Chapter 1455: The Focus of the Struggle

Two days later, the Yao Wang Ting was calm, and Tianshui City was full of joy.

The dark clouds triggered by Xue Zongwu's death and the continuous reporting of officials now seemed to have faded from the sky over Tianshui City.

Everything seemed to be returning to its original rhythm.

These two days, even Qingyang had no new actions, which probably let many people breathe a long sigh of relief.

Is it possible to rest for a few days? At least until after the Yao King's birthday celebration.

In the evening, Fan Shuang came again, this time with a happy face: "Brother He, the King is finally going to meet you."

He He Lingchuan was overjoyed: "The waiting these past few days was not in vain!"

"What did I say, you would definitely be able to see my King!" Fan Shuang was also relaxed, feeling that he had finally successfully completed the task assigned by the Yao King.

"When can I have an audience?"

"Now." Fan Shuang laughed, he was here to take He He Lingchuan into the palace, "Right now!"

He He Lingchuan returned to the room to change clothes, and the Soul-Seizing Mirror spat: "Arrogant before, humble after; it seems he has something to ask of you! For so many days before, the Yao King couldn't remember you, forgot that he had specially invited you, just like having amnesia; why does he suddenly want to see you now?"

"Zhong Wu getting a new appointment shows that the Yao King and Qingyang may have clashed, and the Yao King has made certain concessions." He He Lingchuan chose a brocade robe and quickly put it on, "Next, just pay attention to Qingyang. If she has no earth-shattering moves, it means the two sides have reached some conditions behind the scenes. The Yao King's concession this time is truly remarkable."

The mirror was disdainful: "Isn't it just appointing Zhong Wu as the Northern Garrison Commander, what kind of remarkable concession or sacrifice is that?"

"For the Yao Nation, this is a milestone change." He He Lingchuan said sternly, "The Yao Wang Ting has lasted for nearly two hundred years and still retains many traditions, not as open as Between Beijia. According to the intelligence we have collected in the past, eighty percent of the high-ranking officials in the Yao Wang Ting are Yao people, and the remaining twenty percent are unimportant positions. The proportion of military generals is smaller, with half being locals. So, for a foreign person like Zhong Wu to serve the Yao Nation, he is taking the military general route."

"I heard that the old-fashioned dignitaries in Tianshui City intermarry, let alone not marrying foreigners, they don't even consider families outside Tianshui City. I mean 'outside' includes the suburban counties of Tianshui City. Once you walk out of the big gates of Tianshui City, those are all low-class people." He gave an example, "Many nobles are proud of their bloodline. Xue Zongwu was not a native of Tianshui City, and when Qi Yunsheng insisted on marrying his daughter to him, he was criticized for a long time, until Xue Zongwu rose to power and became big, and the wind direction changed."

The mirror laughed: "The country has only lasted two hundred years, and they still talk about bloodlines? A bunch of frogs in a well."

"You have to see what kind of place this is." On the Flash Gold Plain, it is not easy for a country's destiny to be maintained for more than two hundred years.

"Precisely because Yao people are xenophobic in their bones, letting foreign military generals guard the country's gates is a great challenge to their bottom line. The Yao Nation is not without generals, yet the Yao King chose Zhong Wu. You must know that Zhong Wu made a mistake and was punished a while ago, and now he is suddenly promoted to a border general; the process is too abrupt. The Yao King has to bear great pressure to issue such an order, so I tend to think that this was facilitated by Qingyang."

"For Qingyang, what's the benefit?" The mirror's curiosity was also aroused, "She is really good to Zhong Wu."

"Deeper reasons, I don't know enough about Qingyang and the Yao Nation to deduce, but there is one reason that should be about right—" He He Lingchuan put on a white jade crown. He was used to traveling and leading troops to war, and he liked to change clothes by himself, not liking to bring an attendant, "Military power."

"Ah?"

"Look, Qingyang brought hundreds of people to the Yao Nation as Overseer, seemingly surrounded wherever she goes, but I estimate that it is very difficult for her to reach into the army. The current Yao King is also nearly sixty, having been in politics for decades, and his rule is relatively stable. Commanding generals and border-guarding officials like Xue Zongwu are firm royalists. The Yao King is holding military power firmly in his hands through loyalists like Xue Zongwu."

He paused: "Have you noticed? Up to now, Qingyang has to go through the Yao Wang Ting to perform her duties as Overseer, that is, borrowing the Yao King's administrative power."

The mirror understood: "Relying on others' power is ultimately not long-lasting, nor reliable."

"To put it bluntly, Qingyang currently relies on the Between Beijia signboard, the Yao Nation's awe of Between Beijia, and perhaps even the support of the Heavenly Gods—I guess many officials in the Yao Court also listen to Between Beijia—but these are not her personal influence. If she fights too hard with the Yao King, and the latter bites his teeth and ignores everything, she will have no fulcrum to exert force." He He Lingchuan said slowly, "But if she can intervene in military affairs, it will be very different."

With troops in hand, one speaks with confidence and can stand tall.

He himself is a general who leads troops, so he knows this point best.

"She also wants military power?" The mirror exclaimed, "According to what you said, isn't that digging the Yao King's foundation? Can he let her?"

"Of course he is unwilling. Which superior is willing to cede the power in his hands, even if it's only a little bit? But isn't this the goal of their current struggle?" He He Lingchuan smiled, "It seems Qingyang has a good hand of cards, and Zhong Wu's promotion is likely the Yao King's concession."

"What if the Yao King is determined not to concede?" The mirror didn't understand, "Isn't military power the most important? How can he bear to cede it?"

"A strong power suddenly becomes easy to talk to, not because of nature, but because of necessity." He He Lingchuan explained, "Assuming the Yao King doesn't concede half a step, Qingyang will play the cards in her hand one by one. I speculate—well, the Yao King should also think so—the cards she has left as a backup are very big, and playing them will inevitably cause a shock in the court and the public. There are high-ranking officials and military generals in there. Once they find that the Yao King cannot protect them, what do you think they will do?"

The mirror thought for a while: "Kill Qingyang and stop her from continuing to expose?"

This heart-protecting mirror is quite ruthless, He He Lingchuan couldn't help but laugh: "I'm afraid it's not that easy."

Having been the Chief Imperial Preceptor of Between Beijia for over a hundred years, Qingyang herself has astonishing strength and a group of hundreds of elite guards; is that easily defeated?

Besides, the Overseer sent by Lingxu City to the Yao Nation died for no reason; how would the Yao Nation explain it to Between Beijia? "Simply put, just beg for mercy." He He Lingchuan shook his head, "Qingyang is so vigorous and resolute in the Yao Nation that most ministers know she is actually fighting with the Yao King. Their own crimes are just bargaining chips involved. Therefore, the more fierce Qingyang's attack, the more officials who will likely surrender to her, and among them might be big shots who lead troops."

"By that time, Qingyang can get the military power she wants and the forces she wants, and turn the Yao Wang Ting upside down, and the Yao King's prestige will also be greatly reduced." He said slowly, "Facing such an ending, what do you think the Yao King will choose now?"

"... Then just be straightforward and make limited concessions." One step in place, saving so much tossing and damage.

In the end, it's all an account. If the Yao King doesn't act on impulse, only doing this is the most cost-effective.

Unexpected, just a military general's transfer order, but there are so many entanglements and complications behind it.

"As expected of Qingyang, the position of Overseer, which originally had little real power, has been played with so many tricks by her." He He Lingchuan straightened his belt, "The Yao King is summoning me into the palace now, which means entering the next round."

"What's the point?"

"Observe carefully when entering the palace today." He He Lingchuan smiled, "The Yao King originally invited me to Tianshui City, but after I arrived, he left me on the sidelines. This is likely because he had something to ask of Qingyang in the past few days and didn't want to stimulate the other party."

"Then he is summoning you into the palace now, does he have ideas?"

"The Yao King just made a big concession to Qingyang, perhaps his mentality has changed again." He He Lingchuan turned and walked out, "For us, this is an opportunity."

The area of the Yao King's Palace is about the same as the Yuan King's Palace. The buildings are usually red-roofed, from ochre red to crimson in the sun, layered and layered, just like a maple forest in late autumn.

He He Lingchuan rarely sees so many kinds of red in one place elsewhere.

The Yao King's Palace has distinctive architecture, with quite a few circular buildings, and He He Lingchuan also saw varied glazed flower windows.

Except for Between Beijia, he rarely sees this kind of color usage elsewhere.

The Yuan King's Palace he visited before had already decayed, the weeds in the garden were unattended, large and empty; this Yao King's Palace, however, had exquisite flowers and plants everywhere, and there was a vibrant garden every hundred steps.

Turning through the corridor gate, a chill suddenly rushed toward his face, as if jumping directly from early summer to late autumn, making people shudder. He He Lingchuan wondered: "This place is so cold."

Fan Shuang introduced him: "This is the Yuquan Palace, and there is a cold spring in front that never changes all year round. It feels cold now, but it's a good place to escape the heat in midsummer."

There are fewer plants in the Yuquan Palace, but the ginkgo and hibiscus are still beautiful.

Turning through a set of strange rocks, He He Lingchuan's eyes lit up, and he subconsciously held his breath: a big old tree in front occupied half the garden, its crown full of flowers.

The cold spring reflected the tree's shadow, and the big tree seemed to be growing toward the water at the same time.

It is certainly not as huge as the Treasure Tree King, but in terms of exquisiteness and beauty, it is the only one He He Lingchuan has ever seen in his life.

This pear tree is white and glowing, as if it is shining brilliantly every second.

He He Lingchuan couldn't help but praise: "What a big pear tree, has it become a spirit?"

How can an ordinary pear tree withstand the cold chill that never ends all year round?

The leading palace attendant smiled: "We don't know. But this pear blossom is the same age as my King, and it can bloom in all four seasons, and the King especially likes it."

Although pear blossoms are beautiful, they usually only bloom in spring, and the flowering period is only one month; I have never heard of one that blooms continuously all year round. He He Lingchuan wondered: "This pear blossom is less than sixty years old? How does its body look like it's two hundred years old?"

Pear blossoms planted on a cold spring should grow very slowly.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1456 =====