Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 184 Undercurrent
"I see. Although I have never met Li Zhi, I have read about him in ancient books. He is probably a once-in-a-millennium genius in swordsmanship, a person with a 'natural sword body'!"

Chang Ping'an explained everything he knew: "This talent of 'innate sword body' is not something that ordinary people possess. It is a natural talent for cultivating the sword path. It can communicate with almost all the spiritual swords in the world, regardless of whether they are the spiritual swords he has refined!"
"Such talent is truly rare. I hope Sect Leader Qu will nurture it well, for it will surely amount to something great in the future!"

"sure!"

Upon hearing this, Qu Zhiweng laughed so hard his eyes disappeared, and he couldn't stop laughing.

But soon, his smile faded, and he frowned, lost in thought.

After a few more breaths, he seemed to have made a great decision and tentatively asked, "Fellow Daoist Chang, from what you've said, this 'innate sword body' seems to be extremely rare, and as for the mention of 'spiritual sword' and 'refining,' this 'sword way' is probably referring to the 'sword way' within the immortal path, isn't it?"

“It is indeed the path of immortality.” Although Chang Ping’an did not understand why such a good thing made Qu Zhiweng look worried, he still sincerely explained: “Although ‘born with a sword body’ only means that his physique is extraordinary and he has special talents that ordinary people do not have, it does not mean that his aptitude is excellent. But as long as he has this special talent, even if his aptitude is too poor, he will still be able to cultivate more easily than others.”

"With such exceptional talent, is it possible that..."

As Qu Zhiweng spoke, he gritted his teeth and even held the Taiyue Sword up to his chest, adding, "Would you be willing to become a disciple of the Baishi Immortal Sect? This old man is willing to give you the sect's most precious treasure, the Taiyue Sword!"

As he spoke, Qu Zhiweng, fearing that Chang Ping'an might misunderstand, hurriedly explained, "If what Fellow Daoist Chang says is true, and Zhi'er's physique is so special, I fear that if I leave him in the Taiyue Sword Sect, he will eventually become just another ordinary person and fail to attain the Dao. Wouldn't that be a waste of such talent?"

"Uh……"

Chang Ping'an was somewhat moved by Qu Zhiweng's deep affection for his disciple.

However, before the Immortal Destiny Conference was held, the master had already informed everyone that all the "procedures" for the White Stone Immortal Sect to recruit disciples in the future must go through the Immortal Destiny Conference. It is not allowed to recruit disciples through mutual introductions among disciples, managers, leaders, or even elders. This includes Chang Ping'an and the others. If they want to recruit disciples to inherit their mantle in the future, they must choose from those who have passed the trials of the Immortal Destiny Conference.

Therefore, although Qu Zhiweng's suggestion did indeed tempt Chang Ping'an, he ultimately refused, saying, "From now on, the Bai Shi Immortal Sect will accept disciples based on the Immortal Fate Conference. My master has also explicitly forbidden us from accepting disciples privately. If Fellow Daoist Li Zhi is truly interested, he might as well participate in the next Immortal Fate Conference..."

"However, Sect Leader Qu, there is no need to belittle yourself. Although Taiyue Sword Sect is not as good as Baishi Immortal Sect, it is now the first sect in the world to transform into an immortal sect, which is already better than other sects. How can it be considered a waste of Fellow Daoist Li Zhi's talent?"

Seeing that Chang Ping'an refused him, Qu Zhiweng couldn't tell whether he felt regret or joy. He just breathed a sigh of relief, put away the Taiyue Sword, and echoed, "Fellow Daoist Chang is right. I am truly a teacher and elder, and my concern has made me confused. I hope Fellow Daoist Chang will forgive me."

……

While Chang Ping'an's "international teaching" at the Taiyue Sword Sect was proceeding smoothly and amicably, Murong Ruyan was not idle either.

After Murong Ruyan resolved the matter in Pingding County as quickly as possible, she still failed to take over Weize Pass.

Murong Zhen issued an imperial edict in vermilion ink, ordering General Heshilie to send troops to take turns on duty, which temporarily brought Weize Pass under the jurisdiction of the Shuntian Army camp.

Even Pingding County was barely held by Murong Ruyan—

Murong Zhen did indeed adopt Murong Ruyan's suggestion to distribute the vacant fertile fields in Pingding County as cattle tax land to the Shuntian Army soldiers who were "suppressing the rebellion" this time, but he also forced some soldiers from the Dongping Army who had won a small victory in a small-scale skirmish with the Southern Chu Kingdom a while ago!
While the Shuntian Army might still be grateful that Princess Murong Ruyan of Xing State had secured the cattle tax land for them, the Dongping Army would not care at all who Murong Ruyan was. At most, they might hear a few "legends" and know that she was an "immortal," but establishing a political or military alliance with her was completely out of the question.

Murong Ruyan was extremely unwilling, but there was really nothing she could do.

If she were the daughter of the current emperor of Xiao, then perhaps she would have a chance to compete.

Unfortunately, she and the Emperor of Xiao were siblings, and not even very close. This made it a truly hellish start, as it would be difficult to use any means in a situation where neither the moral high ground nor the political power was in the right.

So, Murong Ruyan played a trick of retreating to advance, and immediately resigned from her fiefdom as "Princess of Xing" under the pretext of "avoiding suspicion"!

"...Your Majesty's virtue is vast and your power extends throughout the land. My sister has been granted the fief of Xing State by imperial grace, and should have worked diligently day and night to repay the Emperor's favor. However, after the recent pacification of the county, my sister has reflected on her own lack of talent and virtue, and has made many oversights in important military and political affairs. She also fears that staying in the fief for too long will only attract criticism and damage the reputation of the court."

"In the past, Your Majesty bestowed upon my sister the fief of Xing, out of familial affection, intending to show compassion to the imperial clan and demonstrate benevolence to the world. However, my sister lacks both the talent for governance and the ability to stabilize the state. If she were to continue holding the position, it would likely lead to neglect of the fief's administration and alienation of the military and civilians. Moreover, the soldiers of Shuntian and Dongping have now been allocated cattle, tools, and tax land, a great favor from Your Majesty. If my sister were to continue holding the title of Princess of Xing, it would only cause the soldiers to suspect a power struggle, further disrupting the court and the country. "To demonstrate my sister's sincerity and to uphold Your Majesty's wisdom in employing people, I now humbly request to resign from the fief of Princess of Xing and retire to a life of leisure. I hope Your Majesty will allow my sister to live as a commoner in quiet contemplation within Baishi Mountain, and I will not dare to interfere in court affairs in the name of the imperial clan. If the nation ever summons me in the future, I will certainly do my utmost to repay Your Majesty's kindness today."

"Your humble sister, Murong Ruyan, weeps blood and bows again, respectfully submitting this report..."

If the reason for resigning was simply because of the Pingding County and Weize Pass incident, then this memorial, or rather, the "letter of resignation," put Murong Zhen in a very difficult position, accusing him of being a ruler who lacked tolerance and even suspected a princess.

However, this "letter of resignation" was delivered to the emperor's desk at just the right moment.

At that time, the Empress Dowager threatened Murong Zhen by claiming to be ill and not allowing him to visit or care for him. Because of Murong Zhen's pacification of the county, she used irrefutable evidence to imprison the young imperial uncle Baishan Saili on the pretext that he was suspected of treason.

Even the eldest brother-in-law of the emperor had to feign illness to avoid suspicion because of this matter. For a time, the Empress Dowager of Baishan had no reliable confidants in the court and became deaf and blind to all political affairs.

However, those testimonies only stated that the ill-gotten gains seized by Pingding County were handed over to Baishan Saili, without explicitly stating that they were acting on Baishan Saili's orders to rebel.

Moreover, Murong Zhen and Empress Dowager Baishan are mother and son, so it would be inappropriate to actually kill the two imperial uncles. By making a big show of things now, and then pretending to be under pressure to pardon Baishan Saili, it is also to force the two imperial uncles to resign and relinquish the power in their hands.

Empress Dowager Baishan's move put Murong Zhen in a difficult position.

Although the State of Xiao was founded by the Mohe people, and many of its rules were not as extreme as those of the State of Southern Chu, in order to facilitate governance, successive rulers of Xiao still vigorously promoted the theory of the relationship between ruler and father and subject based on filial piety.

The Empress Dowager of Baishan's actions were practically forcing Murong Zhen to admit his mistake!
But can the emperor of a country, the Son of Heaven, admit his mistakes?

Of course not!

Thus, Murong Ruyan's "letter of resignation" came at just the right time!
On the surface, this "letter of resignation" is accusing the emperor of being too suspicious, even doubting his own sister who has devoted herself to the country. His sister helped him quell the rebellion, but instead of rewarding her, the emperor even tries to subtly deprive her of her power! Does the emperor look like himself?

But in reality, this can also be interpreted as a slap in the face to Empress Dowager Baishan.

Empress Dowager, look at this! Because of your two unfortunate brothers, I, your son, have been branded as an intolerant ruler! I've even been denounced by censors as unfit to be a monarch, all because I delayed in convicting them of the rebellion in Pingding County! All this is for you, Empress Dowager, who only cares about your own selfish interests!
So, while cursing Murong Ruyan under his breath as a little fox, Murong Zhen acted like an old fox, instructing everyone to spread the word about this "letter of resignation" as much as possible.

Then, after holding out for several days, Murong Zhen first agreed to Murong Ruyan's request to resign as princess of Xing, and then changed her fiefdom to Liaoxi and raised her title to the Grand Princess of Zhenguo, also known as Princess of Liao.

Generally speaking, the title of "Grand Princess" was an honor reserved for the emperor's aunts, and it was rare for the emperor's sisters to receive this title, as it represented seniority more than anything else.

Only in the Southern Chu Kingdom, after the proliferation of noble titles, was there a precedent of bestowing the title of "Grand Princess" upon the emperor's sisters, but even then, there were only two such instances.

Most importantly, this time Murong Ruyan not only received the title of "Grand Princess," but also the title of "Guardian of the Nation." Throughout history, there has only been one such case in the former Zhou Dynasty—that emperor was granted this title after the death of the previous emperor and the ascension of the new emperor, for his meritorious service in supporting the new emperor. Both his merits and political power far surpass those of Murong Ruyan.

However, while they received the highest honors in terms of titles and honors, their treatment in other aspects was somewhat lacking.

For example, the Liaoxi region is a desolate and uninhabited place. Although it was once the place where the Mohe people started their lives, it is terribly desolate.

Moreover, Murong Zhen very stingily designated only a small area, roughly the size of the former Xing Kingdom, as Murong Ruyan's fiefdom—still one without any political power.

However, perhaps sensing Murong Ruyan's ambition, the position that Murong Zhen designated was very special.

The Liaoxi region is located next to the Bohai Kingdom, separated from it by mountains.

The mountain that is separated from it is called "Baishan", which is also the ancestral home of the Baishan clan, the maternal family of Empress Dowager Baishan!
(End of this chapter)