Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 443: In the Court, Let Khan Dance for Three Months_1
In the Capital, on the golden throne of the Golden Luandian, Wang Linchi coerced the imperial examinations system to make him the Number One Scholar.
In the meantime, many events took place in the Li State Prefecture, such as ambushes by various Liu Kou and Hu Lu, the retaliation of certain Great Families, and some people trying to take advantage of him. He stumbled upon numerous opportunities, but Wang Linchi always grabbed them and ran, not pausing for a moment. Those seeking to ambush or retaliate were manageable; they could at least encounter Wang Linchi. However, those wishing to use him had barely started their schemes before finding Wang Linchi had slipped away.
After arriving in the Capital, he encountered some unusual events, but Wang Linchi was quick to avoid them, so they didn’t continue. After waiting for nearly a month, Wang Linchi finally began his palace examination. This palace examination was grand, presided over by Emperor Jing himself, along with various government officials. After the examination, they went directly to the Golden Luandian to receive the imperial edict.
As the Number One Scholar for the third time in a row, Wang Linchi directly entered the cabinet and became a Cabinet Scholar, also holding the position of an Imperial Minister of State. The former role was a member of Emperor Jing’s team of aides, similar to several split positions of prime minister. The latter was purely for receiving increased salary and status, without any real power. Wang Linchi didn’t refuse and effortlessly ascended to the position of a second-rank official. However, his position was still somewhat nominal; he needed to make significant achievements to gain real political resources.
Emperor Jing looked at Wang Linchi and couldn’t help but sigh sentimentally.
The Majestic King of Dajing, I didn’t expect to recruit you so easily.
If it weren’t for his arrival in the Jing Dynasty as a replacement, the ensuing period wouldn’t be the prosperity of Dajing, but invasions from the Liu Kou in the south and the Hu Lu in the north. The fate of the country would have been uncertain by then.
This King Heaven Equivalent, upon witnessing the destruction of his homeland by foreign invaders, proclaimed that his medical skills could not save Dajing, and then led an army to save the country. Initially, while fighting against the Liu Kou, his situation was extremely disadvantageous. However, King Heaven Equivalent developed powerful military equipment such as fire guns and cannon using the Liu Kou’s gunpowder, and managed to turn the tide. He proceeded to eliminate the Liu Kou and then defeated the Hu Lu. During this time, he even cut down sacred mountains and destroyed temples, severing their religious traditions and forcing the Demon Gods to retreat. Regrettably, he ultimately died at the hands of a tyrant. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been a mere continuation of Dajing, but the establishment of a new Dajing Dynasty thrice over.
And this King Heaven Equivalent’s loyalty was such that he was the only one whose name endured through numerous subsequent dynasties, his legacy and tribute continuously honored. In each era, the title of this King Heaven Equivalent was further upgraded: from King Heaven Equivalent to the Benevolent Saint King, then to Heaven Equivalent Benevolent Holy Emperor, and finally to the Dongyue Tianqi Emperor of Life and Benevolence. His tribute was at the Dai Temple, located on Mount Tai, which was considered the foremost mountain. Many emperors of succeeding dynasties performed their investiture of heaven rituals here on Mount Tai. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
All in all, he was deified, and Emperor Jing naturally knew of his abilities. Even in his own Age of Yingling, no one was able to resonate with and summon the Heroic Spirit of Wang Linchi, who had just become a Spirit Master by topping three consecutive imperial examinations, let alone the future Dongyue Tianqi Emperor of Life and Benevolence.
So he felt, he had made a secure move. Next, he only had to Hang Up and delegate all the tasks to King Heaven Equivalent, and he could directly unify the world.
"My beloved ministers, I intend to launch a northern expedition," Emperor Jing said calmly, seated on his high throne.
All the officials in the royal court, hearing this, jumped up to advise him against it. The consensus was that the southern campaign was not yet complete, so how could they start a northern expedition? It would burden the people and deplete resources. If it failed, it would be a severe blow to Dajing.
Emperor Jing glanced at these people, cursing in his heart, With King Heaven Equivalent, how could we lose? Do you even understand the true worth of the name ’Heaven Equivalent’?!
Even when he wasn’t a Spirit Master before, he still won. Now that he has topped the examinations three times, how can he possibly lose?
Wait, why wasn’t he a Spirit Master before? Could it be that he was being suppressed? A sudden thought struck Emperor Jing.
He naturally knew King Heaven Equivalent’s origins; he was not from a Great Family or from Poor Families. This success meant there were channels to rise. He hadn’t even managed to stand out in his previous simulations. This showed that King Heaven Equivalent only got a chance to breathe this time because Emperor Jing had rigorously reformed the Great Families and the court with decisive measures. It wasn’t that he had to wait until Dajing fell into chaos to rise and grow with the turbulent times.
With that thought, his resentment towards the Great Families grew. The next dynasty naturally wouldn’t have Great Families, as they would be destroyed by the invading Hu Lu, who cared nothing for Great Families and slaughtered them all without exception. Unable to fight or resist, they were eventually eradicated.
Upon hearing this, Wang Linchi maintained a calm facade, as if he had heard nothing. He agreed with the idea of a northern expedition, but he had just arrived and it wasn’t suitable for him to voice his opinions yet, unless specifically asked by Emperor Jing. Actually, he was more eager for the meeting to end so he could return to examine his Spiritual Talent derived from his Jinshi merit and make adjustments.
"Wang, what is your opinion on this?" Emperor Jing asked Wang Linchi.
After Emperor Jing spoke, the ministers in the court hushed into silence.
"In my opinion, we only need three thousand men to wipe out the Hu Lu," Wang Linchi said, stepping forward.
This statement made the court even quieter. Accuse him? No one dared to speak. The previous two Spirit Masters who had topped three consecutive imperial examinations had invigorated Dajing twice. Now, another one had emerged. If he succeeded, their accusations would likely be recorded in history, making them look like fools in contrast to Wang Linchi for generations to come.
Emperor Jing couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. The historical records spoke of fifty thousand men, but now it was reduced to three thousand... Oh, right, he is now a Spirit Master; his status and abilities are different. He now possesses Extraordinary Power.
"And how long would that take?" Emperor Jing asked again.
"How long it takes depends on how much Your Majesty supports me," Wang Linchi replied.
"You have my full support. Money, grain, manpower, authority—I’ll give it all to you. Anyone who dares to interfere, even high-ranking officials or imperial relatives, can be executed without needing to report," Emperor Jing declared, shocking everyone in the court.
"Within three months, the Barbarian Khan will be able to dance for Your Majesty. I will make a military pledge!" Wang Linchi unhesitatingly gave his timeframe.
At this, the whole court fell silent. They had thought Emperor Jing’s grant of authority was outrageous, but Wang Linchi’s claim was even more so. To deal with the Hu Lu within three months and capture their Khan alive? If it were that easy, why would Dajing be plagued by the Liu Kou in the south and the Hu Lu in the north? A hundred-thousand-strong army had marched south and still hadn’t completely suppressed the Liu Kou. And now Wang Linchi thought he could annihilate the vast Hu Lu forces with just three thousand men?
"Very well, I shall proceed according to your counsel, my dear minister. I grant you the title of Prefect, also appoint you as a Grand Academician, and place you in charge of Knowing the Affairs of the Privy Council. The Imperial Command Envoy of the Imperial Guards will be at your disposal. I also grant you a royal sword, bestowing upon you authority as if I were present," Emperor Jing said, making his intention to fully delegate power clear.
"I thank Your Majesty," Wang Linchi replied, somewhat puzzled. Why was Emperor Jing granting him so much power? With this string of titles, military, political, and commercial affairs were all in his hands. Coupled with the Imperial Guards as his blade and the royal sword granting him authority as if the Emperor himself were present, whatever he said, the entire court would have to obey.
The court officials wanted to object, but seeing Emperor Jing’s stance, they truly didn’t dare. Furthermore, there was Wang Linchi himself; being able to top the imperial examinations three times in a row meant they were no match for him. Otherwise, why would such an achievement be so rare? Thus, they all tacitly accepted it, lest they get caught in the crossfire.
Emperor Jing understood one thing: if he relied solely on himself, raising this Heroic Spirit to Unparalleled Quality would not be easy. But if he could leverage the illustrious reputation of the Dongyue Tianqi Emperor of Life and Benevolence, the difficulty would be greatly reduced.
Speaking of which, my previous two established Heroic Spirits, God-slaying True Monarch and Heavenly Talisman Daoist, were able to reach Unparalleled Quality thanks to his assistance. Otherwise, they definitely wouldn’t have reached such a quality.
The federation he belonged to was in the Age of Yingling, where people could summon ancient Heroic Spirits through certain mediums. The older the Heroic Spirit, the more powerful it was. Emperor Jing himself was rather unfortunate; he couldn’t resonate with any Heroic Spirit. However, by a stroke of luck, he had obtained a priceless treasure that allowed him to replace someone, obtaining an identity through simulation. His task then was to make this identity flourish. Reputation was linked to the quality of the Heroic Spirit, while the Heroic Spirit’s career was related to the abilities of the summoned Heroic Spirit. There was a drawback: he couldn’t directly descend into previous dynasties but had to progress through them one by one via simulation.
Fortunately, I found King Heaven Equivalent. Otherwise, this medium would likely have been wasted. Emperor Jing also sighed in relief. He had previously considered gaining fame as a tyrant, forging a Heroic Spirit from infamy, but such a Heroic Spirit always felt somewhat lacking.
However, I can’t just leave it at that. I need to investigate the reasons for the historical gaps in each dynasty.
Every dynasty had historical gaps. He knew this largely thanks to the Age of Yingling, which allowed for the summoning of Heroic Spirits. These spirits naturally possessed memories from their past lives, which helped complete the historical record. However, this only applied to a few recent dynasties. The ancient and powerful dynasties still held many mysteries, so their histories were not yet fully known.
