Chapter Twelve: Time to Unleash the Claws—The Celestial Strategy Mansion Shakes the World
Jia Yu Guan, Tian Ce Mansion.
Zhu Jianqiu brought new intelligence to Zhu Jinzhen.
It was news of such magnitude that it could shake all of Shaanxi, even the entire realm.
Generals from Tian Ce Mansion like Li Cheng’en, Cao Xueyang, and Yang Ning all turned pale.
“Oh?”
Zhu Jinzhen’s eyes flickered briefly. He had not anticipated Lu Xiaofeng’s purpose, but he remained unflustered. Though unclear where this slander originated, he trusted the truth would soon be unveiled.
“Impossible!”
“That gang of scoundrels dares to slander the prince so blatantly—it’s a crime beyond forgiveness.”
Cao Xueyang bit her lip, her words coldly forceful through clenched teeth.
For her to utter “a crime beyond forgiveness” showed the depth of her fury.
“If it weren’t for the prince’s heroic defense of the nation all those years ago, how could the Ming have enjoyed these years of peace? How could Shaanxi’s borders now be so prosperous and secure? Those who maliciously defame the prince behind his back deserve to be torn limb from limb,” Yang Ning’s killing intent blazed fiercely. As Tian Ce’s foremost master, his strength had always been top-tier.
Though usually reserved, when his wrath ignited, the entire Tian Ce Mansion seemed to bristle with an ominous storm, an invisible but terrifying pressure.
Li Cheng’en furrowed his brow, worry evident on his face. “They’ve involved all the court’s special intelligence agencies—the Eastern and Western Bureaus, the Jinyiwei, the Six Doors, Hulong Manor, even the Baolong clan charged with the emperor’s safety.”
“Could it be...”
A suspicion crossed everyone’s minds.
If anyone in all Ming could command these mutually antagonistic powers simultaneously, it would likely be none other than Emperor Zhu Houzhao himself.
“Impossible,”
Zhu Jinzhen sensed the glances directed at him and smiled faintly, shaking his head. “He wouldn’t be so foolish. In recent years, he’s been striving to regain military command to restore the supreme authority of Emperor Renxuan and even Emperor Taizong."
“Even if he fears the concentration of military power, he wouldn’t resort to such absurd and ridiculous means.”
“He is Emperor Zhengde, not Yingzong.”
Zhu Jinzhen knew Zhu Houzhao well, fully aware of the emperor’s ambitions and methods. No matter how unwise he might be, something like ‘intentional framing’ would never be used against Zhu Jinzhen.
After all, he was not Yu Qian.
He was a border prince commanding a million troops—a terrestrial sword immortal.
Li Cheng’en bowed, saying, “Your Highness must still remain vigilant.”
“The emperor’s decree to inspect the nine border regions is likely directed at you.”
Had it not been for Lu Xiaofeng’s information, Li Cheng’en would not have linked this with the emperor’s inspection. But now, faced with such a grand conspiracy and the emperor’s impending border tour, it seemed ill-intentioned.
“Hmph, even if it is…”
“Be cautious with your words!”
Just as Cao Xueyang was about to speak, Zhu Jinzhen waved his hand to stop her. “I appreciate your loyalty, but some things are better left unsaid. Though there may be no eavesdroppers, caution is necessary to avoid giving others cause for suspicion.”
Cao Xueyang bowed deeply. “Understood. Xueyang will remember.”
“Let us go. For now, regardless of how that grand drama plays out, we must first resolve today’s recruitment at Tian Ce Mansion before attending to anything else.” Zhu Jinzhen smiled and rose, leading the group outside.
No one noticed the fierce cruelty flashing in his eyes.
Though Zhu Jinzhen claimed this matter was unlikely the emperor’s doing, he did not share with Li Cheng’en and the others that while Zhu Houzhao might not act thus personally, he certainly would not object to riding the wave or even pushing it further.
“Seems that years without battle have made them forget—I am a lord who has slain thousands on the battlefield, whose sword has stained the earth with blood.” Killing intent flashed in Zhu Jinzhen’s eyes. He wondered if their disbelief stemmed from seeing him inactive for so long, assuming he could no longer wield his sword.
...
Although Tian Ce Mansion’s selection was rigorous,
it could not quell the enthusiasm of the Shaanxi populace.
Joining Tian Ce Mansion was not only a matter of loyalty and honor, but it was also the highest path available to the people of Shaanxi, their ladder to advancement.
Outside Tian Ce Mansion,
gazing upon the surging crowds eager to enlist,
many were greatly astonished.
Throughout the world—whether the Ming, the Southern and Northern Song, the Sui, or the fierce Mongol Yuan and Liao empires—none had ever witnessed such fervent military enlistment.
Lu Xiaofeng and Ximen Chuixue, brought before Zhu Jinzhen by the Cangyun army, were also stunned at the scene.
“Xiao Xi, have you noticed?”
“Yes!”
Ximen Chuixue was usually taciturn, but now found himself with much to say.
His gaze swept across the armored Tian Ce warriors as far as the eye could see—every one a formidable master capable of dominating a region in the martial world. Masters of the third realm were everywhere, and masters of the Vajra realm were countless.
He even counted no fewer than a hundred Grandmasters of the Finger Profundity Sect, his own realm.
...
Outside Tian Ce Mansion, amid the bustling crowds,
similar scenes unfolded at various vantage points.
“Is this truly Prince Su’s real power?”
“Pardon my boldness, but I see in one Tian Ce warrior an aura and dignity surpassing even that of my master, a Grandmaster of the Finger Profundity Sect.”
“Terrifying indeed—the terrifying Tian Ce Mansion, the terrifying Prince Su.”
“Yes. Had we not discovered this early, in two years’ time, even the combined forces of the realm might struggle to oppose Prince Su.”
Voices of awe were drowned out by the passionate cheers of the Shaanxi people outside Tian Ce Mansion,
yet those present could not suppress their astonishment.
Since the fall of Qin and Han over a century ago, the realm had been divided and countless states had risen. Yet, nowhere had truly terrifying martial armies appeared.
But Tian Ce Mansion had broken that mold.
It had stormed into the awareness of all the realm’s powers with an overwhelmingly fearsome presence.
Within a modest dwelling,
a middle-aged man with a distinctive mustache and imposing bearing spoke gravely, “Even the elite cavalry led by Champion Marquis Huo Qubing, Wei Wu Emperor’s Tiger and Leopard Riders, and the Eight Hundred Shock Troops were only so formidable, right?”
“Lord Hou, do not forget—the Champion Marquis’s cavalry numbered barely a thousand. The Tiger and Leopard Riders and the Eight Hundred Shock Troops were similar in scale. But these...” A slightly stooped yet dignified man gestured toward the Tian Ce warriors maintaining order outside, their presence intimidating the criminal elements, and slowly shook his head. “These Tian Ce warriors alone number six thousand!”
Champion Marquis Huo Qubing’s thousand-strong cavalry once swept through the northern desert courts, forcing the Xiongnu to lament, “Without my Qilian Mountains, my livestock have no shelter; without my Yanzhi Mountains, my women lose their color.”
Though not every Tian Ce warrior could match the finely trained might of Huo Qubing’s elite cavalry, they were hardly inferior.
What was truly terrifying was that Huo Qubing commanded only a thousand warriors,
while this Tian Ce Mansion—
reported to the Ministry of War—boasted a force of three hundred thousand!