Chapter 260: An Open Conspiracy (1/2)
Chapter 260: An Open Conspiracy
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
Calm was gradually restored in the small town at the foot of Jilei Mountain.
The large courtyard sitting at the end of that town also returned to tranquility after the commotion.
The backyard was completely destroyed, though front yard remained fairly intact.
Inside the West Hall in the front yard.
Junior Leopard and Wang She were seated leisurely as they chatted in a low voice. Jiang Xiao was waiting outside. He could hear their laughter from time to time and it made his heart itch.
Everything changed too quick for him to grasp. Wang She came here shortly after Junior Leopard badly injured the elder from the Tian Long Taoism but he talked and laughed with Junior Leopard, showing no sign of wanting to punish him.
As much as they found the change strange, they were finally relieved of their worries.
Junior Leopard might have some reputation, strength, and status, but he was no bigger than an act in the face of a huge sect like the Tian Long Taoism. For him to beat up one of their elders meant he held no respect for the sect. Life would become difficult for them all if Junior Leopard truly angered the sect.
But everything seemed to be fine now. Wang She had arrived and was laughing and chatting with Junior Leopard without any regard for the injured elder. It was obvious from their joyful interaction that they were much closer than regular friends. It seemed that it wasn't just hearsay that Junior Leopard brought Wang She back from the prairie. Wang She must be the reason behind Junior Leopard's confidence.
Wang She commanded real power in the Tian Long Taoism as one of its three Chiefs and enjoyed a higher status than elders like Lin Xiaoqing. With his backing, Junior Leopard would definitely be all right and they didn't need to worry at all.
”If that's the case, I'll first excuse myself and tell the Leader exactly what happened. I assure you no one from the Tian Long Taoism will come and bother you. If someone is ignorant enough to come to you, don't give me any face and just beat him to death!”
Inside the West Hall, Wang She had already got up to his feet as he spoke to Junior Leopard with a beaming smile.
Junior Leopard was also smiling. ”I'll be counting on you, Chief.”
”It's just a piece of cake. I'll try and find a way to warn those well-known families for you.” Wang She waved his hand. ”I still have work to do, so I have to leave. You don't have to see me out.”
He waved at Junior Leopard and transformed into a cyan streamer before flying toward the sky.
”Remember to teach those brats a lesson for me!” Junior Leopard shouted at the cyan light. A burst of laughter answered him before gradually fading away.
”Your Excellency, is the problem settled?”
Jing Xiao came up to Junior Leopard after waiting for the cyan light to disappear to finally ask his question.
”Almost!” Junior Leopard said before turning toward Zhu Ba. ”Didn't you say you're joining that World Hero Competition? Go and pack. We'll leave together.”
”You're joining too?”
”How is it possible? I'm going there to watch the show and teach those brats a lesson.” Junior Leopard answered. ”Jiang Xiao, you haven't returned to the Central Plains for a long time. Get someone competent to temporarily take over your duty and go back with us.”
”Thank you very much, Your Excellency!” Jiang Xiao's face beamed with delight at those words.
Only Wang Cheng seemed to be hesitating. ”The competition seems far more complicated than it appears. Is it fine to send Zhu Ba there?”
”Why not?” Junior Leopard appeared unconcerned. ”I won't be getting myself entangled in this troublesome matter. But nothing will happen to you guys if you do.”
”Understood!”
Seeing how Junior Leopard seemed to have a well-thought-out plan, the three said nothing more. They nodded and left.
”Damn it! So unlucky! I didn't go around looking for trouble but trouble found me! Someone actually targeted me! Be careful or I'll beat you brats to death!”
Wang She didn't bring him good news but it wasn't bad either. It helped him figure out the whole thing and explained why he was being inexplicably targeted.
What on earth was going on?
It was a really long story!
The imperial court enjoyed the great national prestige and gradually began to get drunk on their superiority after exterminating Northern Yuan. The emperor was also being complacent. On the surface, the whole Jin seemed brilliant and prosperous at the moment.
However, it was getting turbulent underneath its splendid surface and the struggle over profit among all parties was becoming increasingly intense.
There were three surface influences in Great Jin, namely the imperial court, well-known families, and the three original sects. The Mingyi School supported the imperial court, the Tian Long Taoism teamed up with the well-known families, and the Sect of Flame backed the rebels. Jin was locked in a three-way confrontation, though it was still in a relatively stable state.
After all, it was just like the saying that went 'Where there are people, there is Jianghu; where there is Jianghu, there is fighting!'.
The three influences were also rife with internal struggles with different sides of the family trying to gain profit. Never mind these large families, even ordinary middle-class families would be troubled with internal problems with several sons vying for the family property.
In the imperial court, the royalty and well-known families weren't the only factions vying for profit. There was also the bureaucratic group.
This was similar to the power struggle between the monarchical power and the premier power recorded in the medieval times. While the profit of the Royalty and the well-known families could both be inherited, the profit of the bureaucratic group rarely could.
Besides, there were two bureaucrat systems of the imperial court. One was composed of scions of different well-known families who possessed no real power despite their high status. The other consisted of intellectuals who gained power through the imperial examination and were the ones who actually ran the country. Most scions were good-for-nothings, yielding no real power even though their families had so much influence over their administrative regions that even local officials were afraid of them. It was the court-appointed officials who were in charge of the people.They were given the responsibility of collecting taxes, defining the budget, leading the army, and suppressing bandits. In the whole Jin, from small counties to large states, the real power was always held by local officials. Put it this way, the bureaucratic group could be said to hold the real power.
The more power one had, the more thinking he would do and the less willing he would be to relinquish his power. But the problem was that it was the emperor who entrusted the power. He had the right to take it back whenever he wanted. Thus there laid the conflict.
But things didn't always go according to the theory. Take Chen Yizhi as an example. He had been an official for decades, garnering many disciples and followers who were indebted to him. In the past 20 years, he was responsible for the development of nearly half of the government decrees. It was him who came up with most governance ideas. If someone took over his position, carrying different governance ideas, the decrees would be in a mess and the people might not be convinced.
Therefore, even the emperor was forced to be cautious of Chen Yizhi who had been the premier for decades.
But here was the emperor's chance!