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“Xu Ziling, I thought after your experience at Duzun Fortress you would have some judgment about what Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode has done. I didn't expect you to be so deeply influenced by Shifeixuan, to the point of being easily brainwashed,” Song Shidao expressed his disappointment in the protagonist of the original story—he had felt this way from the beginning.
“Do you really believe that the women of Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode do not trust their own brothers? Is Kou Zhong not capable of being an emperor? What about the current state of the South? You have eyes, don't you? Are the people living under the Li Clan worse off? Is there no one else with great talent besides Li Shimin?”
Song Shidao scolded Xu Ziling with frustration. “In the past, Yang Guang was also a man of great talent, his abilities were not inferior to Li Shimin. Just look at the Grand Canal; despite its toll on the people and resources, it connected the north and south, facilitating prosperous trade and leading to the rise of dozens of commercial towns along its banks. Isn’t that an achievement of Yang Guang? This alone shows that Yang Guang's capability and vision are beyond what ordinary people can compare.”
Xu Ziling replied, “But Yang Guang waged wars recklessly against Goguryeo, causing countless deaths.”
Song Shidao sneered, his gaze landing on Fan Qinghui. “Ha! If it weren't for someone secretly undermining Yang Guang, how could he have suffered defeat? Also, if Yang Guang did not give certain factions face, they would certainly want to replace him with a more obedient emperor.”
Fan Qinghui lowered her head as if she hadn’t heard anything.
Xu Ziling’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be…
He forced himself to say, “Li brother is different from Yang Guang.”
“How is he different?” Song Shidao asked. “Yang Guang and Li Shimin are both second sons. Even if the Li Clan were to seize power, according to ancestral rules, he cannot ascend unless he kills his elder brother like Yang Guang did. Yang Guang faced attacks from his subordinates for this; do you think Li Shimin would act differently?”
Xu Ziling struggled to convince himself. “No difference, no difference. Li Jiancheng has already colluded with the Demon Gate…”
Song Shidao interjected, “If Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode hadn’t chosen Li Shimin first, how could Li Jiancheng have accepted help from the Demon Gate in order to gain strength to oppose him? Ultimately, it was Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode that stirred up trouble. Why did they choose Li Shimin, who had no claim to succession, over Li Jiancheng, the legitimate heir? What were they really after? Abbot Fa, can you enlighten us?”
“Amitabha. Young Master Song is biased towards your mother and is slandering Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode; I have nothing to say,” Fan Qinghui said with her head bowed and a demeanor that suggested she felt wronged and was unwilling to argue back, which made Song Shidao and Shang Xiuxun feel irritated.
“Xiuxun, I really can't stand this woman's demeanor any longer. Please help me ‘advise’ her,” Song Shidao said to Shang Xiuxun.
Shang Xiuxun smiled lightly and stepped forward. "Abbot Fa, I would like to ask you to teach me a few moves, if you would be so kind?"
Fan Qinghui's eyes flashed with cold light. Song Shidao, unable to deal with you directly, decided to collect some interest from your fiancée first. Unfortunately, her intentions were doomed to fail. In less than ten moves, Fan Qinghui was injured by Shang Xiuxun, who directly crippled Fan Qinghui's dantian. The martial arts of Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode enhanced a woman's appearance and temperament, helping to maintain youthfulness to some extent. At this moment, with Fan Qinghui's internal energy destroyed, her appearance faithfully reflected the change. Originally in her thirties, her once delicate beauty now bore the marks of worldly experience, devoid of anything that could stir her heart; her bald head emphasized the clear and exquisite contours of her eyes, reminiscent of elegant mountains and rivers, making one forget the mundane world entirely. To think of worldly matters outside the courtyard was a profound disrespect towards her. Now, what was once "delicate beauty" had turned into the peel of an orange, her behavior crazed like that of a madwoman. The "fairy" had fallen into the mortal realm, worse off than an ordinary person.
At this moment, the madwoman shouted, "Song Shidao, Shang Xiuxun, I will kill you!" She charged recklessly but was kicked away by Song Shidao. Xu Ziling watched in pity and stepped forward to help Fan Qinghui up. "Brother Song, let it go."
Song Shidao chuckled lightly. "Don't worry; I won't bother with a cripple. Please tell Shifeixuan that if Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode does not recognize the situation, I won't mind cutting off their inheritance."
Xu Ziling felt a heavy weight in his heart; he knew Song Shidao did not speak lightly—he had the ability to back up his words. Just look at how easily Shang Xiuxun had incapacitated Fan Qinghui to understand their formidable skills. At this moment, Song Shidao no longer concealed his presence; the aura of Great Master suppressed any thoughts of resistance in Xu Ziling.
"I will advise Feixuan," Xu Ziling said.
Song Shidao seemed somewhat satisfied as he turned to leave with Shang Xiuxun. Just as he was about to step out, he paused and left behind a final remark: "Xu Ziling, do not disappoint me again. Shi Qingxuan is a good girl; do not let your desires for power cloud your judgment."
………………
Kou Zhong was startled when he saw his brother-in-law appear in his residence but quickly greeted him with joy. "Big Brother, what brings you here? Is Zhi with you? Did she come along?"
He glanced outside.
"No need to look; Yuzhi did not come," Song Shidao replied. "I came here specifically for you and Xiuxun. I heard you intend to support Li Shimin and hand over all your power to him?"
"Well..." Kou Zhong hesitated for a moment before readily admitting it. Although Xu Ziling did not come to persuade him due to the matter with Fan Qinghui, he had been showing signs of wanting Kou Zhong to give up on fighting for dominance. With Song Yuzhi added into the mix, Kou Zhong was already contemplating abandoning his ambitions for supremacy.
Song Shidao snorted coldly, "You are quite generous. But a large part of the power under your command comes from my Song Family. Are you not embarrassed to use my Song Family's strength for your own benefit?"
"But Zhizhi supports me..." Kou Zhong defended himself.
"Yuzhi's thoughts have already amounted to betraying the family. As her brother, I will personally teach her a lesson. Kou Zhong, considering we were once friends, if you voluntarily hand over the leadership of the Young Marshal Army, I won't make things difficult for you." Song Shidao gave Kou Zhong a way out, but Kou Zhong was unwilling to accept it. The Young Marshal Army was something he had built from the ground up; even if he wanted to hand it over to Li Shimin, it would be on his own terms. He knew that those loyal to him within the army would still remain loyal even if they were under Li Shimin. There was no way Kou Zhong would agree to have the leadership of the Young Marshal Army taken from him.
"Since you are unwilling, then I will take matters into my own hands." Song Shidao understood Kou Zhong's temperament and had little hope that he would willingly relinquish control of the Young Marshal Army. Raising his voice, he commanded, "All generals and administrators of the Young Marshal Army, immediately come to see me at the Young Marshal's residence."
His voice, though not loud, carried far and was heard clearly by those in the distance. Kou Zhong's expression changed: "Grandmaster?"
He had not expected that this seemingly inconspicuous young master of the Song Family would possess Grandmaster-level strength. It was known that Song Lu and Song Zhi loved this nephew dearly but had placed their hopes on Kou Zhong, supporting him in his endeavors. This indicated that they did not think highly of Song Shidao. Yet here he was, quietly possessing strength comparable to a Grandmaster—how deep had he hidden his abilities? It was likely that neither his father-in-law nor Zhizhi knew what kind of existence their son and brother truly was.
Upon hearing the command, the leadership of the Young Marshal Army quickly arrived at the residence. Upon seeing Song Shidao and Kou Zhong in confrontation, the generals from the Song Family lineage immediately bowed to Song Shidao: "Eldest Young Master!"
Xuan Yong, Voidwalker, and others were momentarily stunned before quickly making their choice and bowing to Song Shidao: "We greet our Lord."
Kou Zhong's face darkened; aside from Wang Xuanxu and a few others who had recently joined the Young Marshal Army, nearly everyone else addressed Song Shidao as 'Lord.'
"Xingzhi, how could you betray me?" Kou Zhong stared incredulously at this most trusted subordinate, feeling an immense pain in his heart.
Voidwalker sighed. Kou Zhong was loyal and responsible—a commendable leader—but who could blame him for pledging allegiance to the eldest young master of the Song Family first? Moreover, compared to Kou Zhong, Song Shidao had a broader perspective. Many within the Young Marshal Army were dissatisfied with Kou Zhong’s intention to hand over both the army and its territories to Li Shimin.
"Young Marshal," Voidwalker clasped his hands together respectfully, "Xingzhi pledged loyalty to our Lord before he met you."
"What?" Kou Zhong's gaze shifted away from the Voidwalker and landed on Xuan Yong and the others. As soon as his eyes fell on that person, they nodded.
"I see." Kou Zhong felt that his defeat was not unjust. "You had started your plans long ago; I can't complain about losing. I think Li Shimin would only face defeat against you as well."
With a hearty laugh, Kou Zhong felt as if he had cast off a heavy burden. "Now it's good; I can finally go find Zhi Zhi. Brother, I'll leave the matters of contention to you. Don't let my previous efforts go to waste!"
Song Shidao also laughed and joked, "You were thinking of handing over your territory and army to Li Shimin for free; now that would have been a waste."
Kou Zhong chuckled, "That was because I was considering Ziling's feelings. Now it's settled; I've made my peace with Ziling."
Song Shidao reassured him, "Don't worry, Ziling won't bother you about the Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode philosophy anymore."
Kou Zhong asked, "You didn't give Ziling a lecture, did you?"
Song Shidao replied, "Rest assured, I didn't lecture your sister; I only dealt with Fan Qinghui and crippled her martial arts."
"The Master of the Altar from Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode?" Everyone was stunned. Compassionate Voyage Tranquil Abode was a leader among the righteous sects, and its Master of the Altar was revered as a goddess, almost deified—yet she had been crippled.
Kou Zhong raised both thumbs in admiration. "Brother, you're amazing! I'm truly not your match!"
With a carefree demeanor, Kou Zhong left to find his beloved Song Yuzhi. Before he departed, Song Shidao issued a stern command: resolve the issue with Chu Chu.
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