Unintended Cultivator

V13 Chapter 52 – Every Patriarch’s Duty

Doing his best to put the duck out of mind, Sen intended to go directly to Xu Xiao Dan. However, the moment Gao Kangrui spotted him, the former king almost bounced out of the throne with an excited look on his face. That damn piece of furniture had almost become a massive point of political contention. Some were of the opinion that only Sen should sit in it. Others thought that it should be reserved for either Sen or the governor, depending on who was in the room. Sen couldn’t begin to express the depth of his indifference about who sat in the chair. However, he’d been told it would be a problem if he didn’t render a judgment. The entire matter left him mystified, and it took wisdom from someone with more experience to clarify things.

“It’s about status,” Jing had explained to him during one of their rare conversations using the communication cores. “The throne is a symbol.”

“The throne is a chair,” countered Sen. “A pretty ugly chair, if I’m being honest.”

“The throne is both a chair and a symbol,” said a clearly amused Jing. “The symbol might not mean much to you, but it matters to nobles and politicians. Your willingness to let someone else, anyone else, sit in that chair sends a message. A few messages, actually.”

“What messages?”

“First, your willingness to let someone else sit there says that you feel secure in your rule. You don’t think that anyone else has the necessary strength to seize control of this empire from you. So, there’s no reason to forbid anyone from sitting there. Second, it tells everyone that the imperial governor acts with your authority, not just their own. Finally, it signals that you intend to allow the provinces to run their own affairs as long as they follow your rules.”

“That’s just—” started Sen.

I know,” said Jing. “For you, this is all a purely practical consideration. You’ll be far away, fighting a war. It would be idiotic to believe that you could make decisions for people countless miles away from you. Plus, you really don’t care about that chair. I know that. You know that. Hells, even the nobles in that province know that deep down in their hearts. But this is politics, and politics is frequently divorced from reality.”

“Why would anyone want to be a king, let alone an emperor?” asked Sen. “It’s exhausting.”

“Not everyone shares your sense of responsibility. All they see is the power, not the work, and they want that power. Worse, if most of them got that power, they wouldn’t do the work. Frankly, even if you tried to make me a king again, I wouldn’t do it.”

“Aren’t you basically a king, right now?”

“You’d think so, but no. By making me a governor, you’ve actually reduced the threats to my family and me. Killing me, let alone slaughtering my whole family, isn’t a path to power anymore. It’s barely even a step toward it. Yes, I’ll be gone, so you’ll need a new governor. That doesn’t mean they’ll get the job. If anything, it’s more likely to bring down the wrath of all those shadowy people you employ.”

“I don’t employ—” Sen trailed off as he really thought about it.

There were the nine-tail foxes, and Lo Meifeng’s growing spy organization. Plus, he couldn’t forget about Long Jia Wei and the people he was training. People that Sen worked very hard to pretend weren’t cold-blooded assassins, even if that’s exactly what they were. That training might even be done for all he knew. He was conflicted about the entire topic. On one hand, he had very little good to say about assassins. On the other hand, he’d learned that every sect had at least a few people like that, and so did every kingdom. No matter his ideals, Sen understood that his empire was going to need people who did that kind of work. More importantly, as he blurred the lines between sect members and citizens, he was more likely to need the people Long Jia Wei was training. He just didn’t like it.

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“I suppose you’re right,” admitted Sen.

“It’s about politics,” said Jing. “Of course, I’m right.”

In the end, Sen had sided with the group advocating for the idea of shared ownership of the stupid chair. That had settled the issue, even if he got the impression that not everyone was satisfied. None of which did anything to protect him from Gao Kangrui’s enthusiastic greeting.

“Lord Lu!”

That drew the eye of everyone in the room. While Sen had grown inured to being the focal point of attention, it had never become comfortable. Particularly in those instances when he hadn’t braced himself for it. He kept his face fixed in a neutral expression as he gathered his thoughts for a moment. Only when he felt a little more balanced did he give the young man a slight nod.

“Goa Kangrui. You seem well today,” said Sen, for lack of anything better.

“I am! And is Lord Lu also well?”

That’s an absurd question, thought Sen. Am I well? Of course, I’m not well. I’m in the middle of a war and getting ready to march back into the violence. What could be good about that? Not that he let any of that slip out of his mouth. He gave the answer that he had to give.

“I am well. Thank you for asking.”

Sen had hoped to end the conversation right there and move on to speaking with Xu Xiao Dan. Instead, the former king launched into an extensive explanation of every decision he’d made since Sen began his brief bout of secluded cultivation. None of the decisions were things that Sen needed to know about, let alone have an opinion about. He glanced over at Xu Xiao Dan, silently imploring the man for a graceful rescue. Instead, the older cultivator was watching the scene with barely contained mirth. Having failed to secure support from his own camp, he looked to Li Qui Yue. Perhaps the boy’s aunt would save him from the mortal fountain of enthusiasm. Unfortunately, she only gave him a look that told him she expected him to do…something.

That would have been fine if he had even the vaguest notion of what that something should entail. Instead, he just listened patiently as the boy went on and on. When he finished, Goa Kangrui gave him a hopeful, expectant look. It was only then that Sen finally understood. He’d seen this exact expression on Ai’s face often enough. The young man was looking for praise. Sadly, Sen’s grasp of the local political situation was sufficiently vague that he had no idea if the decisions had been good. They probably weren’t catastrophic since no one had come running to complain about those choices. He risked another glance at Li Qui Yue. She gave him a subtle nod. He’d just have to trust that she wasn’t leading him astray.

“Those were judicious choices. You’ve done well.”

For a few seconds, Goa Kangrui straightened up and smiled like he’d been given a gift he’d badly wanted. He swiftly remembered his position and schooled his expression into one of appropriate gratitude.

“Thank you, Lord Lu. I seek only to emulate your wisdom.”

It took an effort for Sen to hang on to his composure after that. He might be famous, but it wasn’t his wisdom that had made him famous. If anything, it was his lack of wisdom that had gotten him where he was. He still gave the young man a gracious nod. Then, because he thought he was probably supposed to, he offered Goa Kangrui some vague and mostly hollow advice.

“Wisdom is the work of a lifetime. Always take the time to reflect on your decisions.”

The former king gave a very serious nod and said, “I’ll take that heart, Lord Lu.”

It was only then that Sen was able to escape and make his way over to Xu Xiao Dan.

“Was it necessary to leave me there like that?” he asked in a whisper that only another cultivator would have ever heard.

“It’s every patriarch’s duty to bestow praise and wisdom on his juniors,” whispered Xu Xiao Dan.

Sen was astounded that the man could make those words sound entirely pious while the laughter danced in his eyes. The laugher receded when the other man whispered again.

“The boy craves approval and guidance. Better that it comes from you, don’t you think?”

Sen knew the older cultivator, who possessed centuries more experience in just about every damn thing, was right. He just hated how awkward the entire encounter had been.

“I’m sure that’s true,” conceded Sen. “Now, will you please tell me about the state of things? Is the army prepared to march? Have any of the three cultivator scouts returned?”

“The army is prepared to march on your order. As for the scouts,” said Xu Xiao Dan, “there has been no sign of them.”

Sen had hoped that one of them would return while he was secluded, but he’d known that they hadn’t. Someone would have interrupted him for that. He hated the possibility of marching into a trap without any information, but it seemed he would have to take that risk.

“Inform the army, we march today,” said Sen.