Cui Yixian stepped forward expressionlessly and ca to stand beside his uncle.
Nearby, Cui Clan mbers hastily rose and vacated their seats, allowing Cui Yixian to sit down.
"I have thoroughly studied the regulations of the Academic Palace," Cui Yixian began. "They state that candidates for Mountain Master must be recomnded by the previous Mountain Master and then elected by a collective vote of all lifelong Doctors of the Academic Palace, requiring over seventy percent of the votes to be successful. If a candidate fails to secure over seventy percent, the Mountain Master must then recomnd additional candidates to compete for the position."
The old Cui Family Patriarch said calmly, "Chen Danqiu’s current position as Mountain Master only has Lian Xuanyao’s oral approval. It hasn’t undergone a vote by the lifelong Doctors of the Academic Palace, so it doesn’t comply with the rules. That is the first point."
"Is there a second?" Cui Yixian asked coldly.
"Yes." The Cui Family Patriarch nodded. "The process is incomplete, rendering Chen Danqiu’s position as Mountain Master invalid. This is sufficient grounds to call a eting and organize the lifelong Doctors for a new election."
Cui Yixian remained unmoved. "That rule is rarely invoked."
The Academic Palace had a long-standing tradition of ensuring a smooth transition for its Mountain Masters. It was rare for a Mountain Master to pass away unexpectedly without recomnding a successor. It was also uncommon for the position to remain undecided, leading to overt and covert competition between factions.
"’But it’s not as if there’s no precedent.’ The old Cui Family Patriarch smiled faintly. ’Thirdly...’"
He pulled an envelope from his robes and tossed it out. Influenced by Telekinesis, the envelope floated steadily before Cui Yixian, who reached out, caught it, and opened it.
Inside the envelope was a single, thin sheet of paper. The content was simple: a Yu Country household registration docunt for a man surnad Chen.
"This is information about Chen Danqiu’s father," the old Cui Family Patriarch explained leisurely. "He was originally a minor noble from Jing Country. Due to a feud with local magnates, he fled to Yu Country in distress and t a noblewoman in Zhao Jun. With his good looks and eloquent speech, he married into her family as a live-in son-in-law. Using his wife’s family connections, he quietly changed his household registration. In other words, Chen Danqiu is actually from Jing Country. Heh." The old Cui Family Patriarch chuckled. "This information had long been buried in the Zhao Jun archives, gathering dust for many years. A friend of mine stumbled upon it by sheer coincidence. Chen Danqiu himself probably doesn’t even know. Of course, it’s also possible he knows and simply doesn’t care."
Cui Yixian read the registration docunt word for word. Then, with a flicker of Sword Intent, he incinerated the paper to ash—it was a handwritten copy; the original was undoubtedly hidden by the old Cui Family Patriarch.
"’It’s unimportant,’ Cui Yixian stated, his tone cold. ’Yu Country doesn’t place much importance on bloodlines. The court has several generals and ministers of Hu Ren descent, and the Academic Palace includes lifelong Doctors from other nations.’"
"At any other ti, it would indeed be unimportant. But things are different now." The old Cui Family Patriarch sipped his tea and smiled. "At today’s funeral, I saw clearly: most of those Doctors from other countries sat at the edges of the cetery. Those closest to Lian Xuanyao’s tomb were all Yu Country natives. If Yu Country’s previous war preparations were to resist foreign aggression and defend the holand, then after Lian Xuanyao repeatedly breached the Zhou Kingdom Palace, assassinated Turkic priests, and sundered the peaks of Taihao Mountain, only one possibility remains: a war of annihilation. It doesn’t matter which country is to be annihilated. The undercurrents are already surging. At this very mont, those Doctors from other countries must be under surveillance by the Supervision Departnt. They had to be prevented not only from returning to serve their own countries but also strictly guarded against betraying Yu Country. This vigilance included stopping them from defecting with secrets like the Heavenly Boat, Penicillin, or Spiritual Energy Machines. ’Those not of our kind are sure to be of a different mind’—that saying isn’t re talk. In such circumstances, would the lifelong Doctors of Yu Country nationality, who form the majority within their ranks, still accept soone of Jing Country descent, who concealed his origins, as their Mountain Master? Don’t forget, the temple where Chen Danqiu is currently in closed-door seclusion is a Holy Land of the Academic Palace."
The old Cui Family Patriarch’s words were cutting, each aid to wound, as he relentlessly harped on Chen Danqiu’s Jing Country lineage. Yet Cui Yixian’s expression remained placid, betraying no emotion.
"There’s one more thing." The old Cui Family Patriarch paused, then continued slowly, "Yixian, since its founding, the Academic Palace has had over forty Mountain Masters and hundreds of Masters. Among all the Masters, those born into or connected with the Five Families and Seven Hopes constitute over thirty percent. Yet, how many of them have beco Mountain Master? The answer is none. Even if positions were rotated, such an outco would be impossible. For so many years, the Academic Palace and the Li Yu Royal Family have always been wary of us noble families. Even though we’ve drawn our fangs and claws, disard ourselves, and yielded at every turn, they still haven’t accepted us as part of Yu Country. Yixian, you’ve served in the Academic Palace for many years. The number of demons and Evil Spirits you’ve slain far exceeds that of Chen Danqiu, who rarely ventures out and largely remains ensconced in his position. Why him, and not you? Does the position beco Chen Danqiu’s simply because Lian Xuanyao says so?"
"..."
As if a particular phrase had struck a nerve, Cui Yixian’s brow furrowed. He looked around at everyone present and said coldly, "The Mountain Master has just been buried. You called here just to discuss this?"
A familiar elder from the Cui Clan also advised, "Yixian, we’re not trying to betray Yu Country. We want to secure a peaceful future for our entire family, for our children and grandchildren. Think about it: if Chen Danqiu remains Mountain Master, what happens when the Mountain and River Guardian Talisman dissipates and the war of annihilation begins? What if Yu Country forces our family’s younger generation onto the battlefield? Can you bear to watch your own nephews and younger kin lose their lives for nothing? Tantai Leshan is a scholar with no ambition. Xue Che is a reckless Martial Artist, hardly a threat. Xi Yangyu’s background is questionable; he’s in no position to compete with you. This is the best opportunity. If you beco Mountain Master, looking ahead, our family can avoid needless sacrifices. Looking back, if Yu Country shows signs of decline, we’ll have more leverage when negotiating with Taihao Mountain."
"That’s right," another Cui Clan elder chid in. "Lian Xuanyao went too far. By sundering the peaks of Taihao Mountain and severely injuring the Haotian Sect Leader, he tore away the last vestiges of decorum between the two sides, pushing Yu Country onto a path of no return. Right now, in Chang’an City, we’re not the only family discussing how to secure our future. Many are doing the sa, including those nobles from the Two Capitals who loudly proclaim their readiness ’to carry the jade dragon to die for the king’ and ’to perish with the country’—everyone is looking out for themselves."
Cui Yixian’s eyelids twitched. He slowly turned his head to look at his uncle, who seed hesitant to speak. "Uncle, what about you?"
"Yixian, I," the uncle rubbed his hands together, lowered his head in embarrassnt, and said in a low, ashad voice, "I’m a grandfather now too."
Enjoying his twilight years with his grandchildren—that was his sole remaining aspiration. There was no coercion or threat from within the family; his decision to speak out and persuade Cui Yixian today was entirely of his own volition.
"..."
Cui Yixian fell into a prolonged silence. At the dining table, all eyes were fixed on him—hopeful, anxious, or pleading. All his clan mbers awaited his response.
CLICK.
Beneath the table, Cui Yixian’s hand released the hilt of his sword.
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