Martial Cultivator

After the Lantern Festival, it was already nearing the end of the first month of the lunar calendar. There was an old saying that if you did not mention the first month, it would not feel like the new year. But as time passed day by day, in just a few more days, the new year would truly arrive. However, for the common people under the heavens, whether was it the new year or not did not make much difference. Days pass by as usual. In the Divine Capital, the prominent figures finally anticipated the court session they both desired and dreaded at the end of the first lunar month.

This was the first court session of the fifteenth year of Tianjian, and also the first one personally presided over by the Great Liang Emperor. It was a rare grand court session. Officials of the Divine Capital, regardless of their rank, were required to attend this court session.

Therefore, even before dawn, Chen Chao left the academy and arrived at the Left Guard’s office. For this court session, as the commanding officer of the Left Guard, Song Lian naturally had to attend, and as the deputy commander, Chen Chao had to accompany him. Upon arriving at the office, the officials had already prepared the formal court attire. Although Chen Chao had never worn court attire before, the Ministry of Rites would not make any mistakes. They had long ago taken his measurements. Wearing a navy blue official robe, although it was somewhat loose, Chen Chao’s slender figure prevented it from appearing bulky. On the contrary, he exuded a unique charm. As for Song Lian, he was accustomed to casual wear, suddenly wearing court attire made him appear out of place.

He casually tugged on his attire, seeming not to mind much, and then turned his gaze to Chen Chao, nodding appreciatively. ”Indeed handsome. Heroes emerge from the young. It won’t be long before you can carve out a place for yourself in the Great Liang Dynasty.”

Chen Chao did not think about these things but hesitated before asking, ”A grand court session? Why haven’t I heard about it before?”

As the Commander of the Left Guard, Song Lian held a high rank. In ordinary times, he did not participate in court sessions either. However, this grand court session was different from the usual ones. It was held only a few times a year, and apart from the one before the New Year, the one held at the beginning of spring was actually very troublesome. Previous emperors would avoid holding it if possible. When the current emperor ascended the throne, he would probably convene only two or three such grand court sessions every year. Moreover, the one at the beginning of spring was often intentionally canceled to avoid trouble.

”Thinking about it carefully, this grand court session at the beginning of spring hasn’t been held for at least seven or eight years. Perhaps it’s because His Majesty has important announcements to make, which is why it’s happening this year. But don’t worry, our warden faction has always stood in the corner. No one will pay us any attention.”

As Song Lian spoke, he led Chen Chao out of the Left Guard’s office and onto the carriage.

Sitting facing each other in the carriage, after the carriage had moved a few streets forward, Chen Chao lifted the curtain and saw many carriages dressed similarly slowly heading towards the direction of the imperial city.

Glancing at them, Song Lian casually said, ”It’s hard to say how many officials there are in the Divine Capital. But there are at least a few thousand. Once this grand court session is convened, just the carriages of these officials will probably cause quite a traffic jam in the Divine Capital. Let alone His Majesty, even I find it troublesome.”

Looking at the slow-moving carriages, Chen Chao’s expression turned somewhat ugly. Especially when he reached for his waist and did not feel the hilt of his saber, he felt even more uneasy. Participating in the court session and wanting to carry a saber, Chen Chao feared that even if he became a figure like the Great General of the Northern Frontier, he would not be able to do so.

Song Lian could see the discomfort of the young man sitting opposite him and took the initiative to reassure him, ”Don’t overthink it. Can you really die from attending a court session?” ”In today’s court session, His Majesty is present, and there are many great cultivators as well. Lord Warden Commander is also there. You can be a hundred percent assured that you won’t die.”

Chen Chao nodded, but soon he felt somewhat helpless and said, ”I don’t know what’s wrong. I just feel uneasy when my saber isn’t by my side.”

Song Lian laughed heartily, ”You’re just like me when I first left the Northern Frontier Army. When I left the Northern Frontier Army and came back to the Divine Capital to become the Left Guard Commander, I had to hold my saber in my hand every night to fall asleep. When I was on that Great Wall, who knew when those demons would start attacking the city? When the horns sounded outside the military tent, I had to pick up my saber and rush to the city walls immediately. That was really... what’s the phrase?”

Chen Chao paused and then chuckled, ”Sleeping with one’s weapon as a pillow.”

Song Lian nodded vigorously, ”That’s it. But later, after staying in the Divine Capital for a long time, I got used to it. Although the Divine Capital is not truly peaceful, it’s much better than the Northern Frontier Great Wall. You don’t need to be on edge every day, with your head tied to your belt.”

”I thought I had already gotten used to it, but this time going back to the Northern Frontier, suddenly having to go through those days again, damn it, guess what? I haven’t adapted even a bit.”

Chen Chao suddenly asked, ”What are the differences between the demons in the north and those within our borders?”

Chen Chao had previously spent several years killing demons in Tianqing County, so he had considerable experience dealing with demons. However, he suspected that the demons within the borders of the Great Liang Dynasty might be different from those outside the borders.

Song Lian nodded and said, ”When you really go to the Northern Frontier Great Wall one day and see those demons, you’ll realize there’s no comparison between the two. Honestly, if I were the Lord Warden Commander, I would have sent you to the Northern Border, but unfortunately, the Lord Warden Commander values you highly and wouldn’t dare to let you die there.”

Chen Chao smiled at this remark.

Song Lian tugged at his official robe, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, and then casually added, ”By the way, I’m planning to marry your sister-in-law. Find a suitable date for us?”

”I’m not some street charlatan. Your Excellency, can’t you just spend a bit of money and consult a proper fortune teller?” Chen Chao felt a headache coming on.

Song Lian waved his hand dismissively. ”I don’t believe in that stuff. Your Father is giving you the honor of choosing the date because you’ve done me a huge favor. Why are you being indecisive?”

Just as Chen Chao was about to speak, the carriage suddenly jerked to a stop, causing the carriage to sway. Song Lian immediately asked, ”What’s going on?”

The voice of the coachman quickly came in, ”Sir, there’s a fork in the road ahead, and there’s a carriage blocking our way. Should we let them pass first?”

Song Lian frowned. He was about to instruct the coachman to yield, but before he could speak, he happened to glance through the curtain that Chen Chao had opened. Upon seeing the mark on the carriage ahead, Song Lian’s face darkened as he asked, ”Did we arrive first?”

The coachman grunted in affirmation.

”Then why are we yielding? Move forward.”

Song Lian waved his hand impatiently, his mood visibly souring.

Chen Chao also noticed the mark on the carriage and asked hesitantly, ”Is that the carriage from the Right Guard?”

Song Lian grunted, ”Yeah, it’s that worthless fellow Ye Dayuan. Fuck him, does he think the Left Guard is easy to bully?”

The safety of the capital has always been guarded by the Left and Right Guards, each responsible for protecting half of the Divine Capital. Both sides held equal ranks and were under the command of the Lord Warden Commander, so they should have had a good relationship. However, it seemed that Song Lian and the commander of the Right Guard did not get along.

Chen Chao asked curiously, ”Is there some animosity between you and the Right Guard?”

Song Lian shook his head, sneering, ”Nothing much, just some grudge with that worthless Ye Dayuan.”

Chen Chao was intrigued, but Song Lian seemed unwilling to elaborate further, mentioning only some trivial matters.

Chen Chao decided not to inquire further.

However, Song Lian did not say much. At the moment, neither side’s carriages were yielding, causing a temporary deadlock for the carriages of officials from both streets. Initially, some of the officials muttered complaints, but when they saw that the carriages ahead belonged to the Left and Right Guards, they sensibly kept quiet.

It was still alright with the Right Guard, but they truly did not dare to provoke the Left Guard. Previously, during the extensive spy-catching operations in the Divine Capital, they had already made everyone feel uneasy. Now, they did not dare to actively approach the vicinity of the Left Guard’s precincts. They were not high-ranking officials like the premier, so being targeted by the Left Guard might not end well for them.

Inside the carriages were just two individuals: an ordinary-looking middle-aged man who, even in formal court attire, seemed like a rustic farmer. This man was Ye Dayuan, the commander of the Right Guard.

The other was a slender middle-aged man, Yao Dao, the current deputy commander of the Right Guard. He glanced outside the carriage before turning back, hesitating as he said, ”Commander Song refuses to yield. Should we take a step back? Commander Song is currently in favor with the Lord Warden Commander. We...”

Ye Dayuan remained expressionless. ”This official just wants to exert some pressure on him, let him know that there’s no distinction of superiority or inferiority between him and this official.”

Yao Dao sighed softly, reminding him, ”During that night at the Xia residence, the Lord Warden Commander didn’t call for us from the Right Guard.”

That night, in reality, the big shots were watching the situation in the Divine Capital. However, minor characters like them were still able to discern what they could see. In any case, they now understood one thing: the Lord Warden Commander clearly favored the Left Guard more in the current Divine Capital.

”Forget about Commander Song. Just look at Chen Chao. Everyone knows he’s currently the most important person in the Lord Warden’s eyes. He’s probably in that carriage too. Your Excellency, why don’t you think it over?”

Yao Dao looked at Ye Dayuan and urged earnestly, ”It’s fine if we compete for precedence, but if news of this reaches the Lord Warden Commander...”

Ye Dayuan’s expression turned ugly, but he still said indifferently, ”When has the Lord Warden Commander ever cared about this sort of trivial matter?”

Yao Dao fell silent, no longer speaking.

After a moment, Ye Dayuan waved his hand.

Some things, he did want to establish dominance, but it seemed inappropriate at the moment.

Yao Dao was overjoyed, breathing a sigh of relief. In the Right Guard now, the matters that he pondered over every day were actually far more than Ye Dayuan the commander.

”Give way.”

______