A body clothed in a crimson round-necked robe embroidered with cloud patterns, a white jade belt around his waist, a heavy sword by his side.
The youth tied up his hair, appearing spirited and much more aristocratic than when he first emerged from the wilderness.
Only those of fifth rank and above in the court could wear crimson official robes, and only those of third rank and above could wear a jade belt.
And his Military Advisor rank was one tier higher than the Military Advisor who had explained the rules to them on the first day.
The position was that of a Military Advisor in the Feather Forest Dragon Martial ranks, a lower eighth rank.
With money to take and positions to rise to, Li Guanyi felt this adventure had turned out much better than he expected. Initially, he thought there would be some twists, he would have to hold his tongue tight, without any slip-ups, and with Elder Xue, they finally resolved everything completely.
It seemed Elder Xue had done something.
The laughter of Xue Daoyong came, "Vibrant and majestic, truly worthy of being my family’s Qilin’er!" The old man strode over, sizing up Li Guanyi up and down, then stretched out his hand to pat the youth’s shoulder, saying, "Not bad, not bad."
Court officials of the fifth rank and higher wear the crimson robe, and those of the third rank and above wear jade belts.
Though the robe and jade belt on Li Guanyi were exceptional gifts and came without any real power,
they were sufficient to awe others.
Elder Xue said, "In the court’s Book Collection Pavilion, there are many scrolls of Mystical Sect techniques. Any member of the Imperial Guard who has made great contributions can choose one from the Pavilion. With your fortune today, you should be thankful for the Emperor’s grace. If you’re lucky, by finding the Magic Technique, you might be able to counter Yue Qianfeng’s Red Dragon Energy."
Li Guanyi realized the old man was still acting, and said, "Yes."
Elder Xue looked at the staunch expression of the youth before him, yet his eyes still bore a trace of sadness.
He couldn’t help but sigh deeply in his heart.
Young people of today’s world.
Really know how to pretend.
The old man patted Li Guanyi’s shoulder and took him to the inner chamber for tea, then sealed off the aura inside and outside before he finally opened his mouth to sigh, "Guan Yi, the news you brought this time has saved the Xue Family, and your aunt as well."
He raised his teacup to drink with the young man:
"Consider this an old man’s thanks to you."
Li Guanyi asked, "Elder Xue, how did you resolve it?"
The elder replied, "I told Tantai Xianming about this matter."
Li Guanyi cracked a grin.
Tantai Xianming could be considered a man who had chosen a different path from the elder before him, to some extent a traitor; he had even hired an assassin to try to kill Xue Daoyong before. However, once the old man got the information, he did not hesitate to tell it directly to Tantai Xianming.
This indeed was the best solution.
The old man looked at Li Guanyi, chuckled scoldingly, "Otherwise, even if your story is flawless and you are innocently meritorious, you’d still be kicked into jail for a month or so. Where else could you attain a jump of three ranks directly, donned in a crimson robe and a white jade belt?"
Li Guanyi said, "Even without any wrongdoing but with contributions, it would still be ?"
Xue Daoyong replied lightly, "Yes, because you belong to the Xue Family."
"This is the struggle of court factions."
"This time I’ve covered for you, next time you’ll have to think about how to handle such situations yourself. Standing here, what you face often isn’t just about right or wrong, or merits and demerits."
Li Guanyi was silent for a long while and responded with a bow:
"Elder Xue’s teaching is right."
Xue Daoyong said, "However, the illegitimate son you mentioned is well protected by the Emperor. I can’t find out using normal methods. But once I indeed employ real methods, the Emperor is not foolish; he’ll notice, and at that time, with our faces torn, the Xue Family is indeed in a weaker position."
"But there is a timing when the Prince will definitely appear,"
Li Guanyi asked, "When?"
Xue Daoyong stretched out a finger, and emphatically said, "Before the Grand Ritual."
"You have seen the Iron Futu Guards of Turkic Seven Kings, Yuwen Lie came here too and brought the renown Tiger Barbarian Cavalry. Now, the contenders of various nations fight for supremacy with martial prowess, oh what fierce heroic spirits. Before the Grand Ritual, there is a great martial competition."
"That’s the guard of the Dangxiang people, Turkic’s Iron Futu, Ying Country’s Tiger Barbarians, and our Chen Country’s Night Rider Cavalry, where the younger generation from these armies compete in martial arts, what else could earn more fame than defeating these nations’ elite soldiers and future renowned generals in front of the princes and nobles of the nations?"
"If the Emperor indeed harbors the thought of gaining an advantage by letting his own son profit from fishing in troubled waters,"
"Then he won’t miss this once-in-a-decade opportunity."
"And if we don’t know about [the illegitimate child], seeing this emerging distant relative of the royal family rise, we wouldn’t be wary, only attempting to win him over, hoping to have a loyal and devoted member of the royal family as a war general."
"Until in the end, after everyone has fought bitterly, the Emperor throws out a [Renunciation]."
"Heh, everyone would be caught unprepared."
Xue Daoyong fell silent, then suddenly sighed deeply, saying, "It’s ridiculous, Tantai Xianming and I considered ourselves among the heroes of the world, yet we nearly got played by that Emperor who seemed to only know how to enjoy landscape tours, painting, and writing."
"His vision isn’t that of a world-conquering heroic ruler, but he is a king who preserves what’s been established."
"Not a mediocre, foolish monarch."
"But with such intelligent wit, rather than expanding territories and stabilizing the populace, he’s only eager to cut down the thorns threatening his lineage’s rule, balancing the officials, he might as well be an incapable emperor."
The expression on Xue Daoyong’s face was complex, finally just sighing. He drank tea as if it were wine.
It was then that Li Guanyi glimpsed from this chaotic world’s ferocious tiger a hint of helpless old age; he had witnessed the death of heroic kings, seen the period of the 480 temples in the Southern Dynasty, witnessed the discord of the Regent King Taiping Duke, and now this calculating king.
Even a hero like him occasionally felt weary.
Xue Daoyong said, "And now, I can finally understand why we must target General Yue, no wonder it has to be so, General Yue must die."