I Have A Qi Fortune Altar.
Chapter 658: 434: The Execution of Chen Yuan (Must Read)_3

Chapter 658: Chapter 434: The Execution of Chen Yuan (Must Read)_3

It is worth mentioning that the Hidden Dragon List has indeed updated its rankings; all martial artists who are over thirty or have achieved Core Formation have been removed from the Hidden Dragon List.

In their place, a new generation of martial artists has emerged, and the entire Hidden Dragon List is undergoing a significant Blood Exchange.

Let’s return to the topic at hand.

The most shocking news in the Capital these past two days was the arrival of Japanese envoys, preparing to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor and being accommodated at the Hostel by the imperial court.

However, Chen Yuan was unaware of this as he had instructed Tao Qingyuan not to disturb his cultivation unless necessary.

Today was the day for him to come out of seclusion, the main reason being the grand court meeting, an occasion where civil and military officials would present themselves before the Emperor, which must be taken seriously to avoid any mistakes.

Actually, with Chen Yuan’s official rank and class, he was also qualified to enter the Golden Throne Hall to attend the court meeting, but he would be seated at the back, so he thought it over and decided against it.

He also had no interest in standing all morning listening to the officials propose one suggestion after another, or one impeachment after another. Wouldn’t it be better to warm up a pot of old wine, find an old friend, or continue cultivating?

“Nothing went wrong, I hope?”

Chen Yuan sat at the head of the Heavenly Patrol Hall and asked Tao Qingyuan.

“Rest assured, my lord, everything is as usual, with no mishaps,”

“That’s good.”

“It was just that a few Japanese envoys weren’t quite clear about the court’s customs and almost went astray,” Tao Qingyuan casually mentioned.

“Japanese envoys?”

Upon hearing the word “Japan,” Chen Yuan subconsciously felt that these fellows were up to no good, perhaps it was a consistent impression of them.

“Tao almost forgot, you’ve been in cultivation the past few days and didn’t know about the Japanese envoys’ audience,”

“Go on.”

Tao Qingyuan then briefed Chen Yuan on the situation, explaining that the Japanese envoys had, according to protocol, sought an audience with His Majesty, and were hosted at the Hostel by the Ministry of Rites.

But for some reason, they got into a dispute with the martial artists of the Capital, causing quite a commotion.

“Is it someone from the Yagyu Family?”

The Yagyu Family was what Chen Yuan knew best about Japan, as the renowned Yagyu Shinya and Yagyu No Yi of the Yagyu Double Blades had both perished by his hand.

Add to that the smashed Longevity Altars in Qingzhou, and their grievances had accumulated, becoming not insignificant.

Interestingly, Chen Yuan’s enemies were no longer limited to the Central Plains Martial Artists; hatred had also begun to brew with the overseas barbarians of Japan.

After thinking for a moment, Tao Qingyuan replied,

“It seems to be someone from the Ito Family.”

Chen Yuan nodded; the Ito Family was one of the three great families of Japan and not to be underestimated. However, he still felt a bit of regret, as the Yagyu Family had brought him Qi Fortune twice.

If it were the Yagyu Family, that wouldn’t be so bad.

But he wondered whether any member of the Ito Family carried Qi Fortune as well.

Chen Yuan’s gaze shifted towards the distance, towards the direction of the Imperial Palace.

…

…

Imperial Palace, Golden Throne Hall.

Jingtai, clad in a dragon robe, sat on the dragon throne with a calm demeanor, his powerful imperial authority enveloping him, deterring the ministers from looking directly at him.

On either side of him stood two rows of officials.

To the left were the Military Officers of the court and officials from the Heavenly Patrol Bureau.

To the right were officials from the Six Ministries, all Civil Officials.

Both sides were distinctly separated.

Leading them were the significant military leaders of the Capital, each commanding their own forces. Today, two had arrived, along with two Divine Envoys from the Heavenly Patrol Bureau.

For them, attending the court meeting wasn’t compulsory; they could take turns attending.

Jingtai didn’t insist on everyone attending the court meeting either, as just the Nobles alone, if all attended, would overwhelm the Golden Throne Hall.

However, several of Jingtai’s adult Princes were present, standing respectfully to one side.

Additionally, the National Master, Pu Xian Bodhisattva, who seldom attended court sessions, unexpectedly appeared, attracting attention. The Bodhisattva looked thin, with a perpetual light smile on his face, as if he saw through everything.

A faint light encircled him, warding off all evils.

Cao Zhengxian stood leisurely by Jingtai’s side, his gaze narrowing as he looked down upon the civil and military officials below.

“Does any minister have a report to present?”

Jingtai asked indifferently.

No sooner had his words fallen than several officials from different ministries stepped forward to report mundane matters to Jingtai, such as the Northern Barbarians knocking at the gates again, or another place suffering from a drought, leaving the people destitute.

Impatience crossed Jingtai’s face as he responded with a few indifferent hums.

It was then that a Vice Minister from the Ministry of Rites turned to address the emperor:

“Your Majesty, Japanese envoys are currently awaiting outside the hall, eager to witness the imperial majesty of the Son of Heaven.”

Jingtai showed some interest and nodded:

“Announce their entry.”

He had long known of the Japanese envoys’ intended audience but had not summoned them. These kinds of international exchanges generally took place during the court meeting.

“Announce, Japanese envoys, for the audience!”

“Announce, Japanese envoys, for the audience!”

A chorus of voices rose in succession.

Soon, led by officials from the Ministry of Rites, Japanese Martial Artists entered the Golden Throne Hall. The leader was a dignified middle-aged man, dressed in a brocaded robe, with an air of authority.

Accompanying him was a follower and Ito Ikeda, who had met with the Fourth Prince, Sima Ke, the other day.

“Japanese envoy, Ito Shinsei, pays his respects to the Heavenly Dynasty’s Emperor!”

“Japanese envoy, Ito Ikeda, pays his respects to the Heavenly Dynasty’s Emperor!”

Several bowed and saluted with cupped fists.

“Stand up.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Their Central Plains etiquette was well executed.

“Japan has not paid homage to Great Jin for many years, so what brings you here now?”

Jingtai asked, his resonant voice echoing in the Golden Throne Hall.

“Your Majesty, our small nation admires the divine might of the Central Plains’ Son of Heaven and dares not show the slightest negligence. These years, we’ve been erecting altars in Japan to pray for Your Majesty. This time, in recognition of Japan’s admiration for the Central Plains, we hope that Your Majesty will allow Japanese Martial Artists to settle in the vast land of the Central Plains of Shen Zhou.”