Chapter 113: First Arrival at the Military Commandant's Office

In a state of deep frustration, Wei Wuji left his private courtyard with a heavy heart. Having failed to satisfy his curiosity, he was in a foul mood, not even bothering to acknowledge the words of Zheng Dali, who walked beside him. To soothe his inner agitation, he had even decided to walk to the meeting, calling it a leisurely stroll.

This left Zheng Dali choking on his own words. "Young Master! You are heading to a military council, not going to the market for groceries—could you perhaps pick up the pace?" Although the Office of the Military Commissioner was only a few miles away, walking would consume a significant amount of time.

"Enough with the chatter! We are walking!" Wei Wuji retorted sharply. It was absurd to think that a young nobleman of his standing, even if he lacked real executive power, should be seen eagerly rushing to wait for a group of old fogies.

Seeing that his pleas were in vain, Zheng Dali gave up. He felt increasingly that since the Battle of Chen, his young master had become more difficult to serve. With a helpless shake of his head and a wry smile, he resigned himself to his fate, remembering the heavy responsibility entrusted to him by Lady Dan.

Wei Wuji strolled through the streets of the forbidden city with his hands behind his back. Though the thoroughfares were wide, they were sparsely populated, mostly occupied by busy officials hurrying about their duties. Wei Wuji and his retinue, moving at a leisurely pace, became an unusual sight. What would have taken less than ten minutes on horseback dragged on for nearly forty minutes. By the time Wei Wuji arrived at the gates of the Office of the Military Commissioner, the sun was already high in the sky.

After Zheng Dali hurriedly exchanged the necessary tokens, they strolled inside under the watchful eyes of the guards. The office was vast, with an equally grand layout; imposing halls were connected by an intricate web of corridors. Scores of officials and armored generals bustled about, bamboo slips in hand, creating a lively scene. However, to Wei Wuji’s embarrassment, while Xu Anhong had told him to attend the council, he had failed to specify exactly where it was being held.

Just as Wei Wuji stood there, hesitant and at a loss, a clear voice reached his ears: "I am Feng Yulin, an administrator of the Office of the Military Commissioner. I pay my respects to the young master." A few meters away, an official was bowing deeply, holding bamboo slips to his chest.

"Do you need something?" Wei Wuji asked, tilting his head.

Feng Yulin straightened up and replied, "I have been instructed by the Pillar of State, Xu, to escort you to the White Tiger Hall for the council."

"The White Tiger Hall..." Wei Wuji muttered, nearly gagging. Was that not the very place where Lin Chong had been framed? His expression turned strange. Although this was not *The Water Margin*, the name alone made him feel that this meeting might not be a pleasant affair.

"Do you know what is on the agenda today?" Wei Wuji asked, feeling ignorant of what lay ahead.

"This..." Feng Yulin offered a bitter smile and stammered, "Forgive me, Young Master, but I am merely a humble administrator. How could I be privy to matters of state and military?"

Wei Wuji was struck dumb. If he didn't know the subject of the discussion, what was he supposed to debate? Furthermore, he had left Wang Xiu at the Wu'an camp to help oversee the troops, leaving himself without a strategist at his side. Relying on Zheng Dali? Wei Wuji cast a glance at the man and immediately decided that was out of the question.

"Young Master, please follow me. The officials have been waiting for some time," Feng Yulin said, leading the way without pausing. Hearing that the participants had been waiting for him only added to Wei Wuji’s embarrassment. If only he hadn't insisted on walking!

As he followed Feng Yulin, Wei Wuji pondered whether to remain low-key or to speak eloquently and lecture the others on the art of war. Before he could decide, his attention was captured by the architecture around him. In particular, a large stone tablet engraved with the details of the State of Wei’s peerage system held him spellbound. It was only then that he truly understood how the system worked—a source of irony, given that he had been a strong advocate for granting titles based on military merit despite not fully grasping the structure himself.

In short, the Wei peerage consisted of ten ranks. The first was the "Fengjun" (Fief-holding Lord), who possessed actual territory. Below them were the "Shangqing" (High Ministers) without fiefs, followed by the "Shuzhang," "Shaoqing," "Yujun," "Shangzao," "Daifu," "Gongcheng," "Bugeng," and "Gongshi."

Wei Wuji himself held the fourth rank, the Shaoqing—a position of significant prestige. It was a status beyond the reach of most, as even many generals in Wei held only the ranks of Shangzao or Yujun. Let alone the lower-ranked commandants and colonels, who were lucky to reach the level of Daifu or Gongcheng—unless, of course, they had inherited their titles.

The rigidity of this hierarchy made it difficult for ordinary people to earn titles through military merit. After all, most of the existing nobles had ancestors who had broken their backs to serve the royal house, combined with shrewd political maneuvering, just to attain the rank of Gongcheng or Daifu. If commoners were allowed to earn such titles through mere bravery and sacrifice, the established nobility would never stand for it.

After a long period of contemplation, Wei Wuji noticed Feng Yulin waiting for him with an anxious expression. He cursed himself for losing focus; he was already late enough as it was. "Lead the way, Administrator Feng," Wei Wuji said apologetically. Feng Yulin nodded and continued to guide him, casting glances backward to ensure the young master wasn't distracted again.

Wei Wuji found it amusing—did he look like a child in kindergarten? "Administrator Feng, how many Fengjuns does our Great Wei have currently?" he asked, hoping to strike up a conversation and ease the awkwardness.

To his surprise, Feng Yulin’s answer made things even more awkward. "Young Master, our Great Wei... currently has none..."

Wei Wuji nearly tripped. How could a state as large as Wei have no Fief-holding Lords? Seeing Wei Wuji’s disbelief, Feng Yulin was baffled—everyone knew this, so why was the young master asking? But as an official, he had to answer honestly. "Young Master, since the third Lord of Chengyang passed away twenty years ago and his successor’s title was downgraded to Shangqing, our Great Wei has had no Fengjuns."

Wei Wuji then recalled the inscription on the tablet: while the rank of Fengjun was the highest, it was subject to a generational decline, and the royal house reclaimed the fiefs after three generations. It made sense that there were no such lords left.

"Then does our Great Wei have any Shangqing?" Wei Wuji asked.

"Well... there are quite a few of those," Feng Yulin replied with a smile.

"Tell me about them," Wei Wuji said, thinking it wise to be well-informed.

"Currently, our Great Wei’s Shangqing include the seven princes of the late Duke Cheng, as well as three princes still living from the time of Duke Mu..."

"Stop, stop, stop..." Wei Wuji waved his hand, cutting him off. So, the "many" Shangqing were all members of the royal clan! The names Feng Yulin had listed were all his uncles, or even grand-uncles.

"I wish to know about those outside of the royal family," Wei Wuji clarified.

"Ah, I see," Feng Yulin said with a look of realization. "If we speak of them, there are very few... The Prime Minister was recently promoted to Shangqing, that is one... Pillar of State Gao... that is another... and beyond that..."

And so, listening to Feng Yulin’s rambling, the two made their way toward the White Tiger Hall.