"Hehe?" Gu Ji chuckled as he looked at Pei Xuanjing, "Isn't that the very reason for your visit?" With his experience, how could he not know the purpose of Pei Xuanjing's visit today?
Without feeling uncomfortable at having his intentions exposed, Pei Xuanjing thickened face and laughed, "I'm hoping that Mr. Gu can give me some guidance."
Gu Ji had always intended to provide some advice for him and did not delve into the matter, asking, "Do you know who is orchestrating the compilation of the 'Martial Classics'?"
Pei Xuanjing was puzzled, "Isn't it the emperor?"
"Hehe, yes and no!" Gu Ji took a sip of tea before replying: "On the surface, this appears to be the emperor's idea, but in essence, it is being promoted by the noble officials behind the scenes. One can say that, this is not merely a power struggle between the imperial court and top powers, but also a battle between civil officials and nobles."
"Could you please elaborate…" Pei Xuanjing took the initiative to refill Gu Ji's tea.
Not hiding anything, Gu Ji explained the cause and reason…
After the founding of the Great Ming, the founders following the first emperor were ennobled as hereditary nobles to counterbalance the power of civil officials in the court.
Even though many nobles were purged in the late reign of the founding emperor, many still survived, thus began the noble lineage.
Later, many nobles were granted titles during the troubling years of rebellion and multiple northern expeditions led by Emperor Taizong, during which numerous men made great contributions and were ennobled.
Then during Emperor Xuanzong's reign, the power of the nobles reached its peak, pressuring the civil officials to the point of suffocation in court.
But as the saying goes, prosperity leads to decline. When the famous Emperor Yingzong ascended to the throne, the catastrophic Tumu Fortress debacle caused near-total loss to the power accumulated by the nobles. The loss was so severe that even their descendants were nearly wiped out.
Gu Jl smirked sngnt1Y as ne mentioned Emperor Yingzong.
Now there was a carefree character, indifferent to squandering the inheritance left by his ancestors.
Using the opportunity offered by the Tumu Fortress debacle, the civil officials not only regained their footing but also infiltrated areas once dominated by the nobles, taking over many powers that originally belonged to them.
In the dark recesses of Gu Ji's mind, there was a sneaking suspicion that some unspeakable high-ranking figures may have had a hand in the disaster, leading to the downfall of the nobles.
Of course, he did not mention any of these suspicions to Pei Xuanjing. After all, he was part of the civil official faction and wouldn't expose their shortcomings.
Since then, the civil officials had thoroughly suppressed the nobles, leading to a reversal of their statuses.
Having been oppressed for many years, the nobles naturally would not admit defeat and sought to regain their rightful powers.
The present emperor enjoys martial arts and militancy which contrast starkly with his predecessors. He wishes to imitate Emperor Taizong's deeds, commanding armies to sweep across MO Bei.
The nobles saw hope in his enthusiasm, and the compilation of the 'Martial Classics' is precisely a probe as well as the first step in their plan.
"So it turns out that the compilation of the 'Martial Classics' is a big trouble." Pei Xuanjing said.
Gu Ji nodded, "Indeed. With the power of the court, why would there be a shortage of people to compile the 'Martial Classics'? If it were that simple, why would they be unable to find anyone?"
Given the power of the Great Ming Empire, they could easily draw enough experts from the patronages of the royal families and various princes to compile the 'Martial Classics'.
The reason why this issue has been made widely known is to deliberately stir up the situation and probe the reaction of civil officials.
Pei Xuanjing furrowed his brows. He felt that he had underestimated the complexity of this situation.
He initially believed this to be the court testing the power of various factions in the underworld. However, he had not expected it to also involve internal struggles within the court, not just between nobles and civil officials, but also the power struggle between the emperor and the civil official faction.
To tell the truth, Pei Xuanjing now somewhat regretted getting involved in this matter. As a third-grade martial artist, it was difficult for him to make a substantial impact in this struggle. If he had been of first-grade strength, his influence might have been weightier.
To put it bluntly, the losers of this struggle were likely to pay a heavy price. Being able to keep one's head would be considered as getting off lightly.
"Do you regret getting involved in this?" Gu Ji seemed to have seen through Pei Xuanjing's thoughts. Pei Xuanjing forced a smile, "Indeed I have some regrets, but unfortunately, there's no way out now."
He knew, from the moment he set foot in Tiandu, he was drawn in and there was no way out.
"Right, there is no way out for you now." Gu Ji nodded in agreement.
If Pei Xuanjing tried to quit at this point, he would incur the wrath of the nobles. They would not tolerate anyone shaking the morale at this critical moment.
"Do you know what to do next?" Gu Ji asked.
Pei Xuanjing thought for a moment and said, "Keep a low profile and stay safe."
This was the best strategy he could think of right now.
He had decided to lay low for the time being, just steadily accumulate Taoyun, and leverage life simulation to enhance his abilities. This would improve his ability to protect himself in this matter.
Gu Ji nodded, "That's pretty good. But can you ensure you will keep a low profile without running into trouble?"
"Huh?"
Pei Xuanjing paused while lifting the teacup.
Indeed, things don't always go as one wishes.
He might want to keep things low-key to avoid trouble, but it didn't mean trouble would keep away from him.
"Hehe, Xuanjing. The first thing I should teach you about life in Tiandu is that, while it's okay to be gentle, one should never be overly discreet." Gu Ji solemnly told Pei Xuanjing with a serious expression.
It's okay to be gentle, but not overly discreet? Pei Xuanjing was puzzled, "Could Mr. Gu please explain that?"
He never felt that he knew or understood everything.
Especially in Tiandu, where every kind of cunning and ambitious individual finds their way.
If we talk about Martial Arts, Gu Ji fell short compared to him.
However, In terms of personal dealings, strategies, and tactics, comparing him to these officials that have been weathered by bureaucracy for decades was like comparing heaven and earth.
Seeing that Pei Xuanjing was open to advice, Gu Ji nodded.
If the other party couldn't listen, he would not mention this matter again, as that would be meaningless.
But now that Pei Xuanjing was willing to listen, he was more than willing to provide guidance..
"The temple and the jianghu intersect, but they have different environments. If you only wander in the jianghu, your low profile might win you many friends. However, now that you've decided to get involved in the court, you can't act in the same way," Gu Ji said.
Pei Xuanjing was somewhat baffled. Logically, shouldn't strength be what mattered in the jianghu? But what Gu Ji implied seemed to be the complete opposite.
Seeing his confusion, Gu Ji asked, "Do you think it's only in the jianghu where power matters?"
"Wrong!" He answered himself, "Let me tell you, brother, the court values power even more. It's more realistic than the jianghu and the struggle, both open and hidden, is even more dangerous." The power struggle in the jianghu appears perilous, often turning from life to death in the blink of an
But in Gu Ji's view, that's but a contest of brute force, the losing party merely dying without implicating their families.
Whereas the struggle in the court is much more dangerous, with losers not only meeting their end but potentially leading to the annihilation of their entire families, causing collateral damage to several clans.
Therefore, in the court, you can be gentle, but you must demonstrate your power to deter the unscrupulous.
You have to make it clear that you're not to be trifled with and that anyone who dares will pay the price. Only by making them wary can you find the best way to navigate through."
Pei Xuanjing finally realized what Gu Ji meant.
It'S like having nuclear weapons – you don't have to use them, but you must possess them.
Otherwise, you would merely be meat on the chopping board for others, subject to others at their whim.
"Thank you for your pointer, Mr. Gu," Pei Xuanjing thanked, clasping his hands as a sign of respect. Gu Ji brushed aside his thanks, "We're brothers, there's no need for such formalities."
When Pei Xuanjing first met Gu Ji, he saw him as nothing but a handy tool, someone that could help him seize the oddities within the Forbidden Place of the Blessed Land.
However, Pei Xuanjing's steadfastness to his promise, coupled with the enjoyable cooperation against the Liu family and Shen's Business Association…
And the exceptional martial arts talent he displayed eventually warmed Gu Ji to the idea of becoming friends.
After all, even if he chose to work his way up the political ladder, having a martial arts expert as a friend would be beneficial.
Now, they could consider each other partners and even friends.
The night fell, and Pei Xuanjing declined Gu Ji's invitation to stay, returning to his place of stay in Tiandu instead.
It was a well-known inn in Tiandu.
In the room at the inn, Pei Xuanjing was devising his future plans.
Even though Gu Ji had given him some pointers, he realized that he would have to control the details of how to put these plans into action on his own.
After pondering for a long time, Pei Xuanjing sat cross-legged on the bed and began to cultivate, circulating the True Qi within his body.
The third realm of martial arts cultivation, also known as the Rebirth through Blood Exchange, involved mainly using one's True Qi to cleanse their Blood Qi.
To truly cultivate the distinguishing traits of a martial artist in the Upper Three Realms, such as Blood Qi Wolf Smoke, Blood Qi smelting furnace, Blood Qi long river, would be crucial.
And to cultivate the Blood Qi Wolf Smoke, one would need the genuine understanding of martial arts, which was the difference between pseudo and authentic martial arts masters.
Even if they have undergone the first Rebirth through Blood Exchange, those who did not comprehend the genuine meaning of martial arts would have their Blood Qi dispersed all over their bodies, unable to congregate under the auspices of true martial arts understanding into the Blood Qi Wolf Smoke.
It was important to note that although there was not much difference in the grades among martial artists, the amount and control of True Qi significantly varied between those who had just broken through and those who had remained in the realm for many years.
Even though Pei Xuanjing, with the aid of a simulator, had broken through to the Third-grade realm, he hadn't truly reached the peak of this realm, thus requiring continuous cultivation.
The next day, Pei Xuanjing handed over the paperwork given by Shen Qianhu to the Capital Commanding Department early in the morning and returned to the inn to continue his cultivation. In the meantime, he refined some lower-quality martial arts to accumulate Taoyun.
Although these low-grade martial arts provided limited Taoyun values, it was better than nothing, and the accumulation over time was substantial.
The only regret was the few Cultivation Method Manuals left in his hands. His accumulated Taoyun was just over ten thousand, still far from the twenty thousand needed to activate the next life simulation.
Three days later, Pei Xuanjing was finally ready.
In the early morning, he headed to the Martial Academy, where the Martial Classics were compiled.
The academy, a mere estate covering several tens of acres, was formerly part of the Dudu Mansion but was now devoted to the Martial Academy.
Upon his arrival, he handed his commission to the gatehouse. After checking, the gatehouse asked him to wait for a moment while he went to notify the relevant personnel.
The structure of the Martial Academy was simple, with one president, two vice-presidents, and the rest of the staff all holding the position of editor.
Accommodations varied based on one's ability. With a Third-Grade Martial Artist like Pei Xuanjing, he was considered a Fifth Rank editor and was entitled to a monthly stipend.
Pei Xuanjing didn't expect that he didn't have a steady job in his previous life, yet in this life, he had unexpectedly gotten a secured position.
"Are you the new editor, Pei Xuanjing?" asked an elderly man with snowy hair and a youthful face, dressed in a Tai Chi robe.
Clasping his fists in greeting, Pei Xuanjing replied, "Indeed, I am Pei Xuanjing. May I know who you are, sir?"
This Taoist Priest was a master; this was his immediate impression.
The Taoist Priest stroked his long beard and smiled, "I am Qingyang Zi, one of the decision-makers of this Martial Academy."
Upon hearing the name 'Qingyang Zi,' Pei Xuanjing showed even more respect, "I'm a humble learner and it's an honor to meet you, President."
Qingyang Zi was of Second-class cultivation realm, originated from the Taihe Mountain True Martial Sect, and was the current Sect Leader's junior brother.
Besides, he was one of the martial arts teachers who mentored the current emperor during his childhood and was highly trusted by the emperor.
"Ha ha ha, young people these days are so slick. I'm merely a Vice-President, I am not worthy of the title 'President"' Qingyang Zi laughed, gesturing for Pei Xuanjing to follow him.
Pei Xuanjing smiled.
He knew why the Taoist Priest did so, because the President of the Martial Academy was Zhu Shou, the current great General, the National Guardian Duke.
Of course, everyone knew that this was just an alias used by the current Emperor.
"This is the library…" "This is the editing room…" "That's the training field…"
"That's the Elixir chamber…"
"Those are the accommodations for each editor, but if you don't need to stay in the Martial Academy, it'S up to you."
Qingyang Zi led Pei Xuanjing around and enthusiastically introduced him to the Martial Academy, not acting superior in the slightest.
Regardless, Pei Xuanjing displayed an attentive demeanor. He listened carefully to everything Qingyang Zi said and kept it in mind.
Upon hearing about the library, he couldn't help but ask, "Elder, can I freely access the martial arts manuals in the library?"
This time he still referred to him as 'President,' but the Taoist Priest did not object..