Chapter 290 - The Intimidation of the Mysterious Director, So Cunning! Rank 10, the Evil King's Excitement

Northern Song Dynasty.

Inside a secret chamber of an unremarkable residence within the capital.

A thin figure sat at the head seat.

In his hand was a wine flask, from which he took a casual sip now and then.

His demeanor was utterly unrestrained and elegant.

Below him stood more than a dozen individuals dressed in various styles, all respectfully standing at attention.

Each of them emitted a powerful aura.

The weakest among them were already at the Great Grandmaster Realm.

Some were even at the Heavenly Human Realm.

Yet even so, none dared show the slightest disrespect toward the man seated above.

"Greetings, Lord Director!"

"At ease. This time, His Majesty has personally appointed me as the Supreme Commander of the Northern Song Dynasty operation."

"I'm sure you all know who I am, so I won't waste time introducing myself."

"Regardless if you're from the Dark Guard, the Internal Factory, or the Azure Dragon Association, from now on, you will all follow my orders without question."

"Otherwise, you will be executed without mercy."

The Mysterious Director spoke in a calm tone.

Everyone below felt a chill in their hearts and dared not be careless in the slightest.

Damn it.

Who said this Director of the Ming Dynasty's Military Advisor Division was merely an idle Imperial Court jester at His Majesty's side?

Always seen lingering around brothels, unconcerned with state affairs, just a useless good-for-nothing.

This is a good-for-nothing?

Just his aura alone surpassed that of many truly formidable figures.

They were certain that if any of them disobeyed orders during the operation, this man would act with ruthless efficiency and show no mercy.

Even if they complained to the Emperor, it was likely he wouldn't be punished at all.

This was someone who had risen through the ranks by sheer capability.

Definitely not the fool the outside world imagined him to be.

They had to be cautious now.

Whether they were from the Dark Guard, the Internal Factory, or the Azure Dragon Association, though they felt some resentment, none dared defy this direct superior's command.

"Rest assured, Director. We wouldn't dare disobey your orders."

"Good. From this moment on, everything we say must be kept strictly confidential."

"If there is any leak, whoever is responsible will be held accountable."

"If it affects the bigger picture, not only will you suffer, but those behind you will be implicated as well."

The Mysterious Director didn't waste time with unnecessary words.

He signaled his attendants, who then distributed over a dozen documents.

Everyone received a copy and glanced over it.

In the next moment.

Almost all of them trembled slightly, cold sweat pouring down their backs.

If this plan succeeded, both the Northern Song Dynasty, and the Liao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom would suffer devastating losses, completely drained of their foundations.

In the end, all three would be left in a state of mutual destruction.

No.

If other dynasties took the opportunity to kick them while they were down, it wouldn't just be damage, it would be total annihilation.

The Northern Song Dynasty's continued existence would become a luxury.

For a moment, everyone felt a deep reverence toward the Mysterious Director.

What a terrifying plan!

Thinking of this, they couldn't help but recall the Advisor Ranking that appeared in the sky.

With this man's intelligence and scheming, if he didn't make it onto the ranking, that would be the real injustice!

No wonder His Majesty trusted him so deeply.

Even if he spent his days loitering in brothels, ignoring state affairs, His Majesty never minded.

Instead, he handed over all authority to him.

Turns out His Majesty had long known this man's capabilities.

"Once you finish reading, destroy the documents."

"From now on, begin preparing for the first phase of the operation!"

"All personnel of the Ming Dynasty must unconditionally serve this plan, no disobedience allowed!"

"If the plan succeeds, I will personally request rewards for everyone. No one will be left out."

"Thank you, sir. We will do everything in our power to complete the mission."

"Very good!"

==========

At the same time.

On the northern plains of the Northern Song Dynasty.

This was the territory of the foreign Liao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom.

At this moment, a team of around ten people was slowly advancing forward.

"Lord, why didn't you stay in the Northern Song Dynasty to command directly, and instead came to the plains?"

"What if danger arises?"

"We might not be able to answer to His Majesty!"

"Don't worry. The likes of Liao Kingdom and Jin Kingdom aren't qualified to kill me!"

"This trip to the Song-Liao-Jin battlefield isn't just to weaken the three nations."

"There is an even more important target, something I must obtain personally!"

"Compared to that object, the destruction or survival of Liao Kingdom, Jin Kingdom, and Northern Song Dynasty doesn't matter much to me."

"On the contrary, keeping all three lingering on the edge of survival is more beneficial to my Vast Sea Dynasty's interests!"

"Only after the Vast Sea Dynasty fully digests the Southern Song Dynasty will it be the perfect time for the other three to fall."

"That's when all three will truly become territories of the Vast Sea Dynasty."

"But, Lord, we're not the only dynasty moving against the Northern Song Dynasty. Several other dynasties seem intent on wiping it out as well."

"Wouldn't this put us at odds with the rest of the dynasties?"

"Isn't it too early to turn against them?"

"The other dynasties aren't as concerning. But the Ming Dynasty is not to be underestimated."

"If we break ties now, it would be devastating to the Vast Sea Dynasty's long-term plans."

"Please reconsider, Lord!"

"Relax. Everything is already within my calculations. Nothing will go wrong."

"You only need to follow orders."

The Mysterious Lord smiled with a strange twist at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this, the subordinate beside him felt a chill in his heart.

What a cunning smile!

No wonder his superiors had warned him countless times before they left, not to offend this man under any circumstances.

Otherwise, no one would be able to save him.

This man... was likely the true favored candidate of the Advisor Ranking in the sky.

One could only wonder if he would make it onto the ranking this time!

==========

Ming Imperial Palace.

"Advisor Ranking, huh?"

Zhu Houzhao frowned slightly.

Looks like the Ming Dynasty might not get many rewards this time!

Over the years, most of the advisors he had recruited had been assigned to the Vast Sea Dynasty.

After all, the Vast Sea Dynasty was still expanding and needed more advisors.

Whereas the Ming Dynasty had long been stable.

Even if he had more advisors, it would be a waste.

However, now that the Advisor Ranking had appeared, he realized he needed to recruit a few more promising talents.

Even if they weren't immediately useful, he couldn't let them fall into enemy hands!

Still, considering the capabilities of the advisors in the Vast Sea Dynasty, getting on the Advisor Ranking shouldn't be difficult.

This round of rewards would go mostly to the Vast Sea Dynasty.

With him and the Ming Dynasty taking the spotlight and heat at the front, the Vast Sea Dynasty would end up attracting the attention of all of Nine Provinces.

Nonetheless.

All things considered.

The Vast Sea Dynasty had already established solid foundations and feared no challenge.

Even if the other dynasties formed an alliance against them, what was there to fear?!

"Come!"

"Your Majesty, your humble servant is here!"

"Immediately send orders to the Dark One in the Yuan Dynasty Territory, and to the Iron Courage Divine Marquis, to speed things up."

"While all attention is focused on the Northern Song Dynasty."

"The Yuan Dynasty fragmentation plan must advance further."

"The Yuan Dynasty is still not chaotic enough."

"Among Temujin's Four Princes, it's time for one to exit the stage!"

"Four of them? That's far too many."

Zhu Houzhao spoke with a calm tone.

"This... Yes, Your Majesty. I will immediately send orders to Leader Dark One and to the Iron Courage Divine Marquis!"

"Very well, you may go."

Hmm?

Just then, the ranking in the sky began to update.

Who would take the Rank 10 on the Advisor Ranking?

Zhu Houzhao was quite curious!

==========

[Advisor Ranking – Rank 10]

[Pei Ju (Shi Zhixuan)]

[Nation: Sui Dynasty]

[Potential: Top Advisor of Nine Provinces]

[Strategy Rating: Five Stars]

[Strength: First-Rate]

[Reward: 1x Low-Tier Advisor Skill Card, 1x Spiritual Power Enhancement Card, +5% National Fortune]

==========

Pei Ju?

Shi Zhixuan!!

It's actually him?!!

Interesting. Who would've thought the Advisor Ranking would include him!

Pei Ju of the Sui Dynasty, when it came to strategy, he truly was among Nine Provinces's top-tier minds.

But unfortunately, he had another identity.

The Evil King, Shi Zhixuan.

Even Zhu Houzhao had never thought of him as an advisor.

This outcome was an unexpected surprise for Shi Zhixuan.

But the moment Zhu Houzhao thought of him, a stunning female figure flashed through his mind.

A soft smile appeared on his lips.

==========

Sui Dynasty Territory.

Star Valley.

"Grandfather, grandfather, you've made it onto the Nine Provinces Golden Ranking. That's amazing!"

"Grandfather is actually the Rank 10 advisor in Nine Provinces!"

"Yeah! Grandfather is incredible!"

Shi Zhixuan, Shi Qingxuan, and the two little ones were eating together.

Upon seeing the sky's updated ranking, the two kids shouted in excitement, their faces filled with pride.

Shi Zhixuan didn't care much about being on the ranking, but seeing the joy on his two grandchildren's faces, he revealed a rare smile.

It seemed that after spending time together, the two little ones were finally starting to accept him.

"With the Heaven Dao Reward this time, can your weakness be healed?"

Shi Qingxuan suddenly asked, with a trace of concern in her tone.

Her question stunned Shi Zhixuan for a moment.

It felt like, in all these years, this was the first time he had heard a concerned question from his daughter.

"Yes, with the Spiritual Power Enhancement Card from the Heaven Dao Reward, there's a 90% chance I'll recover."

"You don't have to worry about me hurting Feng'er and Yu'er due to my split personality anymore."

"Plus, I have a 50% chance of breaking through my bottleneck and advancing to the Heavenly Human Realm."

"There will be no instability in my foundation."

"I will never again fall from the Heavenly Human Realm back to the Great Grandmaster Realm."

Shi Qingxuan nodded calmly.

Still, she felt a bit happy for Shi Zhixuan inside.

She had always been a kind-hearted person.

Even if she resented Shi Zhixuan for causing the death of her biological mother.

But during these recent days, seeing Shi Zhixuan act with such humility slowly softened her heart.

Rejecting someone three times or five times, even ten times was normal.

But rejecting someone a hundred or a thousand times? Her heart was not made of stone.

Although her face remained neutral, her tone was clearly more gentle.

Yet, there was still a thorn in her heart. Until it was removed, their father-daughter relationship couldn't move forward.

Shi Zhixuan seemed to understand this as well, so he didn't press her.

He was already satisfied with the progress so far.

In the future, he would have more chances to repay what he owed.

However.

For now, the most important thing was to use the Heaven Dao Reward to fix his flaw.

If his split personality ever acted out and hurt his two grandchildren.

Then he truly wouldn't deserve to live.