Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

In the Golden Throne Hall of the imperial palace, Crown Prince Ji Yuan sat at the head, bearing a pleasant expression with a smile on his face, as he looked down upon the assembly of courtiers below.

"You all must have heard the news of the great victory at Yan State yesterday, haven't you?" asked Crown Prince Ji Yuan with a smile.

Pausing a moment, the crown prince continued, "This morning, let us set aside other matters. What I mainly want to discuss with you, my dear courtiers, is the matter of rewarding those for their military achievements."

At this, Minister of the War Department Chen Yuanli stepped forward and asked in a deep voice, "May I know what kind of rewards Your Highness is considering?"

The crown prince said, "The battle at Yan State was a great triumph, and all the generals and soldiers made significant sacrifices. As they shed their blood and risked their lives for Da Xia, we certainly cannot treat them unfairly."

At that moment, Uncle Dingyuan frowned slightly, stepped out of line, and approached, saying, "Your Highness, I have something to report."

"Speak," the crown prince nodded slightly.

Uncle Dingyuan said, "In my view, there should be no rewards."

Upon hearing this, the crown prince's brows furrowed, and he said, "Why not?"

Uncle Dingyuan replied, "Although Da Xia won the battle at Yan State, the victory was incredibly hard-won. Not to mention that the casualties among the civilians number in the hundreds of thousands, and together with the fallen soldiers, the toll has exceeded a million.

Moreover, Yan State is now in a state of total disrepair, and with the treasury depleted, there will be many necessary expenditures. I beseech Your Highness to rescind the order."

"I support this sentiment," said Marquis of Wuwei, also stepping out to agree with Uncle Dingyuan's view.

The crown prince furrowed his brows and said, "However, after such a great triumph in Yan State, with the generals and soldiers having worked so tirelessly, would it not be remiss to forgo any rewards?"

"I believe they will understand Your Highness's difficulties," replied Uncle Dingyuan, lowering his head.

Then, the Marquis of Wuwei said, "Your Highness, given the current situation of Da Xia, it is not wise to be extravagant. As for the rewards, verbal recognition will suffice for now, and compensation can be provided later when it is not too late."

The crown prince's expression darkened as he replied, "You also mentioned that so many soldiers have died in this battle. Are you saying that for these men who gave their lives for Da Xia, I can only offer them verbal rewards? And what about the Duke of the Liang State, who also sacrificed his life on the frontier—am I to merely offer him verbal rewards as well?!"

Uncle Dingyuan spoke up loudly, "Your Highness, the matter is simple. For the Duke of the Liang State, a posthumous honor would sufficesince Your Highness had repeatedly instructed the duke not to go, it was his own stubborn choice. There is no blame on Your Highness, and there is no need for you to feel sorrowful."

"I echo this suggestion," Marquis of Wuwei chimed in from the side.

The Duke of the Liang State had opposed Uncle Dingyuan and the Marquis of Wuwei several times at court, and they had long been unhappy with him. Now that the duke had perished on the frontier, far from feeling any sorrow, they found it a cause for relief.

"So you mean to say that it was the Duke of the Liang State's fault for not knowing what was good for him?" asked the crown prince in a stern voice.

"I do not mean that," Uncle Dingyuan shook his head.

Struggling to hold back his anger, the crown prince said, "What about Gu Chen then? In the battle of Yulong City, he alone killed 120,000 barbarian troops. Does he also not deserve a reward?"

The mention of Gu Chen only fueled Uncle Dingyuan's fervor as he replied indifferently, "Your Highness, the claim that Gu Chen killed 120,000 barbarian troops is utterly fictitious. Human strength has its limits, and Gu Chen is no innate realm martial arts grandmaster. How could he possibly have accomplished such a feat?
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Street rumors are often exaggerated, and Your Highness must be careful not to believe them."

"The report was written personally to me by Yan Qing, the commander of the Jing Tian Department at Yan State, so are you suggesting he exaggerated as well?" Coldly huffing, the crown prince clearly showed his dissatisfaction with Uncle Dingyuan's words.

On hearing the name Yan Qing, Uncle Dingyuan's expression stalled, and the Marquis of Wuwei stepped forward to help him out, saying, "Your Highness, if Yan State had fallen, Yan Qing would be to blame, and now that Yan State has achieved a great victory, his gratitude naturally compels him to seek more benefits for these men, and that is understandable.

However, as the heir apparent, Your Highness should have the ability to discern right from wrong and make decisions based on the situation. Please reconsider Your Highness."

"Are you implying that I lack the ability to discern right from wrong?" the crown prince's face grew dark.

"We would not dare," Uncle Dingyuan and Marquis of Wuwei said in unison.

The crown prince had never expected that after the great victory at Yan State, these two would dare to obstruct him, and he felt an extreme loathing for Uncle Dingyuan and the Marquis of Wuwei from the bottom of his heart.

He was well aware that these two were very close to the eldest prince and might have already secretly aligned with him, hence their behavior.

In the court, due to the crown prince's personality, his authority indeed wasn't very significant.

Then, Uncle Dingyuan spoke again, "Your Highness, there is one more thing—if Gu Chen truly slaughtered 120,000 barbarians, then the matter warrants concern. With such a violent disposition, how different is he from the demon cults and monsters? Now that his infamy as a slaughterer has spread far and wide, Da Xia, being the legitimate Central Plains authority, how can we tolerate such deeds?

If word gets out, it could significantly impact Da Xia's image, as well as the reputation of Your Highness."

This time, the crown prince was truly angered to laughter. He said, "So according to you, not only should I not reward Gu Chen, but I should also punish him?"

"That would be most appropriate," Uncle Dingyuan nodded, with Marquis of Wuwei agreeing.

"Go fart your mother's dog fart!"

At that moment, a military officer could no longer restrain himself. He stood up, pointed at Uncle Dingyuan and the Marquis of Wuwei, and roared, "You two old bastards who've never been to battle, where were you when the soldiers of Da Xia and the Duke of the Liang State were shedding their blood for you? You were enjoying comfortable lives in Tiandu!

That's forgivable, but now, at the time of reward, you obstruct at every turn and dare to speak ill of the Duke of the Liang State. Knowing full well the Duke was elderly, why didn't you two cowards stand up and fight for Da Xia on the frontier? It seems you are nothing but craven!"