Ze Tian Ji (Way of Choices)

Chapter 1071 – The Head of the Great Clan Who Has Shown Up

No one was willing to eat feces—not dog feces, horse feces, or any other sort of feces.

And these princes of the Chen clan had just returned to the capital and ascended to the summit of human existence. Which one of them would happily go back to eating feces?

The Prince of Zhongshan was not happy, nor was the Prince of Luling. Even that absolute good-for-nothing the Prince of Louyang was probably also not happy.

But Wang Po had come to the capital and they could do nothing about it. This was what was meant by eating feces.

The only exception was if the Prince of Xiang personally came forward.

The problem was that everyone knew why Prince Chen Liu had gone to Luoyang, and they also knew why the Prince of Xiang’s estate was so quiet today.

When he thought about what happened that night, the Prince of Zhongshan’s face turned even nastier as he coldly cursed, “Truly an ambitious pack of wolves, a greed that can never be satisfied!”

Even if the Prince of Xiang did appear, the matter wasn’t guaranteed to be settled.

Wang Po was that sharpest of blades.

Behind him were Scholartree Manor, Mount Li, Holy Maiden Peak, and the several dozen other sects and noble clans of the south.

This was too great a mobilization, too astonishing. It shocked the capital and awed the world.

The Li Palace remained silent to Xu Yourong’s arrangements, as did the Imperial Palace.

The two martial brothers that were the Emperor and the Pope said nothing at all, but this did not mean that they would do nothing.

If Shang Xingzhou did not react, if the response of the Imperial Court and these princes was a little weak, these martial brothers could borrow the massive waves, pushed forward by Xu Yourong’s powers of mobilization and daring, in order to remove the authority of the princes and those Divine Generals, completely altering the structure of the Imperial Court.

Only if Shang Xingzhou immediately returned to the capital was there a chance of staunching this wave, as only he had sufficient prestige and ability.

Or else the princes of the Chen clan would have to summon the troops back to the capital to protect themselves.

In the unending flames of war, nobody could know what the final result would be.

This was also what puzzled the Prince of Luling and the Xiaoling Divine General.

Why was Xu Yourong doing this?

In her capacity as Holy Maiden, did she really hope to see the chaos of war, the people drifting aimlessly across the land, and the fine future of the Human race going up in flames?

The Prince of Zhongshan took a glance at the sky while he listened to the cries of geese in the distance. A glint of light flashed across his slightly squinted eyes.

He had gone over the entire matter twice in his mind and ultimately obtained one conclusion.

It seemed like the true conclusion, but it was so simple that he could hardly believe it.

Was Xu Yourong doing all these things just to force the venerable Daoist to return to the capital?

But if the venerable Daoist really did return, what could she do?

No matter how many experts of the south were present, how deep the resources of the Orthodoxy were, and how formidable Wang Po’s power was, or how indescribably exquisite her and Chen Changsheng’s harmonious sword art was…

Could they really manage to kill the venerable Daoist?

……

……

Many people could not understand Xu Yourong’s objective in doing all these things.

They also could not understand how she could order so many sects and noble clans to come to the capital.

Her status in the south was naturally one of incredible esteem and she had a grand prestige.

But this was truly a major event, one that could invite a massacre.

The priests who were leading the experts from the south and their disciples to their respective halls were also troubled by these questions, but they could not bring themselves to voice them.

With the excuse of the Grand Examination, the sects and clans of the south had sent more than two thousand people into the capital. So many people naturally could not be housed in inns, so it was arranged for them to stay in the Li Palace, the Ivy Academies, and all the Daoist churches, big and small, within the capital. Chen Changsheng gave no opinion on the matter, and Hu Thirty-Two handled the matter very properly, with no problems cropping up.

At the start, it was inevitable that both sides felt a little strange around each other, but after a little time getting acquainted, no one was willing to miss out on this hard-sought opportunity for the north and south to interact. In a short time, within the Li Palace, the Ivy Academies, and the Daoist churches, the two sides began to exchange pointers, but they spent most of the time discussing the Dao so as to avoid damaging their relationship.

Wealthy clans like the Mutuo clan and the Wu clan naturally had their own residences in the capital and did not need to be lodged elsewhere. And the members of these clans who were stationed in the capital could also just ask their clan heads… Why were they willing to obey the Holy Maiden’s order and enter the capital?

The Old Lady of the Mutuo clan sank her feet into hot water and let out a sigh of exhaustion. She then said, “The foundations of our clans are in the south, not the north.”

From this standpoint, the decree of Holy Maiden Peak was naturally more important than decrees from the Imperial Court, but the strength of the Mutuo clan meant that even if they ignored Xu Yourong’s words, what could she do?

In the eyes of the Mutuo clan’s descendants and the people of the capital, Xu Yourong was a shockingly talented Phoenix, was the revered Holy Maiden.

She was not a schemer, so logically speaking, she should not have been skilled in using force, much less more cold-blooded methods. Moreover, she also did not have such an ability.

“None of you know what sort of person the Holy Maiden is.”

The Old Lady of the Mutuo clan seemed to be recalling something, fear appearing in her eyes as she said, “She’s a madwoman.”

In a nearby estate, just as luxurious, the Wu clan head was engaging in a similar conversation with his younger brother, the Assistant Minister of Revenue.

The Wu clan head sighed and said, “You don’t know how scary the Holy Maiden can get once she goes crazy.”

Assistant Minister Wu made a jeering expression, clearly not believing in these words.

The Wu clan head did not explain more. He only ruefully said, “None of you have the experience, so you naturally won’t be afraid, but I really am afraid.”

Assistant Minister Wu had no idea what had happened, but he subconsciously felt a chill. He asked, “What about the Qiushan clan?”

Many things had happened in Wenshui City and Tang Thirty-Six had left the ancestral hall. Everyone knew that the Tang Old Master had changed his stance.

In the conflict between Shang Xingzhou and Chen Changsheng, he had chosen to maintain a neutral stance.

Of the Four Great Clans, only the Qiushan clan’s stance was not clear, and the Qiushan clan head had not been spotted amongst the group entering the capital.

“That old fox has it the worst. Normally, he’s used to flipping between both sides, but he doesn’t even need to make his stance known this time. Everyone already knows which side he’ll stand on.”

The Wu clan head suddenly felt a lot better as he jeered, “No one made him father such a good son.”

……

……

Outside the capital was a Daoist temple called Tanzhe.

In the rear courtyard of this temple was a ginkgo tree, said to have been personally planted by Emperor Taizong a thousand years ago.

It was a flourishing ginkgo tree. In the golden autumn, its leaves would yellow and become a golden waterfall.

Three years ago, when Wang Po entered the capital to kill Zhou Tong, he had spent eleven days beneath this ginkgo tree, quietly comprehending the blade, after which he slew Tie Shu with one stunning strike on the Luo River.

It was early spring, so the leaves of the ginkgo tree were naturally not yellow, nor could Wang Po be found there.

The Qiushan clan head walked out of the Daoist temple and sat on the ice-cold stone chair. He sighed three times.

He had also come to the capital, but he had not entered. Instead, he had gone to Tanzhe Temple.

He wanted to find Wang Po and advise him to go to Luoyang.

In short, he did not want Shang Xingzhou to return to the capital, and he certainly did not want Shang Xingzhou to see him.

Because he was extremely pessimistic on Xu Yourong’s chances.

He did not want to be implicated in the aftermath.

“What if… we go back?”

The Qiushan clan Guardian of unfathomable cultivation looked sympathetically at the Qiushan clan head’s furrowed brow.

“Even if we didn’t come, do you think the Imperial Court would believe that unfilial son?”

The Qiushan clan head sighed. “Since we’ve already shown up, let’s stay for a few days.”