Chapter 182: Chapter 151: Prince Jin’s Backup Plan, A Gathering of Evils, I Became the Great Protector?

A few days later, the Wang Family Mansion was serene and quiet in the morning. Icicles hung from the eaves, glistening under the sunlight.

Outside the mansion, a light snow was falling.

The morning court session had just ended. Wang He’fu, still in his official robes and wearing a red cape, was returning to his mansion in a snow-dusted sedan chair. As he arrived, he saw the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, a man with a goatee, already waiting for him at the entrance.

Wang He’fu’s expression was calm. He deliberately took a towel from a nearby servant, wiped his hands, and only then did he ask softly:

“Lord Shi, has a verdict been reached in the Drumming Institute’s review case?”

As the Vice Chief Minister and Prince Huai’an’s maternal grandfather, he had to avoid any suspicion of involvement in his grandson’s case.

Cold sweat beaded on the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review’s forehead as he carefully uttered a few words.

“Your Excellency… it was rejected.”

Wang He’fu’s eyes narrowed, and his expression turned grave.

’What a pity,’ he thought.

’So it was rejected after all.’

However, he had a feeling someone was obstructing the matter. He asked:

“Who rejected it?”

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review clasped his hands and lowered his head. “Your Excellency, we faced heavy resistance. It is suspected that the Holy Emperor himself rejected it.”

Hearing the two words “Holy Emperor,” Wang He’fu’s pupils contracted for a moment. His expression quickly returned to normal as he gave a faint nod.

“I see.”

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review thought for a moment, trying to recall if there was anything else to report. He clasped his hands again. “The case of Lu Yunwan’s banquet has been closed. Prince Langya insisted that he was framed by Xun Yu. With the Military Saint’s testimony as evidence, the case is now airtight. However, there’s still no trace of Xun Yu. We don’t know if he is in the Imperial Capital.”

Wang He’fu waved his hand dismissively. “That scoundrel Xun Yu is insidious and cunning. Countless people among the Three Religions have been eager to eliminate him, only to meet a tragic end themselves. No matter how you look at it, he is a Great Cultivator beyond the Thirteenth Realm of a Venerable Saint. He is not a Saint, yet he is like one. Let’s leave this mess for the Confucian Temple to handle. Hasn’t Li Sheng dispatched three Imperial Censors from the Confucian Temple to deal with this matter?”

“Yes, they will arrive in the capital soon,” the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review nodded.

The Confucian Temple advocates for the enlightenment of all living beings, guiding their hearts toward goodness. It is primarily based on the Confucian Family, supplemented by the Hundred Schools of Thought.

The Supreme Ancestor Master is the principal figure, assisted by the other four Saint Ancestor Masters. They are the highest authorities of the Confucian Temple. Beneath these five Great Saints are the Sect Leader and Vice Sect Leader of the Confucian Temple, as well as seventy-two Companion Saints and Sages.

Below the Saints and Sages are the Grand Sacrificial Officer of the Confucian Temple and Academy and the thirty-six Academy Mountain Masters, who manage all the scholars in the world.

There are also other unaffiliated academies that have not received official certification; they are also included, though they hold little power.

Beneath the Grand Sacrificial Officer and the Mountain Masters, there are other scholars who handle various administrative tasks.

These include the wise Gentlemen who preside over grievance trials at the Drum Institute, the Deans who manage student records at the Academy, and the Imperial Censors who oversee the scholars of the Central Plains World.

If a scholar from the Confucian Temple were to act against the Great Dao and tarnish the Temple’s reputation, the Imperial Censors would be dispatched to clean house.

However, “cleaning house” did not mean killing the person.

Instead, it meant solitary confinement, imprisoned within the Confucian Temple until they repented and reformed.

The Military Saint, Ning Tomb, for example, had been confined in the Confucian Temple for a full three hundred years for accumulating immense killing karma.

Wang He’fu suspected that for Xun Yu to have evaded capture for so many years, someone in the Confucian Temple must be sheltering him, or even secretly supporting him.

“You may go back for now. I have other matters to attend to.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Prepare the sedan. We’re going to Yaoguang Palace.”

With that thought, Wang He’fu decided against returning to his mansion and instead headed for his daughter’s residence.

…

「Prince Jin’s Mansion.」

In the Snow-covered Back Courtyard, Lu Guangjing held an Engraving Knife and carved three words onto a set of Bamboo Slips: “Heaven-Piercing Sword Qi.” As he finished, Literary Qi descended.

In an instant, his Words and Laws Followed. All around him, Sword Qi surged upwards, like Ten Thousand Swords Returning to the Root.

One by one, coalescing Battle Swords hovered parallel to the ground, encircling him.

Suddenly, his eyes became incredibly sharp.

With a wave of his finger, a rain of swords descended. His body vanished, reappearing thirty feet away in front of a man in white robes. His Engraving Knife struck forward like the tip of a brush.

Taoist Qi surged, and sleeves billowed.

However, the swords he had summoned traveled only halfway before the white-robed, sword-carrying man at the courtyard entrance dispersed them with a wave of his sleeve. The man then caught the Engraving Knife between two fingers, stopping it dead in mid-air.

He then gently released his grip and pushed out with his palm. A force like ripples spreading from a lotus leaf sent the other man stumbling back, just barely managing to regain his footing.

Lu Guangjing retrieved his Lifebound Treasure, the Engraving Knife, and asked, “Well? How much has my strength regressed?”

The sword-carrying man shook his head. “Your Highness’s true cultivation has regressed by fifty percent compared to before. I’m afraid you can only handle ordinary Eighth Realm Cultivators now. The Ninth Realm would be too difficult.”

Lu Guangjing sighed. “For now, my teacher has taken control of the situation. Otherwise, this scheme would have cost me all of my cultivation. It was already a great feat to retain some of it.”

The sword-carrying man offered some comfort. “Even so, Your Highness’s cultivation is still very high among the princes. Even Prince Chongwen, Lu Yunqing, is only at the Eighth Realm of the Confucian Dao. Furthermore, Your Highness is a Confucian and Daoist Dual Cultivator. Although your Confucian Dao cultivation has fallen, your progress as a Qi Cultivator can only be beneficial. With your talent, reaching the Nascent Soul realm should be no problem. At that point, you would be an Earth Immortal of the Human World.”

A flicker of light crossed Lu Guangjing’s eyes. “My teacher hasn’t contacted me for several days. I fear he is also evading Li Sheng’s divination of Celestial Secrets. In the days to come, I can only rely on myself.”

“As long as I am here, Your Highness can rest assured,” the sword-carrying man said, cupping his fist.

His cultivation was by no means low within the Prince Jin’s Mansion. In the Endless Pavilion, he was second only to the Shadow Scout, having already reached the Late Stage of the Eleventh Realm.

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