Chapter 729: Watching and Waiting

In fact, incidents like that of Prince Shun did not happen only once in Jingcheng. Every feudal lord arriving from various regions, whether of the imperial clan or from outer fiefs, was summoned to have a "deep talk" with the State Preceptor as soon as they entered the capital.

The results of these deep talks were unknown to any individual, but in any case, everyone behaved themselves, declaring that they were all loyal subjects of the Great Jin and naturally wished to be properly loyal to the Son of Heaven. Any ulterior motives or ambitions were all baseless; they were all doing just fine.

Thus, even though it was the most dangerous of times, and even though jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards were everywhere, it remained quiet, without any signs of chaos. Only the Imperial Palace kept its gates tightly shut, not summoning a single feudal lord to enter the palace for an audience; the Shangshutai had called in that group of ministers and counselors and had not released them. No people were to be seen on the main streets, only soldiers constantly maneuvering and patrolling.

In the past, such a situation would have long since been rife with rumors, and those with ulterior motives would have been eager to take action, but this time was an exception. Those big shots who usually jumped around seemed to have collectively "laid flat," cultivating their character at home, with no one paying attention to the overall situation.

However, this state of affairs was clearly also an anomaly, naturally attracting the attention of those with ulterior motives. In the following days, even though Jingcheng was guarded so tightly that not even a drop of water could trickle through, various pieces of news still leaked out. All the feudal lords who were slower on the road realized this and simply stopped, not entering the capital.

No matter how strong the State Preceptor was, the scope of his protection was always limited. Previously, it was tacitly understood that his domain was within a hundred miles of Jingcheng; within a hundred miles, those who opposed him perished, and beyond a hundred miles, he turned a blind eye. Now, if I watch and wait from beyond a hundred miles, is that not allowed?

In any case, the deadline was the day of the Lantern Festival. The various feudal lords were not weak in strength, and a distance of a hundred miles could be covered in an instant. At worst, they could agree to arrive in Jingcheng together on the night of the fourteenth; if dozens of feudal lords swarmed in, even the State Preceptor would find it hard to suppress them all, right?

The most worrying thing was if the State Preceptor cast aside his reputation, broke the "tacit agreement" of the hundred-mile radius, and killed his way into the camps of those few who were not far away, using his methods on them one by one.

And since they were not in the Jingji, the State Preceptor could dispense with soft tactics outside and use hard ones directly; in that case, those feudal lords would be finished.

Because of their worry over this matter, the various feudal lords kept their hearts in their throats, and they could not help but camp a little closer, letting their camps keep watch over one another. That way, if they saw the neighbor get struck by lightning, they could still run—run to... run to Jingcheng and throw themselves into the net.

If they had to endure his methods, then so be it; they would just have to save their lives first.

Even the most unruly feudal lords thought this way; such was the might of the State Preceptor.

However, after waiting for several days, there was no reaction from the State Preceptor's side, and no sign that he intended to pursue them. It seemed the State Preceptor really would only take action within a hundred miles of Jingcheng, and would not move even a mile further.

This was truly rigid... oh no, self-disciplined.

It was almost as if he were not a person, but a sword... a sword of authority.

After watching for two days, the feudal lords felt a bit relieved and each maintained this belt of feudal lords surrounding Jingcheng.

Once the feudal lords' hearts settled, they became a bit restless. The State Preceptor was not managing things, right?

The neighbors around them were also feudal lords, right?

They were all friends and relatives on the same stage, so wouldn't it be a pity not to visit each other?

Although visiting each other openly at the edge of the State Preceptor's line of sight would be failing to show respect to the old man, taking a detour and meeting secretly shouldn't be difficult, right?

Thus, the feudal lords could not help but learn from snails, extending their tentacles from their shells to make contact with the outside world.

The result of the probing was: safe.

The boundary of safety could not be determined for the moment, so the group inevitably became bolder, gradually exchanging information, gradually having messengers travel back and forth, gradually sneaking out to meet at night, gradually meeting openly during the day, gradually holding public banquets...

Gradually, the taboos they had to respect even in their own fiefs became matters of unbridled indulgence here. It was as if everything beyond one hundred and ten miles of Jingcheng were a lawless land.

Such a grand connection, gathering a small half of the local power in the world, with dozens of feudal lords, pairs of Sword Heroes, and hundreds of Sword Guests, was how spectacular? It seemed as if they could really accomplish some great feat.

But it only looked spectacular; in reality, wanting to truly accomplish anything was too difficult.

First of all, the time was too short. A true alliance requires private negotiations long in advance, letters traveling back and forth, settling everything from the big picture to the details, establishing mutual trust and hostages, forming a league, and only then having the lords meet to make the final decision. By the time it reached that step, the time consumed would likely be measured in years.

That was not even counting those that fell through. In fact, falling through was the norm.

In such a short time, even if the feudal lords could meet each other, it was only stimulating when they first probed, and satisfying when the probing succeeded; it was of no other use.

Could it be that because they were under the high pressure of the State Preceptor, they would produce a "suspension bridge effect" and fall in love with each other?

These feudal lords had different interests, different stances, and different personalities... aside from eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, their only common language was likely criticizing the Imperial Court in roundabout ways.

Therefore, this line looked chaotic and noisy, like a mountain collapse or a tsunami, but in reality, most of the feudal lords were just wasting time; the only difference was whether they were wasting time happily or wasting time while filled with worry.

Of course, among the flock of crows, there were also true cranes. Birds of a feather flock together; some people used the rabble as cover and actually established connections.

"Wasting time. These people are all wasting time." In the large tent, a tall nobleman said coldly: "The State Preceptor is brilliant. What he wants is not for everyone to be submissive and follow his lead; what he wants is time. As long as everyone hesitates and does not advance, the people in Jingcheng can free up their hands to do things. Once the dust settles, he will have achieved victory without lifting a finger. Our intelligence reports state clearly that there is a great upheaval in Jingcheng; it might even be the collapse of the mountain mausoleum. At a time like this, every moment is precious; how can it be wasted on gatherings?"

A younger person beside him shook his head and said: "Staying here is wasting time, but entering Jingcheng is seeking one's own death. I have heard that those who entered the capital have already had their temperaments completely changed, turning from jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards into little lambs. In my opinion, if a person's personality has changed, can they still be themselves? If they are no longer themselves, aren't they dead? Although they are still breathing, their Soul has changed; it is no different from being dead. Look at how they are making such a scene; in reality, they are not even in that person's eyes, which is why they are barely surviving. If one really wants to enter the capital, that is seeking death."

He looked to the side; there were four people in the tent, including him, three men and one woman, all with very serious expressions.

The woman spoke: "My lords, I do not know what you are worrying about; are you worried about some grand plan? I do not know about you, but I had no grand plan here to begin with. My entry into the capital was merely to pay respects to the Son of Heaven; if I could gain some profit, that would be best, but if I gained nothing, it would also be fine. My foundation is still in Quzhou. If it truly is the collapse of the mountain mausoleum, although there is no hope of profit, the Imperial Court will naturally have to appease us; at the very least, they will not make things difficult. Isn't that a good thing? Did you have a plan from the start? Or is it that you had none, but upon hearing that the mountain mausoleum might collapse, you felt that if you didn't pick up such a good opportunity, it would be a loss? In my opinion, as long as one is calm and composed and does not think about things that aren't there, perhaps one won't be so disappointed."

The group fell into silence. The woman said that as long as there were no expectations, there would be no disappointment, and she also said that everyone had no plans to begin with. But she had no plan and would not have her affairs delayed; who knew if others had plans? The feudal lords present were considered the clear-headed leaders among the crowd of lords; even if they did not have a plan to never stop until their goal was reached, they always had some goals to go with the flow. Now, all of that was delayed.

Being delayed was not the most miserable part; some people had lost their mission objectives.

It was not that the Emperor was gone or anything, but that the powerful figures in the capital they wanted to contact were gone—the people were still there, and their authority was still there, but their temperaments had changed, which was equivalent to having their inner substance replaced. The things that had been promised and the effort that had been expended naturally went to waste.

Therefore, the woman was judging others by herself; saying that she was not anxious meant others were not anxious, but in reality, it was easy to talk when you are not the one standing.

Someone present was displeased, but the woman continued: "Instead of thinking about how to snatch food from the State Preceptor's mouth, it is better to think about something more practical. For example, the Lingzhi Auspicious Omen."

When these words were spoken, someone sneered and said: "That's just hearsay. An auspicious omen? That stuff is all to fool the common people. Who are we? We take our fame and fortune on horseback; if we don't rely on the swords and troops in our hands, what do we rely on? Auspicious omens?"

The woman chuckled and said: "You also say it's a sword? How many swords have you seen? Do you know where the end of the sword lies? Are the wonders and mysteries of the world non-existent just because you close your eyes and refuse to look? The only ones who still insist on not speaking of strange powers and chaotic spirits are the pedantic scholars who have read themselves stupid." She ignored how ugly the other person's face looked and said, "I know that the auspicious omen truly exists! I have already consulted many classics and have received the help of an expert, putting me one step ahead of others in finding the traces of the auspicious omen."

The person she refuted said: "You are one step ahead? Those top-tier powerful figures in the capital are the ones who are ahead. The news you received is all second-hand; they have been searching for ten days and a half-month, so where are you ahead? Marquis Baoying, you underestimate the heroes of the world too much."

The woman shook her head and said: "Who is underestimating the heroes of the world? Do you know the difference between picking a stone from a water basin and finding a needle in the ocean? Whose news is second-hand? Those who are running around like headless flies are the ones with no news. I have the first-hand news of the first-hand. The target is clear, and the auspicious omen is within reach."

The tall nobleman suddenly interjected: "It is not that I do not trust Marquis Baoying, but if Marquis Baoying truly has news, why bother wasting time with us? Why not enjoy the auspicious omen alone?"

The woman said: "Marquis Siqing need not ask what he already knows. How could I swallow the auspicious omen alone? Even if we joined forces, we would barely have the qualifications to handle it; once we get it in our hands, we can only guarantee to offer it up safely in exchange for a massive benefit. Do you really think we could keep it? Although we are Sword Heroes, how does our power compare to the Imperial Court? How does our strength compare to the State Preceptor? Valuable things will always eventually circulate to the master who most deserves them. We are merely handlers. I am pulling you in precisely because wasting time is wasting time; while everyone's attention is not here, we can quietly do something big and benefit infinitely."

That Duke said: "We do something big together? We don't stay in the camp, we don't watch Jingcheng, and we form a team to go into the mountains and forests to find the Lingzhi?"

Marquis Baoying shook her head: "No need. We just need to keep waiting here, wait for one person to arrive together, and then go ask her together."

She said word by word: "Yunzhou, Gaoyuan Marquis."