Chapter 141
Chapter 141
The Nujiang Commandery Hunting Grounds.
In name, it was a hunting ground, but in reality, it was no different from a massive military barracks. However, since the great war between the states of Wu and Yue had ended, the barracks had been unused for a long time. Now, for the first time in ages, these hunting grounds were teeming with people. Sentries were posted every three paces and scouts every five, creating a formidable security perimeter.
The dispute over Gold Mountain Island was a life-or-death battlefield for the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, but for some, it was no different from a festival. Of course, not many families or factions were qualified to share in the spoils. But for the majority, the Gold Mountain Island dispute was a kind of wrestling match, and they had come all this way to watch a contest where life and death hung in the balance.
It was a major conflict where the winner would take all, while the loser’s century-long legacy would vanish into the tides of history. As such, it promised to be quite the spectacle. Nearly every influential family from Tiannan Province had come to witness the dispute. Not only that, but most of the ancient noble houses of the State of Yue had also sent representatives to observe the contest. They, too, must have felt a pang of sorrow for the Count of Xuanwu's situation.
The Count of Xuanwu's Estate was, in a way, taking the blade on behalf of all the old noble families. Thus, their presence was an expression of moral support for the Count. But it was only moral support; they offered no actual power or aid. This was because their de facto leader, Marquis Zhenyuan, Su Nan, had abandoned them, leaving no one to rally around or take the lead.
The Marquis of Zhenyuan's Estate sent its heir, Su Jianting, who took a seat in the front row, while Raging Tide City sent Qiu Xiao.
When the Count of Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, entered the Nujiang Commandery Hunting Grounds with his cavalry, a considerable tremor ran through the ground. Many people went forward one after another to offer words of comfort to the Count, their eyes filled with pity. They considered the death of a great house the most significant of events. To become witnesses to the fall of a house at this very place… it was tragic, and yet, in a way, deeply thrilling. But on the surface, they adopted looks of sympathy and feigned mourning. The sight made Shen Lang sick.
The people of Yue were fond of gambling, so much so that a betting market could be opened for nearly any contest. Normally, a major event like the Gold Mountain Island dispute would have spawned a massive betting pool, and Shen Lang had intended to place a wager and make a fortune. But no one opened a betting market. This was because everyone expected the Count of Xuanwu's Estate to lose. Really, wasn't this a bit much?
***
Not long after the Count of Xuanwu's party arrived, the contingent from the Count of Jinhai's Estate also entered the hunting grounds. Once again, the venue stirred. The same people who had just greeted the Count of Xuanwu with eyes full of pity and condolence now rushed to welcome the Count of Jinhai with looks of ardent envy.
The Count of Jinhai's Estate had shamelessly become the King's blade, betraying and destroying its own kind. But that was no concern of theirs; they only cared that the Count of Jinhai was on the verge of rising to power.
The time had finally come to settle the century of grievances and conflicted feelings between the two houses. Over the course of a hundred years, the two families had experienced cycles of prosperity and decline. A hundred years ago, when the Count of Jinzhou stood tall, the Jin Clan shone as brightly as the sun, while the Marquis of Jinhai's Estate was so wretched that it even lost its fortress to pirates. But now, with the Count of Xuanwu's Estate on the brink of ruin, the Count of Jinhai's Estate was poised to rise. What a twist of fate. Truly, in the grand sweep of history, can anyone dare claim victory?
***
After both the Count of Xuanwu's and the Count of Jinhai's estates had arrived, the judges made their entrance. The true titans had appeared. The Gold Mountain Island dispute was too significant an affair for Governor Zhu Rong to preside over, nor could the Fourth Prince, Ning Zheng, simply read the King's decree to pass judgment.
To serve as a judge, one had to meet several qualifications: they had to be a highly respected noble from a distinguished family, yet hold no position tied to worldly affairs. The same criteria had been used to select judges for the dispute twenty years ago.
The judges for this occasion were the King's uncle and First-Rank Duke of Yue, Ning Qi; the First-Rank Marquis of Yue, Suo Xuan, who had formerly served as the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor and Left Prime Minister of the Department of State Affairs; and Duke Weiwu, Bian Wu, the paramount leader of Yue's military, an unparalleled martial arts master who held the position of the Crown Prince's Grand Protector.
When these three colossal figures arrived at the hunting grounds, everyone bowed deeply in respect. These three men could shake the very foundations of Yue with a single step; they were a truly extravagant panel of judges. The King's Royal Uncle, Ning Qi, spoke.
"Xuanwu, Jinhai, we three old men have come to judge the Gold Mountain Island dispute fairly. Do you accept us as your judges?"
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, knelt and said,
"I am overwhelmed and deeply humbled, for my virtue is not great enough to merit the honor of your presence."
The Count of Xuanwu did not offer such words, but simply bowed and replied, "It is what I had hoped for."
Royal Uncle Ning Qi continued.
"Our combined ages exceed two hundred years. While Duke Weiwu still holds his post, Lord Suo Xuan and I retired from official duties many years ago and were enjoying our remaining years, nurturing our minds and bodies at home. But the King himself summoned us, and so we have come. At our age, with death not far off, we have become detached from most worldly matters, but honor is one thing we cannot ignore. We do not wish to tarnish the names of our ancestors after we are gone, nor do we want to bring shame upon our descendants. This judgment will be conducted with absolute impartiality, so you may both rest assured."
The Count of Jinhai bowed once more and said,
"Tang Lun, Count of Jinhai, I am humbled beyond words."
"I, Jin Zhuo, have not the slightest doubt that the three of you will judge with fairness and integrity."
One might doubt whether these three titans would truly deliver an impartial verdict, but as Royal Uncle Ning Qi had said, for men with little time left to live, only honor remained. The King had sent them as judges not only because of their high reputations, but also because he was certain the Count of Xuanwu's Estate would lose the dispute, making a biased judgment unnecessary. Appointing a biased judge for a match with a foregone conclusion would only serve to undermine the King's own majesty, would it not?
Duke Weiwu was the greatest of Yue's ancient nobles, possessing the most fiefs and private soldiers, yet the blade of the New Policies would never fall upon his head.
In the past, he had been a great general defending the northern border against the State of Wu, a titan in military affairs beyond compare. Over twenty years ago, during the great war between Wu and Yue, he had led his troops south at a critical moment and defected to Yue, dealing a fatal blow to the State of Wu.
As a result, Wu suffered a crushing defeat in that war and was forced to cede nine commanderies to Yue. Furthermore, when Bian Wu defected with his army, he brought with him territory equivalent to three commanderies. The King himself had taken his hand and declared, "You are the benefactor of my Ning Clan for generations to come."
The Ning Clan typically did not bestow the title of Duke upon anyone outside their family, but they made an exception for Bian Wu, enfeoffing him as Duke Weiwu. He now commanded a grand army of one hundred and fifty thousand, garrisoning Yanzhou and Tianbei Province, and continued to stand on the front lines against the great army of Wu. Duke Weiwu was a pillar supporting the State of Yue; how could the flames of the New Policies ever touch him?
For these reasons, his status was far above anyone else's. Moreover, Duke Weiwu was an extremely arrogant man who disdained contact with the other ancient nobles of Yue. In his eyes, there was only the King. Would such an extraordinarily great figure deliver a verdict that favored either the Count of Jinhai or the Count of Xuanwu? It was impossible. This lord, who looked down upon the entire world, would not even deign to notice them.
Royal Uncle Ning Qi took out a life-and-death pact.
"Whether in the martial contest or the military contest, swords will be drawn, and casualties will be unavoidable. If neither side has any objection, sign this life-and-death pact."
The Count of Jinhai stepped forward, wrote his name, and stamped it with the large seal of the Count of Jinhai. Then, the Count of Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, also signed and affixed his seal. Every Gold Mountain Island dispute had resulted in heavy casualties. Not only in the battle where the two armies would kill each other, but also in the first contest, there had been many deaths. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate had lost its heir twice in the martial duels, while the Count of Jinhai's Estate had seen three of its young masters perish.
Since then, the Tang Clan had grown cunning, preparing someone who was not the family heir to compete in the duel. That was how Tang Yan, the martial arts fanatic, came to be. Tang Yan was not the heir, yet possessed outstanding martial skill; he was like a person born for the Gold Mountain Island dispute.
Initially, Tang Yan's sole purpose was to prepare for this dispute, but his martial arts had now reached such a level that he was considered the next Sword King of the South Sea and a grandmaster of Yue. As such, he himself no longer gave the duel a second thought.
After both parties in the Gold Mountain Island dispute had signed the life-and-death pact, Royal Uncle Ning Qi brought out a box. It was a mahogany box, embroidered with a golden dragon on the lid. The opening was sealed with wax, over which a golden-yellow paper seal had been affixed. It was designed so that once removed, it could not be restored to its original state.
"Inside this box is the topic for the literary examination. The King himself devised it, so no one but him knows what it is."
After speaking, Ning Qi placed the box on a table.
"Xuanwu, Jinhai. Both of you, come forward and inspect the wax and paper seals on the box."
The two men stepped forward and examined the box.
Ning Qi asked them,
"Are you certain there is nothing amiss?"
Both the Count of Xuanwu and the Count of Jinhai confirmed that the box was indeed untampered with.
"Then this box will be kept under the joint custody of myself, Lord Suo Xuan, and Duke Weiwu. It will be formally opened on the day of the literary contest."
"Yes!"
The Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, was inwardly baffled.
'Does an idiot like Jin Mucong even deserve to take an exam managed with such strictness? My son, Tang Yun, could beat that fool with his eyes closed. It doesn't matter what the topic is.'
But why wouldn't the topic matter?
At that moment, Shen Lang, standing below, thought the topic was extremely important and used his X-ray vision to peer inside the box. On the paper inside, the topic for the literary contest was written, and Shen Lang saw it clearly. It called for one policy essay and one poem.
'The King is as insidious as ever.'
Shen Lang had prepared nineteen potential questions, but none of them were correct. That poor fatty, Jin Mucong, had wasted nearly two months memorizing nineteen policy essays and one hundred and fifty poems for nothing. Next, Shen Lang would produce an answer for the two questions: a policy essay that would shake the heavens and a timeless masterpiece of a poem that would startle the world and make even ghosts weep. Afterward, Jin Mucong would once again have to pull an all-nighter, frantically copying and memorizing what Shen Lang wrote for him.
Now, all three contests were winnable. Just imagine it. If Jin Mucong defeated Tang Yun—a Tanhua-ranked scholar—in the literary contest, everyone would be stunned. It was an event that would drive the people of this world into a frenzy. How could he not look forward to it?
"Then, if there are no objections to the proceedings, the first contest shall begin in one shichen!"
This was not some Olympic-style event that would drag on for days; it had to be concluded quickly. The Gold Mountain Island dispute would likely be settled in two or three days.
***
The first contest was the martial duel between Jin Mulan and Tang Yan. The duel was to be held in the main hall of the Nujiang Commandery Hunting Grounds, and only the highest-ranking and most powerful figures were qualified to watch. There was still a quarter of an hour before the contest was set to begin.
Tang Yan felt empty and bored, so he found himself staring blankly at a nearby mosquito. It was quite a remarkable mosquito. Autumn had passed and winter was approaching, yet it flew with vigor and grace.
'I must. I will study it closely in a moment. Who knows what enlightenment I might gain from it.'