Chapter Thirty-Three: The Courtroom Debate (Part Three)

Above the Hall of Supreme Harmony, near the Nine-Dragon Jade Platform, an elder who had been sitting with his eyes closed in meditation suddenly stood up, his expression icy as he stared at the Marquis of Sacred Might.

This was Grand Chamberlain Wang Yun—the most eminent civil official of the Great Tang, ranking above the Three Dukes. In the eyes of the scholars and Confucians, his status was second only to the wine-offering priest of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

His words, sharp as the biting wind of midwinter, swept through the hall, rendering everyone silent as cicadas in the cold. Even the military commanders dared not utter a word, and even the Marquis of Martial Virtue's expression shifted slightly.

Grand Chamberlain Wang Yun was a venerated minister of the late emperor, renowned for his virtue and respected throughout the court. The current emperor himself treated him with deference, and his disciples were spread across the empire, making his influence immense. Years ago, with only a few words before the late emperor, he had persuaded him to issue an edict ordering the Marquis of Sacred Might to guard Tong Pass for life, forbidding him to ever leave.

Now, after a century, the two met again, and a storm seemed unavoidable.

"Hmph!"

The Marquis of Sacred Might snorted coldly. Even though his opponent was the esteemed Grand Chamberlain of Tang, he showed no sign of respect—especially given the old enmity between them. The system of the Garrisoned Tuntian Army was the very foundation of the Tang military and could not tolerate the slightest error. While there were factional disputes within the army, no one dared to lay a hand on the Tuntian forces. To do so would rouse the entire military against them!

Today's confrontation in the court was no longer a simple struggle between civil and military officials, nor a mere contest for power. The Tuntian Army's system was the bedrock of the Tang military and was inviolable.

"You decrepit old man—aren't you renowned Confucians supposed to disdain the pursuit of longevity? How are you still alive? And if you must be, must you become more senile with each passing year? The Tuntian Army was established by the founding emperor; it's the very root of our nation's power. Yet today you dare to speak of abolishing it. You might as well have lived all these years as a dog!"

To the astonishment of all present, the Marquis of Sacred Might shot a chilling glare at the Grand Chamberlain and spoke out. The entire court was stunned.

With that, he stepped forward, closing the distance toward the Grand Chamberlain.

"Brother!"

At his side, the Prince of Martial Virtue's face changed drastically as he subtly moved to block the Marquis of Sacred Might. The Grand Chamberlain’s status was exceptional, his influence vast, and old grievances hung between them. In his rage, who could say what the Marquis might do?

"Insolence! Even if the late emperor were here, he would not dare speak so to me! You are lawless!" the Grand Chamberlain thundered, his voice booming through the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Few in the court would dare so brazenly offend the Grand Chamberlain; those who had were long since purged from the Eastern Capital. Even the Grand Tutor, who had withdrawn from the capital, had done so largely for offending this very man.

Yet there was one thing the assembled ministers could never have known:

The Marquis of Sacred Might had never cared for the Grand Chamberlain—in his eyes, the man was less pleasing than the dog outside his own gates.

Years ago, because of the Tong Pass affair, the Grand Chamberlain had advised the emperor to strip him of his rank and confine him to the House of Imperial Clans, never to be pardoned. His long exile at Tong Pass, forbidden to take a single step outside, was all due to this very figure.

"Who do you think you are? The late emperor? He’s been gone for centuries—do you wish to follow in Shangguan Qi’s footsteps and join him? You sit in court, flaunting your seniority, and it was your deceitful counsel that let the Jiedushi system pass so easily!"

The Marquis of Sacred Might’s voice was harsh as he faced the Grand Chamberlain.

A thunderous rumble seemed to echo through the hall. All were shaken by his words. The Jiedushi system had the Crown Prince’s firm backing, and yet here was the first to openly oppose it in the Hall of Supreme Harmony: the Marquis of Sacred Might.

What did he intend? To oppose the Crown Prince? To defy the emperor?

The hall fell silent as death.

"Li Chengyu, you—you are insolent! I..."

The Grand Chamberlain, enraged by the Marquis's words, trembled so violently that even his snowy beard quivered, his lips twitching uncontrollably. All his life he had been honored, revered by all—when had he ever suffered such humiliation? For a moment, he was at a loss for words, and in his agitation, he blurted out the Marquis’s personal name.

"Insolent? I am the late emperor’s third son. By rank, my status eclipses yours a hundredfold! How dare you address me by name? It seems you have forgotten your place in this court!"

With a cold snort, the Marquis of Sacred Might advanced another two steps toward him.

Perhaps because of his long absence from court, the current ministers knew little of the Marquis’s true nature. They did not realize that, in his youth, he was famed for his uncompromising righteousness and fiery temper.

As a frontier general, his battlefield aura was unmatched in the entire court. When enraged, his eyes flashed like lightning, making all who met his gaze shiver.

One by one, the officials found themselves cowed by his presence, unconsciously retreating several steps.

"Marquis of Sacred Might..."

Atop the Nine-Dragon Jade Steps, the emperor's chief eunuch, Gao Lishi, watched with a faint frown. The Marquis's repeated references to the late emperor seemed to draw a comparison with the current sovereign—a worrying implication.

Gao Lishi instinctively glanced at the emperor, hidden behind the beaded curtain. There was no discernible reaction, no intent to intervene.

By now, the Grand Chamberlain was so livid he could not speak, his entire body trembling. Yet the fury in the Marquis’s heart blazed far hotter.

"Year after year, our soldiers bleed on the frontier for the sake of the people. Do you civil officials even understand the consequences of abolishing the Tuntian Army's reserve system?

"In the Warring States, Qin annihilated Zhao’s army of four hundred thousand, leaving Zhao with no reserves; its strength waned and it was destroyed. At the end of Qin, in the battle of Julu, Xiang Yu and his allied forces slaughtered two hundred thousand Qin soldiers; the Qin’s main forces were lost, their empire doomed. In the Three Kingdoms, after the Shu emperor’s defeat at Yiling, if not for timely reserves holding Baidi Fortress, history itself might have been rewritten.

"Throughout history, as long as armies are undefeated, no one notices the problem. But once they are routed and there are no reserves, the very foundation of the nation is shaken. How many dynasties have been destroyed for lack of reserves? The founding emperor established the Tuntian Army precisely to learn from history’s lessons: in peace, they farm to ensure the army’s grain; in war, they fight, replenishing the ranks at once and keeping the frontier invincible. Yet today you would abolish this system—crippling the nation with your own hands! Such folly is unspeakable!"

The Marquis’s voice roared through the hall, each word thunderous, his eyes bloodshot with fury. Yet every point he made was unassailable, every example drawn from real history. Even Lord Shangguan, standing nearby, could not help but concede the Marquis’s logic.

"A wise man prepares for danger in times of peace. To dismantle the Tuntian Army is to imperil the border! Wang Yun, you have truly lost your wits. Open your eyes and look around—every neighbor covets our land, yet you support such a foolish proposal. For all your years, you cannot even recognize the enemy. You are less useful than the watchdog at my gate!"

The Marquis’s words cut like knives, his final sentence crashing through the hall like summer thunder. Before him, the Grand Chamberlain staggered back several steps, nearly unable to remain standing.

"Li Chengyu, you—you dare—you dare call me worse than a dog?!"

The Grand Chamberlain’s face went ashen, his blood surging with fury at the final insult, nearly causing him to faint.

"Grand Chamberlain!"

"Grand Chamberlain!"

The assembled civil officials, alarmed, rushed forward. Those closest quickly supported the staggering elder, steadying him.