Chapter 18: Intertwined Roots

Aside from the Tianji Sect and Mount Cang Sheng, the most prominent forces in the martial world were the Wanyuan Sect and the Mingye Pavilion, both of which established their standing through martial prowess.

Although both were powers built upon military might, the two were quite different.

The Wanyuan Sect claimed to be an orthodox sect, taking it upon themselves to punish evil, promote good, and uphold justice; consequently, both their reputation and influence were greater.

The Mingye Pavilion, on the other hand, acted more on impulse and whim. The pavilion was composed entirely of highly skilled assassins, and any mission undertaken by the Mingye Pavilion was never failed. Its leader was revered as the Underworld King.

While the two factions looked down on each other and occasionally had minor frictions, they had never engaged in a major conflict.

If one were to say that the world held a sense of respectful admiration for the Wanyuan Sect, they held more of a sense of dread toward the Mingye Pavilion.

Further down were the Xue family, the largest salt merchants, and the Qi family, the largest grain merchants, both of whom had gained fame in the martial world through their immense wealth.

The Xue family was the wealthiest and served as the imperial merchants of Tianchu. The taxes they paid to Tianchu every year accounted for more than half of the total tax revenue; over thirty percent of the funds in the Tianchu national treasury were earned by the Xue family. Thus, although they were merchants, the imperial court had granted them a first-rank official title, making them legitimate imperial merchants. While they held no actual political power, most of those they dealt with were high-ranking officials and nobles, making them incredibly prestigious.

The Qi family was the largest grain merchant. Although they did not hold official titles like the Xue family, they were also a pillar industry of Tianchu and maintained frequent contact with high-ranking officials and nobles.

The Xue and Qi families possessed staggering wealth. Although they lacked political authority, with money paving the way, there were many people in both the imperial court and the martial world who worked on their behalf, making them very powerful forces.

Turning to the imperial court, the families with the largest military forces were the Gu, Han, and Yue families.

The Gu Army was under the command of Lin Jinyan's maternal grandfather, Gu Hongzhang. The Gu family had served as military officers for generations, guarding the northern borders of Tianchu. Their army of over three hundred thousand was the most elite force in Tianchu, and Gu Hongzhang had been personally appointed by His Majesty as the Grand General of the North, ranking among the Three Ducal Ministers.

The head of the Han family, General of the West Han Yaohui, was the maternal uncle of the Third Prince, Chu Chengye. He commanded two hundred thousand troops guarding the western borders of Tianchu.

The head of the Yue family, General of the South Yue Jianlin, commanded one hundred and fifty thousand troops guarding the southern borders of Tianchu.

Then there were the garrison forces stationed in various regions to maintain peace. The largest was the capital, Taian City, with thirty thousand city guards and twenty thousand imperial guards within the palace.

One hundred miles east of Taian City, near the Royal Hunting Grounds, another fifty thousand Ding'an troops were stationed. The Ding'an Army, the city guards, and the imperial guards were under direct royal jurisdiction; aside from their permanent commanders, they were supervised and rotated through shifts by the various princes.

Lin Jinyan frowned in deep thought: In her past life, she had been the model of a noble lady of a great family, studying music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, and household management. She only knew the general information about these factions that was common knowledge to the world; she knew nothing of the finer details. These forces were intricately intertwined, and any slight misstep in contact could arouse suspicion. Where should she even begin?

As she was lost in thought, a head appeared outside the window

"Yan'er, what are you dazing off about?"

Lin Jinyan snapped back to reality to see Lin Jin'an, his hair tied in two small buns with the rest falling over his shoulders, gripping the window frame and looking at her with a puzzled expression.

Looking at her young and adorable brother, Lin Jinyan felt a smile rise, but then the memories of her past life rushed back, and her eyes involuntarily reddened.

Seeing this, Lin Jin'an looked panicked. "Are you going to laugh or cry? You mustn't cry again! Last time you cried, you had a high fever for two days before you got better. Did brother scare you?"

Lin Jinyan sniffled, suppressed her emotions, stood up, and smiled.

"It's been a long time, brother. I missed you. Why didn't you call for me when you entered the courtyard? I didn't even know you were here."

Lin Jin'an replied, "How can it have been a long time? I came to see you just yesterday. I called out several times when I came in, but you didn't answer me."

Lin Jinyan smiled and called Lin Jin'an into the room, while she went to the door to greet him.

(End of Chapter)