Legitimate Son of the Prime Minister's Manor

The vast drill grounds fell dead silent, save for the echoes drifting through the air. Was Lu Baizou's justification absurd? Of course it was absurd. That Zhenxi soldiers could spot traces of the Linlang—what new brand of Dachao joke was this? Yet the problem was that the joke itself was irrelevant. What mattered was the accusation Lu Baizou launched using it. If the political moral imperative of the Yan Dynasty was the supreme sanctity of the imperial clan, and that of the Prime Minister's Manor was opposition to the sects, then the moral imperative of Zhenxi Manor was the extermination of the traitorous Dachao scoundrels. This was the foundation upon which Zhenxi Manor stood, an ingrained hatred piled high upon the bones of tens of thousands of Zhenxi Army soldiers. Even though Jiayi had already aligned herself with them now, such a matter could never be brought out into the light of day. Standing upon the high platform, Li Junwu kept a composed expression while thought after thought flashed continuously across her mind. Why? Why had the other side mobilized on such a massive scale without her receiving a shred of intelligence beforehand? Why had those very generals shown her utter deference just moments ago during the council at the prefectural yamen, only to completely turn their stance in the span of just a few quarters of an hour? She had been entirely marginalized. No, from the very beginning, she had never managed to consolidate authority in the first place. From start to finish, these people had never taken her seriously. As Li Junwu pondered, and as her silence stretched on, a rustle of murmurs gradually arose from the silent ranks of soldiers below. "No way, right? The Commandery Princess may act recklessly, but there's no way she'd collude with Dachao." "Commander Lu wouldn't say this without evidence. What are you panicking for?" "Ha, isn't that Commandery Princess just a pretty vase? A mere woman frequenting brothels every single day—why wouldn't it be possible?" "I think so too. I hear that Divine Maiden of the Great Desert is as breathtaking as a celestial immortal, and the Commandery Princess prefers women. Heaven knows if she orchestrated something like this." "The Marquis was valiant all his life. To have such an unfilial daughter is truly a misfortune." "..." Someone was instigating the army's morale. This was a premeditated scheme to force her hand and usurp power. Subconsciously, Li Junwu glanced in the direction of the prefectural yamen, hoping to seek a certain someone's aid, but water from afar could not quench an immediate thirst. What to do? What could she do?! Could Xu Yuan's cloak withstand the full scrutiny of the city defense formation? Moreover, after entering the city, the Linlang had already returned the garment to Xu Yuan. Even more crucially, even if Xu Yuan had anticipated this, there was only one cloak. If given to the Linlang, Jiayi's cultivation aura—unique to the Western Desert—would still be detected. As time slipped by and the silence lingered, the generals' gazes toward Li Junwu grew progressively dim, and the rustling whispers among the troops below spread further. Right at that moment, Li Junwu's cold, low voice resonated across the entire grounds: "Activating the array to search is fine. But Lu Baizou, can you bear the crime of falsely accusing this Commandery Princess of colluding with Dachao?" High atop a tower deep within the military camp, two figures stood quietly side by side. Overlooking everything unfolding on the drill grounds, the middle-aged scholar surnamed Wen lightly stroked his folding fan, amusement in his voice: "Such a response is truly uninspired. I thought the person from the Chancellor's Manor would offer me an exhilarating contest, but it seems checkmate has already been achieved." Beside the middle-aged scholar stood a figure cloaked entirely in black robes, whose voice was unmistakably that of Mu Qing, who had just parted ways with Si Zijing: "If they could smuggle the Linlang into the city, they might not necessarily fear opening the array to search." The scholar surnamed Wen looked back with a chuckle and replied softly: "Even if they do not fear it, it matters not. Even if nothing is found, Li Junwu will still be ruined." "What do you mean?" "My arrangement for Lu Baizou to make this move was never merely to force her hand and usurp power." The scholar's long, slender eyes curved into a broad smile. "With this act played out, even if the Commandery Princess proves her innocence right now, once those lords commence their plan, will the Linlang—that massive threat—dare to show itself and intervene? "If it doesn't appear, relying solely on the city defense formation won't hold against the assault of those lords, and she will surely die. "If it does appear, that will prove the Commandery Princess indeed colluded with Dachao. Even if she somehow survives, her prestige in the Zhenxi Army will plummet to rock bottom, leaving her powerless to stop us from overthrowing Zhenxi Manor." At this point, the scholar surnamed Wen shook his head lightly, his tone eerie: "The reckless follies of the Commandery Princess's youth have ultimately turned into swords pointed at her own throat. Her reputation is simply too wretched—so wretched that even claiming she colluded with Dachao doesn't seem out of place. Heh heh..." "..." Having listened intently to the explanation, Mu Qing merely turned around in silence. Glancing at his back, the scholar pointed toward the drill grounds and asked with a laugh, "The good show isn't over yet, and you're already preparing to leave?" Mu Qing did not look back, his voice flat: "The Chancellor's Manor's latest arrangements have already been relayed to you. Naturally, there is no need for me to stay." The scholar stared at him for a brief moment, then suddenly said: "Mr. Mu, your mood seems quite foul. Is it because of the Si Zijing you mentioned earlier?" "That has nothing to do with you." "Naturally not." The middle-aged scholar's narrow, squinted eyes concealed any readable emotion. Snapping his folding fan shut, he chuckled faintly: "Still, I would like to remind you of one thing." "I still need to place contingencies at the city gate tower. Forgive me for not lingering." Mu Qing had no intention of listening further. As soon as the words left his mouth, his figure vanished from the high tower. Watching him depart, the scholar surnamed Wen nevertheless murmured the remainder of his thought: "Having chosen treachery, one shouldn't wear such a nauseating face of deep-seated bitterness. Otherwise, your new master will be displeased as well. Heh heh..." "I find myself agreeing with that remark as well." "..." the scholar froze. Without warning, a voice as gentle and smooth as jade rang out atop the circular observation tower. The instant he heard the voice, the scholar's narrow eyes widened instinctively for a fraction of a second before returning to normal as he turned toward the source of the sound. There stood a handsome youth clad in brocade robes, having appeared behind him at some unknown moment. After staring at him briefly, the scholar surnamed Wen very politely bowed with his folding fan: "This Wen greets the Third Young Master." Xu Yuan stepped forward slowly, glanced at his gesture, and chuckled. "It seems your status is quite high, being able to recognize my identity." Like an unblemished gentleman, the scholar spoke at an unhurried pace: "No, I merely wished to probe the Third Young Master. I did not expect you to admit it so openly." "A pointless move." Xu Yuan neither confirmed nor denied it. Leaning against the tower's railing, he remarked casually, "Still, since I've given you my identity, why don't you tell me who you are?" "The Third Young Master jests. I still wish to live a few more years." The middle-aged scholar shook his head with a chuckle. "However, your presence here means I must abandon the thread that was Mu Qing." Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow at that, sweeping his spiritual vision over the man with keen interest: "Rather than Mu Qing, I am more interested in you right now. There seems to be something strange about this body of yours. A clone?" "You may understand it as such." "A fairly decent technique." "Thank you." "Don't thank me just yet. In a moment, this body of yours will die." "To behold the Third Young Master's elegance with my own eyes, this body can be said to have met a worthy end." "..." After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan gave a wry chuckle. "With such a smooth tongue, why not come work for the Prime Minister's Manor?" A faint smile lingered on the scholar's lips: "The Young Master jests. The Chancellor's Manor likely cannot afford the price." Hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Xu Yuan's mind: "Oh? It seems your status is unusually high indeed." The scholar offered no affirmation or denial, instead saying with a smile: "Third Young Master, the Lord Chancellor has already conceded the Western Border with both hands. With a status as exalted as yours, why remain here to court danger?" Xu Yuan caressed the iron railing of the tower, speaking deliberately: "From your standpoint, shouldn't you wish for nothing more than to eliminate me as quickly as possible? Yet here you are, advising me to leave." "An old saying puts it well: one cannot hope to get fat on a single bite. Things must be done step by step." "Am I to understand this to mean that my presence in Zhenxi Prefectural City might cause your plans to fail?" Xu Yuan asked softly. "There is such a probability." "From your perspective, that probability shouldn't be very high, right?" "It isn't high, but I am different from those people outside the city." The scholar shook his head, gazing out over the entire prefectural city from the vantage of the high tower. "Benefits and risks run in tandem. There is no need to further expand the stakes on this Western Border board. Therefore, Third Young Master, you had best depart as soon as possible." Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then grinned: "What if I say no?" The scholar showed no anger, merely narrowing his eyes with a faint smile: "Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Inside and outside Zhenxi Prefectural City, it is practically all our people now. What do you intend to fight us with?" Silence followed. The wind whispered past their ears. The scholar turned his eyes back, just about to speak again, when he abruptly saw that a scabbard had appeared in the youth's hand behind him. Stunned for an instant, the scholar opened his mouth to speak, only to see that scabbard rapidly expanding before his eyes— "..." the scholar went blank. *Thud!* A heavy blow struck him squarely across the face. The scholar collapsed at the impact, crimson blood splattering instantly. Using the Ghost Willow scabbard like a crowbar, Xu Yuan battered the scholar black and blue within breaths, stopping only when the man was on the verge of breathing his last. Unsurprisingly, even while mortally wounded and in a wretched state, the scholar still maintained a smile on his face: "Third... Third Young Master... is truly a man of fiery temperament..." Before he could finish, Xu Yuan planted a foot directly on his smiling mouth: "Who the hell are you putting on airs for?" "..." The outer corner of the scholar's narrow eyes twitched involuntarily. Just as he parted his lips in an attempt to smile and speak, Xu Yuan pressed down and ground his boot, laughing softly: "Do you know what? What I detest most is pretentious people like you." With those words, before the scholar's shocked gaze, the hand holding the scabbard suddenly thrust downward with force, driving it directly between the scholar's legs— *Squelch!* Struck by such a vicious blow, the excruciating agony tearing through his groin nearly forced a scream from the scholar, but the sheer humiliation made him clench his fists tight instead. Having done this, Xu Yuan felt considerably refreshed. Exhaling a long breath, he grabbed the man by the hair and hoisted him up: "After brewing up such a massive mess, you didn't immediately think of committing suicide to escape upon seeing this young master. Instead, you relied on this Soul-Condensation clone to spout grand nonsense before me. Did you really think my reputation as a profligate was just for show?" "..." Having finally opened his squinted eyes wide, the scholar glared fixedly at Xu Yuan without a word. Xu Yuan casually sealed the qi dynamic within the other man's body, then held him out beyond the edge of the high tower, smiling as he said: "Though I don't know whether the sense of touch can transmit to your original body, I imagine this memory should carry over just fine." The high-altitude winds whipped through his disheveled hair. A sinister smile surfaced at the blood-stained corners of the scholar's lips: "Xu Changtian, this look of impotent rage on you is truly hideous. "Everything you do now is in vain. Look toward the drill grounds—they have already activated the array. Everything is proceeding according to my design. Even if you manage to hide the Linlang and Jiayi, events will still unfold just as I foresaw." Hearing this, Xu Yuan smiled and replied: "Who told you I was going to hide the Linlang and Jiayi?" Huh? Confusion crept into the scholar's swollen eyes. Seeing this, Xu Yuan let out a sigh and pointed toward the drill grounds: "This clone's cultivation is indeed too weak after all. You didn't even notice that the people over at the drill grounds are looking right at us?" "..." In that moment of eerie stillness, the scholar tried to decipher the meaning behind his words, but a glimpse from the corner of his vision made his pupils constrict violently. He caught sight of a wisp of snow-white. A white wolf, pristine as snow, had materialized behind Xu Yuan, its crimson, slit-pupil eyes glinting with a bone-chilling sheen. Observing his expression, Xu Yuan pulled him close and whispered softly into his ear: "Everything you analyzed for Mu Qing earlier was quite correct. But you seem to have forgotten the most crucial thing—within this Zhenxi Prefectural City, aside from you, who has ever seen the Linlang, and who has ever seen the Divine Maiden? "Although this young master would love to see your confidence utterly crushed, to avoid any accidents, please keep your mouth shut for now. "Mister Wen, until fate allows us to meet again." With those words, a violent gale erupted. Beneath the scholar's fixed stare, Xu Yuan sealed the man's qi dynamic and released his grip directly before the watchful eyes of the tens of thousands of soldiers on the drill grounds. Witnessing this, Lu Baizou instinctively moved to save him, for the man was his advisor and strategist. Yet the glance the scholar cast back at him during his descent made Lu suppress any thought of stepping in. The moment he went over, that young man would kill him. A few breaths later, from the base of the high tower came a sickening *splat*. Glancing at the pool of mashed flesh below, Xu Yuan shook his head with mild regret. His body floated slowly into the air, drifting across the sky above the drill grounds before gently descending onto the high platform. The military ranks, which had grown somewhat clamorous, rapidly hushed until only the soft sound of Xu Yuan's boots stepping upon the stone floor remained. Halting before Lu Baizou, Xu Yuan smiled, brushed off nonexistent dust from his robes, and looked at the commander's wrinkle-creased face, transmitting his voice: "Old bastard, you're quite clever, aren't you? If you had moved to save him just now, I would have crippled you on the spot. But it doesn't matter either way, because your end will be the exact same." With that, under the gaze of ten thousand eyes, Xu Yuan reached up to his neck and abruptly tore away the human-skin mask from his face. Facing Lu Baizou, he proclaimed respectfully in a clear, resonant voice: "Commander Lu, did you not just ask where the Commandery Princess's information came from? I imagine that I, the legitimate son of the Prime Minister's Manor, could hardly be the Divine Maiden of the Great Desert, could I?"