CHAPTER 1147: CHAPTER 337: THE WEAKENED IMPERIAL COURT (2/5)

[...The court, is very weak]

Gu Yunzhi did not directly answer his granddaughter’s question; he merely stroked his beard calmly and said, "[Dust Li has been plagued with severe internal strife in recent millennia, long neglecting affairs of other regions, hence the Northern Domain is a remote place, unaware of the changes in Shenjing and the south. If I weren’t a general, I wouldn’t know the current situation of the Imperial Dynasty either.]"

"Beyond that, saying more is useless; you only need to know that back in the Late Emperor’s era, there were three major factions in court... led by Grand Preceptor Hong for the civil officials, Governor Yi leading the military officials, and the old Town King faction headed by King Dongyun, Xuan Yueche, and King of Nanchu, Xuan Guangzong."

"Below these three major factions are various families guarding their interests, young generation Town Kings and small powers intertwined... difficult to distinguish."

"The crisis of our Imperial Dynasty lies here. It was under control during the Late Emperor’s reign, but now, with the Young Emperor ascending the throne, no one balances, no one suppresses, and these factions are crushing each other, shaking the foundations of the nation. Even if the Grandmaster and Governor are clear-headed, those below must follow the overwhelming trend, having no choice but to fight and vie."

"Nowadays, the entire court is like a nine-headed monster, fighting itself, mutually harming... Unless the Emperor ascends to Lingxiao, the Imperial Court will never find peace."

"Is it really like this?"

Gu Yeqi furrows his brows: "But I’ve heard from Eldest Senior that around the Old Broken Blade Mountain, civil and military officials have worked together to forge... an Array Plate."

"That doesn’t seem like they are harming each other."

"That’s where the Grandmaster and Governor remain clear-headed."

Gu Yunzhi clearly knew this too, and he lowered his gaze with a cold smile: "[Fortunately, only they and their most core followers are aware. Otherwise, everything would have been as His Highness predicted back then.]"

"But alas, His Highness calculated everything but failed to foresee... the heart of a tyrant is truly the greatest calamity in this world."

Hearing this, Gu Yeqi couldn’t help but be taken aback.

In her impression, her grandfather, Gu Yunzhi, is a ’cold-blooded soldier’ who serves the court, upholding his position without an ounce of regret or hesitation even in the face of sacrificing his whole family. Though it’s a gamble, undoubtedly, Gu Yunzhi is loyal to the court, loyal to the ’Emperor’.

But now... did he openly express his disdain for the ’Late Emperor’ and his tyrannical heart?

However, upon reflection, the inherently wise Gu Yeqi immediately understood — the object of Gu Yunzhi’s allegiance has perhaps always been ’Prince Jing’; his loyalty to the Imperial Court was merely because Prince Jing was faithful to the court.

But Prince Jing is dead...

"What exactly did Prince Jing foresee back then?"

Gu Yeqi asked.

Sometimes, a correct question is more crucial than an accurate answer — posing such a question indicates her profound understanding of the matter.

[It seems An Jing told you... the Heavenly Mandate. Because of him, His Highness’s daughter, you, me, and the Bright Mirror Sect have once again gathered together.]

Gu Yunzhi gazed at his granddaughter with a smile: "[To be exact, His Highness did not foresee anything; he merely wanted to solve a problem that has persisted since the Holy Ancestor’s time.]"

"That is, the Heavenly Mandate of the Imperial Court as the ’Heavenly Ancestor’; other Heavenly Ancestors control their mandates, but the Imperial Court borrows from heaven... with borrowing comes repayment; if Imperial Heaven reclaims it, what will become of the Imperial Court, and what will happen to us—the people who thrive due to the court?"

"Moreover, since it’s borrowed, why can’t others borrow it too? Aristocrats and ministers should not be inherently superior. Human desire is boundless, especially for us, Martial Artists, who might become demandingly insane for the desires of our hearts. The mere Heavenly Ancestor Imperial Court cannot resist the heart of martial artists."

"His Highness wanted to wholly resolve this issue, reshape the Heavenly Mandate, to ensure peace for our Imperial Court’s people. Unfortunately... too many people do not wish for his success."

At this juncture, Gu Yunzhi sighed deeply: "[The Late Emperor, hehe... though reaching the Lingxiao Realm, lacked the Lingxiao heart, suspicion of his brothers, secrets concealed. But if His Highness truly sought to replace, why would he suppress his power for the court grand scheme?]"

Gu Yeqi widened her eyes slightly; she could tell Gu Yunzhi’s words were not meant for her but for her to convey to An Jing!

And although she didn’t fully comprehend the details, she could roughly infer the meaning behind these words!

The ’Heavenly Mandate’ of the Imperial Court is evidently not akin to the ’Heavenly Mandate’ on Eldest Senior; it represents another form of power, the origin and authority of the Heavenly Ancestor status.

The authority of other Heavenly Ancestors is self-held, but Da Chen’s authority is ’borrowed’.

This undoubtedly poses risks; not speaking of borrowing with repayment, if Imperial Heaven reclaims this mandate, the Imperial Court will be stripped of authority. Even if Imperial Heaven never reclaims it, some ambitious individuals aware of this truth may seek to replace—it seems that Civil-Military Group, knowing the truth, has harbored divided intentions!

The Civil-Military Formation Plate creating Dragon Qi is an experiment!

Prince Jing intended to address this latent danger thoroughly and collaborated with the Late Emperor on many endeavors seeking resolution, only to fall short ultimately.

The Late Emperor feared Prince Jing might overshadow him as the revitalizing ruler after resolving the concern, thus planned many countermeasures. However, he accidentally passed away, leaving Prince Jing subject to his countermeasures, falling short similarly!

Indeed, Prince Jing’s strength could have long ascended to the Pure Yang Position, but for the grand scheme, he restrained... it’s even arguable he could not progress due to the grand scheme.

No wonder Gu Yunzhi felt such indignation.

Only Gu Yeqi, now the sole bloodline of the Gu Family, can prompt him to reveal some truths.

"So, now you understand how weak the court is, and how intense the internal conflict is."

After waiting for Gu Yeqi to digest this information, Gu Yunzhi slowly said: "[Why the little emperor issued the Emperor’s mandate directly inviting An Jing and not sending a mission as per procedure, I do not know the specific reasons.]"

"Maybe he intends to break the impasse, or it could be a trap, or maybe all parties wish to win over our ’Nature Master,’ hence permitting an overture... of course, it might also be that the Imperial Court has reached such a level of internal strife that no universally recognized, authoritative envoy can be dispatched, thus inviting him under the Emperor’s name."

"There are too many possibilities, but as far as I am concerned, I do not advise him to go to Shenjing."

"Why?"

"Simply because the Imperial Court is weak."

Gu Yunzhi answered Gu Yeqi’s doubt without the slightest hesitation: "[Therefore, regardless of faction, regardless of power, regardless of which family guards which, nobody knows what actions they will take — there is no strong force left to tell everyone their position and what should be done.]"

"Now, saying Shenjing is a dragon’s lair might be excessive, but calling it a cesspool... heh, well that is quite appropriate."