Martial Cultivator

Court assemblies varied across dynasties. During the previous Great Qi Dynasty, court assemblies were held every ten days without fail. When the current dynasty was established, the founding emperor, renowned for his diligence, changed the frequency to once every three days, which caused complaints among many officials. However, at that time, the empire had just been unified, the demon race in the north eyed the realm covetously, the Great Wall was under construction, and there was a need to pacify the people. Therefore, the founding emperor's decision was understandable.

After Emperor Taizong, the eldest legitimate son of the founding emperor, ascended the throne, he was eager to showcase his grand ambitions, so he initially increased the frequency to once every two days. But as time passed and the officials' complaints grew, he eventually relaxed the rule, reverting to court assemblies every five days. After Emperor Taizong, Emperor Lingzong took the throne and further altered the schedule, mandating daily court assemblies. This shocked the court, and memorials flooded the palace like snow.

Yet, Emperor Lingzong was known for his iron will like the founding emperor, and was unfazed. He even executed a few outspoken ministers to suppress the dissent by the officials. However, dissatisfaction remained behind the scenes. After Emperor Lingzong's death, the deposed emperor reversed the policy, reverting to court every ten days. This relaxed schedule earned him much support from the officials. But when the current Emperor raised an army and seized the Divine Capital, the court assembly schedule was again adjusted, following Emperor Taizong's model of once every five days.

In the early years of Tianjian, as the empire was still stabilizing, the current Emperor maintained a regular schedule for court assemblies. However, as the situation became more stable and given the Emperor's exceptional martial cultivation, he frequently went into closed-seclusion. As a result, the five-day assembly schedule was often not rigorously enforced.

After returning to the Divine Capital this time, however, His Majesty the Emperor has uncharacteristically held assemblies without any cancellations or changes. This month, court assemblies have been convened daily, as though to make up for all the assemblies missed in recent years. This left the officials both shocked and puzzled.

Nonetheless, having served under His Majesty the Emperor for many years, the officials understood his temperament. Even with the frequent assemblies now, none dared to speak out against it.

Many people had already vaguely guessed something. After all, rumors were indeed rampant in the Divine Capital. Initially, the gossip was that the late Crown Prince's descendant was still alive. Now, the rumors had become more direct, even reaching a conclusion, saying that the Deputy Commander of the Left Guard, Chen Chao, was the late Crown Prince's son.

This news spread widely among the common people and had even reached the residences of those who, while not considered prominent figures, were still people of some standing in the Divine Capital.

Since they knew this news, His Majesty must also have known. The recent non-stop court assemblies might have been His Majesty expressing his stance to the world.

In the western part of the Divine Capital, on Nantong Street, a carriage slowly made its way along. The insignia on the carriage indicated that it belonged to the Marquis Zhongyong's manor.

Zhang Yu, the Marquis Zhongyong, had been a deputy general in the Prince's Manor during the current Emperor's time as a prince. Long before the current Emperor ascended to the throne, Zhang Yu had served loyally by his side. After His Majesty rose in rebellion, Zhang Yu became a general in his army, earning numerous merits. Following the current Emperor's conquest of the realm, Zhang Yu was conferred the title of Marquis Zhongyong, overseeing many of the Great Liang's provincial armies. The entire Zhang Family rose from obscurity to become one of the most prestigious families in the Divine Capital.

Even now, Marquis Zhongyong still held military command of the patrol forces of the Divine Capital. However, in recent years, with no major incidents in the Divine Capital and interactions with cultivators being handled by the warden faction and the Heavenly Imperial Institution, Zhang Yu gradually faded from public attention.

After today's court session, Zhang Yu's carriage slowly left the imperial city, but instead of heading back to Marquis Zhongyong's manor, it took a few turns down several streets before entering a secluded alley and stopping in front of a simple, elegant courtyard.

"Lord Marquis, we have arrived."

As the tall and robust coachman spoke softly, a figure emerged from the carriage.

Zhang Yu was tall and robust. Although his martial arts cultivation was not high, he had never neglected his training over the years. Therefore, even though he was over fifty, he was still physically strong, without a trace of white hair on his head. Having already changed out of his official robes, Zhang Yu wore a coarse cloth long shirt. He glanced at the coachman who had been with him for many years and asked, "Has he arrived?"

The coachman nodded.

Zhang Yu said no more and stepped into the courtyard.

The courtyard was elegant, modeled after the Jiangnan gardens rarely seen in the Divine Capital. In the center of the courtyard was a pond stocked with many koi fish. The entire layout of the courtyard was imitating Jiangnan-style courtyards, and it was not superficial; even the interiors were the same. Zhang Yu walked along the corridor, looked at a few willow trees in the courtyard, and sighed, "This isn't Jiangnan in the end, these willows don't have much life."

At some point, several figures had appeared at the end of the corridor. The leading man had a refined appearance, with a tall and slender figure. Hearing these words, he smiled and said, "Marquis Zhongyong, you jest. Since this isn't Jiangnan, how could we expect Jiangnan scenery? Moreover, these willows aren't those exotic varieties from the academy. To have such a sight is already not easy."

The speaker was none other than the Marquis Huainan, Song Ting, who was conferred a marquis title at the same time as Zhang Yu. He was from the Song family of Huainan and was also one of the meritorious contributors in that great war.

In that war, the two of them were both the right and left-hand men of the Great Liang Emperor. In the early years, they wielded enormous power. However, they later violated the law and were stripped of their positions by the Great Liang Emperor, though they retained their noble titles. Song Ting realized this belatedly, and in recent years, he had not caused any more trouble, choosing to live out his years peacefully, no longer involving himself in the affairs of the court.

However, back in the day, Song Ting was known as a scholar-general. He once defeated the deposed emperor's fifty thousand troops with just eight thousand cavalry. If not for those past events, this Marquis Huainan would likely have been dispatched to the Northern Frontier long ago, where he would have held a certain position in the Northern Frontier Army by now.

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