Chapter 1373: Whose Heart Demon (Part 2)

There was a small airship port to the north of the Imperial Capital, reserved for the inhabitants of the region.

Lord Riverglance’s airship landed there at noon.

As the number one character among the noble lords, he could bring a total of one thousand and nine hundred fully-armed soldiers into the Imperial Capital, even more than the heavenly monarchs. However, his entourage was only half-full at the moment. It was clear that the passage of time had instilled some humility in this once arrogant and reckless lord.

The couple hundred men was already a strain on this small landing pad. The warships had to take turns to unload their crew, and the soldiers were lined up in a tight formation on the grounds.

No one noticed when a certain member of the welcoming party boarded the flagship and never came down.

Dressed in full ceremonial attire, Lord Riverglance came down the ramp after the troops and officers were in position. He then boarded a long military vehicle and the motorcade set out immediately.

The airships took off one after another. They couldn’t remain in the capital, so they had applied for campgrounds outside of the city where the remaining half of Lord Riverlgance’s guards would be garrisoned.

By the time all of the airships had reached a certain height, they turned toward the west in unison. Only the flagship kept ascending until it was in the void before going into an orbital trajectory.

In the main cabin of the flagship, the Radiant Emperor and Lord Riverglance were seated across one another. In addition to the tea equipment, there were various documents and books on the table between them. From the looks of it, some of them were from the Radiant Emperor, while the rest were brought in by Lord Riverglance.

Lord Riverglance picked up a memorial which, from the envelope, appeared to be from the cabinet. He scanned through the contents impatiently, then tossed it back onto the table.

The Radiant Emperor looked rather leisurely. His eyes were fixed on the green tea in his thin porcelain cup, fully enjoying the tea-tasting process.

Lord Riverglance said, “Have you dealt with the Longevity Monarch’s family?”

The Radiant Emperor said, “Everyone at the grandson generation and below have been struck from the familial records. They were allowed to pick a new surname, and their fiefdoms have been exchanged with ones outside of the Imperial family’s domain. I’m guessing the move will take about a year or so.”

Although the Longevity Monarch had almost caused the collapse of the Empire, Lord Riverglance couldn’t help but feel sorry about all his descendants being expelled from the family.

Lord Riverglance’s eyes fell upon that memorial. “The military is now a mish-mash where everyone can come in and interfere. It was definitely troublesome when the Longevity Monarch was in power, but at least there was some semblance of order. Your move of pulling the military under the cabinet might bring more harm than benefit.”

The Radiant Emperor said, “Even the Founding Ancestor and the Martial Emperor never turned the military into a dictatorship. In the Empire, the major clans rule themselves while the generals oversee the battlefield. The military department is the only overlapping area that coordinates between them and allocates balanced resources. Since its founding, the department has always been a place of arguments and contests.

“At least on the surface, the heavenly monarchs appear to be staying away from politics. Few civil officers were ever able to suppress the military generals. Now that the Longevity Monarch has passed and the court appointments have been adjusted, the original alliances have been broken up, and new ones have not yet formed. The big mountains have become little mountains, it’s normal for things to be a bit messy.”

Lord Riverglance frowned. The military department was where the Imperial family, the major clans, the aristocracy, and the army wrestled for power. Even Lin Xitang—as a marshal and the leader of the civil ministers—only possessed a certain degree of power there.

After the Longevity Monarch’s fall, the military was downgraded and incorporated into the cabinet. Things might still be in control if Marshal Lin were in the Imperial Steward position, but now, that post was empty and the newly appointed Minister of the Right needed time to stabilize his footing in the political field.

Such a massive entity was akin to a machine with thousands of intricate parts. A couple of damaged components could be quickly repaired, but removing the rebellious Longevity Monarch was like pulling out the main axle. It wasn’t quite enough to destroy the entire system, but it would take a good deal of repair and remodeling. How could it be that easy?

Lord Riverglance picked up his cup of tea and had a sip, feeling angry about the utter mess. He remembered a certain person at this point, the man who had come to his territory to announce the summons.

“How about Fang Qingkong? I remember he used to be the inspector emissary of the right. He might be lacking in experience, but it’s not impossible to promote him to the head minister of the cabinet.”

“Fang Qingkong used to handle intelligence reports for Marshal Lin, and he’s still performing the same duties now.” With that, the Radiant Emperor said with a smile, “He has already asked for permission to return to the Northern Legion.”

Lord Riverglance was surprised. “Is there any problem there?”

The Radiant Emperor said, “The legion itself is fine, but Fang Qingkong wants to return to his original rank and name, Lin Wu.”

The Northern Legion was, at present, categorized as a duke’s private army, but it had remained on the Western Continent to fend off the beast army’s invasion. The Lin family never had a suitable candidate, so the procedure was never completed. It would be too much for the Lin family’s early champion-rank experts to lead an elite corps.

Lord Riverglance knew more about Fang Qingkong’s origins than outsiders. This man was born in the military’s assassination camp, a suicidal soldier without family background who had made his way from the dark to the light. Of course, this part of his history would have to be modified a bit if he were to join the civil ministers.

Considering Fang Qingkong’s cultivation as a divine champion, even the position of corps commander would be too low for him. He should be a deputy marshal at the very least. However, Lin Xitang’s warzone on the Western Continent had been placed under the Zhao clan’s marshal. It wouldn’t be a good thing to place them together.

Lord Riverglance was still thinking about this when the Radiant Emperor said, “I’ve already given him permission. The intelligence division will be in your hands from now on.”

The lord’s expression went dark as this wasn’t a good job. Strategic intelligence reports were vital to the Empire’s operation, a grave responsibility.

Then again, Lord Riverglance knew why the Emperor would give him this department. The Imperial Family’s divination department served to assist in war preparations, and their findings would have to be matched against strategic intelligence reports. Now that the Empress was in charge of the divination department and Lord Riverglance was to act as regent, it was vital to control all sources of information.

The lord hadn’t expected the Radiant Emperor to be so thorough.

Lord Riverglance couldn’t help but jab at the Emperor. “I would’ve brought more men if I knew you were so generous.”

The Emperor was nonchalant about it. “Ah, Uncle, it would be best if you transfer your entire Historical Manor over here.” In order to show that he wasn’t being sarcastic, he added, “We really are short on people.”

Lord Riverglance pointed at the memorial, saying, “Since the intelligence is in Fang Qingkong’s hands, what’s up with these rumors about Lin Xitang? It has even reached my place.”

The Radiant Emperor said indifferently, “Oh that. It came from the rebel province of Serene South and reached the Imperial Capital within days. As for the bridge, one of them is the Victory Palace.”

Lord Riverglance’s expression darkened. “The Zhao clan again?! Are you done yet?”

The Radiant Emperor pointed at a pile of documents on the table. “Get used to court affairs as quickly as you can, I want to visit the Western Continent for a bit.”

The lord had already listened to Fang Qingkong’s reports about the heavenly monarch meeting and major developments in the Empire. He had already read through some of the documents in the big pile, but he couldn’t help but look a bit pained.

Lord Riverglance suddenly thought of something, “How about the heir position?”

The Radiant Emperor said calmly, “There’s no need for one as long as I’m still alive.”

The Emperor was already a heavenly monarch. As long as he didn’t fall and as long as he was willing, he could pick someone from the grandson generation as heir. But who could say for sure that they would return from the battlefield? It wasn’t as though the Emperor didn’t understand this logic. He had made all the necessary arrangements, so why did he forget this one?”

Lord Riverglance looked serious as he stood up and looked intently at the Emperor. “The crown-prince position is the foundation of the Empire.”

The Radiant Emperor said, “No, Uncle, the heir position really isn’t important.”

Lord Riverglance pondered on these words, his expression turning solemn as he did so. “What did the heavenly monarchs say?”

The Emperor smiled. “The Imperial family doesn’t interfere with the internal affairs of the aristocracy, and the reverse holds true. What opinion can they have?”

“But our two heavenly monarchs...” Lord Riverglance suddenly went quiet, frowning.

The Radiant Emperor said, “Is there a difference today between the Imperial clan and the aristocracy? The Greensun and Vastnorth Zhang families are both surnamed Zhang. The Imperial family and clan are both surnamed Ji. That’s all.”

Lord Riverglance didn’t have a good reply. The clans and aristocratic families had seen some division throughout the years, only the Ji surname did not.

The Ji family’s mode of inheritance was actually no different from the other families, a deep network of marital connections and alliance agreements forming its core. The relationship between the Emperor’s branch and the rest of the Imperial clan might not be any better than that of the aristocracy and their branch families.

There were thirty-six branches in the Ji family, fifteen of which had changed their ancestry. After driving out the Longevity Monarch’s descendants from the Ji family, the only branch left that hadn’t lost their inheritance was the Solemn Emperor’s.

Lord Riverglance was quite aware of his own familial issues as well. His great-grandmother was a member of the Imperial clan and had too many traces of aristocracy on her. In his earlier years, he was a representative character among Lin Xitang’s political enemies—just as Zhang Boqian had become the de-facto leader of the major clans.

The difference between them, however, was that Riverglance did not possess the latter’s special status, nor his unrestrained boldness. Hence, he could only seek permission to be assigned to a border region.

After a moment of silence, Lord Riverglance said, “I remember five princes went to war on the void continent. One was killed, two were crippled, and two injured. In the end, there was an additional princess on the casualty list.”

The Radiant Emperor drank his tea calmly; there wasn’t the slightest ripple on his expression.

Lord Riverglance continued, “The Empress’ children have been excluded from succeeding the throne. Only Concubine Zhao’s children remain if something happens to you. Is that truly wise?”

There wasn’t anyone from below the aristocratic family level in the Imperial harem. Under such equal terms, the status of the princes and princesses came from their individual talents and their maternal families.

If the Radiant Emperor were to fall without naming an heir, the throne would surely turn into a warzone for the major clans. Concubine Zhao would most likely be the final victor. Without a strong will to rule as an Emperor, the princes would naturally become the spokespersons for their maternal clans. And all of that was discounting Concubine Zhao’s temperament.

The Radiant Emperor asked, “What’s so bad about that?”

Lord Riverglance was stopped up. “When that time comes, the Zhao clan will probably fall into a degree of internal conflict as well...”

The Radiant Emperor laughed. “I’ve never held back from giving the Zhao clan what is due. Even though Duke Weiyuan never gained the fame he deserved, his title and contributions have all been credited to the Zhao clan. How they distribute it is none of my business, however. As for the carved Heavenly Merit record, I have no idea why they would send such a report to Monarch Zhang. He wrote those words himself, so even the elder prince wasn’t willing to interfere. Then again, the Swallowcloud Zhao Clan has no lack of names on the merit wall, I don’t think they’ll mind one less.”

Lord Riverglance couldn’t help but laugh wryly. No family was a block of steel—to ask whether one’s family or in-laws were more important was no different from asking one to choose between the wife and one’s mother. The Zhao clan’s branches had remained unified for four generations, with hundreds of descendants. Who would they nurture and who would they suppress? It could be considered a just outcome if the elders followed family rules and did not interfere too much.

At present, the Zhao clan’s fame had already surpassed the Zhang clan’s; all they needed was a heavenly monarch. Their internal balance of power was disrupted in this generation when the clan lord’s position was taken by Duke Chengen, deviating from their usual sequence. Suddenly gaining the Emperor’s position might seem great, but it would be like pouring oil onto raging flames.

Lord Riverglance sighed. “You really hate the Zhao clan, don’t you?”

The Radiant Emperor said indifferently, “They also hate me, and that’s fine, but why would they hate Teacher? Besides, even as the Emperor, I can’t just deduct their contributions, ignore their daughter, and treat their descendants differently. It’s not like I’m trying to centralize power, why should I suppress them?”

Lord Riverglance was dumbfounded. The relationship between the Zhao clan and the Radiant Emperor was simply a mess.

The reason stemmed from the previous Empress Zhao. Reportedly, the Solemn Emperor had accepted an entertainer into the harem, angering her so much that she went into premature labor. Both mother and child were lost. Who would’ve imagined that this entertainer’s son would become the emperor a couple of decades later? This was like a big slap on the Zhao clan’s face.

It was only normal that the Zhao clan wouldn’t be happy with the Radiant Emperor. It was just as expected that they would extend this hatred to Lin Xitang.

The Radiant Emperor said, “If the Zhao clan feels that the Ji family owes them an emperor, then we shall repay them with an Emperor.”

Lord Riverglance was stunned. “Who’s spreading such news? Are they mad?”

The Radiant Emperor smiled. “The Emperor position is the leader of all aristocracy, to be held by one of might and virtue. The Founding Emperor said thus when the aristocracy elected him to be the Emperor. So, Uncle, the Emperor might be the head of the Empire, but the Ji family isn’t necessarily so. It’s been a thousand two hundred years since our Ji family ascended the big stage. Let this come to a close with the end of the Chronicle of Glory.”

With that, the Radiant Emperor fished out two documents from the stack and opened them up before the lord.

“I’ve prepared two orders for you, Uncle. One is a regent’s position, and the other is to supervise the Empire. You may pick whichever you like, I have no objections.”

Lord Riverglance covered his eyes with his hand and remained silent for a good while.

The Radiant Emperor was calm and collected; he even had the leisure to pour himself another cup of tea.

Finally, Lord Riverglance looked up at the Radiant Emperor and crushed the regent order into powder. “Marshal Lin would not do this if he were still alive.”

The Radiant Emperor revealed a longing expression. “Monarch Zhang said the same.”

Lord Riverglance sighed. “How is that child? Has he fallen?”

“No, I hope he can remain safe and uninvolved in this matter.”

Lord Riverglance noticed that something was off. “How many people know of this?”

“Monarch Zhang, you, and me.”

Lord Riverglance’s expression darkened, holding back the urge to curse. “You brat, you only act pure and good in front of your teacher.”

The Radiant Emperor replied, “You can’t even act.”

Both of them paused for a brief second and finally broke into laughter.

This laughter traversed the passage of time, returning to a period where a young prince and his uncle would bicker behind people’s backs, just like now. What about one’s high status? What about one’s warm temperament? It was all the same in the eyes of that person.

Lord Riverglance sighed. “Marshal Lin has been pushing new policies in recent years but with little success. There are many things left undone now that he’s gone. I thought you’d continue his path. Who would’ve thought you would be bringing the Empire back to the self-ruling system from before?”

“Uncle, you’re wrong. What I want is to close the curtain on the Ji family, and have the newcomers pick their own path. In truth, you object to a lot of Teacher’s new policies, don’t you?”

Lord Riverglance stared blankly into space. “Correct.”

“The same goes for Prince Greensun,” the Radiant Emperor said. “We’ll disregard personal stances and discuss political views. Teacher wanted to expand the protected population and give them resources, then pick out the best among the best. Prince Greensun thinks that it’s too idealistic and only good on paper.

“Actually, Teacher’s views aren’t new. Look through the Empire’s history and you’ll see people who have suggested and implemented this system before. Humans are born weaker than the dark races, so as soon as they left the livestock pens, they had always stuck together as one. The Empire was built upon this foundation.

“Currently, the starting point of most humans is decided by the strength of their family and their position within the clan. That means the weaker powers, civilians, refugees, and those humans from the lower Evernight Continent will only be able to obtain minuscule amounts of resources.

“The Empire set up the four training camps Yellow Springs, Dark Flower, Sword Rain, and Great Path with the intention of training everyone regardless of their birth. They had been operating for nearly a hundred years, but the results were barely passable. Yellow Springs was only allocated more resources than the other camps after producing Teacher and Monarch Zhang. The problem was that they weren’t commoners.

“Igniting a person’s origin power was just the first step, what followed was a long, long process. Such a pouring in of resources might put a commoner fighter on the same level as their aristocratic peers, but they would still run into problems. They lacked family support, resources, secret arts, experience, and connections.

“That’s why Teacher’s selection process was nothing more than a greenhouse in Monarch Zhang’s eyes, breeding a group of sheep that would never become lions. He felt that it was better to let nature run its course because no one could tell how long such handholding would be necessary.

“Resources don’t pop out of thin air and everyone has different thoughts. Investing a large amount of resources into commoners would raise the overall rate of awakened daybreak origin power among humans. Yet, how many clans are willing to sacrifice the resources meant for their own descendants for such an uncertain project?

“Judging from our thousand-year history, this project would only be possible on a small scale. The nobility might contribute a portion of their resources for the Empire’s use and they themselves might distribute rewards to commoners and servants, but there would never be enough for everyone. In the end, the Empire is too small and weak.

“The biggest failed test is without a doubt the two provinces of rebels on the Western Continent. They are currently no different from other grey zones, relying on both the humans and dark races to get by. They are also falling into different social strata, providing no new answer to the aforementioned problem of ours. At this point, we can only pass on the experience of our failure to the successors.”

Lord Riverglance sighed. “Marshal Lin was too aggressive in helping commoners. Actually, the biggest problem wasn’t shaking the interests of the major clans but rather his refusal to form a faction. Just like you said, the problem of different starting points is present everywhere.

“Marshal Lin helps people based on their talents. He never considered their background, nor did he ever use those people. Without sufficient background, those he helped up will always run into a new obstruction once they reach the next level. Those with background would have to draw a clear line in order to prevent their own faction from suspecting them. There were also despicable people who criticized Marshal Lin after receiving help from him, using it as an excuse to join a particular faction.”

“There was one such person in Red Scorpion, reportedly a graduate of Yellow Springs as well. He produced quite a bit of gossip in order to connect with me through the Nangong Family. It would seem he had quite a bit of friction with Song Zining as well, weaving quite a few stories of mixed truth about him and Marshal Lin.”

The Radiant Emperor frowned. “There’s such a person in Red Scorpion?”

Lord Rivergalnce replied, “Since that person is so ambitious, I gave him sufficient opportunities to realize them. I haven’t heard from him in a long while.”

The Radiant Emperor felt relieved, not knowing whether to laugh or to cry. This Imperial uncle was never a saint.

Lord Riverglance stood up and paced about the room, finally stopping near the window. He gazed out at the void for a while before saying, “If we engage in an all-out war against Evernight, what do you think the best outcome will be?”

“The best result will be a small loss followed by peace talks.”

The Empire’s overall strength was much weaker than Evernight. If the Empire could force the other side into peace talks despite a small loss, it meant that neither side could afford to continue fighting. Ignoring the loss of the Empire’s land, the fall of Heavenly Monarchs was inevitable. Judging from the current setup, the first to fall would be the Profundity Monarch and the Radiant Emperor.

Lord Riverglance’s expression shifted. “What’s the worst outcome?”

“The Empire is routed and most humans will return to the dark ages.”

The Emperor made light of it in conversation, but the lord’s expression grew more and more unsightly.

Shooting him a glance, the Emperor said with a chuckle, “Of course, there’s also a third possibility. There’s a seat for the human race on the Sacred Mountain. If the Empire can produce a heavenly monarch as strong as a supreme, the council might extend such an invitation again.”

Lord Riverglance felt that things wouldn’t be so simple. “What were the terms?”

“Give up the ‘blood for blood’ practice, and allow the trade of humans below rank-five.”

“Blood for blood” was the Empire’s unyielding response to the dark race’s blood feasts. Whenever there was such an instance, they would hunt down the culprit until the bitter end. If they could not find the culprit, or if they had no power to chase after the culprit, they would start a massacre in the immediate region, blood for blood.

Many policies had been modified throughout the millennium of rule. This was the only firm rule that everyone followed despite the grave losses.

Lord Riverglance said after a while, “Who would agree to such conditions?”

The Radiant Emperor said coldly, “Who knows? Maybe someone will be willing to merge in the future.”

The two suddenly remembered some rumors, and they couldn’t help but feel distressed about the conflict between those three surnames. “There was never any talk about the Sacred Mountain. Apparently, none of my predecessors had the intention to give in.”

The Emperor said, “Only the true powerhouses and the Emperors of each generation knows of this. Of course, it’s hard to say if other non-familial heavenly monarchs have been persuaded.”

After listening to all these secrets, Lord Riverglance felt as though he had been trapped. “Your Majesty, you told me so many secrets only privy to the Emperor. If Concubine Zhao’s son succeeds the throne one day, do you need me to pass him the information?”

The Radiant Emperor gave it some thought. “No need.”

Lord Riverglance couldn’t help but feel stifled.

The Emperor remembered something else. “Ah, I almost forgot. I plan to abolish the rule that says only the Imperial family can wield the Mortal Emperor. Every divine champion from the major clans and high-ranking aristocratic families can apply for a tryout. The Grand Magnum will be given to whoever has the highest compatibility. Do you want to try first?”

Lord Riverglance said expressionlessly, “I can’t be bothered, it’s so weak.”

The Radiant Emperor wasn’t expecting this answer. He blinked a couple of times in surprise and had to try hard to suppress his chuckle. “The ‘Mortal Emperor’ will be very disappointed.”

Lord Riverglance was in no mood to play along. “I actually don’t understand. You became a heavenly monarch a bit earlier than Prince Greensun, and you might even rival a supreme in the future. You’re the best candidate to take the reins of the Empire’s future. Do you really want to let those people do what they want?”

“Teacher once said to me, the celestial trajectory is always changing. The future may be better or it may be worse. It might be better for some people and worse for others. Choices made with the aid of divination are only the best options at the time, not the absolute best. That’s why I don’t care about fame or failure. All I want is to have more options.”

“I had never dreamed about the throne when I was young. Now that I’m on the throne, I never thought of becoming an outstanding ruler. All I want right now is to go and see the results of the Chronicle of Glory in his place.”

Lord Riverglance closed his eyes, hiding his expression behind his hands.

That person was always like this. All he knew were the stars and clouds of this world, and never looked at himself. He had saved countless commoners and nobles along the way, but he never looked back at whether it was gratefulness or hatred that he had left behind. Nothing could brighten or dim the nebula in his eyes.

When Lord Riverglance opened his eyes, he was the only one in the room. The Emperor was gone.

It felt as though he had returned to thirty years before. Everyone had walked forward, leaving him with the burdens he didn’t dare—or perhaps didn’t want—to let go of. This was his confinement.

Those with a heart demon would never become the strongest.