Pei Mao was watching National Teacher Chen, and Chen Ping'an was watching Inspector Pei.
Both knew perfectly well that the conclusions reached in today's two meetings would shape the Great Li Dynasty's political course for at least the next hundred years. Whether it grew stronger or quietly went into decline hinged on this moment.
Pei Mao wanted to see how the young National Teacher would conduct himself. Would he maneuver with consummate skill and sway men's hearts, proving he had indeed inherited something of Cui's true teachings? Or would youthful arrogance leave him flaunting his edge, spouting grandiose nonsense with his feet nowhere near the ground, until the National Teacher's Manor became a target for every arrow?
Cao Gengxin, Guan Ran, and their sort had clean records, good families, and notable achievements. Their attendance was, in effect, a stamp of approval: a public declaration to the manor and the Great Li court and public that they truly belonged to National Teacher Chen's inner circle and were headed higher.
Qiu He, Jian Feng, Li Baozhen, and their sort could only fear National Teacher Chen. Entering the National Teacher's Manor meant passing through Ghost Gate Pass.
In recent years, cultivators in the mountains had fanned the flames until the meeting at Spring Banner Zhai on Inverted Mountain sounded more and more fantastical. They told of how the newly appointed young Yin Guan had planned every move and known the outcome before a piece was played; how he wielded a blade for the living and a sword for killing, holding life and death in his hands. Then they piled on a few more embellishments: he was graceful as a jade tree in the wind, surveyed the realm with effortless command, and made a match with Ning Yao ordained by heaven and earth. In