NOVEL WEB Chapter 1 The First Person of Yongzhou
In the Great Zhou Court, there were three major Martial Departments:
the Military Department, the Inner palace Eunuch Department, and the Mountain Sea Department.
The Military Department was responsible for warfare and maintaining the peace throughout the land; the Inner palace Eunuch Department had the highest cultivation levels, charged with guarding the safety of the Imperial family; and finally, the Mountain Sea Department excelled in intelligence gathering, exclusively tasked with collecting Martial Arts for the Ji Clan.
Shi Wenbo, Cui Jin, and Ji He each came from one of these three Martial Departments.
General Ji Zikong's arrangement for these three individuals to go to Yongzhou together clearly had a deeper purpose—it was a gesture of offering Xue Zhao a sweet date while also covertly keeping a card up his sleeve, not fully trusting this Great General of Great Zhou Country.
General Ji Zikong warned, "Great General, the situation in Jinzhou and Danzhou is getting worse and worse, you shouldn't drag this out anymore. Lead the troops out tomorrow and make sure to eradicate the Thieves from Huang Tian in both Jinzhou and Danzhou. I always feel that they have grand designs on those two states."
"Weichen obeys the decree," Xue Zhao said gravely.
General Ji Zikong carelessly waved his hand and brushed past Xue Zhao with a close attendant.
On their way, General Ji Zikong suddenly spoke, "Chu Daban, I remember isn't there a descendant of the Huangfu family in Yongzhou?"
Chu Yuanfu, the Director of the Inner palace Eunuch Department, stepped forward and replied, "Your Majesty has a good memory. Indeed, a direct descendant of Huang Fafa is in Yongzhou. This old servant also heard that now there is a Huangfu family member serving as the Chief Officer in the Military Department there."
Ji Zikong contemplated for a moment and said, "Convey my oral decree, have this Chief Officer from the Huangfu family come to the capital soon to collect the world's Spirit Mechanism for me in the Mountain Sea Department."
The Director Chu Yuanfu was somewhat surprised and asked, "Your Majesty is planning to employ the Huangfu family again?"
"The Huangfu family has been suppressed for so long, they must be eager to perform meritorious deeds to change their current situation, and since the Huangfu family is not a renowned and influential clan, even if they gain momentum later, we need not fear losing control. After thorough consideration, they are the most suitable for this task, easy to manipulate," General Ji Zikong said offhandedly.
Chu Yuanfu nodded and said, "This servant understands and will arrange it immediately."
General Ji Zikong sensed that the Director of the Qintian Bureau was hiding something from him and, though he was uncertain of the other party's intentions, he disliked that feeling.
Comparatively, he preferred having everything under his control, which allowed him to sleep soundly and move freely in any direction.
Even the major events of the ancestors' cultivation were handled the same way.
Yongzhou.
Three days had passed since the demon incident, and with maintenance by Shen Qing and others, the previously chaotic Yongzhou was gradually returning to calm.
Even if it hadn't regained its former prosperity, they had, at least, triumphed over the demons, which bolstered their confidence immensely.
After this event, Shen Qing's reputation soared, becoming the preeminent figure in Yongzhou, known as Great Qingtian.
For a time, his actions became the talk of the neighboring counties after dinner and tea.
Many people even traveled far and wide just to witness his elegance.
Shen Qing felt a bit of a mix of amusement and embarrassment.
He hadn't expected his actions to lead to such a result.
However, compared to these external honors, he valued the tangible gains more significantly. Find more adventures on empire
The upheaval in Yongzhou had been truly beneficial to him.
Apart from the Huangfu family, the properties of the other eleven of the Yongzhou Thirteen Lines had nearly all fallen into his hands.
Numerous wine shops, porcelain kilns, money houses, pawnshops, and more had changed their names overnight, in the blink of an eye, becoming Shen Family assets, blossoming into a new mammoth entity.
In addition, untold foundational resources scraped together from various major clans overturned his expectations, making him exceedingly wealthy and freeing him from concern over Cultivation Resources for a long time to come.
Knock, knock, knock.
A rhythmic knocking at the door echoed.
"Come in," said Shen Qing without a second thought.
In the rear hall of the Guardian Martial Department Office, a familiar figure pushed the door open and walked in.
Tian Xiaohu joined his fists and said, "Lord Shen, Wu Sheng has arrived."
"Let him in."
"Yes."
Tian Xiaohu hurriedly went out and brought in the somewhat haggard-looking Wu Sheng, ushering him before Shen Qing.
Shen Qing looked at Wu Sheng with a smile and said, "Brother Wu, we meet again."
Wu Sheng, a member of the Wu Family, stood before Shen Qing with mixed emotions.
He never would have imagined that the unremarkable foreigner from the past could achieve such an extent, eliminating his Wu Family with a simple lift of a hand or a step of a foot.
Had he not been traveling as a merchant and avoided the calamity, untangled from the fate of his family, his fate would be uncertain.
With a deep bow filled with anxiety and gratitude, Wu Sheng said, "Great fortune it is for Wu to see Lord Shen once more, given Lord Shen's grace in not discarding me."
Shen Qing slightly raised his hand, indicating for Wu Sheng to dispense with formalities: "Your Wu Family was implicated in collusion with demons, by the laws of Great Zhou, guilty parties are punished together, with a penalty extending to three clans; do you understand?"
Wu Sheng had just straightened up when his legs softened, and he knelt down, saying in a panic, "Lord, save me."
To be truthful, he was merely a marginal relative in the Wu Family, with a low status in the clan, and with his mother having passed away early, he had little affection for the Wu Family itself.
The survival or demise of the Wu Family meant little to him, so long as it didn't implicate him.
Now hearing Shen Qing's words, the threat of collective punishment filled him with fear.
His cultivation in front of Shen Qing seemed insufficient, and if he were to be seized, he would have no means to resist.
"Hey, what's all this talk of saving?" Shen Qing quickly helped Wu Sheng up, saying, "Brother Wu, our various fates intertwine, and we are old acquaintances. Even if someone must be punished, I can't punish you."
Hearing these words, Wu Sheng was moved and knelt again, saying, "Lord Shen, should you have any tasks for me, Wu Sheng is willing to plunge through fire and water without hesitation, and offer his humble services like a loyal dog or horse."