Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 200 - One Hundred and Fifty-Nine Power

Chapter 200: Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Nine Power

Leaving the stone house where the Communication Crystal was located, the three of them followed the stone path quietly moving forward.

The massive yamen was devoid of any sound, after the demonic beast calamity, the yamen was no longer as heavily guarded as when they first arrived. Now, the border army of Shengshan that had been on duty in the yamen had all been dispatched to maintain order throughout Shengshan County.

Walking a long distance, Xu Yuan let out a long sigh.

Marriage engagement...

The words "marriage" and "wedding" felt so distant to him in both his past and present life. In his previous life, although his elders had urged him to marry after he graduated from college, urging was one thing, paying attention to it was another. Now, it had truly come before him.

Mu Zhiyun...

In Xu Yuan’s mind, the image of the other party unconsciously surfaced.

Very beautiful, and also a very staunch woman; before he drugged her, he was almost bitten by her.

She must dislike him a lot, after all, what happened before was such an incident. It would be false if she didn’t.

This marriage arrangement was a thorough political alliance.

Because of family, in his previous life Xu Yuan had seen families created through political marriage, and he had an elder with whom he got along quite well who was in such a marriage.

Although married and with children, they still led separate lives.

Men in their forties and fifties still hung out in bars with young people like him, playing with things that were even more extravagant.

Xu Yuan lightly shook his head.

Times have changed. This world, although largely retaining the ancient social customs of his previous life...

Thinking up to this point, Xu Yuan stopped pondering further.

Just thinking about it gave him a headache, rather than continue to think about it, it was better to take things one step at a time. It was just an engagement for now, and an engagement could still be broken off.

Along the way, they arrived in front of the practice field covered with the bodies of the fallen soldiers of the Shengshan border army. Beyond it was Colonel Wang’s hall.

Colonel Wang was not waiting at the door of the Communication Crystal for him.

Too many had died in the demonic beast tide, the governance system of the entire Shengshan County had basically collapsed, and there were too many affairs to deal with, overwhelming him.

Walking on the uneven stone path,

suddenly,

a clear and serene voice came from beside Xu Yuan:

"Xu Yuan... are you getting married?"

It was Big Ice Lump.

Her clear and tranquil eyes stared unblinkingly at him, as if after much deliberation, she finally popped the question.

After thinking for a bit, Xu Yuan smiled helplessly and replied:

"I have no choice, but, there’s a high probability it will fall through."

Ran Qingmo blinked her beautiful eyes at the latter part of his sentence:

"Fall through? Does it mean there will be complications?"

Xu Yuan pondered mildly, murmuring:

"The Marquis of Wucheng’s Mansion is part of the Royalist Faction; he and my father have always been at odds in the Imperial Court. Because of my issue before, they almost fought in the Golden Throne Hall. This reconciliation is most likely by the will of that official in the palace."

Xu Xinyao suddenly asked softly from beside him:

"But big brother, if this is the will of the official family, why would there be problems?"

Xu Yuan glanced at her and pointed at his own head:

"Little sis, you need to think more when encountering issues."

"......"

Xu Xinyao’s beautiful eyes flickered.

Xu Yuan did not rush to speak but waited by her side.

After a long while,

Xu Xinyao said softly,

"Is it because of the conflict between the official family and father?"

Her words were brief, and Xu Yuan was pleased. He nodded and said,

"It seems you’re not too foolish, just too naive. Think carefully, and you can still figure it out."

"The saying ’when the birds are over, the bows are put away; when the rabbits are dead, the hounds are cooked’ may be an exaggeration in the Imperial Capital, where they say ’without the Prime Minister’s nod, no decree leaves the Golden Luang Hall.’ However, the power father holds as a subject has indeed become too great."

Xu Xinyao was silent.

Father treated her as his own, and he hardly kept anything from her, so she was very aware of the extensive reach the Prime Minister’s Mansion currently had.

Regarding finances, there was the Tian’an Commerce Assembly, wealthy enough to rival nations. The information agency controlled by Lou Ji, the Black Scale Guards, was even more potent than the official family’s Secret Investigation Department at the Imperial Court. As for the military force, there was the Tian’an Martial Hall with its widespread recruitment channels across the world. Although she was not clear on the exact number of troops her father controlled, she had a rough idea of it.

Because Dayan was truly vast.

Seeing his younger sister fall silent, Xu Yuan raised his hand and gently stroked her hair, softly saying,

"I heard Aunt Lou Ji say that father, in his youth, traveled around the world and met the current official family. Back then, that Emperor was still a Prince. Both of them saw the exhaustion of the Imperial Court, saw the Sects’ unkindness, and the common people’s misery, which inspired them to change all this. Later, they supported Li Yaoxuan to ascend the throne and become Emperor. Cherishing each other’s company, they started reforms aiming to discipline the Sects.

"Now, father’s power might have been nurtured by the official family, but perhaps over these decades, father’s development has far exceeded what this official expected. The camaraderie that once resonated between them might have changed, turned into suspicion, doubt, and mutual use."

At this, Xu Yuan looked deeply at Xu Xinyao and asked,

"Little Fourth, if you were the Emperor, would you allow such a powerful subject as father to exist?"

"......"

Xu Xinyao was silent, but after a short while, she still spoke softly, though not answering with her words, "The official family probably wouldn’t."

"Of course not."

Xu Yuan immediately replied, his tone unhurried, "People change. Father can change, and naturally, the Emperor can too. The royal family has no kinship, not to mention someone who was merely an outsider with a once-shared vision."

While speaking, Xu Yuan looked at the vast number of bodies on the drill ground and said softly,

"In the eyes of the Emperor, father is just a knife, a blade used to behead the Sects. Father probably understood this very well, but he was also willing to become a blade in the Emperor’s hand because they shared a common goal.

"To eliminate the Sects, to restore peace to the world."

"But now everything has changed."

"Decades have altered many things. Father has mother, us, and those loyal followers.

"And of course, there’s power."

Xu Yuan’s gaze was calm.

Power corrupts the heart.

Once one has tasted power, few can relinquish it.

Xu Yinhe was a competent father, but he was not a Saint.

Even if his cultivation was at the level of a Saint, he himself certainly was not. The title of a Saint in terms of cultivation was just flattery bestowed by others. Old Man Luo had mentioned this before—he was just an ordinary person with a higher cultivation level in his lifetime. A true Saint appeared once in a thousand years.

Father was already deeply mired in it. Giving up power meant giving up much—self, family, and a series of loyal followers would all be purged.

Mercy cannot be demanded as a luxury.

Xu Yuan said softly,

"To the official family, father has become a sentient and spirited weapon, and to father, the official family has become an obstacle.

"Now, with the common enemy of the Sects, they can work together.

"But when the Sects are dealt with, former friends who once shared ideals and heartfelt respect can only turn against each other with swords drawn!"