The Martial World and the Court, Sword That Protects the Nation

[Your expression was calm, and you showed no reaction.]

[Great Qing had indeed huddled in one corner. The previous emperor, Emperor Huizong of Qing, loved Daoism and yearned for the art of immortality. He attempted to govern through nonaction, to rule the world with his hands hanging idle, and for fourteen years he never attended court.]

[As a result, government affairs fell into neglect, treacherous ministers held sway, and the people lived in water deep and fire hot.]

[Uprisings never ceased, and when chaos reigned under heaven, North Wind seized the chance to march south.]

[Emperor Huizong panicked. His ministers beneath him rebelled and claimed credit, and North Wind abducted Emperor Huizong back to Liaodong, where he became a prisoner beneath the steps.]

[Back then, you led the great army, and were only one step away from striking straight at Huanglong.]

[However, within the capital, twelve imperial edicts came at full gallop, every word cold enough to pierce the bone, with only the word "retreat" hanging high above.]

[You had no choice but to withdraw!]

[Countless soldiers of the Lu Family Army were filled with grief and indignation, yet they could do nothing.]

[The North Wind diplomatic mission headed south and proposed a marriage alliance, wishing for the two houses to become allies and compose together the harmony of Chu and Jin.]

[North Wind promised to return the treasures plundered from the capital back then and send Emperor Huizong back to court, while the eldest princess of North Wind would also marry Great Qing's second prince.]

[That same year, North Wind sent a great army to escort Emperor Huizong of Qing south, and he innocently died of illness along the way.]

[Only the following year did this news spread under heaven. Great Qing did not investigate. Instead, when the second prince married the northern eldest princess, a general amnesty was proclaimed throughout the realm.]

[Back when Lu Chen marched north and struck straight at Huanglong Prefecture, the eighth prince kneeling for three days to request an edict to send the army to war had indeed shaken the capital.]

[Three days and three nights were more than enough to show his sincerity.]

[Even your father had praised him highly.]

[Though you stood outside the matter and did not know the details within, after that, the eighth prince, Prince Jing, transformed from an ordinary prince into an existence of illustrious prestige in court.]

[This act won the hearts of the war faction, and Zhou Cheng also gained a firm foothold in court.]

[As for that line, "A kingly enterprise does not settle for one corner!"]

[How much true intent lay in it—who could know?]

[At this moment, Zhou Cheng gave this map to you.]

[He looked at you expectantly, his eyes full of sincerity.]

[Lu Yu did not mind either way. He had always trusted your decisions.]

[Liu Jinchan's heart tightened. He knew well the deep meaning behind this map.]

[In the present court, the war faction and the peace-talks faction were locked in endless conflict.]

[The peace-talks faction, headed by the second prince, had the full support of the southern clans and possessed overwhelming momentum. Several years ago, the war faction had nearly been wiped out, and all six ministries in court had fallen under the peace-talks faction's control. Fortunately, the Lu Family Army had marched north and recovered lost territory, allowing them to beat the drums and raise the banners once more.]

[However, as Lu Chen retired into seclusion, the world gradually entered peace, and the trend toward rest and recuperation became ever clearer. The peace-talks faction once again gained the upper hand.]

[In four years, the Lu Family Army no longer existed. It had been reorganized into the Northern Defense Army, and the twenty-six generals once under the Lu family banner had also been assigned to the four directions.]

[They had thought Lu Chen's reputation had already faded with the years. Who could have expected that at the New Year prayers, nearly three hundred thousand people from the north would gather at Mount Zhongnan, arriving in an endless stream all along the road.]

[There were many in the north who built temples for Lu Chen and his son, and portraits of the Young Guardian were often hung in homes.]

[For a time, memorials in court accused Lu Chen one after another, saying the people only honored the Young Guardian and did not remember the vast grace of the emperor.]

[This act triggered a fierce debate in the court, but in the end, it came to nothing.]

[In these four years, controversy over Lu Chen had never ceased. If he supported the eighth prince, it would surely shake the capital and draw the eyes of the world.]

[And so, you stood at the crossroads of choice,

[You decided...]

1. Accept this map. Perhaps you would step into the whirlpool of that court, where waves were treacherous and clouds strange, and nothing could be predicted.

2. Refuse this map. You might miss an opportunity.

3. Personally involve yourself and explore the unknown. (1/3)

Yu Ke faced these three choices and weighed them in his heart.

Accepting this map meant he might sink deep into factional struggles.

Yu Ke had originally planned to spend these ten years cultivating the Dao in quiet focus, waiting for the moment spiritual energy recovered, seizing that fleeting opportunity.

He knew well that he could not waste time on this matter.

Yu Ke recalled the last time he had personally participated, that vivid, tangible feeling, and his feelings toward Lu Yu and his father had become different.

If he became embroiled in factional politics, it would undoubtedly be staking the fate of the entire Lu family and the Lu Family Army as a wager. This was something he did not wish to see.

Therefore!

Yu Ke chose 2. Refuse this map. You might miss an opportunity.

[You refused Zhou Cheng.]

[Zhou Cheng sighed softly, but in the next moment, calm returned to his face.]

[Chen Ji's expression was gloomy. He was dissatisfied in his heart. That Lu Chen had long since lost his official post, and now he was nothing more than a mere Daoist on Mount Zhongnan, yet because of a few victorious battles, he thought so highly of himself and forgot his own origins.]

[The ruler was the guide of the minister, and the minister the support of the ruler. This was a principle unchanged since ancient times.]

[When the ruler wanted the minister dead, the minister had no choice but to obey. This was the rule of a thousand ages.]

[His master was of heavenly imperial blood, one who might one day take command of the divine vessel.]

[The nobles Chen Ji had seen were like crucian carp crossing the river, too many to count, but in the end, they were nothing more than watchdogs outside his master's residence.]

[These thoughts of Chen Ji's could only be buried deep in his heart, and he did not dare reveal the slightest trace.]

[Zhou Cheng, however, broke into a smile. He had long since expected this situation.]

[He gently rolled up the map scroll and placed it on the table without hurry.]

[Liu Jinchan had originally wanted to step forward and smooth things over, but Zhou Cheng stopped him with a smile.]

[Zhou Cheng's laughter rang clear, carrying quite a bit of free and easy spirit.]

["Young Guardian, this is the first time you and I have met today. In truth, over these ten years, your figure has already lingered countless times in my mind. In dreams, I have long since shared wine and laughter with you. It would not be improper for me to call you Shenzhou, would it?"]

[These words made Lu Yu frown. The name Shenzhou was something only his father in the Lu Family Army dared to use.]

[You bowed slightly and returned the courtesy respectfully. "Your Highness, how would this commoner dare stand shoulder to shoulder with Your Highness and be addressed by name?"]

[Zhou Cheng waved his hand, signaling that there was no need for excessive courtesy.]

["Shenzhou, in the first half of my life, I studied the Dao to cultivate myself, and also dipped into military books and strategies. But worldly affairs are like chess, and I still feel I have accomplished nothing, merely drifted along in mediocrity."]

[Zhou Cheng sighed and spoke each word clearly.]

["Shenzhou, don't dislike me for rambling."]

["Back then, when Emperor Huizong fled for his life in panic, North Wind's three hundred thousand troops crossed the Yellow River. The front lines lost again and again, yet fought again and again, and in court they quarreled until everything was in utter disarray—surrender, or fight!"]

["I was thinking then, if North Wind fought all the way to the Jiangnan of today, what should I do?"]

["Flee? Flee where? Or bow my head and declare myself a subject!"]

["In every dynasty and every age, beneath iron hooves and blades and spears, there is no such thing as the backbone of scholar clans. Generations polishing surrender memorials—that is the true face of that band of literati."]

["For them, it would be no more than changing masters!"]

["If Great Qing fell, where would those countless people of Great Qing go? Would they truly be reduced to fish and meat left for anyone to butcher, or livestock driven at another's will?"]

["It seemed no one cared, but I, Zhou Cheng, cared."]

[Zhou Cheng said in a deep voice, "The rise and fall of a nation is not the fault of the people."]

["At home, I often hung a sharp sword in my room. I would think, if that time truly came, if North Wind cavalry broke through the city gates, if the court ministers crossed south in their robes and caps, kneeling to cling to life in humiliation, only I, Zhou Yuanjian, would remove my crown, take up my sword, and ride north alone."]

["That too would be a joy!"]

[Zhou Cheng's courtesy name was Yuanjian.]

[Zhou Cheng's face could not help gaining a hint of a smile.]

["A young man's thought. Thinking of it now, it is especially laughable."]

["But that year, Young Guardian, you appeared out of nowhere, and with a mere sixty thousand troops, repelled an army of eight hundred thousand and changed the momentum of the world."]

["From then on, I no longer hung a sword in my home."]

["Because I knew Great Qing had gained a true sword that protects the nation."]