Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

"You didn't get involved, and that's a relief!" Zhou Yunsong sipped his tea to warm himself up, and Zhao Gongqing hastily refilled his cup.

Zhou Yunsong said softly, "His Majesty still highly trusts Marquis Jing'an. When the Martial Arts Temple was first established, His Majesty intended for Marquis Jing'an to serve as the Minister, but the Marquis declined. At the beginning of the year when the Navy Commander's Mansion was founded, His Majesty wanted him to serve as the Left Governor, yet Marquis Jing'an refused that as well!"

"It's precisely for this reason that His Majesty has placed even greater trust in Marquis Jing'an. A commander who does not vie for power nor covets it is undoubtedly the most reassuring for His Majesty!"

"Marquis Jing'an is also a clever man. It seems that the Martial Arts Pavilion is not important, but this year, disciples from the Martial Arts Pavilion have been continuously entering the military. Over time, disciples of the Martial Arts Pavilion will be scattered throughout the Da Rong Army, from the border army to the imperial guard, from the Martial Arts Temple to various garrisons nationwide — all of his students!"

"Now, Marquis Jing'an is just cultivating his reputation. The longer the time, the higher his prestige in the military will become, and perhaps in the future, he will be the top figure in the military!"

"So offending Marquis Jing'an now would truly be more loss than gain!"

As an old official who had been through ups and downs in the court for decades, Zhou Yunsong had a clear understanding of everything in the court.

He knew exactly what Yang Zhenshan was up to and what he wanted.

And he was right, Yang Zhenshan had always deliberately avoided seizing power, specifically to avoid arousing Emperor Yanping's suspicion.

Even his departure from Capital City to escort Yang Wanqing to her wedding and his subsequent travels for the better part of the year were meant to reduce the prominence he gained from his campaign against the Star Moon Sect.

Zhao Gongqing understood these points as well and whispered, "What should I, your student, do? I am truly somewhat fearful of Marquis Jing'an!"

He smiled bitterly. He had never interacted with Yang Zhenshan before and had never cared about what sort of temperament Yang Zhenshan had, but today's display from Yang Zhenshan had truly terrified him.

Dominant, overbearing, utterly reckless, and unscrupulous.

These were all the impressions Yang Zhenshan had left on him today.

Zhou Yunsong felt much warmer, put down his teacup, and smiled, "It's all right. If Marquis Jing'an is angry, let him cool down a bit. Tomorrow morning at the early court, if Marquis Jing'an impeaches you, simply plead guilty and ask for a light punishment for negligence!"

He felt that Yang Zhenshan would not affect him personally anyway, and as for Zhao Gongqing, since the matter was unrelated to Zhao, he wouldn't face major trouble as long as he willingly confessed.

"My student fears that Marquis Jing'an will be extremely troublesome!" Zhao Gongqing still felt uneasy.

"He's a clever man who knows when to stop!"

Zhou Yunsong laughed nonchalantly, "Come now, since you are here, stay for the meal."

With that, he got up and walked towards the back courtyard.

Hearing this, Zhao Gongqing also decided to set aside the issues regarding Yang Zhenshan and followed Zhou Yunsong with a light smile.

...

A quiet night passed, and at dawn the next day,

Yang Zhenshan, clutching his document, arrived at the entrance of Taiji Palace wrapped in a thick fur coat.

"God, it's killing me, attending the early court in the dead of winter!"

Actually, Yang Zhenshan wasn't afraid of the cold. He had eaten an Ice Heart Fruit, and not just the winters of Capital City—even those of the snow-covered lands couldn't make him feel cold running around bare-chested.

But being not afraid of the cold doesn't mean not feeling it—having a chill on the body was still uncomfortable; it was more comfortable to dress warmly.

Yang Zhenshan's appearance surprised many officials, some of whom didn't even recognize him. Counting the time, it had been more than a year since he last attended the early court, the last being when he was ordered to form the Four Seas Navy.

"Hey, why are you here?" Liang Chu, seeing Yang Zhenshan, asked with some surprise.

Before Yang Zhenshan could answer, Lu Baishu came over and interjected, "I know, Lord Yang, are you here to impeach the Ministry of Personnel today?"

After saying that, he also winked at Yang Zhenshan.

"Impeach the Ministry of Personnel? What's the matter? Did they offend you?" Liang Chu asked, astonished.

Yang Zhenshan, with his sleeves tucked up, lazily said, "Hmm, today they'll have to pay a price!"

Liang Chu regarded him with a peculiar look, "Are you really going to impeach the Ministry of Personnel?"

"Is it not allowed?"

"It's not that it's not allowed, I just feel it's unnecessary!"

"Why?"

"Elder Zhou!" Liang Chu gestured towards the direction where Zhou Yunsong was standing.

Yang Zhenshan glanced in Zhou Yunsong's direction. At that moment, Zhou Yunsong was also wrapped in a fur coat and was dozing under the eaves.

The implication from Liang Chu was clear—that any impeachment would be futile with Zhou Yunsong shielding them, and His Majesty wouldn't take any real action against the Ministry of Personnel.

Yang Zhenshan was well aware of these points, but today he indeed intended to make it difficult for the Ministry of Personnel.

A moment later, as the ceremonial music played, the officials entered the palace.

Yang Zhenshan mingled with the Military Officers as he entered the palace but felt a moment of awkwardness once inside.

Where should he stand?

Having not attended the early court in so long, he didn't know where to position himself.

In the early court of Da Rong, the left side was for civil officials, and the right was for military officials, both arranged in three columns based on rank.

However, there were many overlaps in rank; he and Liang Chu were both First-class Marquises, so who should stand in front?

If he regularly attended the early court, the spots would have been fixed and generally unchanging, and it wasn't a matter of much concern for a trivial ranking.

The last time Yang Zhenshan attended court as it involved leading troops, he stood in the foremost column right beside Duke Ning, but this time he clearly couldn't stand next to Duke Ning.

As Yang Zhenshan was contemplating where to stand, Liang Chu smiled and said, "Lord Yang, over here. You stand in front of me. It's rare for Lord Yang to attend the court, let's give him a spot, my colleagues!"