Martial Cultivator

After the fall of the Wei Family, the Xie Family had become the sole dominant power in the Great Liang Dynasty. If this old ancestor of the Xie Family could make his position clear, the resistance would be reduced even further.

With these two figures involved, other matters would actually be much easier to handle.

Song Lian sighed with emotion. ”If you manage to pull this off, you’ll be the most impressive matchmaker under heaven in name and in fact.”

Chen Chao thought for a moment and said, ”I do have some experience with this sort of thing. After all, it’s not the first time, is it?”

Song Lian was stunned for a moment before belatedly realizing that Chen Chao was talking about him.

Song Lian laughed it off. Leaving everything else aside, he was still very grateful to Chen Chao for this matter alone, even though Chen Chao had not taken little silver from him in the past.

Chen Chao suddenly patted Song Lian on the shoulder and said softly, ”You thanked me before. In the future, don’t blame me.”

With an extremely clear understanding of the current situation, Song Lian naturally knew what Chen Chao was referring to. He smiled indifferently. ”By then, you might be dead yourself. Where would I even go to blame you?”

Chen Chao cursed, ”Old Song, how did you end up with such a jinx’s mouth?!”

Song Lian did not take it to heart and smiled faintly.

After that, everyone sat around a large round table, drank quite a bit of wine, and filled the room with laughter and cheerful voices.

The meal left everyone very satisfied. After it was over, the few disciples stayed behind, while Chen Chao signaled to Weng Quan to get up and prepare the carriage to head to the Xie Family ancestral residence.

With nothing to do, Chen Chao stood at the doorway, waiting for Weng Quan to go to the Left Guard and bring the carriage over.

Yu Xiyi came out at some point without anyone noticing and plopped down on the doorstep. He glanced at Chen Chao and asked, “Going somewhere again?”

Chen Chao did not bother hiding it from him.

Yu Xiyi sneered. “You’re really busy.”

Chen Chao glanced at Yu Xiyi, thought that sitting idle was sitting idle anyway, and simply sat down as well, chatting with Yu Xiyi for a bit.

“What do you think of my disciple, He Liang?”

Yu Xiyi did not quite understand why he was asking, but he was fairly satisfied with He Liang. He nodded and smiled. “That kid is indeed pretty good. Obedient, well-behaved, and honest.”

Chen Chao leaned closer and said with a grin, “Then how about marrying off your final disciple to Little He?”

”What?!”

A booming voice shot straight into the sky, drawing everyone at the table in the courtyard to look toward the doorway. Jiang Xiao’an in particular was holding a chicken leg, looking completely confused. Then she immediately lowered her head. Sigh, my master is embarrassing himself again. I should pretend I don’t know him.

Chen Chao gave an awkward smile toward the inside before lowering his head and pressing a hand down on Yu Xiyi’s head, saying in a low voice, “What the hell are you doing?”

Yu Xiyi struggled hard to break free from Chen Chao’s grip and sneered. “Surname Chen, how did I never realize before that you’re an animal? How old is Xiao’an? And you’re already setting your sights on her?You look like a decent person, but you’re still this sort of person.”

Yu Xiyi spat on the ground, then tossed out a final line. “Impossible. Give up that thought!”

Then he turned and went back inside.

The corners of Chen Chao’s mouth twitched and cursed under his breath: damn it.

When he lifted his head, he saw a carriage approaching from afar.

Chen Chao narrowed his eyes, his expression turning somewhat ugly.

Weng Quan jumped down from the carriage and hurried over, shouting, “Your Excellency, let’s go!”

Chen Chao forced a smile that was not quite a smile and asked, “This carriage...”

Weng Quan took a breath and chuckled. “Aren’t you in a hurry, Your Excellency? All the other carriages of the Left Guard are in use. This old friend was the only one left.”

Chen Chao said nothing, only patted Weng Quan on the shoulder, silently sighing to himself.

......

......

Chen Chao made a visit to the Xie Family ancestral residence, entering through the main gate as usual. At present, if he did not use the main gate, it would not be long before the matter spread throughout the entire city, accompanied by all kinds of speculation.

But this time, Chen Chao did not stay long at the Xie Family ancestral residence. In less than half an hour, this Lord Warden Commander was already preparing to take his leave.

At the ancestral shrine, the Xie Family’s old ancestor, his head full of white hair, looked far less spirited than before. As a senior official who had served through several reigns, the age of this Minister Xie was truly advanced.

Chen Chao spoke with genuine concern, “Old Minister should take better care of your health.”

The Xie Family’s ancestor looked at Chen Chao with his clouded eyes and smiled. His face rippled like the surface of a lake disturbed by countless waves. “In the past, the reason I struggled on and did not want to die was because I did not know what would become of the Xie Family after my death. But now that there is that Xie lass, it no longer matters. As for Great Liang, with you, kid, it is also in good hands. One could say there are successors. What reason do I have left not to die?”

Chen Chao’s lips moved, but before he could say anything, the Xie Family’s ancestor smiled and said, “But speaking of it, there truly is one matter. When do you and the Xie lass plan to marry?”

Chen Chao scratched his head. At present, there were very few things that this Lord Warden Commander could not decide himself, but this matter was indeed not one of them. Still, in front of the Xie Family’s ancestor, he had to keep some face. “Right now, no matter how one looks at it, it is not a good time.”

What kind of shrewd old fox was the Xie Family’s ancestor? Having served as the family head of the Xie Family for so many years, how could he not see through Chen Chao’s little thoughts?

“Not a good time? From this old man’s point of view, it is that the Xie lass has not nodded her head yet, and you, Lord Warden Commander, have no way to deal with that, right?”

The Xie Family’s ancestor sat up, smiling amiably. “How strange, how strange. The great Lord Warden Commander, the number one martial artist under Heaven, and yet there are still things you cannot accomplish?”

Chen Chao looked awkward. This old fellow really spoke without sparing anyone’s feelings.

If it were anyone else, at worst it would be a bout of exchanging fists, to see whether your mouth was tougher or my fists were.

But in the face of this Xie Family’s ancestor, being unable to talk him down truly meant being unable to talk him down.

Fight?

Beating up an old man who was god knows how old? Did he not want his reputation anymore?

The Xie Family’s ancestor grew serious and said, “The matter of the Crown Prince marrying a woman from the foreign lands, in this old man’s view, it is very good. You have pressured the foreign cultivators too hard, so it is inevitable that they feel anxious and unsettled. With the Crown Prince taking a wife, it is equivalent to sending a message to the foreign lands: that Great Liang has never thought that all matters under Heaven are a case of ‘I speak, you obey.’ In all things, there is still room for discussion. Moreover, the Mountains and Rivers Sect is not some major sect to begin with, and this also gives those cultivators confidence.”

Chen Chao smiled and said, “This junior truly would like all matters under Heaven to be decided with a single word from Great Liang.”

The Xie Family’s ancestor glanced at Chen Chao and sneered. “Having such thoughts is not a problem, but all matters under Heaven would begin with you and would only end with you. Think carefully. After you, will Great Liang still have someone like you?” ”Do you not know how many cultivation sects rose because of a single person, and declined because that same person passed away? The most recent example is right before our eyes. What kind of figure was His Majesty? While he was on the throne, Great Liang could let him decide everything with a single word. Can the current Crown Prince do that? Setting aside whether he can do it for now, even in the future, can he?”

The Xie Family’s ancestor continued on his own, “In the future world, as long as the foreign cultivators abide by the laws of Great Liang and are able to treat the common people of the realm as human beings, that will already be a very good thing.”

Chen Chao said, “The first part is easy enough. The second part is not.”

The Xie Family’s ancestor narrowed his eyes and smiled. “Haven’t you already done quite a lot? That new temple master at Infatuation Daoist Temple is a very decent cultivator. But having just one like him is still not quite enough. Still, since it has already begun, you can slowly wait for it to blossom and bear fruit.”

“Governing a state is like frying a small fish - it takes a great deal of slow, patient effort. How could it be accomplished in a day or two, or even in a year or two? Just look at how Great Liang has reached this point. Without His Majesty’s more than ten years of careful planning, could it have been done?”

The Xie Family’s ancestor glanced at Chen Chao and sighed. “If it were that Xie lass, I would not need to say all this. You, on the other hand, have a temper that is far too foul.”

Chen Chao remained silent.

“As for the matter of premier, this old man truly no longer has the strength for it, but I can recommend someone to you. That Tutor Zhang at the academy, in his early years, he also entered the court as an official and once rose to the position of Minister of Personnel. His reputation is sufficient. Moreover, he has many students from the academy who have already gone on to become officials. If he were to serve as premier, he would be able to stand firm. Previously, it was because he could not tolerate His Majesty’s accession that he chose to resign. He comes from a poor background and still harbors compassion for the common people of the realm. Letting him serve as premier now would be most appropriate.”

Chen Chao asked curiously, “Then why would he be willing to come out now?”

Since that Tutor Zhang had been unwilling to hold office in the past, why would he agree now?

The Xie Family’s ancestor smiled. “Times change. What the state of the world is like now, could he be blind and not see it? These past years, he has in fact long regretted his decision. He has come to understand that His Majesty was a far better ruler than that deposed emperor. It is just that scholars care about their pride. Now that His Majesty has left the country and it is His Highness who governs, he is naturally willing to come out.”

Chen Chao nodded with a smile. “I understand.”

The Xie Family’s ancestor smiled faintly and said no more, but when he looked at Chen Chao, there was too much emotion in his eyes.

It was as though, in this young man, the old man saw the person he had once wanted to become, but never did.

He truly was old.

The Xie Family’s ancestor let out a soft sigh and said quietly, “The Great Liang of today already belongs to you young people.”