Daily life of a cultivation judge

After the queen and consorts were introduced then came the princes and princesses. The king had not yet chosen a crown prince but as per the notes recorded by the previous branch chief, it seemed like the king was leaning more toward the surviving twin, the child he had with the queen.

However, though the king supposedly was leaning towards him as his next heir to the throne, his mother was a former commoner with no background whatsoever other than her accolades as a general of the kingdom. 

If he were to become the king, the five peak aristocratic families would constantly hinder him at every turn and would even go to the extent of interfering with his inauguration. All that prince had for backing was his mother's reputation and the Zhou royal family but even then, from the notes Yang Qing read it wasn't all in the Zhou family who supported him.

The amount of opposition he would face was what made the king hesitant about hoisting the seat on him despite the many qualities he had both as a cultivator as he was already a quasi-palace realm cultivator with a talent for the saber, in addition to his ability to make friendships whether it was the nobility or the commoner selling buns by the road, he could easily mix in with both worlds.

But even with all that going for him, his weak background put him at a disadvantage compared to the rest of his siblings. The front-runner among them was the third prince whose mother was the first consort, Zhang Quifen.

Though the five clans were relatively at the same level in terms of power and accumulation, the Zhang family had a slight edge over the rest of the clan because of its history. It was commonly known as the family of heroes.

Of the statues built around the capital, almost a third of them were comprised of a member of the Zhang family. It was the one family thought to perfectly embody the chivalric and unyielding spirit of the kingdom. Their members have always made their name by being on the front lines.

Their heroism was revered by all whether it was the commoners, the military, or even some of the other aristocratic families that were not part of the five peak clans. So as someone born into a family of heroes, the third prince who showed the same chivalric spirit had a leg over the rest as the next heir. Even his younger sister was in full support of him.

In the course of the introduction, Yang Qing discovered the meek-looking fifteen-year-old princess with brown hair, her mother was from the Meng family who had just lost two children in the attack against the obsidian serpents.

The consort's name was Meng Zhi and she had three children; two sons and a daughter. From the notes he read, Meng Zhi was deeply infatuated with the king to the point that when she was chosen to be married, she wept for five days in joy.

"The recordings did say it was rumored she had a special physique too.." muttered Yang Qing as he noticed her daughter try to hide her melancholy as she offered a noble like smile and greeting.

The other missing consort Shi Ruo only had one child with the king who was the injured prince. Of the five consorts, she wasn't the most impressionable as she spent all her time buried in books or alchemy experiments. The only thing that could tear her away from her experiments and books was her son who she doted on heavily.

The Shi clan may not have the same exemplary reputation as the Zhang clan, but in terms of wealth, there was no one wealthier. Their ply of trade was in alchemy and herbology which gave them a lot of connections and wealth both within and outside the kingdom.

The remaining consorts; the gentle and amiable consort Song Yun had two daughters and the vibrant consort Chu Delun had two sons who had taken up her family's gold hair.

Once the Imperial Secretary was done with their introductions he moved to the left which had the current heads of the five peak clans and a few other well-established families before he finally moved to the right where he finished off with the introduction of the high officials deemed worthy of being present such as the chancellor who was an old man with graying hair and a third stage palace realm expert, along with a few governors.

With the introductions done and the pleasantries out the way, the servants were ushered in as they brought in trays filled with all kinds of dishes that left Yang Qing's eyes glowing.

Yang Qing has always been a big advocate of authenticity, especially with your likes. There is no need to play coy with the things you like, be direct. Which was why he didn't bother hiding his unrefined epicurism nature. He liked food...a lot... and he hoped the royal family would read into that open hint and bring in more food.

His hint was received well. For the next half an hour countless dishes were continuously brought to the table like a parade with Yang Qing being the master conductor as he sampled each dish. It didn't matter if he knew it or not, or if it looked strange or not. It could be meat or seaweed, Yang Qing didn't discriminate, he ate them all which drew him no small amount of well-hidden looks, but Yang Qing didn't care.

After his month was up, he wouldn't be here. He didn't have to worry about face and looking refined or like a proper cultivator and it wasn't like there was anyone he wanted to impress. He could sense the tenseness and how guarded those present were against each other. They smiled and talked but everything they did was layered behind probes, deceit, and sizing each other up. Whether it was the heads of the five families, the other aristocratic families, the consorts, the princes, or the rest of the high officials.

The only ones who seemed out of the dangerous play were the youngest princess Meng Ling who seemed absent-minded half the time, the Queen who ate reservedly in complete silence, and Yang Qing who ate unreservedly.

Probably because of his free attitude, the different factions started talking to him more freely they even shared a few laughs and jokes here and there. The third prince even decided to imitate him as he sampled different dishes here and there, while the eldest prince who was known for his gifted skills in communication managed to stir up Yang Qing's interest by bringing up various niche cuisines he had read about which covered different parts of the continent.

Slowly by slowly the atmosphere warmed up and it felt more like a family branch which technically could be considered one if Yang Qing and the officials were not there.

"What a bunch of sly people.." Yang Qing muttered to himself as he took in how almost everyone at the table seemed to be so close. They were patting each other's backs as they laughed enthusiastically at each other's jokes, filling each other's cups of wine, and sharing tidbits here and there, which ended up with compliments being traded all around.

If Yang Qing was some wet behind the ears guest, he would be easily fooled into thinking this group was united and would go through thick and thin together without batting an eye. But he knew better and he had constantly dealt with those who were much slyer than present company. 

Would the people present compare to the old fossils of the Order? They would work you to death, trick you into doing more work for little pay, and somehow you end up feeling indebted to them. They had mastered the art of exploitation to a tee.

Present company were children when Yang Qing compared them to the mighty foe he has been dealing with for the past few years.