Power

Leaving the stone hut that housed the communication crystal, the three walked quietly along the flagged stone path. Not a sound stirred throughout the expansive county yamen. After the demonic beast calamity, it was no longer under the heavy guard it had maintained when they first arrived. All the Shengshan border army troops stationed on duty here had been dispatched across Shengshan County to keep order. After they had walked quite a distance, Xu Yuan let out a long sigh. An engagement. Marriage had always felt so distant to him, whether in this life or his previous one. Back in his past life, his elders had constantly nagged him to marry after he graduated from university, but nagging was one thing, and paying attention to it was another. Now, it was truly placed right in front of him. Mu Zhiyun... Her appearance unconsciously surfaced in Xu Yuan's mind. A very beautiful woman, and a fiercely unyielding one. Before he even managed to drug her, she had nearly bitten him. She probably despised him. After what had happened back then, it would be unnatural if she didn't. This engagement was entirely a political marriage. Because of his family background, Xu Yuan had seen families formed through political marriages in his past life. He had an elder he was fairly close to who had lived like that. Though married with children, each went their own way. Even well into his forties and fifties, the man still went clubbing every day with youngsters like Xu Yuan, partying even wilder than they did. Xu Yuan gave a gentle shake of his head. Times were different now. Although this world largely preserved the social customs of ancient times from his previous life... Reaching this thought, Xu Yuan stopped pursuing it. Thinking about it was enough to give him a headache. Rather than dwelling on it, he might as well take things one step at a time. For now, it was only an engagement, and even an engagement could be broken off. Walking onward, they arrived before the drill grounds blanketed with the corpses of the fallen Shengshan border army soldiers. Just beyond lay the main hall where Colonel Wang was stationed. Colonel Wang had not waited outside the communication crystal hut for him. With so many dead in the beast horde, Shengshan County's administrative system had essentially ground to a halt. There was simply too much to handle, and he couldn't be everywhere at once. As they walked along the uneven flagstones, suddenly, a cool, quiet voice came from beside Xu Yuan: "Xu Yuan... are you getting married?" It was the big block of ice. Her serene eyes stared at him without blinking. She seemed to have pondered for a long time before blurting out this single question. Xu Yuan thought for a moment and gave a helpless smile. "I have little say in the matter. Still, it'll most likely fall through." Hearing the latter half of his words, Ran Qingmo blinked her lovely eyes. "Fall through? You mean something will go wrong?" Xu Yuan pondered briefly and answered in a low voice, "Marquis Wucheng's Manor belongs to the royalist faction. He has never gotten along with my father in the imperial court. Previously, over that matter involving me, he nearly came to blows with my father right in Jinluan Hall. This reconciliation is most likely the Emperor's idea." Beside them, Xu Xinyao suddenly asked in a soft voice, "Then, Third Brother, if this is His Majesty's will, why would anything go wrong?" Xu Yuan glanced at her and pointed to his head. "Xiao Si, use your head more when things happen." "..." Xu Xinyao's lovely eyes flickered. Xu Yuan did not rush to speak, waiting quietly beside her. After a long while, Xu Xinyao said softly, "Is it because of the rift between His Majesty and Father?" Her answer was brief. Satisfied, Xu Yuan nodded. "Looks like you aren't completely foolish after all—just too naive. You can figure it out if you actually think about it. "When all the birds are gone, the bow is put away; when the hares are killed, the hunting hounds are boiled. The rumor in the Imperial Capital claiming that 'Without the Chancellor's nod, no decree leaves Jinluan Hall' might be an exaggeration, but as a minister, the power Father currently wields is truly far too great." Xu Xinyao fell silent. Their father treated her like his own child and kept virtually nothing from her, so she was well aware of how far the Chancellor's Manor's reach extended. Financially, they possessed the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce, whose wealth rivaled nations. The Black Scale Guards, the intelligence apparatus under Aunt Lou Ji's command, was even more formidable than the imperial court's Secret Investigation Bureau. As for martial power, they had avenues like the Tian'an Martial Halls spread across the world to recruit troops. Though she did not know the exact number of troops her father commanded, she could make a rough guess. Because Great Yan was truly vast. Seeing his fourth sister's silence, Xu Yuan raised a hand to gently stroke the ends of her hair and said softly: "I heard Aunt Lou Ji mention that Father met the current Emperor when they were young, traveling the world. At the time, the Emperor was still merely a prince. The two of them saw the decay of the imperial court, saw the callous ruthlessness of the sects, and witnessed the suffering of the common people. It inspired them both to change it all. Later, Father supported Li Yaoxuan's ascension to the throne. Sympathizing with each other's ideals, they launched reforms, intent on bringing the sects to heel. "Father's current power might have been nurtured by the Emperor's own hands, but over these past decades, his growth has likely far exceeded what the Emperor ever anticipated. The mutual appreciation they once shared has probably changed, shifting into suspicion, doubt, and mutual exploitation." At this point, Xu Yuan gave Xu Xinyao a meaningful look. "Xiao Si, if you were the Emperor, would you allow a powerful minister like Father to exist?" "..." Xu Xinyao remained silent. After a short pause, she spoke in a low voice, though avoiding answering in the first person: "His Majesty probably wouldn't." "Of course he wouldn't," Xu Yuan replied at once, his tone distant. "People change. Father changes, and so does the Emperor. Familial affection is nonexistent in the royal house, let alone toward an outsider who merely shared his ideals in the past." With that, Xu Yuan looked out over the vast sea of corpses on the drill grounds and said softly: "In the Emperor's eyes, Father is only a blade—a blade used to sever the heads of the sects. In the past, Father was probably well aware of this, yet he was willing to be that blade in the Emperor's hand because they shared a common goal. "To eradicate the sects and return peace to the realm. "But now, everything has changed. "Decades have altered so very much. Father gained a wife, had us, and gathered those fiercely loyal subordinates following behind him. "And, of course, power." Xu Yuan's eyes were calm. Power corroded the human heart. Once someone tasted power, few could ever let it go. Xu Yinhe was an adequate father, but he was no saint. Even if his cultivation was at the Saint realm, he himself was not one. A Saint in cultivation was merely a title born of other people's flattery. Old Man Luo had mentioned this before: in life, he was merely an ordinary person with stronger cultivation. A true moral saint was hard to come by even in a thousand years. Their father was already trapped too deep. Giving up power meant giving up too much—himself, his family, his subordinates, an entire chain of people would be purged. Mercy could never be gained by begging. Xu Yuan spoke softly: "To the Emperor, Father has become a spiritual-charm blade that has developed a mind of its own. And to Father, the Emperor has become an obstacle. "Right now, with the formidable threat of the sects lingering outside, they can still work together. "But once the sects are finished, those once kindred spirits and mutually appreciating friends will have no choice but to turn their blades upon one another!"