Martial Cultivator

The matter of the young Lord Warden Commander killing Su Tong had yet to die down, and the Crown Prince was still pretending to be ill. Yet another piece of breaking news dropped like a massive stone into still water, stirring up waves once more.

Shi Jian, the Vice Minister of Personnel who had recently resigned in a storm of controversy, was investigated by the Warden’s Office. A stack of evidence confirming the Vice Minister Shi’s crimes was simultaneously sent to the Three Judicial Chief Ministries, so shocking that the heads of the Three Judicial Chief Ministries rushed into the palace to request an audience with the Crown Prince.

To his credit, the Crown Prince acted decisively, appointing Han Pu, the Chief Judicial Officer, to investigate. Although Han Pu had no friends in court or the streets, he quickly confirmed that the case was not fabricated, the evidence was ironclad, and the investigation itself was straightforward.

Once the matter came to light, the entire Divine Capital fell into a stunned silence.

But among the common folk, the reaction was one of unanimous praise. They had long been displeased with the rumors slandering the young Lord Warden Commander. These commoners living in the Divine Capital cared little for grand political matters. All they knew was that this young commander had kept their backs straight when others tried to force them to bend.

Ordinary people did not understand those schemes or intrigues. They only knew who treated them well, who had done real work for them, and that was enough.

Besides, in all those slanderous rumors, although the young Lord Warden Commander was said to kill without hesitation, he had never once killed an innocent. That alone was enough.

Most people simply felt that the man who had been praised just days ago, Sage Shi, had now fallen from grace. It made their faces hurt, but some belatedly sensed something more profound: that in years past, it was His Majesty who ruled with absolute authority. But now, there was Chen Chao, still nominally a subject, who had nearly become another emperor.

This frightened many officials, but no one could think of any way to change the situation.

The young Lord Warden Commander’s achievements were simply too great. Since the founding of this dynasty, only the now-deceased Great General could be said to surpass him. All others, whether civil or military officials, could not hope to match him.

Some people’s accomplishments stirred fear in the emperor and often ended poorly. But others achieved so much that even the emperor dared not touch them. For such people, the question of an “ending” no longer applied.

Even if there were ever a day when the dogs were slaughtered after the rabbits died, or the bow was stored away once the birds were gone, that would likely only happen after the young Lord Warden Commander’s death.

With these complicated feelings in their hearts, most court officials began to look forward to the upcoming New Year Grand Court Session.

Ever since His Majesty took the throne, he had often secluded himself to cultivate and disliked holding court sessions. Over the years, both major and minor assemblies had become rare. But now, with the Crown Prince acting as regent, he dared not break ancestral rules and convened court punctually. This upcoming New Year Grand Court Session would be the first of his regency, and therefore carried special significance.

As for Chen Chao, he had not properly participated in a court session since His Majesty’s ascension. Now that he was in the Divine Capital, it would be impossible for him to avoid this grand court session. Many officials had resolved to watch carefully, was this Lord Warden Commander truly unshakable in court?

If the Crown Prince so much as revealed the slightest rift with this cousin during the grand court session, the Divine Capital would no longer remain peaceful.

So everyone awaited the court session with bated breath.

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After parting ways with Yu Xiyi, Chen Chao made a trip to the bamboo building. His three disciples were all very happy at their master’s return to the Divine Capital. Yu Qingfeng and He Liang both waited honestly outside the bamboo building. When Chen Chao appeared, they performed their salutes to greet him.

After that, the young girl Ning Qingnian, with her wooden saber at her waist, came running out and threw herself into Chen Chao’s arms.

Chen Chao picked up this last disciple of his, sized her up, and smiled gently, “You’ve grown a bit.”

The little girl said nothing, just wrapped her arms around the back of Chen Chao’s neck. Her small face rested against Chen Chao’s chest, content and satisfied.

Yu Qingfeng watched this scene and said miserably, “Junior Sister is so biased. I’ve been so diligent in teaching her, and she’s never once hugged me.”

He Liang only chuckled. He was a little better off than Yu Qingfeng, he had held their junior sister’s hand before; it was tiny.

Chen Chao came to sit slowly under the eaves, then placed the little girl on his lap before saying, not too lightly nor too sternly, “Have you been diligent in your cultivation lately?”

Yu Qingfeng smiled and said, “Master, what sort of question is that? Little He and I have been totally serious about it. Our progress these days has been rapid, and that’s no exaggeration.”

Chen Chao nodded. When he entered the bamboo building, he had already sensed the auras of these two disciples with his divine sense. Indeed, it were considerably more profound than before, and their qi flow was no longer haphazard but followed a certain order. This showed that their foundations had been built up fairly well.

He Liang looked at Chen Chao’s pale face and asked worriedly, “Master, did you run into any trouble on this trip?”

Chen Chao smiled and shook his head, “As long as I’m still alive, it doesn’t count as trouble.”

He Liang was still a little uneasy. He gave his master a few worried glances but stopped short of saying more.

Yu Qingfeng looked at He Liang’s hesitant demeanor. He said with some displeasure, “Little He just wants to say that these days, we’ve heard a lot of people cursing Master. Little He and I were both very unhappy about it.”

Chen Chao gave Yu Qingfeng a glance and narrowed his eyes in a smile, “Got into a fight?”

Yu Qingfeng did not try to hide it, and said bluntly, “Got into a fight earlier. We lost and got beat up.”

Chen Chao asked with a smile, “How old were the ones you fought? Did any adults step in?”

Yu Qingfeng shook his head and gritted his teeth, “Master, don’t worry about it. Losing means we weren’t as good. We’ll beat them in a few years.”

Chen Chao gave an “oh,” then looked at He Liang.

The latter nodded and said softly, “It was a scholar a bit older than us. At first, we didn’t plan to fight, Senior Brother just scolded him a couple more times.”

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow, “Yu Qingfeng, quite the skill you have, you even managed to provoke a scholar into throwing punches? Not bad, it resembles my style from back in the day.”

Yu Qingfeng laughed heartily, but just as he was about to speak, Chen Chao’s face turned stern, and he said, “Go kneel over there. Kneel until tomorrow morning.”

Yu Qingfeng froze, not understanding why. But seeing his master’s cold expression, he did not dare say anything. With some dissatisfaction, he walked a short distance away and knelt under the eaves.

He Liang opened his mouth and was just about to speak on behalf of his senior brother when Chen Chao looked at this disciple of his and said calmly, “You go kneel with your senior brother. Reflect on what you did wrong.”

He Liang nodded and did not refute Chen Chao. He had already begun reflecting on exactly what mistake he had made.

After punishing both disciples to kneel, Chen Chao finally rubbed his temples and looked at the little girl in his arms. She did not mind any of it. At this point, she had already fallen asleep on his chest.

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