Feng Yu Jiu Tian - Volume 16 - Chapter 1.1

The whole hall fell into a deep silence.

The sun had already set and the dark curtain of night has descended.

A countless number of lanterns had been hung above the hall to light up the scene. All sorts of elaborate and splendid designs were painted on them.

Similar to the number of lanterns, the number of guests in the hall amounted to hundreds, seated in a layer formation consisting of 3 inner layers and 3 outer layers. Not only the guests, even their attendants, maids, and beautiful “pets” had been inexplicably silenced by Feng Ming’s words.

A strange atmosphere had enveloped the entire hall, but the anticipation for what was about to happen filled the room.

Everyone knew, the words the Xiao Family’s young Lord were about to say could be seen as Xi Lei’s true leader, Rong Tian’s, way of regaining the throne. Since a king’s power and authority is seen as supreme, any question of such a political nature is highly sensitive. Unless it is as a last resort, the subject should absolutely never be touched.

With the flow of events, the originally insignificant banquet in Tong could potentially become the setting for one of the most historic political debates!

Sure enough, Su Jin Chao immediately returned to the center of the hall like a lion ready to fight. He carefully measured up Feng Ming with his eyes and smiled contemptuously. “Just now, you inquired how Rong Tian’s edict betrayed Xi Lei?”

“Correct.”

Su Jin Chao looked at him strangely and suddenly laughed.

Feng Ming understood that a majority of the guests were part of the royal family or nobles, so he absolutely could not lose his imposing momentum. He calmly waited for the laughter to stop before asking in a polite tone, “Is there something funny about my question?”

“Rather than funny, it is simply ridiculous.” Su Jin Chao stopped smiling, swept his gaze over the dignitaries present, and spoke in a condescending manner. “What exactly is the Grace Order? I presume everyone should know a thing or two about it, right?”

His straightforward question caused those present to unconsciously nod their heads in agreement.

However, this was not surprising. The day Rong Tian had interrogated Tong Jian Min, he had clearly stated he would not give up on the implementation of the Grace Order. He had even ordered his subordinates to prepare multiple copies and post it on buildings throughout the kingdoms.

Even in the Kingdom of Li, major streets and small alleys were not spared from the Grace Order, let alone Tong, which was situated next to Xi Lei. This kind of political maneuver containing such an incredible order, how could any individual of influence not know of it?

Within the crowd, probably only He Di, who was always located on the other side of the sea, lacked a complete understanding of the Grace Order. Kong Liu secretly inquired information on it and whispered the contents to him. His eyes flashed mysteriously and he silently laughed as he looked forward to the entertainment that would come from the development of the situation.

Feng Ming’s question was quite welcomed by Su Jin Chao.

This was a rare chance for him to show off.

After grabbing the audience’s attention, Su Jin Chao turned and laughed heartily. His face was like a spring breeze, full of high spirits as he cleared his throat. “Since its founding, my Xi Lei has gone by the system, created by the first king, of passing on noble titles to the next generation of the family. There are also strict regulations on selecting nobility. Because of this tradition of passing on titles by heredity, generations upon generations of brave and loyal courtiers have appeared.

However, if the Grace Order were to be implemented, Xi Lei’s respected lineages and generations of nobility will be disregarded. Eventually, even the selective system will allow inferior commoners to participate alongside nobles in the examination for new officials. I believe this audience is filled with respectable and excellent personages, so I request for all of you to consider this carefully. This kind of royal edict, who would be obedient enough to abide by it?” His last words were spoken with a tone of deep resentment and heartache to emphasize his point.

In fact, in regards to the Grace Order, it was not known how many times the officials had been conflicted with one another within the palace.

In order to strengthen and consolidate his hold over the throne, Tong er would mention the problem of the Grace Order for discussion during court assemblies every few days. The officials would get into arguments and rebuke the order, further weakening Rong Tian’s influence on them.

Su Jin Chao was, of course, a supporter of Rong Tong, so he would follow along in rebuking the order.