Chapter 77 Chapter 76: Retreat, Turbulence in the Court
Translator: 549690339
Deep into the night, at the entrance of the residence of Jiang Bin, the Commanding Officer of the Brocade Guards.
Having drank some wine and looking slightly flushed, Jiang Bin is being supported by Lin Qingyi, who insists on walking Pei Xuanjing out to the door.
“Mr. Pei, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this happy drinking. To tell you the truth, I’ve hardly ever admitted defeat when it comes to drinking, and today, you’re one of the few,” Jiang Bin said, swaying slightly.
“Mr. Bin, watch your step,” Lin Qingyi carefully guided Jiang Bin while addressing Pei Xuanjing, who also appeared a bit flushed, “Mr. Pei, why don’t you stay the night? If not, just wait a while. After I help him to bed, I can escort you home.”
Lin Qingyi never imagined that the two of them would get into a drinking competition. Now, both of them were somewhat intoxicated.
However, perhaps because of his profound martial arts skill, Pei Xuanjing did not seem to be too severely affected.
But recalling that Pei Xuanjing was targeted in an assassination attempt a few days ago, Lin Qingyi felt uneasy.
“No need, I can manage,” said Pei Xuanjing, his face slightly flushed but his speech clear, as he declined Lin Qingyi’s offer.
Jiang Bin on the side also loudly declared, “Mr. Pei, from now on, we’re brothers. Your business is my business. Anyone who crosses you crosses me.”
“Alright, I’m off. Please thank Mr. Jiang for me tomorrow. Tell him that I enjoyed the dinner party very much.”
Pei Xuanjing patted Lin Qingyi on the shoulder, then turned and boarded his carriage. “You guys, escort Mr. Pei home. Be careful on the road,” Lin Qingyi instructed to the men nearby.
“Yes, sir.”
They watched as the carriage drove off, gradually disappearing into the night.
Jiang Bin, who had appeared to be unconscious against Lin Qingyi, opened his eyes. His look was clear and alert, showing no signs of intoxication.
“Sir Lin Qingyi was not surprised. He knew all too well that the amount Jiang Bin had consumed was far from enough to get him drunk.
Looking interest at the carriage disappearing in the distance, Jiang Bin said, “Send over three pieces of Spiritual Materials aged 500 years tomorrow.”
‘Yes!” Lin Qingyi bowed and received the order.
The two men returned to the mansion without another word.
On the carriage, Pei Xuanjing opened his slightly closed eyes, circulated the True Qi within his body, and instantly rid himself of the effects of the alcohol.
During the banquet, this Commanding Officer was quite impressive. Despite showing good intentions in every move, he never mentioned anything about cooperation.
All matters were lightly touched upon and promptly dropped, giving Pei Xuanjing no opportunity to refuse, nor any incriminating statements to latch onto.
And that act of drunkenly seeing him off was clearly a performance meant for others to witness.
Not just for Pei Xuanjing, but for many others as well.
However, these matters were of little concern to Pei Xuanjing. He put them aside for the time being and pondered over something else.
“That Commanding Officer said the reason he tried to stop you that night wasn’t of his own volition; it was because someone asked him to do so,” Lin Qingyi relayed the information he had learned from the Commanding Officer of the Military Equipment Department during the banquet.
Apparently, a person carrying a token ordered him to act that way, a person the Commanding Officer didn’t recognize.
But he did recognize that token. It came from the Brocade Guards.
A token from the Brocade Guards.
The player behind the scenes really had some clout—he not only distanced himself from the matter but also drew suspicions to the Brocade Guards.
“Haha, this matter is getting more and more interesting.” Pei Xuanjing’s face turned cold.
When Pei Xuanjing returned to the Martial Academy from Jiang Mansion, he didn’t go to bed immediately. Instead, he continued to refine his Taoyun.
The water in Tiandu was becoming more and more muddled, making Pei Xuanjing more and more anxious to increase his strength.
The next day, he also received the gift Jiang Bin had sent over.
With regard to this, Pei Xuanjing did not refuse, but readily accepted, seemingly broadcasting his stance to all.
In the following days, Pei Xuanjing spent most of his time in the Martial Academy, continuing to refine his Taoyun with the aim to initiate another simulation of his life.
It could be said that apart from attending the banquets at Jiang Mansion and Gu Ji’s residence, he hardly ever set foot outside the Academy.
He didn’t even go to claim the bounty for the Three Wolves of MO Bei, which Six Gates owed him. Instead, he had the deputy headmaster Qingyang Zi send someone to receive it on his behalf.
Pei Xuanjing was fully devoted to his cultivation and indifferent to worldly affairs, keeping a very low profile.
However, the turmoil in Tiandu did not cease because of his low-key lifestyle. On the contrary, the conflict between the factions intensified.
At one of the morning meetings, around six months after Pei Xuanjing had secluded himself, Qian Ning, the commander of the Brocade Guards, proposed to move troops from the Four Towns to the capital.
His reason was none other than the assassination attempt on Pei Xuanjing in Tiandu.
“There are murderers hiding in Tiandu planning to cause chaos. Although they were killed by an editor of the Martial Academy, the people behind this plot still haven’t been found half a year later. It’s clear that security in Tiandu is lax and both the Three Judicial Departments and the Capital Guards are incompetent. That’s why I propose to bring the troops from the Four Towns into Tiandu to reinforce security and set the people’s mind at ease.” Those were the exact words of Qian Ning, the commander of the Brocade Guards.
This statement was as audacious as could be. He criticized the Three Judicial Departments, Six Gates, and Capital Guards, and asked to deploy more troops, which would be a tremendous humiliation to the criticized parties.
As soon as he finished speaking, his words stirred up a huge uproar in the court.
What shocked all the officials the most was the ambiguous attitude of the Emperor. Instead of reprimanding Qian Ning for his outrageous words, it seemed the Emperor actually agreed.
At the morning meeting the next day, Li Dongyang, the head of the civil officials, strongly opposed Qian Ning’s proposal. Some imperial censors even submitted a petition to impeach Qian Ning.
For a time, the whole court was abuzz with controversy and confusion.
After all, disregard the civil official group who were extremely against Qian Ning’s suggestion, even within the faction of the Noble Officials, some people were displeased by it.
While Pei Xuanjing had heard a little about the situation in the court, he didn’t pay much attention to it.
With his current status, even if his personal martial strength was great, he had no power to influence court politics or determine the outcome.
Moreover, most importantly, after six months, he had accumulated enough Taoyun,
The Taoyun gained from refining the “Three Extreme Heart Method” plus the Taoyun he earned from his daily cultivation added up to sixty thousand points, enough to support him through three simulations of life..