The New Emperor

The crown prince was only thirteen years old back then, while the current emperor has grown to be around sixteen or seventeen years old.

Sixteen years old is not considered young; it's the age when one undergoes the coming-of-age ceremony and is considered an adult. This is also the typical age for men to get married, and people like Zhang Xuezhou are considered older unmarried men.

The new emperor's face still retained a trace of youthful naiveté, but the other's eyes held the gaze of a fully grown adult.

This is related to growing up, to holding great power, and even more so to the death of Emperor Jing.

For him now, building his own leadership team is an urgent matter.

Even the most capable ministers could not guarantee his loyalty, and some senior officials relied on their age and seniority to pressure him based on past rules set by Emperor Jing.

It sounds absurd that a subject oppresses the emperor, but if you replace it with the same old phrases from the older generation to the younger generation, like "I'm doing this for your own good" or "That's how our ancestors have always done it," then it becomes understandable.

No matter what the new emperor wants to do or what he wants to carry out, these people will not try to persuade him from his perspective, but will instead use their own experience to persuade him.

The new emperor is not intolerant of suggestions, but some people are simply too old and out of touch with the times.

Times are changing, but these people still hold onto outdated ideas.

If this group of people is not eliminated, he will become a puppet, and will not understand what he did wrong until the dynasty collapses.

Emperor Jing was right. Emperor Jing lived a very frustrating life during Emperor Jing reign, but Emperor Jing outlived many people.

If Emperor Jing had lived another ten years, Emperor Jing would have outlived almost all the older generation, thus concentrating power in the hands of the court.

But Emperor Jing was absent for ten years, and a new emperor was needed to fill those ten years.

His eyes held the look of an adult, as well as a glint of strength and wisdom.

Seeing Zhang Xuezhou abruptly push open the door, the new emperor didn't mind, but simply gestured for Zhang Xuezhou to sit down.

"Zhang Qian said that you obtained the secret manual of the Crescent Moon Blade?" the new emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, do you still recognize me? You owe me a top-tier manual!" Zhang Xuezhou demanded first.

"When my father passed away, he instructed me to keep a close watch on everyone who had come to Lingnan. If they couldn't be brought into the court, I was to send them to keep him company." The new emperor shook his head and said, "I was once attacked by Zhu Jiuyin's magic, so I don't remember the details of what happened in Lingnan."

"Well?"

"What's your name?" the new emperor asked.

My name is Dongfang Shuo.

"It seems that Zhang Xuezhou, who owed a set of top-tier techniques, is indeed dead. You two just look somewhat alike!"

The new emperor spoke softly.

His eyes were fixed on Zhang Xuezhou, then glanced at Zhang Qian.

This was indeed the meaning when Emperor Jing was still alive.

The minds of emperors are unpredictable. If Emperor Jing wanted to kill some people to eliminate any potential future troubles, it would only take a thought for Emperor Jing.

The new emperor even possessed the secret edict that Emperor Jing had written moments before his death.

Not only Zhang Xuezhou, but also Zhang Qian, Dong Zhongshu, Sima Xiangru, Wei Qing and others were on the list.

When Emperor Jing conceived this idea, Zhang Xuezhou and the others were not in Chang'an City, which saved them from disaster. Wei Qing was a loyal minister whom the emperor was cultivating, so it was obviously impossible to kill him casually.

Emperor Jing died shortly afterward, and these matters could not be carried out in time.

The new emperor's mind was racing with a thousand thoughts.

Emperor Jing's secret order was his Emperor Jing, but the new emperor's will was not entirely the same as that of the previous generation.

He wouldn't necessarily carry out Emperor Jing's secret orders completely. When Zhang Xuezhou changed his tune and mentioned his new name, he nodded approvingly.

He didn't care that Zhang Xuezhou went to the secret vault to retrieve a first-class technique to read, but once the corresponding procedures were completed, Zhang Xuezhou's actions would inevitably fall into the eyes of some old ministers who had entrusted him with the care of the young emperor, and that would be something he would find difficult to stop from taking the next step.

However, he was fortunate that Zhang Xuezhou was perceptive and did not pester him, thus avoiding losing his life.

The other party even brought a martial art technique called the Crescent Moon Saber, which led Zhang Qian to recommend him, thus doing something beneficial for the court.

Tell me about the martial arts in this book on the Crescent Moon Saber!

The new emperor looked at Zhang Xuezhou, then casually flipped through the unfamiliar martial arts manual.

Great Han Dynasty, there were people skilled in wielding curved swords, but they did not use them while riding horses. Therefore, this set of secret manuals is indeed a rare martial art for mounted combat.

In the Xiong State, only military generals of a certain rank could learn this martial art; it was almost impossible for outsiders to obtain it.

The new emperor was extremely curious about how Zhang Xuezhou obtained this secret manual, and whether this method could be promoted.

"It was exchanged. I recited a sutra, and then a man from the Hunyu tribe named Bodengduha presented it to me as a gift," Zhang Xuezhou said. "At the time, I didn't think much of it. When I returned to Yanmen Pass, I asked General Zhang to help me identify it. After reading it through, it indeed didn't seem to have any significance. General Zhang said it could be presented to the imperial court. Perhaps the court would reward me with a Dingshan Stone, or an official position, or maybe a large amount of gold and silver..."

"Etc!"

The new emperor stopped Zhang Xuezhou from continuing with those useless details.

"How dare the Hunyu tribe present this kind of martial art as a gift?" The new emperor asked incredulously, "What law did you preach?"

"I've described a method of incarnation, but it has quite a few drawbacks," Zhang Xuezhou said happily. "What, are you interested in hearing about it?"

"The method of incarnation?"

The new emperor looked at Zhang Xuezhou and thought that this guy was talking nonsense. He probably tricked the children of some important figure in the Hunyu tribe and then got his hands on the Crescent Moon Blade Technique.

He had also heard about Zhang Qian and knew that Zhang Xuezhou had entered Yanmen Pass in disguise, which gave him even more certainty.

He would certainly be very interested if a lord of a Sacred Land were to explain the method of incarnation, but it would be a bit unreliable for someone like Zhang Xuezhou to explain it. Even if the other party were willing to tell him, not many people would have the guts to learn it.

This is truly because Zhang Xuezhou's cultivation level is not high and his reputation is not strong. Even if he produces a complete technique, no one will believe it, lest his blind learning bring unbearable consequences to his cultivation.

If this Crescent Moon Saber Technique hadn't been made of ancient animal hide and bore the seals and stamps of several people, including the chieftain of the Hunyu tribe, the imperial court would never have accepted this unexpected martial art; they would have likely considered it a counterfeit.

No one will waste their time on incomplete or Fake Technique; only truly usable and complete martial arts are worth studying.

The Crescent Moon Saber Manual undoubtedly falls into this category.

Despite the somewhat illegitimate origins and the rather unorthodox uses of these offerings, the new emperor was still willing to accept them, and even felt that the more offerings there were, the better.

Advantages are always built up little by little, not overnight. Only when they have accumulated enough to perfect themselves do they have the power to appease internally and to fight externally.

If there were ten, twenty, or thirty people like Zhang Xuezhou, who could obtain comprehensive information about the Xiong State through various means, Xiong State would inevitably have many flaws, and its invasions of the Han Kingdom would suffer repeated losses.

The imperial court indeed lacked complete and sufficient information. Every year it fought against these nomadic people who came and went like the wind and had no fixed abode. It was difficult to defeat these people and it could only be trapped in a series of defensive battles.

"If you can find more secret manuals of martial arts, Incantation Technique, and sorcery from the Xiong State for the imperial court, or provide some reliable intelligence from the Xiong State, then securing a mountain of stones will be no problem, nor will obtaining an official position, nor will becoming immensely wealthy!"

The new emperor nodded, indicating that Zhang Xuezhou's delusions might not be impossible to realize; as long as Zhang Xuezhou gave enough, the court would obviously give a corresponding reward.

"What can we exchange for this secret text we are now offering?"

Zhang Xuezhou is long past the age of being swayed by empty promises; he now focuses on tangible benefits.

If we don't take the payment now, it'll be like the promised top-tier skill payment—it might disappear at any time.