Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

"Is the official seal of the Prefect still there?" Lin Zhan pondered for a moment before asking.

"Yes, it's here." Zhang Yu hastily presented a scorched official seal to Lin Zhan, "Fortunately, those pirates didn't know where the official seal was; it took me a long time to find it."

Lin Zhan felt relieved at the news; as long as the official seal was still intact, that was all that mattered.

Without the official seal, things would be problematic.

The official seals were crafted by artisans from the Ministry of Industry, and losing one meant that replacing it would be an extremely troublesome affair.

And without an official seal, many matters would be inconvenient to handle.

Lin Zhan took the official seal and inspected it; although it was blackened by fire, the seal itself remained intact and undamaged.

"Paper and ink!" Lin Zhan commanded Ding Lu, who stood by his side.

Ding Lu promptly brought over paper, ink, brush, and inkstone and placed them on the square table in front of Lin Zhan.

Lin Zhan swiftly drafted four official documents.

"Da Shi, you must immediately take people to the Suzhou Prefecture and ask the Governor's Office and the Governor's Office for coordination in the enlistment of troops for the extermination of the pirates."

Ding Lu was the son of Ding Qiu and had always followed Lin Zhan.

And Lu Dashi was a guard from the Yang family, leading the team following Lin Zhan this time.

"Understood!" Lu Dashi stepped forward and responded.

Lin Zhan inquired: "Did you bring the Marquis Mansion's token?"

"It's here!" Lu Dashi said.

"If you encounter any negligence, use the Marquis Mansion's token!" Lin Zhan instructed.

One doesn't have to experience it to know about the government office affairs; even King Yan is easier to deal with than his troublesome underlings.

As a Prefect dispatching people to the Governor's Office and the Governor's Office, being neglected would be the least of worries; it was very possible to be outright ignored.

However, Marquis Jing'an Mansion was different. Yang Zhenshan was the Right Commander of the Left Army Commander's Mansion and also held the honorary title of Young Master.

Since the governor of Jiangnan was under the Left Army Commander's Mansion's jurisdiction, with this relationship in place, the Governor's Office should not ignore the official documents delivered by Lin Zhan.

"Ding Lu, take people to the Hai State Martial Arts Bureau and request the Martial Arts Bureau to dispatch personnel to eliminate the pirates!" Lin Zhan handed another document to Ding Lu.

Although the Hai State Martial Arts Bureau did not have many hands, the government officers from the Martial Arts Bureau were all Martial Artists, whose strength could not be compared with ordinary soldiers.

Even if only twenty or thirty people from the Martial Arts Bureau were deployed, it would still be a substantial support force.

"Officer Li, may I trouble you to send this official document to the Hai State Guard and have them dispatch troops to Yu State as soon as possible to exterminate the pirates!"

Lin Zhan handed the last official document to Li Boran.

Li Boran hesitated as he looked at the official document in his hand.

Sensing his hesitation, Lin Zhan said, "I previously served at the Ministry of War; you may report to your superiors!"

Having served in the Ministry of War was proof of Lin Zhan's experience and network within the Ministry, which oversaw the selection, assessment, and training of Military Officers; officials from the garrisons could least afford to offend officers from the Ministry of War.

Hearing this, Li Boran's eyes brightened, "This subordinate will arrange for it to be sent immediately!"

Once everything was arranged, Lin Zhan made another round of inspections within the city.

...

In the Capital City, at Marquis Jing'an Mansion.

Yang Zhenshan was instructing the Crown Prince, Prince Dai, and An Chenhui in their training.

Last year, Prince An was appointed as Crown Prince, and Yang Zhenshan also held an official post as the Crown Prince's Tutor.

The Crown Prince's Tutor, well, that is the Crown Prince's teacher, and the Grand Tutor is the Emperor's teacher, as well as a high-ranking minister assisting the Emperor.

However, both the Crown Prince's Tutor and the Grand Tutor are honorary titles without real power.

They aren't necessarily even the actual teachers of the Crown Prince or the Emperor, merely a promotion in their ranks.

Of course, Yang Zhenshan's role as the Crown Prince's Tutor was the real deal; he truly was the teacher of the Crown Prince.

In the yard, the Crown Prince, dressed in bright yellow fine clothes, held a long sword and moved it swiftly; the sword moves were graceful and fluent, each one carrying a sharp edge.

Pleased, Yang Zhenshan nodded as he watched, and once the Crown Prince completed a set of Swordsmanship, he commented, "Not bad, the Crown Prince's Swordsmanship has improved significantly!"

"This is all thanks to the Master's excellent teaching!" the Crown Prince replied with a gentle and refined smile.

For the past three years, he had been training under Yang Zhenshan; initially, he wasn't very interested in Martial Arts, but as his cultivation grew and his understanding of Martial Arts deepened under Yang Zhenshan's teaching, his interest in Martial Arts also increased.

In three years, his cultivation advanced from the Body Refining Realm to the Postnatal First Layer, a significant improvement.

Yang Zhenshan smiled and stepped forward, took up another long sword, and said, "The Swordsmanship now has no issue, but in terms of Jin Qi, the Crown Prince still has much to learn!"

"The Crown Prince practices Gang Wind Force. Gang Wind Force emphasizes fierceness..."

Yang Zhenshan explained as he wielded the long sword.

"Fierceness is not about speed or ferocity, but power with a heavy momentum!"

The long sword chopped down; although it wasn't fast, it gave the impression of being unstoppable.

Kui Niu Skill focuses on burst strength, whereas Gang Wind Force focuses on a steady and persistent output.

Though the Postnatal level Jin Qi Cultivation Techniques may differ, their essence lies in the application of Jin Qi.

Such techniques have no absolute distinction between good and bad, strength and weakness; what matters is the personal understanding and application.

Although Yang Zhenshan hasn't cultivated Gang Wind Force, it does not hinder him from using it.

The Crown Prince's temperament is gentle and stable, hence his use of Gang Wind Force tends towards stability, but it is somewhat lacking in firmness.

Stability is a strength, weakness is a flaw, which are both influenced by his character.

Personality affects the method of using Jin Qi, similar to how a hot-tempered person and a lazy person have different ways of walking.

In cultivating Jin Qi, the impact of personality traits is significant.

However, a personality strength doesn't necessarily translate into an advantage in Jin Qi application.