Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Power Over Court and Country

[Year 745 of the Rainbow Calendar, spies from the north brought news.]

[An Immortal appeared in Cyan Desert Dragon City, slashing eighteen Innate warriors with a sword, forcing the Khan to step down. According to the spies, the Immortal is a disciple of a small family in Dragon City who disappeared thirty years ago.]

[You know that Cyan Desert Dragon City will first unify domestic forces and prepare for the upcoming war, eventually launching a war against Chang Kingdom in year 750 and Rainbow Kingdom in year 759 of the Rainbow Calendar.]

[Year 746 of the Rainbow Calendar, you participated in the martial examination, effortlessly taking first place.]

[In the same year, in July, the Rainbow Kingdom Emperor founded the Brocade Guard, and you were appointed Deputy Commander.]

[Year 747 of the Rainbow Calendar, the Luban Institute of Rainbow Kingdom successfully developed the first-generation cannon.]

[Year 748 of the Rainbow Calendar, you established the Hidden Guard, spreading spies throughout the Rainbow Kingdom and extending outward.]

[Year 749 of the Rainbow Calendar, you marginalized the Brocade Guard Commander, and the Hidden Guard and Brocade Guard became colossal entities in the Rainbow Kingdom, consolidating important powers such as intelligence, reward and punishment, recommendations, etc. The Brocade Guard controlled the Imperial Court, and the Hidden Guard spread across enemy nations. Although young, your influence has already reached its peak. Secret voices arose within the court, calling you the Shadow Emperor of the Rainbow Kingdom.]

[In July, the Minister of Rites and Vice Minister of the Ministry of War were executed along with their families for the crime of defaming the Imperial Family, and from that point onward, no one dared oppose you.]

[In September, with the arrangement of the Hidden Guard, Chang Kingdom made ample preparations, and under the control of the Hidden Guard, frontline generals were all willing to die for Chang Kingdom.]

[In December, you consumed the Vermilion Fruit, significantly increasing your cultivation to Mid Innate. You frantically collected martial arts from various Jianghu sects of neighboring countries, later achieving enlightenment and going into seclusion within the Rainbow Kingdom Royal Armory.]

[Year 750 of the Rainbow Calendar, Qingmo Khanate launched a war against Chang Kingdom, but was firmly dragged by Chang Kingdom. The war, like a quagmire, pulled both mighty nations. In the same year, the Luban Institute improved the second-generation cannon.]

[Year 751 of the Rainbow Calendar, you officially emerged from seclusion, amassing martial arts of previous and current lives, gathering the strengths of various schools, initially comprehending the Ten Extremes Martial Arts, encompassing knife, spear, sword, halberd, staff, fist, palm, leg, claw, and finger.]

[In the same year, in September, the Chang Kingdom frontline suddenly fell into crisis, with the frontline general defecting inexplicably, surrendering the city. Meanwhile, his Hidden Guard lost contact.]

[In October, three major towns simultaneously fell due to high-ranking defections, Chang Kingdom was engulfed in flames, and Qingmo Khanate troops advanced unhindered. According to reports from Dragon City Hidden Guard, when the Chang Kingdom frontline was breached, there were anomalies suspected to be the actions of an Immortal. You were not alarmed but pleased upon hearing this, as it indicated that the Immortal lacked the power to destroy cities and countries.]

[Year 752 of the Rainbow Calendar, you turned twenty years old, donned a cap and received a courtesy name from Zhang Jin, Ziyu, and Li Jin named you Li Ziyu.]

[On December 3 of the same year, a plague suddenly erupted in the Imperial Palace, claiming the lives of the Rainbow Kingdom Emperor and Crown Prince, and a young prince ascended the throne. The Brocade Guard and Hidden Guard concluded that Qingmo Khanate had poisoned, revealing in court that Qingmo Khanate planned to attack Rainbow Kingdom the following year. The hall was filled with shock, and the Brocade Guard and Hidden Guard took this as a cue to begin purging various armies of the Rainbow Kingdom, starting from the Capital Camp.]

[On December 5, both the court and the military underwent a thorough cleansing; countless high-ranking officials and generals were removed.]

[On December 9, you resigned from the positions of Deputy Commander of the Brocade Guard and Commander of the Hidden Guard as a form of apology.]

[Year 753 of the Rainbow Calendar, the new Emperor issued a decree, asserting that during a time of national peril, the nation must not be without Commander Li. A Rainbow Guard was established above the Brocade Guard and Hidden Guard, making both subordinate to the Rainbow Guard. You were appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the Rainbow Guard.]

[In the same year, in March, Princess Ming Shang held the hairpin ceremony. In April, your wedding with Princess Ming Shang took place, making you a veritable royal kin.]

[In April, at a major court assembly, the new Minister of Rites asserted that a Prince Consort should not partake in governance, demanding your resignation.]

In the court, Li Jin stood at the forefront of the ministers, dressed in brocade.

Though his figure was not robust, and even slightly thin, his presence was imposing and unmovable as a mountain; merely standing there, no one dared look directly at him.

Upon hearing these words, Li Jin slightly shifted his body, his mouth moved subtly, and the Brocade Guard safeguarding the court went out.

Soon, they brought in a colorful deer.

“Lord Minister, may I ask what this is?” Li Jin looked at him, expressionless.

“This, naturally, is a deer. Li Jin, why do you do this, do not diverge from the topic, according to our Rainbow Kingdom’s ancestral rules, a Prince Consort must not govern!”

“Oh? How come it looks like a horse to me? Lord Zhang, what do you think this is?”

Li Jin ignored him, merely smiling and asking other officials.

The queried officials trembled all over, immediately responding: “It’s a horse.”

“Lord Fuu?”

“A horse, it’s a horse!”

“Lord Qian?”

“Replying to Prince Consort, this is a horse, absolutely not a deer.”

……

The officials questioned by Li Jin all asserted it was a horse, their expressions seemingly perplexed as to why Lord Minister would call it a deer.

Finally, Li Jin walked up to the Little Emperor.

“Your Majesty, what do you say?”

The Little Emperor was somewhat fearful of Li Jin. Watching the reactions of other ministers, he hesitated slightly, then said: “I see this as a horse.”

“Good.”

“How dare Lord Minister Kong commit the crime of deceiving the monarch in court, guards, drag him down, and behead him.” Li Jin’s tone turned icily cold.

The Brocade Guard beside instantly, expressionless, dragged the official in purple robes like a dead dog away.

The court fell silent.

[After the incident of ’calling a deer a horse’, your power in the Rainbow Kingdom reached its pinnacle, and you were only twenty-one years old.]

[Seizing the highest authority of the Rainbow Kingdom, you diverted all resources towards gathering martial arts and the Luban Institute.]

[Year 754 of the Rainbow Calendar, the Luban Institute improved the third-generation cannon, but you chose not to proliferate the cannon.]

[Year 755 of the Rainbow Calendar, the Capital City of Chang Kingdom was captured, declaring the extinction of Chang Kingdom.]

[In the same year, in July, Qingmo Khanate declared war on Lii Kingdom, signaling the start of a new war.]

[You again vanished from the public eye; several major Jianghu Sects of Chang Kingdom and martial arts from the Royal Armory were respectfully placed on your desk by the Hidden Guard.]

[You began a new period of seclusion, using martial arts from across the land to perfect your own Martial Dao.]

[Year 756 of the Rainbow Calendar, you emerged from seclusion, donning the guise of Ten Extremes Elder, going to Lii Kingdom, rampaging on the battlefield, using battle to perfect the last piece of the Ten Directions Martial Dao. Meanwhile, your slaying of high-ranking generals temporarily slowed Qingmo Khanate’s advance.]

[Year 758 of the Rainbow Calendar, the Luban Institute unveiled the fourth-generation cannon.]

[Year 759 of the Rainbow Calendar, you successfully broke through Innate Great Perfection, releasing the Celestial Demon, achieving the supreme realm in martial arts, a realm truly worthy of being called a Martial Arts Myth.]

[Year 760 of the Rainbow Calendar, Lii Kingdom fell, under the mysterious and unpredictable means of the Immortal. Your arrangements could only barely hold back Qingmo Khanate’s forces.]

[Year 762 of the Rainbow Calendar, Qingmo Khanate formally declared war against the Rainbow Kingdom.]

[With war imminent, the Khanate cavalry moved south but were firmly resisted by Rainbow Kingdom’s forces.]

[Year 763 of the Rainbow Calendar, Northern Garrison, one of the three major northern passes, fell, with the general and others surrendering and defecting.]

[In the same year, in November, the army held fast at Yuzhong Pass, the second of the northern passes, where soldiers bravely resisted, causing Qingmo Khanate’s forces to fail repeatedly, lowering morale.]

[In January of the following year, you met the Cultivator at Yuzhong Pass.]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep