Book 6: Chapter 14 |
Luoyang Sword House, 2nd Young Master’s camp.
In a shaded corner of the outdoor area, advisor-officials were gathered, smoking and murmuring among themselves.
“So this is the outcome of the meeting that all the elders serving the young master came up with?”
The advisor-official across from him glanced around surreptitiously. Only after confirming that just those from their own faction were smoking the stiff tobacco together did he open his mouth to speak.
“…That’s how it ended up. It’s also true that our Jiangnan faction, led by Elder Son, hasn’t been able to produce results thus far.”
An elderly advisor-official from the south spat on the ground.
“In the first place, it hasn’t been long since the countermeasures against the eldest young master were put in place. And there was no special support for dealing with the second young master before either. But now they’re holding our Jiangnan faction responsible for it?”
A young advisor-official, holding a poorly rolled cigarette, chimed into the conversation while carefully observing the others’ reactions.
“But from the beginning, was the young master’s…no, our lord’s camp divided into the ‘Luoyang faction’ and ‘Jiangnan faction’?”
“From the beginning, my ass.”
“Hell, just a few years ago, something like the Luoyang faction didn’t even exist.”
The young advisor-official’s eyes widened at that.
“It didn’t exist?”
“Where is the honorable mother of our young master, Madam Guyang, from? Isn’t she from the Four Great Clans that control the Four Southern Provinces – Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong?”
“As the daughter of the Four Tyrants Alliance leader, naturally our young master’s power base was originally composed of us southerners.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Well, actually… Back then, it would be more accurate to say it was Madam Guyang’s power base rather than the young master’s.”
“That’s because it was when the young master was still a child.”
The young advisor-official who had been listening asked,
“But then how did the camp end up splitting into two factions like it is now?”
An old advisor-official unfurled his fan.
“As the young master grew up and his brilliance became more evident by the day, captivated by his character and virtue…”
The other advisor-officials waved their hands to stop the old man’s blabbering.
“Stop spouting nonsense and just finish smoking.”
“His abilities, sure, but what rubbish about character and virtue…”
While everyone was giving pointed looks to silence the old advisor-official, another kindly explained to the young one.
“It’s not that complicated. The position of the clan’s junior patriarch remained empty for a long time, and the potential successors grew older. In the end, the Luoyang elders who thought our young master had a high chance of becoming the junior patriarch joined his side. That’s all there is to it.”
That was the story of how the factions naturally came to be.
“…I see.”
The young advisor-official scratched his head and posed a new question.
“Then why did the Luoyang faction that formed later grow strong enough to rival our original faction?”
At this, the advisor-officials who had been patiently answering his questions became annoyed.
“You’re an advisor-official too, so use your brain and think!”
“Where is the clan we’re in located now? Is it in the imperial capital or something?”
The young advisor-official smacked his forehead.
“Ah, Luoyang…!”
“That’s right. Luoyang. The Luoyang Sword House is based in Luoyang, so that’s why the Luoyang faction’s power grew so quickly.”
At that moment, an advisor-official came running from afar, panting heavily.
“Everyone, to the grand meeting hall…!”
***
“Greetings, everyone!”
The old man calling out the loud greeting had an impressive martial bearing befitting someone born into a military family.
The advisor-officials filling the grand meeting hall glanced at each other as they responded to the greeting.
“…Greetings.”
“Haha! You all look so energetic, it’s great to see!”
The old man’s face was flushed red as if he had downed a cup of daytime wine.
“That’s right. I’ll be in your care! As you all know, you can call me Elder Hahu!”
Elder Hahu let out a boisterous, hearty laugh.
Of course, in the current atmosphere, no one was crazy enough to force themselves to laugh along with him.
Not minding that in the slightest, Elder Hahu laughed as much as he wanted to before getting to the main point.
“I’m sure many comrades here find it strange to see this old man standing at the front like this.”
With a grinning face, he surveyed the gathered advisor-officials.
“Right now, everyone here constitutes the full personnel, excluding the essential staff dealing with the third young master. You’re all one family, working and sweating together under our young master. That’s right, one family!”
He nodded to himself, agreeing with his own words, then let out another hearty guffaw.
“Therefore, none of you need to worry about personnel disadvantages based on where you’re from! That’s what I’m saying!”
He shouted at the advisor-officials, his voice resounding through the hall.
“In the first place, I’m telling you this decision itself is not a punitive personnel change! It’s just a reshuffle to implement a countermeasure more suited to the current situation, that’s all!”
He thumped his thick chest.
“Do you doubt the words of this Elder Hahu?!”
A few scattered replies came, but none of them were from the Jiangnan faction.
Any other man would have felt embarrassed to this degree, even with a thick skin, but Elder Hahu paid it no mind whatsoever.
“That’s right! Exactly! You are all excellent advisor-officials and outstanding strategists, so it would be strange if you were swayed by a few words like this.”
He sat down cross-legged on the stage.
“Well, I understand how you Southern comrades feel. Truly, I know well that living as a swordsman-advisor in that damned southern land, you’ve tasted all the world’s bitterness.”
His fiery gaze swept across the hall.
“So, now that you’ve come to Luoyang, does it feel like a land of milk and honey to you? Like it’s a piece of cake?”
How could that possibly be the case?
“No, sir!”
Elder Hahu slowly nodded, his cigar clenched between his teeth.
“That’s right. In the end, the world people live in is the same everywhere. Struggling desperately just to breathe some air through your nose in this hell pit is no different here or there.”
“…”
Having confirmed that everyone’s eyes were sharply focused on him, Elder Hahu flashed a satisfied smile.
“If we lose in the struggle for this great clan’s successor, it’ll mean death for you and me all the same!”
He crushed the cigar in his hand into powder.
“If you don’t want to die, kill them first! Understood?!”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
Their resounding reply echoed through the grand hall, and he laughed heartily.
“Good. Very good.”
Nodding, he unfolded a note he had received before entering the hall.
“Our esteemed eldest young master has begun his first official, joyous outing.”
He shouted to the gathered advisor-officials.
“From now on, none of you will hole up in your rooms, fretting only with your underlings!”
He raised his hand and pointed to the floor.
“Everyone will share the same information here in this grand meeting hall and work together to come up with a response! Is that clear?!”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
“Excellent!”
He clapped loudly once and roused their fighting spirit.
“We have limited time, but nearly unlimited resources and manpower at our disposal!”
What advisor-official in the world wouldn’t welcome this current situation?
Everyone’s eyes blazed with vicious energy and passion.
“Now! First, we’ll predict the eldest young master’s expected route! Then, with the full might of our entire camp, we’ll smash his plans to pieces! Got it?!”
Their answer resounded mightily.
***
The nuns riding in the private palanquin of the Wongak Pavilion couldn’t make a sound. They could only gaze at the passing scenery outside.
That was the same for the nun who had managed to unexpectedly secure the eldest young master’s consent to accompany him.
She was busy wiping away the cold sweat constantly dripping down with the sleeve of her splendid monastic robe.
‘Why? For what reason?’
Those questions dominated the nun’s mind right now.
Why, and for what reason?
‘The Sword House’s eldest young master, for what purpose did he have us nuns of the Emei Sect, who are clearly adversaries, join his procession?’
Moreover, the eldest young master even procured additional palanquins to accommodate their large numbers.
The ebony palanquin they were riding in was a high-class conveyance that couldn’t even compare to the most luxurious palanquin the nuns had brought from the Emei Sect.
So even while dashing through the city streets at high speed like this, it provided an exceedingly superb ride.
Every surface they touched was covered in purple satin, densely padded with soft cotton underneath, making it incomparably plush.
However, in this very moment, this excellent ride felt more like sitting on a bed of nails.
She gazed out the window.
Contrary to the chaotic, unimaginably hectic atmosphere of the Luoyang streets, the eldest young master’s procession was rushing along the city’s main avenues without any impediment whatsoever.
It couldn’t be helped, as Luoyang’s official guards had come out to control all the roads and intersections.
At every alley and crossroads, there was utter pandemonium with halted palanquins, wagons, and throngs of people.
Even in peaceful Sichuan, if the Tang Clan tried to pull something like this, they would be lambasted with curses from all sides.
But for some reason, here in Luoyang, all the people just looked on with fascinated, obedient expressions, simply spectating the procession.
‘Luoyang is a strange place. The Sword House is an even stranger place.’
And above all, there was a separate question bothering her immensely right now.
‘Just where on earth is this procession headed?’