Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

In fact, the Imperial Commerce Bureau, Martial Arts Temple, and Martial Arts Pavilion are the three offices Emperor Jianxing could most easily control, since they were established recently and don’t have deeply entrenched bureaucratic systems.

With determination, Emperor Jianxing could spend a year or two to take command of these three offices.

Having control over these would mean having his personal purse and loyal martial force. If Emperor Jianxing had the patience to proceed methodically, he might prolong the Dynasty for decades.

Unfortunately, Emperor Jianxing lacked such capability, and his management only made the court’s chaos intensify.

Faced with the departure of Innate Martial Artists from Sanshan Valley and Cui Xia Valley, Emperor Jianxing’s heart was filled with a pale sense of powerlessness.

Imperial City, inside Fengxian Hall.

Emperor Jianxing sat in the grand hall with a dismal expression.

Prince Yu, Chen Wansong, stood with hands behind his back, gazing at the ancestral tablets displayed in the hall.

”Mingxi pays respects to Great Uncle!” Chen Mingxi, dressed in a dark purple narrow-sleeved gauze skirt, stepped gracefully into the hall and performed a ceremonial bow.

Counting the years, Chen Mingxi was already nearing ninety, yet her face still appeared to be around forty, beautiful and dignified, with an elegant demeanor.

”Have a seat!” Chen Wansong said in a calm tone.

As the strongest martial artist within the current royal family, and also its most senior elder, Chen Wansong felt heavy pressure.

As the building crumbles, what should the royal family do?

Support the court with all their might, or step out of the game to seek a new path?

Chen Zhaojun lifted his head to look at Chen Wansong, ”Great Uncle, speak freely, whatever it is, I can bear it!”

At this moment, Chen Zhaojun’s only feeling was the inability to reverse the situation!

Bandits were ravaging Shanhe Province, and although the imperial guard was powerful, it could not completely eradicate them; instead, as time passed, the number of bandits increased.

Now, there were already three to four hundred thousand bandits in Shanhe Province, and the court’s control was limited to Shuntian Prefecture.

Though the imperial guard kept generating success reports, it suffered losses, with only six thousand left out of ten thousand, and due to prolonged battles and high-frequency engagements, the soldiers’ morale had dimmed.

Though the imperial guard could still be called an elite force, it was no longer as formidable as before.

With depleted forces, the imperial guard also reached the verge of disintegration.

Feeling powerless, Chen Zhaojun contemplated the situation with a sense of abandon.

Chen Wansong turned, his deep eyes fixed on Chen Zhaojun.

Was Chen Zhaojun truly incompetent?

Not necessarily!

Perhaps Chen Zhaojun wasn’t markedly wise or heroic, but he possessed average qualities.

Moreover, he was not indulgent or reckless; since ascending the throne, he was dedicated and persistent.

If placed two hundred years ago, Chen Zhaojun might have maintained the court and even made significant accomplishments.

But considering the present, Chen Zhaojun lacked the ability to prevent the towers from falling, making him appear somewhat ineffectual.

”Do you have any ideas?” Chen Wansong asked.

He did not fault Chen Zhaojun because he himself knew no solutions.

All these years, he had hidden away in Fengxian Hall; except for Emperor Yanping consulting him twenty years ago, he hadn’t intervened in court affairs.

Truthfully, until last year when Chen Zhaoxuan died in battle, he scarcely paid attention to court matters.

To him, bandits, rebels, renegades, were just rabble; Da Rong was capable and strong enough to deal with them.

Yet reality had slapped him hard.

It was as if saying, stop sleeping; wake up, or Da Rong will collapse.

This couldn’t be blamed on him since the royal family had their rules; royal family’s Innate Martial Artists couldn’t just meddle in court affairs; thus he had concentrated on his cultivation, disregarding court matters.

In his heart, Da Rong should still be the great Da Rong, akin to when Emperor Chengping reigned.

He indeed didn’t expect Da Rong to have declined to such an extent now.

Chen Zhaojun paused briefly before speaking, ”I have one plan, but it’s like inviting the wolf into the house!”

”What plan? Tell me!” Chen Wansong said.

With a complicated expression, Chen Zhaojun said, ”Bring Yang Zhenshan back!”