Chapter 231: Sword Envoy
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
King Liqin"s words seemed to have no link to the sword in Fang Zhengzhi"s hand, but Fang Zhengzhi knew what King Liqin was driving at.
He remembered the hallucination he had when he first held the Traceless Sword in the World of the Sage. He felt a wave of emotions as he remembered the power of the sword and the curse.
I love my life, and I love a just cause. However, if I can"t get both, I would willingly sacrifice my life for a just cause." This was something that was said by Mencius. Fang Zhengzhi used it to describe how Meng Tian gave up the sword for a just cause.
"Hmm?" King Liqin"s eyes glowed when he heard what Fang Zhengzhi said. Then, his wrinkled face broke out in a smile, "I thought that the Emperor had gotten himself a good sword. Little did I expect that he had also gotten himself someone so knowledgeable! ..."
All of the officials were stumped by the conversation between Fang Zhengzhi and King Liqin.
Fang Zhengzhi had presented the sword. King Liqin did not judge it, and only said a single phrase of "I see". Then, Fang Zhengzhi mentioned giving up his life for a just cause, drawing praises from King Liqin.
What in the world is going on?
King Liqin, one of the main pillars of the previous Emperor"s success, had never involved himself in politics. His appearance today was completely unexpected, his compliments about Fang Zhengzhi even more so.
All of the officials were stumped by what they saw.
Then, something even more shocking happened. After saying that, King Liqin...
Left!
Chi Guyan also left with him.
King Liqin did not even take the sword from Fang Zhengzhi, neither did he take a second look before leaving. More importantly, he left satisfied.
Didn"t he say he liked the sword?
What"s going on now?
Why did Chi Guyan leave? What was her motive in coming to the courts today? She said nothing from start to finish, standing quietly by King Liqin"s side.
She was almost like a spectator.
However, Chi Guyan was wearing official robes and she wore the Roc Bird hairpin. There was no way she could just be a spectator.
If she wasn"t a spectator, why would she leave without saying a single word...
Most of the officials looked at each other and looked at each other, unsure of what had happened. However, a select few had glimmering eyes. This select group included Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.
"The top ranking person on the two dragon rolls is indeed a talent!" Yu Yiping smiled widely, "She is able to attend to the Emperor"s wishes without saying a single word. Who will she side with in the battle for the throne?"
Yu Yiping did not speak again. He had already seen the subtle changes in Emperor Lin Mubai"s expression. If he could see it, the Emperor could definitely see it.
Even though King Liqin"s words seemed cryptic, the meaning could not be any more obvious. A good sword, and a good man. The person he was referring to was obvious for all to say.
Furthermore, even though Chi Guyan did not speak, her stance was clear for all to see.
"Fang Zhengzhi, you have done a great service by presenting the sword today. You also killed a demon Vice Domain Chief, Ying Shan, during the Imperial Examinations, saving Princess Ping Yang and more than a dozen Great Xia Dynasty elites in the process. Many officials have requested that you be rewarded. As the Emperor, I must reward you handsomely. From today on, you will be the "Sword Envoy" of the Great Xia Dynasty, increasing the influence of the empire. You will also be rewarded with a thousand ingots of gold!"
Emperor Lin Mubai"s voice resonated throughout the entire throne room. Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had predicted most of the events of today. However, there was one thing he did not expect - that Emperor Lin Mubai would make Fang Zhengzhi the Sword Envoy.
This was a position that did not exist before this...
This was going to get interesting.
The officials all had varying reactions to what Emperor Lin Mubai said. Some were jealous, others were chuckling icily, some were envious, some were derisive...
"Thank you your highness, but... may the commoner ask a few questions?" Fang Zhengzhi did not bother with the other officials" reactions. He was more concerned about whether he would be restricted in this post.
If it is too restrictive, can I resign?
"You are now the Sword Envoy, you are not to call yourself a commoner, you have to call yourself an official!" Emperor Lin Mubai looked a little displeased.
"Yes your highness. May the official ask a few questions?"
"Go ahead."
"What does the sword envoy do?"
"The sword envoy"s secondary responsibility for increasing the influence of the Great Xia Dynasty. Your primary responsibility is to take good care of this sword on my behalf." Emperor Lin Mubai paused for a moment as he pondered his words. Then, he continued, "Furthermore... you have the freedom to enter and exit the palace complex, including the throne room, and speak your mind in front of me!"
Fang Zhengzhi had understood the gist of it.
As the sword envoy, he was just a glorified sword guard. As for entering and exiting the palace complex as well as his freedom of speech, those were all peripherals. If he really brought the sword in and out of the palace for a spin everyday, he would be targeted by a.s.sa.s.sins everywhere.
That being said, this was the perfect job for Fang Zhengzhi. He could become an official without doing anything. When he walked the streets, he would still be an official... hang on, he forgot to ask what rank the sword envoy was.
"Official still has one more question."
"Go ahead."
"What... is the rank of the sword envoy?" Fang Zhengzhi did not have high expectations of the post. As a guard of a sword, he may be a rank seven official, or possibly even a lowly rank nine official.
When Emperor Lin Mubai heard the question, he went silent.
All of the officials looked to each other. They all knew that this was not an easy question to answer.
The post of sword envoy was one that had never existed before this. This meant that it was not under the jurisdiction of any of the six ministries. As a result, it was unlikely to cause any disruption to the courts in the near future.
However, determining its rank was rather difficult.
If he set it too low, it would be disrespectful to the Sagely Battle G.o.d Meng Tian. However, if he set it too high, it would not be appropriate for Fang Zhengzhi to a.s.sume that role.
How can an untested commoner, fresh out of the imperial examinations, become a rank one or rank two official? That would be ludicrous!
"Rank four!" Emperor Lin Mubai grit his teeth as he spoke.
"Rank four? Thank you your highness!" Fang Zhengzhi had never expected that he would become a rank four official in the blink of an eye.
The jaws of all the other officials fell to the ground upon hearing that.
Rank four....
That was quite a high rank in the courts. The governor of a province was probably only a rank five official. For larger cities like the Golden Scale City, the governor was only a rank four official.
Rank four may be a little low for what Meng Tian"s sword represented to the Great Xia Dynasty. However, for a commoner who had just pa.s.sed the imperial examinations...
This was completely unprecedented.
Rank four official in a single leap. This was a rank that some people took many years, even decades to reach. How could they not be in shock?
"Congratulations brother Fang on your appointment!" Xing Qingsui paled, but he stilled bowed to Fang Zhengzhi.
"Thank you!" Fang Zhengzhi returned the bow.
It was rare for Fang Zhengzhi to thank someone. However, Xing Qingsui had come to the throne room to plead on his behalf despite the severe injuries he had suffered. This was something that surprised Fang Zhengzhi.
Yan Xiu and Nangong Mu also came over to say their congratulations.
After a brief moment of hesitation, the other officials also came up to congratulate Fang Zhengzhi.
They were not trying to b.u.t.ter up Fang Zhengzhi. After all, the lowest ranking of them all was also a rank four official. However, this was a courtesy that had to be extended.
Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi was no longer a commoner. He was now a rank four official of the Great Xia Dynasty.
More importantly, no one could guess what Emperor Lin Mubai was truly thinking.
King Duan clenched his fists tightly and his eyes began to glimmer. The heir, Lin Tianrong, also looked on solemnly, almost on the verge of tears.
As for Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping, his expression did not change much. He strode over to Fang Zhengzhi and praised him for his contributions and achievements.
This surprised many people. Those who were familiar with Yu Yiping knew that Yu Yiping was preparing to take down a person when he treated them this way.
"Humph, what"s the big deal about this, he"s just a rank four official..." Ping Yang looked up haughtily. However, her crystal clear eyes were glowing subtly...
...
The strong gale had stopped and rays of sunlight shone on the grounds of the capital. It felt like the worst of the storms were over.
However...
To the north of the capital, there was a new bout of torrential rain.
Cang Ling Mountain was the largest mountain in the Northern Lands. The area may be poor and backward, but it was densely populated.
These villagers were extremely hardworking and lived off the land.
Most of them never left their villages their entire lives. Their only wish was to live. However, the Great Xia Dynasty did not seem to think that their lives were particularly valuable.
Troops of armored soldiers arrived at these villages. They held gleaming spears in their hands, their armors showing that they were from the army of the Great Xia Dynasty.
"Seal the mountain!"