chsdbacks Chapter 92 Commander and Soldier
Chapter 92 Commander and Soldier
The imperial decree arrived three days after the martial arts competition ended.
"By imperial decree: General Lin Yan, the Loyal and Martial General, shall enter the palace for an audience tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM) and receive his investiture in the hall..."
After receiving the imperial edict, Lin Yan knelt to see the eunuch off before slowly standing up and returning to his room.
The next day, Lin Yan got up early.
He stood in front of the bronze mirror and looked at himself. He was wearing a brand-new military officer's court uniform, but his face was still pale and his tiger's mouth was wrapped with bandages. However, his eyes were still bright and he no longer looked like a patient.
Xiong Kuo drove the carriage and took Lin Yan to the palace gate.
Lin Yan got out of the carriage and followed the eunuch who was leading the way. They passed through layers of palace gates, walked along a long imperial road, and arrived at a huge palace that was as tall as a mountain. The eunuch stopped in front of it.
We've arrived at the Hall of Diligent Governance.
The palace doors were wide open, and the inside was already packed with people.
Lin Yan entered with his head down and knelt in the designated spot. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the civil and military officials standing on both sides, some in purple robes with gold belts, others in green robes with silver belts, all standing solemnly in the court.
A man sat on the dragon throne, his bright yellow dragon robe embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon that shimmered in the candlelight.
"General Lin Yan, the Loyal and Martial General".
A voice came from the imperial steps; it was the voice of the eunuch supervisor.
"Your subject is here."
"By imperial decree, Lin Yan is to be granted an official title."
Lin Yan kowtowed.
The eunuch held up a bright yellow silk scroll with both hands and read out a long string of parallel prose.
Lin Yan knelt on the ground and listened, and after listening for a while, he only managed to glean three things...
As a reward for winning the martial arts competition among the Imperial Guards, General Lin Yan was bestowed with a precious sword named "Zhenyue".
At the same time, he was given three bottles of True Qi Nourishing Pills and ten boxes of wound medicine.
Lin Yan's mother, Chen, was granted the title of Anren, and his sister, Lin Xiu, was granted the title of Xiangjun.
The eunuch took a long wooden box from the young eunuch behind him and handed it to Lin Yan:
"His Majesty said that this sword was a tribute from the northern border in the third year of the Wulie era. It has been stored in the armory for more than 30 years. Now that it is given to you, it can be considered a precious sword given to a hero."
"General Lin, please express your gratitude," the eunuch reminded him after reading the message.
Lin Yan knelt down with both hands on the ground and kowtowed obediently: "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."
"Raise your head." A voice came from the dragon throne, a hoarse voice that carried an indescribable weariness.
Lin Yan slowly raised his head.
Li Chengji should only be in his fifties this year, in the prime of his life, but he looks like a seventy-year-old man. Compared to when Lin Yan saw him during the finals, his mental state was much worse, but his eyes were still shining, like two oil lamps that were about to burn out, burning even more fiercely at the end.
He leaned back on the dragon throne, tilted his head slightly, and looked Lin Yan up and down.
After a long pause, he chuckled softly.
"That's a good sign."
Lin Yan didn't know what to say, so he could only kowtow again: "Your Majesty is too kind."
Li Chengji didn't reply, but slowly turned his head to look at the people standing in the first row on the left.
"Crown Prince."
Crown Prince Li Zhengxin stepped forward from the ranks of civil officials and bowed, saying, "Your subject is here."
"Your Highness, you have nurtured a talent."
Li Zhengxin bowed slightly: "Father, you flatter me. General Lin is a blessing to the court. Your son dares not take credit for him."
The words were spoken.
Several people in the hall noticed that when the emperor said this, his gaze did not linger on the crown prince.
His gaze slid from the crown prince's face to the other princes.
First, look at the Second Prince, Li Zhengming.
The second prince stood three steps behind the crown prince, a smile playing on his lips, but his eyes held no mirth. When the emperor's gaze swept over him, he quickly lowered his head, bowing respectfully.
Then the emperor's gaze returned, inadvertently sweeping over the Third Prince Li Zheng'an, who was standing further away.
The Third Prince had a gentle expression and kept his head down, as if the affairs of the court were none of his concern.
The two gazes, combined, lasted less than a breath, so fast it was almost an illusion.
But most of the people standing in the hall noticed the emperor's expression.
Lin Yan saw it too.
It turned out to be the case.
The emperor's words and glances instantly made Lin Yan understand many things.
Three princes, three factions.
Behind the Crown Prince stood the Emperor's brother-in-law and half of the civil officials; the Eastern Palace controlled the Ministry of Revenue and held sway over finances.
The second prince is careless in his thinking and reckless in his actions, but he holds great power in the Ministry of War.
As for the Third Prince, Lin Yan had heard from Escort Qi that he controlled the most important talent selection system in the country, namely the Martial Selection Division and its subordinate agencies.
Li Chengji wanted to weigh the power of the three princes. This sentence seemed to be praising the crown prince, but it was actually a subtle reminder to the second and third princes.
Lin Yan suppressed these thoughts in his heart and remained expressionless.
"Alright, get up, everyone."
Li Chengji waved his hand and said casually, "I'm tired, you may all leave."
The eunuch announced in a shrill voice, "Court adjourned..."
The courtiers knelt to see them off.
Lin Yan followed the crowd out of the Hall of Diligent Governance. As he walked out of the hall, the autumn wind blew, making his back feel chilly. Before he knew it, he was covered in cold sweat.
Once outside the palace gates, Xiong Kuo was still waiting.
Lin Yan got into the car, leaned back in the seat, and closed his eyes.
Today's court assembly is ostensibly about bestowing titles and rewards.
In fact, the emperor placed three chess pieces on the chessboard with just a word and a glance.
The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince are all generals, while I am just a pawn placed in front.
The carriage turned into the alley and arrived at the entrance of the small courtyard.
As soon as Lin Yan got out of the car, he saw a person standing at the gate of the courtyard.
Manager Feng has arrived.
He was holding a red lacquered wooden box, twice the size of the box that had contained the pills last time. It was heavy, and holding it felt like holding a brick.
"General Lin, His Highness sent me to deliver these things." Steward Feng placed the wooden box on the table. "The complete incomplete version of the Breathing Exercise Manual, as well as the cultivation methods for the Qi Condensation Realm and the Transformation Realm, are all inside."
Lin Yan paused for a moment.
He didn't expect the Crown Prince to actually give it, let alone give it so readily.
"His Highness also said that he would like the general to go to the East Palace for a meeting early tomorrow morning."
"What are you discussing?"
Steward Feng smiled and said, "The general will know when he arrives."
After Steward Feng left, Lin Yan opened the wooden box.
There were three booklets neatly stacked inside, the top one with the title "The Complete Treatise on Breathing Exercises" on its cover.
The second book, titled "The Essentials of Qi Condensation" on the cover, is a thin book with only a dozen or so pages.
The third book was the thickest, with the title "True Explanation of Transformation" on the cover. The first page was filled with tiny writing, and there were several diagrams of human meridians drawn next to it.
Lin Yan flipped through the three booklets from beginning to end, but didn't rush to practice.
He had thoroughly studied the first and second parts of the incomplete text of the Breathing Exercise. The content of the complete text regarding the True Qi Realm was no different from that of the incomplete text, except for a few more pages of supplementary explanations on the circulation of True Qi. Most importantly, the complete text contained the method for breaking through to the third-grade Unceasing Realm and the cultivation secrets of the Unceasing Realm.
As for spiritual cultivation methods, they are completely different from physical cultivation.
The Qi Condensation Manual mainly describes how to absorb the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, and how to guide Qi into the body to enter the first-grade Qi Condensation Realm.
The Transformation of Appearances section of the second-grade spiritual cultivation technique is the most comprehensive. Lin Yan glanced at it briefly. The technique records that after breaking through to the Qi Condensation realm, each person will form a different Dharma Image within their dantian. This can be influenced by factors such as birth date, bloodline, and cultivation method, resulting in different Dharma Images, such as weapons, exotic beasts, or even plants. The innate supernatural abilities contained within each Dharma Image are also different. The Transformation of Appearances section divides the Transformation of Appearances realm into three levels: the initial stage of Dharma Image Condensation, the intermediate stage of Dharma Image Transformation, and the advanced stage of Dharma Image Solidification. Each step also has detailed cultivation methods and precautions.
Lin Yan locked several martial arts techniques into the cabinet, and then opened the wooden box containing the [Zhenyue] manual.
Inside the wooden box, the blade is straight, with a bluish-gray sheen at the edge. Upon closer inspection, a shallow blood groove runs along the back of the blade, extending from the guard to the tip.
The handle is wrapped in sharkskin, which is black and shiny, and feels neither slippery nor rough in the hand.
He took the knife out of its case and weighed it; it was almost twice as heavy as Zhao Yuanlang's hundred-refined steel knife.
Lin Yan held the knife horizontally in front of him again, channeling his true energy into the blade. The blade seemed to come alive, emitting soft humming sounds in the air.
Lin Yan closed the wooden box and locked it in the cabinet. Then he sat down to meditate and began cultivating by circulating the Qi Observation Technique.
[Observing Qi] (Beginner) (78/200)
[Observing Qi] (Beginner) (79/200)
[Observing Qi] (Beginner) (80/200)
[Observing Qi] (Beginner) (81/200)
My proficiency is steadily increasing little by little.
At this moment, Lin Yan suddenly sensed a wisp of true energy appearing outside the wall of his room!
There were no footsteps, no breathing, and even the heartbeat was suppressed to an almost inaudible level.
A person appeared silently outside his wall. If he hadn't been practicing [Qi Observation] and constantly sensing the environment within ten steps, he wouldn't have noticed him at all.
This true energy was completely different from his True Qi Realm level. After it was released, it did not dissipate quickly. Instead, it circulated continuously like a river that never dries up, endlessly regenerating.
The Unending Realm!
And this familiar feeling... he'd seen it before.
Old Man Han.
The old man who fought him in the Ministry of War courtyard before the martial arts competition.
At the time, he thought that the other party was old and frail, and even if he was at the Unending Mirror level, his strength was already less than one-tenth of what it used to be. But now it seems that the other party did not use his full strength at all.
Lin Yan activated the [Simple Imitation] technique, mimicking his own breathing when he was asleep, his breath long and deep.
[Observing Qi] never stopped, keeping a close eye on the location of that wisp of true qi outside the wall.
Old Han stood outside the wall for a long time, at least half an incense stick's time.
Then he took something out of his sleeve and gestured it a few times toward Lin Yan's room, as if he were confirming something.
Lin Yan wanted to use his "Aura Observation" to see what Old Man Han had taken out, but he only sensed a very faint trace of spiritual energy attached to the object.
Old Han packed his things, turned around, and quietly left.
The location of the true energy in my perception grew farther and farther away, eventually exceeding the range of ten steps, and disappeared at the alley entrance.
Lin Yan opened his eyes and stared at the roof beam in thought.
Old Han is a court official in the Ministry of War and is a man of the Second Prince.
Why would a master of the third-grade Unending Realm come to monitor me in the dead of night?
If we were to kill him, Old Man Han wouldn't need to be protected by the Ministry of War; he could be taken care of directly.
The fact that he wasn't killed means the Second Prince is still hesitating.
What are you hesitating about? Are you hesitating whether to win him over? Or are you hesitating whether it's worth eliminating him now that you've just received a reward from the Yellow Emperor?
And what is that thing that Old Man Han is holding that exudes spiritual energy?
……
The next morning, Lin Yan changed into his military officer's court robes, hung the Zhenyue sword at his waist, and followed Steward Feng to the East Palace.
Crown Prince Li Zhengxin arrived at the study early.
The study was not large, with bookshelves on all four sides, piled high with books and memorials.
Li Zhengxin sat behind his desk with a map spread out in front of him and a pen in his hand, drawing circles and dots on the map.
Seeing Lin Yan enter, he put down his pen, pointed to the chair beside him, and said, "Sit."
Lin Yan had just sat down when he heard Li Zhengxin ask him a question.
"How's your injury healing?"
"Your Highness, my injuries are mostly healed."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhengxin nodded, then reached out and pushed the map in front of him towards Lin Yan, gesturing for Lin Yan to look down at the map.
Lin Yan glanced down and discovered that it was actually a map of the capital, but it was marked with several red circles, all of which marked the key locations in the city.
Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of War, and Military Selection Office.
This was precisely the area of influence of the three princes.
"You played beautifully in the final."
Li Zhengxin looked at Lin Yan and slowly said, "Father Emperor has bestowed upon you a sword and granted titles to your mother and sister. This is an immense favor, and Father Emperor values you highly."
Lin Yan did not respond to the Crown Prince's words, because he knew in his heart that the Crown Prince would definitely have something else to say.
"But have you ever thought about why Father values you so much?"
"I do not understand."
"Because you are the person I recommended, you have already been labeled as belonging to the Crown Prince."
Li Zhengxin stood up, walked to the window, and slowly said with his back to Lin Yan, "Father's reward to you is to tell everyone that he recognizes the Crown Prince's people. He is saying this to my second and third brothers."
Lin Yan watched the Crown Prince's retreating figure and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty was in court today..."
"I know what you're going to say."
Li Zhengxin interrupted him, "I saw the look Father gave my second and third brothers. Do you think I don't know what Father is thinking?"
"Father's health won't hold up for much longer. While he's alive, his three sons can maintain a semblance of harmony, but once he's gone..."
Li Zhengxin didn't finish his sentence, but he conveyed the meaning.
Lin Yan remained silent.
"So everything Father Emperor is doing now is laying the groundwork for what's to come. He's rewarding you today not because you're particularly good at fighting, but because you were recommended by me. He wants to show his second and third brothers that the Crown Prince's foundation is still intact, and that I'm still supporting him."
Li Zhengxin turned around and looked at Lin Yan.
"But Father Emperor won't really let me become too powerful. The way he looked at my second and third brothers was to tell them, 'Don't worry, I'm not dead yet. You can still fight for what you want.'"
Lin Yan understood. The emperor wasn't trying to support anyone; he wanted to maintain a balance. None of his three sons could be too strong, and none could be too weak. Only in this way could he live peacefully until his death.
And I am nothing more than a pebble used by the emperor to tip the scales.