The street was already crowded due to the Fang Clansmen, the Valiant Defenders, and the Imperial Guards, and the arrival of those from the Court of Brilliance only made it worse.
Xiao Shence raised his hand, indicating for everyone to stop. He looked at the man standing in his way with a frown. It was the Court of Great Brilliance’s Court Master, the Fifth King!
“Fifth King, this…” Xiao Shence clasped his fist.
“Lil’ Five, why are you joining the commotion?” Fang Zhentian asked.
“You have just come out of seclusion. As juniors, we ought to give you a warm welcome.” Ignoring Xiao Shence, the Fifth King stepped forward with a warm smile. He turned to his subordinates and ordered, “What are you waiting for? Escort Old Master Fang and the Fang Clansmen to our Court of Great Brilliance!”
Those from the Court of Great Brilliance stepped forward to take over the Fang Clansmen from the Valiant Defenders’ and Imperial Guards’ hands.
Xiao Shence and Yan Beihan were taken aback.
“Fifth King, you’re defying His Majesty’s will,” Xiao Shence said with a darkened face.
“What are you saying? I’m just inviting Old Master Fang and the others to reminisce about the past at the Court of Great Brilliance. Tell His Majesty that I’ll personally send them over later on,” the Fifth King grunted impatiently.
“That won’t do. His Majesty requested us to bring them to the Palace of Great Peace right away. Chillwater’s envoy is waiting for us.” Xiao Shence shook his head.
“You should be aware that the Fang Clan is an official clan, which puts them in the jurisdiction of my Court of Great Brilliance. The Valiant Defenders and Imperial Guards are overstepping their boundaries here.” The Fifth King frowned. “Xiao Shence, have you forgotten that your Valiant Defenders have no enforcement power in the inner city?”
The Fifth King turned to Yan Beihan and sneered, “General Yan, you’re no different. Why are your Imperial Guards here instead of protecting His Majesty? Not only are you overstepping your boundaries, but you’re shirking your responsibilities too!”
Yan Beihan was put in a spot.
It couldn’t be clearer that the Fifth King was here to snatch the Fang Clansmen from them, but he wasn’t planning to surrender them to Chillwater.
Not far away, Ye Qinghe watched this sight with eyes burning with fury. “What’s the Fifth King doing? Doesn’t he know that his wilful actions will bring Chillwater’s wrath upon us? He should know that there’s nothing he can do to protect the Fang Manor!”
“He’s probably stalling for time for Fang Chen to return and settle this matter,” Tao Yu replied.
“It’s useless,” Ye Qinghe sneered. “Fang Chen is nothing before Chillwater’s military might.”
Xiao Shence also saw through the Fifth King’s intention, so he tried persuading the latter to step down, “Fifth King, I know that you’re stalling for time, but this matter has severe repercussions. I believe you wouldn’t want Chillwater to send troops into our Great Xia too, right?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” the Fifth King roared. “I’m fulfilling the natural duties of our Court of Great Brilliance, but here you are, suppressing me with Chillwater. Are you an official of Great Xia or Chillwater?!”
Seeing how badly their commander was being berated angered the Valiant Defenders, and they tightened their grips on their weapons.
“Lil’ Five, you can head back now,” Fang Zhentian said. “I’ll invite you to our Fang Manor for tea another day. Today isn’t a good day.”
“That won’t do. I insist on reminiscing about the past with you today. No one can stop me from getting my way.” The Fifth King shook his head.
Xiao Shence and Yan Beihan finally understood just how high Fang Zhentian’s prestige was even though he hadn’t made an appearance for many years. Even the Fifth King was willing to put himself at risk in order to protect him…
“Fifth King, your Court of Great Brilliance shouldn’t have come here today.”
Just then, Minister of Justice Jiang Yushu arrived with another group of people.
Xiao Shence and Yan Beihan were stumped.
“Old Jiang, what are you doing?” The Fifth King was taken aback.
“We have received a tipoff that the Fang Manor might be involved in some crimes, so we’re here to invite them to our Bureau of Justice for some tea,” Jiang Yushu calmly replied.
“I see…” The Fifth King frowned. “I shan’t stop you then. You may take them with you.”
“Milords, please don’t take me for a fool.” Xiao Shence couldn’t hold his anger anymore. “Neither of you has come under His Majesty’s orders, right? If His Majesty learns about this, not only will you be stripped of your official caps, but it might bring danger upon your clansmen too.”
“Is my official cap worth a lot? You can take it if you want,” Jiang Yushu replied with a smile.
Xiao Shence was rendered speechless.
Just then, the galloping of horse hooves echoed. Before they knew it, many soldiers had gathered on this street. These soldiers were dressed in different armor, indicating that they were from different barracks. They stationed themselves a distance away, not saying a word, but their presence itself was more than enough to pressure those in the vicinity.
Xiao Shence was startled. He immediately turned to Fang Zhentian and asked, “Old Master, is your Fang Manor really intending to rebel?!”
He thought that the Fang Clan’s influence in the military had plummeted since Fang Zhentian had retired for many years, and Fang Chen was defeated in the Three Realms Mountain, so this sight caught him off guard.
He actually recognized some of the commanders gathered in the area. These commanders didn’t hesitate to put down the Fang Manor, and they had also expressed their dissatisfaction regarding some of Fang Chen’s actions too.
Yet, they had all gathered here today.
Furthermore, it looked like they wouldn’t hesitate to rebel alongside Fang Zhentian as long as he gave the word.
“Those wily old foxes!” Xiao Shence cursed.
He felt that there was an urgent need to reassess the balance of power in the capital from this day onward. Just how many people were truly against the Fang Clan, and how many were just putting on an act?
“You people…” Fang Zhentian laughed. A second later, he turned stern, and he furiously roared, “Back down!”
The Fifth King was taken aback. With a sigh of resignation, he left with his people.
Jiang Yushu clasped his fist and left with his people too. The nearby soldiers also quietly departed from the scene. It was almost as if the earlier commotion was just an illusion.
The obedience they displayed to Fang Zhentian chilled both Xiao Shence and Yan Beihan’s hearts.
“Let’s go.” Fang Zhentian smiled at the two of them.
Xiao Shence and Yan Beihan nodded. They continued leading the Fang Clansmen toward the imperial palace.
“This is bad…” Ye Qinghe and the others were horrified. It was only at this moment that they realized just how influential the Fang Clan’s Old Master was in the capital.
“It might be possible to turn things around if the Fang Clan’s Old Master has advanced to Ki Manifestation…” Tao Yu murmured contemplatively.
Meanwhile, Niu Jue anxiously paced to and fro the Fang Manor’s entrance.
One of his subordinates couldn’t help but advise, “Chiliarch Jue, the Fang Clan has offended Chillwater Country this time around. It’s best for you not to get too close to War God Fang.”
“You know nothing at all, you brat!” Niu Jue berated the subordinate as he continued nervously pacing around.
“What are you doing, Niu Jue?” a familiar voice echoed.
Niu Jue was overjoyed to hear that voice. He turned over and saw Fang Chen, Jade Fairy, and Abbess Clearlotus!