Chapter 44: Chapter 44: A Decision Against the Ancestors' Teachings
In an instant, an inspiration flashed through Souichirou's mind. He quickly rewound his thoughts, hoping to catch that fleeting spark. He unhesitatingly cut out the part about Kuruyashiki Kenpachi entirely.
Souichirou wasn't very familiar with Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, had no particular feelings for him, and objectively speaking, the modest, polite, and easy-going Kuruyashiki Kenpachi was probably the most well-regarded Kenpachi in the history of Soul Society. But for some inexplicable reason, the current Souichirou found Kuruyashiki Kenpachi quite annoying, and had the urge to target him and talk back to him a few times.
So, back to the beginning. The Central 46 did not control everything; there were places their power could not reach. For example... the affairs of the nobles! The Great Noble Clan Council!!!
Souichirou finally knew where his fleeting inspiration had come from! That's right, not just the Kenpachi, but also the nobles. The nobles were also beyond the complete control of the Central 46. One could even say the Central 46 was trying to curry favor with the nobles! Let alone punishing the nobles, even a low-ranking member of a branch family of the Five Great Noble Clans wouldn't be punished for murder within the Seireitei. And this, without a doubt, was one of the "bad places are all the same" things that Ling Qing had mocked.
Coincidentally, wasn't he, Shihouin Souichirou, also a nobleman? And what a coincidence, he was also the head of the Shihouin family, one of the Five Great Noble Clans!
If the Kenpachi represented defiance against the Central 46, then the Five Great Noble Clans were the history, the rules, and even the power itself of this Soul Society. They were beings that existed beyond the Central 46. If he could bring Ling Qing into this system, then the Central 46 would have to think twice before passing any judgment or playing any tricks.
At this thought, Souichirou immediately became excited. He knew it, his half-month of hard work was not in vain! He wasn't making a wedding dress for someone else! The benefits would fall into his hands in the end!
So, how to operate this? Frankly, Souichirou didn't really understand the Kenpachi. On one hand, he had never been in Squad 11, and on the other, he had never been a Kenpachi. But Souichirou knew the nobles all too well. Otherwise, the Head-Captain wouldn't have handed him the ongoing noble infighting case to handle.
However... while that was true, using his noble status to protect Ling Qing... was not an easy task. After all, even if Ling Qing were brought into this system, he wouldn't have noble blood, only a noble name. So, if he wanted the Central 46 to feel that the risk of moving against Ling Qing was far greater than the danger of not moving, the status bestowed upon Ling Qing had to be strong enough, noble enough, and shocking enough.
Thinking of this, Souichirou's expression changed. He subconsciously looked at Ling Qing, his eyes and expression gradually becoming strange.
Not just Souichirou, but Ling Qing, who was being stared at by the suddenly-returned-to-his-senses Souichirou, also felt a bit bewildered. And Souichirou's expression made him feel a little creeped out... He had a feeling this old guy was up to no good...
But before Ling Qing could ask, he found that Souichirou's gaze had become vacant again, and he was once again lost in deep thought! Damn it!
A bold, even tradition-defying idea emerged in Souichirou's mind. Souichirou knew that if he wanted to completely abandon the Kenpachi route and go with the noble route, this was the only choice. But he was still hesitating whether to really do it. He even felt that he would be at a loss if he did.
But to just let go of Ling Qing and push him to Kuruyashiki Kenpachi... Sigh, what's with this Kuruyashiki Kenpachi! Why does he seem more and more annoying the more I think about him!
But if he really did it, what would happen? The problem with the Central 46 would definitely be solved. If he went that far, even the Central 46 should know he was serious. If they wanted to touch Ling Qing again, they would have to consider his attitude, the attitude of the Shihouin family, and whether they wanted to completely fall out with the Shihouin family.
But if the problem with the Central 46 was solved, another problem would follow closely behind. That was the problem of the Great Noble Clan Council. Because of his personal experiences, his ideology, and his family's path, Shihouin Souichirou was different from ordinary nobles. He was proud of his Shihouin identity, but he disdained using that identity to bully and exploit others. In fact, for a nobleman who could live well just by loafing around, becoming a captain and appearing on the front lines of slaughter was an anomaly among the nobles.
Even captain-level Shinigami were reluctant to deal with the nobles. Because the so-called nobles of the Seireitei were the kind of people that even Souichirou wanted to slash a few times just thinking about them. But it was precisely those kinds of people who made up the majority of the nobles. Even the Shihouin family was no exception; there were many within the family, including some elders, who were the same.
If Shihouin Souichirou dared to make such a bold and tradition-defying decision, let alone the other nobles, the Shihouin family itself would explode. The Great Noble Clan Council would also explode. Compared to the Central 46, the Great Noble Clan Council would give Souichirou an even bigger headache. This was one of the real reasons for his hesitation.
However... Souichirou's train of thought seemed to have been completely opened. Since becoming the head of the Shihouin family, Souichirou had long been accustomed to headwinds. He just hated unnecessary trouble, not trouble itself. As long as he wanted to, he could withstand the winds from all eight directions and steer his ship.
Connecting this to another matter he needed to handle, Souichirou suddenly had an idea. Although the Head-Captain had given him the noble infighting to handle, and it could be expected that the Gotei 13 and the Central 46 would actively cooperate, it was uncertain whether the Great Noble Clan Council, controlled by the major and minor nobles and dominated by the Five Great Nobles, would really buy it. After all, there were always many idiots among the nobles.
Even if we don't mention those idiots, the Kuchiki and Shiba families also held positions in the Gotei 13. If he were to take charge of the solution, had he considered their feelings? So he couldn't just start with an attitude of 'I'm here to solve the problem, you all shut up and listen to me.' How to cleverly insert himself into the incident and gain the initiative to handle it was an art. The art of the nobility.
And now, wasn't there an excellent reason right in front of him?
He could use this reason to forcefully insert himself into the internal strife, while simultaneously detonating the voices within the Shihouin family and from other nobles outside, making the whole situation more complex and acute!
That's right, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukidō, Souichirou had never intended to ease the situation from the beginning. He had always wanted to make these people feel the pain. Only by making them all feel the pain, by draining their family fortunes, would they be quiet for a while.
He would mix his own affairs with the affairs of the nobles, openly repairing the plank roads while secretly marching to Chencang. He would make others mistakenly think that he was just using Ling Qing as an excuse to solve the nobles' problems. It could be predicted that the Tsunayashiro family would definitely oppose it, and oppose it strongly. But the Kuchiki family, as a model of nobility, had probably had enough of this for a long time. Even if his methods would bring some pain, it was still a good way, so they would only support it. The Shiba family was even less of a problem; as long as it solved the problem, it was a good method.
In other words, three of the Five Great Noble Clans would reach a consensus. With the tacit support of the Gotei 13 and the Central 46, when the dust settled, no one would be able to make an issue of Ling Qing anymore! Not even the voices within the Shihouin family! The Central 46, which would have been an obstacle, would even unknowingly become a helper.
But if that were the case... he would need some other operations. A little sleight of hand to swap the sky for the sun. Shihouin Souichirou's greatest advantage now was that he had seen through the development of the situation more than one step ahead. The advantage was that the Central 46 and Kuruyashiki Kenpachi—Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, ptooey!—didn't know of Ling Qing's existence yet. That gave him a lot of room to operate.
"..."
Ling Qing watched Souichirou's expression change throughout. He saw his eyes gradually narrow into a line, and a sinister and ruthless smile appear on his lips. He knew he was up to no good. He just didn't know what it was.
Then, Souichirou gradually came back to his senses, looking at Ling Qing with some excitement. However, Ling Qing's somewhat wary expression confused him. Fortunately, he had now thought of a foolproof idea and was feeling great, too lazy to care about such details.
Immediately, he said excitedly, "Ling Qing, I've got an idea! You don't have to die!"
"...Oh?" Ling Qing raised an eyebrow.
"This is a very difficult decision, one that even requires me to go against the teachings of my ancestors!" Souichirou said with a grave expression.
Ling Qing had a bad feeling. He stared with wide eyes as Souichirou stretched out a hand and placed it on his shoulder, saying with a deeply emotional expression, "That's right! Oh, Ling Qing! You shall become my son!"
"Get lost!" was the unhesitating and decisive reply. "I treated you as a client, but you want to be my dad?! Are you trying to get out of paying me?!"
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