Jun Zhantian remained silent, yet inwardly he nodded. A few days ago, in utter despair, he had been prepared to take everyone down with him, but His Majesty had ultimately stopped him. |//| Coupled with his grandson’s safe return, his mood had naturally shifted long ago.

If it hadn’t been for the Jun family this time, any other noble house, even one that had tried to appease His Majesty’s wishes, would likely have been razed to the ground by now! Thinking back, it had been truly perilous; a lingering chill of fear remained. “Grandfather, your loyalty to the Royal Family is beyond question; but that is merely your perspective.” Jun Moye said: “Although the Jun family currently appears to hold immense power, in reality, all the strength of the Jun family rests upon a single imperial edict from His Majesty!

The moment that edict is issued, everything will collapse like ice in a bonfire! I am very unaccustomed to this fact, and I suspect Uncle Third feels the same way!” “I have never been comfortable leaving my destiny in the hands of others, which is why I preferred a life of decadent indulgence. But now that my carefree days have been forcibly terminated, change is necessary.

The prerequisite for that change is… I must seize control of the Jun family ourselves!” Jun Moye looked at Jun Zhantian frankly: “This is my highest aim, my ultimate plan, and the foundation for everything else I intend to do!” “To hold your own destiny in your hands! Having such thoughts means you’re showing signs of rebellion!” Old Master Jun jolted, staring at him sharply. “Grandfather misunderstands.

In my view, those who strive to be Emperor, and those who already are Emperor, are merely fools—especially those who aspire to be enlightened rulers! They are the biggest fools of all!!” Jun Moye scoffed: “Even commanding unparalleled authority, even reigning over the land, even commanding three thousand beauties—it means nothing to me. I have absolutely no interest.” “You!” Old Master Jun’s chest heaved with anger, his white beard fluttering wildly.

To the fiercely loyal Old Master Jun, these words were nothing short of blasphemy against the object of his deepest fidelity. Had it been anyone other than Jun Moye speaking, he would have died eighteen times over already! “Grandfather, let us speak plainly.

Since we are discussing it today, I will make everything clear! His Majesty absolutely cannot tolerate the Jun family possessing such great power alongside such capable descendants! It poses an immense threat to the throne!

The deaths of my father, Second Uncle, and my two elder brothers—I will investigate the truth behind them sooner or later. If there are hidden schemes involved, I might just have to demand justice.” Jun Moye spoke calmly. Fine, since I admit I am Jun Moye, I must do something for this family; and this matter is likely the Jun family’s deepest hidden sorrow.

Old Master Jun let out a heavy sigh. After pondering for a long time, he stood up, turning his back: “When the late Emperor founded the Tianxiang Kingdom, he deliberately moved the major noble families into Tianxiang City, bestowing upon them high positions and great honors. This practice served two primary conveniences; first, consolidating all families together made them easier to control; second, having the great families check and balance each other allowed for an equilibrium of power.

Only in this way could the Royal Family maneuver effectively and control the overall situation.” “Currently in Tianxiang City, aside from the Ye family, who were purged back then, the Jun, Li, Dugu, Murong, and Tang families each hold sway in their respective spheres, maintaining a truce. In recent years, the Meng and Song families have been added. But fundamentally, they are merely noisy upstarts, in no way comparable to the aforementioned great families.” “In the military, we Jun family and the Dugu family lead the charge.

Although the Murong family now seeks to encroach upon military affairs, as long as Dugu Zongheng and I remain, they absolutely cannot insert themselves! The Li and Meng families, on the surface, are our biggest rivals right now; they are constantly plotting the downfall of the other. Furthermore, these two families are connected by marriage, and the Li family has produced Li Youran among their younger generation—a prodigious talent whose threat level is naturally greater.” “The Song family among the great houses has always kept a low profile; they require no attention for the moment.

As for our Jun family and the Dugu family in the military, we are rivals, and minor skirmishes occur constantly. That old rogue Dugu Zongheng is quite defiant toward me. But these are not the main issues; the crucial point is that although our two families counterbalance each other, because both are fundamentally loyal to the Royal Family, they will never truly draw swords.

You must engrave this fact in your mind! This is precisely the fundamental reason why the Jun family can stand firm in the court without falling!” “Of the great families, the Murong family harbors great ambition and requires vigilance, but not overly targeted attention.” “These great families all have their own schemes. Once the true moment of reckoning arrives in the Imperial Capital, everything will be laid bare.

But until that moment comes, no matter how major the incident, they will maintain an outward peace among themselves. This is the universally acknowledged, unspoken rule among the noble houses.” “Therefore, this is precisely the time for your younger generation to stir things up. Everyone watches your youthful follies; even if the antics are somewhat outrageous, they merely smile it off, yet they are also observing you closely, discerning which among the rising generation poses the greatest threat.

I am greatly relieved that you see this so clearly.” Old Master Jun deftly avoided the topic Jun Moye brought up—investigating the deaths of the Jun family’s previous generations—and instead launched into an analysis of the capital's political landscape. “Three years ago, His Majesty intended to name a Crown Prince, but after a period of testing, he reluctantly abandoned that original intention, allowing the three Princes to contend among themselves while he observed the chaos from behind the scenes with perfect clarity. His Majesty has always believed that all three sons possess a wolf’s nature!

But in the competition between three wolves, one king must emerge, and the one who ultimately wins will be His Majesty’s successor.” Jun Moye let out a cold sneer but remained silent. Old Master Jun also shook his head with a wry smile: “But a wolf remains a wolf; it can never transform into a tiger, much less a dragon! Even a wolf king adheres to wolfish ways.

Yet His Majesty clearly has no better option, so he resorts to repeated coercion, repeated pressure, yet also repeated deterrence, repeated subjugation, **!” “The old foxes of every family have certainly seen this. For the sake of their own lineage, they refuse to easily intervene in the princes’ disputes; but every family also has someone who aligns closely with one of the princes, thereby maintaining an invisible balance!” “Currently, the only families completely unaligned with the three princes are our Jun family, the Dugu family, and the Li family.” The Old Master spoke of these seemingly unrelated matters, as if talking to himself and yet addressing Jun Moye simultaneously. Having reached this point, he finally drew a conclusion: “Therefore, whatever you plan to do, as long as you have it figured out in your own mind and don't cause too much trouble, I will cooperate.

Go ahead and do it.” With that, Old Master Jun stood up, looking somewhat fatigued: “I can no longer deny my age; I can only watch from the sidelines now. Your Third Uncle’s body… ahem… his disability. The Jun family’s fate now rests on your conduct.

Whatever you decide, just ensure the Jun family is not driven to complete ruin!” Jun Moye’s eyes lit up. He keenly grasped the implication of Old Master Jun’s final sentence: “Go ahead and do it.” That phrase held a profound, layered meaning. No wonder he first analyzed the situation in the capital for me.

The real meat of the matter is this one sentence. It means, do whatever you want; the Jun family will be your rear guard, but we will not participate. However, if trouble arises, I will still be the one to pull you out… But why did he pause when mentioning Third Uncle’s disability?

This doubt was immediately resolved— Old Master Jun looked at his grandson with an expression of relief: “As for your Third Uncle’s leg, if you truly have a method, you should hurry. Regardless of the final outcome, conclude it quickly; if it drags on, it won't just be your Third Uncle who grows anxious; others might become even more so.” With that, the Old Master glared at him, reprimanding: “Hmph hmph, do you two think I’ve truly gone senile? You are my grandson, that man is my son, and this is the Jun Family Compound!

And you conspire to hide things from me? As if you could! Truly laughable!” “Uh,” Jun Moye felt a bit awkward, rubbing his nose as he explained: “I just didn’t want to disappoint you if, by some chance, I failed.” “I never held any hope for this matter in the first place!” The Old Master puffed up his chest and glared, delivering a sharp blow to Jun Moye, who lowered his head, face darkened.

“And if by some sheer luck you manage to cure him, do you think I’m so foolish as to announce it to the entire world? Lest the world not know?! And then have people fixate their targets squarely on you two and start plotting schemes against you?

If you hide similar matters from me again, watch out, or I’ll beat both your behinds senseless! You won't be able to leave your rooms for the rest of your lives!” Jun Moye stammered repeatedly, left utterly dumbfounded.