Chapter 1052: An Empty Chair
Within the Great Li Imperial Palace, Emperor Song He summoned the mountain lords of the five sacred mountains of the continent to discuss matters in the Imperial Study.
He had expected that the female mountain lord of the southern mountain would find an excuse to decline, but unexpectedly, Fan Junmao had also come.
Among the five sacred mountains of Treasure Vase Continent, besides the southern mountain, the other four great mountains were still within the territory of the Great Li dynasty, so nominally they continued to be under the jurisdiction of the Great Li Song clan.
Actually, according to the covenant established by National Teacher Cui Chan back in the day, the Great Li territory was supposed to retreat to the north of the Qi River after the war. However, the ancestral mountain of the Eastern Peak Qi Mountain was actually located south of the great river. But this matter was somewhat similar to the matter of erecting a stele at the entrance of the southern immortal mansions' ancestral halls. Over the years, there had been various claims and small maneuvers, but after the viewing ceremony at Zhengyang Mountain concluded, the dissent naturally subsided.
About two quarters of an hour before the appointed time, the morning court session had not yet adjourned, and His Majesty the Emperor had not yet appeared. The discussions in the Imperial Study were generally considered the second session, with fewer participants, and were also known as the "Minor Court Session."
The first to arrive today was not Wei Po, the mountain lord of the Northern Peak who was closest to power, but Jin Qing, the mountain lord of the Central Peak.
Then came the two mountain lords of the Eastern and Western Peaks, arriving together: Meng Rong of Qi Mountain and Tong Wenchang of Ganzhou Mountain.
Meng Rong wore golden armor and carried a sword like a military general. Tong Wenchang wore a hempen robe and was barefoot, looking like an aged farmer, with a jade-green tobacco pipe tucked at his waist.
Wei Po arrived next, dressed in a pure white robe, wearing a pair of "Cloud-Treading" shoes, a colorful sash at his waist, and a golden ring hanging from his ear.
Finally came Fan Junmao, wearing a dark green robe, with a jade pendant at her waist inscribed with "Jun Qing Yu Xiang." Her appearance was delicate and pretty, but she could not be considered a great beauty.
Possibly because she was standing next to Wei Po, she could not even be considered a beauty, let alone a great beauty.
Besides the five mountain lords, there was Yang Hua, the Marquis of Changchun of the Qi River, the foremost water god of Treasure Vase Continent. And Cao Rong, the Earl of Linli of the Great River, whose divine rank was second only to Yang Hua.
These two marquis and earl of the Great River had arrived at almost the same time as Jin Qing, allowing them to exchange a few pleasantries. Mainly, Cao Rong, who originated from the old dragon of the Qiantang River's Fengshui Cave, was chatting and laughing with Mountain Lord Jin.
Cao Rong and Jin Qing of Chezi Mountain were old acquaintances who had known each other for many years and had a good relationship. This old dragon, who came from the old Qiantang River, had frequently traveled to the territory of the old Zhu Ying dynasty in his early years.
During his lifetime, Jin Qing was neither a civil nor military official of the Zhu Ying dynasty, nor was he a cultivator who had achieved success in the Dao. He came from a poor family of quarrymen, spending his days cutting mountain stones and descending by torchlight. Whenever they mined old pit inkstone materials, Jin Qing was responsible for lighting a stick of incense to pay respects to the mountain god. According to the customs of quarrymen, if the incense burned smoothly to the end, they could enter the mountain to mine inkstone materials. But once, the incense went out midway, and Jin Qing refused to take the risk. As a result, the mining official had him whipped to death, then sank his body in the water. After Jin Qing died, his true spirit did not disperse and was favored by the old mountain lord of the Central Peak of the old Zhu Ying dynasty. The old mountain lord first helped stabilize Jin Qing's soul, then arranged a temple shrine to mold a golden body for him. After that, he was continuously promoted and elevated, eventually becoming the god of Diezhang Peak, officially enshrined by the Dugu clan of Zhu Ying. When the old mountain lord encountered an accident and his golden body shattered, Jin Qing smoothly succeeded to the position of mountain lord, becoming the master of Chezi Mountain.
After chatting about some interesting anecdotes and trivial matters, Cao Rong smiled and asked, "Mountain Lord Jin, I heard that Mountain Lord Wei's self-proposed divine title is 'Spiritual Marsh'?"
Jin Qing nodded and said, "If I had known earlier, I would have registered a 'Night Travel' divine title with the Ministry of Rites. Mountain Lord Wei's way of doing things isn't upright—blocking the latrine without letting anyone shit?"
Cao Rong said, "The several night travel feasts at Chezi Mountain were all held with great flair and have earned widespread praise on the mountain."
Jin Qing hummed in agreement, "All learned from Mountain Lord Wei. When it comes to how to hold a night travel feast, we are all students."
Cao Rong burst into loud laughter.
Yang Hua, the Marquis of Changchun of the Great River, had remained silent all along.
She was sitting with her eyes closed, deep in contemplation, a sword lying across her knees, gently stroking the string of golden sword tassels in her hand.
According to protocol, high-ranking deities participating in discussions were permitted by the Great Li court to enter the hall in armor and with swords.
For now, only the three of them were in the room.
In truth, whether it was Jin Qing or Cao Rong, deep down, they regarded Yang Hua, who held a high second-rank divine position, as nothing more than an inexperienced... young girl.
Indeed, Yang Hua's qualifications were too shallow, her resume too thin, and... her luck too good. Back then, simply because she was the personal maid of Empress Dowager Nan Zan, she became the water god of the Iron Talisman River within the old Dragon Prefecture. It was only after the war ended that she went to fill the vacancy at the Great River. What substantial deeds had she ever done? What contributions had she ever made?
In contrast, whether it was Jin Qing, who held the same rank as the Marquis of Changchun of the Great River, or Cao Rong, whose divine rank was half a step lower than Yang Hua's, or even the orthodox mountain gods of the heir-apparent mountains of the five sacred peaks—who among them was not stronger than Yang Hua in terms of years and reputation? Therefore, whenever they privately discussed Yang Hua, they were very dismissive.
As for the female mountain lord Fan Junmao, she was both similar to and opposite of Yang Hua. Similar in that both were of comparable "Dao age," both being new faces among the mountain and river deities of the continent. Opposite in that during the war, Fan Junmao had exerted tremendous effort and made great contributions. As one of the five sacred mountains, she had been completely destroyed! She had once completely lost her mountain lord's mansion, temple, and Dao ground. Thus, Fan Junmao could not be underestimated among the mountains of Treasure Vase Continent today, and the Southern Peak had a fairly good reputation.
In addition, there were some high-ranking mountain and river "retainers" of the five peaks who were qualified to attend today's discussions as observers.
To attend or to participate—one word made a world of difference. Simply put, the former could speak, while the latter, when participating in the discussion, truly only participated in the discussion.
The most numerous were the heir-apparent mountain gods of the five peaks, followed by the god of the Yong River within the Central Peak's territory. As for the original god of the Iron Talisman River of the Northern Peak and the Qiantang River, known as the "Zheshui Fuwen" within the Eastern Peak's territory, both were qualified to attend as observers, but the two divine positions were currently vacant.
It was speculated that the candidates for the new god of the Iron Talisman River and the Qiantang River might be discussed and approved together today?
Inside the Imperial Study, a eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial was responsible for arranging the seating, leading in one illustrious mountain and river deity after another to take their seats.
Since His Majesty the Emperor had not yet arrived, those who had already taken their seats in the room chatted among themselves. When Wei Po led the three heir-apparent mountain gods into the Imperial Study, the atmosphere in the room immediately became lively. First, because the Northern Peak territory was the birthplace of the Great Li Song clan's rise to power, and Mountain Lord Wei Po was a first-class close minister of the Son of Heaven. Second, because these days, who in the entire Haoran World didn't know that Pi Yun Mountain and Fallen Mountain were so close they shared a pair of pants? Therefore, some mountain and river orthodox gods who had no connection with that young Hidden Official wanted to build a good relationship with Mountain Lord Wei. Even if they couldn't invite Chen Ping'an to personally attend the celebrations at their own mountain peaks, having Mountain Lord Wei help them ask for a favor and obtain a personal congratulatory letter from Chen Ping'an would still be an added glory.
The topics of casual conversation were mostly interesting stories about mountains and rivers and the deeds of Qi refiners.
When it came to familiarity with all kinds of anecdotes about the continent, no one could match their thorough knowledge.
In addition, there were frequent measures like "borrowing water" or "diverting water" between the border regions of the five sacred peaks and within the territories governed by each peak's mountain gods and water gods. Mountain and river qi, civil and military luck, could all be exchanged to complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, taking care as much as possible of barren lands with sparse spiritual qi and weak incense offerings. In case of abnormal heavenly disasters like droughts, floods, or earthquakes, especially involving some gray-area methods of Qi refiners and mountain immortal mansions, many deities, within the framework of their duties without overstepping or violating regulations, could communicate with their neighbors and help each other. For example, mountain gods feared most a situation where there was a source but no outlet. When Qi refiners established Dao grounds, if they didn't observe "jianghu" morality and only gathered the world's spiritual qi without letting any flow outward, building such an immortal mansion was no different from punching a hole in the continuous body of a mountain god. Similarly, water gods feared most those once-in-a-millennium, once-in-a-century droughts. Prolonged exposure to the scorching sun would dry up riverbeds, causing their skin to crack like that of ordinary mortals, an extremely painful experience. If they weren't careful, irreversible cracks would appear in the golden body of the water god within the temple.
In history, there had been cases where a sect's immortal mansion had a falling out with a lake lord, leaving no room for reconciliation. The former, having made up their minds, would ally with several national courts and build dams upstream of the lake's water source rivers, then change the river channels. Within just a few decades, the great lake would dry up completely, countless aquatic creatures would die, and the lake lord's golden body would eventually shatter. However, such mutually destructive tragedies were, after all, exceptions. The relationship between most deities and Qi refiners was either one of sincere cooperation, sharing the same boat, or bound together by interests. At the very least, they could maintain a superficial harmony.
All the deities who could take their seats here today were truly the high-ranking officials of the mountain world, the unquestionable "feudal lords." Although they themselves mentally distinguished between different grades and classes, any mountain or river deity, once the discussion ended and they returned home, was an absolute "local emperor" within their own jurisdiction, governing a vast number of orthodox river gods, mountain gods and land gods, river grandmothers and river earls, and city gods at all levels. Generally speaking, within the boundaries of a mountain or river territory, as long as there were no sect-level schools, these high-ranking deities were more at ease.
When Wei Po entered the Imperial Study, the room stopped discussing the excavation of the great river in the southern Tongye Continent and deliberately avoided mentioning night travel feasts.
Who didn't know that years ago, Mountain Lord Wei had traveled far to the border between the Northern Peak and the Central Peak and had a major fight with Mountain Lord Jin Qing at their respective doorsteps?
However, in recent years, the relationship between the two mountain lords had eased somewhat. Rumor had it that Mountain Lord Chen himself had come forward to mediate, even going so far as to personally visit Chezi Mountain.
Jin Qing asked, "Why isnh't Consultant Ruan here?"
As the chief consultant of the Great Li dynasty and the former sect master of the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, Ruan Qiong would normally not miss such an important discussion.
Wei Po said, "It seems that Sect Master Liu is holding a banquet."
In the Great Li Imperial Study, there was an unwritten rule that Qi refiners and orthodox mountain and river deities could not communicate mentally.
It was said that National Teacher Cui Chan had reminded an old Great Li mountain lord about this in the early days, and it later became a convention.
Jin Qing asked, "With such a happy occasion, shouldn't your Pi Yun Mountain hold a night travel feast to celebrate?"
After all, the Dragon Spring Sword Sect was one of only two sects in the Northern Peak territory. Liu Xianyang was Chen Ping'an's fellow townsman and close friend, and Chen Ping'an was your Mountain Lord Wei's good brother. So it could be arranged.
Wei Po couldn't be bothered to waste words with him.
Jin Qing asked, "From now on, should I call you 'Spiritual Marsh' Divine Lord?"
Wei Po said, "It's still uncertain whether the Confucian Temple will approve our self-proposed divine titles."
Jin Qing crossed his legs, gently patted his boots, and sneered, "For us few, it's still hard to say, but for you, Mountain Lord Wei, would the Confucian Temple not approve? Not giving you face is not giving Mountain Lord Chen face, and not giving Mountain Lord Chen face is not giving Old Master Wen Sheng face. Isn't that the logic?"
Who didn't know that the actual person in charge of the Confucian Temple these days was the old scholar.
Wei Po smiled slightly and said, "When I get the chance, I'll relay Mountain Lord Jin's logic to Wen Sheng."
The great masters and the other scholars had previously left Fallen Mountain and didn't seem to have appeared at any other mountains yet. It was highly possible that they were inspecting the customs and conditions of various places.
Jin Qing was at a loss for words. He looked at Wei Po, trying to determine if he was serious or joking. If it actually reached Wen Sheng's ears, it wouldn't be good.
Meng Rong tried to smooth things over, saying, "Regardless of whether the Confucian Temple approves our self-proclaimed divine titles, this time we should thank Mountain Lord Wei for the reminder. Otherwise, we wouldn't have even known about such a thing."
If it weren't for Wei Po sending a message to the other mountain lord mansions, saying that according to the ancient precedents of the Confucian Temple personally established by Li Sheng, the mountain lords of each continent and the marquises and earls of the great rivers could propose their own divine titles—who would have dared to think of it?
Which of the mountain and river deities present wasn't envious of Wei Po's connections in the mountain world? First, the Northern Peak governed the old territory of the Great Li dynasty, and Pi Yun Mountain's position in the mountain and river officialdom was somewhat similar to the Capital Prefect, naturally making it close to the Great Li Song clan. Second, Pi Yun Mountain was a neighbor to Fallen Mountain, and betting on Chen Ping'an—what that meant was well known to all the deities and immortal masters of the continent.
There was a saying, first proposed by someone unknown, that treating Fallen Mountain as a single Fourteen-Realm cultivator was sufficient.
It seemed that the more one pondered this saying, the more interesting it became, with deep implications.
Just as the Crown Prince was the heir-apparent of the state, the five sacred mountains each had their heir-apparent mountains. However, these vassal heir-apparent mountains were often far away from the "orthodox ancestral mountains."
The Northern Peak, Pi Yun Mountain, had three heir-apparent mountains. The one located at the northernmost tip of Treasure Vase Continent was called Shen Chen Mountain, where there were continuous boulders like drums that would spontaneously emit a sound like thunder. There were also Long Mountain and Niao Shu Mountain.
The Central Peak, Chezi Mountain, consisted of eight continuous peaks. The main peak was called Feng Long Peak, known as the ancestor of all mountains in central Treasure Vase Continent. This peak had a Lao Jun Cave that could be recorded in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas." The second peak was Diezhang Peak, where Jin Qing, after his rise to prominence, built his mountain god's traveling palace and established his mansion.
The heir-apparent mountains were Pu Mountain and Yu Lin Mountain. Lu Baixiang of Fallen Mountain and his disciples Yuan Bao and Yuan Lai had settled at Pu Mountain a few years ago. Lu Baixiang hit it off with the orthodox god of Pu Mountain and was invited to serve as a consultant, which was recorded by the Great Li Ministry of Rites, effectively giving Lu Baixiang half an official position in the mountain and river bureaucracy. With this connection, Pu Mountain's mountain god and Fallen Mountain had a bond of mountain incense friendship.
The Eastern Peak, Qi Mountain, was now held by Meng Rong, who had been promoted from the old Great Li mountain lord. It had two heir-apparent mountains: Er You Mountain and Yan Dang Mountain, which had the Large and Small Dragon Pools.
The Western Peak, Ganzhou Mountain, was near the Snow Wind Temple. This mountain was not tall, so it had never been valued by local courts in history. However, back in the hands of National Teacher Cui Chan, it was directly elevated to the status of a Western Peak of the continent. It now had two heir-apparent mountains: Lu Jiao Mountain and a Luan Mountain, which was rumored to contain a treasure talisman buried by an ancient true man. Its main peak was actually several times taller than Ganzhou Mountain. On clear days, it could be seen majestically from a hundred miles away.
Only the Southern Peak, Zi Tong Mountain, had a single heir-apparent mountain, named Cai Zhi Mountain.
When Fan Junmao walked into the Imperial Study, the room fell silent for an instant, but after a moment, it became lively again.
This subtle pause was like a silent tribute, like proactively raising a glass at a banquet table.
During that war, among the five sacred mountains, Fan Junmao's Southern Peak had contributed the most, and the battles within her territory had been the fiercest and most tragic.
So, although she was also a "young girl," Yang Hua, the Marquis of Linli of the Great River, was unpopular and was inevitably looked down upon. However, when encountering someone like Fan Junmao, whose golden body had been almost completely shattered and then re-formed, no one dared or thought it appropriate to slight her.
For example, Tong Wenchang, the mountain lord of the Western Peak, who wouldn't greet anyone, only today, when he saw Fan Junmao, was he willing to nod to her proactively.
However, Fan Junmao pretended not to see Mountain Lord Tong's gesture of goodwill. The key point was that Tong Wenchang wasn't angry either. Was it like brine curdling tofu—everything has its counterbalance?
Fan Junmao was accompanied by Wang Juan, the mountain god of Cai Zhi Mountain, who had an extraordinary bearing. He was adorned in an emperor's crown and purple robes with an ivory tablet, a truly magnificent attire. The crown was decorated with a precious pearl as large as a green plum.
No matter how one looked at it, Wang Juan looked more like a mountain lord of a sacred peak, while Fan Junmao looked more like a divine attendant from the mountain lord's mansion.
Among the five sacred mountains of Treasure Vase Continent now, only Fan Junmao's Southern Peak had escaped the jurisdiction of the Great Li dynasty. The Southern Peak was originally a special mountain created entirely by human labor, heaping up earth to form a mountain. After the great war, it was completely destroyed. Cai Zhi Mountain survived because it was converted into an immortal ferry by the demon army's camp back then. Coupled with the Great Li Song clan losing control of the southern part of Treasure Vase Continent, Cai Zhi Mountain became increasingly transcendent in status—one could say it was below one mountain but above ten thousand mountains.
Fan Junmao's seat happened to be opposite Wei Po. She sat sideways, resting her chin on one hand, staring straight at Wei Po, and asked with a chuckle, "Why isn't he here today?"
Wei Po was in a relaxed posture, crossing his legs and gently twisting his wrist as he asked back, "How could he come? And in what capacity?"
The mountain lord of Fallen Mountain? The closed-door disciple of the Wen Sheng lineage? Or the last Hidden Official of the Sword Qi Great Wall? None were appropriate.
You, Fan Junmao, are now a mountain lord, but you still act on whims like a child.
Fan Junmao pretended to be surprised and said, "Isn't there a rumor going around that he has no intention of becoming the Great Li National Teacher, but he might have a position in your Great Li court?"
Wei Po asked doubtfully, "Where did that rumor come from?"
Fan Junmao casually replied, "How would I know where to trace the source of something like that?"
Although both mountain lords used the pronoun "he" in their casual conversation.
Everyone knew full well they were talking about Chen Ping'an.
When Fan Junmao mentioned the term "National Teacher," the room fell silent in an instant, and everyone hoped the two mountain lords would talk more about Chen Ping'an.
Fan Junmao pursed her lips and stopped there. She wasn't about to let those who were just there to watch the fun get what they wanted.
In truth, regarding the vacancy of the Great Li National Teacher position, every deity present today had their own thoughts.
If Cui Chan were still around, there would be nothing more to think about. This "Embroidered Tiger" would be the National Teacher for as many years as he wanted, or whoever Cui Chan wanted to succeed him would be the one.
To be honest, these mountain and river deities owed their current high positions on the new jade and gold records of the Confucian Temple entirely to Cui Chan.
Without the Embroidered Tiger as the National Teacher, the Great Li dynasty would never have achieved its pattern of "one kingdom, one continent." Without the Great Li Song clan in Treasure Vase Continent, it's estimated that its fate wouldn't have been much better than Tongye Continent's.
However, since Cui Chan was no longer the Great Li National Teacher and he hadn't explicitly indicated a successor, some of the mountain and river deities in the room felt it would be better for the Great Li dynasty to have no National Teacher. Others thought it didn't matter whether there was one or not—no one could do the job well anyway. Compared to Cui Chan, anyone would be a joke, an overestimation of their own abilities. This even included that young sword immortal; no matter how many identities he had, he couldn't be an exception.
The situation they feared most was the Great Li Song clan putting a new National Teacher in place who had high ambitions but low ability—someone with little actual skill who liked to make reckless changes.
If these concerns were for the public good, there were also some out of private interest who were even more reluctant to see the Great Li Song clan have a new National Teacher who could meddle in everything.
Therefore, the vast majority of mountain and river deities secretly hoped that the position of Great Li National Teacher would remain vacant.
For example, some people were very curious about Fan Junmao's attitude on a certain matter.
As the only female mountain lord who had broken free from the constraints of the Great Li Song clan, how did she view that stone tablet at the entrance of the many immortal mansions' ancestral halls in the Southern Peak territory?
Was Fan Junmao willing to help those mountain sects and lowland nations demand "justice" from the Great Li Song clan?
Had she come to today's meeting because she had made a decision?
At the doorway, a eunuch in a vermilion python robe, the seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, softly reminded, "His Majesty will arrive shortly. Everyone may rise to welcome him."
Almost all the mountain and river deities in the room stood up one after another, holding their breath and concentrating, waiting for the Great Li Emperor to appear.
In the end, only Wei Po, Fan Junmao, and Tong Wenchang remained seated, unmoving.
When Emperor Song He walked into the Imperial Study, Wei Po slowly rose, followed by Fan Junmao, and finally Tong Wenchang, who had his tobacco pipe tucked at his waist.
Song He pressed his hand down twice in the air. "No need for excessive formality. Please, everyone be seated."
On the Great Li court's side, besides Emperor Song He, there were only the two ministers of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War.
The Minister of War was a withered old man in his eighties. He held a walking stick and tottered as he sat down. After sitting, he rested both hands on his cane, squinted his eyes, and began to doze off.
This old man named Shen Chen had served through three dynasties. Since his youth, he had moved through various ministries and the nine chief offices. He was known throughout the court and countryside for his stubborn character. For instance, when he was vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he had declared that any scholar who passed over the local Cliffside Academy to study at Lakeview Academy would never be allowed to establish themselves in the Great Li court. All literati who enjoyed exchanging poems with officials from the Lu dynasty, the Great Sui dynasty, and other neighboring countries had better not become officials. Keep chasing fame in the literary world if you want, but if you became an official, you'd better watch out for your performance evaluations...
This wasn't just idle threats; Shen Chen followed through on his words.
Because of Shen Chen's autocratic actions, even Old Master Guan, the Minister of Personnel, was given no face. As a result, the Ministry of Personnel, which originally wielded great power, was cursed out by capital officials and local literati almost every day.
Then National Teacher Cui Chan had a heart-to-heart talk with him. No one knew what they discussed, but Shen Chen resigned that very day. According to an unverifiable official rumor, Vice Minister Shen Chen threw his official hat on the ground at the Nanxun Workshop office and cursed, "Fuck your mother... that outsider Cui Chan!"
But as for those five words following the curse, some in the Great Li officialdom later claimed with certainty that they were said, while others swore they weren't.
However, within two years, Shen Chen returned to officialdom. A civil official who had never touched a blade, he served as the Vice Minister of War.
The Minister of Rites was Zhao Duanjin, who came from one of the pillar surnames, the Tianshui Zhao clan.
Song He smiled and said, "During the subsequent discussions, Mountain Lord Tong, please make yourself at home."
This witty opening remark lightened the originally solemn and grave atmosphere considerably.
Tong Wenchang nodded. "I won't stand on ceremony. But if anyone is uncomfortable, I'll just go outside to the corridor and smoke my pipe."
Fan Junmao said impatiently, "If you want to smoke, go outside. Otherwise, you'll fill the whole room with smoke and ruin the decorum."
Mountain Lord Tong, who looked and dressed like an old farmer, wore a bitter, wrinkled face all year round, his emotions never showing.
Wei Po smiled and said, "We could just open a few windows."
Fan Junmao said, "Let's switch seats. You sit next to Tong Wenchang. Every time he blows out a cloud of smoke, you, Great Mountain Lord Wei, can help suck it in. How about that?"
Wei Po said helplessly, "Forget I said anything."
Emperor Song He smiled with delight. He quite enjoyed this kind of banter brought to the table; at least it wasn't all the kind of scheming that was kept bottled up inside.
The five orthodox mountain lords of Treasure Vase Continent were gathered together, each with their own unique aura. The Central Peak was ancient, the Eastern Peak ethereal, the Southern Peak heroic, the Western Peak chivalrous, and the Northern Peak divine.
Song He got straight to the point and said, "Let me first give you mountain lords some good news. The self-proposed divine titles for the five sacred peaks, after being submitted by the Great Li Ministry of Rites to the Confucian Temple, have just—more precisely, last night—finally received a definite reply. The official document from the Confucian Temple contained only one sentence: 'Reviewed, no objections, may be promulgated.' But although the text was brief, the Confucian Temple sages who signed and affixed their seals were numerous: Li Sheng, Ya Sheng, Wen Sheng, the three principal and vice leaders of the Confucian Temple, and the six academy libationers and directors. They all agreed to this matter in writing."
Song He cupped his hands and smiled. "I congratulate the five mountain lords. You have all gotten your wishes."
The five mountain lords all stood up to return the courtesy to the Great Li Emperor. Of course, they also needed to pay respects from afar towards the direction of the Central Earth Confucian Temple, each offering a few words of gratitude through their inner voices.
The room was filled with a chorus of congratulations. After the five mountain lords sat down again, Song He smiled and said, "Indeed, a truly auspicious and unprecedented event."
All five sacred peaks had submitted their own divine titles, and crucially, the Central Earth Confucian Temple had approved them all without a single rejection.
In fact, the Great Li Ministry of Rites was also quite surprised.
This was because, before submitting two of the divine titles to the Central Earth Confucian Temple, the Ministry of Rites had felt it was highly likely that they would be rejected and required resubmission.
In fact, the Great Li court had also prepared mentally for the need to repeatedly communicate with the Confucian Temple on this matter. They had long formulated specific strategies for what to do if the Confucian Temple rejected the titles—how the Great Li Song clan would persuade the mountain lords to "moderate" the "meaning" of their self-proposed divine titles.
Song He had specifically convened three consecutive minor court sessions, all dedicated to discussing how to help the five sacred peaks get their divine titles approved. During the discussions, some officials hinted to His Majesty that the only party that could speak on our behalf at the Confucian Temple now was Fallen Mountain. However, others felt that with Wen Sheng presiding over Confucian Temple deliberations, even if Chen Ping'an was willing to help, might it backfire?
After all, this closed-door disciple of Wen Sheng didn't even hold a title like Academy Worthy. Was this some kind of... statement from the Confucian Temple?
Jin Qing opened his mouth and asked, "Your Majesty, all five divine titles were approved?"
Song He smiled and said, "All were approved. You mountain lords can rest assured—it's already a done deal. I wouldn't dare report false military intelligence on a matter like this."
Fan Junmao stretched out her palm and rubbed her chin. Forget about Wei Po's "Spiritual Marsh"—just considering her own divine title, which carried such a broad meaning, and it still got approved?
She had prepared five or six backup divine titles, fully expecting the Confucian Temple to reject it and the Great Li Ministry of Rites to ask her to resubmit two or three times.
This actually put her in a difficult position, because she had agreed to travel the long distance and attend the Great Li capital discussion this time with some intention of causing trouble.
Song He said in a deep voice, "Eastern Peak Mountain Lord Meng's divine title is 'Heroic Spirit'; Southern Peak Mountain Lord Fan's is 'Jade Green'; Central Peak Mountain Lord Jin's is 'Bright Candle'; Western Peak Mountain Lord Tong's is 'Grand Banner'; and Northern Peak Mountain Lord Wei's is 'Night Travel.' Once the enfeoffment ceremony is held, all nine continents of Haoran will know."
As soon as His Majesty the Emperor spoke these words.
The room fell into dead silence, yet undercurrents surged.
The divine title for Meng Rong of the Eastern Peak Qi Mountain was actually "Heroic Spirit"?! And the Confucian Temple had agreed to it?!
As for Jin Qing's "Bright Candle," wasn't the trace of remembrance for the old Zhu Ying dynasty too obvious? And the Great Li Song clan didn't mind?
In comparison, Tong Wenchang's "Grand Banner" divine title was relatively normal.
Fan Junmao's "Jade Green," which implied "the green mountains under heaven"—wasn't its meaning even broader than Meng Rong's "Heroic Spirit"? Even the five sacred peaks of the Central Earth would be more than qualified for such a divine title!
Hadn't Wei Po settled on "Spiritual Marsh" as his proposed divine title? Why had it changed back to "Night Travel"?!
Truly worthy of being mountain lords of the five sacred peaks—you all dare to think and do things on a scale that leaves onlookers speechless.
Earlier, on his way here, Song He had been holding a bundle of bamboo slips specially made by the mountain world. Each time the Emperor read the two or three items written on a slip, he would hand it to the eunuch in python robe beside him. Before convening the discussion, the Great Li Ministry of Rites had informed the many mountain and river deities that upon entering the capital, they could inform the court in advance and prepare a bamboo slip concisely stating the important matters they wished to discuss with His Majesty, at most three items, with content preferably not exceeding one hundred characters. Song He had already read these bamboo slips, but after the morning court adjourned, he read them again and quickly reviewed them to avoid missing anything.
In the end, only Mountain Lord Tong replied to the Great Li Ministry of Rites that he had nothing to discuss.
In addition, for example, Wei Po had proposed on his bamboo slip that the god of the Iron Talisman River be filled by Bai Deng, a sword immortal from the Dragon Palace ruins in Yun Prefecture.
Cao Rong, the Earl of Linli of the Great River, had a suggested candidate for the new Qiantang River lord. However, on this matter, the Marquis of Changchun, Yang Hua, clearly had a different opinion, and the two sides recommended different candidates.
But none of these were significant. What truly gave His Majesty a headache was the female mountain lord of the Southern Peak. On her bamboo slip, she mentioned only one matter: in the Southern Peak territory, many lowland monarchs and mountain sect leaders hoped the Great Li court would consider removing some of the stone tablets outside the ancestral halls—not all of them, just a portion.
At that time, Song He had kept fewer than ten bamboo slips, all of which he planned to bring up for open discussion in the Imperial Study today.
He didn't expect Fan Junmao to be on the same side as the Great Li court; he only hoped that, in light of her self-proposed divine title being approved, she would be impartial and remain neutral.
After congratulating the five mountain lords, the first matter His Majesty raised was the candidate for the new river god of the Iron Talisman River within the Northern Peak's jurisdiction.
Minister of Rites Zhao Duanjin then stood up and briefed the assembled mountain and river deities on Bai Deng's Dao foundation, background, and resume.
After Zhao Duanjin finished his narration, Tong Wenchang took down the tobacco pipe from his waist and was the first to speak. "Your Majesty, I have no objection to Bai Deng becoming the god of the Iron Talisman River."
Song He smiled and extended his hand. "Mountain Lord Tong, please make yourself at home."
As Tong Wenchang walked out of the Imperial Study, Song He glanced at the bamboo slips on the table, turned his head to look at Wei Po, and after a moment, Wei Po nodded lightly.
Inside the Imperial Study, there was one chair that remained empty throughout.
Meng Rong and other mountain gods native to Great Li couldn't help but occasionally glance at that empty chair.
Outside the room, under the eaves, a barefoot old man in coarse hemp clothes squatted down, leisurely smoking his pipe, his exhaled smoke swirling around.
Finding leisure amidst busyness—nothing more than this.
In the Haoran World, during ancient times, of the five sacred mountains, the Western Peak was in charge of metal forging and smelting, and also governed birds and flying creatures.
Back in the hands of National Teacher Cui Chan, the new five sacred mountains of Treasure Vase Continent generally had this same division of responsibilities, with clear division of labor and each performing its own duties.
However, how Tong Wenchang's Ganzhou Mountain managed to stand out, rising directly from an unknown small mountain to the esteemed position of a continent's Western Peak, was a matter of much debate.
Some speculated that Tong Wenchang had caught the eye of National Teacher Cui Chan. Others said it was because Ganzhou Mountain had a good relationship with the Cui clan. In any case, the discussion always revolved around the character "Cui."
Tong Wenchang suddenly spotted a pair of cloth shoes. He shifted his gaze, looked up, and saw a man in a blue long gown.
This man was accompanied by three attendants—a man in a scholar's robe with graying temples, a young man in a yellow hat, and a young girl in a sable hat.
Chen Ping'an cupped his hands and smiled. "Mountain Lord Tong."
Tong Wenchang nodded. "Mountain Lord Chen."
He glanced again at the few people beside Chen Ping'an and used two titles. "Sect Master Jiang, Immortal Master Xi Zhu."
As for the Qi refiner who looked like a young girl, he didn't recognize her and had never even heard of her.
Xiao Mo made a bow. "Greetings, Mountain Lord Tong."
Xie Gou remained expressionless.
Jiang Shangzhen smiled. "Just call me Zhou Fei. My Dao name has collapsed—True Lord Beng."
Tong Wenchang didn't even entertain this remark. After hesitating for a moment, he still opened his mouth and said, "Last time when Mountain Lord Chen reached Ganzhou Mountain, why didn't you stay and chat a bit more? The excavation of the great river on that side of Tongye Continent is a very practical matter. At the very least, it can save hundreds of thousands of lives."
He was referring to the time when the young Hidden Official, accompanied by a Daoist friend in a hooded hat, traveled in dreams through the mountains and rivers of several continents and borrowed a stick of incense from the mountain and river deities.
On this side of Treasure Vase Continent, Tong Wenchang's Ganzhou Mountain and Meng Rong's Qi Mountain had both shut their doors to Chen Ping'an.
In the end, they hadn't managed to achieve a situation where all five mountain lords of the continent nodded in agreement, and the efficacy of the mountain incense was greatly diminished.
At that time, Wei Po had wanted to help Chen Ping'an send letters to the other four sacred peaks, but Chen Ping'an felt it was unnecessary. Indeed, since it was something that couldn't be forced, there was no need to waste Mountain Lord Wei's favors.
At the Central Peak Chezi Mountain and the Southern Peak with Fan Junmao, things went smoothly. After that, Chen Ping'an, together with Qing Tong, visited the Eastern and Western Peaks. Meng Rong, being a former mountain lord of the Great Li dynasty, had politely declined Chen Ping'an, but at the end, he still said some courteous words, apologizing for making Hidden Official Chen travel in vain. However, Tong Wenchang's words had been very harsh, leaving no room for face. He had bluntly stated that he considered Tongye Continent a pile of mud. Would he, Tong Wenchang, stick a stick of incense into mud? Would he be willing to pay respects to a Tongye Continent with such a rotten human heart? Why should he help them increase even a trace of mountain and river luck?
It was all within expectations, and Chen Ping'an couldn't really talk about being disappointed or not.
Tong Wenchang's meaning today was also very simple: to make me pay respects to Tongye Continent—no way. But if you had said at the time that you would later excavate a great river to save countless lives, which was far more practical than any empty talk, then he, Tong Wenchang, would have agreed to it back then.
Chen Ping'an smiled. "First, the excavation of the great river was just a very rough idea at the time. I couldn't very well bring up an empty promise. Second, I'm not that desperate yet."
This was a classic case of saying hard words softly, still saving face for this Mountain Lord Tong.
Tong Wenchang nodded. "If you can avoid asking for favors, then don't."
Words could be few, but a person's knees must be firm and their back straight. If you say you should lower your head when encountering difficulties—that's nothing. Everyone has their hardships in making a living.
You can fail your own face, but don't fail your own conscience. Tong Wenchang had seen too many scenes of sycophancy and groveling in his life, especially the kind of flattery among scholars, mutual back-patting, which was the most nauseating. Did studying just so you could flatter people at banquets and in officialdom? Eating sages' books and shitting foulness? Yet those officials and immortals in the mountains actually fell for it and were quite happy to hear it.
Fu Dechong, the mountain god of Pu Mountain, one of the heir-apparent mountains of the Central Peak, walked out of the Imperial Study. He had just pulled a tobacco pipe from his sleeve when he saw the scene in the corridor and was taken aback.
Even these mountain god lords, with their leisurely years in the mountains, had personal hobbies: collecting precious books, antique calligraphy and paintings, building studies, inviting literary masters to write prefaces and postscripts. Hence, many mountain god and water god mansions had secret collections of calligraphy and paintings that could be several zhang or even dozens of zhang long, or collections of coins and pattern coins from various lowland countries, dynasties, and eras. Some were devoted to bonsai. As for collecting various inscribed "Minor Summer" coins, it was almost a shared hobby among mountain and river deities.
Just like Pu Mountain's Fu Dechong and Tong Wenchang both liked to smoke pipes, casually taking a few puffs whenever they had nothing to do. It had nothing to do with relieving fatigue; it was purely a habit.
However, Mountain God Fu was far less addicted than Mountain Lord Tong. But for occasions like today's discussion, Fu Dechong always avoided them whenever possible. If he couldn't avoid it, he would act like a seated statue that didn't accept incense offerings. Since Tong Wenchang had set a good precedent by going out, Fu Dechong was happy to have the chance to come out and get some air.
Within the Great Li capital, mountain and river deities deliberately restrained their supernatural powers, as the Imperial Observatory was keeping an eye on them.
Chen Ping'an took the initiative to greet him. "Mountain God Fu."
Fu Dechong cupped his hands in return. "Mountain Lord Chen."
Tong Wenchang tapped his pipe, stood up, and returned to the Imperial Study to continue listening.
Fu Dechong didn't have the guts to squat outside alone and smoke his pipe. Coincidentally, Chen Ping'an also seemed to be heading towards the Imperial Study, so he followed along.
Walking in the not-so-wide corridor within the building, Tong Wenchang led the way, crossing the threshold and entering the Imperial Study.
Fu Dechong hesitated for a moment, then quickened his steps and entered the Imperial Study first.
Inside the room, Tong Wenchang walked to his chair but didn't sit down.
Fu Dechong did the same.
The seal-holding eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, standing at the doorway, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Mountain Lord Chen has arrived."
At almost the same time, a brush-holding eunuch personally brought in a chair.
Xiao Mo and Xie Gou remained in the corridor.
Only Jiang Shangzhen followed Chen Ping'an into the room.
After all, as the chief consultant of Fallen Mountain, his official hat was indeed much bigger than that of an ordinary registered consultant.
Xiao Mo communicated through his inner voice and smiled. "We are just ordinary consultants; it's not appropriate for us to follow the young master in and sit inside."
Xie Gou leaned against the corridor wall and said angrily, "When I get back, I'll ask the mountain lord for a position as second-seat consultant. Xiao Mo, remember to put in a good word for me."
Xiao Mo nodded. "I can't guarantee success or failure, but saying a few good words for you in front of the young master is no problem."
If he didn't say this, Xiao Mo was worried that Xie Gou, who had no chair to sit on in the room, would run up to the roof to sit instead.
Xie Gou grinned.
Jiang Shangzhen took the initiative to take that chair and casually placed it near the doorway. He smiled and said, "I'll just sit here."
Inside the room, His Majesty the Emperor had already stood up.
The old Minister of War, who seemed to have been dozing off the whole time, opened his eyes, slowly stood up, and turned his head to look towards the doorway.
Minister of Rites Zhao Duanjin stood up, holding his breath, his expression solemn.
Wei Po of the Northern Peak and Jin Qing of the Central Peak were the first to stand up together with His Majesty. Yang Hua, the Marquis of Changchun of the Great River, Cao Rong, the Earl of Linli, and others also stood up.
Fan Junmao had a strange expression. Her gaze wandered, as if she were hesitating whether to make a run for it.
The entire room was on its feet.
Song He's eyes sparkled. He extended his hand towards a certain chair and said in a clear voice, "Mr. Chen, please take your seat."
That was the only chair in the Imperial Study that didn't seem to have been "placed properly."
Chen Ping'an walked over to that chair, turned around, lightly lifted the hem of his blue gown a few inches, and sat down slowly.
Song He returned to his seat, and then the roomful of mountain and river deities took their seats in unison, so quietly that a pin dropping could be heard.
Some of the orthodox mountain and river deities who had thought that even if Chen Ping'an was willing to take on responsibilities, it wouldn't amount to much, and he couldn't do anything about it anyway, realized at this moment, when they actually saw that blue-clad figure with their own eyes, that it seemed not to be the case at all.
It was like many Qi refiners in the Haoran World who, after winning that war, because they hadn't personally experienced the battlefield, would think that a throne-tier great demon of the Barren Wilderness was nothing special after all.
His Majesty the Emperor smiled as he looked towards the female mountain lord.
Fan Junmao had an innocent expression on her face. Your Majesty, what are you looking at me for? The matter has already been brought up—I'm just passing along a message.
Chen Ping'an asked, "Where have the discussions reached?"
Song He smiled and said, "Mountain Lord Fan was just talking about how, in the area south of the Qi River, there are many people who want to remove that stone tablet from the mountain."
Fan Junmao let out a faint sigh. If she had known this would happen, she wouldn't have come. Wouldn't it have been better to just stay in the mountain lord's mansion and wait for good news?
Chen Ping'an smiled slightly. "Mountain Lord Fan, please trouble yourself to immediately compile a list for me."
Fan Junmao looked dumbfounded. "Huh?"
"After Mountain Lord Fan has compiled the list,"
Chen Ping'an extended one hand, his palm gently rubbing the armrest of the chair. "Minister Shen, Minister Zhao, cross-reference with the list. Our Great Li will issue a joint official document in the name of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Rites, summoning them to the Great Li capital. Those restoring their countries and those establishing new ones, old immortal mansions and new sects—each should send someone to come and discuss this matter and have a proper consultation."
Minister of Rites Zhao Duanjin, following an old protocol, did not need to rise to speak during the discussion. He simply cupped his hands, indicating no objection.
The old Minister of War, Shen Chen, chuckled and asked, "Have I heard wrong? If we really need to add a token ministry to the Ministry of Rites, shouldn't it also be issued in the name of the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial?"
Chen Ping'an smiled. "Having the Court of State Ceremonial co-write the state document wouldn't conform to court protocol, so it will only be responsible for the subsequent reception."
Replacing the Court of State Ceremonial with a nation's Ministry of War—did that conform to protocol?
Fan Junmao was momentarily speechless. She regretted both having agreed to bring this up with the Great Li court on behalf of those people, and being angered by Chen Ping'an's domineering attitude. He wasn't showing any consideration for friendship at all. What a grand display of official power, Mr. Chen!
The old man smiled. "National Teacher Chen, then our Ministry of War has no further objections."