Patrol Captain

A group of officials from the capital filed in and entered the residence of Grand Preceptor Helian.

Inside, the light dimmed, and Fang La, the leader, squinted as he looked ahead. His gaze pierced through the door, revealing a hidden secret within the dimly lit room. One after another, the carved wooden doors slid open, unfolding like scales, slowly revealing the scene deep within the room.

A hundred paces away, there was a table lying across the room, and behind the table sat a general with a face like that of the Thunder God, with tiny silver arcs of electricity around his body, eyes like cold lightning, and pupils like copper lacquer.

On the desk, to the right were piles of military reports from below, and to the right was a large black seal.

The room was dimly lit, but silver arcs of electricity crackled around the man, giving him a divine aura. As he watched the crowd enter, a sigh crossed his thunder god-like face.

More than ten days ago, Lord Helian ordered him to send a letter to the Emperor, inquiring about the transfer of military power in Shu.

It seems His Majesty was already on guard back then!
Fang La immediately recognized the Lei Gong clansman standing next to the Grand Preceptor Helian.

He led his men forward, his eyes gleaming like a cat that had caught a whiff of blood. Sensing something amiss, he became even more certain of his suspicions. In a deep voice, he questioned them in court.

"I have come to see the Grand Preceptor Helian on His Majesty's orders."

"Lord Leishan, why is this seat occupied by you, and not by the Grand Preceptor Helian? Where is the Grand Preceptor?"

The Lei family, being the emperor's private retainers, are all highly skilled. Although they hold no specific official rank, no one can underestimate them. Yet, at this moment, Fang La from the Censorate appears rather aggressive.

With His Majesty protecting him, he vaguely grasped something and refused to let it go.

The officials behind him, seeing that the person sitting inside was Lei Gongshi, who was beside Lord Helian, but not the Imperial Preceptor himself, felt a sense of unease.

In particular, Fang La's aggressive manner seemed to conceal something they didn't know, causing a vague unease to rise in their hearts.

After sitting down at the table, Lei Shan faced the questioning. He raised his eyelids slightly, his eyes gleaming with a menacing bronze glaze.

"Since it is His Majesty's decree, then I, Lei, will not hide anything from you all!"

"The master is not currently at Cloud Peak!"

These words confirmed everyone's guesses, but where did Grand Preceptor Helian go instead of being stationed at Cloud Peak?

Especially the commander of the Heavenly Army who followed, who was already looking grim because of Fang La, changed his expression several times after hearing these words.

"Then may I ask where the Imperial Preceptor has gone?" Fang La pressed, also wanting to know the answer.

Lei Shan remained silent, slowly rising under the gaze of the crowd. He turned to look westward, his eyes gleaming with respect, and spoke with a heroic tone, "On the western front, the demonic tide is surging. A demon king has appeared, slaughtering my soldiers. My lord, his temples now gray, has gone to mourn for his country!"

These words surprised the officials in the capital, who then began to whisper among themselves, some nodding and others shaking their heads.

"Since the Grand Preceptor personally went to the western front, why didn't we hear any news at the front?" Fang La was indeed skeptical, his face full of doubt, unwilling to let go of any suspicious points.

Lei Shan turned his head, looking at the Imperial Censor who was still pressing him, his expression slightly cold.

"The demonic tide is raging, and rumors are spreading throughout Chengdu. Some thieves are taking advantage of the situation to cause trouble. The old national teacher is making this secret trip without informing you all, in order to give the demons a head-on blow, kill the demon king, and prevent the news from leaking out."

At this point, Lei Shan snorted coldly, his bronze-black eyes flashing as he stared at Fang La.

"I only intended to tell you this, since Lord Fang is so determined to get to the bottom of this. But Lord Fang insists on using His Majesty's decree to intimidate people, and things have escalated to this point. Do you know the consequences if this news leaks out?"

Fang La's expression changed immediately upon being countered by Lei Shan.

But he was no fool to have taken this position. Although His Majesty's edict did not explicitly state what it was about, he had received it when the Grand Preceptor was still at Yunding Mountain. Such an instruction must not be so simple and must contain hidden secrets.

He didn't back down; he quickly regained his composure, his gaze unwavering.
"I naturally admire the old Grand Preceptor for his efforts in managing the situation, but I just want to know, why is such an important matter not reported to the Emperor and handed over to His Majesty, but instead sent to me by verbal decree?"

He decided to try a ruse; His Majesty should be unaware of this matter. He increasingly felt this was possible, and with a stern demeanor, he continued in a deep voice:

"With no one in charge of the governor's office and no secret communication, if there is any loss, we will all be guilty!"

"Lord Lei, please provide an explanation!"

He took another step forward, his words sharp as knives, chilling the atmosphere in the room.

Upon hearing this, Lei Shan's eyes gleamed with a metallic sheen. He had originally intended to project an imposing aura and force Fang La and his men to back down, but now, every word the other party uttered struck at the heart of the matter.

He couldn't answer that question because the matter hadn't been reported to His Majesty; it was all the old Grand Tutor's own decision. After much deliberation, he ultimately chose to keep it a secret and supported Helian Shan's decision.

They thought they could stall for a few days and allow the old man to finish his plans, but unexpectedly, Fang La led his officials and forced their way in with the Emperor's decree.

He doesn't know the specific content of the imperial edict given to Fang La, or how much the other party knows.

Therefore, Lei Shan lowered his eyelids slightly and said calmly, "The war is at a stalemate, and the Shu region is riddled with holes. It is impossible to report everything to Your Majesty. The Grand Preceptor's actions have not yet yielded any results. We can only report them together when there is a report of victory to put Your Majesty's mind at ease."

These words clearly wouldn't fool the Censor-in-Chief before him. Fang La, having served in the Censorate for a long time, knew that Lei Shan was definitely hiding something.
He targeted this person directly, his tone softening, but his words remained sharp.

"This argument will not convince either Mr. Fang or His Majesty."

As he spoke, he began to pace back and forth.

"All I know is that Lord Lei's family is deeply favored by the Emperor and serves as His Majesty's eyes and ears, bearing a heavy responsibility. Lord Lei has not reported this important matter to His Majesty. If something major happens to the Governor's Office at this time, who can bear the consequences?"

As he finished speaking, he suddenly stopped, his voice grew louder, and he shoved a huge hat onto Lei Shan's head.

"Your Excellency is deceiving the emperor!"

The sound shook the air in the entire room, creating a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

Other officials in the capital were caught off guard by the turn of events and were filled with unease. They wondered why their own people had fallen into such disarray. What was going on?

Standing behind the desk, Lei Shan was relentlessly pressured by Fang La, who had accused him of a serious crime. His eyelids twitched, and then he laughed in anger. Crackling sounds emanated from his body, and silver arcs of electricity leaped, illuminating the room.

"I need not trouble Lord Fang with my affairs. I will apologize to His Majesty after this matter is over!"

"But what do you intend to do, coming here with your civil and military officials in such an aggressive manner?"

"The matter of the Imperial Preceptor will be judged in due course. Lord Fang, please return with everyone!"

He spoke coldly and rudely told people to leave.

These censors are so venomous. They'd do anything to frame you for something, even something as trivial as exterminating your entire family. It's no wonder that the court officials both hate and fear these censors.

"Leave?" Fang La sneered. "How could Lord Lei say such a thing?"

"Since I am acting on His Majesty's orders and have discovered this error, how can I stand by and watch it go unpunished? Does Lord Lei intend to continue making the same mistake?"

"Now that the Imperial Advisor has gone to the front lines, Yunding Mountain is like a group of dragons without a leader, and military intelligence from all directions is pouring into Yunding Mountain like snowflakes. Lord Lei usually just passes on messages and is not involved in government affairs. Does he intend to replace the Imperial Advisor and continue to handle government orders?"

"If things go wrong, I think we shouldn't even bother fighting this battle."

"Since I am entrusted with the imperial edict, I must promptly correct and rectify the errors. This matter should now be handled jointly by me and my colleagues to stabilize the unsettled hearts of those in the garrison." Fang La said, bowing respectfully towards the imperial court, his voice resounding with righteous indignation.
"Afterwards, once Grand Preceptor Helian returns to the mountain, everything will be left to His Majesty's judgment!"

Upon hearing this, the noisy whispers among the officials behind him ceased, and their previously uneasy expressions became intriguing. Was he handing over the reins of power in the entire Shu region to them?

Most of them were civil officials. In this place where military generals were respected, they couldn't say much and couldn't lead troops into battle. In this place where strength mattered, these officials from the capital were gradually marginalized in Yunding Mountain. Even if the Grand Preceptor was here, the Xuntian Hall was the domain of military generals, and they couldn't make a name for themselves.

At first, they had the ambition of officials in the capital, but later they found that they had no use for their talents, and many of them were depressed and complained a lot in private.

Upon hearing what Fang La said, these frustrated officials in the capital keenly saw an opportunity within it.

After hearing that Fang La openly wanted to seize power and even kicked him while he was down, Lei Shan's eyebrows furrowed and his eyes flashed with gloom.

"Fang La, are you so desperate for officialdom that you've gone mad? What are you doing, a mere censor, meddling in this?"

"This place is a battlefield, not a place for you to play tricks."

"We'll discuss everything once the Imperial Advisor returns!"

His tone was full of anger. If Fang La seized the opportunity to take power, he was afraid that this guy would do something stupid. After all, he was just a member of the Censorate. What was he doing getting involved? He didn't say anything too absolute, otherwise he would have cursed him. "Do you even know what war is?"
Secondly, and most importantly, this guy will disrupt the Grand Preceptor's plans, ensuring a smooth transfer of power later on, and it goes without saying who this power will be transferred to.

Fang La's face turned red and blue from the scolding. "You don't need to worry about that, Your Excellency. I will follow His Majesty's orders in everything."

As he spoke, he pointed directly at the large black seal on the table.

That's the tiger tally bestowed by His Majesty!
"you dare!"

When Lei Shan saw him make a move, he was furious. He slammed his hand on the table, and the black seal that flew up from the table was immediately enveloped by the lightning leaping in the void, and was firmly fixed in place. His eyes were filled with rage and terrifying lightning.

Then, a powerful aura swept down, turning into a gale and pressing down.

Fang La stood against the wind, his crimson official robe fluttering in the breeze, but his grip remained firm. He was not afraid at all; he was entrusted by His Majesty to act expediently, and he did not believe that the other party would dare to make a move in front of so many people.

"Lord Lei, are you defying the imperial decree?" he asked, his voice trembling with fear.

"Commander Wu, what are you still standing there for? You made a mistake by siding with someone else before. Now you should know what to do."

He then put pressure on the Skywalker commander.

The man standing to the side, Commander Wu, had an unpleasant expression and his eyes were shifty, but he did not make a move.

Those officials in the capital, however, uttered high-sounding words, yet their auras surged with tension.
"Your Excellency Leishan, what Lord Fang said is not wrong. Lord Fang is acting on His Majesty's orders. Does Your Excellency not even listen to His Majesty?"

"That's right, what are we doing? The situation is too chaotic right now. If we have internal strife among ourselves, what will happen? Please, Lord Lei, don't be so stubborn."

"Let's follow Lord Fang's advice. While the Grand Preceptor is away, we should take on the main responsibility and work together to keep the Fusi in operation. This is all for the sake of the court and the overall situation. We are all officials in the same court, so we should live in harmony and get along well."

"."

These officials in the capital spoke one after another, releasing their energy and shouting as they did so, all to help Fang La and Lei Shan fight for the imperial seal.

For a moment, the air was thick with tension.

"buzz"

"buzz"

"buzz"

The large black seal vibrated and hummed continuously as the two sides fought over it.

Behind the desk, Lei Shan's eyes gleamed with fury, his heart burning with rage. He wanted nothing more than to slap these hypocritical beasts to death. Their words were eloquent, but their mouths were full of scheming.

But reason told him that he couldn't go too far, or things would become more complicated. If he dared to defy the imperial decree, there was no guarantee that these people wouldn't add fuel to the fire and implicate him and the Imperial Advisor, leading to the Emperor's punishment and making the situation even more complicated.

After thinking for a moment, he suppressed his anger, and the lightning on his hand crackled and dissipated.

The large black seal then went out of control and flew into the hands of Fang La, the Imperial Censor.

Fang La accepted the seal, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He felt the immense weight of the seal in his hand, which represented the emperor's bestowal of the right to command and control the entire Jiannan Circuit's military forces.

He flipped his hand, putting away the seal, then gave Lei Shan a deep look.
"It would be best if Lord Lei could understand."

"I hope Your Excellency will explain the reason to His Majesty as soon as possible, so that I don't have to report this matter in front of Your Excellency later, which would be inappropriate."

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve.
"The entire governor's office is in chaos right now. Now that I have received the imperial edict and the seal, I must immediately put the situation under control. I will not linger any longer."

Although the Imperial Censor spoke in a low voice, the upward curve of his eyes was impossible to hide.

He had long been dissatisfied with the situation in this prefecture. The soldiers here were not loyal enough to the court, and now that power had fallen into the hands of others, he could take advantage of the emperor's decree to reorganize the area and do something to put the emperor's mind at ease.

After saying that, he turned and strode away, walking with a brisk pace, with the officials from the capital following behind him.

At that moment, Lei Shan's gloomy voice came from behind.
"Lord Fang, there are some things you can't handle. Don't regret it later."

"Then there's no need for Lord Lei to worry about it," Fang La said casually without turning his head.

He doesn't need to carry anything.

With His Majesty's discretion, and regardless of the outcome, loyalty to His Majesty is the most important thing.

As he walked over to the Skywalker Army commander, he glanced at him and said in an almost commanding tone:
"Commander Wu, send someone to summon all the other officials, high and low, to the main hall. I have something to discuss with you."

"Remember, no one from the Ninth Mountain can be absent." (End of Chapter)