Chapter 1023: The Prince of Wei

The scenery was enchanting, with colorful clouds fluttering about.

Figures moved about on the high platform between the continents. A True Person sat in the main seat, while the various Li family cultivators, dressed in formal, magnificent robes—having removed their water-patterned, moon-colored long robes, put away their weapons, and unfastened the jade talismans from their waists—stood in order.

Clouds gathered and rose at the edge of the sky, and a point of golden light emerged from afar. Li Li Suining narrowed his eyes to look; in the lead were two jade horses, each carrying a man in golden armor. Behind their armor, each had a long banner with mysterious patterns inserted, and they held cyan-black flags embroidered with the white character for "Song."

Behind them were over a dozen golden light ceremonial carriages and mysterious jade carriages, grand and magnificent. There were cyan-blue, white-patterned three-tiered canopies, bright red banners with black trim, and on both sides, banners, umbrellas, halberds, and spears were held high. Colorful lights of all kinds dotted the scene, with wind, rain, thunder, lightning, water, fire, wood, and earth all represented.

Li Li Suining lowered his gaze and saw Li Zhouda, who was standing one position ahead of him, glaring with furrowed brows. This man was unaccustomed to wearing robes and had simply draped his clothing over the bronze bell at his waist, muttering in a low voice:

"What a grand display."

Li Li Suining knew that Li Zhouda had a violent temper and did not think much of the Song Emperor, let alone believe that his own family's king needed to be enfeoffed by him. He had not only said this in his heart but had even said it in private in his past life; naturally, he was displeased with this procession today.

Fortunately, everyone on the platform could keep him in check. With a glare from Li Li Xuanxuan, the man sullenly shut his mouth, and Li Li Suining turned his gaze to the other side.

Li Zhouming's position was further ahead, already at some distance from him. He tilted his head to look at the sky, appearing somewhat drowsy, until the jade horses, which looked like living creatures, reached the horizon and a beauty in white descended from the carriage. Only then did he come alive and steal a glance.

"True Person Ning..."

Li Li Suining immediately lowered his brows. Li Li Xuanxuan had already stepped forward ahead of Li Li Zhouwei, bowing respectfully:

"Greetings, High Envoy!"

The old man's expression was respectful, just as it had been a hundred years ago when the rosy-cloud ship descended and the cyan-robed envoy arrived with cold indifference.

Yet, after he finished speaking, Li Li Suining's emotions were the most complex. He secretly peeked; his little uncle, Li Li Jiangchun, turned his face to look at the continent, the various disciples on either side had different expressions, Li Li Minggong was also politely smiling, Li Zhouming's smile had faded, and Li Zhouda did not even lift his head, staring at the ground as if he were trying to find flowers in it.

Ning Wan's expression was complex. She took the white-light-flashing immortal decree from an attendant's hand, holding it between her two hands without opening it. She even lowered her head slightly, delivering it to Li Li Zhouwei, who had stepped forward to meet her, saying:

"The Emperor inherits the true lineage, mindful of the former Li dynasty. A branch of the Mingyang heavens, a noble faction, yet it has suffered dust... Minghuang has guarded the Jianghuai and Ting Prefecture, truly serving as the heart and backbone... It is fitting to receive land and establish a state. Hereby enfeoffed as the Prince of Wei, to command beyond the borders..."

Her beautiful brows lowered, and her heart lifted bit by bit. Only after a while did she see the young man before her lower his head in a ritualistic manner, perform a salute, and reply:

"Your subject has cast himself into the remote wilderness, long bathed in grace, unable to repay such honor, only able to remain loyal and cautious."

His voice was calm and powerful, resounding throughout the entire high platform. For a moment, a crowd knelt down on the platform; whether it was the Great Song troops who had arrived on immortal light or the Li family members waiting on the platform, all said respectfully:

"Greetings, Prince of Wei!"

This sound echoed through the sky, making the golden pupils beneath Li Li Zhouwei's brows brighten slightly. The radiance on his body rolled incessantly, his aura rising and falling, flickering unpredictably. The divine ability within his body shone with great light, seemingly suppressed by something, showing signs of struggle.

Li Li Zhouwei was merely standing there, but Ning Wan only felt the light of the immortal decree in her hand dim instantly, its weight suddenly sinking, almost falling to the ground. She immediately channeled her divine ability into her hands:

"Clatter!"

The scroll rods at both ends of the immortal decree emitted a creaking sound of unbearable pressure, seemingly about to burst at any moment. The light flowing out was even scorching hot, burning a patch of Mingyang purple fire onto her fair arms, and a sharp sound of cicadas exploded on the right side.

"Hmm?"

This flame and cicada sound seemed like an illusion, jumping before her eyes and beside her ears. As Li Li Zhouwei took the object from her hand, all abnormalities vanished, and the immortal decree merely had its light dimmed slightly.

But once this scroll of immortal decree fell into the hands of this Prince of Wei, it seemed to have received some acknowledgment, and all abnormalities vanished together, flickering again with the brilliance of True Qi, lying quietly.

But how could there be hallucinations in the Purple Mansion? Ning Wan put away her shock, not daring to look more, and busied herself helping Li Li Xuanxuan beside her, appearing very awkward. While lifting her head to look at Li Li Zhouwei, she said in a low voice:

"No need for formalities, let us just go inside and talk..."

Li Li Zhouwei turned slightly and said:

"Please!"

Ning Wan turned and signaled. In an instant, immortal phoenixes descended one after another, landing on the platform. She dismissed her attendants and went behind the hall with Li Li Zhouwei, looking somewhat melancholy.

Ning Wan was slightly different from her early years when she had emerged from seclusion, cold as autumn, pure as white snow, and untainted. The experiences of the past few years of aiding the wicked and facing life-and-death situations had added a touch of gloom to her temperament, but with her dark brows slightly furrowed, she was still a beauty.

Li Li Zhouwei invited her to be seated and said softly:

"Congratulations, Senior!"

It was difficult for Ning Wan to discern how much meaning was in this congratulation; there was only a light sigh:

"The Prince of Wei is too polite."

Li Li Zhouwei set down his cup and said:

"How should I address the High Envoy?"

Ning Wan composed herself and replied:

"I cannot bear the title of High Envoy, merely the Mountain Master of Mount Qingchi and a True Person of the Great Song Immortal Ceremony Division."

She paused, took out a letter of command from her sleeve, and one side showed 【Song】, the other 【Mount Qingchi】, with the brilliance of True Qi:

"The Emperor's grace and honor prioritize the Immortal Dao. The Mount Qingchi Sect is still permitted its Daoist enterprise, allowed to cultivate in the mountains... I am both the Mount Qingchi Sect Master and a True Person of the Great Song Immortal Ceremony Division; the two do not conflict..."

She tilted her head and said:

"Please ask Chen Wenyao to come up."

Before long, a young man entered the hall carrying a tray, kneeling before the threshold before lowering his head and moving forward, then kneeling again before the two seats, lifting the golden tray above his head.

Ning Wan said softly:

"Prince of Wei, please look!"

One could see a layer of white-gauze-like light in the golden tray, with a feather cloak neatly folded. Each feather was distinct, uniform in length, and the feather color was even, with a hint of light purple at the end of each piece. Under the illumination of the sky, it revealed dense, extremely precious dark golden mysterious patterns.

Just by being placed on the table, a mysterious True Qi illusionary color rushed toward the eyes, bringing waves of miraculous fluctuations.

Ning Wan's expression was solemn, and she said in a deep voice:

"This is the 【Conquering Court Prince of Wei Cloak】 bestowed by the Heavenly Family. It uses the precious 【Divine Light White Silk】 of 'True Qi' as the surface, 【Heavenly Li Red Gold】 as the thread, and is tied with 1,872 long feathers of the 'Purple Qi' feather beast 【Purple Elk Warbler】, crafted with numerous spiritual resources..."

"It is said that 【Divine Light White Silk】 is famous for being damaged but not broken, and its light is dimmed but not injured. This Prince's Cloak is further blessed with various miraculous methods. Unless it is beaten to pieces in one breath, it can repair itself over time! To wish the Prince of Wei victory in a hundred battles without injury, and to advance further!"

She raised her tone and said solemnly:

"It is the most noble among all princes, second only to the Emperor's cloak!"

Regardless of the efficacy of this item, the spiritual materials used were probably among the best. Moreover, this feather cloak was solid, and this entire piece of astonishingly large 【Divine Light White Silk】 would be enough to cut out three or four spiritual artifacts!

"Oh?"

Li Li Zhouwei's golden eyes flickered, lingering on the Prince's Cloak. The touch was delicate, and he nodded:

"I should submit a memorial to express my gratitude."

As his voice fell, this Prince's Cloak trembled spontaneously, and a flame of light like delicate feathers rose up, as if it wanted to bless him in response, but was held down by him, unable to move. Ning Wan then said:

"In the path of 'True Qi', tokens and immortal seats are not valued; the most noble are the feather ornaments, and among them, the feather cloak is the most precious. The 【Conquering Court Prince of Wei Cloak】 is the token of the Prince of Wei, allowing one to travel with guards and be addressed without naming."

The woman's delicate hand lifted, and she took out a small flag, palm-sized, with a cyan-purple base and black-gold patterns, inscribed with 【Great Song Prince of Wei】.

Ning Wan said:

"This is the 【Cultivating Martial Ting Prefecture Prince of Wei Flag】. Standing in the Great Void, it can calm the wind, fire, disasters, demons, and barbarians of a place, attracting the True Qi of heaven and earth, which is quite beneficial for the cultivation of disciples."

Li Li Zhouwei picked up this spiritual artifact to examine it. Its miraculousness was far inferior to the 【Conquering Court Prince of Wei Cloak】, more focused on combing spiritual veins, nurturing the spiritual energy of a place, and having some defensive capabilities.

"The only thing worth mentioning is that it can be placed in the Great Void... When the army goes out, lifting this object across the air can sense if there are Purple Mansion cultivators descending or spying."

This was clearly crafted for the conquest of the north. Li Li Zhouwei sipped his tea, quickly sorted out the meaning of the Song Court, and asked casually:

"What does the Immortal Ceremony Division oversee? Which families are involved?"

Ning Wan said in a low voice:

"The Song Court has three halls and six divisions. Now the six divisions are established, used to govern the affairs of the imperial court, but the three halls have not yet been activated... It is said that the highest is the 【Purple Gold Hall】, which will only house a few people, and those who enter the hall will have great benefits."

"As for the Immortal Ceremony Division... it doesn't manage much, mainly restraining the sects. But now there are no sects to speak of in the Yue Kingdom, mainly 【Mount Qingchi】, 【Xueji】, 【Wanyu】... and various small temples and courtyards..."

"【Wanyu】?"

Li Li Zhouwei asked, and Ning Wan said:

"Yang Yang Ruiyi... has gone to the Sword Gate. The Sword Gate will continue to seal the mountains, overseeing inner disciples and Foundation Establishment cultivators, while the outer sect will gather at 【Lifting Sword Ferry】, preserving the foundation of the Sword Gate and also listening to the dispatch of the Immortal Ceremony Division."

"But if I may say more... there is no shortage of Cheng family disciples in that 【Lifting Sword Ferry】, and many have already gone south, looking to seek an official position."

Her expression was slightly complex, and she replied:

"It's hard to say! The Sword Gate stands on morality, and the Cheng family has always practiced morality, advocating seclusion and cultivation, ignoring the affairs of Jiangnan. Now, entering the palace to seek office and govern a place is also very moral. It seems... the Cheng family is the one that least follows the rules."

Although Ning Wan said it was hard to say more, she was definitely one of the few in the Sun lineage who dared to speak. Her expression gradually calmed down, and she sighed, saying:

"It is a pity for Senior Ling Mei... The Sword Gate easily handed over Jingchuan Prefecture. Originally, the elders of the Sword Gate did not agree with entering the world to govern it based on ancient moral methods. Now that he sees so many Cheng family disciples coming out of the mountains, I don't know what he will think."

Li Li Zhouwei had received kindness from Ling Mei and had not yet repaid it. It was not easy to talk about this matter, so he only nodded silently. Ning Wan paused slightly and immediately changed the subject, saying:

"The Emperor attaches great importance to the Great Prince as his right-hand man. Coming here today, one is to perform the ceremony of enfeoffing the Prince, and the second is this fiefdom."

"The new dynasty has been established, dividing the Yue land into six prefectures and thirty-two counties, namely the Moon-Gazing Lake 【Ting Prefecture】, Mushroom Forest Plain 【Xun Prefecture】, Cangwu Forest 【He Prefecture】, Hengdong Plain 【Heng Prefecture】, Four Min Reed River 【Min Prefecture】, and Li Xia Mountains 【Li Prefecture】."

"The other territories formerly belonging to Xueji, Ziyan, Wanyu, and Xiukui are set as counties but not prefectures... there are twelve counties, mostly following the old names."

The woman blinked and replied:

"After all... most of the names were set by the Prince of Yue back then. Now following the old system, if there are changes, they are changed back to the original names."

Li Li Zhouwei raised his eyebrows and asked:

"How is the enfeoffment of the counties?"

Ning Wan did not think much and replied:

"The Great Song enfeoffed three princes: first, the Li family as Prince of Wei; second, the Chen family as Prince of Yuyang; and third, the Lingu family as Prince of Nanxia... The other titles... are not worth mentioning!"

She hesitated for a moment and said:

"Actually, there is another prefecture called the 【Jinghai Protectorate】, the old land of Shahuang, overlooking Shitang, guarded by Protector Liu."

The Protector Liu she spoke of was naturally True Person Zhusheng. This made Li Li Zhouwei raise his eyebrows and set down the cup in his hand:

'It is not surprising, Senior Sui Guan had already cooperated... After all, this True Person Zhusheng is also of imperial descent, and a descendant of the Chu Kingdom. Even the legitimacy of Xiao Wu came from the Chu Kingdom, so naturally, it cannot be let go. Plus the important position of Shitang... this prefecture is inevitable.'

'As for people like Sima Si Yuanli and Yang Yang Ruiyi, they are the true insiders of the Great Song, so naturally, they are not eligible to be enfeoffed as princes.'

Ning Wan looked at him and continued:

"Among the six prefectures, only 【Ting Prefecture】 is set as a principality, belonging to Wei. The territory was delineated by your family's Li Li Jiangliang. The other princes hold one county each and cannot be called a prefecture."

"The nobility in Ting Prefecture is not much different, but the Chen family's fiefdom was reduced the most, by more than half, leaving only a county seat... The Lingu family is better... only reduced by ten or twenty percent."

"As for the others... the counties of Min Prefecture are mostly state-owned, with a few divided into fiefs. I have seen the fief map, and it is very different after crossing Mount Mount Quanwu... Families stand side by side, with small titles everywhere. I am afraid they are too numerous to count."

Upon hearing this, Li Li Zhouwei glanced at the map handed over by the other party and immediately understood:

'【Prefecture】 is directly under the Great Song, composed of the core areas of Mount Qingchi, Hengzhu, and Senior Chang Xiao back then, like the mansion peak of Moon-Gazing. The territory outside is equivalent to the Li family's method of governing the wilderness...'

'The difference is that the Yue Kingdom is quite large. The twelve county seats are still controlled by the Great Song, which appoints officials. They can extensively enfeoff noble families in the areas outside the county seats, making them go to reclaim the wilderness... the number is terrifyingly large...'

He only glanced at the overall situation and immediately shifted his attention to 【Ting Prefecture】, finding that the area was indeed not small:

'The north is delineated to the river bank, the south leans against the mountains, there is nothing to change. And from the traditional east bank... it crosses the Mount Xiping Mountain, which serves as the boundary between Wu and Yue, and even encompasses a small piece of desert...'

At least compared to the Moon-Gazing Lake defined by the Song Court and the Li family's current scope, it was only larger, not smaller. The only flaw was that the wilderness had already been set as counties, with General County in the west and Baoshan County in the east.

'Only the wilderness was cut.'

The current wilderness is not a good place, having been scarred by the Great Desire Dao. The actual loss is not much, but many affiliated family foundations are still in the wilderness, making it difficult to toss about.

Li Li Zhouwei nodded, but his gaze lingered quietly at the very top of the map.

The surging river outlined by the black curve connected to the Salt Lake, and below the Salt Lake was Mount Shanjie County. This county seat, which had been lost for many years, was specifically marked as belonging to the Great Song.

Seeing Li Li Zhouwei's gaze fixed, Ning Wan just followed his gaze and immediately understood:

'The nail buried by Zhixuanxie, the Song Emperor cannot turn a blind eye to it. In the end, there will be a great battle...'