Too Much

Jun Tianxiao was nowhere near as calm as Zhao Yun. In his eyes, there was only one seat of honor left in the Council Hall, and it was clearly meant for Zhao Yun.

What was that supposed to mean?

He wasn't even worthy of a seat, was he?

He was Zhao Yun's lord! What gave these damn soldiers the right to exclude him?

How dare they!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Just as he was about to explode, Zhao Yun reached out and grabbed his arm, barely bringing him back to his senses.

Zhao Yun said respectfully, "My lord, please go sit up there first."

Seeing how Zhao Yun handled things, Jun Tianxiao nodded in satisfaction. He didn't refuse and headed for the seat of honor.

When he was just two steps away, every general in the hall slammed a hand on the table and sprang to their feet.

They all drew their swords and pointed them at Jun Tianxiao, shouting in unison, "Those who seize military command will be killed!"

The sudden reaction sent Zhao Yun hurrying forward to stand in front of Jun Tianxiao.

The unexpected scene and the generals' explosive presence terrified Jun Tianxiao.

When he saw Zhao Yun standing in front of him, he could hold on no longer and sank to the floor.

Just from the sound behind him, Zhao Yun could already imagine how wretched Jun Tianxiao must look.

He frowned, his expression turning cold. "What are you doing? Are you trying to rebel?"

The generals showed no change in expression at Zhao Yun's accusation. In perfect unison, they looked toward Qi Dekai, who had also drawn his long saber.

Holding his saber aloft, Qi Dekai stared motionlessly at Jun Tianxiao. Hearing Zhao Yun's question, he suddenly felt like laughing.

But then the entire Council Hall fell into an eerie silence, leaving him at a loss.

He furtively glanced around and saw that everyone else was looking at him.

Let him say it again: he might look a little rough around the edges, but he wasn't stupid. How could he not know what these brutes were thinking?

His face immediately fell.

Well, well!

None of you are acting like people. You're all going to pick on me, huh?

And you, Old Wang! Don't think he can't tell you're laughing just because you're hiding behind someone else!

The sword in your hand is practically shaking!

While Qi Dekai was busy grumbling to himself, Zhao Yun helped Jun Tianxiao to his feet. Only then did he follow the generals' gaze and look at Qi Dekai.

He had a decent impression of this general. At the very least, there was nothing wrong with his command or discipline.

But this concerned his lord's dignity. No matter what, he needed a reasonable explanation.

"General Qi, shouldn't you explain yourself?"

His tone remained stern, but the murderous edge from before was gone.

Qi Dekai's broad face darkened as he did his best not to look at his fellow officers.

He was afraid that if he lost control for even a moment, he'd charge at them and take them all down with him.

"Reporting to Commander Zhao, the seat of honor in the barracks has always been reserved for the commander or the Duke of Wei."

"Marquis Anle is neither the commander of the Left Wei Guard nor a direct, senior-ranking noble of the Left Wei Guard, so naturally he cannot sit there."

"If he took the seat of honor, it would be a provocation against the Left Wei Guard and the Wei State Duke Mansion."

Watching Qi Dekai put on a straight face as he spouted nonsense, Jun Tianxiao was so furious that his teeth chattered.

The Duke of Wei! The Duke of Wei! The Duke of Wei!

The Duke of Wei again!

The Wei State Duke Mansion had already sold you out, and you were still protecting them!

Fine! Fine! Fine!

So you're all that loyal, are you?

Once Zilong had full control of the Left Wei Guard, every one of you would be dead!

Though he grumbled inwardly, his recent experience kept him from saying anything more.

He simply jotted them all down in his mental little book, waiting for the day he could take revenge on each of them.

What he didn't know was that Zhao Yun, who was supporting him, could see his vicious expression perfectly clearly.

Zhao Yun gave a light cough, trying to remind him not to lose his composure, but it clearly had little effect.

Jun Tianxiao still wore the same expression, as if he were completely lost in his own world and couldn't find his way out.

With no other choice, Zhao Yun continued probing. "I'm now the commander of the Left Wei Guard. Shouldn't I have the authority to let my lord take that seat?"

Qi Dekai gave a disdainful laugh. "Commander Zhao, the lord you recognize isn't the lord of the Left Wei Guard, so naturally he has no right to take that seat."

"If you insist on giving the order, then you can. But how many people will still be left in this Council Hall afterward? That's hard to say."

At this, Qi Dekai seemed to remember something. His tone turned flippant.

"Oh, right. Commander Zhao, here's a word of advice: until the resources His Majesty promised have arrived, your position as commander doesn't really count yet."

"We're calling you commander now out of respect for the Duke of Wei and Her Majesty the Empress. I hope you'll act accordingly."

Zhao Yun felt a little uncomfortable hearing this. According to Qi Dekai, wasn't he saying that Zhao Yun had bought his position as commander with resources?

Jun Tianxiao came back to his senses at last and nudged the troubled Zhao Yun with his elbow.

When Zhao Yun looked over, he shook his head and said solemnly, "Zilong, you sit down first. I'll stand. The bigger picture comes first."

Zhao Yun was stunned. He hadn't expected his proud lord to make such a concession for his sake.

His eyes immediately reddened with emotion. "Yes, thank you, my lord!"

When Zhao Yun looked up again, Jun Tianxiao nodded to him. Zhao Yun didn't hesitate any longer and went straight to take the seat of honor.

The moment he sat down, an aura of dominance that looked down upon the world spread through the hall, making the generals' hearts shudder.

But Jun Tianxiao, still standing where he was, was dumbfounded.

What was that supposed to mean?

Fine, he could sit there, but couldn't anyone bring him a chair?

Was his lord really so unloved?

After watching the generals settle back into their seats, Jun Tianxiao decided to endure it.

A gentleman's revenge could wait ten years.

Only those who endured the bitterest hardships could rise above others.

A moment of disgrace meant nothing. As long as he got control of the Left Wei Guard, it would all be worth it.

By then, the rules of the Left Wei Guard and the influence of the Wei State Duke Mansion would mean nothing to him. They'd be nothing but a fart!

After a round of self-comfort, Jun Tianxiao regained his usual confidence and strode to the side of the seat of honor, looking down at the generals below.

But in the eyes of the other generals, he was just a fox borrowing the tiger's might...

Inside the Imperial Palace, in the Imperial Study.

Ji Ruxue lounged lazily on the bed and asked Hong Yu, "How are things with the Left Wei Guard?"

Hong Yu pulled a stack of papers from somewhere and briefly recounted the information written on them.

"According to our people, after court ended, Marquis Anle went home and changed clothes, then took Zhao Yun with him to the Left Wei Guard Barracks."

Ji Ruxue gave a disdainful laugh at Jun Tianxiao's behavior. "He's certainly in a hurry. I wonder how the Wei State Duke Mansion will react."

When Empress Ji Ruxue mentioned the Duke of Wei, Hong Yu's expression turned a little strange. She managed to keep her voice even as she replied,

"After returning to the Wei State Duke Mansion, the Duke of Wei hasn't come out again."

"Your Majesty, you know that ever since the Imperial Guard personally trained by the Duke of Wei took over the defense, our spies haven't been able to find out anything specific about him."

"However, according to our spy's report, the Duke of Wei's fiancée, Meng Zhirou, also went to the Wei State Duke Mansion today."

"If nothing unexpected happened, the Duke of Wei should be spending time with her and building their relationship right now."

Ji Ruxue's mouth twitched. She truly hadn't expected that while she was here, carefully plotting over the Left Wei Guard and worrying about this and fretting over that,

the Duke of Wei was happily flirting with a woman at his mansion?

Honestly... that was too much!