Jun Tianxiao looked at Mo Yunxuan, who seemed completely unbothered. He wished he could run the bastard through with a sword, but remembering the real purpose of his visit today, he gritted his teeth and said, "It's fine!"
Mo Yunxuan lowered his arm and glanced at Jun Tianxiao. His eyes were bloodshot, and his whole body was trembling. Mo Yunxuan chuckled softly.
"Today, I must thank Marquis Anle. You've helped me understand what it means to be the Duke of Wei, and what it means to follow the rules."
Jun Tianxiao didn't understand what Mo Yunxuan meant or what he was scheming. He assumed Mo Yunxuan was just being deliberately cryptic, so he snorted and turned his head away.
The officials and ministers around them, however, suddenly grew serious.
The Empress, who had been lounging lazily on the Dragon Throne, was no longer so composed. She sat up straight.
She didn't know whether Mo Yunxuan had spoken unintentionally or on purpose.
If it was unintentional, that was fine. But if he had meant it, then things would be very bad.
Though the Wei State Duke Mansion was loyal only to Great Gan and would not obey all her commands, it was still among Great Gan's most loyal noble families. And the two hundred thousand elite soldiers of the Imperial City Imperial Guard were peerless across the world.
They could almost be called the Imperial Dynasty's last line of defense beyond the Imperial Family itself.
It was no exaggeration to say that, given the Imperial City Imperial Guard's current strength, even if Mo Yunxuan, the New Duke of Wei, hadn't yet come into his own, the Guard could still defeat—or even wipe out—three to five legions of equal strength without breaking a sweat.
Yet now, a few words from Jun Tianxiao had made that last line of defense seem fragile.
Ji Ruxue glared at the still-baffled Jun Tianxiao and thought, You're useless at getting things done, but a damn expert at ruining them!
Jun Tianxiao noticed Ji Ruxue glaring at him. He thought she was urging him to hurry up and take action.
So he gave an almost imperceptible nod, straightened his court robes, stepped out of the ranks, and declared righteously, "Your Majesty, let us set aside for now the matter of the Duke of Wei killing Fang Liang, the Commander of Left Wei Guard."
"As the saying goes, the country cannot go a single day without a ruler. The post of Commander of Left Wei Guard is currently vacant, and that leaves room for trouble."
"Your servant recently discovered a fine general. His surname is Zhao, his given name Yun, and his courtesy name Zilong. He's only twenty years old. Though he's merely at Peak Nascent Soul, he can fight a Peak Spirit Transmutation expert to a standstill."
"Since the Duke of Wei has no one to succeed the Commander of Left Wei Guard, why not let this man give it a try?"
After speaking, he raised his brows at Ji Ruxue with confidence, as if to say, Your Majesty, I did well, didn't I?
Ji Ruxue had a headache. She truly couldn't understand why Jun Tianxiao was so determined to make trouble.
Could he not read the room at all?
He'd just thoroughly offended the man, and now he was recommending a general for that man's own stronghold.
Did he want that Zhao Yun of his to die even faster, or what?
Or did he think that being able to match a Peak Spirit Transmutation expert made someone invincible?
But Jun Tianxiao had already stepped forward. She couldn't pretend not to have noticed. What a headache!
"What does the Duke of Wei think of this matter?" Ji Ruxue asked in a low voice, her eyes full of helplessness.
Mo Yunxuan wasn't surprised that the two had finally brought this up.
After all, if they missed their chance today, they would have to wait another half month for the next Imperial Court session.
By then, even without the system, he could find a suitable successor to the Commander of Left Wei Guard.
Their plans would be completely ruined, so there was no way they would let this opportunity pass.
Mo Yunxuan had that much confidence. But if he wanted to claim this prize without a worry, it wasn't going to come without a price!
What he hadn't realized was that Ji Ruxue had already decided to give up on scheming for the post of Commander of Left Wei Guard.
Everything happening now was just Jun Tianxiao acting on his own.
Unaware of the truth, he wore a smile as warm and rustic as a farmer's and cupped his hands.
"Your Majesty, ever since Great Gan's revival, Left Wei Guard has always been under the control of the Wei State Duke Mansion."
"If Marquis Anle's people are allowed to interfere, would that not be somewhat against the rules?"
Hearing Mo Yunxuan's words, Ji Ruxue nodded and was about to follow his lead and end the discussion.
But before she could speak, Jun Tianxiao's voice rang out.
"Though Left Wei Guard has always been part of the Imperial City Imperial Guard, ultimately, they are still Your Majesty's soldiers."
"Your Majesty wants to appoint someone to take charge of Left Wei Guard, yet the Duke of Wei has spoken up to stop her."
"What? From the Duke of Wei's words, it sounds like he considers them his private army!"
Ji Ruxue clenched her fist inside her sleeve. Her desire to beat someone to death grew stronger, but she turned her gaze to Mo Yunxuan.
She and the assembled ministers all knew that the resources provided by the Imperial Court could only raise an army to the level of one of Great Gan's third-rate forces.
If a general wanted to make his soldiers stronger, he had to invest more resources.
Some generals chose to cut down the number of soldiers and focus their resources on training a select few.
No one was willing to choose this method unless they had no other choice. After all, every extra soldier meant another measure of confidence, and another sliver of power.
Others used their family's resources to build up their armies. In that case, only a small portion of the soldiers' pay came from the Imperial Court.
Most came from their direct commander. And with the army's tradition of recognizing its general, not the emperor, over time, those soldiers nominally belonged to Great Gan but in practice became the general's private army.
Of course, the generals who led troops could never act in unison. Though the Great Gan Imperial Family had no need to worry about losing this bit of power, it still used it to keep each general in check.
Besides, the Great Gan Imperial Family had generals of its own. There was no need to fear the existence of private armies.
On the contrary, private armies encouraged many families to invest their resources in military development.
Great Gan gained powerful armies, while the Noble Family generals gained the influence they wanted. It was an exchange both sides were happy with.
So it had become an unspoken rule of a different kind. Many others followed the same practice as the Wei State Duke Mansion, but it was never something they could bring into the open.
How will he get himself out of this predicament? Ji Ruxue wondered with interest.
Mo Yunxuan glanced at Jun Tianxiao with disdain, then met Ji Ruxue's gaze and said calmly, "That's not the case. Left Wei Guard is part of the Imperial City Imperial Guard, and the Imperial City Imperial Guard's loyalty to Your Majesty is beyond question."
At those words, both Ji Ruxue and the assembled court officials nodded in unison.
Whatever Mo Yunxuan's conduct might say about a change in his loyalties, the Wei State Duke Mansion had been faithful to Great Gan ever since the Imperial City Imperial Guard was established. Otherwise, they would never have been entrusted with guarding the Imperial City.
Mo Yunxuan ignored their reactions. His voice gradually grew more heartfelt.
"It's just that, under the leadership of the Wei State Duke Mansion, Left Wei Guard's soldiers have weathered countless storms."
"They've long since become my closest friends, my brothers in arms!"
As he spoke, Mo Yunxuan turned his head and closed his eyes as though in pain.
In truth, he was wondering whether he should say, "You'll have to pay extra," and see how the Empress reacted.
Jun Tianxiao frowned at Mo Yunxuan's seemingly genuine expression and cut in coldly, "When all's said and done, aren't you still defying Her Majesty's command?"
Seeing Jun Tianxiao repeatedly throw her name around to bluster, Ji Ruxue knitted her brows.
She had been hoping to use this opportunity to give up the post of Commander of Left Wei Guard and bring the Duke of Wei back into alignment with the Imperial Court.
But Jun Tianxiao had cut her off before she could speak. She immediately wanted to tell him to shut up.
At the same time, Jun Tianxiao's interruption instantly killed the mood Mo Yunxuan had been carefully building.
He abruptly opened his eyes, fixed them on Ji Ruxue, and said with solemn sincerity, "Though I consider them my closest friends, my brothers in arms, if Your Majesty gives the order, I naturally would not dare hold them back."
"It's just that the Wei State Duke Mansion has invested a great deal of resources in Left Wei Guard. If Your Majesty were to forcibly take them back just like that..."
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