[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming":3,"chapter-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-961":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Unorthodox Sword of Ming",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2338166,4570,"Chapter 961: Gathering in the Capital","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-961",961,"\u003Cp>The Zhou Prince’s mansion was on the western side of the inner city, where nearly all the princely residences of the feudal lords stationed in the capital were located.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being granted their fiefs, feudal lords were always sent out of the capital to take up their posts; in recent years, only the current emperor and the former Prince of Cheng had fiefs yet remained in the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this wasn’t exactly a good thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far from the Zhou Prince’s mansion stood a mansion bearing the plaque of the Prince of Qian; inside lived Prince of Qian Mu Bin, who, since inheriting the title, had remained in the capital, occasionally dispatched back to Yunnan to comfort soldiers and civilians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though titled Prince of Qian, the Mu family had always received the privileges of a Commandery Prince.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father and grandfather, upon death, had both been posthumously enfeoffed as princes; without doubt, he would be too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feudal lords said nothing aloud, but all knew Mu Bin remained in the capital not only because the emperor favored him, but also because he served to restrain the Mu family of Yunnan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since the late emperor, Yunnan had been constantly at war, with hundreds of thousands of troops continuously deployed; the capital needed someone the emperor could trust as a hostage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In comparison, the other feudal lords without military power enjoyed far greater freedom, arriving in the capital and immediately visiting one another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were relatives long separated, even if blood ties stretched across several generations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhou Prince’s gate was especially bustling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew the Zhou Prince had old ties with the State Tutor, and their relationship was good; on several occasions, when the State Tutor needed help, the Zhou Prince acted as if he were ill just to submit memorials on her behalf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lu Prince now directly asked the Zhou Prince: “Zhou Prince, have you received some favor from the State Tutor? She’s a Daoist physician, and your Zhou mansion excels in medicine—could it be she truly gave you an elixir of longevity and eternal youth?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhou Prince’s face turned pale; he hastily waved his hands: “Lu Prince, don’t speak nonsense—there’s no such thing as an elixir of eternal youth! Medicine can extend life, but I’ve never heard of such an elixir. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural way of the world…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s only for fooling ignorant commoners,” the Lu Prince interrupted. “If it were truly the natural way, why would Daoists cultivate to seek immortality? What Dao does Pan Yun practice to become State Tutor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, even now the Lu Prince didn’t know how Pan Yun had become State Tutor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s utterly bizarre—Pan Yun doesn’t teach His Majesty cultivation, nor does she brew elixirs for immortality. Why then did His Majesty appoint her State Tutor? Just because she went to Datong and retrieved the late emperor’s corpse from enemy hands?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qin Prince, stationed in Xi’an, knew more—he’d heard how Xi’an’s troops had been dispatched to reinforce Datong. He sneered: “This State Tutor is formidable. Though she doesn’t brew elixirs for His Majesty, her abilities are deep—otherwise, why would not a single civil or military official oppose her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He added with meaning: “Because they’ve all seen her true abilities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feudal lords thought about it—indeed, during Wang Zhen’s control of court affairs, every year there were fearless civil officials submitting memorials to impeach him, and military officers privately cursed the eunuch dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun rose straight to State Tutor, a Daoist by origin, and should have faced even fiercer opposition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The new emperor’s position was unstable; if not now, when would be the right moment to oppose?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet since her appointment, not a single impeachment memorial had been submitted, and soldiers spoke of her with deep admiration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qin Prince scanned the gathering relatives—he alone knew: Pan Yun had retrieved the late emperor’s corpse from ten thousand troops, freeing Great Ming from Wala’s control; for this alone, she was revered by all three armies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just didn’t understand why the civil officials had remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qin Prince lowered his eyes, pondered a moment, then smiled at the Zhou Prince: “Zhou Prince, since you’re close to the State Tutor and have come to the capital, shouldn’t you host a banquet for her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhou Prince had indeed planned to do so, but after the Qin Prince spoke, he changed his mind. He declined: “I met the State Tutor only once as a child; years have passed—what connection remains? All past actions were about matters, not persons.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Qin Prince sneered: “When the State Tutor was imprisoned in the Imperial Prison for clearing your father’s name, wasn’t your memorial then also ‘about matters, not persons’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhou Prince nodded solemnly: “I couldn’t stand by while Wang Zhen slaughtered loyal ministers.” The Qin Prince fell silent; the feudal lords exchanged glances and said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, for several days straight, the Zhou Prince shut his gates, even locking his heir apparent inside the mansion—until the first day of the eighth month, when the initial recruitment trial of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was held, and the heir finally left with his guards to watch the competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Pan Yun and Miao Zhen, who had been staying at the suburban testing ground, finish their work and return to the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of Works Hu Cheng personally escorted Pan Yun out the gate; he was covered in gunpowder smoke, his face smudged, yet his eyes sparkled like stars. He excitedly told Pan Yun: “Give me two more days—I’ll make it exactly how you want.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun was equally excited: “Good. We’ve forged all the gun barrels by cold forging and produced all the magazines. I’m certain you’ll overcome the remaining challenges—I await the new arquebus, and when it’s ready, I’ll ask His Majesty to name it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Cheng’s eyes lit up; he praised Pan Yun endlessly, as if she had built the new arquebus herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Cheng eagerly saw Pan Yun onto her carriage, then turned to personally help Miao Zhen up—but Miao Zhen’s lips twitched, and she stepped onto the wooden stool and boarded on her own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the carriage moved and the curtain dropped, Miao Zhen exhaled and said: “Why is a Minister of Works so eager to flatter us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Funding for research.” Since Pan Yun became State Tutor, the imperial treasury, the emperor’s private funds, and even her own personal wealth had all flowed into the Ministry of Works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once restrictions on artisan households are lifted, more people across the empire will engage in craftsmanship, technological progress will accelerate, and Hu Cheng will one day be written in history with bold strokes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The initial recruitment trial of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was held in the training ground of the Imperial Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Imperial Academy’s training ground was vast, large enough for horseback riding and archery drills; it had long been used for military examination tests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides this site, the Forbidden Army’s training ground was also frequently requisitioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because the emperor’s birthday was approaching, not only feudal lords came to join the festivities, but foreign envoys arrived to watch as well—so the Forbidden Army’s ground was unsuitable, and the Imperial Academy’s was chosen instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was perfect: let the tributary states’ envoys see Great Ming’s students and experience the culture of the suzerain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To celebrate the emperor’s birthday, the Imperial Academy voluntarily opened its gates, allowing commoners to enter and watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All one needed was a ticket, obtained the day before from the Imperial Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just like buying a ticket to a theater—commoners accepted it well; and while theater tickets cost money, these tickets were free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the news, commoners rushed to claim tickets, and they were all snatched up instantly—so much so that officials’ families remembered too late and found none left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Imperial Academy’s President, Li Shimin, was upright, and his students, brimming with youthful pride and unyielding integrity, scorned to curry favor with the powerful—even though many of them were themselves from powerful families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, no one could slip in without a ticket; those lucky enough to get one either entered to enjoy the spectacle or sold it at high prices for profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Pan Yun and Miao Zhen arrived, Pan Yue emerged from the main gate, disheveled, and shoved three tickets into Pan Yun’s hands: “President Li strictly forbids each student to bring more than one relative—I can only bring you. Take these three tickets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun took the tickets and asked: “Where did you get them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My younger brother had nothing to do yesterday, so I had him line up with his friends to collect them.” Pan Yue pulled her hand toward the side: “The east gate also lets you in—this main gate is too crowded.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yun: “Wait, wait—Miao He and the others haven’t arrived yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pan Yue: “I told my younger brother to pick them up—we agreed to meet at the east gate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Pan Yun relax and follow him.\u003C\u002Fp>",1509,"2026-06-20T22:04:01.137Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","eb0ca00e94d9bc90b63b571874fa1194227bd4517d7a7188193622c792b9cc2a","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-962","the-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-chapter-960",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-unorthodox-sword-of-ming-cover.jpg"]