Chapter 10: Have the Embroidered Uniform Guard Gone Mad? Has the Frontier Army Gone Mad Too?

Prince of Qin Manor.

“Big Brother, this is an invitation from the Prime Minister. He says that in three days, the academy celebration will be held, and he hopes Big Brother will attend…”

Xu Yong handed over an invitation, but his gaze had already fallen upon the stack of xuan paper on the desk.

Very naturally, he picked up several sheets and tucked them into his chest.

“Mm. The academy will be the final step in making the Confucian Dao wholeheartedly submit. I still have to go…”

Only when Xu Yong reached out a second time

did Xu Tian’s somewhat speechless voice sound out:

“That is enough. The rest have to be saved for Second Brother…”

The moment he heard they were meant for the frontier,

Xu Yong finally stopped. He gave a light cough, then cupped his hands toward Li Lianying at the side.

“Uncle Li, you’re here too? Hahaha!”

He had come quickly and left even faster. After getting the calligraphy sheets, he immediately turned and strode out without the slightest pause.

“To repel foreign threats, one must first secure the interior. Leave the matter of the sects to me. I absolutely will not affect Second Brother at the frontier…”

Watching Xu Yong leave in such impatience, Xu Tian nodded.

“That works as well. We can use this opportunity to settle all these troublesome matters in one stroke.”

He turned around and looked at the old eunuch at the side, asking somewhat curiously,

“Uncle Li, where is the Fifth Princess? Given her temperament, she should not be this quiet.”

“Her Highness the Fifth Princess is in seclusion.”

“In seclusion?”

Xu Tian was immediately stunned. He looked at Li Lianying for confirmation.

“She isn’t even cultivating. What kind of seclusion is this supposed to be?”

“She is in seclusion… settling accounts.”

Li Lianying explained, “She says that Great Xia signed far too many treaties back then, and the debts those people owe must first be calculated clearly…”

Just then—Whoosh!

Xu Tian’s expression shifted slightly. He reached out and grabbed.

A red flash streaked past, and a slip of paper appeared in his hand, while a fiery-red little bird appeared at the window.

It was none other than the Second Prince’s personal messenger, Hongling.

As the note was unfolded, iron-hook, silver-stroke handwriting leapt across the page:

“Seized a ship from the Shan Kingdom; obtained the Heaven-Slaying Diagram! The Zhao Family has colluded with foreign powers. Su Can is now returning to the capital at full speed with the evidence…”

Su Can.

Xu Tian’s expression softened.

In an instant, the image of a bright and cheerful youth surfaced in his mind.

Two years had passed. He wondered how much that boy had grown.

As for the Heaven-Slaying Diagram, rumor held that it was the carrier of the Slaughter Word Formula.

Among the seventy-two Confucian Word Formulae, every single character was a pearl of wisdom, preserved within various authentic relics of the Confucian Sage.

Back in those years of war and chaos, Great Xia’s relics of the Confucian Sage had been divided up among the nations.

The Heaven-Slaying Diagram had also been lost beyond its borders. For it to be recovered now was already no easy thing.

He continued reading downward.

His expression immediately turned cold, and his gaze fixed on the strange symbol in the corner of the secret report.

It looked like neither a snake nor a snake, neither a ghost nor a ghost.

“Uncle Li.”

Xu Tian casually held the note to the candle flame.

Watching it turn to ashes, he spoke in an offhand tone:

“In these past few years, the Zhao Family of the capital has done quite a large amount of business, has it not?”

Li Lianying’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and his tone also grew more solemn.

“In reply to Your Highness: very large indeed. Relying on the Chu Family’s connections, the Zhao Family has monopolized half the capital’s silk and canal transport. They are considered Chu Lan’s most obedient dog.”

“An obedient dog?”

Xu Tian looked at the falling paper ash, and a cold light flashed through his eyes.

“This dog seems to be getting a little disobedient.”

He had seen that strange symbol before.

He was also very familiar with that aura.

More accurately, during the early years of Great Xia’s war, that symbol had been very common.

Though it had gradually vanished afterward, Great Xia’s suffering could not be separated from the involvement of that force.

“Uncle Li, Su Can is coming back. I’ll trouble you to make a trip. His journey should be anything but peaceful.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Li Lianying bowed and withdrew.

The room instantly became empty.

“There are still not enough calligraphy sheets…”

He turned to look at the desk covered with “Suppress” Word Formula calligraphy sheets, yet for some reason, he still could not feel at ease.

For a single battle, one calligraphy sheet was enough.

For a small-scale campaign, several dozen calligraphy sheets could also change the tide.

But for a war between nations, this was still far from enough.

He came to the desk, picked up the brush, and began writing once more.

【Studying by the Cold Window triggered. Vast Righteous Qi increasing…】

【Success Comes Naturally triggered. Breaking through to the middle stage of the Third Rank...】

……

Inner Palace.

“Trash! Useless trash, all of you!”

Chu Lan could no longer hold herself back. Her chest rose and fell violently, and her face twisted with rage.

“The entire court of civil and military officials is being toyed with by a cripple!”

“So what if his aptitude in the Confucian Dao is monstrous? In the end, isn’t he just a Third-Rank Confucian cultivator? Hasn’t he merely comprehended Confucian Dao true intent? Doesn’t he only know a single Confucian Dao secret art?”

“That Li Hongru has simply gone mad! He actually gave up the chance to reach into the Embroidered Uniform Guard. That senile old fool…”

“And you…”

She looked at Chu Hao, who was staring off into space again, and her anger surged all the more.

“Can’t you be of some use? Can’t you put in a little effort? Day after day, you’re always absent-minded…”

Seeing that Chu Hao still looked as though his soul had wandered away, she was utterly disappointed.

Just then, a shadow appeared, leaned close to her ear, whispered a few words, and vanished once more.

Her expression changed several times, and then she ground her teeth and said:

“Good, very good! Is it not enough that the Embroidered Uniform Guard has gone mad? Even the frontier army has gone mad as well?”

“The Third Prince’s Embroidered Uniform Guard being arrogant is one thing. No matter how much trouble they stir up, at least it is still within Great Xia.”

“But has the Second Prince Xu Zhan lost his mind as well? In order to win merit and fight for the succession, he actually dared seize a ship of the Shan Kingdom. Is he not afraid of provoking a war between nations?”

“Now that Xu Tian is gone, have all of them gone mad?”

She slammed the chair viciously and rose to her feet, gnashing her teeth.

“Fine. Aren’t they all willing to listen to Xu Tian? Then let us see how he handles this!”

“When tomorrow’s morning court comes—”

Her voice stopped abruptly.

She had suddenly realized that morning court… was already gone.

“How did it come to this?”

She slumped back into her seat, her eyes somewhat vacant, and murmured:

“How did a perfectly good Great Xia end up walking to this point?”

After venting for a while, she slowly calmed down again.

She weakly waved a hand toward Chu Hao and closed her eyes.

“Enough. Go back. As for your Dao Protector, I will assign you another—”

“Elder Sister!”

“What is it now?”

Chu Lan frowned and opened her eyes, only to see that Chu Hao’s own were shining with spirit.

The words of complaint reached her lips, yet she could not bring herself to say them. She could only reply irritably:

“What do you want now? You heard it yourself. Great Xia is in chaos right now…”

“Elder Sister, this is a good thing!”

Chu Hao narrowed his eyes. Recalling the words of the Old Grandpa inside the ring, he slowly spoke:

“In any case, the officials who attend morning court do not listen to you. They are all on Xu Tian’s side. The matter of the detained Shan Kingdom ship might very well be suppressed by them as well, with a great matter turned into a small one.”

“Uh…”

The corner of the Empress’s mouth twitched.

Although that was the truth, he really did not have to put it so nakedly.

Still, she nodded. As for the outcome, she agreed with him.

“These people are indeed quite capable of doing exactly that.”

“So!”

Chu Hao clapped his hands together, excitement filling his face.

“Spread the matter everywhere. Let all under Heaven know of it and see how Xu Tian handles it. Isn’t Xu Tian walking the Confucian Dao now? Confucian cultivators care most about reputation.”

Without waiting for Chu Lan to ask, Chu Hao poured out all of his thoughts in one breath:

“I know the discussions of the common people do not amount to much, but what if it is the academy students instead? If he handles this badly, then at the least he will become estranged from the Confucian Dao faction, and at worst, his Dao Heart may shatter…”

“As for who should do it, Zhao Wuji was already cut down by the Third Prince, so the Zhao Family is surely already thinking of a way to strike back.”

“Elder Sister must not forget that the Zhao Family’s eldest son, Zhao Wudao, is one of the academy students…”