Audience with the King

Wei Yuan had just settled in at the post-house when Zhao Tong arrived. Wei Yuan welcomed Zhao Tong into the courtyard and seated him in the main hall. Zhao Tong looked around and remarked, "The King holds Lord Wei in high regard indeed. In the past, this Yixin Courtyard was reserved only for princes of the blood and dukes visiting the capital for an audience. Ordinary folk could never hope to stay here." Wei Yuan immediately assumed a look of apprehension. "Then I had better change to another courtyard. Overstepping propriety is no trivial matter!" Zhao Tong gave a hearty laugh. "His Majesty has already granted you the privilege of court half-ceremony; in everyday matters, your treatment naturally steps up a grade. You are already rank two, so receiving rank-one courtesies is only proper. Rest easy and stay right here!" Wei Yuan stood up, bowed toward the royal palace from afar, and only then sat back down, murmuring his deep trepidation. Zhao Tong nodded slightly. "My purpose in coming is simply to go over the arrangements for your trip with you, Lord Wei, lest you be caught unprepared and lose your bearings when the time comes." "Please instruct me, Steward Zhao." Zhao Tong said, "The first major matter is your audience with the King. Hearing that you had entered the capital, His Majesty was exceedingly pleased and scheduled your audience for tomorrow's morning court. Heh, the King is quite eager!" "What does this audience entail, and what preparations should I make?" "For this audience, the most crucial matter is delineating your administrative domain." Wei Yuan said, "Isn't such a matter decided well in advance? How could there be any room for me to speak?" Zhao Tong chuckled. "Lord Wei is clever indeed! But that applies to ancestral precedents and routine custom. Lord Wei is a special case, so naturally things are different. Let me give you a quiet hint: this delineation of domain will fix only the southeast, not the northwest. The east and south are already set; the west and north are yours to take." This outcome was within Wei Yuan's expectations, but he still had some doubts, so he asked, "A domain's expansion doesn't distinguish between east, west, south, and north. As it creeps outward, crossing boundaries is inevitable. What should be done then?" Zhao Tong gave a sly chuckle. "Are you testing me, Lord Wei? An administrative domain and a mystical domain are two entirely different things. Even if your domain expands eastward, the administrative jurisdiction might not belong to you. And to the west, even if your domain hasn't reached it, that doesn't prevent it from becoming your territory. Take the east: as Domain Lord, whether favorable weather and bountiful harvests grace your domain is entirely up to your single thought, isn't it? Won't the officials serving within your domain ultimately have to curry favor with you in the future?" Wei Yuan was taken aback. "It works like that? Aren't they coming to... keep me in check?" Zhao Tong said, "Normally that would be the case, but who told Lord Wei to enjoy such immense royal favor and have powerful backing to boot? The Western Regions are barren, and the King never thought much of them anyway. If Lord Wei renders meritorious service in the future, it's not impossible for those eastern commanderies and counties to be placed under your command as well." "Many thanks for the guidance, Steward Zhao!" "The second major matter is the Autumn Hunt. Right now, this is of paramount importance to the King. It is said an expert divined the heavenly secrets and revealed that whoever performs exceptionally in this Autumn Hunt can stimulate Great Jin's national fortune and elevate Great Jin's power to another level. Therefore, whether for the public good or your private interests, Lord Wei, you must give it your all. This is my private advice to you." *The King of Jin is actually falling for that sort of nonsense now?* Wei Yuan grumbled inwardly, but outwardly he lamented, "The steward might not know, but once I leave my domain, I grow weak. Right now, only twenty to thirty percent of my Dao power remains. How could I compete for the top?" Zhao Tong said, "I have heard a bit about Lord Wei's predicament, which is why I brought a treasure with me." From his sleeve he retrieved a small vial, set it upon the table, and said, "This is a Jade Void Phantasm Pill, a treasure I quietly slipped out from the inner treasury. Cultivating the real from the illusory, this pill borrows one's own Dao power from past time, instantly restoring one to peak strength. It might be of use to you, Lord Wei." This was indeed an unexpected pleasant surprise. The Jade Void Phantasm Pill was a renowned battlefield medicine capable of instant recovery, the cost being an ensuing period of weakness. For the current Wei Yuan, it was exceptionally suited to his condition: within thirty breaths of ingestion, it would restore him to his peak state. Accepting the pill, Wei Yuan immediately had a box of immortal silver brought out and presented to him. Zhao Tong tucked it into his sleeve without a word and took his leave. After Zhao Tong departed, Wei Yuan began to carefully sort through the information in his words. The fact that he could bring a Jade Void Phantasm Pill indicated a clear grasp of Wei Yuan's condition. It seemed the traitor within the domain knew a great deal. Furthermore, Zhao Tong had specifically brought up the Autumn Hunt, which meant it was undeniably of immense importance to the King of Jin, though whether it held the significance presented on the surface remained uncertain. Meanwhile, calling cards began arriving one after another, all from officials of various ranks in the Western Jin court. Wei Yuan examined them one by one. They were all middling officials—either having some connection to him or relegated to idle posts with thwarted ambitions, hoping to curry favor with a rising star. The true heavyweights, proud of their status or uncertain of the King of Jin's genuine stance toward him, naturally wouldn't jump out to associate with him at this moment. Wei Yuan instructed his attendants to store the calling cards away, while he retreated into a quiet chamber to cultivate. Since establishing Qingming, this was the first time he had traveled so far from it, far exceeding theoretical limits. At this moment, Ten Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains lay dead and silent. Not a wisp of spiritual qi seeped from the ground, and his entire Dao Foundation appeared somewhat ethereal. Wei Yuan tested his condition. The Dao power he could currently mobilize was roughly a tenth of what he commanded in the domain, and this portion was entirely stored within his physical body. His physical strength, on the other hand, was normal and unaffected. Furthermore, the three immortal plants were still vibrant with life, and the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword still shone as bright as ever. Wei Yuan tested the various fixtures in his Dao Foundation. All the faceless warriors were in a semi-illusory state and could not be mobilized. Maiden Yin-Yang, however, remained unchanged. Wei Yuan believed that if he possessed enough otherworldly fortune, he could still call upon her to strike; it was just that right now he didn't have a single shred of otherworldly fortune, and in fact, likely owed quite a bit. Unexpectedly, the newly born dharma idol warrior could actually move! Although moving it felt exceedingly sluggish and heavy, like a rusted iron man, it could indeed move! Presumably, possessing a dharma idol allowed it to draw some origin qi from heaven and earth, enabling it to be barely driven. Having assessed his physical condition, Wei Yuan held the Crimson Night Immortal-Slaying Sword and began sword contemplation, swiftly forgetting both self and external world. For this audience with the King, he would have to rely on the Sword of Ten Thousand Generations and Autumns. Early the next morning, Wei Yuan finished washing, donned a brand-new rank-two court robe, and boarded the carriage that had long been waiting outside the post-house. When he stepped out of the courtyard gate, the sky was still dark, the surroundings hushed, the entire city still slumbering. The carriage traversed street after street and came to a stop before the royal palace. By now, the palace gates stood open. Carriages arrived in succession, and court officials of all ranks alighted, filing into the palace one after another. When Wei Yuan stepped down from his carriage, numerous gazes immediately turned toward him, yet no one spoke to him. Naturally perceptive, Wei Yuan sensed that many of those looks harbored ill will. Wei Yuan kept his eyes straight ahead as he crossed the palace gates, walked over the plaza, and headed toward the great hall. As dawn hovered on the verge of breaking and the first sliver of morning light appeared, the civil and military officials had already gathered in the hall, standing in solemn silence. Just then, multiple palace lanterns above the throne flared to life in unison, casting beams of light that formed a white jade bridge to the side. Led by several palace attendants, the King of Jin entered the hall from the side, stepped onto the white jade bridge formed of lantern light, and walked step by step to the throne. With a sweep of his sleeves, he slowly sat down. The lights atop the hall shifted once more, the beams shining around the throne and casting the throne itself into shadow. The King of Jin's countenance was concealed in the dark; a fleeting glance revealed little of his expression, making it impossible to discern his joy, anger, sorrow, or pleasure. The morning court commenced, and the assembly bowed in homage. Wei Yuan did not yet possess the standing to step onto the dais and deliberate court affairs, so he was positioned in a corner below the dais. When the officials knelt in worship, his dropping to one knee did not look out of place. After the courtesies concluded, the Left Prime Minister stepped forward and reported, "Wei Yuan, Military Commissioner of Dingxi, has entered the capital for an audience to express gratitude for the King's favor." "Where is Wei Yuan?" The palace attendant beside Wei Yuan made a gesture, and Wei Yuan stepped out from below the dais, ascending the hall with steady strides. In an instant, the eyes of the entire civil and military court fell upon him—some appraising, some curious, but mostly suspicious and distasteful. Yet these gazes were almost tangible. In an instant, Wei Yuan felt as if a mountain had been placed onto his back, and his legs actually went weak! Most of the courtiers possessed cultivation, and the majority were dharma idol cultivators. Even the two young attendants standing before the throne possessed late Dao Foundation cultivation. Deep within the shadows flanking the hall, two intensely profound auras stirred faintly, like surging illusory seas. Such an aura was something Wei Yuan had witnessed only on Patriarch Xuanyue. Evidently, more than one Scenery Command cultivator stood outside the hall, monitoring every movement within. In the entire hall, Wei Yuan's cultivation was the lowest. Moreover, he was in a weakened state, his Dao power having receded to the level of an ordinary Earth Tier cultivator. These officials had eyes like knives and had long seen right through Wei Yuan's true state. Furthermore, several of those gazes were blatantly malicious, heaping immense pressure onto Wei Yuan out of thin air. As advanced dharma idol cultivators, they could already turn the illusory into substance to a limited degree; a mere glance could exert thousands of jin of force. In a flash, more than ten thousand jin of weight pressed down upon Wei Yuan! Wei Yuan instantly understood: someone wanted to force him to his knees, or even bring him sprawling to the floor, humiliating him before the throne! Their actions were subtle. The Left and Right Prime Ministers, who were quite likely Scenery Command True Monarchs themselves, seemed entirely oblivious, and the King of Jin seated high above remained impassive. A rush of hot blood suddenly surged straight to Wei Yuan's head! Heaven, Earth, ruler, parents, and teachers were all worthy of homage and should be bowed to. Accepting Jin's noble title and stipend, bowing to the King of Jin was also proper duty. But being forcibly compelled to kneel was something Wei Yuan could never endure! That person, or those people, even wished to make him collapse into a heap, turning him into a laughingstock forever after. Wei Yuan had known entering the capital for an audience would inevitably stir up troubles, but he had never imagined someone would strike covertly right in the royal court. His thoughts raced like lightning, reaching a decision in an instant. A dense flurry of popping sounds rang out from the joints within his body as immense strength surged from his physical frame. His knees, which had already buckled, slowly straightened against the crushing dharma idol pressure! The person behind the scheme seemed astonished, adding three successive bursts of massive force, but it only caused Wei Yuan to sway faintly without forcing him down. Seeing that several officials had already shown slight changes in expression, the invisible pressure slowly receded, full of reluctance. The morning audience was merely going through the motions. The King of Jin offered a few words of encouragement, and after Wei Yuan gave thanks, a palace attendant escorted him out of the hall. Only then did the ministers proceed to discuss state affairs, secrets Wei Yuan was not permitted to hear. As he stepped out of the palace, Wei Yuan looked back, a cold sneer on his lips. Such people dared only pull tricks from the shadows. If they truly found him an eyesore, why not test his mettle with tens of thousands of armored cavalry? This petty display merely exposed their cowardice beneath a fierce front. As for who it was, Wei Yuan already had a good idea. Since they wanted to make him lose face before the throne and become a laughingstock, Wei Yuan had no intention of being polite in return.