Martial Cultivator

Chen Chao proceeded along the central axis path toward the great hall. Along the way, he encountered countless officials. Upon seeing Chen Chao, all of them stopped in their tracks and stepped aside.

At this moment, if one were to look down at the imperial city from above, watching these officials slowly walk, it would appear like a scattering of colorful dots in motion.

Among them, who knew how many were scholars of renowned talent, and how many were military officials of considerable merit?

It was said that during Emperor Taizong's first civil examination after his ascension to the throne, he stood atop the inner city walls and, watching the endless line of scholars filing in, proclaimed with grandeur, "The talents of the realm have entered into Our net."

Now, as Chen Chao slowly walked past the inner palace gates, there were not many officials ahead of him. Just before the plaza in the distance, many officials were already waiting.

Seeing this young martial official in black robes, saber at his side, the originally noisy group of officials immediately fell silent. After stepping aside to clear a path, they all looked on curiously at this young Lord Warden Commander before them.

Chen Chao's name had long become widely known, but not all officials in the Divine Capital, both high and low, had actually seen this young martial artist. Though Chen Chao had appeared at several court sessions, besides that, this extremely young Lord Warden Commander had rarely attended regular court sessions and had never shown up at any of the subsequent banquets or gatherings.

As such, many had only heard of the young Lord Warden Commander, who he had killed again, what feats he had accomplished. But those who had actually seen Chen Chao in person were not few, yet not many either.

This led to the assumption among many that Chen Chao must carry a face full of killing aura. But now, seeing this young man, whose appearance might not be peerlessly handsome, but whose entire demeanor exuded heroic spirit, many could not help but sigh inwardly.

Chen Chao walked past many officials, and then the view opened up. The familiar plaza before him was empty at this very moment.

Chen Chao was somewhat curious. He had not exactly arrived early, so why was it that not a single official had yet entered the plaza?

Just as Chen Chao was puzzled, a sudden noise erupted from behind him. He turned his head and saw, not far behind, an elderly figure in purple official robes slowly making his way over.

The Lord Premier of the Great Liang Dynasty had finally arrived, albeit belatedly.

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes and instantly understood that the officials were not waiting for him to step into the plaza first. They were willing to wait here only because the Lord Premier had yet to arrive.

The Premier walked over, nodding to countless officials along the way, until he finally came to Chen Chao's side. Then this elderly man, who was now the highest-ranking and most respected civil official in the Great Liang Dynasty, took the initiative to stop and greet him: "Lord Warden Commander, it has been a long time."

Chen Chao smiled, "Lord Premier, is your health still holding up? Your Excellency still shoulders the burden of Great Liang; you must take care of yourself."

The Premier shook his head with a gentle smile. "An old commoner like this old man is no martial artist who can cleave mountains and split seas like Lord Warden Commander. Past the age of sixty, my body's grown frail, my vision clouded, deteriorating with each passing year, as is fate. As for the burden of Great Liang, I fear it now rests on Lord Warden Commander's shoulders."

The Premier's tone was slow but warm, without hostility.

Looking at the white-haired Premier, Chen Chao recalled how, despite his lofty position over the years, he had always been just an ordinary scholar. As he aged, he became sluggish and slow-witted, which was not his intent.

"After you, Lord Warden Commander."

The Premier glanced at Chen Chao and smiled. "This old man dare not walk ahead of Lord Warden Commander now. But given my age, I think it's no harm for this old man to walk alongside Lord Warden Commander for a while."

Chen Chao nodded, sensing a hint of implication in the Premier's words.

The two, one civil, one military, walked side by side. The Premier's steps were slow, so Chen Chao matched his pace patiently.

An old man and a young man. Different paths - civil and military. Different ideals. Yet in this moment, they seemed somewhat in harmony.

"Lord Warden Commander, it seems that you've done many things again in your northern expedition?"

The Premier who read memorials daily knew a great deal about what Chen Chao had done. But he was unaware of the period during which Chen Chao had vanished in the North.

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes with a smile. "Does Premier not think this official was wrong to execute Su Tong without permission?"

"Not at all. When this old man heard of it, I actually felt strangely pleased. Especially after learning of all that Su Tong had done over the years. That man deserved death."

"But this old man doesn't have the power to help you block the endless reports flying in like snowflakes, accusing you."

The Premier gave a faint smile. Sometimes, though one held a high position, there were still many things beyond one's control. Many matters one wished to change but could not.

Chen Chao teased, "Does Lord Premier consider Su Tong a military official?"

The Premier said solemnly, "This old man had no such thought. It's just that...remembering when I was young, I saw much injustice in the world. I too once wished to take up a sword and cut it down; very satisfying. But as I aged, climbing higher and higher in office, it seemed I could do more, yet somehow achieved less in the end."

This old man who was revealing his inner thoughts to Chen Chao for the first time, waved a hand and said softly, "But this old man does want to offer a word of advice to Lord Warden Commander. Power is a double-edged sword. In your youth and fervor, you must reflect deeply when wielding it, lest you harm others and yourself."

"This junior is enlightened."

Chen Chao cupped his hands in respect. Toward this Lord Premier, he bore no hostility. After all, this Lord Premier had never targeted him intentionally.

The two arrived at the plaza, walking to the front. Just before parting, the Premier suddenly said, "Not speaking as a minister now, this old man truly admires His Majesty. Since he chose Lord Warden Commander as the helmsman of Great Liang, this old man will also choose to trust in that decision."

Perhaps no one in the realm understood it better than the Premier, though the one acting as regent was the Crown Prince, it was Chen Chao who was truly the most important man in Great Liang.

Chen Chao remained silent and merely stepped aside quietly.

Behind them, the officials entered in succession. Civil and military officials lined up neatly behind the Premier and Chen Chao respectively.

But even after taking their positions, many officials continued to glance curiously at Chen Chao.

This young martial artist, not yet thirty, already stood as the foremost military official of the dynasty; it was truly dazzling.

With a call for silence, an attendant stepped out from the great hall. Surprisingly, it was not Li Heng who was holding the position of chief eunuch. Ever since His Majesty's journey north, Li Heng had vanished from sight, even at this grand court session.

This caused many officials who had attended the previous grand court session to feel a sense of change.

Not long ago, every grand court session had seen Chief Eunuch Li standing unwaveringly beside His Majesty. But now, things had shifted.

The middle-aged palace attendant stood still at the side. His Highness the Crown Prince slowly walked out of the great hall and came to the front of the square. This young Crown Prince still bore traces of youthful innocence on his face, but already carried a certain composure; the bearing of an emperor was gradually beginning to emerge.

But soon, someone noticed that behind this young Crown Prince, there was no seat prepared. It seemed he himself knew he lacked the qualifications and did not intend to sit here and wait for the civil and military officials to pay their respects.

As the Crown Prince waved, the middle-aged eunuch softly spoke, "Today's grand court session will reward those meritorious officials and punish those guilty."

With these words, the tone for the grand court session was set.

"The former Jiang'an Commandery Commander Su Tong, deeply favored by His Majesty, showed no intention to repay the grace, instead oppressing the common people - truly despicable. He has now been executed according to law, stripped of his office, his family property confiscated, and his relatives for three generations banned from holding office!"

"The former Vice Minister of Personnel Shi Jian, who maintained a righteous appearance, was deeply colluding with Su Tong. He has now been stripped of his office and will be executed after the autumn harvest. Those connected to Shi Jian's case are ordered to be tried and sentenced by the Chief Judicial Officer Han Pu."

"Ministry of Revenue's Liu Qingfeng…"

As the eunuch's voice rang out, one name after another was read. These officials had recently broken laws - some already convicted, some newly charged. The grand court session at this moment served as a formal announcement to the realm.

When the eunuch's voice fell silent, the officials in the square unanimously hailed the Crown Prince as wise.

After the cheers died down, the eunuch continued, "The Lord Premier has served the country all his life. He has been appointed Wenhua Pavilion Great Scholar, granted a hundred acres of land, and bestowed with a jade belt."

Hearing this, many civil officials were excited. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, military matters had been prioritized over civil affairs for more than ten years. Most notably, no civil official had been promoted to Great Scholar during these years. Now, the Crown Prince's words signaled an improvement in the status of civil officials, and many thought the situation might change in the future.

The Premier slowly knelt, but as soon as he bent, the Crown Prince smiled and said, "Lord Premier, you are advanced in age, there's no need to kneel."

The Premier's old but still powerful voice responded, "This old subject thanks Your Highness."

The Crown Prince then glanced at the eunuch again.

The eunuch cleared his throat and continued, "The Lord Warden Commander Chen Chao..."

"Reporting to Your Highness, this subject, Vice Minister of Personnel Zhang Zhijian, has a report!"

Before the eunuch finished speaking, an official stepped forward and knelt directly.

The Crown Prince frowned slightly.

In all previous grand court sessions, such an event had never happened before.

Interrupting the rewards and punishments - this was the first time.

"This subject risks my life to admonish Your Highness, reporting the ten major crimes of Lord Warden Commander Chen Chao. I beg Your Highness to investigate clearly!"

As Zhang Zhijian spoke, the square instantly fell silent. Countless people listened in disbelief, as if hearing something that they should not have heard.