Chapter 19: The Youth of That Year
Chen Ping'an brought back two baskets of wedding candies from Youyi Peak, mostly osmanthus candies. He asked Rong Yu to distribute them to the civil secretaries of the National Preceptor's residence, more than sixty people, two bags each, to share in the festive joy. The embroidered gold-thread bags were decorated with fine cloud patterns and woven with different auspicious phrases. The civil secretaries recognized their value and insisted on keeping the bags.
Because he had missed the morning court session, Chen Ping'an took the initiative to discuss with the emperor and arranged for a supplementary small court meeting in the imperial study. However, those who came to discuss matters were all high-ranking mountain and river deities officially recognized by the court. They gathered to talk about the "water diversion" project across various regions, to prevent major droughts or floods in local prefectures and counties.
Chen Ping'an also brought two bags of candies for the emperor.
Song He opened the drawstring of one embroidered bag, pulled out a handful of osmanthus candies, and tossed them one by one to Jin Qing, Yang Hua, and the others.
The emperor doted on his youngest child, so he wanted to keep the other bag of candies for his daughter, to give to her when she returned from her travels.
As they ate the candies, they discussed the court's official book compilation project. The atmosphere in the imperial study was quite relaxed.
Chen Ping'an said that he had successfully invited Chen Chunhua, and the old gentleman had agreed to spare three months to give a special lecture to the Grand Li historians on the scholarly path of studying history.
The Grand River Tidal Marquis Cao Yong exclaimed in admiration, "This is the family learning of the Pure Confucian Chen clan, usually not shared with outsiders. A good thing, indeed a good thing. When the time comes, I'll also go sit in on Chen Chunhua's lectures."
If it weren't for that nap in the Zhenliu Pavilion, Chen Ping'an could have asked Dong Fuzi and Vice Leader Han face to face whether they might be free someday to give lectures at the Spring Mountain Academy. And whether Jiang Taigong should go to the newly established Lecture Hall of the Grand Li Ministry of War to talk about military strategy.
Chen Ping'an said, "Your Majesty, Ruan Qiong has resigned three times from the position of chief. I want to invite Liu Xianyang to fill the vacancy and serve as our Grand Li's chief patron."
Song He fished another osmanthus candy from the embroidered bag. The taste was indeed excellent. He nodded with a smile, "I was thinking the same thing. Great minds think alike."
This was actually an idea proposed by Empress Yu Mian. Liu Xianyang was not only a sword immortal and the current sect leader of Dragon Fountain Sword Sect, but he had also studied for many years at the Pure Confucian Chen Academy. Moreover, he was a fellow townsman and close friend of Chen Xiansheng. Since it was a case of recommending the worthy without avoiding personal connections, she believed Chen Xiansheng would agree.
The emperor had already decided to go to the National Preceptor's residence again to "scrounge for windfalls." Two bags of candies were simply not enough.
If a mortal monarch wanted to leave a name in history, both civil and military achievements must be complete. The Grand Li Emperor Song He's "military achievements" no longer needed the court to promote them—unifying Bottle Gourd Continent, successfully repelling the demon race, he had already left a distinct chapter in the entire Hao Ran history. As for civil governance, the court had actually been steadily advancing the compilation of history and books, but compared to the reputation of the Grand Li Iron Cavalry, it was less conspicuous.
Which classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections needed to be compiled? Which books required the emperor to write prefaces? Should certain palace editions, besides being bestowed upon Spring Mountain, Linlu, and Guanhu Academies, also be given to private book collectors in the localities? After all, in the past thirty years, under the personal supervision of Cui Chan, the Grand Li court had carried out two large-scale searches for local ancient rare books and unique copies. In total, they had collated and proofread over two thousand types, hundreds of thousands of volumes. The problem was that Embroidery Tiger had never mentioned returning the original books. Of course, no one had ever dared to ask the court to return the books.
Jin Qing brought up this matter. It turned out that many scholarly families in the Central Mountain region were indeed pained by those rare books. However, they dared not go too far; they only said they were willing to pay according to the current market price to repurchase those books from the court. Jin Qing weighed it and felt it was worth mentioning. Whether the court agreed or not, that was out of his hands.
Fan Junmao held a different opinion and used a witty saying: "Don't those scholars say that borrowing a book is like borrowing a wife, and giving a book is like giving a concubine?"
Today's small court meeting consisted of mountain and river colleagues. With the emperor's permission, Tong Wenchang sat cross-legged on his chair and started smoking a pipe. When he heard Fan Junmao's remark, he choked and coughed violently.
Yang Hua had originally intended to take the same stance as Jin Qing, advocating for returning the books to those prestigious families and local gentry, especially since they offered to buy them. But she was also silenced by Fan Junmao's twisted logic.
It was the newly appointed Qiantang River Chief Cen Wenqian, who was relatively junior in seniority, who spoke fairly: "Not only should we return the originals, but the court should also give back copies. This applies not only to families north of the Great River, but also to those south of it. Whether they have the courage to accept them or not is their business. Whether we send them or not is a matter of Grand Li's magnanimity."
Fan Junmao sneered, "Then should His Majesty do good deeds thoroughly and also give them plaques and imperial poems?"
Cen Wenqian nodded, "That would make it even more appropriate."
Chen Ping'an chewed on a candy and said, "Lord Jadeite makes an excellent proposal. One should look at a person with new eyes after three days' separation."
Fan Junmao laughed in exasperation, "I was trying to be kind and side with the court, and you all gang up to mock me?"
The emperor laughed heartily and quickly tossed a candy to this female deity.
Fan Junmao caught the candy again, but her eyes glanced at the unopened embroidered bag.
Song He pretended to be pained, picked up the bag and tossed it to Fan Junmao, complaining, "Lord Fan, are you a bandit? I have none left for myself."
Chen Ping'an said helplessly, "Your Majesty, if you want to scrounge from the National Preceptor's residence, just say so directly. I'll have Rong Yu send some over later. Why make Fan Junmao play the villain?"
Song He laughed, "Fine, it's settled. Six bags of candies is not too few, double that is not too many."
Jin Qing was slightly surprised, only because he heard the name "Rong Yu."
Jin Qing glanced from the corner of his eye, and sure enough, the Western Mountain Lord Meng Long was also thoughtful.
Chen Ping'an said, "I just received news that several leading generals of the Dashou Dynasty's troops on the Desolate Battlefield have mutinied. They plan to lead the elite border army of seven hundred thousand troops back to the Hao Ran world to 'cleanse the ruler's side.'"
Fan Junmao asked curiously, "Didn't any general feel compelled to don the yellow robe?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head, "The Yin clan of Dashou still enjoys considerable popular support both at court and among the people. Within the next twenty years, it's a fool's dream for a general of another surname to usurp the throne."
Fan Junmao pressed on, "Is no one planning to secretly support a collateral prince from the founder's line to become emperor, and set up a rival court against the new emperor Yin Miao, who is from the main line?"
Wei Bo said, "At least for now, it's not appropriate. Those meritorious generals leading troops still need to use the pretext of 'cleansing the ruler's side,' otherwise they risk being suspected as traitors."
Jin Qing asked, "What is the attitude of the Confucian Temple?"
Chen Ping'an asked back with a smile, "Shouldn't it be the attitude of the suzerain state, the Grand Li dynasty? The Qiu Kingdom is a vassal of Grand Li, but isn't the Dashou Yin clan also a vassal?"
Jin Qing was speechless.
Chen Ping'an said, "I plan to write a letter to Liu Rao, asking him, as the national preceptor, to accompany Emperor Yin Miao on a trip to the Desolate Battlefield. Then I'll have the Patrol Envoy Cao Ping personally lead a detachment of Grand Li Iron Cavalry to escort them. At tomorrow's small court meeting, Your Majesty can ask the Ministry of War for their opinion."
Song He nodded, "Feasible."
Cen Wenqian suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, National Preceptor, has the court considered what it truly wants to gain from the Dashou dynasty?"
Either Grand Li would try its best to squeeze benefits out of the Dashou dynasty, or it would pursue a seemingly unsubstantial but actually practical path, winning Hao Ran prestige beyond the Grand Li Iron Cavalry, opening up trade channels, and making scholars across the entire world willing to come to Grand Li for study. Either way—whether following the straightforward path of benevolent kingly way, or promoting the pragmatic and profit-seeking hegemonic way—Cen Wenqian felt it was feasible. In short, the Grand Li court must make a decision on its own. Strategic planning feared a lack of resolve and no clear direction. It would only look at this year and next, rather than the next ten or a hundred years.
Cen Wenqian also knew that the words he had spoken today were quite taboo in official circles. But that was his nature; he had never been addicted to officialdom. At worst, he would resign as Qiantang River Chief and go back to being a river god.
Song He gave a knowing smile and glanced at Chen Ping'an. National Preceptor, Cen of Qiantang was personally promoted by you. You can answer this question.
Chen Ping'an smiled, "Your Majesty and I have discussed this privately. We both believe that as long as the Dashou border army is brave enough on the Desolate Battlefield, and their military achievements match the fourth-ranked Hao Ran power, then our Grand Li will take the initiative to abolish the suzerain-vassal relationship and turn it into a bilateral alliance. Cen Wenqian, rest assured. Both His Majesty and I have seen big money. We won't drain the pond to catch all the fish with the Dashou dynasty..."
Cen Wenqian interrupted urgently, "National Preceptor, of course we must not hinder the livelihood of the Dashou people. But as for heavily squeezing those mountain sects and powerful clans, why not?! The great war against the Desolate is about to truly begin. The Grand Li court must do this!"
"Grand Li only needs to ensure that these two groups of parasites do not, through their usual skilled methods, try to make up for their losses by squeezing the common people by any means. Of course, the relevant officials in charge of this matter in Grand Li—whether in the Ministry of Revenue or the imperial merchants—must also have seen big money, or at least want promotion without caring about getting rich. Otherwise, it will truly stir up popular resentment in Dashou's court and countryside, making them regard our Grand Li as an enemy."
"Your Majesty, National Preceptor, I can write a memorial on this matter, offering a rough suggestion."
Hearing this, Chen Ping'an asked with a smile, "How rough?"
Cen Wenqian obviously had a draft ready: "After all, it's just a crude framework. The content will be at least thirty thousand words. I'll deliver it to the National Preceptor's residence within two days. A more polished second draft will be completed within ten days."
Chen Ping'an smiled, "It's a deal."
Jin Qing and the other deities all gasped. Even Tong Wenchang glanced at the new Qiantang River Chief. Good heavens, it made them look like idlers, parasites, and good-for-nothings.
Would it be that from now on, all official documents submitted to the National Preceptor's residence from the Five Sacred Mountains would have to follow this standard? They had only heard of the tactic of "die a friend's death, not a monk's death," but they never expected to encounter a colleague among the mountain and river deities who dragged everyone else into diligent governance!
Song He rubbed his forehead and asked, "Can Ever Spring Temple manage Lu Fanlu well? We must not let anything go wrong."
Wei Bo nodded, "We need to keep a close eye on her."
Ever Spring Temple had no Upper Five Realm cultivators, which was naturally one of the fundamental reasons why it had yet to obtain the title of "Sect." Lu Fanlu was a cultivator whose Dao strength was second only to Song Yu. She had been stuck at the Nascent Soul realm for many years and had been the temple master, holding power for three hundred years. Now that she had been stripped of power, directly deprived of her temple master identity, and was confined by the ancestor Song Yu for sixty years of reflection, with her lineage of cultivators and several trusted followers expelled from the ancestral hall, from Lu Fanlu's perspective, it was naturally similar to a rebellious usurpation.
Song He was very familiar with the situation of Ever Spring Temple and was not unfamiliar with the new temple master Feng Jie and several other young Core Formation cultivators. He feared that Lu Fanlu, greedy for power, might suddenly suffer a Dao heart collapse upon such a blow and do something excessive. If the ancestor Song Yu was unable to handle it, in the end, the Grand Li court would have to clean up the mess. But if it came to that, Ever Spring Temple's foundation would be destroyed, the court's face would be ugly, and it would be even worse for those young earthly immortals like Feng Jie.
Wei Bo suggested, "Your Majesty, I can invite Lu Fanlu to stay for a few years at Cloak Cloud Mountain, or at a reserve mountain of the Northern Sacred Mountain."
Song He looked at the national preceptor.
Chen Ping'an simply said three words, full of murderous intent: "Let her make trouble."
Wei Bo wanted to speak but stopped.
Song He, however, knew a piece of confidential mountain and river news related to the former Red Candle Town. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lord Wei can inform the nearby mountain and river orthodox deities and the prefectural city god temple around Ever Spring Temple in advance, to prevent Lu Fanlu from jumping over the wall in desperation and harming the hard-won foundation of Ever Spring Temple's Dao field. That would implicate many innocent and unknowing young disciples. Does the national preceptor agree?"
Chen Ping'an smiled, "His Majesty's thinking is more comprehensive."
Fan Junmao felt there was something behind the words. These scholars, especially when they held high office...
In fact, the National Preceptor's residence, along with the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice, had already made a series of secret deployments, waiting for Lu Fanlu to incite her old subordinates and stage a second "forcing the palace" drama. Just in time, Chen Ping'an could also see how Feng Jie and the other young Core Formation cultivators who had just taken power would handle it. Either they would get a bucket of cold water thrown on them, or they would earn the court's respect. Either way, in the long run, it would be good for both sides.
Song He laughed, "Then shall we swap seats? I'll be the national preceptor, and you be the emperor?"
Chen Ping'an sighed and waved his hand, "Your Majesty, why would you want to rebel against yourself?"
Tong Wenchang chuckled, "Your Majesty, National Preceptor, let me state in advance that I heard nothing."
Jin Qing and the others laughed heartily. Even Yang Hua was extremely surprised. Could the relationship between ruler and minister be so casual?
After the meeting ended, Chen Ping'an strolled back alone to the National Preceptor's residence, asking Lord Wei to do him a small favor.
Regarding the alliance signing in the capital of the Lu clan's dynasty in Northern Plume Continent, the date had been set. An auspicious day had been chosen, half a month later.
Song He and the emperor of the Grand Duan dynasty would both be heading to Northern Plume Continent soon. Chen Ping'an suggested that the emperor might as well set out early. The National Preceptor's residence had already arranged an itinerary. Besides the Cloud Tenuity Temple of the Hall of Revered Mysteries, which was definitely a must-visit, there were also the Grand Emblem Sword Sect and the Duckweed Sword Lake. How about the Southern Scent Water Palace of the River of Aid Duke Shen Lin, and the residence of Dragon Pavilion Marquis Li Yuan? Further north, the Ground-Pouncing Peak of Fire Dragon True Man—if there was still spare time, should they go there too?
Emperor Song He readily agreed. All the Grand Li heavy ministers and high-ranking deities who could attend the small court meeting were extremely shrewd people. How could they not see that the emperor and the national preceptor were performing a duet?
When the Grand Li emperor crossed continents to swear an alliance, the old coachman known as Su Kan would certainly accompany him.
But one always had to guard against unforeseen circumstances. The problem was that Xiao Mo needed to go into seclusion, and Xie Gou was also in protection meditation at the Taoist temple. So Chen Ping'an went to ask Pei Qian's opinion on whether she would be willing to accompany Emperor Song He on a trip to the capital of the Grand Source dynasty. Pei Qian readily agreed. On the other hand, Song He said it was unnecessary to trouble Master Pei; the Grand Li imperial patrons and accompanying army cultivators were all trustworthy.
Chen Ping'an thought it over and wanted to trouble Liu Cha to help. He asked him to secretly guard Emperor Song He. Liu Cha had already set up a thatched shed at Yellow Lake Mountain and had just figured out the fishing situation there. He had even laid down bait. He flatly said he had no time.
At that time, Wei Bo, who was merely relaying the message, didn't want to come back empty-handed. He said that taking a cross-continent ferry to fish in the long line at sea was also very enjoyable. He had heard that in the Ghost Valley region, there was a lake with a kind of immortal descendant fish that depended on both fishing skill and luck... As Lord Wei rambled on, Liu Cha just stared at the lake surface and chuckled, "Lord Wei might have forgotten that I was caught by Chen Chun'an at sea back then, which is why I fell from the fourteenth realm."
The Old Deaf One was even more unwilling to come out of the mountains. Hadn't he been an emperor himself? Who was more precious than whom? Why should he do escort work? It was far less important than transmitting the Dao in the mountains and cultivating fine talents! He wouldn't even let Lord Wei finish speaking. With an unyielding demeanor, he directly told Lord Wei, "If the mountain lord forces me, I'll give up this appointment. Tomorrow I'll go back to Sword Worshipping Terrace to reflect on my faults..." The Old Deaf One flicked his sleeve, turned around, and went straight back to the classroom, immediately changing his expression and continuing to explain the strengths and weaknesses of an ancient breathing technique to those junior Dao seekers.
Damn it, it was Chen Ping'an's request, not Cloak Cloud Mountain's face asking them to come out and work. Even a clay statue has three parts fiery temper. So Lord Wei also washed his hands of the matter.
But towards the Old Deaf One, Wei Bo actually felt a bit more warmth in his heart.
After receiving Wei Bo's message, Chen Ping'an had to personally send a flying sword message, temporarily informing Zhu Su, who was about to set off for Dragon Elephant Sword Sect and had not yet left the temporary Dao field at Returning Sword Lake.
This female sword immortal, who had just recently advanced to the Immortal realm, agreed without hesitation, saying it would be a good opportunity to experience the customs of Northern Plume Continent.
Earlier at Returning Sword Lake, she had chatted with Ning Yao about sword cultivators of Northern Plume Continent. Two heartfelt remarks from Ning Yao left Zhu Su with mixed feelings.
"I hope the sword cultivators there will never again offer an entire continent's swords as sacrifice."
"If Bottle Gourd Continent had been breached by the Desolate demons back then, we might not have rushed to aid the Central Earth Divine Continent, but we would definitely have saved Northern Plume Continent."
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The private Dao field at Fuyang Slope was originally established for the purpose of realizing the Ascension realm. What meaning did it hold for a first-realm cultivator?
Chen Ping'an was also unwilling to waste the counterfeit Three Mountain Talismans. According to market price, they could fetch a considerable amount of immortal money, and even then, he would only sell them based on personal connections. So he simply stayed at the National Preceptor's residence, browsing through archives—both official resumes and tax conditions of various prefectures. Proofreading books was like sweeping dust: as you sweep, more dust appears. Given Chen Ping'an's "reading" habits, browsing archives was even more so. Whenever he circled a few names or numbers with his brush, he would follow the lead and have Rong Yu fetch several booklets, even a large stack of documents. Then he would flip through them, circle again, and read new books... It seemed endless.
Chen Ping'an was annotating an official document without looking up, saying to Rong Yu, who had gently placed an archive on the table, "You rest first."
Rong Yu asked softly, "National Preceptor, should I have the kitchen prepare a midnight snack?"
Chen Ping'an shook his head, "No need."
Rong Yu said, "The arrangements for the next three days have all been written down. If there are any temporary adjustments, please inform me."
Chen Ping'an glanced at the densely packed names on those gold paper sheets, with annotations in tiny script indicating the official positions of the people to be seen, down to the specific hour and minute. Below those gold paper sheets was a small booklet, which, according to his requirements, had become a regular practice with brief summaries attached... Chen Ping'an put down the brush, rubbed his brow, and said self-deprecatingly, "More and more, I admire Old Master Guan, Shen Chen, Dong Hu, and the others. Being an official is truly a physical labor."
No wonder they called it cultivation in officialdom.
Every realm had its own scenery. A county magistrate had his duties, a national preceptor had his government affairs.
Since entering the National Preceptor's residence, Chen Ping'an had been seeing two or three people every quarter-hour, on average. Or one person every half-hour, but such cases were rare.
Rong Yu smiled, "Within two months at most, the National Preceptor will become increasingly confident."
Mr. Cui had once shared with her and Fu Qing insights about the similarities and differences between "delegating work to others and exerting mind and strength," which had been very beneficial.
Indeed, after Cui Chan became the national preceptor of Grand Li, his approach could be roughly divided into three stages. First, he attended to every detail, handling light matters as if they were heavy. Then, he focused on delegating, handling heavy matters as if they were light. Finally... even Rong Yu and Fu Qing couldn't quite say, but they felt that National Preceptor Cui was somewhat lonely.
Chen Ping'an suddenly smiled, "Occasionally, I think that if I had been able to enter the National Preceptor's residence earlier, maybe Senior Brother would have had an easier time."
Rong Yu thought seriously and said bluntly, "National Preceptor, without those experiences, if you had entered the National Preceptor's residence twenty years earlier, you would have, at best, become a civil secretary for military planning, or else you would have been stuck staring at the Ministry of Revenue's account books every day. Given Mr. Cui's temper, you would have been scolded the most back then."
Chen Ping'an couldn't help but laugh. He leaned back, clasped his hands behind his head, and nodded, "True."
In the second courtyard, there were still some lights in the official houses.
The National Preceptor's residence allowed civil secretaries to sleep over on the floor, and there were two side rooms with simple beds and bedding for them to rest. But Cui Chan didn't like them to work all night on official business; he was even somewhat opposed to it. Unless there was indeed urgent military paperwork to handle, Cui Chan's attitude was simple: what kind of person does what kind of work, what kind of official calculates what kind of accounts. As the national preceptor, he had a clear picture in his mind. If matters couldn't be handled during the day and were delayed until night to finish, was that a skill?
Having said that, Cui Chan didn't forbid the National Preceptor's residence's small kitchen; midnight snacks were still available.
But the food at the Grand Li National Preceptor's residence was similar in subtlety to the vegetarian meals of the Mysterious Capital Temple.
In the dead of night, Chen Ping'an walked out of the study and strolled in the courtyard. Moonlight was like water, the surroundings bright and clear. He closed his eyes and began the six-step stance.
First the battle with Jiang She, then the Heaven-Earth Passage aimed at trading lives with Zhou Mi, and then dealing with the Heavenly Punishment.
Chen Ping'an's human body had undergone earth-shaking changes. The saying "seas change into mulberry fields" had never been so visually evident.
Coupled with his advancement to the eleventh realm of martial arts, his qi and blood had become abundant to an almost exaggerated degree. It was just that he had no opportunity to go all out yet.
Earlier at Yellow Lake Mountain, Chen Ping'an had actually wanted to spar with Liu Cha, but he was afraid that Liu Cha might get serious and accidentally destroy Yellow Lake Mountain. How would he explain that to Hong Xia? The poor fellow had worked hard to go to Tongye Continent to help dig the Great River, only to come home and find his Dao field gone?
The path of martial gods was inherently contradictory to the path of immortal cultivation. Advancing from the first realm to the second realm of qi refiners was like cutting a bloody path through a myriad army. The difficulty was imaginable. An even greater difficulty was to maintain this "living path" for a long time, opening it up as a riverbed for heaven and earth's spiritual qi. In short, the higher the martial realm, the harder it was to start over with qi cultivation. It was truly like weaving a cocoon and binding oneself.
Song Yunjian, wearing a golden crown and jade robe, appeared and asked curiously, "National Preceptor, when will you resume your Dao cultivation?"
Chen Ping'an continued his stance practice and said casually, "I'm also anxious. But what can I do if it can't be rushed? First, I need to pinpoint the exact locations of the one thousand and eight qi mansions in the human body. The slightest difference can lead to a thousand miles of error. It's a vast and boundless labyrinth, but there are traces to follow. I have a general idea of the overall pattern. There are still over three hundred qi mansions that haven't been found."
Asking someone else to help determine one's own qi mansions was, in the mountain world, entrusting them with one's life and family.
Earlier at Youyi Peak, Chen Ping'an had asked Ning Yao to help verify the positions of his qi mansions.
Chen Ping'an planned to ask Nian Xin, the seamstress, for an old map of his previous qi mansions. At least some qi mansions could be located by following the map. Moreover, with the old and new as comparison, it would itself be a subtle form of observing the Dao.
For his future path of cultivation, Chen Ping'an currently had three preliminary options.
First, follow the old path, refining as many natal objects as possible.
This path was the most convenient, saving both mind and effort, but it was also the most expensive.
So Chen Ping'an had an open talk with Emperor Song He, saying that if he chose a certain path to restart his cultivation, then several secret treasuries of Grand Li might have to be emptied by him.
Song He directly raised his hand and said, "Don't talk to me about this. I'm not afraid of the treasury being empty; I'm only afraid that the national preceptor won't be able to reach the fourteenth realm as soon as possible. If the national preceptor says in the future that there's even a glimmer of hope for merging with the Dao, even if I, Song He, have to personally borrow from the emperors of Grand Duan Cao clan and Grand Source Lu clan, I won't say a word of objection."
Chen Ping'an smiled and nodded, "If that day truly comes, Your Majesty, don't pretend to be forgetful and claim not to remember what you said back then."
Song He laughed, "I won't say anything insubstantial to the national preceptor. Let me just say this as a father: what use is it for me to keep those heavenly treasures that haven't moved for years or decades? Leaving a strong Grand Li dynasty for the Song descendants is enough."
Chen Ping'an nodded.
The advantage of this cultivation path was that it allowed for a steady improvement in realm. In one-on-one combat under the fourteenth realm, there would be plenty of trump cards. The hidden danger was that in the future, when closing up to pursue the fourteenth realm, it would be highly likely that one had to go through a process of scattering the Dao.
Second, pursue the word "pure" as much as possible. Apart from focusing solely on refining the sword, seek no other external objects.
Just at the right time, they had finalized that deal with True Martial Mountain. The sword-whetstone from Dragon Spine Mountain would probably be enough to support his realization for Ascension.
Third, attempt a "one-step to heaven" from the third realm, Willow Tendon realm, directly advancing to the Upper Five Realms.
Song Yunjian asked, "It seems the national preceptor is not particularly anxious about the redrawing of prefectural boundaries within Grand Li's territory?"
Chen Ping'an smiled, "Suddenly having so many new official positions, who will fill them? So many official hats, who will wear them?"
Song Yunjian was puzzled, "Grand Li's court and countryside are full of talents. With half a continent of territory, is there a shortage of suitable officials?"
Chen Ping'an asked, "When the Grand Li border army returns to Bottle Gourd Continent, if the official seats are already tightly filled, what will they do?"
Song Yunjian understood suddenly.
Chen Ping'an said to himself, "Only then will we be able to say, 'When we meet, all are people of peace.'"
Song Yunjian's eyes brightened. Yes, finally, when they meet, all are people of peace. He withdrew his form and went to the adjacent garden, no longer disturbing the national preceptor's walk and relaxation.
The newly built National Preceptor's residence had been expanded into three areas. The central building complex remained unchanged, keeping its original scale. The three courtyards on the central axis still had the phoenix tree, old pine, and peach tree. Additionally, a garden had been opened on the left side. Even the civil secretaries, who were almost all mortals, could come here to relax, feast their eyes, and change their mood, without worrying that even a fart might drift to the third courtyard and disturb the national preceptor.
Yu Shiwu, Xiao Xing, Du Kou, Xian Zao, and the later-arrived Xu Jiaoqie—they were all cultivators, so they moved to the new courtyard on the right side. Guo Zhujiu was temporarily in charge of managing them, but none of them held any formal official position. Guo Zhujiu had long since piled her desk with various beloved items: a copy-hand inkstone, a small bamboo box, a pot of calamus, and a large stack of books just bought from the Liuli Factory. They were all treasures! Since her desk was against the wall, Guo Zhujiu was like the naughtiest child in school, hiding herself completely, her head on the table, so the teachers wouldn't know what she was doing.
There was also Xun Qu, who was responsible for liaising with the flower goddesses of Hundred Flowers Blessed Land. They also became neighbors. Chen Ping'an specially reserved a room for Fan Dache.
Xiao Xing still often went to the kitchen to tease the cook Yu Qing. Xu Jiaoqie still took every opportunity to exchange insults with Xiao Xing, calling each other scum and bitch.
That young impatiens flower goddess, Wu Cai, had come to the National Preceptor's residence twice but hadn't seen the marten-hat girl. She was a bit disappointed.
Pei Qian and Guo Zhujiu were also night owls. They had nothing better to do and were playing chess in the second courtyard. But they were playing against Cao Qinglang, with Lin Shouyi and Rong Yu also watching from the side.
On a whim, Chen Ping'an went over to see the situation on the chessboard. He already had enough self-awareness: a true gentleman watches chess without speaking. He just asked them if they wanted a midnight snack. Pei Qian looked serious, picked up a chess piece, and just nodded, saying yes. Guo Zhujiu also said yes, yes, and casually messed up the chessboard, declaring it a draw, a draw. Cao Qinglang was helpless. Pei Qian glared, "What are you messing around for? I already thought of a brilliant move." Guo Zhujiu said, "After all, it's what Master taught us. Winning would be unworthy of the skill." Pei Qian thought about it and said, "Yeah."
Lin Shouyi chuckled, Cao Qinglang chuckled.
Rong Yu remained neutral and said nothing.
National Preceptor Chen nodded solemnly, saying on the one hand, "Against two lousy players like you, your master's chess skill is now so high it's off the charts. I only need to use thirty percent of my strength..." while on the other hand, he quickly walked towards the first courtyard, intending to cook personally and show off his skills.
Rong Yu watched the national preceptor's retreating figure.
Earlier, when Cao Gengxin had unsealed the wine jar and poured wine into the gourd, the man beside her stared straight at it, as if that wine gourd, like the youth of those years, could never be filled.