Great Zhou Imperial Palace, Yangxin Hall.
"Has Chen Mo gone out recently?" While handling state affairs, Ji Tianming suddenly thought of Chen Mo.
The old eunuch standing by respectfully replied:
"He has not shown himself for over half a month. According to reports from the spies stationed near his residence, he should have remained inside the whole time and never come out. He is presumably focused on cultivation."
"What diligence. If I had possessed such perseverance back then, perhaps I would not now be trapped in this position, dealing with all these cumbersome state affairs," Ji Tianming sighed.
His gaze was exceptionally complicated.
Whether it was the Martial Path or imperial authority, he had craved both immensely.
One could not have both fish and bear's paw.
In the end, after weighing them against each other, he had chosen imperial authority.
Yet after all these years, he had come to regret it somewhat.
The crushing burden of state affairs, the balancing of factions, power struggles, and all manner of scheming and intrigue... all of it left him deeply exhausted.
In comparison, the Martial Path was far purer.
The strong were strong, and the weak were weak.
There were not so many twists and turns.
As a member of the imperial family, he had never needed to fear a lack of cultivation resources.
Whatever one's aptitude, one received resources matching that level. This had always been the established rule of the Ji Imperial Clan.
It was also because of this that the Ji Clan had remained so exceptionally prosperous.
It gave the great families and powerful factions within the dynasty no chance whatsoever to turn the tables or usurp the throne.
Thinking of this, Ji Tianming's regret deepened further.
If he had been able to focus on the Martial Path, he would