Chapter 140: Bearing the Weight of the World

"Lu Sheng, you are truly something else!"

"Not only have you become the Prince of Jinyang, but you've also been appointed as a Third-Rank Compiler and Acting Co-Director of the Martial Association. People are saying you're now Yujing City's number one most eligible bachelor—"

"The only reason the Emperor values you so much is that he intends to take you as his granddaughter's husband!"

Inside the newly bestowed Prince of Jinyang's estate, Luo Liheng greeted Lu Sheng with great excitement.

In this grand enfeoffment ceremony, although dozens of people received titles—with even multiple Commandery Princes appointed—none drew as much attention as Lu Sheng.

After all, not only was he a hereditary Commandery Prince with a fiefdom, but he had simultaneously attained the position of a Third-Rank Compiler and Acting Co-Director of the Martial Association.

Especially the latter, which practically signaled in broad daylight that a future figure of immense power was steadily rising!

Therefore, much like Lu Hongkang and Shen Yancheng, many speculated that the Emperor planned to marry his granddaughter to Lu Sheng.

"Heh!" Letting out a dry chuckle, Lu Sheng gave Luo Liheng a heavy pat on the shoulder and said, "Stop spouting nonsense with me. Go help me host those aristocratic young masters who came to offer their congratulations."

With a firm push, he nudged Luo Liheng out the door.

He then headed toward the inner quarters to pay his respects to his teacher, Lu Chunyuan.

"Teacher!"

Upon seeing Lu Chunyuan, Lu Sheng offered a sincere expression of gratitude:

"Thank you for your help, Teacher. Otherwise, this disciple truly wouldn't have known what to do."

"With so many people here, it's genuinely difficult to entertain them all!"

Ever since the enfeoffment and his arrival at the new estate, a steady stream of Yujing's elite had been sending representatives to offer their congratulations.

Had it not been for the personnel sent by Lu Chunyuan, along with some clansmen dispatched by Lu Hongyuan, Lu Sheng would have been at a complete loss regarding how to host these guests.

This ordeal made his ambition to build his own faction all the more urgent; he desperately needed a group of people dedicated to handling miscellaneous affairs.

"Heh!" Lu Chunyuan chuckled and asked, "Well then, how about becoming the Emperor's granddaughter's husband?"

"If you have a lady of the house, all these trivial matters can be entirely managed by her!"

The Emperor's granddaughter would naturally bring along a retinue of her own upon marriage. With those people, Lu Sheng would truly establish deep roots in Yujing City.

Therefore, when Lu Chunyuan brought this up, although his tone was relaxed, he was by no means joking.

Lu Sheng easily caught the underlying meaning in his attitude. Thinking of Murong Yu, he decided to probe Lu Chunyuan:

"Ancestor Wanshan arranged a marriage for me long ago. I wonder if Teacher is aware of this?"

"I know a little about it," Lu Chunyuan nodded and said. "The Ancestor mentioned that the person he arranged for you can hold the position of a co-wife."

"As for your primary wife, she must not only be magnanimous and virtuous, but she also needs to be capable of helping her integrate into Yujing society so she won't be ostracized by the noble ladies."

"Therefore, you needn't worry about that marriage at all!"

"Uh..." Never having expected that Lu Wanwan—no, Lu Wanshan—had even considered how to help Murong Yu integrate into Yujing City's circle of noblewomen, he was left momentarily speechless. He stammered:

"Then does Teacher think I should marry the Emperor's direct granddaughter?"

"That depends entirely on your own wishes!" Lu Chunyuan replied. "However, among those of your generation, Lu Qianqian is indeed an excellent choice."

"Not only is she a match for you in martial arts and social standing, but she also possesses a gentle temperament. Much like her father, Lu Anren, she is not someone fond of stirring up trouble."

"Among the women of this generation, she is one of the most suitable matches for you!"

With that, Lu Chunyuan released his aura and transmitted his voice directly to Lu Sheng:

"Furthermore, spreading this news will not only obscure the true reason behind your promotion, but it will also diminish the wariness and resistance from the Prince of Wei's faction when you ascend the throne in the future."

During Emperor Jing's lifetime, he had a total of six sons, who were enfeoffed as the Prince of Qi, the Prince of Jin, the Prince of Wu, the Prince of Chu, the Prince of Zhao, and the Prince of Wei, thus leaving behind six bloodlines.

The Prince of Wei's faction descended from Emperor Jing's sixth son, Lu Xiaozong, the Prince of Wei.

Before the Chaos of All Living Beings, the imperial lineage of the Great Jing Dynasty had always rested within the hands of Emperor Jing's eldest son, the Prince of Qi's lineage.

However, in the wake of the Chaos of All Living Beings, the Prince of Qi's faction not only committed grave mistakes but also suffered devastating losses. They were left without a single Grandmaster or even a collateral Martial Ancestor, forcing them to relinquish the imperial lineage.

After consultations between the two Grandmasters of the Great Jing Lu clan at the time—Lu Xiaozong, the Prince of Wei, and Lu Ninghua, the Prince of Dan—a Martial Ancestor was selected from the descendants of the Prince of Wei to ascend the imperial throne.

From then on, with the subsequent support of Lu Zhengyang, the King of Huntian, and Lu Chunyuan's grandfather, Lu Yuanlin, alongside Lü Wu—who was also a descendant of the Prince of Wei—acting as external reinforcement, the Prince of Wei's faction firmly monopolized the imperial throne.

This was precisely why Lu Hongkang and the others, even when guessing that Lu Sheng would undoubtedly become a Martial Ancestor, had never considered him as a candidate for the throne—

Simply because the descendants of the Prince of Wei, who currently held the greatest strength and largest population within the Great Jing Lu clan, would never agree to it!

Having explained all this to Lu Sheng, Lu Chunyuan said,

"Do not feel aggrieved. This is the price you must pay for bearing the immense weight of the realm."

"In fact, you may even take noble brides from the other factions in the future—"

"Before this great era that is about to give birth to a Supreme Being, all members of the Great Jing Lu clan must pull together with one heart!"

Uniting the Lu clan lineages through Lu Sheng—a young man of boundless potential yet almost entirely devoid of close kinsmen—was a decision he and Lu Wanshan had reached after careful deliberation.

Before the impending great calamity, the entire Great Jing Lu clan had to stand united!

"Then let Teacher decide!"

Hearing Lu Chunyuan's words, Lu Sheng fell silent for a long moment before finally speaking.

At that moment, he once again felt that sense of helplessness, forced to drift along with the currents against his will.

"Although I can sense that Teacher truly has my best interests at heart, this feeling of being unable to control my own destiny—"

"Is truly deeply aggravating!"

"It seems that ever since I encountered Lu Wanshan, I have become entirely a chess piece in his hands."

"Everything I do is ultimately for the sake of the Great Jing Lu clan."

Although Lu Sheng acknowledged that upon returning to the Great Jing Lu clan he had benefited immensely in every aspect, he could equally sense that if things continued this way, he feared he would spend his entire life shackled by the Great Jing Lu clan!

"The Great Jing Lu clan is merely an aid along my path of seeking the Dao—"

"Whatever help it gives me, I shall surely repay in the future!"

"However, it is impossible for me to let myself be completely and permanently bound to it!"

With these thoughts in mind, Lu Sheng's resolve hardened even further. He said to Lu Chunyuan,

"Teacher, I wish to take the opportunity during my return home for ancestral worship to travel and sightsee along the way. I wonder if there are any precautions I should keep in mind?"

"Travel on your own?" Frowning slightly, Lu Chunyuan naturally did not wish to agree to this request.

Yet, seeing the expression on Lu Sheng's face, he knew the young man had likely already made up his mind. With a sigh, he replied:

"I will speak with Ancestor Wanshan and see whether he grants permission!"

"Furthermore, you must make preparations over the next few days. I will take you beneath the White Jade Tower to comprehend the profound artifact of heritage left behind by Emperor Jing—"

"Within it resides the complete True Intent of Hunyuan!"