The Challenge of a Farmhouse Son-in-Law
Chapter 519 - 529: Tian Jizi’s Intentions

Chapter 519: Chapter 529: Tian Jizi’s Intentions

Upon hearing Jin Zijin’s decision, Yue Rujing did not sleep well all night.

"If you reveal your identity now, you won’t be able to participate in the struggle for the position of State Preceptor. By then, you’ll have no hand in the matters of the Dao Sect, yet you’ll still be mired in the struggle for succession. You must think this through; you might end up in a dilemma," Yue Rujing warned.

Jin Zijin replied indifferently, "It is precisely because I have thought it through that I am discussing it with you."

Yue Rujing naturally knew Jin Zijin’s temperament, which was why she was so anxious.

"You will become the target of all, your emergence will stir up dormant forces from all sides. And you know what’s going on with the Dao Family; if our master is becoming senile and you don’t fight for our cause, our generation will have lost," she said gravely.

Jin Zijin looked up at Yue Rujing and asked in a deep voice, "Do you know what our master’s intentions are?"

"Master?" Yue Rujing was confused by the abrupt question.

"What do you mean by our master’s intentions?" she queried.

Jin Zijin explained, "The Dao heart is no longer pure. Our master’s greatest wish in this life is for the Dao Sect to distance itself from worldly power and return it to the Imperial Court. To cultivate purity, one must refine their character, not fight over power and possessions to the death."

"Tianzong and Xuanzong have been fighting for many years now, and it’s not just over the Youying Pearl or for the Dao Sect’s supreme power. They’ve caused harm, not just to members of our sect, but by dragging ordinary people, and even the imperial power, into the mire.

"They have strayed from the original intention of joining the Dao. Thus, our master intends to completely extract the Dao Sect from the quagmire of imperial power, to truly abstain from governance.

"Ajing, this is an opportunity," he concluded.

Yue Rujing nodded, then shook her head.

She understood everything up to that point, but not the last statement.

"What opportunity?" she asked.

Jin Zijin smiled cryptically, "You will find out in time."

"Alright then!" Yue Rujing sighed, conceding, "Whatever you say, brother. Since you’ve thought it through, let’s keep our distance from the affairs of the court."

Yue Rujing and Jin Zijin went to the back hall and spread out a lifelike blueprint.

The blueprint, when unfurled, was as large as half a wall.

"Brother," Yue Rujing pointed at a spot and said, "If you take your rightful place, the Xiao Family will definitely stand with you. They command a force of one hundred thousand, and with the twenty percent of the forces I can bring from Lingnan, we will command a force of three hundred thousand.

"The one hundred and fifty thousand troops belonging to the fifth prince are remnants of the third prince’s faction; any intelligent person would not give them the chance to rise again. We’ll set them aside for the moment, out of consideration.

"Additionally, the fifteen thousand from the Empress’s natal Ducal Residence are definitely our enemies, and we won’t consider the Emperor’s two hundred thousand. The fifteen thousand troops guarded by the General of the East Sea... The general used not to be involved in the court’s succession struggles, but earlier this year, his son married the legitimate eldest granddaughter of a minor branch of the Ducal Residence!"

Jin Zijin, with his hands behind his back, slowly walked in front of the blueprint, his sharp eyes never leaving the paper. After a moment, he chuckled, "So, you mean to say that the general is supporting the Empress? Three hundred thousand troops, exactly matching our own."

"Exactly," Yue Rujing nodded and said, "Who wins or loses will ultimately depend on the Emperor. Our Zhuzhao Country boasts of one million soldiers, but I’ve done the math and can only account for nine hundred and fifty thousand. The remaining fifty thousand, I once heard my father mention inadvertently, are also in the Emperor’s hand, and they are all valiant warriors who only take orders from the Emperor himself. No one knows exactly where these fifty thousand are hidden."

Jin Zijin raised an eyebrow but then said with a smile, "So it seems he’s not as useless as he appears on the surface, eh?"