Pei Ju

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Pei Ju (裴矩)
Alias(es)	Shi Zhixuan; the Evil King
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Ming imperial court; Azure Dragon Society
Occupation/Role	Grand Tutor; Grand Secretary; Marquis of Wenxi; formerly concurrent Minister of Personnel and Minister of Justice; leader of the Azure Dragon Society
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 14

Background

Pei Ju is secretly Shi Zhixuan, the Evil King: a martial-arts Grandmaster associated with the Six Paths of Demonic Cultivation. For unexplained reasons, he came to the Ming State and rose to become its Grand Secretary and Grand Tutor. His public standing is that of an upright, powerful statesman, while his true identity and martial affiliation remain concealed. 14 15

When Zhou Ming was around one year old, his dying biological father entrusted him to Shi Zhixuan under undisclosed conditions. Pei Ju brought Zhou Ming to the capital as his adopted son, then sent him to train at the Quanzhen Sect for ten years. 14

Pei Ju controls the Azure Dragon Society, the organization through which he maintains influence over the jianghu. Bai Xiaosheng, compiler of the Weapons Ranking, served as the society's Fourth Dragon Head. 15 16

Appearance

Pei Ju presents himself as a distinguished scholar and statesman rather than a martial artist. In private, he is described as standing upright in scholarly robes, holding a book and radiating an aura of righteousness. 15

• Wears scholarly robes. 15
• Maintains the outward bearing of a gentleman and great scholar. 15
• Frequently reads scrolls or books during meetings with Zhou Ming. 15 41

Personality

Pei Ju is patient, calculating, and highly adept at concealing his intentions. He shares enough political information to educate Zhou Ming, but regularly withholds the core of his plans and lets his adopted son infer the rest. 22 48

Despite his stern manner and willingness to use Zhou Ming as part of larger schemes, he treats Zhou Ming as a son rather than merely a subordinate. He explicitly states that Zhou Ming may refuse ordinary requests, but holds him accountable when his actions create problems for the Azure Dragon Society. 16

His identity as the Evil King reflects his rejection of conventional distinctions between righteous and demonic conduct. He understands Confucian norms but does not consider himself bound by them. 16

Abilities & Skills

Martial Arts

Pei Ju is a martial-arts Grandmaster whose strength is sufficient to survive repeated assassination attempts, including attempts by master-level assassins. 5 14

• His casual energy strike was considered difficult even for a Grandmaster to evade, though Zhou Ming avoided it using Lingbo Weibu. 42
• He taught Zhou Ming the Illusory Demon Movement Technique, a movement art comparable in refinement to Lingbo Weibu. 19
• He possesses enough insight into cultivation to warn Zhou Ming that the Northern Darkness Divine Art may obstruct a future breakthrough to Great Grandmaster due to impure accumulated cultivation. 19

Political Strategy

As the foremost civil official in the Ming court, Pei Ju commands extensive ministerial influence and uses apparent concessions to strengthen his position. 42 48

• Supported the Emperor's recovery of political power, gaining the Emperor's trust while retaining ministerial power. 22 42 48
• Exploited Cao Zhengchun's overt retaliation and Zhu Wushi's hidden ambitions by remaining publicly supportive of the Emperor. 42 48
• Planned to relinquish the Ministry of Justice, a post with nominal authority over Six Doors and the Divine Marquis Manor but limited practical control. 48
• Intended the vacant ministerial posts to intensify competition among the Emperor, Cao Zhengchun, and Zhu Wushi—a strategy compared to “Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors.” 48

Intelligence Network

Pei Ju's control of the Azure Dragon Society gives him reach across both the court and martial world. 15

• Commands the Azure Dragon Society, whose members include Bai Xiaosheng. 15
• Controls the Jianghu Monthly Report through the society. 41 42
• Assigned Zhou Ming personnel and ordered him to investigate the identities of Dragon Guard Manor's Four Great Secret Agents. 16 20
• Made independent arrangements to uncover the secret agents' identities rather than relying solely on Zhou Ming. 48

Relationships

• Zhou Ming — Adopted son. Pei Ju raised him after receiving him from his dying biological father, arranged his ten years at the Quanzhen Sect, and later mentors him in court politics while holding him responsible for his mistakes. 14 16 48
• Yin Zhong — Long-standing friend and guest. Pei Ju respects Yin Zhong's martial arts and introduces Zhou Ming to him as “Second Uncle.” 16 17
• The Emperor — Former tutor and strategic supporter. Pei Ju backs the Emperor's restoration of power while using that support to consolidate trust and influence. 22 42 48
• Zhu Wushi — Political rival. Pei Ju identifies him as the likely force behind Old Scholar Li's death and regards his outward righteousness as a cover for deep ambition. 15 48
• Cao Zhengchun — Political rival. Pei Ju expects Cao's response to the Emperor's power recovery to be direct and retaliatory. 42 48
• Li Xunhuan — Potential threat. Pei Ju secretly aided the court struggle that led to Old Scholar Li's death, but does not want to become the target of Li Xunhuan's revenge for Zhu Wushi's actions. 15
• Bai Xiaosheng — Subordinate through the Azure Dragon Society; Bai served as its Fourth Dragon Head before his death. 15 16

Story Role / Major Arcs

Zhou Ming's Return to the Capital

After Zhou Ming returns from the Plum Blossom Thief affair, Pei Ju reveals his identity as Shi Zhixuan and explains why Zhou Ming's provocation of Li Xunhuan may create trouble for him. He also discloses that he had indirectly aided the circumstances surrounding Old Scholar Li's death. 14 15

Azure Dragon Society Affairs

Pei Ju reveals that the Azure Dragon Society is his jianghu power base and that Bai Xiaosheng's death has created an internal problem. He assigns Zhou Ming to identify Dragon Guard Manor's Four Great Secret Agents, providing him with subordinates for the task. 15 16

Court Power Struggle

Pei Ju explains the balance between imperial and ministerial power, positioning himself as the Emperor's ally while predicting that Cao Zhengchun and Zhu Wushi will resist the redistribution of authority. 22 42

Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors

After the Emperor regains power, Pei Ju uses the political fallout to strengthen his own standing. By offering up the Ministry of Justice and allowing competition over ministerial posts, he seeks to deepen conflict among the Emperor, Cao Zhengchun, and Zhu Wushi. 48

Black Stone Rumors

Black Stone's assassination campaign causes common rumor to identify Pei Ju as its leader because he assumed the vacant ministries afterward. The narrative notes that those familiar with court politics consider this accusation implausible, since Pei Ju already controlled both ministries through his own faction. 49