Chapter 267: Chapter 201: End of the Succession Struggle? Imperial Edict of Investiture, Who Will Claim the Eastern Palace

Lu Mingyuan stood silently beside Chen Ke. As the golden clouds dispersed, the celestial phenomenon finally subsided.

The second natal character was completely formed, and the complete Lu and Wang’s Heart Learning was unveiled before the world. Chen Ke’s words plunged the Great Scholars into silence.

They no longer dared to be as rash in their judgment of Lu Mingyuan’s case as they had been before.

After all, the Celestial Dao itself had sided with Prince Huai’an. "Attaining the Knowledge of Goodness" had proven the point; the flawless precision of the Learning of the Mind was irrefutable.

None of them fully understood the Learning of the Mind, so they were unable to formulate a counter-hypothesis to challenge it.

At the same time, the two natal characters also proved that Chen Ke truly possessed the potential to become a Saint!

The very sight of this young Great Sage was a tremendous deterrent!

Tales of men who toiled to become the Champion Scholar in their thirties or forties, or even of young prodigies with Divine Techniques who seized the title in a single attempt, all paled in comparison. None of it was as staggering as Chen Ke’s sudden enlightenment of the Great Dao, condensing two natal characters, breaking through three realms to become a Great Sage, and displaying the bearing of a future Saint, all in a single moment.

It was a feat for any of the great Dynasties to have even a single Gentleman stationed in a border city, and many smaller kingdoms lacked a Great Sage entirely.

These Great Scholars looked at Chen Ke and were filled with awe for the younger generation. Despite the vast age difference, only a single realm separated them from him.

’It’s as if we’ve wasted our entire lives.’

Looking at Lu Mingyuan, they felt a pang of guilt and insecurity.

Wang He’fu noted their expressions and sneered. "You are all either venerable masters presiding over great Academies or renowned scholars of great accomplishment, yet you lack a shred of compassion! You leap to bully a man with your authority without even discerning right from wrong. No wonder so few of the worthy men recruited by the Court in recent examinations pass the test of moral virtue. Every last one of you is to blame for this!"

Hearing another damning label—"incompetence in teaching"—slapped on them, the faces of the Great Scholars and Confucian Scholars present turned deathly pale.

’Wang He’fu, you’re the Great Yan Prime Minister! Have you no shame, throwing such accusations around?’

As the Prime Minister of the nation, every word he spoke carried the weight of a mountain. This was no empty threat.

A middle-aged Great Scholar was the first to concede. He offered a cupped-fist salute and said, "We were rash and biased. Indeed, we should not have presumed to pass judgment on the case of Prince Huai’an. It is a matter for the Holy Emperor to decide."

With a flick of his sleeve, Wang He’fu gave the man no quarter. He raised his chin and declared, "All of you are heads of your respective Academies, yet you allow the scholars under you to run wild. You’re always looking for the easy way out, unwilling to ask a single extra question or spare a single extra thought. What a flagrant dereliction of duty! You are meant to be exemplars for all the scholars of Great Yan. In your position, you are to do your duty! Manage what falls under your purview, and stay out of what does not! You should know that your every move affects the Court’s Confucian Dao Fortune!"

The Great Scholar felt utterly shattered by the tirade.

’By the looks of it, he has already escalated this to a matter of loyalty to the Court. If Wang He’fu starts tying this to the principles of our Academies and the very foundations of the Great Dao, we’ll be verbally eviscerated.’

Just then, the Wang Family’s old steward cautiously approached to report:

"Patriarch, the scholars and common folk at the Imperial City gates have all retreated!"

"They’ve retreated?"

Wang He’fu looked quite surprised to hear the news.

’By all rights, those fellows shouldn’t have given up so easily. The news from here hasn’t even gotten out yet. Why would they suddenly withdraw?’

"Mr. Qi intervened," the old steward added.

’So it was my in-law.’

A smile spread across Wang He’fu’s face when he heard it was Qi Xingyan who had intervened.

"They say Mr. Qi has already ascended to the Saint Realm. He is now on his way to the palace for an audience with the Holy Emperor."

Upon receiving this news, a calculating glint appeared in Wang He’fu’s eye. He turned to the crowd, his expression stern. "Since you are Mountain Masters, officially appointed by the Court, you should focus on your scholarship and your students. Do not get involved in these factional disputes. At the very least, do your own jobs properly before you concern yourselves with anything else."

Upon hearing this, one of them, quite uncharacteristically, felt a surge of shame.

But Wang He’fu had already fallen silent. Instead, he sent a voice transmission to Lu Mingyuan.

"Your father-in-law has ascended to become a Twelfth Realm Saint. I’m going to go check on the situation." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"My father-in-law broke through?!"

Even Lu Mingyuan was stunned for a moment.

As far as he knew, Qi Xingyan had long been stuck at the Peak of the Eleventh Realm. This breakthrough had come without any warning at all.

"It might be thanks to you," Wang He’fu chuckled.

"Grandfather... I..." Lu Mingyuan opened his mouth, but he didn’t know how to explain.

"No need to say more. Those who know, know."

Looking as if he had seen right through Lu Mingyuan, Wang He’fu gave a small smile and then departed with his men.

He left Lu Mingyuan standing there, utterly bewildered, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"What?!"

"Our Great Yan has another Saint!"

"Truly, a joyous event the likes of which we haven’t seen in a century!"

Soon, many of the Great Scholars and officials also received the news via magically transmitted script: the Mountain Master of Shengjing Academy had become a Saint, one of the very few to reach the Twelfth Realm.

One must understand that while many Confucian Scholars establish Academies to accumulate Literary Qi, nourish their power, and bolster their scholarly fortune, very few can actually use their Academy to achieve Sainthood.

’Mr. Qi has become a Saint.’ Chen Ke’s expression was complicated when he heard the news.

’I once received a favor from Qi Xingyan and studied for a time at Shengjing Academy. But then he backed the wrong side and was dismissed from his post. If that hadn’t happened, I might still be there today.’

’Such is time, such is fate.’

’In any case, Qi Xingyan did help me back then.’

"Chen Ke," Lu Mingyuan said suddenly.

"Your Highness, what is it?" Chen Ke shifted his gaze to the prince.

Lu Mingyuan instructed him earnestly, "From now on, stay in the Wenyuan Pavilion and focus on your research into the Learning of the Mind. Spread its teachings as soon as you are able. Try not to get involved in public affairs or stir up trouble. I worry that malicious people will try to harm you. It would be best if you did not emerge from your seclusion until you have become a Saint."