will spread like wildfire throughout the world, forming a consensus and even earning him a place in history.

Reputation is not achieved overnight; it is always built step by step through glorious and righteous deeds.

They dared not accept the challenge from the young members of the Cui and Lu clans. Although it was nothing special, it still went against the principles of honor and righteousness.

(End of this chapter)