Huang Cixi ended up burning several incense sticks to pay homage to her deceased family. All her movements were very solemn and precise. As the incense sticks were burning, she kowtowed before every memorial tablet several times.
"Father. I am sorry but I won't be able to avenge the death of my brothers. However, I hope you can be happy in the Heavenly Court while you await your next life. You are reunited with Mother. Grandfather and you have had many differences, but in the end I know he understood that Mother truly loved you and that you truly loved us. I swear to you that I'll become the next matriarch, and your name will be beside Mother's in the ancestral hall.
"First Brother, we never saw eye to eye. But I still hope that your next life will be more peaceful. Your ambition wasn't wrong but power shouldn't be an end, just a means to something greater. If you can, watch me until I achieve my goals and you'll see what I mean. I won't become the matriarch just for the sake of it but to use this position.
"Second Brother... I couldn't go through with it in the end... I'm sorry. Please do not believe that I abandoned you. The fact is, he wasn't the one truly responsible for your death. In your next life, I hope that you can please your parents without being forced into such impossible decisions. But know that Father has always been proud of you and so was I."
She then spent almost an hour honoring her deceased family. From the other side of the courtyard, Huang Liyue was observing her. She wasn't trying to spy on her, she only wanted to ensure her protection.
Afterward, Huang Cixi came back inside. All traces of her emotion were now gone. Apparently, she was very good at switching between different moods.
"Senior Huang Liyue. I imagine that you asked my grandfather to become my bodyguard. Is it because of what you saw when we traveled together?"
Hearing the young girl, the new bodyguard was shocked. Could she have planned everything from the moment they had met? She could have waited to come home to cultivate... Could she have done so to entice her and make her join her side?
"Don't overthink this. It's just that I saw how you reacted around Grandfather and me. Sorry, Family Head and me. I'll accept your service as bodyguard, but under the express condition that you won't interfere with my business. There are many things that I need to do and if you are too visible, they may fail."
"I understand, Young Mistress. Unless you desire it so or your life is at stake, no one will ever know that I'm by your side."
"Good."
Just as she finished speaking, a knock on the door attracted Huang Cixi's attention. The moment she turned her head, Huang Liyue had completely disappeared. No matter how much she tried to concentrate, Huang Cixi was unable to sense her presence at all. But she knew for a fact that she was still in the same room. Such a powerful woman would be very reassuring for her plans.
As she had just come back, Huang Cixi had not seen her servants yet. As such, she went to open the door herself. And just as she did, she immediately recognized the middle-aged man with a small beard, Bao Zhong. He had been her servant almost all her life when she was living in Yinmen City. Bao Zhong was only a 1st-grade Mortal, and he would probably never reach the Mortal Warrior realm. However, he was one of the few people Huang Cixi trusted. And for the tasks she had in mind, he was certainly the best man she could think of. Indeed, he would know what she wanted and how she wanted it.
And behind him was another man. He was an old man with gray hair and beard. Even though his face was riddled with wrinkles, there was a strong feeling of vigor from him. He was Zhao Guodong, Huang Mingze's personal bodyguard. All his life, he had been absolutely loyal to him and also to his daughter. Sadly, he had failed in his mission and now only Huang Cixi was left alive. No matter what would happen, he would protect her with his life. He was only a 6th-grade Mortal Warrior and almost seventy years old. However, he was ready to break through to Spirit Warrior at any moment now. The last three levels of the Mortal Warrior realm were known as the Lesser Tribulation. All three levels had to be crossed over in a single session that could last several days or even weeks. Failing could result in permanent injuries or even death in the worst case.
As soon as they saw Huang Cixi, they both bowed. Before they could do anything else, she invited them in and lead them to her study. When she had left for the Wubei Sect, both men were still getting her affairs in order with City Lord Dun. But she had asked them to come back to the Huang family residence in Baziyun City. However, the moment they had arrived, she was already gone. And since then, they had been staying idle by.
"Young Mistress, please let this incompetent one serve you with his life."
Zhao Guodong spoke first but was soon joined by Bao Zhong.
"Sirs, you've always been loyal to my family. I welcome your help wholeheartedly. And I am honored to keep your trust."
Both men kowtowed in front of her.
"Bao Zhong, I will need some documents and informations."
"Young Mistress, I already took the initiative to gather some things that might be of interest to you. While I was staying here, I often traveled through the city to understand the state of business. I also tried to gather as much intel as possible about the various factions vying for the position of matriarch. In fact there are really two factions of importance.
"The first one is Huang Lü. She's not that popular but she does have some abilities. Her achievements in the Five Imperial Arts is indeed impressive. However both her character and her cultivation are lacking. In fact, your cultivation should even be a bit stronger than hers even though she's almost a Mortal Warrior. In the end, her real weaknesses are her bloodline that's rather weak and her character. Apparently she only recently formed her first True Fiery Drop. And she's known for being a bit too callous and arrogant. Sadly, her recent achievement in 'Nine Chambers of Life Fire' didn't help...
"Only a handful of elders are more or less behind her. But they should be easy to sway one way or another.
"The second candidate is probably the most likely successor to the matriarch, Huang Si. To be direct, she's perfect. Turning 32 this year, she's already a 3rd-grade Mortal Warrior and very close to a breakthrough. Her bloodline is almost as pure as yours and she has condensed two True Fiery Drops."
Bao Zhong didn't know that Huang Cixi had also condensed her second True Fiery Drop. And her blood had become even more pure thanks to the effect of the Life Boiling Cradle pill.
"Moreover, she's also acclaimed as a great practitioner of the Five Imperial Arts. As of now, almost half the elders have decided to side with her. And a tenth of them even publicly stated they were endorsing her.
"Right now, the other half of the elders is still waiting. Considering how well the Family Head is managing the household, they're not in a hurry to choose another matriarch."
Huang Cixi was obviously very familiar with the Five Imperial Arts. Since the era of Emperor Nuwa, they had bee popularized as the best way to determine a just ruler. Any aristocrat or public servant had to have a bit of achievement in at least one of them and a general knowledge of them all. Namely, they were Go, the strategic game, guqin, the zither that was Emperor Nuwa's favorite instrument, calligraphy, painting and poetry.
These Five Imperial Arts were part of Huang Cixi's education of course. Although she would not claim to be the best in each art, she wouldn't have to be ashamed by anyone's achievement.
As Huang Cixi didn't stop him, Bao Zhong kept on talking about the situation of the family. Right now, there were seventy-two elders. Generally, the successor of the matriarch would be appointed by the current matriarch but the elders had their word to say. In all of the Huang family's history, it seldom happened that they disagreed. In the end, the matriarch had the last word. However gaining the support of the elders was very important. With their authority, they could make life difficult for any ruler. Moreover, it was important to keep the family stable and avoid internal strifes.
The Huang family was a very prominent power in several provinces, but they were unrivaled in the Wu Province, which Baziyun City was the capital of. For several thousands of years now, they had been one of the leading families in the Hongchen Kingdom. Their first ancestor was said to have helped Emperor Nuwa all the way back in the Blood and Dirt Era, before the Hongchen Kingdom was even officially founded.
Like many other big families, the Emperor was both cordial and suspicious of them. There were many restrictions on them to avoid infighting. Mankind had to be united against the common enemy, the demons. Since the time of Emperor Nuwa, it had been so, despite some internal rivalry. No one had ever gone too overboard, fearing both the Emperor and the other families.
One of these restrictions was the number of children. In fact, it wasn't a written rules, but past examples had shown that having too many children for people who could live several centuries, or even millenniums, was a terrible idea. Back in the Founding Era, many families had tried to produce countless children to fight off against the demons, increasing their own numbers. However, it had also lead to catastrophic struggles for power. All this bloodshed had been stopped by Emperor Nuwa who was an absolute symbol of unity for all mankind.
But everyone had learned their lesson. It was already difficult to handle succession with dozens of generations living together. But if, in addition, they were too many potential successors, that would have been cataclysmic. Then, the example of Emperor Nuwa inspired everyone. Succession, in most families, was not based on heredity alone, but on competence.
As such, the main reason for the matriarch's seclusion was to allow the selection process of the next matriarch. She didn't want to get involved in any way and interfere. She also knew Huang Yi enough to know that he would never favor his own granddaughter. As long as the competition was not bloody, the matriarch would not interfere anyway but her mere presence could be an obstacle to some. Moreover, sensing her age taking its toll on her, she had wanted to try and break through even further. With her experience, she was on the verge of breaking through into the 9th-grade Spirit Warrior. Despite her old age, she wanted to cross that limit before her death.
Before the Forsaken Dao Era, average cultivators could even exceed the Spirit Warrior realm way before turning a thousand years old. The current era was really a disaster for mankind...
In the study, Bao Zhong was still exposing everything he had uncovered about the internal relationships within the Huang family and the state of the city. He had also written many reports that Huang Cixi would read and memorize later.
As every major town, Baziyun City had a Major Hall from the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall. It wasn't just a small auction hall like in Yinmen City, but a giant hub for trades of all kinds. The headquarters of the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall was of course in the Imperial City. But the capital of every province had such a Major Hall. In Baziyun City, the two major players in economy were the Huang family and the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall. Of course there were other people taking part in the economy, but none were as big as those two.
The fortune of the Huang family came primarily from the Xiliang Mines. In the outskirts of the city, they produced many spirit stones and other ores prized by blacksmiths, alchemists and array formation masters alike. They also had a few gold and silver mines. Moreover, many members of the Huang family were also involved in small commerces, from restaurants to alchemy shops. Most members of the Huang family were not directly responsible for these shops, but they rent them to others and owned a part of their activity.
In fact, the main wealth of the Huang family was its ownership over certain lands. The Emperor only allowed this right to big families and a select few among the kingdom. For example, the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall was able to confer that right to some of its members for a hefty price.
Finally, Bao Zhong was done and assured Huang Cixi that she would receive all his reports before the end of the day. In fact, she would even remember them all before the end of the day as well.
"Your report was already extremely thorough and useful. I do not doubt that your written reports will prove even more important to me. But since we're talking about the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall, do you have word of Ye Zhiyun?"
"Of course, Young Mistress. As soon as I learned of your arrival, I asked him to come and meet you. Apparently, he cannot right now because it would expose him, but he will come before the week is over."
"What is his current position?"
Just before her departure, Huang Cixi had asked her trustworthy Ye Zhiyun to come in Baziyun City. And he had. After asking for a transfer from Yinmen City and chosen a replacement for him, he got a menial job in the Major Hall.
"Young Mistress, in a single year, he went all the way to the top. Today, he is the first adviser of Fang Shaolong, the Major Hall's Hall Master. That's precisely why he didn't want to expose his relationship with you."
"Good. If Ye Zhiyun said he would meet me later, he will."
There were not that many people Huang Cixi trusted, but Ye Zhiyun was her most trusted servant. And clearly, he was extremely competent.