Snow fell on the earth, creating a vast expanse of white.
Few pedestrians were on the road; a lone rider broke the tranquility.
Soon, the knight stopped in front of a government office.
"This is the Zhenwu Division, an idle person..."
"Shut up!"
Before the young guard could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the older man next to him.
With a smile on his face, he stepped forward and took the reins.
"Wang Baochang pays his respects to Governor Tuoba!"
"Good luck with the horse!"
Tuoba Ye dismounted and strode quickly into the yamen (government office).
After he had walked a distance, the young guard asked in a low voice, "Brother Wang, who is this?"
"The Governor of Yunzhou, Tuoba Ye."
Wang Baochang said earnestly, "Keep the cover up during this period, and don't become a punching bag for those big shots up there."
"Thank you for the advice, Brother Wang."
The young guard nodded solemnly.
......
In the Zhenwu Division, at the Offering Hall, four elderly men gathered.
The man at the very head of the table had completely white hair and beard, and a robust physique; his mere presence made one feel at ease.
However, contrary to his physique, the old man's eyelids drooped, his head drooped from time to time, and he looked drowsy.
The three people below kept talking.
After an unknown amount of time, one of the old men raised his voice by three degrees.
"Brother Longwu, you should at least give us your opinion!"
The other two also looked at the old man at the head of the table.
"Ah! You've finished speaking?"
After they finished talking, they all went home. This snowy day is perfect for sleeping!
The burly old man stretched and then prepared to get up and leave.
Li Youcai was taken aback at first, then he quickly said, "Brother Longwu, you must have misheard!"
I'm asking you, which side should we be on this time?
"Why are you standing here on such a nice day? Wouldn't it be better to go back to sleep?"
As Tuoba Longwu spoke, he yawned, his drooping eyelids almost closing.
He staggered toward the door.
Li Youcai's face darkened slightly. He could say he didn't hear clearly once, but twice would mean he did it on purpose.
That old fox has no intention of making a statement!
Even knowing this, he dared not press the matter further.
Because the person in front of him was named Tuoba Longwu, who had been the chief retainer of the Zhenwu Division for over forty years.
Although Tuoba Longwu only made a handful of moves, each one was as powerful as thunder.
He has eliminated both powerful local rulers and influential families.
Even among the top experts on the Heavenly Hero Ranking, he had led a group to surround and kill them.
Li Youcai looked at another elderly man with a pleading expression.
The man had a thick beard, a lean build, and sharp, eagle-like eyes.
The old man's name was Hu Guodong, and he was also a worshipper in the temple.
Apart from Tuo Tuoba Longwu, he was the most senior person in the Hall of Worship.
Seeing this, Hu Guodong stood up and said, "Brother Longwu, the Jixia Academy has incurred the wrath of the masses this time."
Their support for the officials of the Nangong Town government was a form of resistance against the powerful clans and aristocratic families of the world.
Although Jiang Lan hasn't made any major moves yet, it's only when the Jixia Academy has some free time that things will change.
The Zhenwu Division was the first to suffer, and now martial arts alliances have been established in Yunzhou, Jiangzhou, and Chuzhou.
If we do nothing, we will be replaced sooner or later.
Do you really want to wait until one day in the future, for those outlaws to ride roughshod over us?
“That’s right, Brother Longwu. We old guys are practically halfway to the grave, so we don’t care about these things.”
But every family has younger members. Even if the younger members don't make a living in the Zhenwu Division, they work in other government offices.
Now that the emperor is in seclusion, the four major families are openly opposing the Jixia Academy.
"If we old folks do nothing, and the four major families win, will our families still have a place in Tiandu?"
Zhang Biao, who had remained silent until now, chimed in.
The two men's words directly revealed the true situation in Tiandu.
Ten days ago, Nangong Zhenxiang and Chen Qinghe confronted each other in front of the Taihe Hall.
Many people thought that Nangong Zhenxiang was just saying things out of anger.
But the fact is, what he said was true.
He was investigating not only Chen Qinghe, nor just the officials who had expressed their intention to investigate the murder of Prince Zhenyun.
From that day until now, more than a hundred people from various government offices in Tiandu have been summoned by the Ministry of Justice, and more than thirty have been arrested on the spot.
Nangong Zhenxiang's actions were completely unexpected by everyone.
Nangong Zhenxiang's actions made the important figures in the imperial court uneasy.
They first tried to communicate with Nangong Chende, which resulted in Nangong Zhenxiang being expelled from the Nangong family.
Next, someone tried to mediate between Nangong Zhenxiang and others, but was also refused.
The final result was that the four major families joined forces to put pressure on the Jixia Academy.
The so-called Four Great Families are those that have been passed down from the previous dynasty and have never declined.
Aside from the Great Zhou royal family, these four families were the top-tier clans among aristocratic families.
The Nangong family is just one of them.
Each of them is far more powerful than the Jiang family of Nanzhou.
But no one expected that the Jixia Academy's attitude was both simple and resolute.
"Everything shall be in accordance with the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"
The academy will not wrong a good official, nor will it let a corrupt official go unpunished!
These remarks caused an uproar.
The four major families quickly retaliated.
The Jixia Academy was not necessarily entirely white.
Many of those who left the academy were also corrupted.
These people's weaknesses were quickly exposed.
But these countermeasures were completely ineffective.
Nangong Zhenxiang showed no mercy and directly judged the case based on this irrefutable evidence.
For a time, the capital was filled with unease and panic.
Right now, it's just a brief period of calm.
Everything is still focused on the investigation.
But Tuoba Longwu knew that when the rules could not protect his own interests, armed conflict was inevitable.
Ultimately, might makes right in this world.
The Jixia Academy is not to be trifled with, nor are the four great families.
If the two sides start fighting, no one knows how many people will die.
Tuoba Longwu knew about this, but he didn't want to get involved.
"The battle for the Heavenly Capital is none of my concern."
Tuoba Longwu said firmly.
“Brother Longwu, you can remain silent because you have the power to do so.”
But we can't, and neither can the other old brothers in the ancestral hall.
If we don't take a stand, we'll only be at their mercy. Over the years, you've always been our leader.
We've been brothers for decades, and I've never asked you for anything.
On behalf of all my old brothers, I implore you, eldest brother, to join us and the four great families in fighting against the Jixia Academy.
Hu Guodong spoke earnestly.
"With so many of you, you don't need another old guy like me."
You can decide for yourselves whether to oppose the Jixia Academy.
As for me, just pretend I don't exist!
Tuoba Longwu's expression remained unchanged.
After saying that, he walked outside.
Humans are inherently selfish.
This is especially true when it comes to personal gain.
Hu Guodong and his group's involvement this time was solely for their own benefit.
If they can get themselves involved, their influence will definitely increase, and the benefits they can gain will naturally be greater.
Of course, Tuoba Longwu did not despise them.
If he also has a large family behind him, he will also choose to take sides.
However, he was born into a family of wanderers, had a son late in life, his wife died, and his son, Faxiang, was not yet married.
He had absolutely no need to take any risks.
Where can't a person of legal status make a decent living?
As for getting involved in this mess?
As for himself, there's no need for him to make a statement.
Whether it's the four great families or the Jixia Academy.
If they're not out of their minds, they wouldn't bother with an old man who has no ambition.
Apart from the small courtyard, Tuoba Longwu quickened his pace.
After clocking in, I went home to sleep.
This life is better than that of a god.
......
"Brother Hu, what exactly is this old guy's attitude?"
After Tuoba Longwu walked away, Li Youcai closed the door and said with a gloomy face.
"Don't worry about his attitude, we'll just do it ourselves!"
A cold glint flashed in Hu Guodong's eyes.
"But he hasn't given his opinion. Would it be inappropriate for us to make the decision on our own to have his son cooperate in investigating the Yunzhou case?"
Zhang Biao frowned.
Given the attitude of Nangong Zhenxiang and Jixia Academy, the powerful clans, led by the four major families, naturally wouldn't be polite.
What happened in Yunzhou became their focus.
Regardless of whether Yunzhou has problems or not, it will eventually become a problem.
Moreover, after Yunzhou is investigated, Nanzhou and Haizhou will also be jointly investigated.
The Zhenwu Division is a very important part of this.
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