Chapter 1578

From An Di's words, Hu Xiaotian could see that he and Xue Zhenhai held completely different views on how to treat the Shangguan Tianhuo father and son; he secretly thought the man was someone worth winning over. The Beggars' Sect, after a century of development, has now fallen into north‑south split and is actually at its lowest point in its history. The cause lies both in the emergence of corrupt elements within the sect and in the troubled transition between old and new generations. Looking inside the sect, power remains in the hands of a group of elders, while the younger generation has produced no outstanding figures. Such a large sect cannot rely on just one or two people to keep its incense burning and its influence from waning. The same holds true in the martial world and at court.

The Beggars' Sect's crisis cannot be fundamentally resolved by relying solely on these elders; it must nurture new blood. Zhu Ba, Meng Guangxiong, Xie Tianqiong, and An Di are all the sect's future hope, and only when they each become capable of standing on their own can the sect accomplish generational renewal and return to glory. Only a strong Beggars' Sect can then give itself the greatest help. From this perspective, the sect's reliance on Hu Xiaotian far exceeds his reliance on the sect; at least up to now, Hu Xiaotian's assistance to the sect has far outweighed what the sect has done for him.

Although Elder Xue Zhenhai has received many favors from Hu Xiaotian, deep down he still keeps his distance, trying to avoid involvement in political struggles—clearly a somewhat selfish attitude.

An Di sees the situation clearly: the Beggars' Sect cannot reunify without Hu Xiaotian's help; the martial world and the court have never truly severed ties, and the sect's hope for revival rests on Hu Xiaotian. What he said is correct— to resolve the sect's schism one must destroy the very foundation of the division, not merely kill the Shangguan Tianhuo father and son. One must eliminate the hidden instigators behind them.

Marquis Jingguo Li Mifu stood silently inside the ancestral hall, hearing light footsteps behind him. Without turning, he knew it was Li Chenghzhou; his brows knit, his face showing a hint of gloom.

Li Chenghzhou shook the snow from his clothes outside the ancestral hall, then rubbed his soles on the mat outside the door before carefully stepping over the threshold.

Inside the hall, the candlelight was dim and yellow, blue smoke curling. On such a windy, snowy night, the uncle summoning him to the hall must have had an important reason.

Li Chenghzhou gazed at his uncle's slightly stooped back and couldn't help sighing that the uncle had grown old as well. The uncle had inherited the title of Marquis Jingguo from his father, but lacked his father's ability after the father's passing. He had always served the court with caution, acting as the Li family's guardian, and had indeed not disappointed his father's expectations, fulfilling that role well. Seeing his uncle, Li Chenghzhou was reminded of his own father. Years ago, his father had left home, concealed his name, and undertaken a mission to Dakang, enduring untold hardships before attaining the post of Grand Tutor of Dakang. The sacrifices he made for Dakang were immense— even his own blood brother gave his life.

Thinking of his half‑brother Wen Boyuan, Li Chenghzhou felt a pang of heartache. The paired‑fish jade pendant was finally reunited, yet he and his brother would never have the chance to recognize each other.

Li Mifu's cough broke Li Chenghzhou's train of thought, bringing him back to the present. Li Chenghzhou respectfully said, 'Uncle!'

Li Mifu did not respond; he merely said in a low voice, 'Offer incense to your grandfather!'

Li Chenghzhou nodded respectfully, stepped forward to light the incense, and knelt before his grandfather's spirit tablet; beside it stood his father's memorial tablet. Before seeing Wen Boyuan's corpse, before seeing the paired‑fish jade pendant, he had always believed his father was dead. It was only then that he realized his father had remained alive all along. The Li clan, loyal and steadfast, had served Da Yong with devotion until death, and his grandfather never got the chance to meet his father before he passed.

Li Chenghzhou did not know whether his uncle understood these circumstances; he thought the uncle might be unaware, for in the uncle's heart Da Yong came first, then the Li family.

After finishing his kowtow, Li Chenghzhou respectfully placed the burning incense in the burner. He was about to rise when Li Mifu said, 'Stay kneeling!' Though his voice was not harsh, it carried an irresistible force. Li Chenghzhou had been raised by his uncle since childhood; the uncle was not only his great‑uncle but also bore his father's responsibilities. One could say Li Chenghzhou's present achievements are due to the uncle, whose love for him even surpasses that for his own biological children.

Li Mifu gazed at the tablet of his father Li Xuan'gan and said, 'Our Li family is wholly loyal and steadfast, deeply favored by the emperors of Da Yong through the ages, their grace extending three generations. Your grandfather rendered unsurpassed service to the rise and prosperity of Da Yong; the former emperor, moved by his merit, ennobled him as Marquis Jingguo. After his passing, the former emperor granted the title hereditary, and the court's kindness to our Li family can never be repaid.'

Li Chenghzhou replied, 'I understand!'

Li Mifu shook his head and said, 'If you understand, why would you do such a thing?'

Li Chenghzhou answered, 'I don't understand what you mean, Uncle.'

Li Mifu's lips curled in a bitter smile as he said, 'Among the Li descendants, whether in talent or in civil and martial ability, you are unquestionably the foremost. I have little ability; all I can do is remain loyal to the court, protect the Li family, and raise you children to adulthood. I am naturally dull and certainly incapable of bearing the glorious responsibility of the Li lineage.' His gaze turned to his brother's tablet, and he added, 'If your father were alive, he might possess that ability.'

Li Mifu's words only strengthened Li Chenghzhou's conviction that his uncle was unaware of the truth, yet his father was still alive and well, merely having assumed another identity—now he was the Dakang Grand Tutor Wen Chenghuan. Recalling his father's sacrifices, Li Chenghzhou felt another wave of sorrow: what had his father's decades of exile and hardship earned? Since his grandfather's passing, the Li family's influence had waned, and his uncle held only an empty title without real power.

Li Mifu declared, 'No matter what, we members of the Li family must never let down the court!'

Li Chenghzhou said, 'Uncle, I don't understand what you mean by that.'

Li Mifu nodded and said, 'Very well, since you're playing dumb with me, I might as well speak plainly. The affair of the Emperor's assassination is over; why did you stir up such a great storm?'

'To investigate the assassins thoroughly, eliminate hidden dangers, and prevent a recurrence,' Li Chenghzhou answered without hesitation.

Li Mifu said, 'All thirteen assassins have been captured; nine are already dead, and the three survivors no longer pose a threat. Moreover, they had no mastermind behind them.'

Li Chenghzhou replied, 'Their refusal to speak does not necessarily mean there is none.'

Li Mifu asked, 'Why keep inflaming this matter? It has already implicated over three hundred people. Do you think you've handled it flawlessly? Do you believe you can hide it from all the court officials?'

Li Chenghzhou shouted, 'My loyalty to the Emperor is evident to heaven; if the Emperor had not personally ordered it, I would not dare act thus!' He secretly thought, 'Uncle must have heard something; he doubts my motives, which is why he summoned me to the ancestral hall on this snowy night.'

Li Mifu said, 'A father knows his son best; though I am not your father, I have raised you since childhood and can perceive something of your thoughts.' His deep eyes fixed on Li Chenghzhou, trying to see into his heart.

Li Chenghzhou showed no panic or unease; his expression remained unchanged as he met Li Mifu's gaze without fear.

Li Mifu continued, 'Since the Emperor's accession, he has showered you with favor and trusts you more than any other minister. I withdrew from court precisely to avoid accusations that the Li clan monopolizes power. I had expected you to aid the Emperor in stabilizing domestic affairs, to lead Da Yong out of its slump swiftly and rally the people. Yet what have you done? What suggestions have you offered the Emperor?' His emotions suddenly flared; he pointed at Li Chenghzhou's nose and shouted, 'Was the turmoil in Bohai State orchestrated by you behind the scenes? Did you intend to use the Ju Bao Zhai affair to kill two birds with one stone, removing Prince Yan and the Grand Princess?'

Li Chenghzhou remained silent, knowing his uncle had not finished speaking. Even though the uncle was not the family's most outstanding figure, the Li clan's political acumen still surpassed that of ordinary men; he could deceive other ministers but not his uncle.

Li Mifu said, 'Even if Prince Yan is greedy and the Grand Princess meddles in state affairs against the rules, neither deserves death; they were the ones who supported the Emperor's accession. Why would you propose before the Emperor that they be eliminated?'

Li Chenghzhou shook his head: 'I have not done that.'

Li Mifu nodded and said, 'You deny it, so I'll assume you didn't do it and that it was the Emperor's own idea. Yet now the Emperor's foundation is unsteady; why don't you advise him to reduce court factionalism? Hurriedly removing imperial relatives will only chill the imperial family and make officials anxious—what good does that do for Da Yong's governance? The Tatar armies still linger beyond the borders; one must secure the inside before repelling the outside. You, who claim to be a talent capable of ordering heaven and earth, surely you understand this simple principle?'

Li Chenghzhou replied, 'Uncle, if you insist on linking these matters to me, I can't help it—but you probably don't realize that Prince Yan has been using Ju Bao Zhai to drain the national treasury, and how much silver has quietly flowed into his pockets from Da Yong. You think his greed is simple? Do you know whom the former emperor most feared?'

Li Mifu said, 'Even if he harbors ambition, he has already presented Ju Bao Zhai to the Emperor, now keeping away from court with essentially no power left. Do you really insist on driving him to death before you'll be satisfied?'

Li Chenghzhou calmly gazed at his uncle and asked, 'Uncle, are these things all what Empress Dowager Jiang told you?'

Li Mifu neither admitted nor denied; he earnestly said, 'Dakang has fallen to its present state because the imperial clan is constantly in internal strife. Da Yong only with great effort surpassed Dakang to become the hegemon of the Central Plains. To maintain that hegemony, we must establish a foundation for development, keep the interior united, rather than waste time early on in scheming and eliminating rivals.'

Recently there have been too many matters; the updates really lack strength—today still only five thousand characters! (To be continued~^~)